Gosdawg Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Okay, fairtax4me, that is good to know, but if I do end up finding the shavings, what am I replacing, everything a/c related? What all is a/c related, there are the lines, the compressor, the condenser.... To coupedupsubie, that is useful information, I imagine it can be done cheaply if I find good parts at a junk yard, or do you think something else... And about the awd conversion, if I decided to do that, should I upgrade to the 2.2, or is there something I can do to the 1.8 that will add enough power? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoupedUpSubie Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 To coupedupsubie, that is useful information, I imagine it can be done cheaply if I find good parts at a junk yard, or do you think something else... And about the awd conversion, if I decided to do that, should I upgrade to the 2.2, or is there something I can do to the 1.8 that will add enough power? Junkyard will be the place to look. I would replace the rotor and pads(dont forget the parking brake shoes). Also make sure the calipers still work if you can before pulling them. The 1.8 has plenty of power for AWD but will be slow, many people do upgrade to the 2.2. Being naturally aspirated there isn't much you can do to give the 1.8 a power boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gosdawg Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Indeed... Well well alright... How would I test the calipers before I pull them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoupedUpSubie Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Check brake fluid level and if its full then you can step on the pedal. If the pedal goes to the bottom then there is a problem somewhere. Look at the calipers and if they appear damp or you see fluid dripping then they need either a rebuild or they are junk. I bought front calipers for my car off Amazon for $25 or so a piece and they haven't failed yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gosdawg Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 Seems like it would be better to just buy the calipers on amazon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gosdawg Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 By the way, is that green dye easily removed or washed away should I get it everywhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 By the way, is that green dye easily removed or washed away should I get it everywhere? I don't remember the dye as difficult to remove. I think I have used paper towels or a rag to wipe it off, when it was fresh and damp. If you are just going to "red neck" drain the system to the atmosphere, I would wrap a rag around the Low port, where you would drain the system, so the dye soaks into a rag, and can't spray out to make a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gosdawg Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Fair enough... How would add dye to the oil, or should I... There seems to be a slow moving leak, but over the period of a few years, it looks like it is everywhere... I kinda want to see where it is from... So, in response to that, How much would it be to reveal everything, or even swap to a 2.2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gosdawg Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 (edited) Sorry, I feel like an idiot posting so much for advice... But I guess that's what this forum is here for... So here is an update on the oil leak... So, I've been monitoring the oil leak... The dip stick says my level is full, and safe (but it could be wrong?)... I wiped down the oil pan, and the jack plate in front of where the exaust meets at the form and stuff yesterday, and today, on the commute, I noticed smoke at a stop light... So I checked it, some oil returned to all of those places... The oil pan has a bead of oil dripping near the drain plug, but I do not think it is coming from the drain plug... The drips on the jack plate came back, or up maybe I didn't wipe them down enough... But for sure, it is leaking onto where the exhaust forks, that is where the smoke is coming from. (it could be more than one place, but I saw that for sure). I even saw a drip fall onto the pavement there... I don't know if it's anything serious, and I don't know if it is worsening because I've been running it a little hard (a lot of up hill, up mountain driving... A lot... I mean a lot). It seems like it has... But I cannot be completely sure... I also noticed (when looking from the bottom of the engine) a hose on the driver side with a drip of red liquid (power steering fluid?) it also seems like where the engine and tranny meets there is a leak... (so many it seems, I hope this isn't a hopeless cause)... I am really falling in love with this car... So I don't want to abandon it (even though i dont want to do with the leaks). And I wish I knew where they were coming from... But I imagine in the long run, it would be best to pull the engine and reveal everything... I'd like to know how hard that would be myself, or how expensive it would be for a shop to do it... Maybe someone knows of someone near salt lake city area who could assist or guide the process? And, in the mean time, as long as I monitor the levels and replace oil a d fluid as necessary, do you think it is a problem that could be waited on while the money is pulled together... Or should I be considering this a big problem that should keep me from driving anywhere... Aka the mountains (there are a lot around here), the desert (also a lot of those around) and so forth... Nothing else is abnormally wrong... I mean if I am hard on acceleration, it a rough shift out of first, but smooth otherwise... Also, the steering is posing no problem... And aside from the smell of oil and the smoke, I don't notice the leak being extensively fast... I have noticed a lack of power at times, but that could be from it being a 1.8, and not because I've been hard on it... But someone else would no know better... Edited July 20, 2012 by Gosdawg Forgot puntuation and a couple of statements Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Oil leak is probably the separator plate. Check out beergarage.com for pics/walk through. The old engines had plastic separator plates that are known to crack, but usually the sealer on them just dries up and they leak like crazy. There is also an o ring under the diamond shaped cover opposite the crankshaft that will dry out and leak. An o ring under the round cover on the back of the passenger side cylinder head that does the same. Rarely does the oil pan leak unless someone has removed it and used crappy sealer to reseal it. There are a few other common leak points as well, front cam/crank seals, the oil pump oring, and the cam bearing housing o ring on the front of the drivers side head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gosdawg Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Would a stop link be a decent quick fix for it? Or should I avoid them? The leak doesn't seem as bad as I initially thought, but it's still hard to tell, I've been checking all day, put a half a quart of oil in there, and it went above the full line... But still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Stop leak additives for oil are a waste of time. Higher viscosity oil can sometimes help slow a leak, but the only real fix is to replace the orings and seals that are leaking. Keep an eye on fluid levels and it should be fine. Steering leaks at the steering rack are usually the small o rings inside the fittings on the lines. Those can usually be matched up at an auto parts store. The lines can be difficult to access with the rack still in the car though. Again, keep an eye on the fluid level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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