Axel: NOMNOM, 4T65E FOR LUNCH

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

Re: Axel: NEW RIMS! (Sort of)

The downpipe is aftermarket, that cat converter is not the same as the stock cat.

Likely the stock cat went bad and was just replaced.

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: NEW RIMS! (Sort of)

I thought so; I'm thinking about doing that sort of downpipe on my car so that I can get rid of that u-bend...But maintenance and repairs always come first. Thanks for the answer!

 

[AxelRod]

Axel's Regeneration: Soliloquoy, The Dance of the Mechanic and Search for a Job

Been a while...I'll keep it brief this time instead of going all Shakespeare soliloquy on you all. LOL

Shortly after switching over the wheels, I did the intake gaskets on Mom's car. It was pretty rough at first, since I almost didn't know what the heck I was doing, but after three days, the car was ready to run again, and it didn't blow up when I started it again! No pics for the entirety of this post, though, because I'm at school and I don't have any of them handy.

Then I started doing the e-brake shoes, and ended up making a little more work for myself when I pried off all but one of the shoes I was going to use to replace the two worn-out ones instead of taking the hubs off.... Then I found that I had to replace the left rear e-brake cable, which was a search and a half because the OEM part available from stores like Napa or FAP didn't fit, which meant I had to get an original part from the dealer....Ouchies in the wallet!

Then I had to replace the equalizer because the stud broke off in the nut when I was trying to take the cable off. My stupid butt didn't think about soaking everything in PB blaster first before moving anything, which resulted in a little more ouch in the wallet. It's all good, though, because my parents have reimbursed me for the parts cost, since this is "their car". After replacing everything and taking it on a test drive, though, the car started clunking like something was going out in the drivetrain. I thought I had done something to the tranny when I panicked after doing something with the brakes (I didn't pump them several times before making sure they were firm) and threw it into Park WHILE it was going in Reverse, but everything still works fine.
We got the tires switched, rebalanced, and got the car inspected at another shop, but they didn't pass it because of an "exhaust leak" and fogged headlights. My dad inspected the car for the exhaust leak, and found nothing to worry about, while he used a new buffer and sandpaper to make the headlight housings clear again. He then proceeded to get happy with the buffer and buffed the whole car, resulting in like-new shininess.

I succeeded in replacing the e-brake shoes, and when my sister was home from college with her GP, we went to the shop again and had a little "family time" working on the two cars. Her car got a tune-up that she did pretty much by herself, with some pointers from Dad, while I struggled with Mom's car. Little Tire apparently didn't care about how much they torqued down the lug nuts, because at least one on every wheel was WAAAAAYYY overtightened. Much of this was my fault, though, because when I replaced the e-brake shoes the proper way by banging on the hub to get it out, I hit the studs a couple of times with the hammer. Nonetheless, one stud broke off, while two others were on their way out, but we got everything put back together and found that the other axle shaft was going out, which was causing the clunking I brought up earlier. Turned out, one of the bearings in the shaft was completely gone. We got a new shaft from FAP and threw it on the car in about an hour, and the clunk was fully gone. However, on the way to the dump a couple weeks ago, the coolant elbows failed and water sprayed everywhere, so I got le new shiny aluminum ones (From FAP, again) and replaced both of them between class...Last week, I think it was? Me and Mom filled the cooling system with water, and now it's been running without a hitch ever since. The old elbows had broken off right at the o-rings, and someone had done a hack-job before us using silicon to keep everything sealed.

