Whoops! Tranny Goes Boom...=new Mods!

[ArmyofOne]

I know that im probably gonna get quite a few "I told ya so's" for this, but i dont really care... :P For those of you that do not know, I currently drive and Modify a 2002 Ford Escort ZX-2 5speed. It shares the 2.0L DOHC Zetec I4 with the Contour/Cougar Focus. Well, I consider the car highly modified:

The Go: Ported and Polished head with 5 angle valve job, Brembo Ventilated Front Rotors, with Protech pads and shoes in rear, Steel Headgasket, 11:1 compression ratio (increased from 9.5:1), Gutted Cat, Removed Resonator, custom exhaust piping, 4-2-1 Header, Superchip, Ajdustable Cam Gears.

The Show: JL Audio 10W3v2.4 10" D4 Subwoofer, Elemental Designs slot-ported Enclosure, Kenwood KAC-7202 Amplifier, Kenwood KDC-1028 HU, 2 Apline Type S Co-ax 6.5's in front, 4 Alpine Type S Co-ax 5x7's in rear, Llumar High Performance Window Tint, 5% rear, 20% front, Falken Ziex ZE512's, 4300K HID kit by HIDtronix

Well now, im adding 3 more mods to the list...and they are big.

Last saturday, i came around the corner to pull into the parking lot of my apartment complex, downshifted from 5th to 2nd (i usually use 5th at speeds 35 and above to save gas). I had nothing. I shifted out of 5th, into netural and i couldnt go into any other gear. the stick literally would not go in. so myself being a dumbass pushed as hard as i could. i couldnt get into any gear except 5th, so i left the clutch down in 5th gear and coasted into my parking space. (in case i couldnt get going again, at least i was parked). I put it in reverse, got a slight grind, and then the shifter went in, but as i let out on the clutch, i got a real bad shudder and grinding, almost like it was halfway in gear. I brought the gear shift out of reverse, and SLAMMED it back in. this fixed the problem, i went aroudn the parking lot in a couple of circles, and all seemed well, though i never left second (fairly large lot). so i parked and when on about my night. Well about 10 pm or so, I come back out, and start the car. all seems well, shift from 1-2 at 10mph...2-3 at 20...3-4 at 30...4-5 at 35 and CRUNCH. the gears grind with a quick grind as the selector slid into 5th.

Ordinarily, i would do this repair myself, but when i purchased the car, I also purchased a 4 year, 48,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. (SMART ME). So I took the car to the dealer this morning...and the diagnosis is, a bad 5th gear/Reverse Synchro and Shift fork.

Here is the suprising part. For the part and the labor, the total was going to be less than $450. The tech said the transaxle didnt have to be taken out for the repair, which is true, there is an access panel in the top of the transaxle, 4 bolts and your in, and the Synchros are an 8mm wrench and an allen key and they are off.

At any rate, I faxed my warranty paperwork over to the dealer and they called my warranty company. My warranty company has no issues at all paying for this, BUT, they wanted my authorization for the dealer to pull the transaxle out and do a complete inspection, to check and make sure nothing else has gone wrong, and at no additional expense to me (I hope). So that in case something else is wrong, we can replace it now, under one go round, saving the warranty company money. Understandable. now, here is where the mods come in.

Because They are going to have the transaxle out, and the car has 70,000 miles on it, there is no sense in pulling the transaxle and NOT replacing the clutch. So a CenterForce Clutch, good for 500 HP goes in . Also, at the cost of another hours labor ($65) and the price of the part, a Fidanza Aluminum Flywheel will be installed. and for FREE (because i had it in my contour, AND I KEPT IT AGAINST THE ADVICE OF MY FATHER), A Quaife Limited Slip Differential is going in too.

