Marginally more work for a lot more piece of mind. And it's not a bad job at all. The hardest part for me was removing the stuck on pieces of old gasket from a pump that was at minimum 12 years old, possibly original, on my '98 with 107k on it. And that wasn't even too bad.

Channelocks and gentle pressure.

Definitely check the bushings. If you routinely carry a load in the car, might not be a bad idea to have them recheck the alignment with weights in the back to simulate routine driving conditions.

Ditto abscate. Also, a bad ground somewhere in the electrical tree can cause these faults. But my money is on the key switch/lock cylinder.

Pretty car and a fine example! It would be cool to see it return to NC but alas, I can't buy it :/ I hope it finds a loving home!!

Awesome! Thanks for the info, sleddriver!

Hey OP - I know this is an old thread but I'm having the exact same issue with my passenger door (worked fine until last night) and I'm wondering what the issue was and if/how you fixed it. Probably won't have a chance to look at it until Friday but would appreciate any advice you have to give ...

Thanks for all the comments. I have decided to go with the SACHS shocks when I do them. Was able to price all I needed cheap through my local guy. But will have to hold off on shocks because the car is long overdue for a t-belt. Belt looks ok but the tensioner is seeping.

I've heard that many shops will assemble struts for you if you just chuck some money at 'em. That's probs pretty cheap, so it seems worth doing the struts with legit parts, if you're planning to keep the car more than a year or two.
This, the quick struts are not really the way to go. Get the good ...

I agree you are overthinking this :lol:

You are doing the right and most important thing, which is to change the oil at 3k. This is a good interval if you are using dino oil.

But please make sure you use OEM quality oil filters. I think Mann filters are what most people use, I know I do. Do some ...