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Timage posted:AI, I like turbo noises so I would keep it.
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Aug 11, 2009 14:22
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I took my car to my mechanic today to have him look at why the cooling fan isn't coming on (AGAIN). He informed me he'd previously wired it to ground through the ECM, and that I probably have a malfunctioning computer. This was backed up by the fact that last time I took it to him he tried to run his diagnostic tool on it and it said it couldn't communicate with the car. He then wired it directly to the ignition so it would come on with the key regardless. What the hell, I thought, may as well get a "new" computer. Headed off to the junkyard, looking for an 87-89 2.8/4 speed A-body. Wasn't having much luck until I came across a beige Celebrity. And damned if it wasn't an '89! It took me all of five minutes to get the thing out, since someone else was kind enough to do half the work for me. Anyway, I dropped some new batteries in the camera and documented the process. Here is the computer I acquired. As I said, it came from a 1989 Celebrity, 2.8/4 speed, full cluster, pretty much all the options my car has. Note the sticker, which reads "REMANUFACTURED BY GENERAL MOTORS CORP."  First step is to, of course, disconnect the battery. Too bad GM didn't have any foresight and made it almost mandatory to move the strut brace.  I don't have an 8 mm wrench for some reason, and a ratchet + socket is too big to fit...  ...so it's easier to just pull the battery out completely.  The ECM on this car is actually pretty easy to get to.  Nobody's home.  One side, one side.  You can't hide from me.  GTFO.  Three harnesses are attached.  Check out the sticker. It's old as hell. It fell off when I touched it.  So lonely.  And if you've never heard this one before: "Installation is the reverse of removal."  No check engine light, ran just fine. We'll see if it's solved my cooling problem. If not, oh well, only spent $33 on it. And to stave off the inevitable question, I did not swap the PROMs. I don't trust my clumsy-rear end fingers handling something so delicate.
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Aug 11, 2009 19:27
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Did... did you just do a writeup/picture show and tell of replacing a PCM in a Celebrity?  To contribute: I did nothing to my car today, it was too hot 
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Aug 12, 2009 04:43
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mcvey posted:Did... did you just do a writeup/picture show and tell of replacing a PCM in a Celebrity? Thread subject is "what did you do to your ride today," this is what I did. Or does the confusion stem from the fact that it's a Celebrity? Left Ventricle fucked around with this message at 08:59 on Aug 12, 2009 |
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Aug 12, 2009 08:54
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Replaced the worn, foggy yellow headlights on my 300m with new shinny, aftermarket blacked out ones.. Before:  After:  I tried the wet sanding routine, but it looked like it was tried before I took possesion of the car once before, and they never clear-coated after, so the UV got to the originals. Besides, I like the blacked out ones better anyway.
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Aug 13, 2009 14:33
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Well it wasn't directly my doing, but this happened today Before:  After: 
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Aug 14, 2009 10:29
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akeidolon posted:Replaced the power steering gearbox. Surprisingly it wasn't a horrendous pain in the rear end. Didn't result in as much improvement as I was hoping though Whyed you do that?
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Aug 14, 2009 23:20
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I put some new axlebacks on my Mustang yesterday - much deeper sound, loud at WOT but quite for cruising. Borla 11752. I didn't want to break tables so here's a link http://tinyurl.com/ry7k75 turnerburna fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Aug 17, 2009 |
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Aug 17, 2009 23:18
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Wasn't my ride, but I replaced all six spark plugs in my buddy's '97 Sable. The back ones were a pain, but luckily I have a bunch of extensions and a flexible ratchet. What pissed me off was the rubber coming out of my spark plug socket  good thing I had a spare! Took about an hour, which was longer than it should have but I hosed with one plug for 10 minutes before I noticed my socket was broke.also,  at that Celebrity battery location
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Aug 18, 2009 01:07
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Ziploc posted:Whyed you do that? Trying to eliminate some slack in the system and the new box was free, so might as well give it a try. I've replaced almost the entire steering setup at this point and it still grabs like a motherfucker into ruts because there is a lot of play before the car actually gets any input from the wheel.
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Aug 18, 2009 01:35
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akeidolon posted:Trying to eliminate some slack in the system and the new box was free, so might as well give it a try. I've replaced almost the entire steering setup at this point and it still grabs like a motherfucker into ruts because there is a lot of play before the car actually gets any input from the wheel. How much above the box have you replaced? I want to tighten up the steering in my truck (a remarkably similar design, go GM!) and I was planning on replacing everything above the Pitman arm. The Pitman, idler, and tie rods are all recent and should still be perfectly good so I'm not worried about them. The gearbox has only had a reseal done once or twice and is the original '70 which is 4.25 turns lock to lock...I'll at least be upgrading to '78-spec which is a variable ratio box that is 3.25 turns lock to lock. Then I'll also be trashing the rag joint and old column for a brand new column and a U-joint based setup.
