Maintenance – Page 5 – Eds Delorean

Polyurethane Sway Bar Bushings

Posted on May 25, 2012October 21, 2023 by Eddie

I’m trying to reduce vibrations while driving. It was recommended to try some poly sway bar bushings.

Old bushings, new ones:

While I had the sway bar out, I POR 15 painted it:

Old paint flaking off?

Can’t tell, but it’s now glossy black:

I crossed some threads reinstalling the bolts to the sway bar in the crumble tube. I reinstalled the bolt, and it went in a little rough. Ugh.

Costs:

Bushings for end (set of 4): $75.00
Bushings for clamps (set of 2): $34.00
POR15: On hand

Fuel Pump Woes

Posted on December 27, 2011October 21, 2023 by Eddie

I discovered late last year that my car refused to start. I confirmed I had spark, and dumped some fuel in the intake, and the car almost started. I confirmed I had power at the pump, so I decided to finally swap it.

Old fuel hoses, recommended to be replaced:

Kinked pickup hose I found:

Old vinyl-ish cover, new rubber cover

The kinked pickup hose was probably chocking the pump:

Old fuel pump support ring:

New pump, boot cover, hoses:

New pickup hose, old kinked hose

Newly replated ring, old ring

Old pickup screen:

Everything installed, checking for leaks. Found one, so I had to remove it all, use new washers, and reassemble:

Reference:

I didn’t get many new pictures reinstalling everything. After replacing the pump and hoses, the car still wouldn’t start. I checked voltage at the pump again, and was getting some wonky voltages. I grounded the pump directly to the frame, and sure enough, my fuel pump came to life, as did the car. For now, I’ve left the pump grounded to the frame, which is not recommended since it bypasses the inertia switch (major safety concern).

I also I previously had bought the fuel pump and new hoses in April 2011. See the previous blog post for those costs.

I bought another fuel hose and clamps to someday replace the hose near the accumulator. I also bought a hot air damn, so the radiator fans wouldn’t blow hot air over the fuel tank. I meant to make my own, but decided against it due to the time involved. In retrospect, I should have made it.

Quantity	Item	Vendor	Cost
1	Fuel Filter Screen	SpecialTAuto.com	$16.95
4	12mm x 1.5 copper sealing washer		$1.40
1	Radiator Air Dam		$59.95
	Shipping		$11.80
1	Fuel Pickup hose	DMC Midwest	$41.95
1	Fuel Hose		$7.50
2	Fuel Hose Clamps		$3.30
1	Fuel Pump Support		$5.00
	Tax		$4.48
			$152.33

Brakes

Posted on May 17, 2011October 21, 2023 by Eddie

I found out my reservoir was causing a fluid leak, and not the Brake Master Cylinder after all. I was able to find a brake master cylinder with reservoir at NAPA for over $314, however opted not to buy it. Similar new units on eBay were around $200. DMC Europe sells a new Reservoir, but I decided against overseas shipping and currency conversion. I tried to find a better deal. Sure enough, Amazon turned up this gem:

The Centric unit “Includes Reservoir And Cap, Brake Sensor Switch.” I choose free shipping, and waited about a week for it to show up. It arrived, and sure enough, the Brake Master Cylinder did *not* include the reservoir! I sent it back for a full refund. I lost about 2 weeks with that purchase. The price has since been raised more than $25.

I explored a few local salvage yards without any luck. Then, miraculously, I was able to purchase a NOS Girling Brake Master Cylinder with reservoir on eBay. Here’s the unit I purchased:

My D’s reservoir and the new reservoir compared:

My old yellow tank’s build date is between 1978 and 1980. The new tank looks to be made sometime around 1983 or 1984.

I installed the new(er) tank with my old cap, all mounted on my new brake master cylinder. It held fluid! No more leaks!

I ended up reselling the NOS Girling unit (without the reservoir) on eBay.

While waiting for my Girling unit to arrive, I also went on a buying spree and bought another Saab Reservoir and a complete Saab Brake Master Cylinder with Reservoir on eBay.

The Saab reservoir would need different grommets since the tank connections are larger. Also, there aren’t any mounting points for the Saab reservoir. My old unit left, Saab unit right:

I also found a local parts store that carries Castrol GT LMA, albeit the 12oz bottles.

Now I’ve got lots of spare parts. Hopefully I can sell some more on eBay:

Costs

Vendor		Cost	Shipping	Tax	Fees	Total
Amazon.com	Centric Brake Master Cylinder	-43.25	0			-$43.25
Amazon.com	Return Centric Brake Master Cylinder	43.25	0			$43.25
eBay	NOS Girling Brake Master Cylinder with Reservoir	-$49.26	-$10.49			-$59.75
eBay	1987 Saab 900 Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir	-$12.95	-$7.25			-$20.20
eBay	Saab 900 Brake Master Cylinder with Reservoir	-$29.95	-$12.95			-$42.90
eBay	NOS Girling Brake Master Cylinder	$57.66	-$11.00		-$7.46	$39.20
						-$83.65

Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts	(5) 12oz Castrol GT LMA Brake Fluid	-$12.45		-$1.03		-$13.48

So far, $83.65 to find a working reservoir. Hopefully I can recover some more money if I sell some parts on eBay.