Axel's been running like a top for a while now, absolutely nothing else to report besides a small oil leak that's been there ever since we got the car. He's starting to look like a car from Mad Max because of the dirt he's accumulating....I need to wash that thing. Haven't given him a proper bath since last winter. D'OH! Still, for a rust bucket from MI, I'm impressed he's made it this far. He rolled over 158k (I know, pretty young for one of these cars, from 1998, no less) some time ago, and he just keeps piling on the miles. Mileage is suffering a bit, though; I'm only getting about 20 mpg around town and 25-26 on the highway. Then again, though, the spark plugs and wires should be pretty old by now, and the O2 sensor is on the fritz. I'm not going to worry about a tune-up now, though, because I'm currently saving up for a truck to get Axel off the road so he can lend his parts to finish rebuilding who I'm now calling "Sheila". Then any other parts that need to be replaced will be bought and replaced on her after the regeneration takes place. For my funds, though, I'm trying to search for a job, but to no avail so far...Although I did have an interview yesterday for a restaurant, but from what I described to my parents, the manager seems a little cheap...I submitted a resume to a gun shop, though, so I'm waiting for when they begin hiring on more people soon for hunting season to see if I'll be called in. Besides that, I'm planning on creating my own armory of guns, so I'd be "reinvesting" the money I could get from working that job back to them, so to speak.

Dang, I STILL went Shakespeare on you all....

 

[AxelRod]

Axel: FINALLY making progress

It's been waaaaaayy too long since I've been here. XD

To keep things short and sweet, Axel threw a rod on the way home from a casting call, I've starred as a background actor for AMC's new show "TURN", I've received my Associates Degree, I'm about to transfer to a 4-year college that's about 4 hours away from home, and progress is FINALLY being made on my cars.

Since the last post here more than half a year ago, I've been able to change out the intake gasket and the coolant elbows on "G2", as I'm calling it again RIGHT NOW, for the nice aluminum pieces that it should have come with in the first place. I've also changed out the radiator on my mom's car, since it sprung a leak in the original one. The car ran at around 210*, give or take a few, and got close to overheating at times, and now it runs at 185* with the new rad. Even with just water as coolant here in the summer heat.

Now for the original topic of this thread: Axel and his next generation!

A week and a half ago, I asked my dad whether we could go back to our former home and pick Axel up, as he has a rod knock now and can't be too mobile anymore, and I was chomping at the bit to start working and getting things ready to transfer to G2. A day later, we had Axel, G2, and a couple of our other cars and odds and ends back at our new home in the middle of seemingly nowhere.

The last week has been VERY productive!

Here's the both of them right after G2 came home:

I've gotten Axel's core support completely exposed now:

Since that picture, I've taken out the AC condenser without destroying it, yay.

I've also torn into each car's dash to find out what's going on with G2's steering column, seeing that it's pretty wobbly while Axel I's just stays in place.

Axel's Dash

G2's dash

Axel I's steering column

G2's steering column

I've currently got a new core support, new steering column, and am going to have a new airbag for the driver on the way. I need a new core support because, unfortunately, rust got a good hold on Axel's original core support. We're not playing with rust anymore.

Also, would anyone here know why, in G2, when I hook it up to a battery, that the engine would be able to turn over and run (with a pump installed, which that's in my sister's car right now), but none of the windows, the DIC, and the radio don't work? I've checked a couple fuses, and everything checks out okay. It wouldn't have anything to do with the crash sensor under the passenger seat, would it? I'll try plugging Axel I's radio in to see if it works, but if anyone knows why it would be doing this, let me know, because I'd like to get Axel II up and roadworthy to go to Norwalk this year. XD

Also you know that exhaust I got from my cousin?:

It's on now!

Next up is going to be switching the engine cradles between both cars, removing a few pieces still in good shape via spot weld cutter from Axel I, installing the new steering column, installing the new core support, exchanging the struts, putting Riley's (My sister's car's) fuel pump back into Axel II, putting Axel I's fuel pump into Riley (He's gotta run, you know, with being my sister's only car and all. ), putting everything back together, and sorting out installing the airbags, replacing the crash sensor, and seeing about what's going on with the electronics mentioned above.

Quite a list, but I'm thinking I can really focus on this in the last couple weeks of July.

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: FINALLY making progress

The car's been on the road for the first time since the crash! I took him out for a spin, despite not having everything figured out with the engine, and it actually ran pretty good, aside from the loudness of an exhaust leak making it sound like a horrible ricer. LOL! It stalled on me three times during the trip, but I got it back home! Unfortunately, I don't have the car with me here on campus about 300 miles away. I'm thinking I'll have its engine issue repaired over Fall Break in October. That's a long time to wait, and I'm already getting anxious.

