FDPP #2

Post by **gnalan** » 15 Aug 2020, 19:41

I'm hoping to get the strut swapped tomorrow, if the weather isn't too bad out.

I did notice on my bad strut, when I pulled of the plastic cap on the nut, that whoever had the car before me either attempted to fix it and gave up, or replaced the strut or some part(s) of it maybe putting it back together wrong. Where the torx bit goes in the strut rod it's all mangled up and almost round inside of it now.

I'll post back when I get it swapped with an update on how it all goes, and how the car feels afterwards. Hopefully that'll solve the suspension problem, and least for a while.

Thank you all for your help, offering to help, to Pete for the parts he sent me, and to Matthew for coming up with this great program. We really appreciate what you've done for us.

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 15 Aug 2020, 20:42

Well, at least you have the whole replacement strut assembly and you don't need to mess with that. I really wish they used a better setup (a flat spot on the top of the stud) than those thin walled torx fitting that round out effortlessly.

Post by **cn90** » 15 Aug 2020, 21:23

@gnalan,

If you need something urgently, please post.
I go to the local junk yard on and off and can get minor parts for you.

Post by **- Pete -** » 15 Aug 2020, 21:47

If you hit the top nut with an impact you honestly don’t need to counterhold with the torx. But you shouldn’t need to take your original strut apart so most likely not going to be necessary. That spring seat is new (I checked my maintenance records) and the top plate was still tight so you should be good for quite a while.

Hope things went well with your fiancé.

Post by **gnalan** » 15 Aug 2020, 22:53

I hadn't planned on taking it apart, and I don't have an impact wrench. I was just curious to see if it had been messed with by the previous owner.

Surgery went well. Pathology came back, and the lymph nodes they removed all came back ok. Her thyroid was full of cancer, though, on both sides. I posted an update in a different thread I started (there's a link in my signature), so I didn't clutter up a bunch of threads about it all. I don't know if they've told her more than what she's told me, so I don't know what stage they labeled it, if they even did. I know radiation treatments are next. Still waiting on an appt for an MRI on her liver to see if those tumors have gotten any bigger. The one in her brain hasn't grown any since the last time they checked it, and thankfully it's benign but it's in a spot that they can't get to so they can remove it. Kidney function is back to normal. She went into kidney failure not too long ago, and spent awhile in the hospital (pre-covid, so I was actually able to stay at the hospital with her). It's just been one thing after another, after another. Way too much for someone who's only 30.

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 15 Aug 2020, 23:02

Glad it went well. Hopefully things will get better for her soon, it sounds like she's been through a hell of a lot already. Cancer is a truly horrible thing.

Post by **gnalan** » 16 Aug 2020, 23:15

More car problems. This thing has become more of a nightmare than anything. Now I have a horrible misfire after putting half a tank of Sonoco 93 octane in it. I don't think it's the gas, but I had misfires the last time I used the same gas so maybe it is. It could also be my extremely high intake temps, since my flap is stuck open to the hot position drawing air from the heated exhaust instead of the cooler fresh air from the scoop. I'm still trying to find the best way to fix that, without breaking the housing.

I didn't get around to swapping the strut out today, I had too many other things going on. Hopefully I can get the car running the way it should, again, and then I'll worry about the strut.

Sorry for the delay swapping it out, but my fiance comes first. Somehow her neck incision got infected and has been oozing pus out all day. Everything went fine with the first surgery on her thyroid, but I don't know why things are different now after the second surgery. The incision is still being cleaned the same way as before, so I don't know what happened.

Post by **abscate** » 17 Aug 2020, 11:13

Very rarely bad gas, nowadays.

How old are plugs and the coils on the car?

Just remove the big shiny elephant hose from the heat riser to bring you intake air temperature back down to normal. It just slips on

Post by **gnalan** » 17 Aug 2020, 11:24

Plugs are brand new Bosch replacements, so are the boots. The coils I'm not sure about. I know 3 are the original ones, 1 is gray with no markings, and 1 is black with no markings.

The car didn't start acting up until I put gas in it. I usually use Kroger's gas and it runs without misfiring, but this is the 2nd time using gas from Sunoco (same gas station both times) and then having all kinds of problems afterwards. Is Sunoco 93 octane worse to use than Kroger's 91 in the NA 2.4, or could it just be bad gas from the same gas station?

I will pull the hose and see if it runs any better.

Post by **gnalan** » 17 Aug 2020, 12:57

I pulled the hose off and it seemed to run better, but I didn't drive it too far. Since it's in the 90s with high humidity I didn't want to break down somewhere and have to walk back. With knee, hip, and back problems walking isn't as easy as it used to be, and with the meds I take the heat makes me sick if I'm out in it too long. Thankfully the AC works, even though the compressor makes noise when it's running.

I have a Drs appt tomorrow, so I'll see how the car runs driving there and back.

FDPP #2

Re: FDPP #2