suprjohn

Might check the plastic line across the firewall if this doesn't fix it. Mine had a pretty bad abrasion in it. John

I did the plastic from rock auto since I'm broke and cheap. So far, so good, though I've not driven it much. This was part of a general cooling system overhaul, and so far my '89 DL runs VERY cool. Almost too cool. But summer's comin' :-) John

I did the timing belts on mine; not too bad of a job except for that at some point someone had stripped the threads on one of the bolt holes for the idler gear and had helio coiled it. Had to have a custom bolt made for the idler gear, but seems tho work well. Not sure if this is an interference engine; someone here will know. If you're doing the timing belts, it's a good time tho do the water pump; the belt covers have to be removed to replace the WP. Water pump failure was one of the reasons mine was parked in a tree row. John

I found mine in the spare tire space. lol Liquid nails might work. John

I knew someone would have some ideas. :-) I haven't got to drive mine much yet, as I'm in the middle of rebuilding the HVAC system. I did get some wiring done as it was a little warmer this weekend. I'm still suspecting some vacuum leaks on mine, as the 4X4 does not engage, nor does the heater work. Idle is still a little rough, so as soon as I get the HVAC system sorted, I'll have to address those issues. John

Cool! A fellow Cornhusker! I'm a Soob Noob, and I'm currently thinking up the mate to your car! Mine's an '89 DL wagon, same color and everything! Not sure what the cold idle issue might be; Mike runs pretty well with 260K on the clock. Someone here will have the answer I'll wager. Welcome! John

I'm no expert, but if your rear cat is plugged or partially plugged, perhaps heat is being trapped in the first cat. As for an out of tune carb, there could be a few different symptoms, depending on whether it's running lean or rich. Reading the color and condition of the spark plugs can be a good indicator. Black and wet can mean rich, white or gray can be lean. Of course that's just the tip of the ice berg. Others with more knowledge and experience will weigh in. Don't be discouraged; you'll get it goin'! John

Also a good time to replace the hoses going into the firewall. Cheap from rock auto. John

If it's like my '89 DL wagon, ruparts is right; removing and replacing is not for the faint of heart. Lol I am in the midst of an HVAC rebuild, due to a mouse infestation. I was able to remove the A/C core and heater motor without removing the dash, but I couldn't figure out how to get the heater core free workout removing the whole center stack and the dash. Of course I had a vested interest in removing and cleaning as much of the HVAC system as possible. If it's like mine, you'll find that the foam insulation between the components has deteriorated as well as the foam insulation on the inner baffles. I know bars leak type products are generally tho be shunned, but in this case it might not hurt to try it, especially if the car is your only transportation... John

Looks cool! John

I would be dubious about their load capability and DOT compliance... Join

So you would use a small handheld propane torch unlit? John

My '89 DL wagon has a "hill hold" feature that had me puzzled for quite a while. Kept the back wheels from turning til I got it adjusted right... John

Not sure if it's the same system in my '89 DL wagon, but I wonder if one of the vacuum motors that opens and closes the baffles inside the HVAC system has failed, or one of the hoses is bad. I'm in the middle of a complete HVAC rebuild due to a mouse infestation. I've replaced all the weather stripping between the components, and the insulation on the baffles, and replaced the blower motor. John

Ha! Well there you go! Learn something new every day! And my DL is teaching me a lot! :-) John

You could put up a trap light! ;-) John

How big a deal is it to remove the stock bumpers? John

I wouldn't give $1,000 for all three of them. John

That sounds like a cool project! I should make one! John

I've read that the notion of "freeze plugs" is a misnomer. Actually they are "core plugs" to drain sand out of the block deposited in the casting process. John

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say a head or water jacket broke and filled a cylinder with water/oil. As liquids are not compressible, your engine won't turn. Might be rebuildable if only cracked in the heads, but if the block is cracked the motor is likely finished. Not trying to rub salt in the wound, but a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water is critical to engine longevity. It provides benefits both summer and winter. Best of luck. John

Thanks Guys! I picked up some 5.25" Boss speakers of Amazon. They were cheap, and had good ratings. The holes in the doors looked like they were made for some sort of the hole mounting system. As near as I could tell, looked like I would have to drill holes to mount these speakers, and with the window down it looked like there was no way the speaker would fit. But when it warms up,I will look again to see if I missed something. I didn't see any evidence of there ever having been speakers in the rear doors. But I will pop a door panel of when it gets warmer and take a closer look. Could this have been a plain Jane model with only front speakers? About the only option it has is A/C... In the rear cargo area, there are large plastic panels that look like they might be over the shocks. Could speakers be mounted there, or would the rear doors be easier? I'll just have tho pop a rear door panel and see what's under there. Thanks again! John

Maybe first we need to establish why you're so hard on hoods! :lol: :lol: Just kidding. John

Hey All, stereo topic again. i pulled the passenger door panel today, to see what kind of room there was for some new speakers. someone had put some kenwoods in there and secured them with duct tape! so. obviously, i want to do better than this. however, it looks to be as if the window would strike the speaker if i mounted it directly to the door. also, i would have to cut the plastic weather protection film inside the door. if i cut out the grill in the plastic speaker/door pocket assembly, and mounted the speaker to that plastic member, would it be sufficiently grounded and supported for good operation? also, i note that this car ('89 DL Wagon) does not have rear speakers. is there a suitable area to cut and mount them, or would it be preferable to suface mount them in external boxes? thoughts, opinions, info appreciated! john

WOW! Thanks for that link last chance! Should be helpful if I get going again! John