Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth Wednesday, October 1 2003 Volume
02 : Number 267
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 12:42:49 -0700
From: John Sheehan <
johns@kyso.com>
Subject: Team3S: Broken
Wheel stud ?
From the combined knowledge base here:
What is easiest way to remove and replace a front broken wheel stud?
What is the best place to buy new ones from and what is the size to ask
for?
I am away from my house, so I don't have access to my manual or archived
emails.
Thank you very much!!
John 93 VR-4
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 20:20:11 -0000
From: "Jeff Lucius" <
jlucius@stealth316.com>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: Broken Wheel stud ?
There are no instructions in the service manuals for replacing wheel hub
bolts.
Front wheel hub bolt replacement tips (hub left on car) for AWD:
------------------------------
At 12:42 PM 9/30/2003 -0700, you wrote:
> From the combined knowledge
base here:
>
>What is easiest way to remove and replace a front
broken wheel stud?
Buy a replacement stud at the dealer and take it to a tire shop. They
will
do it in 10 minutes, should charge you $15-20. They do this stuff
every
day, and for them it is a piece of cake. Get an estimate first,
because
some of them will make a big hairy deal out of it, when it is a very
simple
job.
If you want to do it yourself, remove the caliper and rotor, take off
the
big wheel nut (1-1/4 in. socket), then undo the bolts at the back of
the
spindle and pull the hub away just enough to drive out the broken
wheel
stud and slip in a new one. (We have the only &^%$ing car in the
entire
*&^%ing world that does not have a small slot cut in the spindle
for
replacing studs.)
After you slip in the new stud, put the rotor back on, and use an
impact
wrench to run a lug nut down the new stud and pull it through the hub
and
anchor it. No impact wrench? Hmm...that can get dicey. With luck, you
can
do it with a socket and trying to hold the stud from the back of
the
spindle with a big screwdriver.
If you take it to a tire shop and watch, here's what you'll see and
hear:
On the rack:
scree scree scree scree (all four lug nuts coming
off)
scree scree (taking off the caliper bolts)
Clang (dropping the rotor
on the floor)
scree (taking off big wheel nut)
unbolt, unbolt (unbolting
the hub from the spindle)
pull, tug, pry (pulling the hub away from the
spindle)
Whack (knocking out the broken stud with a hammer)
Scree (impact
wrenching the new stud in)
bolt, bolt (bolting the hub back to the
spindle)
and so on...
Elapsed time, 15 minutes.
>
>What
is the best place to buy new ones from and what is the size to ask
>for?
Dealer. They will know the size. Cost ya about a buck a stud. I've
replaced
so many of them, I have spares. Got one right here on my desk. It's
2 1/8
in. long.
In the future...coat the studs with anti-sieze once a year, and it
won't
happen again.
Rich/slow old poop
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 19:36:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: Chi Tse <
tse415@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: Manual boost controller installation
It's Pro Boost MBC.
------------------------------
We put a new Kormex 6 speed in the 94 VR4 last weekend, and it leaks.
I'll call Kormex tomorrow, but here's what we've found so far:
Tranny oil is gathering at the junction of the transfer case
and
transmission. After a few hours, it drips and forms a big puddle on
the
garage floor (size? About a number 10. Enough to worry me about driving
the
car. I don't want fluid on my new clutch)
We first put dye in the transfer case, but that wasn't it. (Not likely,
but
we had to be sure).
Next, we put dye in the tranny. Sho nuf, that's where it's coming from.
Tonight, we dropped the downpipe, pulled the transfer case, and peered
into
everything with the black light.
We found evidence of a leak at -- this is hard to describe, because
we
can't find a good illustration and a part number, but here goes -- the
bolt
that connects the tranny to the rear turbo heat shield. It's waaaaay
up
there, and you can't hardly even see the sucker until you take out
the
transfer case. Anyway, we found dye evidence that it's been leaking,
and
fluid has run down from there. We RTVed the bolt and stuck it back in,
but
it was tight when we took it out. It's not like we forgot to tighten
it
during installation.
We also found dye at the output shaft seal (the shaft that goes from
the
tranny to the transfer case). Not a lot, mind you, and there was not a
lot
of fluid in the hollow area between the tranny and the transfer case,
but
there definitely was some dye on the seal.
