Dickensheets

Wheww!

Thanks for the effort porcupine73. I will look for these on my car and if they are not there I will consider a nuts and bolts solution. rd

My wife wants the LATCH stsyem bad for our two couch monkeys. My options are: 1) newer car 2) roll my own system If someone could post a photo of their's I would appreciate it. I beleieve they are standard equipment on all 2000 and newer cars. Should be under or in the vicinity of the seat bottom near the seatbelts. Thanks, Ryan 97OBW Limited

On sand you need to keep moving. Momentum is the key. Doing a three point turn is the key to getting stuck every time. Choose a stopping place wisely. You must stop on an incline to aid in restarting momentum or leave enough room to turn around w/o stopping or back up in a straight line till you have better options. Air down and don't stop.

I've done 3 of these this last year on 2 different cars. I use a 24" breaker and they've spun right off with little hassle with the car in 'park'. Impact would be nice, but so would a full size lift. Give it a shot. rd

That's a good call Porcupine73. I'll do that. a) generic feeler guage ok for this check? if I find a bad one are the shims generic or dealer only? c) Anyone post a pic of the tool I'll need to hold the spring back. rd

I'm gonna do valve cover gaskets on the 97 DOHC OBW 120000k miles. Should I bother getting the special tool and special shims and do the valves or let it ride. It runs fine and gets 25mpg. rd

Any recommendations? Cleaning up the front brakes tomorrow. rd

My neighbor suggeted it. Anyone running acetone with each fill up??? rd

Could it coincide with timing belt replacement? In other words - off by a tooth. Previous owner may know this?? Just a thought. Only way to check is to remove it and put it back on. rd

That looks open to me. rd

I used aftermarket half shafts on mine with no problems. They are def cheaper, long term quality is yet to be determined for me, but 5000 miles later the car still goes. rd

Evan, I'm gonna hafta go ahead and be frank with you (insert annoying office space boss voice): 90k service is a fancy way to say fluid change. Dealers love this stuff. It's easy money for them. Do yourself a favor, do the work yourself - it is not rocket science here. This is largely why this forum and others like it exist, regular dudes are tired of grabbing their ankles for minor maint issues. Get a service manual, a socket set and a sixer of your favorite brew. Then spend $400 on something useful. We are here 24/7 to assist. Ryan ps - we can fix a rattle for free

What's the price? Geographically I like it already! Fluids clean/topped off idles smooth shifts normally/drives normally no torque bind (drive in circle at idle) no major leaks no gunk under the rad cap or in the expansion tank no smoke on cold start timing belt replaced at 105k if these conditions are met you WANT it! What's the price

If you are unsure of yourself do this: Try to loosen the hub nut, and the pinch bolt on the ball joint. If you can you are 70% complete. If not reevaluate. No harm done at all. rd

I've done them. Get the Haynes manual or factory service manual on CD. Not hard. A pry bar to seperate the balljoint is handy so you can pull the wheel outwards and thus the shaft. A small hammer and punch is required to drive out the roll pin. I would STRONGLY suggest replace the entire shaft (~$60). I've not had good times replacing just a boot, a lot more work! 32mm deep socket and 18" cheater bar for the Jesus nut is a must. Good luck, rd

Both mine are aftermarket - no probs after ~5k miles. rd

1) t-stat in backwards by chance? 2) air in the cooling system likely. Ispect lower rad hose for kinks, bleed air by filling and using bleed screw on top of radiator. Elevating front of car helps purge bubbles. Do a search for bubbles in cooling system. Is the pump leaking at all? rd

Thanks, good pic.

thanks

I went to RockAuto.com looking for a valve cover gasket set for my 97 DOHC. They offer gaskets with and without grommets and with and without spark plug seals. What should I order? Anyone done this job recently? My truck did not require the grommets or seals so I am not familiar with these items and their service life. Thanks, rd

Why do they think the headgaskets are bad? Does the car run ok - overheat? Get a 2nd opinion. rd

How about fixing the gasket ~$1200 - then driving it for 2 more years while you save up for a down payment on a brand new one. rd

Why one plug at a time? Does the 2.2 not use a top mount coil pack? rd

Let's see if I can get one in before nipper! Good cars, loyal following, too many reasons to list. 2.2 motor excellent 2.5 had head gasket issues, not all, just some, be prepared if it's not been changed, ~$1200 repair auto tranny is solid awd portion of the drive train can have problems if neglected by owner (search torque bind) Timing belt needs replaced at 105k miles (interference engine) also factor into price I have a 97 with 120k miles no problems. rd