Warm weather at last!

[tesco]

What are those new guages going to read out?

btw, off topic kinda, how do I fix my broken temperature guage? It just reads cold 24/7 (aka, the needle doesn't move at all, and I know the engine is heating up). :/

[clocker]

The new gauges read water temp, oil temp and oil pressure.

Ross, there are only three parts of your temp circuit...the gauge itself, the sending unit and the wiring in between.
If all your other gauges/indicators work then it's not the gauge panel fuse and probably not the gauge, either.

If you've recently been mucking about under the hood perhaps the sensor wire got dislodged.
If it's intact then I'd guess the most likely culprit would be the sending unit.

[tesco]

Ah, where would I find the sending unit to check the wire? What does it look like?
This is a 1992 GMC safari

The temp guage has been thsi way since I got teh van, but the last owner could have unhooked it possibly (accidently, i mean)...

[j2k4]

Ah, where would I find the sending unit to check the wire? What does it look like?
This is a 1992 GMC safari

The temp guage has been thsi way since I got teh van, but the last owner could have unhooked it possibly (accidently, i mean)...

If Clocker isn't right (and we must admit there is a slight chance of that) I'd speculate the problem is the sender; by 1992 (especially in family-truckster type vehicles like your Safari) what GM and the other American automakers used were electronic rather than mechanical gauges, thus if the gauge actually has a scaled face, what you have is an idiot gauge, as opposed to an idiot light or a proper mechanical gauge.

Just thought you'd like to know.

BTW-if it's the 4.3 V-6, the temp sender should be in the area of the thermostat housing on the intake manifold.

[tesco]

Ah, where would I find the sending unit to check the wire? What does it look like?
This is a 1992 GMC safari

The temp guage has been thsi way since I got teh van, but the last owner could have unhooked it possibly (accidently, i mean)...

If Clocker isn't right (and we must admit there is a slight chance of that) I'd speculate the problem is the sender; by 1992 (especially in family-truckster type vehicles like your Safari) what GM and the other American automakers used were electronic rather than mechanical gauges, thus if the gauge actually has a scaled face, what you have is an idiot gauge, as opposed to an idiot light or a proper mechanical gauge.

Just thought you'd like to know.

BTW-if it's the 4.3 V-6, the temp sender should be in the area of the thermostat housing on the intake manifold.

It's the 4.3 v6, isn't that the only one?

Thanks for the info, i'll take a look tommorrow or when I get a chance and post back.


edit: Bah. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_t...997_GMC_Safari

the thermostat is located on the safari is located top front center of engine, remove the air filter box and the air intake , also remove top portion of the fan shroud,then follow the top radiator hose directly to it . it will take more time getting to it, then it will to replace it.

When I replaced the air filter I remember seeing a wire hanging around not connecte dto anything, and spent some time looking but couldn't figure out where it goes. I bet that's it.
But to get to it I need to open the hatch thingy INSIDE the vehicle, which is wayy too much trouble. Took me about an hour to open, hour to shut last time because of all the custom shelves, etc. in the way

[j2k4]

If Clocker isn't right (and we must admit there is a slight chance of that) I'd speculate the problem is the sender; by 1992 (especially in family-truckster type vehicles like your Safari) what GM and the other American automakers used were electronic rather than mechanical gauges, thus if the gauge actually has a scaled face, what you have is an idiot gauge, as opposed to an idiot light or a proper mechanical gauge.

Just thought you'd like to know.

BTW-if it's the 4.3 V-6, the temp sender should be in the area of the thermostat housing on the intake manifold.

It's the 4.3 v6, isn't that the only one?

Thanks for the info, i'll take a look tommorrow or when I get a chance and post back.


edit: Bah. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_t...997_GMC_Safari

the thermostat is located on the safari is located top front center of engine, remove the air filter box and the air intake , also remove top portion of the fan shroud,then follow the top radiator hose directly to it . it will take more time getting to it, then it will to replace it.

When I replaced the air filter I remember seeing a wire hanging around not connecte dto anything, and spent some time looking but couldn't figure out where it goes. I bet that's it.
But to get to it I need to open the hatch thingy INSIDE the vehicle, which is wayy too much trouble. Took me about an hour to open, hour to shut last time because of all the custom shelves, etc. in the way

Negative, you should be able to locate it easily from under the hood; just follow your upper radiator hose back to the engine.

[tesco]

It's the 4.3 v6, isn't that the only one?

Thanks for the info, i'll take a look tommorrow or when I get a chance and post back.


edit: Bah. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_t...997_GMC_Safari

the thermostat is located on the safari is located top front center of engine, remove the air filter box and the air intake , also remove top portion of the fan shroud,then follow the top radiator hose directly to it . it will take more time getting to it, then it will to replace it.

When I replaced the air filter I remember seeing a wire hanging around not connecte dto anything, and spent some time looking but couldn't figure out where it goes. I bet that's it.
But to get to it I need to open the hatch thingy INSIDE the vehicle, which is wayy too much trouble. Took me about an hour to open, hour to shut last time because of all the custom shelves, etc. in the way

Negative, you should be able to locate it easily from under the hood; just follow your upper radiator hose back to the engine.

Alright, will do.

[clocker]

Thread revival time.
Much has happened in the past month or so.

