My nightmarish adventure... (help wanted)

[MasterVivi]

So.....

 

I started off on a 200 mile journey, and it was all going well, until hard traffic hit. It was fine, until for some reason my clutch went limp and I couldn't do anything. I don't know what happened, but it was scary.

 

Fine again, heading off. On my way back I see my battery gauge click down to the very bottom, and I noticed ALL my gauges dropped to the bottom, and my turning signals were broken suddenly too. I figure something shorted out just about EVERYTHING inside the car. WHY WOULD IT DO THIS? I THINK maybe a wire wasn't grounded, I really hope it didn't fry all my equipment. Hopefully someone has a really easy fix for this, as I can't really drive my car anymore until I fix it. (no turning signal)

 

Fine again, driving without anything but headlights and tail lights. (so glad those still worked for some reason)

 

I pull off the freeway, and the nightmare begins.

 

STEERING, NO LONGER WORKING, BRAKES, NO LONGER WORKING.

OH f*** OH f***, so I turn off to the side of the rode and slam on my E-BRAKE.

That was the most scary part, that REALLY needs to never happen again. Ever.

 

If you guys have any idea why any of these problems happened, PLEASE help me out here.

 

Thank you!

On a side note, I picked up my '83 hood tonight, and I got it to fit in the trunk. (hah, eat that, NikoFab ) I removed one side of the hatch struts, for good measure, but it fit without removing it. (if any of you ever need a hood in your trunk)

[JohnnyWadd]

loose charging harness on the alternator. no brakes and no power steering? so I guess the engine died meaning no vacuum to brake booster. no power to steering pump...main fusible link check that too...

[Komeuppance]

LMAO... the nightmare is caused by YOU. Dude... stop buying dress up items and fix your car properly, addressing all the neglected maintenance of previous owners. Stop driving your car until it's roadworthy, you keep complaining about your steering... someone is gonna get hurt.

 

That money and time would have went to a new clutch master/slave... cleaning all your grounds, replacing fusible links. Replacing your power steering pressure hose, bleeding steering system. Replacing worn suspension components, and getting an alignment. Replacing all your fuel filters, flushing the lines out, sending your injectors to be cleaned. Going through the ignition system, new plugs, plug wires. Fixing your clogged exhaust. Good tires that won't vibrate at highway speed.

 

Those are based on ALL of the posts you've made, but they coincide with all the posts you make about looking for parts that have nothing to do with the roadworthyness of your car. If you're serious about fixing the problems, post in the virtual mechanic section instead of the BS section... you've maze ZERO posts about your issues there, but complain about them so much here. Get to work.

 

-Robert

[Guest]

LMAO... the nightmare is caused by YOU. Dude... stop buying dress up items and fix your car properly, addressing all the neglected maintenance of previous owners. Stop driving your car until it's roadworthy, you keep complaining about your steering... someone is gonna get hurt.

 

That money and time would have went to a new clutch master/slave... cleaning all your grounds, replacing fusible links. Replacing your power steering pressure hose, bleeding steering system. Replacing worn suspension components, and getting an alignment. Replacing all your fuel filters, flushing the lines out, sending your injectors to be cleaned. Going through the ignition system, new plugs, plug wires. Fixing your clogged exhaust. Good tires that won't vibrate at highway speed.

 

Those are based on ALL of the posts you've made, but they coincide with all the posts you make about looking for parts that have nothing to do with the roadworthyness of your car. If you're serious about fixing the problems, post in the virtual mechanic section instead of the BS section... you've maze ZERO posts about your issues there, but complain about them so much here. Get to work.

 

-Robert

 

Yep to the 10th power! Cleaning ground wires and replacing fusible links takes very little time. Powering steering hose, not expensive to fix. All the stuff Robert just mentioned are not out of this world to repair, but they will bite you in the tail if you ignore them.

[speedyquest]

I would heed Roberts words or you will end up being just another quest owner who either lets their car rot away due to frustration or sells it off due to frustration. We see it a lot : (

 

Allen

[viper1355]

Yup. I know it sucks, but you're going to have to take the car off the road for a while til you get everything fixed. I had mine not running for about half the time I owned it. These cars aren't like anything you've ever owned, you cant just ignore problems, and get to them in a couple of months; they'll snowball.

[jszucs]

Yeah I got to agree too..... I know it sounds harsh of us... but it's more like a tuff love kind of thing. We are really saying it because we care about you and the cars themself.

