Driver info needed

[David T]

DMCH is not the only "game in town". Try other vendors. Besides, if you aren't driving the car on public roads yet there is no rush to get the 170 speedo.

[Helirich]

DMCH is not the only "game in town". Try other vendors. Besides, if you aren't driving the car on public roads yet there is no rush to get the 170 speedo.

Had someone comment on it in my garage allready. Lol. But you're right, it will wait till I have it on the road. There's a few things I will order as soon as it is on the road.

For now I'm waiting for exhaust gaskets. I pulled the crossover tube and I don't think it's leaking. (Can't get it completely out.) Does anyone know if it will come out after I pull the converter and muffler? It appears the leak is the driver's side manifold. Studs look like rust city. We'll see what kind of job that turns into. Lol.

[artisticent]

Aparently, out of stock. Anybody installed one of them? Looks like it should be easy. Sometimes looks are deceiving. They cost more than a dollar per mile. Lol. (I think it would be worth it)

This speedo was one of the first things i bought for my car for all the same reasons you want one. I did install it and while I liked the look of the higher markings, the black background just DOESNT quite match the black of the original gauges. It bothered me so I removed it and put thr original back in. I am also committed to keeping it now because I took my car in to DMCCA for some work at the time and they went and smogged the car without me knowing and the logged the higher mileage shown on the speedo (60K) as opposed to the true 34K on the car and on the original Speedo. Anyway just my 2 cents on the look of the aftermarket one..
Nathan

[David T]

Not only will you find the exhaust gaskets blown, if it was driven for a long time with the leak you will have to have the manifolds ground flat. You also need the stud kit, you will probably break a few taking it apart. I do it with an Oxy-Acetalyne torch and usually get it all apart without breaking any. The kit comes with nuts and washers too. The better kits are S/S but they are pricey.

[Rich]

Without answering your crossover pipe removal question your upcoming project (pulling the catalytic converter) may a good opportunity to at least take a good look at the cat itself.

Your ongoing low-power and low-revs issue is consistent with a restricted intake or restricted exhaust. And within those categories a bad/clogged cat is right up there on the possible-problem list. A new cat or at least a cat bypass pipe (for diagnosis only) might be worth trying.

......For now I'm waiting for exhaust gaskets. I pulled the crossover tube and I don't think it's leaking. (Can't get it completely out.)
Does anyone know if it will come out after I pull the converter and muffler? It appears the leak is the driver's side manifold.

[Helirich]

Not only will you find the exhaust gaskets blown, if it was driven for a long time with the leak you will have to have the manifolds ground flat. You also need the stud kit, you will probably break a few taking it apart. I do it with an Oxy-Acetalyne torch and usually get it all apart without breaking any. The kit comes with nuts and washers too. The better kits are S/S but they are pricey.

I got the kit with the studs. I do have a oxy-acetalyne. I may try it if things don't work out. I sprayed it good with PB blaster a couple days ago. I probably won't get to it for a few more.

Without answering your crossover pipe removal question your upcoming project (pulling the catalytic converter) may a good opportunity to at least take a good look at the cat itself.

Your ongoing low-power and low-revs issue is consistent with a restricted intake or restricted exhaust. And within those categories a bad/clogged cat is right up there on the possible-problem list. A new cat or at least a cat bypass pipe (for diagnosis only) might be worth trying.

I've allready had the cat off and it and the muffler are clear.

On the power/rev issue. I changed the plugs and it seemed to run better, but it got worse the longer I ran it. When I got back to the house, it was lugging terrible and finally quit in my driveway. When it was lugging, the volt meter was dropping to 8 volts and lights dimming. I was pondering towing back up to my shop when I decided to try the key. It started right up and ran great. The next day I took it out for a bit and it ran great again.

Theory, I have an old battery in the car. (17 year old Optima) It is just temporary battery I had around the shop. I wonder if it was working well while I had the headlights on. Possibly, the volts were so low, the ignition was failing. I have tested the alternator and it's good, but maybe that battery is fickle.

The plan is to fix my manifold leak and install all new ignition parts, in addition to a new battery.

[Helirich]

Not only will you find the exhaust gaskets blown, if it was driven for a long time with the leak you will have to have the manifolds ground flat. You also need the stud kit, you will probably break a few taking it apart. I do it with an Oxy-Acetalyne torch and usually get it all apart without breaking any. The kit comes with nuts and washers too. The better kits are S/S but they are pricey.

I got four studs out without much trouble. Broke the other two. Interesting, the easiest and the hardest to get to. (Very front and very rear) I just got done with the front one and was able to drill an 1/8" hole dead center down the stud. I then drilled a slightly larger drill bit and disintegrated the stud. Ran a tap down and it all cleaned up nicely. I was thinking of installing a helicoil, but the threads are tight.

The other one is going to be trouble. I will have to use a right angle drill to get in there. I don't see how I can be accurate on drilling down the center of the stud. I decided to sleep on it.

Without answering your crossover pipe removal question your upcoming project (pulling the catalytic converter) may a good opportunity to at least take a good look at the cat itself.

Your ongoing low-power and low-revs issue is consistent with a restricted intake or restricted exhaust. And within those categories a bad/clogged cat is right up there on the possible-problem list. A new cat or at least a cat bypass pipe (for diagnosis only) might be worth trying.

Rich, as I said above the cat is definitely clear. I put a light in one end and I could see it was all clear.

I think the exhaust is clear also, but I'm not as sure. I sprayed compressed air at the inlet from about 6" away. Then I held my hand at the outlets where I could feel the air coming out. It seemed to come out fine and it wouldn't take much blockage to stop the flow since I wasn't actually pressurizing it. I also shook it and couldn't feel or hear anything loose inside.

What How would you test it to ensure it was clear?

[Rich]

Rich, as I said above the cat is definitely clear. I put a light in one end and I could see it was all clear.

I think the exhaust is clear also, but I'm not as sure. I sprayed compressed air at the inlet from about 6" away. Then I held my hand at the outlets where I could feel the air coming out. It seemed to come out fine and it wouldn't take much blockage to stop the flow since I wasn't actually pressurizing it. I also shook it and couldn't feel or hear anything loose inside.

What How would you test it to ensure it was clear?

This article, along with its video, explains a few different tests you can consider running to verify whether your cat is OK or not.

I haven't run any of them myself.