So, i am DEFINATELY prepped for a turbo now. I even have one off of a humvee...but its entirely to large to put in my car...so i will search EBAY for a T3 when i return from Iraq. then we will get this party started.

and FTWAC (For those who are curious), I am putting somewhere around 200HP to the flywheel, in a car that has a transaxle rated to handle 150 MAX. Thats why it blew...I hammered the hell out of it, and overpowered it at the same time. Unmodded and driven normally, these trasnaxles last 300-400K miles no problem. I am still quite happy with my overall purchase and will continue to be. I will just have to be more careful. Visit the Dragway less. ;) At any rate, I just thought my friends here at LOC might like an update.

[JIBBBY]

Army- Sorry to hear about your troubles, remember that is a Ford you are working with and that kind of stuff should be expected. Just curious what does a 200hp Ford Escort run 0-60 and in the quarter mile?... I know really light cars can motor well at 200hp. Just wondering if you can edge out my sc400. I would be upset if I got abused by a Ford Escort on the open road... Anyway, wish you the best of luck with your fix.....my car is disabled for now also, and that stinks being that is the weekend and all...

[ArmyofOne]

Army- Sorry to hear about your troubles, remember that is a Ford you are working with and that kind of stuff should be expected. Just curious what does a 200hp Ford Escort run 0-60 and in the quarter mile?... I know really light cars can motor well at 200hp. Just wondering if you can edge out my sc400. I would be upset if I got abused by a Ford Escort on the open road... Anyway, wish you the best of luck with your fix.....my car is disabled for now also, and that stinks being that is the weekend and all...

Actually, i did expect it, because i knew i was over powering the tranny.

not because its a ford. that has nothing to do with it. if i put that kind of power through an I4 camry, the same thing would have happened.

as for the quarter, between 14.2 and 14.6 depending on launch and in winter. i have yet to test during summer on a decent track. the one on post here is just a road blocked off on weekends. it has salt and the usuall crud on it, and an unofficial timer. but is usually pretty smooth. races are held only when the pavement is dry, but at colder temps, its hard to get a good grip sometimes. and yes they are sanctioned events by MWR and the Military Police.

cant wait to try with the new mods :D

[SW03ES]

Army- Sorry to hear about your troubles, remember that is a Ford you are working with and that kind of stuff should be expected

You don't think if you overpowered and hotrodded a Toyota transmission the same thing wouldn't have happened?

Has nothing to do with the brand of the car, it has to do with how it was treated. Army obviously knows this and its a good opportunity to have warrantied repairs done and do upgrades he wanted to do anyways so no big deal.

I'm actually surprised the warranty company didn't deny the claim because of the mods.

[ArmyofOne]

Army- Sorry to hear about your troubles, remember that is a Ford you are working with and that kind of stuff should be expected

You don't think if you overpowered and hotrodded a Toyota transmission the same thing wouldn't have happened?

Has nothing to do with the brand of the car, it has to do with how it was treated. Army obviously knows this and its a good opportunity to have warrantied repairs done and do upgrades he wanted to do anyways so no big deal.

I'm actually surprised the warranty company didn't deny the claim because of the mods.

there were no mods to the trans

the stock transmission is going in, the Clutch, flywheel, pressure plates and bearings are specifically excluded from the warranty coverage

so i can do what i want there, since the trans is out anywyas.

[SW03ES]

But the mods to the engine contributed to the failure of the Trans. The warranty company would be perfectly within their rights to deny the claim. If you read the fine print of the warranty I'm certain it will have a disclaimer that failure of any component due to modification of the vehicle, improper use, or lack of regular reasonable maintenance will be excluded from coverage.

The passage in my Lexus extended warranty specifically states that the following will be excluded from coverage:

Any failure caused by modification or parts not authorized or supplied by the vehicle manufacturer or administrator

Any use of your vehicle not reccomended by the manufacturer in your owners manual suppliment and/or guide

Failure of any covered component caused by any non-covered component

So, they're definately not required to cover the repair since it was admittedly caused by modification of the vehicle, use of the vehicle not reccomended by the manufacturer, and caused by a non-covered component.

I'd take the money while the money's good. When the warranty gets the report from the shop, if theres any mention of mods I guarantee they will deny the claim.

