some basic questions about my new FB
06-25-04, 04:13 PM
#1
some basic questions about my new FB
Hey guys
I just bought a 1984 GSL...so I'm not very familiar w/ it.
The rotors are worn pretty bad, so I'm going to be changing them. The brakes are really bad as well...but I'm not sure whether the car has pads or shoes in the rear...
I was under the impression that the GSLs have disc brakes, so they have pads in the rear, correct?
Anything else I should be changing when I change out the pads & rotors?
Also, I don't know what happened to the moonroof/sunroof all of a sudden (it's the hard top type that you can tilt up from the rear, or completely take off).
The round **** you twist to raise the rear of the moon/sunroof raises this little black box which attaches to the moon/sunroof itself. Obviously when you twist it, it's supposed to raise and stay raised...and shouldn't go back down until you twist the **** in the other direction.
Mine stopped working for some reason. It twists, but nothing happens, and I can push the rear of the moonroof up until it's only held by the release levers. Then I can push it back down so it's flush w/ the roof. So basically that black box has somehow disconnected from the ****, so the **** no longer controls it's movement.
Anyone know what part needs to be replaced?
Thanks
I just bought a 1984 GSL...so I'm not very familiar w/ it.
The rotors are worn pretty bad, so I'm going to be changing them. The brakes are really bad as well...but I'm not sure whether the car has pads or shoes in the rear...
I was under the impression that the GSLs have disc brakes, so they have pads in the rear, correct?
Anything else I should be changing when I change out the pads & rotors?
Also, I don't know what happened to the moonroof/sunroof all of a sudden (it's the hard top type that you can tilt up from the rear, or completely take off).
The round **** you twist to raise the rear of the moon/sunroof raises this little black box which attaches to the moon/sunroof itself. Obviously when you twist it, it's supposed to raise and stay raised...and shouldn't go back down until you twist the **** in the other direction.
Mine stopped working for some reason. It twists, but nothing happens, and I can push the rear of the moonroof up until it's only held by the release levers. Then I can push it back down so it's flush w/ the roof. So basically that black box has somehow disconnected from the ****, so the **** no longer controls it's movement.
Anyone know what part needs to be replaced?
Thanks
06-25-04, 04:42 PM
#7
Baller! hehe 
What's this about?
It's from a diff thread, cuz I was searching on this first, but he's talking about changing rotors, so it's related...
What's this about?
Originally posted by Dom
You'll also need inner and outer bearings and the seal if you want to replace everything.
You'll also need inner and outer bearings and the seal if you want to replace everything.
Last edited by FDNewbie; 06-25-04 at 04:48 PM.
Trending Topics
06-25-04, 05:03 PM
#8
Clutchless in San Antonio
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: San Antonio, Tx.
Posts: 677
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm having the same prob with mine...the gear looking piece that the little spiral screw things sit on pops out once in a while. Then at the top, there is a bolt like head that fits in the top..I just used JB weld to "lock" them in place....Take the assembly out, you'll see what I'm talking about and how you can do it.
06-25-04, 09:30 PM
#12
Junior Member
Pads and rotors
Tell yuh what Pilgrim...
You're in for a surprise when you go to remove the front calipers. Two bolts hold the caliper to backing plate, but the bottom bolt is nearly impossible to get out. The bolthead is in a dished section of the plate, and the steering knuckle is so close that you can't get a decent purchase on the bolthead. I bought a cheap 17 mm offset wrench and with some help of my bench grinder made a tool narrow enough to slide through the gap and grip the bolthead. You still need to use a prybar to shift the knuckle over a bit so that you can get the bolt completely out WATCH YOUR FINGERS....Once out I took the bolt to the grinder and buzzed it down just enough so that I could get it into it's home without risking my fingers with that prybar process.
My advice is that you might as well do front bearings, ball-joints, and tie-rod ends if you're going to replace the rotors....
A tip of the old Stetson...
Denny,
From the Ol' abandoned corncrib...