 

Here is what to do. Break it down into the simplest parts. No clutch, well is there fluid, are the lines good (even better NEW) are the clutch hydrolics good (even better NEW) is it in proper adjustment (don't know how read here.... still stuck after reading both hear and FSM then ask us what you don't understand from FSM or here) Is the clutch bushing good / been redone. These cars are getting old, in most I have seen when I was looking people (PO) beat the piss out of them, and did little to no maintance because they didn't know what they were doing, refused to learn, and no pros even know about them or are willing to work on them.

 

Seriously no more road trips.... or even to and from work or parts store before you go over this thing, got all the basics done as found in how to's..... you said it yourself "That was the most scary part, that REALLY needs to never happen again. Ever" So that is on YOU to make sure that never happens again.... How does that happen? Checking over each and every part.

 

And BTW almost 100% unless something is really screwed up you still had breaks you just have to manually push on them without the asistance of the break booster. You should try a car without power equipment. Still amazes me people don't realize that stuff use to be as manual as stoping the flinstones car dragging your feet.

[Shelby]

no power steering or powerbrakes the engine die'd

 

most all the electrical problems are caause'd by dirty fuse link connections or connections in leads to the fuse holders , also poor grounds works in the same way a poor power feed does

1-2 hours and the power connectors can be like new ,, and don't LOOK at the connectors , seperate them and clean all terminals

[kidjc]

Excellent advise... no one is try'n to "wound ya here"... & the "tuff love" comment holds true. Pick yourself back up & get back into the game. I'm sure these same people will assist you, as they just were hoping to do. GL & take care!

[ucw458]

You should try a car without power equipment. Still amazes me people don't realize that stuff use to be as manual as stoping the flinstones car dragging your feet.

 

Years ago my old boss drove a 55 chevy pickup. One day he made me drive it when we went to a job. No power brakes and armstrong steering. He called it that because it took so much effort to steer the truck it made your arms strong. Anyway after an hour of driving it my knee was killing me and my arms hurt. The brake pedal was so high you had to lift your whole leg to go from gas to brakes.

[TexasQuest]

MAINTENANCE > MODIFICATIONS

[Frenchi934]

We're not trying to be rude to the original poster here guys. A lot of people get these cars and forget / don't realize they've been neglected.

 

Everyone gets them because they want to go fast, so its easy to see why people forget to work on the things that you take for granted in a car, (wiring, sensors, adjustments etc).

 

It is my observation that the best running cars on this forum are the ones with less modifications (Unless it has been modified to the point that everything has been redone anyways).

 

my 2.6 cents.

[jszucs]

Years ago my old boss drove a 55 chevy pickup. One day he made me drive it when we went to a job. No power brakes and armstrong steering. He called it that because it took so much effort to steer the truck it made your arms strong. Anyway after an hour of driving it my knee was killing me and my arms hurt. The brake pedal was so high you had to lift your whole leg to go from gas to brakes.

 

Sounds exactly right... best friend rolls a 54 ford F-100 for a toy, and it's got a huge suped up V8 now.... but still now power, drum breaks, the old plate glass window.... no seat belts..... Scares me to death. Tons of go not even a 1/10 of the stoping power, and stoping = wheels locked up, or might as well be free rolling. Bet you also know why that wheel is huge in size now? It's so you can get leverage.

 

That's just something more to think about though. LIke you say the pedal is high off the floor. Well a pedal in our car is designed for power asist. Without that asist it's just your foot presure, and the pedal is not designed to give you a ton of advantage.

 

You also want to think about it from the fact that if XYZ systems were neglected, 20+ years old what about TUV&W systems? You checked them? Those might be say drive shaft, stearing part, wheel hubs / bearings....... Ever seen a car pole vault becasue the drive shaft broke? It's not pretty.

[Burton]

Yep, unless you have lots of coin, keep it simple.

 

I think a lot of younger guys who get into these cars because of how cool they are, but also think because it is a Japanese make, it'll be as reliable as a Civic or Corolla. These cars can be that reliable, but it means making sure that everything is up to snuff mechanically, and also keeping an eye out for stuff that could be going bad and replace them before they are an issue. Other Jap cars it seems you can just keep the oil changed and flog the hell out of them with no problems. These are not one of those. However, if you get everything caught up and stay ahead of stuff, they can be great daily drivers, just don't get TOO carried away with the mods.

