"TheJWT" (thejwt)
06/19/2015 at 19:50 • Filed to: None
0
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"TheJWT" (thejwt)
06/19/2015 at 19:50 • Filed to: None | 0
| 18 |
I’m sure you’re all familiar, either through your own experience or through friends, of the “in-too-deep” project car. Well, friends, today it’s hit me that this is my car...
Today I got a the final piece the stock air intake, the hose connecting the MAF to the throttle body. I should have gotten everything put back together within minutes, and been able to drive for the first time in 2 weeks. Only I didn’t, because my Sentra does not have the engine from a Sentra. It’s got the exact same engine, which happens to be from an Infiniti G20, which for reasons beyond me came with a different manifold and throttle body from the factory.
So what? Buy a new one!...
Except OEM parts for SR20s don’t exist, and shitty aftermarket parts are 90% of what’s wrong with my car. And it’s not just the intake, either. This exact same thing happened last week when I bought a new exhaust manifold. I went to put the new one on, and surprise! It’s the right part, but it doesn’t bolt on to the downpipe properly. And OEM downpipes for SR20s don’t exist.
What else is wrong with my car? Well I stripped 3 of the holes to screw the valve cover, It won’t get in gear from a stop, it stalls while idling, and it needs new axles on the front. And probably 20 other things I don’t know about yet...
I know these things aren’t even a big deal for many people here, but I’ve got no time to work on it and even less money. And I can’t take it with me to school this fall, so I have 2 more months with it.
I know I’m venting and I’m sorry, but what do you guys think I should do?
P.S.- I should have clarified, I love my car more than anything and I do not want to sell it...
Noah - Now with more boost.
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 20:01 |
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Hmmm well if you're over it & about to return to school, sell it?
Alfalfa Romeo
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 20:03 |
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Put the SR20 in a Lotus. Then be sure to get a picture for us.
E92M3
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 20:08 |
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Hard to say.. If you can’t take it with you, what else will happen as it sits all semester? You could probably find a used OEM intake on ebay, a parts yard, or a forum. The not going in gear issue is my biggest concern. Any idea what’s causing that? What’s the total guesstimate on what it will take to get this car driveable? If it’s a $2000 car in driving condition it’s not really worth putting a $1000 into. Unless maybe you got the car for free?
Dunnik
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 20:20 |
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Put it up for sale, and enjoy it this summer until it sells, hopefully before the fall. There will, certainly, be other cars in your future. I think it`s time to move on from this one.
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TheJWT
> Dunnik
06/19/2015 at 20:53 |
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I know this is probably the right choice but I don’y know how much I’ll be able to actually enjoy it this summer. I’ve driven it twice this year...
Steve in Manhattan
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 20:54 |
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So that was originally an SE-R?
And if you’re close New York City - hey, I know people, who know people. Just leave the car out of the garage one night ... we’ll take care of the rest.
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TheJWT
> E92M3
06/19/2015 at 20:57 |
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Thankfully my dad garages it and trickle charges the battery when I’m at school. As for the parts, I’m sure I could find everything I need eventually through junkyards and ebay, but that doesn’t do me a whole lot of good when I just want to enjoy it now.
Not sure what’s wrong with the trans, it could be as simple as adjusting the clutch cable, or I could need a new clutch... And it’s a $2000 car with too much money in it already:/
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TheJWT
> Steve in Manhattan
06/19/2015 at 21:08 |
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It still is:)
And no, I’m in Ohio for the summer...
Tohru
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 21:23 |
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Can you get to Wisconsin? I know some salvage yards we could hit that should have the parts you need.
TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 21:54 |
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If it sits over the winter that will give you some time away from the car, some time to hunt for parts and time to build up steam and get motivated to attack it again come spring.
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TheJWT
> Tohru
06/19/2015 at 22:09 |
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Probably not... There are planty of junked Sentras in the junkyards around here but none are SE-Rs
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Steve in Manhattan
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 22:21 |
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Hey - insurance fires, mudslides, handbrakes ‘accidentally’ left off ... there are lots of ways to go. And it just came to me - when I bought my ‘91 CRX Si in late 1990, one of the cars I tested was the SE-R. I recall that the car was faster than the Honda, but the handling wasn’t quite as good.
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E92M3
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 22:59 |
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I used to work with a guy that had a 1982 Camry. In 2 years he had a new clutch installed, new CV joints, had the AC Compressor + Evaporator replaced, all new brakes. Then one day the engine blew. I think to myself he’s done now. Nope, he has a remanufactured engine installed. That alone cost more than the car was worth. A few months later the radiator starts leaking. This is when he decides to trade it in, and get only $500 for trade. A $100 radiator is pocket change to what he had invested, and at that point he would had of replaced just about everything that could of failed. Don’t be that guy!
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Steve in Manhattan
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 23:21 |
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Here’s the question - if you put, say, another grand into it, could you drive it for 3 years? So $1,000 a year.
The other thing that I always say is, can you get something safer for the money you’d have to put into the car? If I recall corrrectly, no airbag and no ABS in this car, much less ESC. If you put money into it, make sure it’ll crash good.
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Steve in Manhattan
> E92M3
06/19/2015 at 23:27 |
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It is (or was) a Camry, so you’d expect it to run forever, especially if it’s a 4. It’s a lot smarter to put money into a Camry than, say, a Lancia, or an old Alfa. It’s difficult to judge. Possibly the next 500 dollars will make it run another 50K. Possibly it’ll get it to Thursday.
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Steve in Manhattan
> TheJWT
06/19/2015 at 23:31 |
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Oh - and hey - venting is what this place is for ... especially if it’s EVAP venting.
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E92M3
> Steve in Manhattan
06/20/2015 at 00:34 |
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Had he replaced the radiator it would of probably been good for another 200k miles.
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Steve in Manhattan
> E92M3
06/20/2015 at 01:01 |
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You never know - a grand invested might mean 500, 5,000, or 50,000 miles. All depends on how you’ve taken care of it.