You're in for a surprise when you go to remove the front calipers. Two bolts hold the caliper to backing plate, but the bottom bolt is nearly impossible to get out. The bolthead is in a dished section of the plate, and the steering knuckle is so close that you can't get a decent purchase on the bolthead. I bought a cheap 17 mm offset wrench and with some help of my bench grinder made a tool narrow enough to slide through the gap and grip the bolthead. You still need to use a prybar to shift the knuckle over a bit so that you can get the bolt completely out WATCH YOUR FINGERS....Once out I took the bolt to the grinder and buzzed it down just enough so that I could get it into it's home without risking my fingers with that prybar process.
My advice is that you might as well do front bearings, ball-joints, and tie-rod ends if you're going to replace the rotors....
A tip of the old Stetson...
Denny,
From the Ol' abandoned corncrib...
06-25-04, 11:40 PM
#13
That doesn't sound like fun...
I'm startin w/ the important stuff tomarrow anyways...radiator, driver side mirror, then I'll move on to the brakes & rotors if time permits. If not, I just might let the shop do it. I dunno if I wanna go through ALL that trouble...
I'm startin w/ the important stuff tomarrow anyways...radiator, driver side mirror, then I'll move on to the brakes & rotors if time permits. If not, I just might let the shop do it. I dunno if I wanna go through ALL that trouble...
06-26-04, 10:23 AM
#14
trainwreck
Dude, do the balljoints and tierod ends at least. Itl make a world of difference on how the car handles, its not extremely expensive and its alot easier to do while u have the Rotors off. If you do decide to do them make sure you get the ball joint seperator and spring compressors from Autozone or somewhere. Autozone lets you borrow them for free. U may not need the spring compressors but it makes it alot easier to get to the ball joint.
06-27-04, 08:17 PM
#17
Junior Member
Try it, You'll like it....
C'mon, Tenderfoot....
A little wrenchin' is good for the soul. Besides, it's what owning a Rotary is all about.....You feel so good when you're done, believe me. It's one of the best ways to really get to know your car, as well as to feel a part of the total Rotary experience.
If you get in trouble, get back to us...We'll help.
Besides, if worse comes to worse, you can always fall back on the "shop" if you really need to...
Denny,
From the ol corncrib...
A little wrenchin' is good for the soul. Besides, it's what owning a Rotary is all about.....You feel so good when you're done, believe me. It's one of the best ways to really get to know your car, as well as to feel a part of the total Rotary experience.
If you get in trouble, get back to us...We'll help.
Besides, if worse comes to worse, you can always fall back on the "shop" if you really need to...
Denny,
From the ol corncrib...
06-28-04, 02:40 PM
#18
Denny,
I know what you mean...the wrench time I've put into my FD has been incredibly self satisfying...I love it.
The FB...well, nothing really went as planned lol. Obviously, since this is my first FB, I'm not too familiar w/ it, so the radiator I bought off of another forum member had one of the brackets missing, and the other was welded on. Thus, I couldn't install and secure it, so I had to keep my old radiator. That was AFTER we took out my radiator and everything haha. At least now I know exactly how it's done!
My radiator doesn't seem to be leaking (or at least I couldn't find a leak), but it's correded like anything on the outside. That, and the temp gauge shows that the car runs hot. Dan (Lt. Dan) told me these cars tend to run slightly under the middle mark. Mine usually jumps up to the mark after the middle, and sometimes continues up to right before the H, so I turn the heater on high, and it slowly goes down to the mark right before the H. Not good.
One of the guys w/ me said that it *might* be the wrong thermostat installed on the car, and thus it's not letting in enough coolant?? I dunno...
As for the brakes, got the brakes, took of the old ones, wasn't hard at all. I left the rotors on for now because I wanna see if they can get resurfaced...and save some $$. The prob was when we came to put the new pads on, the piston wouldn't retract far back enough to allow both pads to fit. We tried and tried, but the thing just wouldn't retract.