 

 

That doesn't mean you can't mod the hell out of these cars. I just don't reccomend that to anyone with a tight budget, and especially don't reccomend it unless you have another car that is your daily driver. There's plenty of people here with highly modded SQs that are fairly reliable and get beat on from time to time, but inevetiably they're going to break and be down waiting on that newer, better clutch or whatever else. The guys who do it right always seem to be the ones who aren't living paycheck to paycheck and have other cars to daily drive.

 

 

I've read your posts too, and gotta agree with everyone else. For what you probably spent on that hood, and a full weekend worth of work, you probably could have fixed most of the issues with your car.

[jszucs]

It is my observation that the best running cars on this forum are the ones with less modifications (Unless it has been modified to the point that everything has been redone anyways).

 

Agreed.... 1 mod might put that much more stress / demand on another part, or might make more heat, more force ect Or might just result in the owner pushing it that much harder.

 

And agreed if your really going to push it.... might as well redo everything....

 

Now you can blend the two. IE when something needs maintance, that might be a time to make a nice upgrade..... IE need isolators, why not go with camber plates...... and the likes. Whenever I have to replace something I almost always try and replace with something atleast better then OEM. That can be dificult with this car though, as parts are rare.

[Komeuppance]

We're not trying to be rude to the original poster here guys. A lot of people get these cars and forget / don't realize they've been neglected.

LOL... you may have been away from here in the past few months, so here's a summary of his posts:

So my car has no power steering. I know these cars came with power steering, and there is fluid in my car, so that must mean my power steering pump is bad?

I think my suspension is shot, every single bump I go over goes straight to the steering wheel, and I feel like I'm steering an old fashioned sail boat. The bumps pull my steering off to one side, and it takes a real effort to just drive around, because I have to hold the steering wheel in the center.

So I was on the freeway last night, and a corvette was besides me. I of course started to speed up, and he passed me, and I sped up more and passed him, and we went back and forth. Eventually, the dude just straight went berserk, and I followed. When he lost me we were going 120 mph, lol, but I think my car was hitting its limit!! (My car needs serious work done on it probably to be working properly) I don't know exactly what's wrong with my car, but at one point my turbo gauge just shot down all the way all creepy like, maybe a vacuum line shot off. (it's too dark to check) Anyways, if anyone knows what causes the turbo gauge to freak out like that, I'd love to know. I've been hearing a ton of noises with my car, but unfortunately I don't know why. Also, when I get at higher speeds, the whole car shakes, and vibrates my dash quite a bit. I can feel a weird vibration right under where my gas pedal is. Also, when I go over a reflector bump on the freeway my car freaks out, it jumps speed to try and compensate for something. Could that be a faulty LSD? I'm going to a meet hopefully today, if I can get my shift covered and drive the two hours to the meet, but if anyone has any things they think they know that might be wrong with my car, that would be awesome. This post is originally just to say I was going 120, because that's awesome (I've only ever driven my quest like 15 times because I didn't have a temporary registration) Kind of cool though, right? 120! I guess all of you that don't have advice on my car problems can just say how fast you've been in your quest.

I've been wanting to add switches in my car to add LEDS that I've bought, and I have some switches, but I don't really know much about wiring or cars. I've been trying to do it all myself, but its quite hard to figure out. Maybe I just don't have the right tools for it. How would I go about adding new wires to my car to add LEDS?

Well, time to show off how much of a car noob I am.... I've researched a lot of car parts, but don't know what they all look like. If you guys could help me out and let me know what parts are what, and maybe what they do, or just the names so that I can research, it would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm totally a car noob, but I've been trying to get into it. I don't have any family, and never had any parents or anyone to teach me any of this stuff. I'm all self-taught, please help me out guys..

 

http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj631/MasterVivi666/aada6e93.jpg

 

If anyone wants to take me on as an apprentice, that would be the MOST awesome. You could be my teacher!

 

Thanks guys,

Jeff

I want to take care of this car, and have her for the rest of my life. I'm totally in love with it, and I want to work on it forever, any help is appreciated.

Thanks for the info man, but I'm amazing at anything I jump into, and I'm hyper intelligent. That sounds overconfident probably, but it's true.

Hey guys, I'm kind of a newbie, located in Southern California (San Diego)

 

I've started many projects on my own though, and though I have no background with cars, I'm quite intelligent.

I have begun taking things apart and scouring through tutorials and creating my own tutorials.

