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joedoc

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Everything posted by joedoc

  1. the noise going over bumps is likely the swaybar bushings. common problem apparently. there are several posts about it. my car sounded like fred sanford's truck going over bumps. dealer replaced swaybar bushings and noise is gone.
  2. I had the dealer do it. Not cheap. If you are so inclined, look around this forum--there is probably info on how to change it yourself.
  3. this is a common problem. don't let it go too long as it leaks on the alternator and can fry it. I had to replace both the PS pump and the alt.
  4. did they replace the timing belt at the tune up? if he replaced the belt incorrectly (in other words if he missed the correct cog) it could cause a severe driveability problem
  5. it seems to me that if you solicit the opinions of the other members, you need to be ready for a couple that might not be so flattering. no need for nastiness.
  6. not having driven the RX-8, its styling is one of those things you either love or hate. for my money the IS300 is better looking, but as you say this is all opinion. it is hard to beat lexus quality. the inline 6 is pretty bulletproof, and there are lots of mods available. i actually am looking for a higher mileage IS300. was 2002 the 1st year for manual trans?
  7. there was a post recently about a member buying one of these chin spoilers at a salvage yard. it sounded like he had his hands full installing it. he mentioned that he talked the salvage guys into letting him have all the mounting brackets and screws/bolts otherwise it would have been even worse. see if you can find that post by running a search.
  8. are the idlers you refer to the ones that are part of the serpentine belt circuit? or are they associated with the timing belt? since you found a bad one while changing the water pump I assume this was associated with the serpentine belt. If so, how do you check them?
  9. try this link for info on the BFI (which stands for "big freaking intake" or some variation of that). it involves opening up the air box to get better air flow. some variations of BFI involve channelling air from the grill to try to get a cold ram air effect. on my 92 sc400, there is a big open area in front of the air box (under the headlight) which opens through the grill and really allows free air flow without any fancy duct work. all i did was remove the snorkel and drill some openings in the air box, then cover with a piece of heavy plastic. http://planetsoarer.com/#BFI
  10. are you familiar with the BFI intake mod? i think that is probably your cheapest bet for increased horses. and i would go with a toyota or TRD air filter (i just threw away my K&N and went back to a toyota filter----too lazy to clean it)
  11. as for the K&N air filter, there is a post somewhere (it may actually be on the australian soarer site--i'll try to find it) that compares flow through various filters and found that you really couldn't beat the toyota filters. there is a TRD filter that will fit our cars as well that was supposedly superior
  12. if you already passed your emission check and if the car drives well i wouldn't bother
  13. the charcoal canister is an emission item, which vents the vapor in the gas tank. in the old days (which I unfortunately remember vividly) the gas tank vented directly to the atmosphere. now, it vents through the charcoal which reduces emissions of gas fumes. if you overfill the gas tank you can flood the canister, thus all those warnings at the gas pumps
  14. you are probably due for a timing belt at that mileage. I was. While they have the front of the engine apart it is not a bad idea to replace the water pump and serpentine belt if they haven't been done already. one other thing I read about but haven't done yet is to replace the bearings in the cooling fan. I understand they can seize and wreck that new serpentine belt----I would like to hear some experienced members comment on that. otherwise, everything else should be routine maintenance---trans fluid, brake fluid, coolant flush, plugs if due. how much do they want?
  15. i used the Dunlop SP Sport 5000M on my SC400. they were very quiet and had good performance even in the snow. (i still had to put 100 lbs of barbell plates in the trunk every winter though. ) i have since upgraded to 17 inch wheels with toyo tires. i have 4 of the dunlops with only about 15-20k miles if you are interested (16 inchers)
  16. there is a full sized key (not the valet key) that opens everything but doesn't have the remote locking electronics. that is the one i always use since it is much less bulky. tell the dealer or locksmith that you just want a copy of the key without all the electronics. hopefully that will save you about 325.00
  17. a key is 330.00? i assume that is the key with the button you use for remote unlocking? why don't you just use the smaller key without the remote button?
  18. can you mount regular tires on your current wheels? Or do you need new wheels as well as tires? I am not that familiar with the run flats. I put new Toyo tires on my SC 400 and they were only about 100.00 each. Nice tires, not top of the line but not 1000.00 either. About half the cost of Michelin Pilots. Of course you will need to purchase a fifth wheel for your spare. Does the 430 have room in the trunk?
  19. it is worth checking the trans mount though---mine went out at 105 K and caused a trans shudder/vibration.
  20. My 92 SC400 had a worn transmission mount that sounded like that. The fact that it only happens when turning makes me also wonder about the differential, but you ought to have the same symptom when going forward and turning.
  21. The alternator went out first (charging light came on)---that was $350-400.00. They told me that the PS fluid had leaked onto the alt and fried it. Fixing the PS leak was 950.00 at the dealer. I may have overpaid, but they picked up the car at my office and washed it, so that eased my pain a bit. Good luck--that was my most expensive repair by far, and I have 110K on my sc400. If you do have the PS pump replaced you may want to get a new water pump while you are at it, and timing and serpentine belts if due.
  22. I paid the dealer to have mine replaced on my 92 SC 400---unfortunately I waited until the leak had trashed my alternator, so that increased the cost a lot. So, don't let it go too long. Good luck, it really is a great car.
  23. i really like those corbeau seats. are you aware of any way to fit them with a seat heater? it has been zero degrees here in cincinnati, and i would really miss those bun warmers on my stock seats. it looks like the corbeau seats can be fitted with lumbar supports, but i couldn't find anything on heaters.
  24. It seems to me that a slow coolant leak combined with bubbles in the coolant raises some concern about the head gasket. did you mention the appearance of the oil?
  25. I just ordered a new tank (incl sensor) from JP Importz (ad at top of this page) for 165.00 plus 10.00 shipping. I suppose that it shouldn't be too hard to install---I imagine that I want to keep the hoses to the radiator and water pump facing skyward to prevent air getting in cooling system while I install it---is that correct? Any other tips? Thanks
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