If you saw the amount of rust on my car, you'd understand lol. Don't get me wrong, she's in incredible condition...but the underside isn't lookin so good. She basically failed emissions in 99, and the owner left her to sit ever since...so there was a LOT of rust around the brakes & rotors and what not. Prob. why the piston wouldn't retract. So I had to put the old pads back on. Go figure.
I got the driver side power mirror replaced! lol So that's a good thing. The prob w/ that is, the stand that comes out of the door panel itself, mine is crooked, and when I took off the interior door panel, I couldn't figure out how you'd get access to the mirror. The hole closest to the base is so freakin far (or so it seemed) that I'd have a hard time seeing - let alone touching - the braket that holds it in place. And to make things worse, neither Hayes nor the Chilton (spelling?) manuals have a procedure for fixing or replacing the side view mirrors...I looked all over. So I just put the top portion of the mirror (the new one) onto the existing base. That was done by screws on the base itself...so taking off the door panel wasn't necessary.
So as things are looking now, I'm prob gonna see if RP can resurface the rotors, change the pads, and give a good look to the rest of the car. I know I need a new carb, and I believe a friend is gonna supply me with his very soon. Other than that, she should be just fine =)
I know what you mean...the wrench time I've put into my FD has been incredibly self satisfying...I love it.
The FB...well, nothing really went as planned lol. Obviously, since this is my first FB, I'm not too familiar w/ it, so the radiator I bought off of another forum member had one of the brackets missing, and the other was welded on. Thus, I couldn't install and secure it, so I had to keep my old radiator. That was AFTER we took out my radiator and everything haha. At least now I know exactly how it's done!
My radiator doesn't seem to be leaking (or at least I couldn't find a leak), but it's correded like anything on the outside. That, and the temp gauge shows that the car runs hot. Dan (Lt. Dan) told me these cars tend to run slightly under the middle mark. Mine usually jumps up to the mark after the middle, and sometimes continues up to right before the H, so I turn the heater on high, and it slowly goes down to the mark right before the H. Not good.
One of the guys w/ me said that it *might* be the wrong thermostat installed on the car, and thus it's not letting in enough coolant?? I dunno...
As for the brakes, got the brakes, took of the old ones, wasn't hard at all. I left the rotors on for now because I wanna see if they can get resurfaced...and save some $$. The prob was when we came to put the new pads on, the piston wouldn't retract far back enough to allow both pads to fit. We tried and tried, but the thing just wouldn't retract.
If you saw the amount of rust on my car, you'd understand lol. Don't get me wrong, she's in incredible condition...but the underside isn't lookin so good. She basically failed emissions in 99, and the owner left her to sit ever since...so there was a LOT of rust around the brakes & rotors and what not. Prob. why the piston wouldn't retract. So I had to put the old pads back on. Go figure.
I got the driver side power mirror replaced! lol So that's a good thing. The prob w/ that is, the stand that comes out of the door panel itself, mine is crooked, and when I took off the interior door panel, I couldn't figure out how you'd get access to the mirror. The hole closest to the base is so freakin far (or so it seemed) that I'd have a hard time seeing - let alone touching - the braket that holds it in place. And to make things worse, neither Hayes nor the Chilton (spelling?) manuals have a procedure for fixing or replacing the side view mirrors...I looked all over. So I just put the top portion of the mirror (the new one) onto the existing base. That was done by screws on the base itself...so taking off the door panel wasn't necessary.
So as things are looking now, I'm prob gonna see if RP can resurface the rotors, change the pads, and give a good look to the rest of the car. I know I need a new carb, and I believe a friend is gonna supply me with his very soon. Other than that, she should be just fine =)
Last edited by FDNewbie; 06-28-04 at 02:46 PM.
07-07-04, 11:45 AM
#19
K here's the update...
New brake pads & rotors, bearings and seals (as necessary) are on. They're working and feeling great.
Bret @ RP changed the thermostat on the car, pressure tested the engine and radiator. He said everything checked out ok, but he got a few bubbles indicating the water pump may be on it's way out.
