It wasnt the first time and it probably wont ever be the last time. Your patience wears thin and you have exhausted every sensible option to do it safely without breaking or cracking. In most cases, its just so old that ... well it just decides to crumble in your hands.

I HATE THE GAUGE CLUSTER ON THE FD. Maybe Im doing something wrong. Ill even drop the steering column. Ive made long armed contraptions to grab from the back side of the cluster on the top side against the windshield and well, it still happens... 93-95. Textured or painted. They just dont like me.



The damn tabs just hold on for dear life...


You guys ever break anything consistently? How did you avoid it the next time? I think a thread like this might help all the noobs and even the veterans with tips and tricks when it comes to removing parts from these 15+ yr old cars.

 

vacuum nipples!!! and its $60 to buy a new solenoid

i swear they were invented my Satan to torture mankind

 

5 gear syncro, little bastard. (lasted 126k tho) passenger handle, just did gas door/hatch cable yesterday.

 

Front Headlight Covers
Shearing bolts on the rear compressor housing.

 

Buying a mint fd definitely helps, the plastic isn't brittle and everything pops off like it should. I've taken my cluster hood/door panels/center console off a thousand times with no issues.


Finally broke the tiny plastic piece on the driver side door compartment though. I can't even find what broke to fix it. argh

 

I think I've done a few of those!

plastic clips in the rear hatch area... many of them.

 

passenger door handle.

actually it was my girlfriend. she closed the door too hard

 

Any pointers for the future on the above mentioned pains in the asses?

The plastic interior pieces Ive found have come off easier when you have the right tools. And no, youre hands and brute force dont count. They sell those interior plastic pry bars/ flat head screwdrivers looking things that help you to extend your tool right up to the clip itself. By prying directly on the clip and not the surrounding plastic, you can pop off interior parts and pieces with ease. No more broken stuff!

The OH **** / USE THIS TO CLOSE DOOR passenger side handle is a common break. There is someone in the group buy section doing a GB on a forged alum piece. Should stop all the breaking!

Heat up the vac lines with a little propane torch before lightly twisting off from the solenoid. If that doent work, cut the line lengthwise at the nipple being carefull to not apply too much pressure with the exacto that it will break the nipple. I havent tried it, but doesnt brake cleaner or carb cleaner make the old rubber vac hoses expand when soaked?

 

I used to break the clips on the stock air box everytime I touched them. Looking at them angrily would sometimes also break them.

 

I broke my gauge hood as well, i pieced it all back together with glue, then fiberglassed the **** out of it, it won't be breaking next time. Passenger side door handle broke a long time ago, i fixed it with some super hard epoxy and it hasn't broke in 6 years. driver side exterior door handle, i now have door poppers that pop the door open with a remote, the handles are no longer used. Broke the clips on the stock air box also, used Phillips head screws to fix that. The plastic door plates have given me trouble as well, Im either going to screw them on or get those nice metal ones if I can find them for a decent price. I broke my differential and put a TII clutch type in. Broke the gas lid, and used a strong epoxy to repair it from the inside. The defroster vent broke itself and its gone right now, need to order a new one. anyone know if they make a metal replacement? Broke the PPF and welded, reinforced and added tranny/differential braces. Theres been tons of little things that break in my car, i just fix them one by one usually using my own "custom" methods.

 

Everything.

 

every damn bolt

 

coolant seals

 

My bank to get my god damn fd running.

 

My engine...

 

"Everything" and "My engines" dont count in this thread =P

 

does "everything in the interior" count?

 

From the past couple of days - engine bolts, and lots of them. lol

 

Engine

 

let see, driver side map pocket, both door panels (underside), shifter consel tabs, and so forth and so forth.............

 

yeah everything attached to the door panels. ive gotten to the point where i hold my breath every time i close the door.

 

Motor

 

+1..........Apex Seals

 

Headlight covers - luckily I managed to patch them up before they broke completely and flew off the car.

Solenoid nipples - broke one while doing the vac hose job.

That &*^#@! quick connect for the coolant hose on the bottom drivers side of the rear iron. This was an intentional breakage, because I couldn't get it off otherwise.

Tabs on the interior plastics - while installing a roll bar. No one will ever know but me, but it still bugs me.

AST. Nuff said.

Radiator - plastic end tank cracked. Replaced with Koyo.

Finally, and most currently, the LIM gasket. Pulled the turbos to get at it, took one look at the manifold and decided to replace the turbos. Still working on that one.

This is on a fairly stock car.

-b

 

The plastic tabs that hold the shifter panel in place; really any interior plastic tabs.

Interior door cups (always wobly and loose)

The little "tooth" like tabs that hold the two piece plastic steering column in place.

Gas door (any part on it)

hood release cable

Exterior door handles (plastic clip always breaks)