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Oh, wait. The mechanic said the steering parts had already been replaced, not that they needed to be. Maybe the idler arm was what he was talking about? I'll get more details when I pick it up.
The original idler arm is pretty weak and even my car with 20k miles had the MOOG replacement part on it. Snap a photo of it and we can tell you whether it's been replaced. The part isn't expensive though, so if you aren't sure, go ahead and add it to your shopping cart.
The original idler arm is pretty weak and even my car with 20k miles had the MOOG replacement part on it. Snap a photo of it and we can tell you whether it's been replaced. The part isn't expensive though, so if you aren't sure, go ahead and add it to your shopping cart.
Ok. I'll take a picture when I get it home. The mechanic is really excited about my car. He thinks I should put a better exhaust on it. I'm not sure if I should keep it original or make it better. Or should I put better parts on it and keep the original parts? I feel like I bought a piece of history and I need make responsible choices. O.o
That's basically the first performance mod I did. I picked up the Racing Beat long primary street port exhaust. Definitely makes a big difference...only down side is the smell, since there are no cats.
Ok. I'll take a picture when I get it home. The mechanic is really excited about my car. He thinks I should put a better exhaust on it. I'm not sure if I should keep it original or make it better. Or should I put better parts on it and keep the original parts? I feel like I bought a piece of history and I need make responsible choices. O.o
Because of its condition, if it were mine, I'd run the current exhaust until it fails and needs a new one.
Ok. I'll take a picture when I get it home. The mechanic is really excited about my car. He thinks I should put a better exhaust on it. I'm not sure if I should keep it original or make it better. Or should I put better parts on it and keep the original parts? I feel like I bought a piece of history and I need make responsible choices. O.o
Tires are impossible to find. There seems to only exist one brand of garbage tires that fit. I'm going to put different wheels on it so I can buy decent tires. I like the stock wheels so I'm a little sad about this. But I'll keep them and the old Pirelli tires.
I ordered all the bushings for the suspension.
The idler arm has already been replaced.
I think I still have some weird engine idling issues to work out, but that seems like par for the course with these cars. At one point on the drive home, it randomly revved up to like 3000rpm while I was stopped at a light.
Here are some pics of the car outside just because it looks pretty.
Yeah. Going down to 195s was an option. There were more tires in that size but they all seemed like the same level of quality. With bigger wheels, I can get some cool Toyo Proxes racing tires. Maybe I'll order a set of 195s for the stock wheels before they go away too.
Those Falkens (first option in link above) would be a better option for the street compared to the Toyos. Neither will be quiet, but the Falkens will last a lot longer.
Car update: I've taken apart and cleaned the window switches. I also took the door panel off. The original plastic barrier is still on there and in good shape so I used existing holes to spray lubricant on the the tracks. I wish I would have remembered to tighten the mirror while I had it off. I was worried I would break some old, brittle parts. The windows work much better now. I'm glad the internet exists. I would have replaced the motor first if I were on my own.
I am having wheels and tires put on today. I like having a wheel size that has more tire options, and I'll keep the originals. I'm also having them do a front-end alignment.
I replaced one of the gas struts on the hatch. I need to take the one with the wiper cut-off switch off and figure out how to make that work with a new strut.
I've also requested a quote from Color Masters Northwest to have the seats re-done. I guess I should have asked about the steering wheel too. I still need to shampoo the carpets. And deal with the idle issues.
That's basically the first performance mod I did. I picked up the Racing Beat long primary street port exhaust. Definitely makes a big difference...only down side is the smell, since there are no cats.
Direct Fire Ignition,use third module and upgrade trailing,low resistance plug wires, RX8 plugs. Will clean up mostly all that smell.
Gives a bump in performance,driveability,start easier. Added benefit of being able to start a flooded engine without cleaning/replacing plugs.
Car update: I've taken apart and cleaned the window switches. I also took the door panel off. The original plastic barrier is still on there and in good shape so I used existing holes to spray lubricant on the the tracks. I wish I would have remembered to tighten the mirror while I had it off. I was worried I would break some old, brittle parts. The windows work much better now. I'm glad the internet exists. I would have replaced the motor first if I were on my own.
I am having wheels and tires put on today. I like having a wheel size that has more tire options, and I'll keep the originals. I'm also having them do a front-end alignment.
I replaced one of the gas struts on the hatch. I need to take the one with the wiper cut-off switch off and figure out how to make that work with a new strut.
I've also requested a quote from Color Masters Northwest to have the seats re-done. I guess I should have asked about the steering wheel too. I still need to shampoo the carpets. And deal with the idle issues.
You can disconnect wires from window that go to strut,disconnect wiper motor wires at connector on end of strut. Remove strut from car,use razor blade to slice tubing that holds wires to strut body. Remove screw that pinches wiper motor connector on strut piston rod and transfer all to new strut. Measure length of old heat shrink and get a section of same length(1") and slide it on strut,orient wires as they were and use heat gun/hair drier to shrink in place and reinstall.
