jarl Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 (edited) After three months of working in the car (holy cow!), looking for parts and waiting for those parts to arrive from an online vendor after I couldn't find them locally, my '99 OBW has finally hit the road. Last night, after fixing a leak from the radiator (radiator's drain o'ring was kinked) and burping the system as much as I could, I drove a couple of blocks. I almost had to return because the temperature raised almost all the way to "H" as I started to drive, but then whatever bubble was there moved on and the temperature went to the middle of the scale. So, I think the cooling system issues have been dealt with What I found was the following: - The rear brakes seem to be dragging somewhat - One of the rear discs must be badly distorted... when you hit the brakes the whole car shakes *a lot* - The rear shocks may be shot - The transmission has the "delayed forward" problem - The engine is surprisingly smooth - CEL came on, and the code is P0135... time to look for an O2 sensor? - The crack on the windshield *does* obstruct the vision somewhat The only issue that really bothers me right now, of course, is the shaking when stopping. I guess new discs are in my future... any preferences from you guys? What about O2 sensors. I have seen some posts saying Bosch O2 sensors seem to work fine, but on my Saturn they are a no-no. Anyone may shed a light on this? What are the preferred sources for brakes, struts, O2 sensors? Edit: add to the mix... - Idle speed too low? (tach indicates 600RPM) - Incorrect slack of the gas pedal -I think-. Is there a specific procedure to adjust the gas pedal cable at the throttle? - Rattling exhaust shields Edited September 14, 2011 by jarl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Happy to hear that you got your OBW running, so you can drive it. I have the same car, a 99 OBW. Read up on using a product called "Trans-X." It is an additive that will solve your problem with "delayed forward engagement" of your trany. I wrote the original thread on this subject, and find Trans-X still working well for me after 3 years of use. I have good success at a good price in buying brake rotors and calipers from Advance Auto Parts. I like ceramic brake pads. If you buy from their website, there is always a coupon available for 20% discount off the entire bill. Prices are decent to begin with. I bought their house brand, (I am sure Chinese made rotors) and found them to be of high quality, and not warping after a year of use. They are guaranteed free replacement if any problems are encountered within 1 or maybe 2 years of purchase. If there is one of their stores near where you live, you can pick up your on line purchase within about a half hour of purchasing on line. The store will refund any core charge incurred. 600 rpm at idle is normal for your car. I recently installed a Bosch 02 sensor that I bought on line. Good price, sensor works well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the3rsss Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Heat shields! 99 obw. took them all off except for the cat and the one next to the oil filter. Rattling was driving me crazy!! I had hose clamps everywhere and it still rattled. Well, after i took them off the rattle was STILL THERE!!! Turns out the 02 sensor was finger tight and rattling. I tightened the upper plug non fouler but forgot to tighten the sensor!! Quiet as can be now. Those heat shields gotta go!!! After adj the valves and removing the shields ,i cant even tell its running, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarl Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 Pardon my ignorance, but does removing the shields has any negative effect? Risks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Pardon my ignorance, but does removing the shields has any negative effect? Risks? The purpose of the heat shields is to curb starting a fire, should you ever park in an area that is over grown with high dry weeds or grass. Without shields, the exhaust system is hot enough to ignite the weeds, should the weeds physically contact the cat or exhaust pipes for an extended period of time. I don't know about you, but the chances of this happening to me is darn near impossible. So, in my opinion there is no realistic negative effect of removing the heat shields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Idle should be 700. But with that said, if the engine is idling fine. Not shaking, stalling, etc. Let it alone. Good chance the tach reads wrong. My 96 read 150 RPMs low. My OBD2 reader indicated a 700rpm idle, and the tach looked like it was reading just under 600. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarl Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Rooster: yep... This car will probably never see off-road use, and the tallest grass it will see is probably the one on my driveway I guess I'll look for that loose shield with my dremel and a cutting wheel I have driven the car a couple hundred miles now, and the shaking of the brakes has reduced a lot, but I think I'll replace the rear discs and pads and clean the calipers just in case. I'll have the braking fluid flushed as well... the pedal doesn't transmit a lot of confidence as it is right now. '98: The reason I mentioned the low idle is because the car shakes somewhat at stoplights and the like, whether in gear or not. I used a bluetooth adapter and the idle was between 630~680 or so, so I guess it's just a notch low. The engine sat unused for years, though, so maybe I should run some Techron on the next refueling to clean the fuel system and the injectors a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Rooster: yep... This car will probably never see off-road use, and the tallest grass it will see is probably the one on my driveway I guess I'll look for that loose shield with my dremel and a cutting wheel I have driven the car a couple hundred miles now, and the shaking of the brakes has reduced a lot, but I think I'll replace the rear discs and pads and clean the calipers just in case. I'll have the braking fluid flushed as well... the pedal doesn't transmit a lot of confidence as it is right now. '98: The reason I mentioned the low idle is because the car shakes somewhat at stoplights and the like, whether in gear or not. I used a bluetooth adapter and the idle was between 630~680 or so, so I guess it's just a notch low. The engine sat unused for years, though, so maybe I should run some Techron on the next refueling to clean the fuel system and the injectors a little bit. Yep, clean the fuel system, IACV and throttle body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I'll have the braking fluid flushed as well... the pedal doesn't transmit a lot of confidence as it is right now. It is easy to flush the brake fluid yourself, using one of those "one man" brake flush kits. Since, you are going to be working on the rear brakes, you are already there to flush the rear brake lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarl Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Interesting... Isn't there any problem with the ABS whe doing the flush? I know some GM cars are a pain in the lower back (you need an electronic tool to command the ABS valves to stay open before trying to flush them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Interesting... Isn't there any problem with the ABS whe doing the flush? I know some GM cars are a pain in the lower back (you need an electronic tool to command the ABS valves to stay open before trying to flush them) I flushed both my 98 and 99 OBW brake systems. Both have ABS, and presented no difficulties, or anything unusual. Old fluid was the color of iced tea. I flushed until I could see clear fluid in the transparent drain tubing. I am not aware that any special electronic tool is needed to flush Subie brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarl Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 Update time... I have not been able to do anything to my car lately, except driving it In any case, I have filled the tank completely twice already (well... the car isn't taking a full tank without the pumps stopping several times, so I'm not 100% sure what the actual fuel level was). First fuel economy report is 28.7 MPG driving mostly highway. Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the3rsss Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 My 99 obw did the exact same thing. Took forever just to put 20 bucks worth of gas in it. It turned out to be the vent valve at the top of the filler neck(both had rusted away). Everything in the junkyard was rusted. Ordered the valve online for 60 bucks. Gas goes right in now and the cel is out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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