[ArmyofOne]

But the mods to the engine contributed to the failure of the Trans. The warranty company would be perfectly within their rights to deny the claim. If you read the fine print of the warranty I'm certain it will have a disclaimer that failure of any component due to modification of the vehicle, improper use, or lack of regular reasonable maintenance will be excluded from coverage.

The passage in my Lexus extended warranty specifically states that the following will be excluded from coverage:

Any failure caused by modification or parts not authorized or supplied by the vehicle manufacturer or administrator

Any use of your vehicle not reccomended by the manufacturer in your owners manual suppliment and/or guide

Failure of any covered component caused by any non-covered component

So, they're definately not required to cover the repair since it was admittedly caused by modification of the vehicle, use of the vehicle not reccomended by the manufacturer, and caused by a non-covered component.

I'd take the money while the money's good. When the warranty gets the report from the shop, if theres any mention of mods I guarantee they will deny the claim.

Im takin it, i know the service tech, got all my angles covered. hopefully i wont have to use it again.

I understand the concern. if they do decide not to cover it, I will pay it, but if i can get away with it, then i will, its not like I didnt pay for it.

question though, if its voided, can i get a refund on it? i paid $1143.

the synchro kit thats going in, is an upgrade according to a ford TSB, the new ones are steel, old ones were brass. so they should handle the power.

and really, all my engine mods, are internal. there is no visible external modification. the dealer doesnt knwo about them, only the service tech (a personal friend). but the dealer likely knows about the mods going in...

[JIBBBY]

Army- Sorry to hear about your troubles, remember that is a Ford you are working with and that kind of stuff should be expected

You don't think if you overpowered and hotrodded a Toyota transmission the same thing wouldn't have happened?

SW03ES.....I think a Toyota manual tranny can take a heck of alot of horsepower so to speak, infact the V160 Supra TT tranny has a member on another forum pushing four digit horsepower out of it, and it's stock!!!! I know this because I am considering the swap myself on my sc... as my stock sc400 tranny could blow apart any day now, with my added traction and recent upgrades... I even bought the adapter plate for the swap just incase it goes. So Army I can relate.... Bottom line some of these Toyota tranny are build as solid as they come. I had owned a 1974 Toyota Landcruiser years back with a 283, 327 and 350 Small block engines in it, all were putting out over 300hp almost double the stock power, tranny was fine for years. My Lexus sc400 is handling almost double the hp output from when I first started building it up and it's still hanging barely. So Toyota can make some of the most solid transmissions out their....I know the Chevy TH400 is a monster tranny as well.

[ArmyofOne]

im not going here.

thanks for your thoughts. Pm me if you wanna know a few ford trannies that can do what you described above (tremec T5). Bottom line is, this transaxle wasnt designed to take the abuse i put to it. i mean come on, brass synchros?! i knew this geting into the game, i knew the tranny was the weakest link. no biggie, she will come back, better than new.

i put over 50HP more than what it was rated at, which was already 30HP more than the stock output of the engine, so ford played the safe side. i stand by the fact thatg on more than one occaision i have seen these trans's run over 300K and near 4K with no problem. and even if they do have a problem, all 4 synchros and forks are accessible from the access cover, so there is no need to remove the trans to do internal work unless the gears, shafts and or bearings are bad...You cant tell moe ford isnt innovative, pop off the intake and boom cover is right there.

I have seen over 1,000 HP on a stock mustang trans, cant beat it.

[SW03ES]

question though, if its voided, can i get a refund on it? i paid $1143.

No, why would they give you a refund because you voided the warranty?

Next to insurance companies, warranty companies are probably the most evil companies on the planet.

