My SW20 - Dandism-life

[Swampy]

A very unsexy update.

Saving for wheels will come later,

Since the last update I've:
- Failed my restricted, rebooked in another area because my station has a gigantic queue (wish I could resit every 1 or 2 weeks rather than per month!!)
- Noticed a bit of "crunching" in reverse, common for my gearbox not want to go into reverse, but there is (rarely) a more pronounced sound
- Done a bit more learning, youtube vids, internet, BGB
- Taken out my middle sunglasses box which is quite restrictive in terms of space
- Taken off one mudflap which only had one bolt holding it in (looked wonky)
- Worked on my driving... two footed braking and rev matching is still some time away, but slowly getting used to putting in neutral rather than staying halfway on clutch.
- Filled a full tank and think I will get around 360kms from 41(or so) litres.. won't be doing that again, until I go on a club run!! $$$
- Taken advantage of Supercheaps and Repcos sales:

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Here's a pic I edited.

I've got some pretty budget tools from Supercheap and Repco, one day I will buy from the likes of mytools.co.nz and tradezone and get something a bit more quality.. (even though idk what quality looks/feels like). However my jack is rated at 1800kg and stands at 3000kg, so I think that is pretty safe.

Where to from here?

- Register... 3 months rego is not cool
- Get that restricted
- Club membership
- Continue acquiring stuff for a service (wheel chocks, safety goggles, 3/8" wrench set as I have a 1/4", Toyota oil filter, trans/diff/brake fluid and other fluids, will google/check here for best ones to use)
- Participate in a spanner day
- More stuff to do after in order -- fix door bolt problem, fix noise from wheel/diff, tune up spark plugs distributor leads etc, sort out paint with Mr Shiny, JDM tint (I think I buggered my current tint on the rear quarter side windows when removing ugly stickers), new air filter (want to do something custom with that), upgrade wheels, new head unit (black, and 90s retro!), a few stickers, new exhaust, upgrade to EBC brake pads?, gas strut for the boot, new seats, deep dish momo/sparco etc. steering wheel, dildo gear knob for the lols and because I've just realised aluminium needs polishing!, new mats (keep my one pristine dandism life mat in good condition), and some kind of custom fab cupholders... and sort out all the scratches etc on my paint.

[Swampy]

I've made it my mission to address a leak in the drivers footwell. The A/C Unit in the frunk in front of where the passenger sits is also a problem for some I've read, but in my car only the drivers footwell gets wet. My window seals, while worn and old, aren't too bad. With the help of others the problem has been pinpointed down to the drains behind the wheel arches, and possibly the plastic under tray not holding water very well. (cheers for all the advice guys!)

Earlier on in the week I removed some of the gunk from the bottom wheel well, but this will have to be attempted again when I can correctly take off the wheel so I can really get under that thing. Today, I picked up a 3/8" socket set, spent some of the night removing my wipers and cowl after finally figuring out how to use a socket wrench.

And with the help of my neighbour who also loves cars, extracted all this from my cowl:

Past owner loved parking under trees

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He said my steering wheel boot which is like a bushing has completely gone and that is where the water is coming from. Will research if they're the type that requires column to be removed and then it can be fitted or if it can be fitted easily. Hmm. Won't know til that, and the bottom gunk/drain pipes etc are inspected and fixed.. and getting under and checking the under tray.

[JasonFriday13]

He said my steering wheel boot which is like a bushing has completely gone and that is where the water is coming from. Will research if they're the type that requires column to be removed and then it can be fitted or if it can be fitted easily. Hmm. Won't know til that, and the bottom gunk/drain pipes etc are inspected and fixed.. and getting under and checking the under tray.

Interesting, my steering wheel boot is non-existant and I don't have any leaks from this area, I know because my car used to live outside all the time.

[GDII]

The steering boot can't leak water unless your frunk is used as a swimming pool.

Best way to check where the leak might be is to get into the car and have someone spray lots of water over it constantly. Then you can see where the drips are or where the carpet starts to get wet.

[JasonFriday13]

Good point, could be a windscreen leak then.

[GDII]

The steering boot can't leak water unless your frunk is used as a swimming pool.

