by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 03/28/2017 at 23:15
by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 03/28/2017 at 23:15
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STARS: 7
A new fuel pump, fresh filters, a new slave cylinder, and a some fresh Amsoil meant it was time to
drive up and down
hit the road in a victory dance. And that I did... until I ran out of gas that day a few weeks ago in the middle of a busy road, 500 feet from my parking space, at the beginning of a snowstorm (sans license plates). Luckily, my coworker and at-the-time passenger was kind enough to grab me some gas in the weather-fraught rush hour as I stood behind the car where a hole existed for a license plate to cover. I fired the car right up, cursed the lying fuel meter, and parked the car. Hey, only some loose ends were left to be tied up!
That’s not the case as I write this with the starter out of the car, parts ransacked from my coveted ‘85 transplanted in it—to no avail—and with all loose ends untied. A couple of days after running out of gas, I decided to hand the keys to a friend to drive the car down the road. It began fine, but synchros began to whir a couple of minutes in. The clutch went out soon after and I limped the car back to his shop nearby. The master cylinder, a part that had a replacement included with the car, had puked Super ATE all over the pedal box. I didn’t replace it before as the line fitting was completely rusted onto the master, but a torch was broken out for a surprisingly arduous session of wrench turning. The threads on the fitting turned out to be stripped. The line, costing over $120, was united with the new, free Duralast master cylinder. Predictably, it leaked. I called it a day and decided to order a new line and master cylinder, as those two sure weren’t coming apart in any functional state.
The next day, sleep deprived me got around to taking a swing at reusing the master cylinder and started loosening the fitting. Only, in reality, I was tightening it. After this dawned on me, I filled the reservoir with brake fluid and tried the clutch. It held! Driving around (or something resembling that) with the thoroughly air-imbued clutch system, it was clear that it needed to be bled but would work. I jacked up the car and disconnected the slave, with a mechanic friend pumping the clutch as I opened the bleeder valve. Everything was going fine until he told me the clutch became abnormally stiff. I went up there and the pedal had lost all travel and was difficult to even modulate. I tried taking everything apart and piecing everything back together, but it became clear that the cheap-o master cylinder was the culprit as the clutch operation was normal when the pedal was detached from the slave and still atypical when they were joined.
I posted on the forums hoping for a solution but didn’t get one, so I proceeded to take the line and master cylinder out of my sidelined ‘85. Curiously, the ‘85 didn’t have an aluminum spacer between the master cylinder and firewall as the ‘84 did, but more on that later. I replaced the ‘84 master and line with the locally-sourced parts and ended up having a really interesting time baking upside down on an uncharacteristically warm day with a pedal and master cylinder that didn’t seem physically able to combine. However, everything went together. I turned the key to start the car, and... nothing. Absolute silence. Back under the kick panel I went, trying to figure out if the dangling connectors were the same ones that were dangling when the car started. However, no combination would yield a starting car. I kept trying to diagnose the problem until today, when I realized that the fuel pump was priming when I turned they key and that the starter may be the culprit. A test light revealed that current was flowing to the starter, so I ended up spending some time under the car to drop the starter earlier, which was a cake walk aside from the one damned nut for the power cable which needed removal of some other obstructing pieces. Anyways, the starter, which looks original, is now out of the car. Tomorrow I will diagnose it and, honestly, have my fingers crossed that it’s bad. Putting in the old part after that would just be icing on the cake.
I will also bleed the clutch, and I really hope it works. The pedal travel still feels wonky, but with any luck that’s just me. If the car starts and shifts after tomorrow, I’ll be a happy guy; albeit one who still needs to change change the gear oil, detail the car, service the overdrive, put a drain plug in and fill the differential (and find the tools I ordered to do that), flush the coolant, flush the power steering system, and put on a new wiper arm and two new blades. But at least that’s straightforward. Famous last words, I know.
And I almost forgot about the lack of backspacing on the ‘85 master cylinder actuation rod. The systems are exactly the same. On my ‘85, I’ve had a problem that presents itself in much the same way as a slipping clutch, but persists despite clutch assembly/flywheel replacement. When I put transplanted that master cylinder in the ‘84, I tried putting the master in without the spacer, and had to actually push the master cylinder in a bit to get the totally-released pedal to pop in. I know that the slipping began soon after the replacement (not by me) of the master cylinder, which would make sense if the clutch was never totally engaged. This potentially means that the fix I assumed to be a four-figure overdrive rebuild may simply be a little chunk of aluminum. Of course, it could still be a four-figure overdrive overhaul. That has yet to be seen. Hopefully I shall bring you good tidings (and much shorter ones) by this point tomorrow!
"Berang" (berang)
03/28/2017 at 23:45, STARS: 0
Good luck.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
03/28/2017 at 23:47, STARS: 1
Ran out of gas a mile from home, decided to push it all the back. It was exhilarating. Being in the middle of busy streets on your feet is an odd sensation. Getting enough speed to make it up hills was a bit dicey though... Ended up getting there in one piece, than called AAA for some free gas. Good times
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
03/28/2017 at 23:57, STARS: 1
In my experience, Duralast is absolute garbage. I’ve gotten a water pump that came with some mysterious goop on the impeller, a clutch master cylinder with a 4" metal shaving in the port between the reservoir and MC, and a clutch slave cylinder that leaked out of the box like your MC.
