'86 Tornado Gray NA Luxury Pkg. "The Rat"
04-13-15, 11:34 AM
#254
Honestly, I don't remember what it was. Older. I just looked at the yard's website, and I do remember what row we were on. There are three Integras in stock, two on that specific row. One is a '91 and one is a '93. Those are both second gen, but others could also work.
Massaging includes swapping them side for side (PS goes front to back on DS and vice versa), cutting off the part that goes under the side view mirror on the door, carefully trim it to match the curve of the door skin pressing in the rear corner of the window (this is done with a Dremel and a file and is the most time consuming and challenging part, but certainly not difficult), paint the now bare metal end if you should feel so inclined, and then move the clippies around to match where they go on the door skin. Additionally, it's necessary to carefully bend the lip of the door skin inward a bit to get the rubber to meet the glass like it should and to get the longer "skirt" to not push itself back off the door. The Acura moulding is taller on the outside than the stock moulding, and the angles of things are such that it won't go on very securely if the angle isn't modified to match. The end result is a much much nicer appearance with the bonus that the worst case end game (for the trim part at least) is polished stainless. I'll say it again, it was a much more dramatic improvement than I thought it could possibly have made.
Massaging includes swapping them side for side (PS goes front to back on DS and vice versa), cutting off the part that goes under the side view mirror on the door, carefully trim it to match the curve of the door skin pressing in the rear corner of the window (this is done with a Dremel and a file and is the most time consuming and challenging part, but certainly not difficult), paint the now bare metal end if you should feel so inclined, and then move the clippies around to match where they go on the door skin. Additionally, it's necessary to carefully bend the lip of the door skin inward a bit to get the rubber to meet the glass like it should and to get the longer "skirt" to not push itself back off the door. The Acura moulding is taller on the outside than the stock moulding, and the angles of things are such that it won't go on very securely if the angle isn't modified to match. The end result is a much much nicer appearance with the bonus that the worst case end game (for the trim part at least) is polished stainless. I'll say it again, it was a much more dramatic improvement than I thought it could possibly have made.
04-13-15, 01:01 PM
#256
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04-14-15, 01:18 PM
#258
I did some driving yesterday for the first time really since all the work I did this weekend, and was very disappointed. It was down on power, response sucked, it wasn't exactly stumbling, but it wasn't responding very well either... sort of lumpy if that makes sense at all... Anyway, when I changed the MAF I didn't double check the TPS; didn't seem necessary, but in hindsight... Additionally, I may have been a bit too German in my clutch/brake pedal adjustments (the brake pedal didn't want to play nice on top of that). Also, it's been running pig rich for a while because of the bad temp sensor, and that's what it took to make it feel reasonably happy. Finally, at the far point of yesterday's drive, I shut it down for a half hour or so while I was waiting for a friend to do some business at a shop, and afterward it started up, and immediately died... Like the temp sensor in the manifold that I recently left unplugged was unplugged or something... Not cool, Scoob.
I have a meeting this evening down in Denver, so I figured it would probably behoove me to dial it in a little better. I readjusted the brake and clutch pedals, set the TPS (it was about a tenth of a volt low), then adjusted the mixture and bleed screws (or whatever cryptic Mazda lingo). The mixture screw is at about 11-11:30 from the front of the car (12 o'clock being toward the rear), TPS was exactly 1.000V, and idle was where it was happiest. It's still backfiring a bit in the exhaust, but as an experiment I threw both mixture and bleed all the way open, and aside from idling faster, it wasn't appreciably different. The exhaust is just rusty and needs to be replaced... That sort of messed with my tuning ear, but I dialed it in as best I could. The result was noticeably more power, a crisper exhaust note, a greater willingness to rev, and a cleaner sweep through the RPM band. Add to that the fact that it's about as lean as it's been under my employ, and I have high hopes for fuel economy on the next tank (this one is halfway done, and mostly under substandard conditions). I expect about 23mpg, and I think a good exhaust and the tune that would allow would get me close to 25 mpg... Transmission and sort out my electrical gremlins will for sure net me an easy 25mpg.