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Aug 18, 2009 01:41
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CornHolio posted:also,
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Aug 18, 2009 02:23
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Tried to remove the dash so I can get to the heater core, since I think my plenum door is stuck open, causing the A/C to blow hot. Gave up because all my screwdrivers are too long to get to a lot of the screws at the stage I'm at and I really don't feel like going to buy some shorter ones, especially since it's already getting dark out.
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Aug 18, 2009 02:42
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IOwnCalculus posted:How much above the box have you replaced? I want to tighten up the steering in my truck (a remarkably similar design, go GM!) and I was planning on replacing everything above the Pitman arm. The Pitman, idler, and tie rods are all recent and should still be perfectly good so I'm not worried about them. The gearbox has only had a reseal done once or twice and is the original '70 which is 4.25 turns lock to lock...I'll at least be upgrading to '78-spec which is a variable ratio box that is 3.25 turns lock to lock. Then I'll also be trashing the rag joint and old column for a brand new column and a U-joint based setup. I haven't done anything to stuff above the box aside from check to make sure everything is tight, since there was so much obviously completely worn out poo poo in the rack itself. At this point I've replaced the tie rods, idler arm, ball joints, steering gear and Pitman arm. I definitely need now tires too, I'm gonna replace those before I do anything more because I know they are trashed. I've heard that to some degree third gen f-bodies were pretty grabby on uneven roads even when brand new just by virtue of having pretty beefy tires up front, so I might just have to live with this poo poo : / I'm hoping having refreshed the steering system and replaced the tires will bring it back down to a level where I don't feel like the car is trying to murder me for taking it onto pavement that isn't perfectly flat.
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Aug 18, 2009 03:10
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dissss posted:Well it wasn't directly my doing, but this happened today Gpforums rep! Today my autometer oil pressure gauge was acting up so I pop the bonnet and take a look at where it's bolted up and the plastic sender tube was squashed at the end engine bay side (http://www.carbuildersolutions.co.uk/images/feb2007/oil_pressure_gauge_tubing.jpg) - same setup as that. I jiggled it a bit and it fell straight out of the gold bolt thing and started squirting oil out (car was running). Sucks balls, just screwed a screw in there to stop it leaking and it's nice and solid and will last until payday when I'll get like a greddy one to match the boost gauge or this one can probably just be fixed but not likely after putting an MDF screw in the bolt hole 
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Aug 18, 2009 03:43
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Well, yesterday I changed the transmission pan gasket and filter. No more leaks! Yay! And it looks like it didn't have enough trans fluid in it from the last owner. 
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Aug 18, 2009 03:46
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Replaced a u-joint on my Volvo 240 in an attempt to stop a vibration at exactly 48 mph. (It didn't work.) But one of the bearing caps was cracked and the needle bearings were made of rust so it wasn't a total loss. Hard to see but there were ridges worn into the u-joint. I also took the time to put the driveshaft back together properly, something a dealer forgot to do in 1996. Click here for the full 900x675 image.
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Aug 18, 2009 08:02
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Nocheez posted:In the past week I: The good news? The car pulls like a loving freight train! It's actually hitting fuel cut (which I haven't had happen for years) due to all the boost going where it's supposed to be. I need to adjust the boost down a bit, add one more bracket to hold everything in place, and then put the undercover back on.
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Aug 18, 2009 14:11
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Finally replaced the bum coilpack in the TT. The spark plug was gapped between 0.35-0.40, so this was also reset to 0.30. The misfire appears cured. 
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Aug 18, 2009 21:46
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"Filled" the transmission after doing my clutch job, hoping to be able to drive the car. I didn't get enough fluid.  Probably go pick up another bottle of MT-90 tomorrow and see if I messed anything else up and try and drive it. I still need to drill out some broken exhaust bolts, so I'll probably be driving it around the block for the test drive with an open header.
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Aug 19, 2009 01:20
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Got my flywheel resurfaced. Looks pretty good considering how much the clutch had marred it after losing the friction material. The magic of machining.
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Aug 19, 2009 01:30
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Clutch suddenly refused to disengage fully while many miles from home. Limped it home, dropped the transmission (a big transmission) and; Something is wrong with this picture  Oh, that's it. The centering springs broke and got caught in the pressure plate and refused to let the clutch disengage.  Pretty big   Going to end up being a minimum of about $900 to get it back on the road. (2000 F550)
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Aug 19, 2009 01:46
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I changed the oil, and painted my engine cover on my grand prix.
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Aug 19, 2009 02:06
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Made an appointment to get these put on: 3" Catted downpipe, 28" long glasspack. Wish I knew how to weld
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Aug 19, 2009 03:42
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While keeping an eye on some kids on bikes loving around in the street I turned too early and drove over the corner of the curb, blowing out my r/f tire.  A couple of the kids gave me a hand putting the spare on.  I showed them how to use the scissor jack that comes with the car and the right way to re-tighten the lug nuts.