Questions:
1. If the output shaft seal was leaking a lot, wouldn't we see a puddle
of
fluid INSIDE the case? It was fairly dry in there. There's no
gasket
between the transfer case and the tranny, so maybe fluid leaks out
fast?
That way, if it was leaking and gathering, it'd run out fast.
2. If the output shaft seal is leaking a lot, would it spray fluid all
over
the place inside there? Like, should there be a big mess?
2. What is that bolt waaaay up there? How can it leak from so high
up?
Would fluid be forced out of there somehow whilst driving the car? Like,
am
I blowing it out?
Any insight into this problem, folks? I really don't want to pull
that
tranny again and send it back to Kormex.
Rich/slow old poop/94 VR4
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 00:35:40 -0500
From: "William J. Crabtree" <
wjcrabtree@earthlink.net>
Subject:
RE: Team3S: Leaky tranny II
<<<SNIP>>>
Questions:
1. If the output shaft seal was leaking a lot, wouldn't we see a puddle
of
fluid INSIDE the case? It was fairly dry in there. There's no
gasket
between the transfer case and the tranny, so maybe fluid leaks out
fast?
That way, if it was leaking and gathering, it'd run out fast.
>>>Yes, it would run out relatively quickly, since there's nothing
hindering
it to do so. I doubt that you'd see much of a puddle in that little
"dome"
between the tranny and the x-fer, likely by intentional design.
You
wouldn't want slippery stuff building up in that area.
2. If the output shaft seal is leaking a lot, would it spray fluid all
over
the place inside there? Like, should there be a big mess?
>>>Spray, no....SLING....yes. If it were the source of the
majority of the
leak, I'd say that you would see a lot of fluid that had been
flung around
inside of your bellhousing.. You have to remember that the
majority of the
fluid in the case is sitting in a pool (thanks to gravity)
until the car is
driven. So if there's a leak below that "Pool" level,
even if you're not
driving the car, it will leak. There's really no
"pressure" to speak of
built up when driving the car since the tranny has
several breather
hoses/tubes to equalize pressure inside during use.
SO, it's not like
there's a buildup of pressure that's squirting the fluid
out of the gearbox.
So having said that. If you noticed the leak more
after you have driven the
car than you do when it's just been sitting, your
leak is probably somewhere
above that "pool" line. This is because the
fluid is flung around pretty
violently inside that case and tends to get into
areas that aren't exposed
while the car is just sitting still.
2. What is that bolt waaaay up there? How can it leak from so high
up?
Would fluid be forced out of there somehow whilst driving the car? Like,
am
I blowing it out?
>>>I'll have to get back to you on what that bolt
is/does/goes. I think
MOST, if not all, of the bolts that hold the case
together are "dry". In
other words, they do not pass through the inside
of the case to get to their
threads. Of course, your six speed is
different from my 5.
- -Jeff C.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 01:23:21 -0500
From: "brock" <
brockgamble@sio.midco.net>
Subject:
Team3S: emergency brake light coming on
I've got a 91 R/T and I've recently started having a problem with
my
emergency brake light coming on when accelerating through 1st and 2nd
gears.
It only seems to stay on when accelerating a little harder than every
day
driving and then shuts off when between gears. I haven't ever seen it
come
on after shifting into 3rd but it could be that I'm just not
accelerating
hard enough at that point. Any one have any idea what could be
causing this?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 00:36:46 -0600
From: "Donald Ashby" <
dashbyiii@earthlink.net>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: HELP! Need part number for a tranny part ASAP!!!!!
Please someone tell me where to get those little balls, I called kormex and
whats his name said he doesn't have any. CRS didn't seem to know what I was even
talking about, I need those damned little balls, HELP!
Donald Ashby
'93
3000GT VR-4 (RIP)
'92 3000GT VR-4 (Vroom!)
"Don't drink and park,
accidents cause people!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 03:53:02 -0700
From: "Bob Forrest" <
bforrest@pacbell.net>
Subject:
Team3S: Re: 3S-Racers: Porsche "Big Blacks"
Other "Big Black" kits are out there, for a lot less money than that,
but
still not cheap. 3SXPerformance has a Brembo kit with 4-piston
Ferrari F-40
calipers and 12.2" rotors, which fit under 17" wheels.
They are only Stillen
cross-drilled, but you might be able to dump them on
eBay, and get a solid
Porterfield or Supra rotor separately, for better
performance. $2400.