SW03ES.....I think a Toyota manual tranny can take a heck of alot of horsepower so to speak, infact the V160 Supra TT tranny has a member on another forum pushing four digit horsepower out of it, and it's stock!!!! I know this because I am considering the swap myself on my sc... as my stock sc400 tranny could blow apart any day now, with my added traction and recent upgrades... I even bought the adapter plate for the swap just incase it goes. So Army I can relate.... Bottom line some of these Toyota tranny are build as solid as they come. I had owned a 1974 Toyota Landcruiser years back with a 283, 327 and 350 Small block engines in it, all were putting out over 300hp almost double the stock power, tranny was fine for years. My Lexus sc400 is handling almost double the hp output from when I first started building it up and it's still hanging barely. So Toyota can make some of the most solid transmissions out their....I know the Chevy TH400 is a monster tranny as well.

And all those vehicles were significantly more expensive than an $18,000 Ford Escort weren't they? Not to mention better engineered, an Escort is a step away from a golf cart in terms of engineering basically. Can't even be compared.

How about a manual transmission in the most basic Toyota Corolla, how long do you think it would live with 50hp more being pushed through it and being abused at a dragstrip?

[ArmyofOne]

question though, if its voided, can i get a refund on it? i paid $1143.

No, why would they give you a refund because you voided the warranty?

Next to insurance companies, warranty companies are probably the most evil companies on the planet.

SW03ES.....I think a Toyota manual tranny can take a heck of alot of horsepower so to speak, infact the V160 Supra TT tranny has a member on another forum pushing four digit horsepower out of it, and it's stock!!!! I know this because I am considering the swap myself on my sc... as my stock sc400 tranny could blow apart any day now, with my added traction and recent upgrades... I even bought the adapter plate for the swap just incase it goes. So Army I can relate.... Bottom line some of these Toyota tranny are build as solid as they come. I had owned a 1974 Toyota Landcruiser years back with a 283, 327 and 350 Small block engines in it, all were putting out over 300hp almost double the stock power, tranny was fine for years. My Lexus sc400 is handling almost double the hp output from when I first started building it up and it's still hanging barely. So Toyota can make some of the most solid transmissions out their....I know the Chevy TH400 is a monster tranny as well.

And all those vehicles were significantly more expensive than an $18,000 Ford Escort weren't they? Not to mention better engineered, an Escort is a step away from a golf cart in terms of engineering basically. Can't even be compared.

How about a manual transmission in the most basic Toyota Corolla, how long do you think it would live with 50hp more being pushed through it and being abused at a dragstrip?

or even a camry, allthough i have to say, moms camry is pretty spiffy. LOL.

SW, i gotya on the warranty. thanks for your input, very much appreciated.

Jibby..something else you have to remember, those are all RWD/4WD platforms. im on a FWD platform...a RWD transmission has about 5,000 moving parts in a manual, about 14,000 in an automatic. in a space the size of a microwave, or bigger. a FWD transaxle has 20,000 moving parts, all of which have to work in syncrhonization, in a space no bigger than a small toaster. and thats just a manual.

as far as an automatic verson of this car, i wouldnt trust the ford CD4E Auto Transaxle as far as you could throw it, if it makes you feel any better.

[Lexusfreak]

I know that im probably gonna get quite a few "I told ya so's" for this, but i dont really care... :P For those of you that do not know, I currently drive and Modify a 2002 Ford Escort ZX-2 5speed. It shares the 2.0L DOHC Zetec I4 with the Contour/Cougar Focus. Well, I consider the car highly modified:

The Go: Ported and Polished head with 5 angle valve job, Brembo Ventilated Front Rotors, with Protech pads and shoes in rear, Steel Headgasket, 11:1 compression ratio (increased from 9.5:1), Gutted Cat, Removed Resonator, custom exhaust piping, 4-2-1 Header, Superchip, Ajdustable Cam Gears.

The Show: JL Audio 10W3v2.4 10" D4 Subwoofer, Elemental Designs slot-ported Enclosure, Kenwood KAC-7202 Amplifier, Kenwood KDC-1028 HU, 2 Apline Type S Co-ax 6.5's in front, 4 Alpine Type S Co-ax 5x7's in rear, Llumar High Performance Window Tint, 5% rear, 20% front, Falken Ziex ZE512's, 4300K HID kit by HIDtronix

Well now, im adding 3 more mods to the list...and they are big.

