Author: Mike

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SAAB power steering hose replacement

SAAB power steering hose replacement

Last week I had a SAAB 9000 in the shop for a severely leaking power steering hose. The amount of oil it was putting on the exhaust system was scaring me. The pressure hose had aneurisms all along it. Even the return hose was leaking some.

The owner had put off replacing the hose for two reasons. 1) There was no source for new replacement hoses and 2) the hoses are really hard to get to.

He recently found both hoses on a donor car at the Pull A part yard and removed them. The transmission was out of the donor car making them more accessible in the junk yard.

Like many pressure hoses, the end at the pump is 5/8 and the end at the steering box is 18mm. The return hose is 5/8 at the box and a hose clamp at the reservoir.

We reached the hose by lifting the car and removing the front wheels. The hose end are easy to see through the wheel wells but still difficult to access. I used a crow foot line breaking wrench to break loose the hose ends and then used an open end wrench to take the out the rest of the way, The limited access meant flipping the wrench for each turn.

The hardest part of the job was removing the torx bolt that held the center line clamp. It was a T20. It is in a bit of an angle and impossible to see and reach at the same time. Once the clamp was loose we fed the old line out through the driver side wheel well. We then fished in the replacement lines and reconnect the ends. We then reconnected the center clamp.

I would have preferred to replace the O rings on the ends but we did not have spares and the old ones looked good. They sealed fine.

It was nice for my friend to visit the shop without leaving a pool of fluid. And the lack of scary smoke each time he stopped was a nice bonus as well.

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1G DSM headliner repair

1G DSM headliner repair

The headliner on my Talon fell down during storage. Like most cars of this vintage, the foam between the cloth and the backer disintegrated. This failure allowed the cloth to sag off the backer board.

My dad offered to assist in the repair since he has experience in redoing headliners and other interior parts on vintage cars. He began by removing the sun visors and the dome light held in place by Phillips screws. He then gently pried off the covers over the seat belt tracks. These just snap in place. Next he removed the coat hooks from the B pillars. This allowed the rear trim to be removed.

The headliner board is held in place by several plastic push in pins. These he popped out with the appropriate tool. Once these were out the headliner still sat in the front and rear grooves. He carefully worked it out of the rear groove and then lowered the panel and slipped it out the passenger door.

The cloth came off cleanly but the remains of the foam scatter everywhere. He put the cloth in the washing machine to remove the last bits of the foam. While it was washing, he used a stiff wire brush to scrape all the old foam and glue off the backer board. He then used a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to remove the last of the dust. He then vacuumed the dust that had scattered in the interior of the car when the headliner was removed.

Once the cloth was clean and dry, he sprayed a thin layer of prepositional glue on the front edge of the backer. He then worked the cloth into recess for the sun visors and dome light. Because the foam was gone, the cloth was not a little too big and some small wrinkles formed in the recesses. The cloth also stretched some due to handling.

He then worked his way back a few inches at a time smoothing the cloth into place on the headliner backer. In order to get all the wrinkles out he had to stretch the cloth slightly. This caused the holes for the push pins at the rear of the panel to not line up. I considered this a minor problem and ignored it.

To reinstall, we passed the headliner through the rear hatch and slipped it into place in the front groove. We then carefully positioned the side tabs in to the correct recesses. Then we worked the board into the rear groove. Reinstallation was defiantly a two man job as it was difficult to maneuver the large board and work the tabs at the same time.

Once the board was in place we replaced the push pins and the snapped the side panels back in place. The small circles in the cloth at the rear are hardly noticeable and the smooth appearance of the cloth with out the foam looks better than the original to me.

UPDATE: The glue did not stand up to the heat. The cloth separated after being parked in the sun. Will have to try to find a better glue.

UPDATE2: My Dad decided to pain the headliner backer board instead of regluing the cloth. Instead of painting it a solid color he painted the Talon logo. I like the look.