Although my RX has many pressing issues to deal with before my big summer trip, the one thing that always bothered me the most was the horrible wheels.
When I first bought the car it was in dire need of tires and I was forced to buy them knowing that they may be redundant when new rims were purchased.
On April 2nd I won an eBay auction for some more suitable wheels that already had tires mounted and just figured I'd keep the originals around for extreme winter usage.
The end of April rolled around and still no wheels and even worse, no communication from the seller.
Filed a Paypal claim and ten days later was awarded 2/3 of what I had paid...basically got screwed but better than nothing.

Found another set of wheels/tires on the RX7 forum and just got them last Friday.
Following is a cut/paste of my message to the seller...

Wheels finally arrived...in a very roundabout way.
Took the day off so I could be home when they came.

First Fedex truck rolled through around three but did not stop. I chased him through the neighborhood and finally caught him and he said "No, those would be on the Ground Delivery truck" that would be around later.

Sure enough, about seven a bigger Fedex truck rolls by but again, does not stop. Flag him down and no wheels.
He gives me the number of the depot manager and I call.
Gee, she doesn't know what's going on but will call me back.
An hour later I find out that one pair of wheels never made it onto any truck at all and are still sitting in the warehouse.
The other pair are on the wrong truck. Delivery will now be Monday...so sorry.

Not gonna happen, says I- my car is on jacks waiting for wheels and I need 'em tonight.
Well, if I want I can wait till the driver with the wheels checks back in and can come pick them up.
Finally, around nine I get the call to come and get them.

Drive fifteen miles to the depot and pick up the two packages.
Very clever way to tie them up, BTW.

Undo the tiedowns and wonder which tires I want on the front...then I notice the insides and know immediately which set you had on the front.
Pull out my disc grinder and take a few mm off the pad that sticks out of the caliper body...sure glad someone else (presumably you?) got to "clearance" the insides of the spokes- that must have made a hell of a racket for a few miles.

Mount wheels and drop the front off the jackstands...oops. Shoulda checked the air pressure...tires are flat.
Rejack front end, dismount wheels and go searching for a gas station that still has an air pump...they used to be everywhere, now they're as rare a hen's teeth.
Finally score, six dollars in quarters later we have a nice set of inflated tires.
Back home, REmount wheels and back on the ground...decide I can't wait and have to try this out.
Car rolls fine but there is a slight bit of clacking when the brakes are applied...this disappears after five or six stops and I hit the highway.
Car steers fine, no pulling, wheels seem well balanced so I head for the nearest twisty road...Turkey Creek Canyon.

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!
THIS is what the RX should handle like!
I've been rolling on 205/55/16's since I bought the car in December and was beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about...the Mazda was OK but didn't begin to compare to my 1971 Z, which handled like a skateboard.

First turn I almost hit the inside canyon wall- gone was the understeer that the taller, skinny tires had and the transitions were much crisper.

I am one happy camper.

So, now that the biggest visual problem had been fixed I turned my attention to the less exciting- but more important- issues.
First, a new battery.

Car came with a Wal-Mart battery only loosely sitting on the battery tray.
That has been replaced with an Optima Red Top and proper hold down arrangement.
Also fabricated new battery cables.

Next, the engine.
Supposedly my engine had been rebuilt within the last 10k miles but I have every reason to doubt the veracity of the previous owners (there was no documentation to back up this claim) so I've been searching for a reputable and knowledgable rotary specialist to consult.
Last week I finally found such a man and today the RX went through her initial evaluation.

Well, seems my doubts were justified...compression, while not awful, is not what a freshly rebuilt motor should have.
She's still eminently drivable and in no danger of catastrophic failure but I should start saving my pennies (about 30,000 of 'em, to be accurate) and planning on a rebuild.
Crap.

I also have an increasingly irritating oil leak that stems from the oil pan- next Monday that gets dealt with. Were it as simple as dropping the pan and replacing a gasket, I'd do it myself but naturally, being a rotary, it's not...there is special adhesive used (regular RTV sealant apparently fails within a few hundred miles) and the passenger side motor mount is part of the oil pan (go figure)... so he's going to do it to the tune of $100.
A minor leak from the speedo cable drive gear I'll handle myself...seals are ordered.

As icing on the cake, after the hood was dropped and the car started to pull out of the bay, a high pitched squeal ululated from the engine compartment.

F%*king rear bearing on the alternator died.
Great.
I had heard nary a peep from the alt but when it went, it went bigtime.
Fortunately he had a used 3rd gen alternator he was more than happy to sell me.
This is a popular upgrade for my car...almost a drop in conversion, it ups the output from 80 to 100 amps.
All that's required is a pulley swap and a spacer for the tensioner.
Oops, there goes another $100.

C'est la vie as VB might say.

Fortunately, after next Monday's labors the bulk of my renovation should be done (assuming we don't find a dead rat or an apex seal laying in the oil pan) and I can just enjoy the car for a while as I save for the rebuild.

Pics of the progress shall follow anon.

As you were.

[Virtualbody1234]

C'est la vie de l'automoble! (ou du char) slang.

Bagnole?

[j2k4]

Le singe est sur la branche.

That what I hear, anyway.

Here's hoping no further negative developments ensue.