Jillian's story!

[Fkyx]

I guess I'll connect them to the motor and hope for the best, then. lol

[Fkyx]

None of the electrical stuff in the car is working, including the dome light. Is it possible the battery's dead after a year and a half?

[evolutionmovement]

Of sitting? Yes. When I worked at a marina, 2/3 of the batteries would die over the winter even when stored properly. We ended up canceling the battery service because it was a PITA to get batteries out of the boats to store them only to have them fail anyway and then we'd have to replace them. And those are marine batteries, which are supposed to be able to handle that kind of treatment better than their automotive equivalents. And when I mean dead, I mean they wouldn't take a charge either. Not that I'd recommend taking the chance of being stranded out on the water—even if you get a tow back, that costs more than a new battery.

When a lead/acid battery completely discharges, they are usually junk if not recharged within 24 hours as the electrons bond to the plates. I hate batteries. I'd love to eliminate them from the car I'm building and use a Coffman starter to get the engine running, but I don't think people would be too happy with me, especially inspection for registration approval. I suppose I could try going with a compressed air system, but eh, I've got enough shit to engineer as it is.

[Fkyx]

Cool. I guess that's reassuring that I didn't wire too many things incorrectly. I bought the battery on 7/08 from Les Schwab, so it should still be covered by warranty. Hopefully they'll let me return it without a receipt.

[kimokalihi]

My red top sat in my garage for 3 years and still starts a car right up. That is until my step dad eyed it in there and put it in his boat since he somehow killed his blue top and then shortly after sold the damn boat with my battery in it. The battery that was supposed to be my legacy battery. So I just bought another one. Awesome batteries. Some people complain about optimas but they've been nothing but gravy for me.

[Fkyx]

Borrowed my roommate's battery. Everything worked, and the car cranked. I didn't let it it start, though, since there's no coolant in it, and I'm waiting for my buddy to get back in town so he can be there for the first startup.

So hopefully I'll have the car running tomorrow. Startup video coming soon, with luck.

[cj91legss]

Something very cool arrived today... or should I say somethings:

You'll be happy with this kit if your doing a DD. I have this exact same kit in my car right now and am really happy with it.

[kimokalihi]

Borrowed my roommate's battery. Everything worked, and the car cranked. I didn't let it it start, though, since there's no coolant in it, and I'm waiting for my buddy to get back in town so he can be there for the first startup.

So hopefully I'll have the car running tomorrow. Startup video coming soon, with luck.

I was going to put a different turbo and injectors on mine so I just started it with no coolant. Only ran it for a few seconds though.

[Fkyx]

Since I'm waiting on someone, I put the front end back on the car, and did some mad JDMTYTES bodywork where I was originally going to mount my Hellas. Decided I didn't like it, and I'm putting my turn signals back in there temporarily.




Brought the battery to Schwab, but they want to charge it and test it..... I didn't tell them it's been sitting for a year and a half. So I should have the new one tomorrow.

[Fkyx]

Okay. I tried starting it. No fuel. I can't even hear the fuel pump relay clicking. Anyone have ideas of what could be causing this, other than the obvious bad relay possibility?

Checked the relay and from the outside, it looks pristine.

[cartwheels]

Did you check that the fuse is good and the fuel pump wiring under the backseat is connected?

[Fkyx]

Fuses are fine.

If I wanted to test my relay by connecting it to a ground and a 12v.... what would be the best way to do that?

[kimokalihi]

Why don't you test for voltage at the pump connector? In the trunk under the seat back.

[Fkyx]

I don't have a multimeter.

Keep in mind the relay isn't clicking.

[kimokalihi]

You should definitely get one. Good investment and they're relatively cheap.

[Fkyx]

You should definitely get one. Good investment and they're relatively cheap.

I'd love to. But I had to have my friend buy me coolant because my bank account is empty. There are a ton of things I'd like to have for my car, but none of them can I afford.

[Fkyx]

Went under my dash today trying to get it out. Found an entire connector unplugged from the ECU.... *facepalm* Must be from when I was trying to pull my ECU and didn't finish the job. lol Perhaps this is the reason the relay wasn't clicking. Need to go pick up my battery, then I'll have a go.

[cartwheels]

Good luck!

[Fkyx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10GcVKceVzo

Gut feeling is.... not good. Any ideas? Not going to tell everyone what to listen for... hopefully someone can pick it up. One thing I should note is the O2 sensor isn't hooked up.... but that's not what I'm worried about.

[Legacy777]

I hear a "hollow" metal sound.....It's kind of tough to discern the noise over the video.

To eliminate any noise from accessory items, take off the accessory belts and see if you still hear the same noise.

[Fkyx]

Thanks. I'll try taking the accessory belt off, but the sound is very obviously coming from a source lower than any of the accessories.

So..... I had a couple injector plugs plugged into the wrong injectors..... I swapped them back and it seems to run a little smoother. I also completely bolted on the exhaust. Just need to put the O2 sensor in now.

My friend and I checked into the "hollow" sound you described (also what I was concerned about) a little closer, and we actually think it's coming from inside the timing belt cover. If I push lightly on the center piece while the car is running, there's an inconsistent rub. So maybe there's a loose idler in there. Not looking forward to taking that center cover off. I'm expecting to be completely wrong on this, though.

While I'm in there, I'll have to check the seals. Seems like something is leaking oil, since it's smoking on the front side.

Another note is my power steering only *works* intermittently. So I've got some work to do on that system, too.

Clutch pedal doesn't seem to want to come all the way out, and sometimes I find it stuck to the floor before starting the car up. Is this the sign of a master cylinder issue? Or maybe it's as simple as a fluid issue? Maybe something more significant?

Also need to pull some codes. As long as I haven't broken anything internally, I'll be happy. I just need to be able to make it reliable and healthy so I can drive it until I can afford to start a new engine build.

But I'm going to let the car sit until I move out of this house this weekend. Need to focus on cleaning up and packing for now.

[Fkyx]

Also, here's another video. I took part of the timing cover off, and the sound got a little louder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iza2xykA3-0

Ideas? Is the belt supposed to move around (laterally) like that? Notice that the sound seems to match the movement of the belt. Here's a photo of some "wear" on the belt, which may be relevant:


I suppose the best way for me to be sure is to take the cover off altogether and see what's under there. The ticking isn't nearly as audible in person as it is in the video, either.

Also, my alternator belt has a crack down the middle of it.

[evolutionmovement]

I just hear that hollow kind of sound, too. My guess is a loose heat shield or MAYBE one of the idler pulleys is going, but it's tough to say from the video. I'd check the header heat shields first. Definitely doesn't sound like rod knock to me.

[Fkyx]

No heat shields anywhere. Hopefully you're right about the idler issue... that's what I was thinking after I really took a listen.

But since it definitely doesn't sound like rod knock to you, I'm feeling a little bit better about it.

[Fkyx]

There's one bolt on the center cover that's holding me back, and a 1/2" drive universal joint would take care of it. Ugh. Looks like I'm removing the crosspipe.