I have a meeting this evening down in Denver, so I figured it would probably behoove me to dial it in a little better. I readjusted the brake and clutch pedals, set the TPS (it was about a tenth of a volt low), then adjusted the mixture and bleed screws (or whatever cryptic Mazda lingo). The mixture screw is at about 11-11:30 from the front of the car (12 o'clock being toward the rear), TPS was exactly 1.000V, and idle was where it was happiest. It's still backfiring a bit in the exhaust, but as an experiment I threw both mixture and bleed all the way open, and aside from idling faster, it wasn't appreciably different. The exhaust is just rusty and needs to be replaced... That sort of messed with my tuning ear, but I dialed it in as best I could. The result was noticeably more power, a crisper exhaust note, a greater willingness to rev, and a cleaner sweep through the RPM band. Add to that the fact that it's about as lean as it's been under my employ, and I have high hopes for fuel economy on the next tank (this one is halfway done, and mostly under substandard conditions). I expect about 23mpg, and I think a good exhaust and the tune that would allow would get me close to 25 mpg... Transmission and sort out my electrical gremlins will for sure net me an easy 25mpg.
04-14-15, 02:14 PM
#259
I've found my S5 NA is much more sensitive to exhaust leaks than most cars - when I got it, the original mufflers had pinhole rust-throughs, and it was down on power and mileage relative to when I replaced them in short order. Later, when I had the RB downpipe/resonator on it, a slight leak at the downpipe when the bolts backed off slightly again made for a surprising impact on power, mileage, and smoothness - I actually went looking for an ignition problem, thinking I had a misfire. Rotaries seem sensitive to exhaust problems, and that may account for at least some of your issues.
04-17-15, 03:07 PM
#260
I went out this morning and thought it would be a good time to know for sure whether or not the sunroof leaks since it's had wet slush sitting on it for the last few days, and great news! Dry as a bone!
Unfortunately, the second I pulled out of the driveway, a bunch of water fell into the passenger floor from under the dash. Right on top of the ECU. Yay... My weekend plans just firmed up considerably.
Unfortunately, the second I pulled out of the driveway, a bunch of water fell into the passenger floor from under the dash. Right on top of the ECU. Yay... My weekend plans just firmed up considerably.
04-18-15, 10:47 AM
#263
Yup. Gut the thing... I have to get to the sunroof motor and such as well in the near term, so I think I'll just tear the whole thing out, do everything in there that needs doing at once, and throw it all back together before the weekend is over. The leak is the sort that is typically the result of a clogged drain in the cowl, and it's probably just filled the fan housing or something like that... Still, needs to come out, be dried, and probably get a health dose of WD40 on anything that might have been submerged (i.e. fan motor). PITA. Wasn't planning on anything big this weekend. Kinda wanted a break.
04-18-15, 06:36 PM
#264
Bit of a day... Took the cowl vent off, dug around and found enough potting soil blocking the drains to make a flower very happy... I vacuumed out as much as I could, then I dug more out with my hands, then I used a nylon pry, then I hosed it out. Surprisingly, given the rust at the bottom of the PS fender, the bolts down there came out incredibly easily. I took them out and removed the inner wheel wells so that everything could drain out. When I was running the hose through it, there was some water that still came out in the PS footwell, but I'm pretty sure that was purely due to my accidentally spraying it right into the air intake...
After that, I threw it all back together (with plenty of antiseize), and got to work gutting the interior. I need to get to the CPU, the ECU, the wiper switch, the sunroof, and I wanted to get rid of those cell phone antenna mounts. I started with the antenna mounts, which came off the glass surprisingly easy. I took the seats out, then started at the back and worked my way forward. Turns out, the cell phone antenna mounts had been cut some time ago, and by the time I pulled the door sills, they were completely out. One of the main reasons I've stayed away from modern cars is all the craptastic plastic. I've been entertaining the idea of actually buying a NEW new car (as in I would be the original owner), but thinking about what those plastics would be like down the road gives me bad feelings... Especially after today. All those stupid little plastic clips; broken. The plastic parts that hold the trim clip; almost all broken. No idea how plastic can be so bad... I hate plastic. Part of the reason I bought my truck is because the military got rid of most of the plastics (I'm on a crusade to get rid of the rest during my coming project).
