2G AWD Conversion/Swap Guys Enter Here - Advanced. [Merged 2-07]

[99gst_racer]

Daren - I just stumbled across those pictures of that hangers that I made. These are basically just replicated AWD hangers that I welded onto my car. Worked great.

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[daren_p]

Thanks Paul! Thats basically what I was planning on doing.

Dan, our FP doesn't come on with the key just sitting in the run position. You need to be cranking the car over for the FP to run.

 

[sd_ff22]

The starter is out as there is a manual tranny going into the car. I did try pushing the key into the crank position just to see what would happen. still nothing.

 

[gofer]

im assuming since you went over to chiefs yesterday and got all the nice battery stuff you did hook up that battery before attempting to listen to the 255 whining to verify the electrical? haha, at least thats something id forget.
im 99% sure that the only time you could actually hear my fuel pump was while the car was running. when i was doing alex's FP rewire i noticed his would come on with the key turned to accessory, i thought it was strange so i checked if mine did the same and of course it didn't. i pulled up his carpet and the previous owner did some gheddo FP rewire to the radio power? WTF im sure you did the AWD FP wire correctly and if we can't get the FP to kick on maybe a wire got pulled loose on the FP rewire i did? i can bring some good meter leads up tuesday when i get back...

 

[sd_ff22]

RGR.


what happened to opsec pal? j/k

 

[spyderturbo007]

If you really want to check the FP without cranking, you can unbolt the CAS and spin it by hand. That will cause the ECU to kick on the fuel pump.

 

[eclipsh]

If you really want to check the FP without cranking, you can unbolt the CAS and spin it by hand. That will cause the ECU to kick on the fuel pump.

I'm sure I once saw a fuel pump test connection in the 1g harness, should be in the 2g harness as well. Check the factory wiring diagrams and I'm sure you'll find it. It is in the engine bay on the 1g.

 

[assault187]

I was going to wire this up today and noticed my 97 spyder wiring differs from the diagram here. The diagram lists a 2 pin and a 3 pin FWD connectors, My car has the 2 pin (black & black/blue wires) and a 8 pin connector utilizing 7 pins. Do I only use the 3 listed wire colors in the 8 pin connector? I also have 2 yellow/blue wires in said connector, one is thicker...which do I use to match the listed diagram.

8 Pin connector:
Pin 1: Yellow/red
Pin 2: Grey/ red
Pin 3: Yellow/blue
Pin 4: N/C
Pin 5: Thick Yellow/blue
Pin 6: Grey/blue
Pin 7: Black
Pin 8: Yellow

Any idea what the functions of these other wires are? I read through this whole thread for searching sake but didnt come across this....Although I did read somthing about a purge selenoid...

Did you figure this out? I just did my re-wire & didn't run into any issues. Your probably talking about the main harness connector? You don't need to worry about all the additional wires (leave connected as is, if you want to keep them functioning), their for ABS & possibly a pressure sensor. I left the large connector & just tapped into the required wires further down the line. I used Pauls drawing & had the factory wiring diagrams to compare & his drawing appears to be correct as far as I can tell.

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Yes, I did figure this out. When I sat in the car to really look over the connectors, I had realized that I was an idiot....I noticed that 4 of the wires in the connector in question has no pins on the mating connector. Once I noticed I had over looked that, I simpy over looked the unused wires and It was cut and dry.

 

[daren_p]

Okay, another question here. I don't know if I just missed it somehow but what is the proper torque spec for the subframe mounting nuts? The only spec I came across was the fwd spec, which was 64 ft/lbs. I wasn't sure if it would be the same being the fwd subframe is metal to metal & the awd obviously has the bushings.

 

[daren_p]

I finally gave it a test fire last night! Low gas light worked, gas gauge moved as I poured in some fuel (won't know about the other sender till I actually fill the tank), no leaks. Checked all gears & all 4 hubs spun! So just have to fab up the exhuast & waiting on a couple more small items to put everything back together. So hopfully will have it back on the road next weekish!

Still looking for that rear subframe torque specs?

 

[turbosax2]

Daren, I searched a few times through the manual and didn't find specific AWD specs either, so it's not just you. But in section 34-7 where it says 64 ft.lbs., the picture is showing a rear FWD subframe, but the picture also shows a driveshaft going to it. So my guess would be that the 64 ft.lbs. applies to both AWD and FWD. Hopefully somebody else has a real answer...

 

[daren_p]

Thanks Eric, so atleast I'm not the only blind guy out there

I also noticed the rear diff show on the fwd subframe, so 64ft/lbs seems like a resonable torque spec for that location, so I'll probably go with that, unless someone tells me otherwise

Oh & should add a little eye candy

 

[snowborder714]

That's all I found too (same as Eric) after searching.

 

[99gst_racer]

Looks good, Daren. Looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor and onto some jackstands.

 

[Flash]

Looks amazing Daren! Great job!

Also Daren, what did you use to freshen up the underbody of your car?

 

[daren_p]

Looks amazing Daren! Great job!

Also Daren, what did you use to freshen up the underbody of your car?

Thats depends on which part exactly, the spare tire well is just some ruberized rocker guard from a company called Rust Check (company that does rust spray, not sure if their in the US). The subframe I painted with Rust Bullet which is an epoxy coating that is super tuff, its a silver colour so then sprayed it with Eastwoods Extreme satin chassis coating. Some of the pieces are new OEM & most of the suspension related components have been powder coated in satin black.

 

[gofer]

AWD manual swap COMPLETE ​

dan (sd_ff22) and I finally finished this last weekend and I couldn't be more happier, i can't even believe its the same car. Still working on some small bugs like getting the Speedo to work and the alignment where it needs to be. Mine definitely doesn't look as nice underneath as daren's but I don't think we could have done all that and complete it in two and a half weeks like we did either. Nice looking swap daren, just don't hit those dirt roads in Canada or it'll go back to looking like it did real fast.