Thinking back to that exhaust leak just behind the cat, makes me want to get some Speed Daddy headers and just bolt those in. Haha! But me has no monies currently.

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: FINALLY making progress

Oh, and everything's already been switched out in terms of bad parts. NO SES AIRBAG LIGHT! YAY! Also, better struts, new core support, new pump (Cause Riley's wouldn't fit in there, since Riley's a 1999 and Axel II is a 2001), HUD, and a new windshield. The headlight buckets were welded on a little low, though, so the headlights are REAL comfy on that front bumper. I can stretch those up a bit if I have to.

 

[theaceofspades]

Re: Axel: First Trip!

Crazy effin ride thread lol but this is a good one! Fully appreciate the rebuilding

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: First Trip!

Crazy effin ride thread lol but this is a good one! Fully appreciate the rebuilding

Thanks theaceofspades! Like the name, BTW XD

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: First Trip!

WE'RE ALMOST DONE, FINALLY!

Here's a few pics from the rebuild process that I didn't post before:

Axel II's Dashboard after taking the pad off:

Axel I's dash after the pad was taken off. Axel I will now be called "The Barge" because the car's undriveable now.

I also did a bit of a mod while the dash was out, since there was more room outside the car than there was inside:
HUD Funsies and mocking up the dash piece

Taped off the area that the dash piece went over

Shredded off the pad in the area, and used a drill to drill many holes in a boundary around the area where the bracket was, while keeping in mind I needed some space to plug the connector into on the side

I then used my dad's flat saw and made some saw dubstep while cutting off the main panel, and then took a couple of screw inserts from Axel II's old dash and installed the HUD unit.

Looking at getting out the crash sensor out of the Barge to put into Axel II; I had to take the other seat out of both cars, so here's some Raceker mod for both cars :
Barge Raceker Mod

Axel II Raceker Mod

Upon pulling up the carpet on Axel II, I found that the crash sensor was different from the Barge's, so a quick trip to the salvage yard found me a nice new crash sensor for about 10 bucks from the same car that provided the steering column and the Halo headlights:

Also, welcome to Lake Axel. The water was bailed out with a small cup a la Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.

It looked like both cars threw up on the tarp I laid out with all of the parts I had to take out.

I replaced the little plug insert for the Barge's Pass. airbag, and replaced the ignition key in the new steering column.
Little blurb about that: I ordered a steering column with radio controls online, but when it got here, the column was dirtied, faded, had the wires cut off before the connector, and didn't have the radio controls. I sent that back, and got the one with the airbag already in it from the salvage yard.


I then cleaned the interior, and reinstalled all the pieces:

Then I started with taking the cradles out from underneath both cars to switch them:

Axel II back on the ground:

Looks a lot like a car I once knew....

Cool shot I saw whilst working:

Had to bail the water out again...

I then drove the car, albeit haphazardly, up to the driveway for the first time it moved under its own power since I got it to run more than a year ago.


Windshield replacement:

Oh, and the HUD works.

I got the pieces off of the Barge for the core support, and only had to wait for my dad to come back home with the welder he borrowed from a friend.

The Barge:

Core Support welded on and ready for parts!

I pulled an all-nighter to put all the parts on, and didn't get a picture of the car when I stopped. Then I came back from college for Fall Break.

I started trying to find out what was wrong with keeping the car running, and started taking the spark plugs off, and found this:

There was my problem!
I then took the spark plugs out of the Barge and plugged them in, and three times at ten minutes each, the car ran well by itself, and I banished the security light into oblivion:

Things were going pretty good. I got some nice shots of all of the windows working, including the sunroof:

Also, license plates.

Soon after that, I went back in to get some lunch, and Hell pretty much started afterward...

I came back out and started the car, and it had some difficulty starting, and the CES light was on. Not good. I turned the car around in the driveway to see how it would act under load, and it moved fine. I tried starting it literally minutes afterward, aaaanndd it wouldn't start. I hooked up the fuel pressure gauge and found that it wasn't even getting to 10 psi. :|

So, I found this out after the salvage shop I got the pump from had closed that day, and my Dad had a job he had to go to in the morning, but he elected to stay home and help me out, since we didn't have any other cars we could use, as my Mom had another job, and needed her car. We drove twenty minutes back to the shop, and exchanged the pump. No big deal.