Anyway, I got the sun roof out, took it apart. Missed the memo about the wind deflector, and broke one of the brackets. I'll have to see about fabbing up some replacements tomorrow. Couldn't figure out how to best go about cleaning out the cables and their tracks, then I got hungry and it was about to rain. So I taped the sunroof back in place, and I'll come back to it tomorrow. If I can get the sunroof back together, reinstalled, and fully functional tomorrow, I'll call this weekend's adventure a win.
After that, I threw it all back together (with plenty of antiseize), and got to work gutting the interior. I need to get to the CPU, the ECU, the wiper switch, the sunroof, and I wanted to get rid of those cell phone antenna mounts. I started with the antenna mounts, which came off the glass surprisingly easy. I took the seats out, then started at the back and worked my way forward. Turns out, the cell phone antenna mounts had been cut some time ago, and by the time I pulled the door sills, they were completely out. One of the main reasons I've stayed away from modern cars is all the craptastic plastic. I've been entertaining the idea of actually buying a NEW new car (as in I would be the original owner), but thinking about what those plastics would be like down the road gives me bad feelings... Especially after today. All those stupid little plastic clips; broken. The plastic parts that hold the trim clip; almost all broken. No idea how plastic can be so bad... I hate plastic. Part of the reason I bought my truck is because the military got rid of most of the plastics (I'm on a crusade to get rid of the rest during my coming project).
Anyway, I got the sun roof out, took it apart. Missed the memo about the wind deflector, and broke one of the brackets. I'll have to see about fabbing up some replacements tomorrow. Couldn't figure out how to best go about cleaning out the cables and their tracks, then I got hungry and it was about to rain. So I taped the sunroof back in place, and I'll come back to it tomorrow. If I can get the sunroof back together, reinstalled, and fully functional tomorrow, I'll call this weekend's adventure a win.
Last edited by spectre6000; 04-18-15 at 06:40 PM.
04-18-15, 06:50 PM
#265
I don't think Mazda's plastic was worse than anyone else's (and let's not forget it is now almost 30 years old), but using metal spring clips in plastic tabs was a dunderheaded move. Even knowing where the clips are is no guarantee of success.
How did the a-pillar trim fare?
How did the a-pillar trim fare?
04-18-15, 08:12 PM
#266
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Regarding the sunroof the best thing I could think of to do was just disassemble the thing.
I took the motor out and cleaned the inside of it up also. Than the tubes come off and finally the tracks. I had a broken lift arm and a snapped off cable. Replaced with mx3 parts. When re installing the whole thing the four studs that come off the roof are for adjustment. I didnt know this at the time and now my sunroof sits to high.
I took the motor out and cleaned the inside of it up also. Than the tubes come off and finally the tracks. I had a broken lift arm and a snapped off cable. Replaced with mx3 parts. When re installing the whole thing the four studs that come off the roof are for adjustment. I didnt know this at the time and now my sunroof sits to high.
04-19-15, 11:59 AM
#267
My A pillar trim was all broken before I started. The only trim in the car aside from the dash that wasn't pre-broken in some way was the aluminum head bows in the front and rear. Not a single other piece has escaped. All the stupid little plastic button things, screw covers, etc, whatever wasn't pre-broken broke during extraction. Single use items.
Good to know on the adjuster mechanism. Was not aware of that.
Good to know on the adjuster mechanism. Was not aware of that.
04-19-15, 09:12 PM
#268
Well... Mostly successful. The sunroof is back on and situated such that any rain won't cause undue trouble. It even mostly works.
When I started, it was in really bad shape. It would occasionally pop up with a lot of help, but that was all it could muster. Once I got the whole assembly fully out of the car, I figured out why. Sucker had no grease, lots of stony grease remnants, and lot of garbage. I could barely force it down the track by hand giving it everything I had.
I disassembled it pretty far. Each track half was in a half dozen or so pieces, each of which was thoroughly cleaned and greased. I took care of some rust in the frame, painted it, and threw it back together. I managed to lose one of the height adjusting special nuts, but managed to rig up something functional. I read in one of the three or four threads on the subject that special care must be taken in regard to alignment, but the manual sort of sucks there. If you just had the motor out, sure, it's probably fine. If you've had the whole thing completely deconstructed on the bed of an old truck though... No bueno.