I also had him put on a bonez hi-flow cat. The car is still running hot. So my next move is to get a radiator, fan, and water pump (might as well) from Advance Auto Parts or Napa or somethin...
They're bolt on from what I understand, so I'm going to save on labor and do them w/ a friend or two. Hopefully that should solve the heating problem (Bret's thinking maybe the radiator is somewhat clogged, esp. since the stocker is 1 row, so any blockage is significant). He said he saw water running, but it wasn't as much as he'd like to see, indicating the water pump wasn't working 100%. Fan is loose, not terrible, but also on it's way out.
All that, and a newly rebuilt carb should hopefully solve the problem completely. If not, I got bigger problems on my hand, since that would mean it's an engine seal problem. But Bret said he had never pressure tested an engine and had it pass, to have a seal problem. It ALWAYS fails. I'm praying it's just the radiator or something...cuz I need this baby to run right.
Any suggesstions are more than welcome...
New brake pads & rotors, bearings and seals (as necessary) are on. They're working and feeling great.
Bret @ RP changed the thermostat on the car, pressure tested the engine and radiator. He said everything checked out ok, but he got a few bubbles indicating the water pump may be on it's way out.
I also had him put on a bonez hi-flow cat. The car is still running hot. So my next move is to get a radiator, fan, and water pump (might as well) from Advance Auto Parts or Napa or somethin...
They're bolt on from what I understand, so I'm going to save on labor and do them w/ a friend or two. Hopefully that should solve the heating problem (Bret's thinking maybe the radiator is somewhat clogged, esp. since the stocker is 1 row, so any blockage is significant). He said he saw water running, but it wasn't as much as he'd like to see, indicating the water pump wasn't working 100%. Fan is loose, not terrible, but also on it's way out.
All that, and a newly rebuilt carb should hopefully solve the problem completely. If not, I got bigger problems on my hand, since that would mean it's an engine seal problem. But Bret said he had never pressure tested an engine and had it pass, to have a seal problem. It ALWAYS fails. I'm praying it's just the radiator or something...cuz I need this baby to run right.
Any suggesstions are more than welcome...
07-07-04, 12:25 PM
#20
Burning Oil-Grinding 3rd
Mirror
Take off the top part, Like you have done, Next there are two philips screws inside the tower, Takes those out and it will come off, then there are two screws holding the pad and rubber seal to the door.
On the T-Stat,
Atkins Rotary has the correct t-stat in a 160 temp, I just ordered one today. You can tell the difference in the t-stats the corrrect one will have an extra extention and a plate at the bottom of it.
Hope the cat Worked out good for you.
Take off the top part, Like you have done, Next there are two philips screws inside the tower, Takes those out and it will come off, then there are two screws holding the pad and rubber seal to the door.
On the T-Stat,
Atkins Rotary has the correct t-stat in a 160 temp, I just ordered one today. You can tell the difference in the t-stats the corrrect one will have an extra extention and a plate at the bottom of it.
Hope the cat Worked out good for you.
07-07-04, 12:34 PM
#21
I figured out what the problem w/ the mirror is. I replaced the top part, which is the only part broken. But apparently, the area between the mirror base and the beginning of the window...that very small area of the door skin is actually bent inward, so the whole mirror is tilted upward. It's hard to see, but if you look closely, you can see the bend. I'm gonna see if I can just hammer it back out lol
The cat's workin just fine. Is it normal for the car to backfire every now and then w/ it on? Because she didn't backfire at all w/ the old cats...and now, she'll intermittently backfire..
Keep in mind I haven't changed the plugs, wires, cap, or carb yet
The cat's workin just fine. Is it normal for the car to backfire every now and then w/ it on? Because she didn't backfire at all w/ the old cats...and now, she'll intermittently backfire..