The other "Big Black" kits are from GTPro. One is a Brembo kit like
the one
above, but with 4-piston Ferrari F-50 Calipers, and also $2400.
The other one
is the 6-piston APracing caliper with a slotted, cross-drilled
Stillen 13.5"
or 14" rotor (which probably require 18" wheels with spacers or
a different
offset). $2900. (Damon can fill in the details on the
GTPro stuff).
Stillen recommends metal matrix pads with their X-drilled rotors.
That combo
can't compare with a Carbotech, Cobalt Friction, or Porterfield
race pad on a
solid PF or Supra rotor...
Good luck!
Forrest
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 07:37:22 -0400
From: Darren Schilberg <
dschilberg@spamcop.net>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: emergency brake light coming on
Brock - This is due to a low brake fluid reservoir level. Top it off
and your
problems will be gone. If it has been 9 months to a year
since bleeding out the old
stuff then it might be a good time to bleed the
whole system before adding new fluid.
- --Flash!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 08:07:39 -0400
From: "Starkey, Jr., Joseph" <
starkeyje@bipc.com>
Subject: RE:
Team3S: Leaky tranny II
Rich, when I had my tranny resealed a few years back, they didn't put that
output shaft seal in right. In short, they put it in until it was flush
with the case rather than until it "hit bottom." Most manuals I read say
to put the seal in until it was flush with the case, but when you did that on my
tranny, the seal was still loose. It was so loose that I could pull it out
without a seal puller. After I installed a brandy new seal, I never had
another leak. (KNOCK ON WOOD--IF YOU JINX ME WITH THIS, I'M HOPPING THE
NEXT PLANE TO CEDAR RAPIDS!).
Anyway, my tranny leaked exactly from the spot that you're talking
about--that little space between the transfer case and the tranny. And it
leaked exactly the way you describe--drip drip until there's a nice sized puddle
under my car.
You should be able to fit a 1/4" long extension up in there to tap the seal
and see if it's all the way in. You'll be able to tell if the thing is all
the way in by the sound. If it's dull, then it's not in the whole
way. If it's "sharp" such that you can hear the seal hitting the tranny,
then it's in the whole way. If I remember correctly, the whole way in is
about 1/16" to 1/8" below the case.
I'm not sure about the other leak. Perhaps you overfilled and the oil
is spitting out the breather. Or, perhaps one or more of the breathers are
clogged and causing pressure to build in the case (which, incidentally, can also
cause the seals to leak).
Good luck. Tranny leaks suck.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 08:23:12 -0400
From: "Starkey, Jr., Joseph" <
starkeyje@bipc.com>
Subject: Team3S:
Bleeding the Brakes
How difficult of a job is it to bleed the whole system? I'd love to
do mine (my system has not been totally bled out for years), but don't want to
cause any problems because, right now, I'm not having any!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 05:38:17 -0700
From: "Guy, Michael (CS)" <
michael.guy@ngc.com>
Subject: RE:
Team3S: Bleeding the Brakes
I would assume that the whole setup couldn't be that hard. Just pop open
the
bleeders on all four calipers and pump away on the brakes while
somebody
watches for the air to start coming out.
Then close all bleeders, and fill the master cylinder with brake
fluid.
Bleed the brakes until only brake fluid comes out. Fill the master
cylinder
again and repeat process until all brakes are bled, and master
cylinder
reads at the full line.
If you want to keep it clean, get some vacum line that will fit snugly
over
the bleeder top and run it into a 20oz. bottle hung somewhere below
the
caliper. Fill the bottle up above the vacum line in the bottom of the
bottle
to prevent air from being sucked into the caliper and making the
whole
process a bigger pain. This was my setup when I worked at British
American
Automotive. works great and I didn't have the scrub the floors
afterwards.
Mike Guy
92 Stealth SOHC
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 08:40:22 -0400
From: Darren Schilberg <
dschilberg@spamcop.net>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: Bleeding the Brakes
Joe - It isn't all that hard if someone has been through it already.
You company
still has me blocked on email but shoot me an email and we'll
arrange a time to get
together and do this. Mine needs bled too so we
can knock out both cars rather
quickly one Saturday.
The important thing is the do them in the correct order per the book.
Some people say
to start the car to get the ABS pump running and others say
the pump doesn't run
unless the ABS is working (like at 35 mph on
gravel). Who knows. I'm sure that
little bit doesn't have that
much of an impact anyway.