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1G DSM Turbo replacement

1G DSM Turbo replacement

My Eagle Talon was showing extreme oil consumption. I noticed that it was worse when I used the boost a lot. I also noticed that on high boost there was a black or blue cloud out the exhaust. The members of DSMTuners forum helped me confirm these were symptoms of a blown turbo seal.

I began trying to figure out which turbo I had. I bought this car used and the previous owner had mentioned the turbo had been modified. However, the turbo had the original marking ground off and some new numbers stamped in their place. I was not able to match these numbers to anything. Once I removed the turbo and disassembled it, it measured the same as a 16G. The stock turbo was a 14b on this car.

My original plan was to put new seals in my turbo. However, one I go tit off the car, I found the hot side housing was severely cracked and pitted. The turbine wheel was also cracked and missing parts of the blades. I am surprised it worked at all.

I found a true Mitsubishi 16G was very hard to come by. So, I decided to take a chance on a cheap eBay knockoff. It came with an installation kit and what appeared to be all the parts I needed. It arrived quickly and I set to work.

I used the procedure from http://vfaq.com/mods/turbo-swap.html to remove the turbo. One addition I have to make is that I had to remove the overflow bottle to get the radiator in and out. This step is not mentioned in the procedure. The idea of leaving the water line attached to the engine worked well. However I had trouble with the oil return line and ended up removing it contrary to the procedure.

Things were going well once I got over the idea that you really have to remove a lot of parts just to get to the turbo. A good pair of hose clamp pliers really helped with all the spring clamps.

I go the turbo bolted to the manifold easily. The kit came with new bolts so I did not have to worry with the stud. I had left the manifold in place like the procedure suggests. I learned the right rotation to bet the turbo in over the water pipe and under the manifold.

My first problem came when I realized I should have installed the oil feed line before mounting the turbo. There was simply not enough room to twist the line in behind the turbo to get it to the fitting. I also noticed that the clip seemed to be on the line backwards. I spread it apart and turned it over. I pulled the turbo back off the manifold and slipped the line in behind the turbo. I then popped out the plastic plug in the top of the turbo and noticed a huge problem. The hole in the turbo was too small for the banjo bolt!

I checked and found it was the right size for the other end of the oil line 10mm not the 12mm that is supposed to be on the turbo end. I tired to think of ways to work around the problem. The only solution I had at my disposal that day was to drill and retap the hole.

I pulled the turbo back off and set up to drill out the hole and retap it to the correct threads. When I got done, I found that my tap would not reach deep enough to thread the bottom of the hole. I needed a bottoming tap that I did not have. I compensated by grinding off the end of the banjo bolt so that it would go in far enough to crush the washers. Only after reassembling everything did I find I had cut too much off the bolt.

I had to pull the turbo back off and order a bottoming tap from McMaster Carr. With the new tap I was able to thread all the way to the bottom of the hole and with a new banjo bolt it screwed in the correct distance. I then put it all back together on the car.

I had a very hard time getting the oil return line back on. The original tube would not pull back up to the turbo after I bent it down to get the turbo out. And the new line was made slightly wrong so theta it did not line up well with the pan. There was a slight twist in the flange. I was able to get the flange to line up by using a pry bar to twist the flange while I started the bolts. I had to remove the down pipe to get enough room to do this however.

When I started the engine there was a huge oil leak at the oil fitting on top of the turbo. I tired new and old crush washers but they all leaked. I even swapped back in the old oil feed line thinking something must be wrong with the new one. I read about annealing crush washers so I tried that. They all leaked.

After buying two more new washers, I carefully examined the pattern on the washers and I noticed there was not full contact all the way around the washer. It was apparent that I had not drilled or tapped the hole straight when I made it bigger. I researched several options and eventually decided to try some nylon washers. The trouble was, the ones I bought had mold marks on them that I did not thing would allow them to seal. I had to sand them smooth before installing them.

The nylon washers sealed. However, now the top of the oil feed line leaked at the head. I removed the bolt to install new washers and I noticed that there was aluminum in the threads. As I suspected, when I tried to retighten it, the threads in the head stripped.