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Aug 19, 2009 04:12
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Finally got around to putting an exhaust on my '98 A4 1.8t. Well THAT woke the car up! Went with a high flow catalytic converter from 034 Motorsport and Borla from the cat back thanks to the folks at AWE tuning (got sale price on it, hurray!). I'm not so sure that the bolts on the downpipe to the cat are as tight as they should be, so I'm going to have it taken to a shop, probably at the same time I get the tires done so I can get it inspected for the next 2 years! Review on the exhaust: I only have a k04 turbocharger (one step up from stock) but the car's supposed to be rated at 247hp as it sits and 265lbft, and it feels that way. Lot of fun to zip around town in, turbo lag is next to nothing, makes a decent sound and just kind of gets up and goes. Huge improvement over stock (150hp/150tq). Side note: After a decent drive, the catalytic converter now glows red. Looked it up, its fairly common, and not an issue. If I get around to it I'll post pictures Next stop: larger injectors (TT225 injectors are common) and a retune for the "PC-16" package from GIAC. Should put hp/tq numbers to 265/295. Then on to suspension and brakes, then a tint
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Aug 19, 2009 04:58
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Picked up some heads from a friend for my '94 mustang GT today. Later today I'll be stripping them down and sending them off to a buddies' shop for a quick hot tank.
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Aug 19, 2009 15:06
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I got new wheels and tyres for my car today. It now looks a hell of a lot better than it used to. Unfotunately they are pretty cheap wheels but they were the only white wheels I could find that would fit on the car. Availability of things is one of the downsides to living in a country town. Heres a picture with the old wheels for reference 
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Aug 20, 2009 10:21
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Replaced the brake pads all around and resurfaced the warped front rotors on my '09 Accord Coupe after a scant 20k miles. I want to give a special thanks to Honda for putting brakes on an appliance that wear out after 20k miles. I could live with that if the brakes were decent, but they are a mushy, vague mess. Now to take it back to get the rear bumper worked on, again. It keeps popping out of the clip under the driver's side tail light. The car also has more rattles at 20k miles than my '03 Mustang GT does at 100k+.
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Aug 20, 2009 15:07
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I just got my ABS controller back from Victor Rocha's repair service, and installed it. ABS and TRAC work now, as does the speedometer (that didnt work only because I had the unit pulled). All is well.  
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Aug 22, 2009 20:51
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Turned the boost up from 12 to 17lbs. Going out practicing rolls at this level with the invo's. Prepping for a poo poo talking lambo
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Aug 22, 2009 21:13
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Changed my oil for the first time myself, woo! also checked all my fluids.
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Aug 22, 2009 21:49
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Cabledude posted:Changed my oil for the first time myself, woo! also checked all my fluids. Went to change my oil for the nth time; cracked the oil pan. "Wait, what was that noise?" Oh...oh no no no no...
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Aug 22, 2009 22:02
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Finally got the miata back together after about two weeks of replacing the clutch. I only did it after work through the week since weekends are pretty well booked. Next on the list: Oil change Diff. fluid change Rollbar install (in the mail) foamectomy swap over azenis 615's and hopefully do a track day before the season is over.
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Aug 22, 2009 22:09
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Replaced the 14ga charge wire off the alt thats built in to the factory wiring harness with 8ga aircraft/mil-spec teflon jacket wire with a nice fuse block before the battery. My father gets some awesome scraps from where he works. No more fear of a fire for me! 
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Aug 22, 2009 22:54
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dissss posted:Well it wasn't directly my doing, but this happened today Is this a Forrester? Why does it look so badass? Before the wreck obviously.
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Aug 31, 2009 13:46
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Well on Saturday I got the tires balanced, and on Sunday I replaced some of the broken door lights with good ones I picked up at the junkyard.
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Aug 31, 2009 13:57
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Today I found the source of a really bad engine stumble that was getting progressively worse. I thought it was the clutch slipping, or maybe the slave cylinder going out because when I got on the gas, the car would lose power, then play catchup. I thought I was gonna be out $600 for clutch poo poo until I remembered the old mantra: Cheap poo poo first. Took off the #4 plug and it didn't have the terminal on the threaded top end of the electrode. Checked the spark plug lead, and it was stuck in the crimp connection. Dug it out with an aggressively threaded screw (*poit*), and now after new plugs it runs with no missing, and no pinging anymore. I've been wondering wtf for probably a good 20-30,000 miles but never actually scrutinized the insides of the leads.
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Aug 31, 2009 22:12
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I changed out the spark plugs on my 85 300zx. I ranted about it in the Z car thread. I hope I never have to do it again. I'm sure the car will rust apart before it'll need it.
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Sep 1, 2009 02:28
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New KYB GR-2 rear shocks on the 240. I'd never done them before, it took less than an hour. Still had the factory ones on it, which had zero rebound. Also, southern cars are great. The mounting nuts/bolt came off with no difficulty, not bad for having been in place for 17 years.
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Sep 1, 2009 02:34
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