Brak's 98 EX

[Brak]

Hey guys,
Picked up my 98 EX back in Dec, but i haven't done much to it due to the fact that MN winters are brutal, making driveway repairs utterly miserable. Now that things are starting to warm up a bit, it's time to start.

I found this car on Facebook, dude was convinced it had a bad head gasket, so i took it home for $400

Turned out, whoever worked on it previously, didn't use the reducers for the upper radiator hose, which meant it was spraying coolant all over the engine bay, every time it was driven.

Replaced the radiator, and both hoses (using the included reducers of course), and i've been driving it daily ever since.

-- EDIT--
It's got new plates, so i didn't bother covering them :p

 

[Brak]

The car came with Snow tires on steelies, which at first seemed great, because.... Well, it is Minnesota...
the thing is, we've had little to no snow over the last 2 months, so i've been chewing them up on the dry pavement. it's about time i swap them out.

Been searching for a while, and stumbled across a set of 16" MB Drifters with good rubber for $200

While swapping them out, i found one broken stud, and another that was cross threaded, so i guess that's what i'm doing tomorrow.

and yeah, the car is dirty... Roads are still covered in salt, so that's also on the agenda tomorrow.

 

[Orion575]

The car came with Snow tires on steelies, which at first seemed great, because.... Well, it is Minnesota...
the thing is, we've had little to no snow over the last 2 months, so i've been chewing them up on the dry pavement, so it's about time i swap them out.

Been searching for a while, and stumbled across a set of 16" MB Drifters with good rubber for $200

While swapping them out, i found one broken stud, and another that was cross threaded, so i guess that's what i'm doing tomorrow.

and yeah, the car is dirty... Roads are still covered in salt, so that's also on the agenda tomorrow.

Nice rims! I just got myself a set of 15" Enkei rims with almost new tires for $180.

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[Brak]

Dude! Nice Find.
those are what i wanted, only in gunmetal.

 

[Orion575]

Dude! Nice Find. [emoji106]
those are what i wanted, only in gunmetal.

I had a 17" Koenig rims before but they were kind of big. So I decided to a 15

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[Brak]

Rock on.
I was looking for 15's, but the 16's were too good of a deal to pass up.
i couldn't imagine going any bigger, especially if i decide to lower the ride height a bit.

 

[Orion575]

Rock on.
I was looking for 15's, but the 16's were too good of a deal to pass up.
i couldn't imagine going any bigger, especially if i decide to lower the ride height a bit.

I'm thinking to get a set of springs and lower mine too.

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[Brak]

I've used lowering springs on several cars, and the ride has always ended up too harsh, so I think this time around, I'll leave it stock untill I can afford some coilovers.

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[Orion575]

I've used lowering springs on several cars, and the ride has always ended up too harsh, so I think this time around, I'll leave it stock untill I can afford some coilovers.

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Agree. Coilovers is a better idea.

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[Brak]

So, today i went to replace my valve cover, with a new one i picked up, and i found a random vaccum line just hanging out disconnected.

It lines up perfectly with the hose support on the back of the valve cover, and appears to be connected to a sensor the thermostat housing.
I assume it went to the stock air box...

Anyone know what this is?

 

[Orion575]

So, today i went to replace my valve cover, with a new one i picked up, and i found a random vaccum line just hanging out disconnected.

It lines up perfectly with the hose support on the back of the valve cover, and appears to be connected to a sensor the thermostat housing.
I assume it went to the stock air box...

Anyone know what this is?

You are right. I think it should connect to an intake air box.

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[Otto85]

That hose runs to the underside of your throttle body. you can see the hose in my pic from my 96 ex zigzag to the throttle body

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[Brak]

That hose runs to the underside of your throttle body. you can see the hose in my pic from my 96 ex zigzag to the throttle body
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Otto, that's a different hose than the one i'm tracing...

here's a pic with the hose disconnected, it's clearly a switch of some sort, but i don't know what.
you can see the hose you referenced to the right

 

[Otto85]

Looking at it from that angle thats not it

 

[Brak]

Well this week has been a total s**t show.

I got my valve cover, plugs and wires swapped out on sunday, but had to wait until monday to get my hub pressed off to replace the wheel studs.

Against my better judgement, I set the parking brake, since the car was going to be up on a jack stand for an extended period of time.
Big mistake, as the rear passenger side wouldn't release. Ended up having to cut the cable.

Today I blew a heater hose, while driving down the freeway...

Guess i know what i'm doing this weekend.

 

[Otto85]

That hose is actually not a vacuume hose its tied to your coolant system. Which motor do you have in the car cuz the stock d16y8 does not have that fitting. Sorry about my original comment from the angle of the pic it looked like the port i referenced but ya that fitting is not in the stock y8 system as you can see from this diagram

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[Brak]

Sorry for going silent. the weather had warmed up, but got stupid cold again, and i don't have a garage.

That hose is actually not a vacuume hose its tied to your coolant system. Which motor do you have in the car cuz the stock d16y8 does not have that fitting. Sorry about my original comment from the angle of the pic it looked like the port i referenced but ya that fitting is not in the stock y8 system as you can see from this diagram
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The engine is a D16Y8. if it was pulled from another vehicle, that might explain the difference. either way, i've checked everything, and nothing apears to be missing, or leaking.
if the weather is nice, i'm going to pull that sensor/switch, and look for a part number, see if i can't figure something out...

On the agenda for this weekend:
- New upper control arms for the front. ball joint is shot, and it's just easier/cheaper to replace the whole control arm.

- At the same time, i'll throw on some Koni Yellows. bit overkill, but a steal of a deal @ $120 for the pair.

- My gauge bezel came in, so i'll work on wiring them up. Volt & Oil Pressure, because i can't deal with the anxiety of not knowing... I don't know how anyone can operate a vehicle, using idiot lights alone.

- Also, i should probably get out the timing light. i've been noticing an erratic idle when stopped.

--EDIT--
I guess i should also try to figure out why SRS & CEL are constantly lit.

 

[Otto85]

As I stated earlier it's not part of the stock setup but it's clearly hooked I to the coolant system, honestly don't know maybe someone tapped in a makeshift bleeder valve? If there's nothing pushing through with the engine running and no cel I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like you've got a bit of work in your hands anyways. As for the idle issue I'd pop the radiator cap and make sure it's topped off properly especially after the coolant hose issue, bubble in the coolant system will cause that

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[Brak]

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!
Its the "Air Assist Solenoid" i found pictures here

Looks like they added this system for 99/00, and based on the pictures, mine is broken, so i'll replace it with a plug.

Although... It might help with the aforementioned idle issue.
we'll see.

---EDIT---
Otto, the CEL is always on, along with SRS. car came that way, but my scanner shows no codes present
Dont Worry, It's on the list.

 

[XpL0d3r]

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!
Its the "Air Assist Solenoid" i found pictures here

Looks like they added this system in 2000, and based on the pictures, mine is broken, so i'll replace it with a plug.

Although... It might help with the aforementioned idle issue.
we'll see.

Good stuff man! Let us know if repairing it solves the issue.

PS, I expect pics of your '73 Opel GT project sometime soon