frag

I use full synth in the engine, rear diff and power steering. I use semi synth in the manual gear box and have silky smooth shifts. I even can get first without really stopping ( approx beween 3 to 5 km an hour).

Just in case you try that again. Doing that does'nt relieve the pressure in the fuel system (in the gas lines). You were lucky the pressure must have gone down with time before you disonnected the fuel lines. Trust me on that. I have a fuel pressure gauge in my car and opening the gas cap does'nt do anything to the gas line pressure. Waiting 3 to 4 hours is sufficient to remove all residual pressure in the system though.

Just curious. Why did you unscrew de gas cap?

Where do you buy this stuff ? I'm interested.

The stabilizer bar's bushings are easily replaced. The bushings holders are held by one bolt only. When this bolt is removed the other end is a flat hook that disengages from a slot above it. You replace the rubber part and that's it. The clunk you're hearing could also come from the ball joint and even from the strut upper mount.

You mean you're going 60-65 and then you want to accelerate and there is no more power there but the car keeps its pace? If so, here's a guess while you wait for more experienced gear heads to chime in. If it happened to me, the first thing I would think of is the throttle position sensor. It sound just like if it stops working intermitently. It might also be a malfunctionnning knock sensor: retards the timing = much less power. Maybe getting a manual and checking the resistance values of these sensors would be a first step. Just my 1 cent and a half. Lets hope its something simple. Good luck!

Could you be more specific. If the engine keeps on working and the car also, what do you mean by «it just cuts out». If the engine does'nt cut out, what does?

I use my regular 18 inch breaker bar to remove the plugs on my 96 and it's not difficult. Pumping the new gear oil in there is another story.

Plate and rear crank seal can be replaced only with engine out or trans down. Most people wait for clutch replacement time to do these repairs.

Really? I'm in my ninth year and have 125,000 miles. I should be expecting to have a head gasket go?

Pardon my intruding, but what's the difference between OEM bushings and performance bushings. And is there a big difference in price?

I have a Brighton myself and I have had to get to the front doors inards a couple of time. I dont remember seeing any wiring there except for an extra speaker. But maybe I did'nt look hard enough...

About the climate buttons back lights : See this thread.

An easy and exact way of knowing if your tires are whitin specs (1/4 inch in circumference) in real world conditions is to do as I did: put a piece of duct tape on the tires walls right next to the foot patch of the tires and draw a pencil line where the tires touch the ground. Have someone counting the tire revolutions or measure the proper distance in an empty parking lot and give the front left wheel 40 revolutions. Very easy to see what lines are > or < ten inches (radial measurement) from the others.

Maybe someone could make money selling «rust accelerator» for the last year before the end of warranty In may case, 96 Brighton, the only place I have had rust (after 8 years) is at the center portion of the driver's side rear wheel well (just on the edge). That was because part of the inside plastic liner had broken off and that section was sand blasted by the rear wheel while driving over dirt roads. That was repaired. No visible body rust anywhere else right now and streets here are covered with salt almost all winter long. I'm crossing my fingers...

Peculiar thing about my wipers. On at least two occasions this winter i started the car with the wiper switch still on and the wiper blades frozen to the the windshield. Each time the motor, after a brief attempt to move the wipers, sort of tripped itself shut without any damage to the wipers mechanism. Is this built in or am I just lucky? One of my friend who owns a Mazda broke something in the mechanism each time the same thing happened to him.

Sorry, never had to do this. I think there is a nut holding the wiper arm to the pivot shaft. There is maybe a cap over this bolt or nut. If you have a close look or buy a Haynes manual for your car you'll find a way. This said, i remember someone on the board having a similar problem a while back. This person will possibly chime in and give you the rest of the help you need. Good luck!

I dont think it's a motor problem (the other wiper would'nt move either). I looks like the wiper has broken or stripped the mooring to his shaft. Remove the faulty wiper from the shaft and have a look: it's maybe only a question of replacing and retightening, maybe a bushing needs to be replaced.