More Winter Maintenance!

Posted on April 1, 2011October 21, 2023 by Eddie

Projects Completed:

Install Transmission governor clamp
Change Final Drive oil
Change Transmission Oil
Change Engine Oil
Install Dynamat
Replace rusted ground bolt on rear bulkhead
Replace fuse in headlight switch
Added Dynamat
Replace Brake Master Cylinder
Replaced last two 30-year-old coolant hoses
Unblocked my air ducts
Flush the coolant

To do:

Replace leaking Brake Fluid Reservoir
Bleed Brakes
Put all interior pieces back in
Replace fuel pump
Replace fuel pump boot

Here’s more pics. I should buy stock in Castrol:

Filling the final drive:

Cleaning the reservoir, new Brake Master Cylinder ready:

New BMC and old reservoir:

Bench Bleed kit:

It now appears the reservoir is leaking, and possibly the old BMC wasn’t…

Unsuccessfully bleeding the system, still leaking fluid:

Bleeding the calipers:

I added up all the receipts I had, and guessed on the other items:

Vendor	Item	Cost	Shipping	Tax	Total
Meijer	Antifeeze	$10.49		$0.91	$12.27
Meijer	Distilled Water	$0.87		$0.91	$12.27
Autozone	Sta-Bil	$5.99		$0.49	$6.48
Autozone	1 Quart Coastal DexMerc ATF	$3.49		$0.29	$3.78
Advance Auto Parts	Castrol 20W-50 1 Gallon	$13.99		$2.31	$30.29
Advance Auto Parts	Castrol 20W-50 1 Gallon	$13.99		$2.31	$30.29
Pep Boys	Castrol GT LMA 32oz	$8.99		$2.39	$31.35
	Castrol GT LMA 32oz	$8.99
	Castrol Gear Oil	$5.49
	Castrol Gear Oil	$5.49
Pep Boys	Castrol GT LMA 32oz	$8.99		$1.11	$14.59
Pep Boys	Castrol GT LMA 12oz	$4.49		$1.11	$14.59
Amazon.com	Dynamat 4 Sheet Kit	$49.98			$49.98
Amazon.com	Dynamat Bulk Pack	$138.37			$138.37
DMC Midwest	Brake Master Cylinder	$124.95	$12.83	$9.68	$147.46
DMC Midwest	Fuel Pump Boot Cover	$29.75		$11.65	$162.00
	(2) Fuel Hose	$15.00
	(4) Fuel Clamp	$6.60
	Fuel Pump	$99.00
Amazon.com	Scotch Brite Stainless Pads	$24.90	$6.55	$0.00	$31.45
PJ Grady	Automatic Transmission Clamp	$25.00	?	?	$25.00
O’Reily Auto Parts	Brake Bleeder Kit	$8.99		?	$8.99
Amazon.com	Motive Pressure Bleeder European	$47.49			$47.49
Total					$709.50

Winter Projects!

Posted on March 1, 2011October 21, 2023 by Eddie

Last picture before winter maintenance:

Adding some Dynamat. Looks like just about 20lbs.

Stripping the interior:

So that’s why my airflow is so off:

Probably not a good idea to store parts on the hood:

Nasty looking, deteriorating foam

Garbage. I weighed it at some point, but forgot what it was.

Replaceing my headlight switch fuse:

Interior Parts store in my basement:

I noticed some red marks on the Dynamat. It turns out, I was making them. Dynamat is sharp!

Dirty, rusted ground. Time to split a nut:

My pump has been buzzing, and my boot cover has been leaking. So I bought new ones:

Under the computer…

My computer has been missing this bracket on the transmission, and the part is unavailable. I finally got one! I don’t know if I’ve ever been so happy to buy a piece of metal. Thank you, Rob!

Leaky Brake Master Cylinder? I found fluid on it, and corrosion on the booster:

Another project! Replace the leaking Brake Master Cylinder:

Driver’s Side Axle Rebuild

Posted on June 17, 2010October 21, 2023 by Eddie

I took two days off work before DCS 2010 to relax. On Tuesday, June 15^th, while reinstalling my trailing arm shields, I discovered one of the driver’s side axle boots came off and threw grease everywhere. In 2007, I had the previous owner replace my axles after one of the boots came off. Too bad he made the same mistake again – he secured the boots with zip ties! Also, the boot on the other side of the axle was torn. This is very messy work, and with the clock ticking until DCS (we leave Thursday, June 17^th), I didn’t worry about taking many pictures. The damage:

I decided to buy some grease, two boot clamps (they were cheap), and borrow the CV boot clamp tool from Autozone, and put the boot back on. I’d leave the other torn boot alone.

