Slew Of Problems

[TSiWarrior]

Im on vacation at my fathers here in new orleans LA. I drove the car from detroit michigan and she barley made it. I need to be able to make it back home and I cant even get the car 10 miles without something breaking... Here are the problems some advice or ideas would greatly help.

1. Temp light goes to 1/2 and stays, even during 20 hours continous driving... even when steam is pouring out from under the filler cap.

2. Overheats but no light turns on, boils over from resivor

3. Oil ALL OVER the driver side wheel area, around the altrantator area but I cant find the source of the leak.

4. Small steam leak from behind engine area cant really find source.

5. Tranny makes weird noises, almost sounds like a bad p/s pump

6. Wont shift half the time, it will go into nuteral and you have to forcefully shift the gears, can take up to 3 min to find reverse.

7. Gas mileage is about 18-20mpg

8. Makes a bad u-joint sound during accel and bumps the car, but I checked all the joints and ball joints they are semi-worn but nothing to worry about right now.

9. This one is weird, and I mean weird... When turning left on an incline the car shows symptoms of horribly bad fuel cut. All lights, gauges etc all stay on, but the car acts like someone was cutting the igniton.

That's alot of problems, but any help would be nice.

 

[luv2rallye]

Lot a problems but I've seen #9 before. If your under 1/4 full and your tank has been hit hard enough to put a big dent in it, all the gas goes to one side and misses the pickup tube. You can test this by just filling up full and trying again.

Your cooling system definately needs to be pressure tested for leaks.

 

[evolvingGS-t]

First off, sorry about all of the problems. Let me try and help you though.

1. I am not sure about a light that goes on 1/2 way. Maybe the temp gauge 1/2 way?
You've probably got a bad thermostat or temp sensor.

2. If your light doesn't come on when it over heats, I am guessing again, a bad temp
sensor or thermo

3. Does it look like your oil splattered or like a gush from the head gasket? If it's like a
spatter then I'd look into your oil filter or housing not on good enough.

4. Do you notice if you're leaking coolant from behind there or leaking coolant at all. If so,
have you checked your heater lines going into your car.

5. If it sounds like you P/S have you tried adding fluid into the resevior?

6. Are you gears/synchros in good shape. Does it grind. Have you tried bleeding the
system? You have enough fluid in the master cylinder resevior?

7. Gas mileage sound about right with your mods. Have you got your SAFC tuned? That
might better the gas a little, but not much.

8. Are they tightened down to spec. ? Is it a clunking noise or clicking? If it is clunking,
try checking out your drive shafts or tie rod ends

9. Of course you've checked to see if you have fuel. What about a fuel pump? Working
or upgraded one. Any fuel lines pinched? What about your fuel filter? Original? Do you
have an FPR?

This is all that I can think of. I hope it helps.

 

[TSiWarrior]

The powersteering is fine, the noise is comming from the tranny area. There are two wires that seem they should be connected to the connector on the elbow where the coolant cap is. I replaced the thermostat today yet it still overheats. The oil is more of a dripage not shure from where... it coats the whole area pretty good tho. Im not quite shure how to bleed the system, although im assuming the clutch isnt fully disengaging or soemthing like that. I dont have the recorces or stuff to pull the tranny out right now, so im wondering if there are any quick things I can do to get the clutch to disengage.

 

[evolvingGS-t]

Your clutch and gears engage okay? Or is it grindy? I they are wires and they are disconnected then try to connect them temporary and see if that is the problem. If it is the problem, go to a junk yard and find yourself a thermostat housing unit w/ all of the connections.
About how high do you notice drippage from oil?
You'll need three (3) people for the bleeding part. If you're up to the task though.
Person #1 will sit in the car and push on the clutch.
Person #2 will poor DOT 3 or 4 (I used brake) fluid into the resevoir while person #1 pumps the clutch slowly.
Person #3 will open up the slave cylinder slowly and wait and watch for clean/clear fluid to pass thru.

That is the easiest way I know of.

 

[pianoman]

Lot a problems but I've seen #9 before. If your under 1/4 full and your tank has been hit hard enough to put a big dent in it, all the gas goes to one side and misses the pickup tube.

I have this same problem, I was wondering what it was. The previous owner looks like he backed into a tree stump.

 

[TSiWarrior]

This is horribly getting worse. I fix one problem and get another. I'm not trying to make a dsm perfect because If i were I might as well go try to make a dog talk. I replaced the thermostat, cap, fluid, seals.... drive it 10min and it boils over. The oil level seems fine. I'm running royal purple/mobile 1 5w30 in there. The valve cover can melt 2liter bottles it gets soo hott. Not to mention for some reason or another my tranny will hardly shift at all now. I'll be driving like a grandma and do the 1st to 2nd throw and it will grind, also vise versa. It is also quite hard to shift it, it doesnt really shift into gear its more of a "pop" into gear because you've gotta pull quite hard back. The clutch seems fine to me you can push the car all day long with it disengaged and when I dump the clutch I can smoke the front tires along with a bit of chirp from the rear. Im getting closer and closer to the day I need to make the trip home (im on vacation just outside of new orleans) and the car is getting more and more broke. I have noticed a ever getting louder noise from the passanger front of the car, it sounds alot like a power steering pump that needs fluid. If anyone has any idea's that will be great.

 

[pianoman]

Ever thought about the bearings in the water pump?

 

[TSiWarrior]

Where's it at?

 

[pianoman]

There is a silver metal pipe right behind the turbo, follow that to the drivers side, and it goes into your water pump. Its on the drivers side of the block Timing belt side.