If a plug wire was wet with oil instead of water or washer fluid, would it cause the same condition experienced by tcspeer? I've always tought oil was non conductive, but I may have a reason to doubt that now. Anybody know?

Locktite will not workl if used on oily male or female threads. Maybe make sure the crank threads are real clean and dry before using locktite on the bolt threads. Also, using a new bolt could help. My 2 cents.

P0420 is «catalyst system efficiency below threshold». The FSM indicates that this code could also be triggered by a fault with either O2 sensors circuit (upstream and downstream). If so, there should also have been another code indicating that. But maybe it would not have been in the dealer's interest to let you know that... Moreover, even with no O2 sensors at fault, the P0420 code could be triggered by a leak in the exhaust system (air entering the exhaust system). Finaly the FSM states that you have to inspect the inside of the cat converter before deciding it's bad. You dont say they did that. I also think you were right in at least posponing that costly replacement. Hope that helps.

Good logic if you want my opinion. :wave:

You have to remove the axle. Did that recently but it was to replace the front axles not to replace the boot. 1) Put the front of the car on stands. 2) Remove the front wheels 3) With a punch or/and a cold chisel remove the crimp on the axle nut. 4) Have someone step on the brakes or, as I did, use a crow bar across the studs (protected by short pieces of copper tubing; takes only two) to prevent the wheel from moving. 5) With a breaker bar and 32mm socket, remove the axle nut. 6) Get the ball joint's head out of the knuckle (if it's not too rusted) : the pinch bolt can be very difficult to remove. Had to trow everything at it to get it off: heat from an oxy-acetylene torch (heat the part were the bolt threads up to the point it's just getting red), penetrating oil, hammer and chisel, pneumatic hammer and impact wrench. Might be a good occasion to replace the ball joint. You can also remove the lower control arm fron pivot bolt if the ball joint's pinch bolt refuses to budge. I also helps to remove the sway bar bushings brackets (not the end links) 7) Remove the roll pin or spring pin from the axle where it slips over the diff stub shaft (3/16 punch or 6 mm). On the driver's side you can get at it easily from below. Keep the pin or get a new one. 8) You can then pull on the wheel and get the axle out of the front diff's stub shaft. 9) Remove the axle from the wheel hub. I used a hub puller to do that (sort of a bell shaped tool that slips over three of the wheel studs with a big pointed bolt in the center that pushes the axle out of the hub. You can also get it mooving with some hammer blows but dont go at it to violently cause it can damage the bearings. Once you get it moving you can pry it out from the other side. 10) When replacing the axle, first clean the hub's and axle's splines with a fine triangular file and dab everything with antiseize grease. Will make replacing much easier 11) First slide the axle in the wheel hub just enough for the axle nut (get new ones) to catch a couple of threads. Then slip the other end over the diff stub shaft making sure the pin's holes are in register. The pin's holes in the axle and in the diff's shaft have a chamfered side. It's easier if you get the pin back from the chamfered sides making sure the axle's chamfered side is just over the diff shaft chamfered side also. 12) Torque the axle nut to 150-160 foot pounds of torque and dont forget to crimp the nut lip in the shaft's indentation. Good luck!

What happened in my case is (1) it would'nt start when hot (Ecu was receiving the info that the engine was cold and flooded it) (2) i also had at one point the erratic idle symptom that led to stalling and impossibility to restart. When this happens it usually possible to start the car either by waiting for the excess fuel to evaporate (at least 30 minutes) or by pushing the gas pedal to the floor while starting. This gives the engine more air and can get rid of excess fuel if the condition is not hopeless.

Coolant temp sensor. It's not complicated but a little difficult to reach. It's under the passenger side rear intake plenum. It screws horizontaly towards the front of the engine. Sart looking at the PCV valve, go down from there and towards the front of the engine under the intake plenum. What you'll have to disconnect to get free access is intuitive. You'll nee a ratchet extension preferably with a swivel joint. Hope that helps. You could also get a second reading of your ECU fault code by someone else. To be sure.