Last saturday, i came around the corner to pull into the parking lot of my apartment complex, downshifted from 5th to 2nd (i usually use 5th at speeds 35 and above to save gas). I had nothing. I shifted out of 5th, into netural and i couldnt go into any other gear. the stick literally would not go in. so myself being a dumbass pushed as hard as i could. i couldnt get into any gear except 5th, so i left the clutch down in 5th gear and coasted into my parking space. (in case i couldnt get going again, at least i was parked). I put it in reverse, got a slight grind, and then the shifter went in, but as i let out on the clutch, i got a real bad shudder and grinding, almost like it was halfway in gear. I brought the gear shift out of reverse, and SLAMMED it back in. this fixed the problem, i went aroudn the parking lot in a couple of circles, and all seemed well, though i never left second (fairly large lot). so i parked and when on about my night. Well about 10 pm or so, I come back out, and start the car. all seems well, shift from 1-2 at 10mph...2-3 at 20...3-4 at 30...4-5 at 35 and CRUNCH. the gears grind with a quick grind as the selector slid into 5th.

Ordinarily, i would do this repair myself, but when i purchased the car, I also purchased a 4 year, 48,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. (SMART ME). So I took the car to the dealer this morning...and the diagnosis is, a bad 5th gear/Reverse Synchro and Shift fork.

Here is the suprising part. For the part and the labor, the total was going to be less than $450. The tech said the transaxle didnt have to be taken out for the repair, which is true, there is an access panel in the top of the transaxle, 4 bolts and your in, and the Synchros are an 8mm wrench and an allen key and they are off.

At any rate, I faxed my warranty paperwork over to the dealer and they called my warranty company. My warranty company has no issues at all paying for this, BUT, they wanted my authorization for the dealer to pull the transaxle out and do a complete inspection, to check and make sure nothing else has gone wrong, and at no additional expense to me (I hope). So that in case something else is wrong, we can replace it now, under one go round, saving the warranty company money. Understandable. now, here is where the mods come in.

Because They are going to have the transaxle out, and the car has 70,000 miles on it, there is no sense in pulling the transaxle and NOT replacing the clutch. So a CenterForce Clutch, good for 500 HP goes in . Also, at the cost of another hours labor ($65) and the price of the part, a Fidanza Aluminum Flywheel will be installed. and for FREE (because i had it in my contour, AND I KEPT IT AGAINST THE ADVICE OF MY FATHER), A Quaife Limited Slip Differential is going in too.

So, i am DEFINATELY prepped for a turbo now. I even have one off of a humvee...but its entirely to large to put in my car...so i will search EBAY for a T3 when i return from Iraq. then we will get this party started.

and FTWAC (For those who are curious), I am putting somewhere around 200HP to the flywheel, in a car that has a transaxle rated to handle 150 MAX. Thats why it blew...I hammered the hell out of it, and overpowered it at the same time. Unmodded and driven normally, these trasnaxles last 300-400K miles no problem. I am still quite happy with my overall purchase and will continue to be. I will just have to be more careful. Visit the Dragway less. ;) At any rate, I just thought my friends here at LOC might like an update.

Bummer

[JIBBBY]

Good points made all the around fellas! Like I said before, I used to own a car dealership and had seen first hand what cars lasted and which did not and I must say unfornately the Ford trannies all stunk in the FWD department. The cars I had the most problems with were the V6 Ford Tauras, Mercery Sable's, etc... Those Transmissions would fail so often, and just leave you hanging in traffic while you would be trying to shift into to Drive and reverse and the motor would just rev and you would go nowhere, while the traffic behind you would be honking like crazy. On top of that to rebuild or replace the tranny it would cost as much or more then the car was actually worth. This became so frequent on these cars I had to stop selling American FWD cars period.. On a reverse side the V6 and 4 cylinder Toyota Camry's, Corola's, etc.. were much better made and more reliable.. I honestly don't remember having to rebuild one transmission on all the Toyota's I bought and sold which were many. Now whether or not a front wheel drive Toyota transmittion could handle a 50hp increase, I honestly don't know, my guess would be yes. In addition to my experiences with these cars, I also had a few Escorts and Escort GT's, all I can say is junk, junk, junk... Sorry Army of One, I am not trying to disrespect your ride but based on my experiences, I don't think there is a more poorly made car out there today then the Escort, maybe some other older 4 cylinder FWD American cars, I can't think of any off hand, I know Chevy, Dodge and others also made some lemons years ago in that 4 cylinder FWD department.... Junk, Junk, Junk...