Best way to check where the leak might be is to get into the car and have someone spray lots of water over it constantly. Then you can see where the drips are or where the carpet starts to get wet.

I used this method on my mates BA Falcon. The rear seat was getting wet on the left side but couldn't figure out where the water was coming from. It only happens when the car was parked facing downhill on his driveway.
Turns out it was the rubber boot on the RIGHT side of the car where the wiring for the boot lid came out. When parking downhill the water would pool in the base of the window and boot lid and go through the rubber boot, travel across the parcel tray and into the seat base.
To remedy the issue I cleaned up the body around the rubber boot and put down some black window silicone then bedded the rubber boot into it. No more leaks.

[Swampy]

My water issues persist, I've found that if I avoid driving round in rain then I don't get any water in the drivers footwell. Still unsure of where it is coming from, but I've ordered some gummi pflege stift (BMW stuff?) which should freshen up my rubber seals round the doors. I was unable to find a supplier that would ship Shitsu grease (Honda stuff, recommended for the leaky t-tops) to NZ. I've also got some plastic tools en route that will help me play round with my interior trim safely... and I've got some new Sparco frameless wipers from Redline Performance. No more SCA squeaking.

Cheers GDII, I'll definitely pick up some nice black silicone!

I've changed my oil today. Seriously it's a new WR for longest oil change.

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I had difficulty finding my filter because BGB doesn't say where it is and it is quite hard to find info regarding this online. I ended up taking off my rear right tyre and playing round with plastic covers (I hate plastic) thinking that maybe it may be in the same place as the gen 3 cars. I was also surprised at how *easily* this wheel came off. I tightened it back up after sure to use that kriss-kross way of doing things, albeit with the budget tyre changing tool.

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However after looking back in my messages I noted Jason said they're located on the top in gen 2s. I did start looking at the top and found it! It was black and camouflaged! For anyone reading who hasn't attempted an oil change on a gen 2 before, it's right next to the dipstick.

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I then decided since I had located it it would be a bad idea to drain the oil as it wouldn't budge. I tried everything and almost gave up. Walked to Repco and bought a $55 proper wrench. They are very good though and I prefer shopping with them rather than my local Supercheap.

It worked sweet, checked everything after filling and appeared to be no leaks. I took it for a blat/Italian tune up to the local dairy and was impressed at how smoothly it went. Tested it from around 1000-5000 rpms. It just accelerated smoother and I could feel the fluidity! Lol. I'm really happy with how it went. It drives awesomely. Fingers crossed it passes the final test, no oil leaking.

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[lazy]

Seriously it's a new WR for longest oil change.

For my first coolant change, I ended up calling in sick at work on Monday because I didn't finish on Sunday And it wasn't even the complex cooling system of the MR2.

[Swampy]

For my first coolant change, I ended up calling in sick at work on Monday because I didn't finish on Sunday And it wasn't even the complex cooling system of the MR2.

Mine will probably take the better half of a week.

[Swampy]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if I should prioritise changing my cambelt. It was last changed in 2003, at 151kms. I'm about a full tank of gas and a bit from reaching 200ks
BGB says change it at 96ks or 96 months (8 years) but would putting it off for up to 3,000 more kms be safe?

[Benckj]

I really wouldn't worry about the cam belt at this stage. Could always lossen top cover and have a peek at belt to look for cracks, etc. My bet is that it will look as good as new and still have 50k to run.

Coolant and other fluids are far more important. Motor oil, tans oil, brake & clutch fluid should all be replaced with some decent modern fluids. Do some research on what is best for your engine/drive train as we all have our favourites. I tend to go FULL synthetic with everything as the price makes it very economic to use.

[Logan]

50k kms on a cambelt is nothing to worry about. And your engine is non-interference so even if it did break you can simply fit a new one and it will run again (no internal damage unlike other engines).

[Swampy]

Cheers guys, I'll get it changed at around 240-246ks then

[MIKEP]

What him says is right but you may want to check your Timpat as well. Often they are worn out but lucky you can get to them without removing too much stuff.

[Benckj]

"Timpat"??