Then we got back home, and I hooked it up. I made sure everything was hooked up right, and turned the key....

The pump didn't even prime.

Me and my dad tracked the battery's charge from the terminal all the way to the pump connector, and the electricity was getting there just like it was supposed to. We then tracked the power through the pump itself, and found it reached all the way to the sending unit. It was just DOA.

I called the shop and told them what happened, and that we tested the charge going through the pump, and I got back "Clearly, there's something wrong with YOUR car, because our parts are tested and out of cars that were running a few weeks ago"...

I called back afterward to make sure they were picking the part for us, and then I got back "Well, we're not going to do that, because the only reason why two pumps failed in the same car is that there's something wrong with the car." I actually replied "What?"

She said we could bring the pump back and exchange it for the $100 I paid originally.

We brought it back, and talked a bit with the people behind the counter, and the lady said "Well, see, since there's two sets of wires running to the pump, you need 24 volts to activate the pump".....

I tested a pump with a battery that wasn't completely charged....

My dad replied to her, saying "Excuse me?!" He's a mechanic of more than 30 years, so they just told him off, pretty much.

She turned to the guy sitting beside her, and asked him to explain how it worked, and he said that there was no further explanation needed. THEN, within the same time, he says that you can't run 12 volts to the pump, because you'd burn it up.

That was when the conversation ended, and me and Dad got the money charged back on my card and went out to the job site, where he dropped himself off and I took the truck to FAP to get a new pump for $170. It was an Airtex, which I know by now won't last me more than a few years, but I'll plan on getting a Delphi to replace it later.

I got the pump, returned home, and then found out that they redesigned the four-point connector, and that I'd have to solder the new connector onto an existing loom, which I already have one out from the Barge. Now, I'm back at college, and I won't be able to work on the car more until December when the semester ends. So, I made some strides, but then it kinda blew up in my face. Now I know not to get a pump from a salvage yard.

Also, I found out that the shop actually charged me for the pump a second time instead of refunding it. So I helped my parents while they were working with the people at the shop, and they got it fully refunded.

So we're almost done, I just gotta get the new pump in, and possibly get a pass side axle shaft, since I found a pile of grease next to it on the cradle.

 

[TexasTanker19kilo20]

Re: Axel: Almost fully regenerated!

Good work, coming along nicely.

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: Almost fully regenerated!

Thanks TexasTanker!

Oh, look, I've got an update here that won't take up half the bandwidth! LOL!

So, it turns out that right after I left back for college after Fall break, my dad went out and installed the pump I had gotten for the car. My dad told me it's still having a vacuum leak, though, because it's got difficulty starting. And I've also already replaced the MAF and a couple other sensors on the TB. I didn't replace the UIM gasket when I did the intake gasket job, though, so that might be the culprit.

And there's still an exhaust leak. I thought I had tightened the darn thing down with all my might, I guess the gasket wasn't in the right place. We'll see how it falls apart when I start working on it in the next few days.

That's right, I'm coming back home from college tomorrow, because I've got everything done that I needed to! I've been away from my car for tooooooo long!

Anyway, also in related news, we might be getting a GTP in our family for the first time since my parents had an electric blue GTP from the early 90's.

 

[jimzssei]

Re: Axel: Almost fully regenerated!

Keep up the good work young man. It's nice to read a thread full of explicative enthusiasm, and techno jargon.

 

[AxelRod]

Axel: On the Road and Nomming Transmissions

Thanks for the compliments, Jim! I appreciate it!

Anyway, over winter break, I was able to fix the remaining issues (Exhaust leak--res was shot on the Daytona's exhaust. :/ There was also the vacuum leak and the e-brake) by replacing the upper intake gaskets (Like I should have before. Heh), taking the exhaust off of the red car since it had a knock, and tightening up the e-brake cable. The car had a slight issue with starting every now and then, though, but I think I found the MAF to be the cause, because it ran much better when I switched it with the MAF from my Mom's old car. I'm also wondering if it's just trying to get used to being able to drive again after sitting for so long.