I’ve never had any kind of a serious problem like that from O’Reilly’s or NAPA.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
03/29/2017 at 00:13, STARS: 1
Wow, that’s awful luck! That explains a whole lot. I never thought I’d say this, but I sure wish that the P.O. hadn’t found those spare parts to give me for free! I could’ve gotten the LUK clutch hydraulics on Rockauto for ~$40 total and called it a day. I usually try to go with reputable brands/manufacturers, though I went with Chinese NAPA lower control arms on the Thunderbird in a pinch, but those were pretty good as made-in-China suspension pieces go. Autozone really has little incentive to pay more than the least they can for parts to rebrand. I just hope that the slave will play ball. I’ll likely sell the car to a family friend and even though the cosmetic state would make him put some money into it, I’d like it to be a solid driver.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
03/29/2017 at 00:16, STARS: 0
That’s truly impressive. I hope it was the Miata at least! Luckily, this road has a middle lane for turning left from either side, so I just stopped there. Four cops passed by, but luckily not some helpful ones who’d ask where the tags were!
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
03/29/2017 at 00:19, STARS: 0
Thanks! I’ll need it to get the car done by next week when my job is over, haha.
"Axial" (axial)
03/29/2017 at 00:19, STARS: 0
Why does this read like deja vu?
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
03/29/2017 at 00:21, STARS: 1
Thankfully yes, all 2050 lbs of it
“oh my God, officer! Some miscreants took off with my gas and plates! They, uh... Went that way! Oh me? I’ll be fine, you should really get going before they escape”
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
03/29/2017 at 00:30, STARS: 0
We feel the same pain. Although at least you get from one pain to the next quicker!
I’m really most anxious right now to see if I can get away without sending out (or replacing) the 4+3 in my ‘85, though time is running out to flip this newcomer with circumstances changing. How are your cars coming along? I was recently at risk of jumping on a fantastic ZR-1 deal but (un?)luckily it was in Utah. For the investment needed to put this ‘84 in a similar condition, though, the choice is obvious- complexity aside.
"Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
03/29/2017 at 01:04, STARS: 0
I’ve found, and heard from other mechanics, that Napa s parts are good
"Flynorcal: pilot, offshore sailor, car racer and panty thief" (flynorcal)
03/29/2017 at 01:11, STARS: 1
I dunno man. I’ve literally not had a single problem, ever, in my 1992 C4. From the day I bought it* all the way to present day. Not a nickel in parts and not a drop of sweat in labor. I’ve had to put gas in it. That’s it. Sorry for your troubles but glad I’m never going to have to deal with any of that myself.
*three days ago
"Bryan doesn't drive a 1M" (bryantakespictures)
03/29/2017 at 10:52, STARS: 1
This is what happens when you FIND A STRANGER IN THE ALPS!!!
"Axial" (axial)
03/29/2017 at 20:56, STARS: 0
But...ZR-1!
I actually haven’t had anywhere near the issues you seem to be having, issues which sound an awful lot like the ones you had for the ‘85 back when you first got it. I’ve had exhaust fall out, alternator die, and intake plenum gaskets fail on the Z, and a water pump go poof on the ‘96. That’s it. All other maintenance has been preventative or otherwise at my leisure.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
03/29/2017 at 21:45, STARS: 1
That’s good! You seem to have found one with RPO code Z65: reliability package!
But really, congrats. That is a gorgeous car and a fantastic combo. I doubt you’ll see many white/black manual convertibles around. And at least you have a powerful engine to begin with so that your money can go towards things that aren’t repairs, which won’t be needed!
Enjoy the car, though. You have many fun months ahead!
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
03/29/2017 at 21:45, STARS: 0
Wow, pretty good as cars go but still a lot more than I can push that distance regardless of adrenaline!
I will have to write this down and keep it in the center console for the day this situation inevitably arises.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
03/29/2017 at 22:06, STARS: 0
That is a good reason. As much as I worship at the altar of ZR-1, my heart inexplicably lies with the basket cases that are early models. But
the one I found
is a deal that would make me eschew an E34 M5 or a few months of travel. I think that ZR-1s will appreciate significantly in the next 5 years and I am certain that I’ll wish I had gotten one if that proves true.
And I see your meaning now! You’re right, this does smack of the old days. Only the red one never failed to start! I think I knocked the clutch safety switch loose or something. I took the starter out, and it happens to be good. Unfortunately the little post for the positive cable on the solenoid was brittle as hell and I may be buying a replacement anyways. My buddy with the probe was evidently mis-probing.
The factory service manual is nice to have, but being upside down in the pedal box after the car’s been baking outside in this incoming spring weather isn’t yielding results.
You seem to have very good luck with these cars though, to be fair, the ‘84 was a sweetly running and driving car for $1200 all in a while back. Crappy parts have doomed it, and the visual condition doesn’t help. The ‘85 is the one to keep (albeit for irrational reasons) although I’m going to have to try hard to get the ‘84 road worthy and out of my life!