 

[daren_p]

Well I'm up & running now too Still have a few small things to take care of, but so far everything seems good. I do have a question about drivetrain noise though (thought best to ask hear, as were all use to a silent fwd). Under normal cruise & acceleration (haven't got on the throttle at all yet, as breaking in many parts) the car seems normal, no unexpected noise or vibrations but when I let off the gas (car still in gear, clutch released) I'am getting some noise that seems to be coming from the rear. When you put the clutch in, the noise isn't there. I'll have to confirm but I think I'm getting some descent noise when in reverse as well (not sure if that normal at slow speeds as well?)

The car does have new tranny, rebuilt transfercase, rebuilt rear diff & new Ujoints. So I wasn't sure if maybe things had to break in abit? Also my stock rubber rear diff bushings have been replaced with the UMS urthane bushings, so I would imagine I will get more noise/vibrations vs a stock setup, though like I say sounds pretty quiet under normal driving (well quiet enough that its drownd out by the exhaust )

 

[Peepers]

Guys,
I have two questions when it comes to wiring the fuel pump / fuel gauge senders.

I've wired up the floats so that they work and everything matches up (ohm wise) so it looks like I should be good. However I have two wires left over from the AWD SUB sender - one yellow/blue and one yellow/black. According the the wiring diagrams, it appears these are the for the level switch. What's the level switch for and how do I wire it up into my FWD?

Here's my rendering of how I have everything wired up (so far)

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2) On the AWD Main sender/pump, there's a thing called a "THERMISTOR". What's that for? I'm thinking it causes the low fuel light to come on, but not sure. If I'm correct with my assumption, do I have to wire anything differently to ensure my low fuel light comes on??

Thanks!!

 

[assault187]

Ran out of fuel the other day...no low fuel light. Any Ideas? Wired per diagram


Also while im here, have any of you guys experieced this?

I noticed a vibration while driving the car a couple days ago, since then, it seems to have gotten worse. Im still new to AWD (recently swapped) so im not exactly sure where to look or how to diagnose this issue...

It almost feels like its coming from the area under the shifter area or possibly further back but im not sure. I feel it while accelerating and on decel, most noticable on decel from a higher rpm (5k). I dont feel or hear it as much or at all when acclerating under alot of load. It doesnt seem to be RPM or gear specific and I dont hear any odd noises when engaging a gear (R or 1st) from a stop. I did notice that if I release the clutch quickly at lower speeds, I occasionally hear a metallic clunk and feel a shake/rocking from the drivetrain.

I jacked the car up to make sure the carrier bearing brackets and rear were'nt coming loose and they're pretty tight. I checked the play in the drivshaft and it feels soft on the carrier bearing closest to the rear which may be the issue. I cant find any markings in the exhaust to point the finger at for rubbing either.


What are the most common vibration problems on the 2g AWD setups?
What should I check?
How should I check the U-Joints, and carrier bearings?
Possible t-case, drive-shaft, or rear issue?
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[Peepers]

What year is your Spyder ('97?) and what year did you take the donor tank from? I've recently learned that there's minor different wiring from a '95 AWD Tank vs a '97 AWD Tank. I can't comment on other years cause I've only ever compared a '95 and '97

 

[assault187]

What year is your Spyder ('97?) and what year did you take the donor tank from? I've recently learned that there's minor different wiring from a '95 AWD Tank vs a '97 AWD Tank. I can't comment on other years cause I've only ever compared a '95 and '97

Yes, My car is a 97 and everything used was out of a early model 95

 

[Peepers]

assault187, Since your Spyder is a '97 and your donor is a '95, the wiring diagram posted earlier in this thread (and on the VAFQ) should work. Maybe you have a bad THERMISTOR? There's a way to test this part using a test light and a battery - pretty simple test (page 446 (54-23) of the '97 Electrical Service Manual. It'll take 1-2 mins for the test light to illuminate so be patience. If the test light doesn't illuminate then this part is probably bad thus why the low level light does not come on.

'97's (maybe 98 & 99?) have a THERMISTOR and a LEVEL SWITCH thus why the sub assembly (driver's side) had 2 extra wires for the LEVEL SWITCH. In order to wire a '97+ AWD tank into a FWD (mine being a '97 Spyder), here's what I had to do (special thanks to Dave @ DSMLINK for helping me out)

I can comment on your driveline issues as I have not completed my swap yet

On a side note - did you notice any slack in the rear corners of fuel tank straps like I'm having? I think is because Spyder's don't have these "humps" (as seen circled in red) thus there's nothing directly above the tank forcing it down. Thoughts / Ideas on how to make the tank straps more secure?

 

[tehehodi]

Some of those colors of wires aren't the same as mine, My parts are both from 2ga talons...interesting. I think i got it wired right though. What do i do about teh grey/red wire and the other ones from the GST harness, is that just abs hookups?

 

[assault187]

Peepers

I'll deffinately check that out. I appreciate the wire diagram!

For the tank straps
When I initially dropped the bolts threw and secured them (bolt from up top and secured with nuts on bottom of each bolt) for the gas tank straps, I did notice some slack on the straps with the tank installed. I ended up cutting the curled tips of the straps since they would serve no purpose on the spyder for more clearance. I then welded the the rear tank strap bolts in and left the fronts secured with nuts (tach welded). When I bolted the tank back up, it was nice and snug with no slack on the straps. Hope this helps.

As for my vibration issue, I threw the car on a lift for a few min and played around. I had bottomed out the car which bent an exhaust hanger and forced the exhaust into the carrier bearing bracket.