Mat M

Thanks for setting me straight, fellas! And Stephan, thanks for that (again)! Honestly, I thought the scuff plate was the stamped "L" shaped aluminum piece on the outboard edge of the sill. What's that thing called then?

It's a rocker panel. I haven't been able to find any without rust. Please let us know if you find one sans cancer and where!

How long did it take, Stephen? Would you use it on your other vehicles?

PM sent.

can I have my minute back?

If I Recall Correctly

I apologize, I was wrong. I checked the BMW. The CLUTCH uses brake fluid. The power steering has tranny fluid. DUH!

Not trying to sound d!ckish, but what does the owner's manual instruct? I have a 76 BMW that requires brake fluid for not only the brakes, but the power steering, as well.

OK, I'm curious. Stephan, do you have any scratches, or just oxidation on that 810?

Good info, JC! I thought I was having the same problem with my bearings until I found that when I grabbed hold of the tire and shook, I saw the entire steering rack wobbling back and forth! The bushings are so toasted, they no longer exist.

Again, another thread with more than a week with no reply from the OP. hmm...

When my car was ready for a detail, i looked into all sorts of options. When I researched, I found there were almost as many opinions as there were people. I opted to start with a wash (naturally), 3M finishing glaze, no clay bar, hand applied, hand buff-out and 3M wax. very slick! As has been stated, be firm, but gentle. I if the paint is original, you don't know how deep it is, especially on raised contour changes. I get a bit of oxidation every time I glaze.

I do appreciate that. I hope someone who lives close to Sacramento would be able to make the same offer. I live about 14 miles from the Marshal Gold Discovery site on the Amercian River (Coloma). One of the searches I ran online gave me a hit with a link to a car site where the bypassing of the AIV was documented. It was on a 240SX. Apparently this failure was so common (carboned reed valves) that Nissan decided to design a better system, eliminating the AIV.

Again, thank you Stephen. I researched the FSM, and did some research about the Emission Control system, and found that the reed valves of the AIV (air injection valve) unit is the most likely to get gummed up and give nasty readings. Next on the list was the EGR valve. I also read that the timing is set at the factory for 20 +/- 2 degrees BTDC. So, first thing's first. I pulled off and opened up the AIV unit, and MAN that thing was CAKED with carbon and crud! When I sprayed the little vacuum dashpot with carb and choke cleaner to try to free up the valve, the housing disintegrated in my hand! The reed valves were BLACK. It took a whole can of carb/choke cleaner with a small brush, and still wasn't coming clean. I disassembled the brass reed valves and hit them with an abrasive (I think its Nyloc) wheel, and made them shiny. Reassembled the unit, sans dashpot, and reinstall. I also dumped about 1/2 can of seafoam in the oil, and the rest through a vacuum tube just aft of the throttle body. Man did that think SMOKE!!! The bottle reads "fumes will be extreme". That's no lie! New spark plugs tomorrow. I will open up the EGR and tube the next chance I get free.

Well, I am pretty sure we can make an exception, because even Porsche guys will be there...

I second the motion. You don't even want to know who bumped my "why men shouldn't own action figures" thread in Funnybone!!!

It happens. Have you made any mods? is you car stock? What is your car, for that matter? carbs or injection? Sounds like fuel to me, but I have nowhere to go without the above info.

I hope it lasts. You never replied to my question regarding having your tank boiled.

This is contrary to everything I have ever read about elec. FPs.

Why wait? If you have an elec. FP, you won't need the mechanical one. Electric PFs are literally only $30 bucks, new, $5 at a P&P. Do you have a grinder, or a Dremmel type tool and a drill motor with a set of bits?? If you can find some plate stock, even if it's from an old file cabinet, you can make a template out of the mech. FP gasket, get some RTV, and make your own block off plate. *It's sad that in this day and age, one must succomb to doing the following:* WARNING- IF you DO decide to go with an elec. FP, please go the extra mile to ensure you have some sort of automatic shutoff device, wether it be a relay connected to the oil pressure sender, or otherwise. I for one, and I am sure others on this site, would not want to have you and your car engulfed in flames fed by an electric FP that did not disengage in the event of an accident.

Besides, as I recall, vapor lock is defined as the fuel heating up over the exhaust manifold to a point where it begns to disassociate.

Emphasis mine. DING DING DING, we have a winner. Have you had your fuel tank 'boiled'? These are THE EXACT symptoms I was having before I bit the bullet, dropped the tank, and had a radiator shop boil the thing out. My diagnosis: there is crud either in the pick-up tube, or on the pick-up screen, that when left alone, settles out of the way enough to begin letting fuel through, then eventually jams itself in the pick-up tube when the flow lifts it back into place. The givaway is the elec. FP, quiet at first, then when the restriction hits, it gets noisy. It can't overcome the clog, and the mechanism starts to cavitate. [edit] I should also add that my car was dying wether or not I had my elec. FP installed, and wether or not I had my in-line regulator at 2 PSI or 5. [/edit]

With all the trouble you have been having...how do you KNOW the mech pump is fine? Have you actually pulled the mech. pump and opened it up to see: A) if the diapragm is actually intact; (one of mine was torn) the one-way valves are functioning properly; and C) the return spring hasn't dislodged (l also has a pump return spring diengage)????

If you have the flat tops, that means you probably have the N36 intake manifold, which has been rumored to breathe better than the E88s on earlier models. I would suggest keeping that manifold, getting a balance tube for the roundtops from a junkyard or other private source (*ahem* there are many on this board alone *ahem*), and get the 4 screw SU package from ZTherapy.

Thank you Stephen. I am reading up on the emission control system now. I am concerned that the AIV unit's reed valve just might be gunked up. Something else in the long, and ever growing, list to check and clean. Also, the FSM states "DO NOT CLEAN AIR FLOW METER WITH ANY TYPE OF DETERGENT" does this include carb/choke cleaner? That is a very informative site.