Keep in mind I haven't changed the plugs, wires, cap, or carb yet
07-18-04, 01:07 PM
#22
Ok..so far so good. The new pads and rotors are great...I can actually stop now hehe. I didn't use anti-squeal pads because they didn't come w/ the pads (stupid) and the brakes just started to squeak 2 days ago. Weird. I thought I could get away w/ it...
A friend and I swapped out the old radiator w/ a new one. The temp is running a lot cooler now, although it still occassionaly jumps above the middle mark. When it does, I noticed smoke coming out from around the exhaust housing (I believe that's what it's called...it's basically the downpipe that exits from the engine, on it's way to the cat). I have the bonez hi-flo cat, so that portion is fine. But the portion before it...smoke is coming out from around it. That's why I get occassional smoke from around the passenger side front end, and when you look underneath the car, some smoke from the begining portion of the exhaust pipe (again, before the cat).
I don't know if FBs come w/ precats as well?? If so, my guess is it's clogged, but getting better (hence the better temps), but it occassionally causes exhaust fumes to back up or what not...contributing to higher engine temps?
If FBs do come w/ precats:
1) are their downpipes you can get instead, eliminating the precat? I would think that should help solve the problem
2) Can you still pass emissions w/o the precat?
I changed the plugs and cap, and the car is much more responsive. Hopefully next week I'll change the waterpump, and replace the stock fan w/ an electric fan (I was thinking either your generic electric fan, or I heard that volvo fans are better, and are drop-in...is that true?)
Lastly...I need new tires, because although the ones I have now have plenty of tread on them, they're cracked, and they'll never pass safety inspection here. So this is my question. Stock size is 185/70/13, right? I saw on discounttire.com that an alternate size is 205/60/13. Can anyone verify if this size will fit on the stock rims (it's an 84 GSL, 12A, 1.1L carb), and if so, any pros/cons to running w/ the wider tires? I'd think they'd increase traction and handling... Also, would you run the 205s all around, or the 185s in the front and 205s in the rear? (I know most of us run staggard sizes on our FDs...that's why).
Sorry for all the questions...and thanks for all the help guys.
~Ramy
A friend and I swapped out the old radiator w/ a new one. The temp is running a lot cooler now, although it still occassionaly jumps above the middle mark. When it does, I noticed smoke coming out from around the exhaust housing (I believe that's what it's called...it's basically the downpipe that exits from the engine, on it's way to the cat). I have the bonez hi-flo cat, so that portion is fine. But the portion before it...smoke is coming out from around it. That's why I get occassional smoke from around the passenger side front end, and when you look underneath the car, some smoke from the begining portion of the exhaust pipe (again, before the cat).
I don't know if FBs come w/ precats as well?? If so, my guess is it's clogged, but getting better (hence the better temps), but it occassionally causes exhaust fumes to back up or what not...contributing to higher engine temps?
If FBs do come w/ precats:
1) are their downpipes you can get instead, eliminating the precat? I would think that should help solve the problem
2) Can you still pass emissions w/o the precat?
I changed the plugs and cap, and the car is much more responsive. Hopefully next week I'll change the waterpump, and replace the stock fan w/ an electric fan (I was thinking either your generic electric fan, or I heard that volvo fans are better, and are drop-in...is that true?)
Lastly...I need new tires, because although the ones I have now have plenty of tread on them, they're cracked, and they'll never pass safety inspection here. So this is my question. Stock size is 185/70/13, right? I saw on discounttire.com that an alternate size is 205/60/13. Can anyone verify if this size will fit on the stock rims (it's an 84 GSL, 12A, 1.1L carb), and if so, any pros/cons to running w/ the wider tires? I'd think they'd increase traction and handling... Also, would you run the 205s all around, or the 185s in the front and 205s in the rear? (I know most of us run staggard sizes on our FDs...that's why).
Sorry for all the questions...and thanks for all the help guys.
~Ramy
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
msilvia
3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002)
15
09-11-15 12:13 PM
mulcryant
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
10
09-09-15 05:24 PM
Nosferatu
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
7
09-05-15 02:13 PM