I mostly got it figured out. It still has a really hard time getting started, but once it's going it goes with a gusto. I tried using an allen wrench in the gear drive, and there is definitely additional resistance at the start of movement, but I really don't know what could be causing it. Does anyone have any insight on why it might be so reticent to start its movement? Once it's going it's great. It closes beautifully. Sometimes it needs just a light touch to get started, sometimes I can push on it pretty hard and it won't get started... This is only the second car I've ever had with a sunroof, and the first I've ever been into for any reason.
When I started, it was in really bad shape. It would occasionally pop up with a lot of help, but that was all it could muster. Once I got the whole assembly fully out of the car, I figured out why. Sucker had no grease, lots of stony grease remnants, and lot of garbage. I could barely force it down the track by hand giving it everything I had.
I disassembled it pretty far. Each track half was in a half dozen or so pieces, each of which was thoroughly cleaned and greased. I took care of some rust in the frame, painted it, and threw it back together. I managed to lose one of the height adjusting special nuts, but managed to rig up something functional. I read in one of the three or four threads on the subject that special care must be taken in regard to alignment, but the manual sort of sucks there. If you just had the motor out, sure, it's probably fine. If you've had the whole thing completely deconstructed on the bed of an old truck though... No bueno.
I mostly got it figured out. It still has a really hard time getting started, but once it's going it goes with a gusto. I tried using an allen wrench in the gear drive, and there is definitely additional resistance at the start of movement, but I really don't know what could be causing it. Does anyone have any insight on why it might be so reticent to start its movement? Once it's going it's great. It closes beautifully. Sometimes it needs just a light touch to get started, sometimes I can push on it pretty hard and it won't get started... This is only the second car I've ever had with a sunroof, and the first I've ever been into for any reason.
04-20-15, 06:33 PM
#269
Sunroof sorted. The plastic clips that hold the headliner piece to the sunroof all broke but one, but the rest of the interior is out right now anyway, so it doesn't look too out of place. The only interior that's still in the car right now is the main carpet, the drivers seat, and the dash. Oh, and the head liner. A bit louder and more thunky/rattly without any sound deadener. My theory about the leftover security system wires causing my CPU grumblings has proven false. I tore out what are hopefully the last remnants of aftermarket electrical crap, but it still whines. It'll have to wait until the weekend.
05-01-15, 08:21 PM
#270
Bizay.
I actually got a little done last weekend, but haven't been able to find time for photos until now...
I took out the interior and everything with a circuit board. My Electrowizard friend was busy helping some students on campus with an art installation (involved a lot of LEDs), and since I didn't bother to ping him about my plans I didn't have my backup set of far more savvy eyes.
Anyway, I think my clock issue might be pretty easy to track down...
I don't know how apparent it is from the photos, but it looks like all the smoke got out... So... I'm writing that up as a lost cause and will be attempting to ferret out a new one.
I also got busy with this:
So that I could get started on this:
Before (but after a seriously, holy crap thorough cleaning):
After:
I KNOW I took some before photos, but they managed to escape into the ether. Anyway...
After:
I would have got some installed shots, but it started to rain and didn't stop until Tuesday or something that pretty much never happens here (I saw Clokker mentioned a similar annoyance in his thread). Tomorrow.
I actually got a little done last weekend, but haven't been able to find time for photos until now...
I took out the interior and everything with a circuit board. My Electrowizard friend was busy helping some students on campus with an art installation (involved a lot of LEDs), and since I didn't bother to ping him about my plans I didn't have my backup set of far more savvy eyes.
Anyway, I think my clock issue might be pretty easy to track down...
I don't know how apparent it is from the photos, but it looks like all the smoke got out... So... I'm writing that up as a lost cause and will be attempting to ferret out a new one.
I also got busy with this:
So that I could get started on this:
Before (but after a seriously, holy crap thorough cleaning):
After:
I KNOW I took some before photos, but they managed to escape into the ether. Anyway...
After:
I would have got some installed shots, but it started to rain and didn't stop until Tuesday or something that pretty much never happens here (I saw Clokker mentioned a similar annoyance in his thread). Tomorrow.
05-03-15, 10:19 AM
#274
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iIl...qqFbb#t=17m16s
In case the link doesn't do what it's supposed to (it's being very inconsistent on my machine), start at 17:16.
In case the link doesn't do what it's supposed to (it's being very inconsistent on my machine), start at 17:16.
Last edited by spectre6000; 05-03-15 at 10:32 AM.