[ArmyofOne]

Good points made all the around fellas! Like I said before, I used to own a car dealership and had seen first hand what cars lasted and which did not and I must say unfornately the Ford trannies all stunk in the FWD department. The cars I had the most problems with were the V6 Ford Tauras, Mercery Sable's, etc... Those Transmissions would fail so often, and just leave you hanging in traffic while you would be trying to shift into to Drive and reverse and the motor would just rev and you would go nowhere, while the traffic behind you would be honking like crazy. On top of that to rebuild or replace the tranny it would cost as much or more then the car was actually worth. This became so frequent on these cars I had to stop selling American FWD cars period.. On a reverse side the V6 and 4 cylinder Toyota Camry's, Corola's, etc.. were much better made and more reliable.. I honestly don't remember having to rebuild one transmission on all the Toyota's I bought and sold which were many. Now whether or not a front wheel drive Toyota transmittion could handle a 50hp increase, I honestly don't know, my guess would be yes. In addition to my experiences with these cars, I also had a few Escorts and Escort GT's, all I can say is junk, junk, junk... Sorry Army of One, I am not trying to disrespect your ride but based on my experiences, I don't think there is a more poorly made car out there today then the Escort, maybe some other older 4 cylinder FWD American cars, I can't think of any off hand, I know Chevy, Dodge and others also made some lemons years ago in that 4 cylinder FWD department.... Junk, Junk, Junk...

Yeah, but ford taruses and mecury sables come wih automatics. and you are right, the only automatic ford makes that was worth a crap is the one in the F150.

You have to remember, this car works for me, because i like it. its fun sporty and fast, and it was cheap. it would be reliable too, if i didnt overpower it. One thing you guys dont understand about me, if i blow it up because there is too much power, i dont get upset about it, i build it back better and stronger and go again.

the WORST car ever made was the chevy cavalier...period.

the escort is a great car, my old boss has one with 200K on it, and he JUST did the clutch. In my experiences, they cant be killed.

I had a ford contour, which many said were junk, and i put 385K on it. it died via the rear end of a dodge pickup...a trailer hitch in the teeth. never had a problem with that tranny.

now my moms concorde, it was 4 trannies in 70K (needing its 5th when we traded it in).

the fit and finish on my car is rigth on par, padded leather dash, padded leather door panels, good quality fabrics, Few cheap plastics, A LEATHER STEERING WHEEL! , easy controls, easy to read gauges. its no 30K camry or 40K ES, but its not supposed to be. it was $15K BRAND NEW. Honda Manual trannies have issues with over powering them as well. all cheap cars will. if you think a toyota wont,, you got another thing comin. I have seen corolla and camry trannies toasted quicker than it takes a toaster to toast toast.

Go here : http://www.toyotanation.com and read about all the tranny failures in the camry and corolla section if you dont believe me.

[JIBBBY]

Army - Oh yes, the notorous Chevy Cavalier was the worst car ever..... There was a three cylinder car that came out that was just as bad around that time, I can't remember the name. a short lived car....It wasn't an American made car either I don't think... Anyway, I like your attitude as to when the car blows apart I don't get upset I just build it back together better and stronger... that is how I think too and it is a great way to think as long as you have a bank account to support that way of thinking...