- --Flash!
------------------------------
>Stillen recommends metal matrix pads with their X-drilled rotors.
That combo
>can't compare with a Carbotech, Cobalt Friction, or
Porterfield race pad on a
>solid PF or Supra rotor...
>
Probably
because if you use really good pads, you'll break the Stillen
rotor into two
pieces.
Here's Oskar's Stillen x-drilled rotor:
http://www.mn3s.org/brainard/brainard2.jpg
Wonder what pads he was using?
Rich>
------------------------------
There is a sequence for bleeding the system in the service manual. Pass
rear first, Driver front, Driver rear, then Pass front. As Flash says,
have the engine running so the ABS pump is also involved.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Oct 2003 13:52:19 -0000
From: "Jeff Lucius" <
jlucius@stealth316.com>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: Leaky tranny II
We put a new Kormex 6 speed in the 94 VR4 last weekend, and it
leaks.
<snip>
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Lucius" <
jlucius@stealth316.com>
Sent:
Wednesday, August 27, 2003 10:51 AM
<snip>
Tip: fill trany before installing to check for **leaks**
then drain fluid back out. You wouldn't want to install a leaky trany ...
<snip>
===============================================
Rich, Did you try this?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 01 Oct 2003 14:03:28 +0000
From:
mjannusch@comcast.netSubject: Re:
Team3S: HELP! Need part number for a tranny part ASAP!!!!!
> Please someone tell me where to get those little
> balls, I
called kormex and whats his name said he
> doesn't have any. CRS didn't
seem to know what I
> was even talking about, I need those damned
little
> balls, HELP!
What happened to the originals? The little bit of research I did
seems to indicate that you need to order the slider and hub assemblies for
whichever sets you are missing the balls.
- -Matt
'95 3000GT Spyder VR4
------------------------------
><snip>
>Tip: fill trany before installing to check for
**leaks** then drain fluid
back out. You wouldn't want to install a leaky
trany ... <snip>
>Rich, Did you try this?
No. Mainly because I couldn't find any GL4 fluid anywhere in town,
and
everybody on the list has a different opinion about what kind of fluid
to
use. I couldn't find a consensus on the fluid, and I couldn't find
normal
or synthetic GL4 anywhere. Finally, at the last minute, I had to go to
the
dealer and buy four quarts out of their bulk drum at $8/qt. If I
coulda
found some $4/qt GT4, I woulda done a test fill. Now, of course, I
find GL4
everywhere.
Besides, I don't think it would apply here, because one source of the
leak
is up high and the other may be the output shaft seal. In both cases,
it
appears that internal pressures when running are forcing the fluid
out.
Nothing APPEARS to be coming out of normal gaskets and such.
However, filling it before installing is looking like a VERY GOOD tip
for
anybody contemplating this installation. If I wind up getting a
replacement
tranny from Kormex to fix this one, you bet your bippy it will
get a test
fill.
Rich
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 09:01:15 -0700
From: "fastmax" <
fastmax@cox.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S:
HELP! Need part number for a tranny part ASAP!!!!!
If you can't find them you'll have to get someone to measure the diameter
and
try to get some steel balls [ no smirking ] of approximately the same
size. I don't
think the size isn't critical as long as they move freely. I
don't have any laying
around or I measure it for you --- did you try the
3SI.org site ???
I'm amazed Kormex doesn't have some laying around --- but if you talked to
that
bonehead we talked to the other day it's no wonder. I was pissed enough
that
I almost called Frank and told him his employee needs some
training.
Jim Berry
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 11:48:30 -0700
From: "Bob Forrest" <
bforrest@pacbell.net>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: It never ends. (your TT problems; ThunderHill racing)
First:
At least 6 of us Team3S folks are gathering at Thunderhill for 2
weekDAY
events-- one on Thursday Oct 16th (run by my S.O. "ET"s Spec Miata
teammate
Bonni Weatherwax); there will be 3 TT's & 3 VR-4s and one
Stealth NT, a whole
bunch of Spec Miatas, and the usual BMW, Porsche, Pro-7
and WRX crowd. The
setup will be a typical HPDE-style Groups 1-4
(novice to expert). The next
day is Friday, Oct 17 and an event by
Trackmasters, which will be at least 4
TT/VR-4s. I won't be there on
Friday, but Ann Koch, Jim Elferdink, Mike
Gerhard, and Bill Ashurst are
running (2 TT's, 2VR-4's). That weekend Oct
18/19 will be a combined NASA
NorCal/SoCal event at Buttonwillow in Southern
California, and I don't have a
count yet - it may be just me and one other
VR-4. Bonni's event is $170
for the day.