Upon careful inspection, I found that the reason it stripped was that the new banjo bolt in the kit did not have the correct thread pitch. The DSM head is 10mm x 1.25. The new bolt was 10mm x 1.5. Since 10mm x 1.25 is hard to come by, I decided to put in a 1.5 pitch helicoil.

I removed the air box and other items that were in the way of getting the drill in the engine compartment. I pulled the Allen head plug in the front of the head and stuffed in some Q tips to try to limit metal shaving going into the head. I drilled out the hole and then carefully tapped the new threads using the special helicoil tap. I was very careful to make sure it was all straight. I wiped it clean with Q tips and brake cleaner. I then spun the engine over to pump some oil out to flush out the metal shavings.

Once the insert was in place, I was able to bolt up the oil feed line and put it all back together again. This time it all sealed! It took a while to burn of all the oil that had spilled from all the failed attempts.

On the first test drive, I was surprised at how fast the boost came up. Boost comes in much earlier compared to the old worn turbo. I did not make it far done the road before I heard a terrifying noise an the engine died. I coasted to a stop and began looking under the hood. It took me quite a while to notice that the hose had popped off the turbo outlet. Once I put it back, then engine still would not start. I then realized I could not hear the fuel pump running.

I accessed my hidden fuel pump override switch and the engine started right up. After I got it back to the shop and shut it off, the fuel pump operation returned to normal.

The only reaming issue was the temperature gage was not working. I did not realized there were three temperature sensors o the 1G motor. I had made sure the two wires were in place but the sensor for the temp gage is hard to see under the blow off hose. Once I removed the hose and looked, I saw the wire had gotten knocked off. I simply reconnected it and the gage came back to life.

Hopefully this turbo will continue to work well for me. I did some research on the internet and I believe that this turbo was supposed to be for a Subaru and not a DSM. That is why the oil line seemed backwards and the fitting was wrong. I reread the ebay listing and noticed it did not say it was for a DSM. It simply read for “custom applications.”

Dong this project, I added another tap to my collection; I learned how to anneal copper washers and installed my first helicoil. I also learned how to be more patient with removing parts to get to others on the cramped engine compartment of the Talon. I also remembered how much fun this car is to drive.

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1G DSM AWD Fuel pump replacement

1G DSM AWD Fuel pump replacement

The fuel pump in my 1991 Eagle Talon AWD failed recently. I got a new Walboro from VR-speed.com. The new unit came with a handy installation kit that contained the correct wiring harness, O ring, cap and strainer. I had to reuse the spacer from my old pump.

I began by disconnecting the battery cable. I did not want any sparks while opening the fuel tank inside the car. I removed the spare tire and then the paper cover on the left side. This uncovered a panel held in place by two Phillips screws. The screws came out easy enough but the glue that held the cover had a tenacious grip. I ended up bending the cover from all the prying needing to separate the glue. With he cover off, I slipped the wire through the hole and set it aside for re straightening.

Next I attempted to disconnect the fuel line from the fitting. I used the proper 14mm and 19mm line breaking wrenches but I was not able to get the line loose. I only succeeded in rounding off part of the hex on the metal line.

I found a handy guide on VFAQ.com and learned that I could take the line loose under the car. This connection came loose easily.

I was now worried about the six little 8mm nuts that hold the plate on top of the tank. However these came loose easily with some soaking in PB Blaster. I worked the nuts back and forth whenever I hit resistance and did not break any studs.

The gasket was stuck pretty good and I had to be very careful to work it over the studs as I separated the plate from the tank. Once the gasket was separated, I was able to twist and turn the pump holder to get it out of the hole with the hose still attached. My compliments to the de-signer of the access hole. It was just big enough to get the pump holder out.

With the holder out, I took the whole assembly to the shop. The Philips screw that holds the bottom pump clip refused to budge at first. I resorted to using vise grips to break it loose before I damaged the Phillips part. The negative wire had a Phillips screw that came out easily. The positive wire was held in place by a 7mm nut. I was surprised to learn I actually do own a 7mm wrench and took the nut off to free the wire.