 

I've removed my dashboard, and I'm going to replace all the 12v bulbs in my car with LEDS.

 

I'm also creating custom gauge faces, so maybe when I'm done people will be interested in purchasing custom work.

 

I'm quite innovative, I'm going to think about some awesome mods. I've seen awesome mods that I'd love to tweak, and/or mimic.

Not trying to be rude, like I've stated in one of his other urgent request for help threads... just trying to explain to him the trouble he's heading, really fast, towards.

 

-Robert

[lionbull]

LMAO... the nightmare is caused by YOU. Dude... stop buying dress up items and fix your car properly, addressing all the neglected maintenance of previous owners. Stop driving your car until it's roadworthy, you keep complaining about your steering... someone is gonna get hurt.

 

That money and time would have went to a new clutch master/slave... cleaning all your grounds, replacing fusible links. Replacing your power steering pressure hose, bleeding steering system. Replacing worn suspension components, and getting an alignment. Replacing all your fuel filters, flushing the lines out, sending your injectors to be cleaned. Going through the ignition system, new plugs, plug wires. Fixing your clogged exhaust. Good tires that won't vibrate at highway speed.

 

Those are based on ALL of the posts you've made, but they coincide with all the posts you make about looking for parts that have nothing to do with the roadworthyness of your car. If you're serious about fixing the problems, post in the virtual mechanic section instead of the BS section... you've maze ZERO posts about your issues there, but complain about them so much here. Get to work.

 

-Robert

 

this is an excellent post in terms of the things that should be addressed, especially for the new owners here.

[MasterVivi]

I know I've messed up, I was worried about the cosmetics of the car, I've failed you all. On a good note, I replaced ALL of my fuses today, and added power steering fluid. I've been reading the manual, and I got help from Coldscrip, who was super helpful. He told me in the future to put ATF in the power steering reservoir. So my power steering works now, magically, even though it didn't work last time I filled the reservoir, and my electrical is back online. My next job though will be to upgrade my steering, and then suspension. What do you all think? I'm going to clean all my fusible links tomorrow, I just kind of needed more help as to what that actually meant, that's why I didn't do it, but I know what it really means now. Any other suggestions, guys? All help is appreciated, and I appreciate the tough love. Komeuppance is always on me about this stuff, and I'll start focusing more on listening. Im done buying cosmetic parts until I get her running excellently. Like I said though, all advice is appreciated and welcomed. Thanks all,

Jeff.

[MasterVivi]

On another side note, I spent like 100 bucks more this month buying a new stereo/shifter surround, and new hatch struts, and another like 30 buying random parts. If anyone knows which parts I SHOULD be buying instead, please, show me the way.

[Starwolf]

If you keep a good mindset and take people's help (criticism) well. You will go far.

 

I think if you have no real car experience or know how then you should find someone local with this type of car that is knowledgeable. THAT will be your biggest help.

 

Listen to what Robert(Komeuppance) says and REALLY do all of the things he recommended. That and someone local to help spot any new problems and your car should run great.

 

So buy all of the things he said FIRST and do all of those procedures. Quiz buying pretty stuff to help the look of your car...it won't impress anyone here if it runs like crap

Edited November 7, 2012 by Starwolf

[MasterVivi]

I just made a list of all that Komeuppance told me to fix on my iphone, it's a checklist.

[Komeuppance]

Yes, a check list is a great idea. Here's one personalized for you.

 

Let me start off here:

-Factory Service Manual (Tells you everything you need to know)

http://www.starquest...ervice_nav.html

 

Tools, most you can get at HarborFreight but nicer ones will need to be bought from elsewhere.

-Jack (trolley jack at the minimum, NOT an emergency scissor jack), and Jackstands(Yes you need Jackstands)

http://www.oreillyau...N0768&ppt=C0373

 

-Good ratchet (3/8" size) and set of sockets 8mm-21mm, 22mm and 24mm will be needed later on for more in-depth maintenance.

 

-Ratchet extensions 3", 6", 10"

http://www.sears.com...282000P?prdNo=3

 

-Ratchet universal joint, for tight spaces

http://www.sears.com...435000P?prdNo=1

 

-Set of good wrenches (cheap will break) in the same sizes 8mm-19mm, ratcheting if you can get them.