The next 2 NASA HPDE events are both at Sears Point (now called
Infineon-
October 25/26, and November 22/23). The following weekend,
November 29/30, is
at Laguna Seca, and quite a few Team3S members have
already signed up - but
the event is full, since LS only allows 25 cars per
group. There are no other
NASA events at Thunderhill for the rest of
the year.
Second:
As to your question/statement about "one nightmare after
another"... Perhaps
you've been unlucky, or the wrong people worked on
your car, or you even got a
lemon... That just hasn't been my
experience. Yes, I've had quite a few
"issues" with my 91 VR-4, most of
which are attributed to the facts that (A) I
run the hell out of it, (B) it
is *heavily* modded, and (C) it is a
13-year-old car with 130k miles on it,
which *will* experience part failures
on a regular basis. It
isn't cheap, since I do very little of my own work,
but it certainly isn't a
surprise. I would expect an even higher rate of
failure if it was my
daily driver (it's not), or if I ever had to drive it in
snow (never) or in
rain (rarely). My 94 Stealth NT has had almost no part
failures (even
though I've raced it for 3 years), but it only has 40k miles on
it, and it
was never a daily driver, either. Only the starter blew on the
Stealth,
compared to a dozen or so failed parts on the VR-4. But it's just
a
fact that belts, boots, hoses, etc only last 5-7 yrs, so I'm due for
some
Stealth replacements, too. Most of those 'consumable' items have
been
replaced on the VR-4 through upgrades, failures, or as part of
preventive
maintenance.
The only real "nightmares" I've had were during upgrades and mods, with
parts
whose installations were not properly documented, which just didn't fit
as
advertised, or which were installed incorrectly. That's somewhat
related to
my not being a wrench-head or engine guru. Maybe I'm just an
optimist, but
most of my actual VR-4 part failures have been
"logical":
A/C (age), left front axle and wheel bearing (track abuse), turbos
(twice -
both times new [but flawed] upgraded turbos), alternator and wiring
(burned
out due to flying track debris), headlight motors (also burned out
with wiring
problems), leaking CV boot (wear and tear or track debris),
clutch (track
abuse), overheating (replaced trashed thermostat with stock),
lifter tick
(went away with Mobil-1 after engine break-in period), transfer
case leak
(repaired under recall), leaking oil pressure sensor (who knows?),
and maybe
an half-dozen other problems that I've forgotten (but I'm probably
still
paying for). ;-) It may not be fun when something croaks on
the car, and it
costs a fortune to pay someone else for labor. But this
is a machine, not a
rock, so stuff *will* break.
I'm only a little surprised that I've had so many more failures with the
VR-4
than the Stealth, since I don't know how the VR-4's previous owner(s)
treated
it. I knew when I bought a used car that it might have problems
- I can only
"grin and bear it" when parts fail. I bought the Stealth
new, so I know how
it's been maintained - pretty well, but I'm not
fanatical... What surprises
me most is that with the complexity of the
3S, one would expect even more
failures. I'm still thrilled with both
cars - how they perform and how they
look. It's a shame if you haven't
had the same experience with yours. The
Team3S list isn't about what's
"right" with our cars, it's about how to deal
with what goes wrong, or how to
upgrade parts and systems to better ones.
When you consider that there are
many hundreds of us (in 55 countries!), the
perspective changes. For
that many people to have such a relatively small
number of problems is a
credit to just how *great* these cars really are.
Best,
Forrest
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 12:58:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bret Duvall <
teeminus@yahoo.com>
Subject: Team3S:
Lowering springs on a VR4
Hello-
I have a '93 VR4 and am contemplating modifying the
stock
suspension. I am looking at the Tein products
and I really don't wanna
drop the $1400 for the
complete coil over and see that they have a new set
of
lowering springs for around $200. I have heard that
lowering
springs mess with the all-wheel steering and
ECS. Anybody have any
experiences with this?
Thanks,
Bret
------------------------------
End of Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth V2
#267
***************************************
