Man it's hot out. More like humid. Anyways, been a rough week I guess. Every single time I go through a bad patch with this damn car, I feel like hell during it and finally when it's fixed, I feel it was worth the wait. I hope one of these times I'll learn to just stop being so emo about shit and take it as it comes.

Anyways, picked up the car from NGP last week, drove it straight to a local shop where a buddy of mine works to replace the alternator and a few odds and ends i.e. tie rods and the such. Hell, she even went through a safety inspection and passed.

Without me paying the dude off! (haha)

I drove her home yesterday and she sounded like absolute garbage. Not really misfiring per say, just sounding like a gurgling STI. So in a fit, I almost lost my cool and walked away. It was dinner time, I had to meet a client downtown and so Kate dragged me away from Roxy for a few hours. Of course I was thinking about what could be wrong the entire time... so after a few beers later I was calm(er), dinner was over and on the way home I decided to go to the parts store at 10pm (I don't know how I ended up with a wife that puts up with me pt1) and got some spark plugs.

We get home at 11, kate is passing out on the couch because she's so tired and I went down to the car to start pulling plugs and wires until I finally found plug number 2 was covered in what looked like carbon or oil. Ugh, just what I need now is a leaky ring or valve seal. Kate even came down to hold the light for me while I worked. (I don't know how I ended up with a wife that puts up with me pt2)

Popped in a new plug and took her for a test drive. I'm sure I woke up just about every neighbor in town going back and forth down the quiet, dark main drive behind the houses at 9 psi. I totally forgot how fast she was though =) It's just stupid fast now even at low boost that I got out of the car and my arms were still all jittery and I had a smile wide across my face.

All seemed to be well so I went to bed. If it's a bad ring or seal, fuck it. I'll drive it and keep replacing plugs until it dies or I'm ready to rebuild the engine. Hopefully it will last until winter *crosses fingers*

Woke up this morning and re-installed that little piston doodad that came on OBD1 throttle bodies to hopefully slow down the deceleration of the idle so she wouldn't stall out on me when I went into neutral. I adjusted the idle a bit more from 900 to 1050ish and she seems to keep idle fine... once she's warmed up that is. Oh well, guess it's the price ya pay when you start removing niceties in the engine bay such as the idle stabilization valve.

Funny thing happened on a test drive this afternoon... I didn't tighten the set screw for the idle that well and I guess it shook loose and bumped the idle to 2200. So I was at a light on the way home and it just kept revving really high and some old lady pulled up next to me and gave me the worst look (oops).

So yeah, lots to button up. Need to get front turn signals working, front plate attached, need to add all the goodies to the engine bay I have saved up and somehow get the center console back on and around the rallye shifter since it now takes up my entire trans column hump in the car (doh).

Good to have her back in the carport.

This entry was posted by JKREW, on Saturday, May 9, 2009. You can leave your response.