I too expect something to break on my sc400 any day now, running nos and at 400hp + on the stock tranny, pistons and rods. This is to be expected as you take the climb up the horsepower latter and if you don't take the preventive steps to support the power increases...So far so good on my ride but these headers that I am about to install next week, in combination with the fatter rear tires could very well could spell my destruction. So Blow and Build is the thinking? Maybe we should consider pre-build and not blow, that may just be a better way of thinking...See ya-

[SW03ES]

or even a camry, allthough i have to say, moms camry is pretty spiffy. LOL.

No, the Camry is a much more robust vehicle than an Escort.

the fit and finish on my car is rigth on par, padded leather dash, padded leather door panels, good quality fabrics, Few cheap plastics, A LEATHER STEERING WHEEL! , easy controls, easy to read gauges. its no 30K camry or 40K ES, but its not supposed to be.

Come on though, I don't think anyone has ever accused the Escort of having even average fit and finish. Its just not something Ford focused on when they built the car. Corollas, Civics, etc all have VASTLY superior material quality and fit and finish. You can loose change down some of the seams in the dash of an Escort.

As for leather dash and door panels, they're vinyl ;) Steering wheel might be leather, but I doubt it.

Gotta be real.

[ArmyofOne]

or even a camry, allthough i have to say, moms camry is pretty spiffy. LOL.

No, the Camry is a much more robust vehicle than an Escort.

the fit and finish on my car is rigth on par, padded leather dash, padded leather door panels, good quality fabrics, Few cheap plastics, A LEATHER STEERING WHEEL! , easy controls, easy to read gauges. its no 30K camry or 40K ES, but its not supposed to be.

Come on though, I don't think anyone has ever accused the Escort of having even average fit and finish. Its just not something Ford focused on when they built the car. Corollas, Civics, etc all have VASTLY superior material quality and fit and finish. You can loose change down some of the seams in the dash of an Escort.

As for leather dash and door panels, they're vinyl ;) Steering wheel might be leather, but I doubt it.

Gotta be real.

no im positive the steering wheel is leather, the panles and dash may indeed be vinyl now that you mention it.

no you cant lose change in the seasm in my dash, caue there are no seams. only at the airbag cover...and that fits snug as a bug in a rug.

Im not saying my car is the best thing since sliced bread, but i do think its built better than the average american car. I need to get a pic of the steering wheel, that was a $495 option.

i disagree with you on the civics, i hate their interiors...quality my !Removed!, look at something wrong and it falls off. i still dont have any rattles in my car. and i POUND the stereo.

JIBBY, my way of thinking is building then blowing, because i want to get the maximum effective use out of the part. I dont see a sense in tearing apart a tranny to rebuild it until it blows. an engine however is a different matter. Drastic jumps in HP may require what i call a "prebuild" (a pre-failure rebuild), such as on the charger where the HP went from 425 (advertised) to 4 digits.

I saw no reason to tear the trans apart to rebuild it, i knew it was gonna blow, it was only a matter of time.

I wish the entire world would get off this whole "domestics suck" bit. I like it, and even when i do get another lexus, this car is not going anywhere.

SW i will find some pix of my interior.

EDIT:

Note the stitching on the wheel...and the padded dash. I press my fingers into the dash, and i can depress the padding a half an inch. good stuff. its not the hard stuff that dodge uses int he MORE EXPENSIVE neon. or stratus for that matter.

[SW03ES]

That wheel is leather, but the rest is vinyl. The only cars that have leather dashes are V12 Mercedes and BMWs, the UL LS430 etc lol.

As for quality, thats your opinion but I think Hondas have the best put together interiors of any other car on the road. Toyota has better materials, but Hondas put them together perfectly. You wont find any rattles in a Honda either.

Typically the automotive press and consumers agree.

[ArmyofOne]

That wheel is leather, but the rest is vinyl. The only cars that have leather dashes are V12 Mercedes and BMWs, the UL LS430 etc lol.

As for quality, thats your opinion but I think Hondas have the best put together interiors of any other car on the road. Toyota has better materials, but Hondas put them together perfectly. You wont find any rattles in a Honda either.