Anyway, I got it inspected! And got a 4-wheel alignment soon afterward. Hah, a couple of the bolts were so far out, my friend that worked at the shop said he had to really grind off the ends of them off to get them adjusted. There's still some play in the steering rack, but I'm thinking that was because of the crash.

After getting a few last issues out of the way (I accidentally put the TPS on wrong, so it kept bucking and letting off above 13 MPH. Lol), the car ran great, starting issues aside, for about 300 miles, and then the trans started doing some weird crap: it would "cough" while going up a hill under load, and then, as my Mom told us as she drove it to work and back, it started not going from a stop and finally slamming into gear to start going at a jump. I took it on a test drive one Sunday, and the first thirty minute drive went absolutely fine; I had changed the spark plug wires to see about the coughing issue, since we had diagnosed it to be an ignition problem, and it didn't cough at all, even when under load several times up a hill. Then, I tried to take him into town...

I didn't even get into town before the trans REALLY started getting squirrelly. It started feeling like it wouldn't get out of third or overdrive after it came to a stop, and then it would finally slam down back into first after a few seconds of going. THEN, when I stopped at a stoplight and tried to gas it to go, it died. I was able to start it right back up and took it down another street, and it died on me in the exact same manner while trying to turn (the hazard lights got a pretty good workout that day). Shortly after finally making the turn, it wouldn't even shift out of first, so I pulled into a parking lot close by and shut it off, and let it cool down. I started it back up and was able to continue on for a while, and it would always shut itself off right as I was trying to take off from a stop. I got it home without other incident, though, which I was happy about at least.

Then I searched around on Triple Edge Performance's website and found that my symptoms were that of the trans eating itself up from the inside out. So, when I go back home for break next weekend, my Dad and I will be rebuilding a trans that came out of my sister's car with parts from Triple Edge. I seriously hope this is the last big hurdle, because the car was absolutely great otherwise, save for one or two small issues.

I really want to make this car All Wheel Drive. Haha

 

[Booba5185]

Re: Axel: On the Road and Nomming Transmissions

Awesome thread! Why not replace the rack with the transmission out to tighten the steering up?

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: On the Road and Nomming Transmissions

Awesome thread! Why not replace the rack with the transmission out to tighten the steering up?

Because time and money were/are kinda scarce. We ended up swapping a trans from another GP we have that has an engine knock on Tue., and my car hasn't given me any issues since then.

In fact, I just drove it to college tonight. Probably one of the best feelings I've felt for this whole project. The car have no hiccups whatsoever.

I also stopped by my sister's college and replaced a broken window regulator in her car on the way here. Pics to come of my car sitting in a completely different environment than it was used to soon.

For now, have these:

Just washed/beginning to rain

Headlights teaser:

 

[theaceofspades]

Re: Axel: On the Road and Nomming Transmissions

This thread is awesome. Just a dude workin on his ride and you get joy out of it. That's what it's supposed to be

 

[BillBoost37]

Re: Axel: On the Road and Nomming Transmissions

Great work

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: On the Road and Crruuuuuuuuiizin'

This thread is awesome. Just a dude workin on his ride and you get joy out of it. That's what it's supposed to be

Heck yeah! I've put so much work into this, it was almost impossible for me not to love finally driving it. Haha!

Thanks everybody for any pointers or answered questions, as well as the support. I'm looking forward to any shenanigans that might be coming up in this thread, if I can leave some room for other people to post in it!

Here, have a pic for proof I've got the car with me:

Bad picture is bad. I need to find a sign with the college's name on it and have a mini photo shoot.

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: Roadworthy, Yet sitting in teh College parkings.

Here's a better pic of Axel in his new environment.

It took long enough, but I finally got something installed on Axel that I've wanted to do since a particular junk yard score. Surprise comes tomorrow! I love this thing, even despite the ABS and SES light. Lol!

 

[AxelRod]

Re: Axel: On the Road and Crruuuuuuuiiizin'

Not bad for about $65 total.