 

-Vicegrips (Irwin brand at the minimum, not the HF or knock off that will break right away)

http://www.sears.com...7880803?prdNo=2

 

-Pliers, needlenose, and channel locks

http://www.sears.com...=6&blockType=G6

 

-Screwdrivers, phillips #2 size, and various flatheads

 

-Wirebrush/files, small and large for cleaning parts and electrical connections

 

-Voltmeter/Multimeter for measuring/testing sensors, even a cheapie from HF will do fine, but here's a nicer one

http://www.sears.com...51000P?prdNo=15

 

-You probably already have a soldering iron and wire cutters

 

Electrical, almost always the most neglected part of these cars.

-Clean your grounds and inspect the electrical connections:

http://starquest.i-x...opic.php?t=1180

http://starquest.i-x...topic.php?t=916

 

-Fusible links:

http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html

 

-Your clutch slave is probably dying and will need replacing usually before the master.

Clutch slave:

http://www.rockauto....xedy_SC579.html

 

-Clutch Master:

http://www.rockauto....chs_SH5051.html

 

-One man bleeder kit to help you bleed brakes/clutch lines:

http://www.harborfre...-kit-37201.html

 

Suspension, your ball joints are probably worn and need to be replaced before an alignment.

-Ball joints (you will need two):

http://www.rockauto....MOOG_K9143.html

 

Steering, yes ATF only. If your hose is leaking it needs to be replaced.

-Powersteering pressure hose:

http://www.rockauto....hp/prt,50,91620

 

Ignition system, a basic tune up and inspection of it's parts are what's needed:

-Spark plugs (these specific ones NGK7031 are highly recommended):

http://www.rockauto....d,NGK_7031.html

 

-Plug wire set:

http://www.rockauto....d,NGK_8079.html

 

-Distributor cap:

http://www.rockauto....ey_1746900.html

 

-Distributor rotor:

http://www.rockauto....ey_1737766.html

 

-Inspect and relube distributor mechanical advance:

http://starquest.i-x...opic.php?t=1131

 

-Inspect vacuum advance and replace if needed:

http://www.rockauto....UCTS_VC269.html

 

 

Fuel filters should be replaced and throttle body regasketed.

-Throttle body kit:

http://www.rockauto....DUCTS_1529.html

or http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html

 

-In tank:

MB129890 http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html

 

-In engine bay:

MB504732 filter, with MF60064 (qty 4) copper washers. http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html

 

-Injector cleaning services:

http://www.witchhunter.com

http://www.injectorrx.com

http://www.rceng.com...ning-P43C0.aspx

 

-TPS/ISC Reset:

http://www.starquest...showtopic=28069

 

Exhaust, you should take off your pre-cat and cat to look inside them to see if they're clogged/melted.

 

Tires, you have 205/55-16 in the front and 225/50-16 in the rear... any good tire shop should be able to hook you up with new or used tires installed and balanced.

 

Cooling system. You haven't mentioned problems, but it's a good idea to inspect and replace parts as needed.

-Thermostat 180 or 195 (don't cheap out, get a quality thermostat)

http://www.rockauto....TANT_45868.html

 

-Hoses, upper/lower radiator, heater core hoses into the firewall, here's a good one to replace while your dash is out:

http://www.starquest...howtopic=107140

 

-If you need a new radiator you can upgrade to this:

http://www.starquest...howtopic=113241

 

Some reading:

-Familiarize yourself with the location of pertinent information "pinned" at the top of the newbie sections, such as the FAQ's/How To's (Frequently Asked Questions/How To's), or the link to download the FSM (Factory Service Manual)

 

If there's anything you don't understand or want to know more about, use the search button to find out all you can, and if that doesn't answer your questions feel free to post. Make a thread in the Virtual Mechanic Section and post progress of your repairs as you go. Check off each of the points I've listed as done or inspected, and you will be well on your way to a reliable machine.

 

Now, it truly is all up to you. Good luck!!

 

-Robert

[MasterVivi]

WOW, THANKS, SERIOUSLY!!

 

I'm really excited about the personalized help man, I REALLY appreciate it.

I'll be using this as a guide for months, heh. Yeah, I'm gonna get a NICE pair of vice grips, they're such a useful tool.

I'll make a thread and mark my progress.

Thank you so much.

-Jeff

[Starwolf]

Yeah props to Robert for writing something so detailed. Hopefully you do what he says because he took some time out of his day to write that

[MasterVivi]

I will, trust me. I'll be living in that service manual for the next few weeks. PROBABLY EVEN FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!