I had to tug some to get the pump out of the tube but with some twisting, it came free. I then clamped the assembly in the vise to try to free the rubber line. I succeeded in rounding off the fitting more but not in getting it loose. I even tried heating it but it did not come loose.

The pump from VR Speed came with a very nice installation kit. The wiring harness was terminated with the proper ring connectors and the wires were the right length. I simply reused the spacer from my old pump and the new O ring and cap from the kit. I slipped the foam sleeve over the pump. I had a little trouble getting the filter to snap in place. I eventually used two small screwdrivers to press the tiny metal ring on the pin.

Once the pump was assembled on the holder, I replaced the bottom bracket. I then connected the two wires to the terminals on the holder. I did not use the included zip tie because it looked like it would put a side load on the pump and not add any benefit.

Later when I installed the pump in the tank however, I managed to hang the red wire on one of the studs and pinch it. I later used the zip tie to hold the wire out of the way during installation.

After a few tries, I eventually got the pump holder back in the tank with the gasket in the proper place. I snugged down the six little nuts and then crawled under the car and reconnected the line.
I used my bypass switch to test the pump. It made a loud whir the quieted down once the line filled with fuel. I was getting ready to button it all up when I noticed that the hose was leaking near the fitting. I had obviously damaged it when I heated it trying to get it off.

I crawled under the car and disconnected the line. I then removed the pump holder once again being extra careful with the gasket. I took the assembly back to the shop and tried again to re-move the hose. Now it had to come off. No amount of torque would free the fitting.

I finally resorted to heating the fitting until the hose melted and then had to continue until it was cherry red before it would separate. Even then, I had to reheat it once to get it all the way off.

I then used a triangle file to clean up the threads on the fitting and was able to get the fitting to screw on and off easily. I then began searching for another hose.

One of my friends was in the pull a part yard but he was not able to find an AWD. We were not sure if a FWD hose was the same but he could not find one easily accessible to measure.

Another friend stopped by O’reilies and brought over some fuel hose. However the hose she brought did not have a pressure rating so I was not comfortable using it for the high pressure of the EFI system. When we went to return the hose, I noticed they made hydraulic lines. I asked them if they could make me up a new hose. They said “Sure” and I waited for a new hose to be made. I was really surprised they had the right fittings in stock. Well, that turned out to be too good to be true.

When I got home, I found that the fittings he had used were English; not the 14mm x 1.5 needed for the Talon. Oh and no refunds for the custom made part.

My last ditch effort was to try to reuse the old hose. I cut off as little of the burned end as possible to keep the hose near the original length. I then cut the ferrule off the original fitting. I slid the hose over the fitting and used a worm drive clamp to secure it. I then mounted the holder in the tank again and then attached the shortened fuel line. The shorter hose was just long enough to work.

When I tested the pump this time, there were no leaks. I then put all the panels and spare tire back in place.

When I stared the car, it stumbled for a few minutes before settling down to a smooth idle. There was a severe stumble just of idle but that went away as it warmed up. I seem to remember that the engine always runs a bit rough when ever the battery cable is disconnected and the ECU resets.

I took it for a short drive and was very happy with the engine’s return to perkiness. It had felt rather week on the dying pump. Later, I took it for a longer drive and as the computer relearned things, it got smoother and more powerful. It handled 12 psi of boost easily.

I am very happy to have my Talon running again.

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Transfer of Ownership

Transfer of Ownership

Beginning today mikestrawbridge.com will be owned and managed by Jennifer Bryan. I will not go into the reasons behind this change but trust that the site is in good hands.

From this point forward, Jennifer will be responsible for the content of the site and will collect the commissions it generates. She will also be answering the questions you send via the “Contact Mike” form. If you need any Crown Parts, she will be able to get them for you.

Thank you for your support and I hope you will continue to support this body of information by supporting the advertisers here. They pay for the web hosting and other expenses associated with running the site.