Typically the automotive press and consumers agree.

wellll...you know that i have always found beauty in odd places :P

[JIBBBY]

Army- I am very pro USA, and I will say this about American cars pound for pound they put out the most horsepower over the years, and the trucks are legendary. The newer Chevy and Ford trucks are built very well and enjoyable to drive. My older brother has a brand new Chevy Tahoe and it is a beauty, it's got the Vortec engine in it and has good power, comfortable and is a pleasure to drive. Those older Cadilac Northstar engines are very solid engines and very comparible to the IUZ..'s. I think Amercan Car manufactures suffered in the 80's and early 90's, however I do think the cars are built much better today and are as good as most. SO BIG THUMBS UP FOR AMERICAN MOTORS.... On a parting note I still love my IUZ... "And make no mistake about it" as our President would say...

[ArmyofOne]

Army- I am very pro USA, and I will say this about American cars pound for pound they put out the most horsepower over the years, and the trucks are legendary. The newer Chevy and Ford trucks are built very well and enjoyable to drive. My older brother has a brand new Chevy Tahoe and it is a beauty, it's got the Vortec engine in it and has good power, comfortable and is a pleasure to drive. Those older Cadilac Northstar engines are very solid engines and very comparible to the IUZ..'s. I think Amercan Car manufactures suffered in the 80's and early 90's, however I do think the cars are built much better today and are as good as most. SO BIG THUMBS UP FOR AMERICAN MOTORS.... On a parting note I still love my IUZ... "And make no mistake about it" as our President would say...

I wholeheartedly agree. :)

[ArmyofOne]

OK...got the car back today folks. Once again the mods installed were:

Polyurethane Tranny Mounts

Fidanza Aluminium Flywheel

Centerforce Clutch (good for 500HP)

Quaife Limited Slip Differential.

Total mod parts cost: $550 (give or take, the quaife not included, came out of my contour).

Total Mod Labor Cost: $150 (they had to remove/rebuild trans anyways)

Total Warranty Coverage...$2,795.43. OUCH. Glad i had a warranty, paid for itself twice. I had no deductible, since the repair was done at dealer of purchase. I know the service tech, so mod install labor was listed on a separate invoice than the one that went to the warranty company.

Now, the driving difference.

WOW, Where did all this power come from?

These mods have made so much more effective use out of the power. I can now effectively (that being the keyword) put down all 200 of my horsies. The LSD Helps in the snow, the Flywheel helps the engine rev faster and the Clutch, well, its just wicked cool LOL. makes for a really fast shift. The Stage II Clutch is not any harder to drive than the old one, pedal feel is only slightly lighter...yet more direct, its quite hard to describe but a very cool feeling. There is ZERO play in the pedal, yet it is refined and forgiving if you arent perfect with a stick.

The LSD makes MUCH more effective use of my engines power. In fact, before i had it, back when pavement was still abound, i borrowed my friends BF Goodrich Drag Radial T/A's (minimum tread design) and i broke those loose on takeoff. 2 very long skid marks, a break (shift) and 2 shorter ones then another break and a short one...

thats how long it used to take me to hook up on regular tires (goodyear eagle RS-A's), the drag radials were better, but not all that great either. I got the falkens right before winter hit, havent broken them in yet. they are doing ok in the snow though. at any rate, now with the LSD, i take off and with wheelspin in first gear and second gear if i floor it, it spins left, right, left, right, left, so on and so forth. but i think the only reason its slipping...is because there is ice on the road (DUH). Its alot like traction control...but it controls the slip mechanically instead of electronically. The LSD also makes winter driving MUCH easier. I get going so much faster in the snow now than i could before its crazy.

And finally, we have the flywheel. and...well, what can i say? It does what its supposed to do, it makes the engine rev faster and drop revs faster. the torque is a little less at low RPM, but alot better across the board.

And as for the tranny, it has never felt better, shifts are smooth and tight, no loose linkage, no slop in the shifter, nothing. smooth as a baby's !Removed!.