I successfully shoved CV grease into the boot, and re-clamped it.
Success!
Except I started reading on the internet about how different CV greases shouldn’t be mixed, which could eventually cause failure of the joint.
Failure!
With only one full day left before DCS, I decided to rebuilt both CV joints properly. I removed the axle on Tuesday night, and began degreasing and cleaning everything. I ended up destroying one of the new clamps, and grease that I had bought earlier in the day.

Nitrile gloves, a few rolls of paper towels, and a sheet of cardboard under your work area are essential for this job.

On Wednesday morning, I drove to DMC Midwest, and purchased two CV boot kits. Special thanks to the staff for helping me purchase parts, while they were preparing to leave for DCS. I raced back home, and reassembled the joints:

The smaller clamps in the kit are too big, and zip ties are acceptable substitutes. Packed with grease, and clamped together correctly:

My first picture in this blog post shows a strange flare on the axle. I’m not sure why there is a flare, but I’m blaming the previous owner. The flare prevented me from using sockets on the bolts, so I pounded the flare out. I still couldn’t attach a clamp properly, and ended up ruining the supplied clamp. I had just one more extra clamp from NAPA (glad I bought two!), and ended up using a zip tie as a spacer:

Done! I reinstalled the axle, and drove several miles to test out the car. So far so good. So much for two days of rest. We leave for DCS tomorrow morning.

Part	Vendor	Cost	Tax
CV Grease	O’Reily Auto Parts	3.69	.30
(2) CV Boot Clamps	NAPA	4.91
(2) Axle Boot Kit	DMC MIdwest	20.00	1.55
CV Boot Clamp Tool	AutoZone	15.00	1.20
CV Boot Clamp Tool Refund	AutoZone	-15.00	-1.20
Blue Threadlocker	Ace Hardware	4.49

Seat Bottom Repair

Posted on June 13, 2010October 21, 2023 by Eddie

Both of my seat bottoms split. This made the seats sink, and feel really uncomfortable.

I tried putting wood and foam underneath them, but then adjusting the position of the seats was complicated.

Also, new seat covers were installed a few years ago by the previous owner, however they were installed too loose. Crooked passenger seat:

Loose, sunk-in driver’s seat, which began to bunch up:

I finally broke down and took the seats to an auto upholstery shop. They rebuilt the seat bottoms with some canvas-like material. They also tightened and straightened the seat covers. Straightened passenger seat:

When I picked up the seats from the upholstery place, one of the metal links wasn’t attached to the seat bottom. The hole was cut in the canvas, but it was never attached. I had them go in and fix it. They couldn’t find the right plastic pieces, so they used washer and a cotter pin. New seat bottom:

After some cleaning and treatment with Leatherique, the seats have never looked better:

Costs

Upholstery Work: $300

Spare Tire Maintenance

Posted on April 19, 2010October 21, 2023 by Eddie

I decided my 30 year old rock-hard spare tire had to be replaced. I found it’s impossible to find a new spare online, so I decided to visit a salvage yard. Sure enough, I found the T125/70D15 tire was a common size on several junked cars. I found the newest car I could find, with the spare (a wrecked 2004 Hyundai). The manufactured date on the tire says 2003, and the rubber had never been used. I didn’t bother measuring to see if the 4 bolt pattern was the same as the Delorean’s. The cashier said $12, and I felt great about my purchase.

Old tire:

Old tire, new tire:

I jacked up the car, and removed a rear wheel to see if my new hub would clear the brake caliper. It didn’t. And the 4 bolt pattern wasn’t correct. That’s ok, the Delorean’s aluminum rim looks nicer.

So I visited a tire shop, and asked them to transfer the newer tire to the D rim. They said they didn’t have the tools to do it. They also said new spares can’t be bought, because the automobile Industry has 100% of the market. Yup, I confirmed that.

So I visited another tire shop, and they said they transfer it. They even disposed of the no-longer-needed steel rim.

New(er) tire, old rim:

My spare, with a can of fix a flat, a plastic tire bag, and some tie down straps. Things I hope to never use.

Costs:

Aurora Auto Parts	Salvage Yard Admission Fee	2.00
	(2003) Kumho T125/70D15 Spare Tire	10.00
	EPA	1.00
	Tax	0.77
Discount Tire	Mount	4.50
	Dismount	9.00
	Tire Disposal Fee	3.00
	Valve	2.99
	Tax	0.51
	Total	$33.77

Broken Seat Bottoms

Posted on April 11, 2010October 21, 2023 by Eddie

I pulled out the passenger seat, and saw the rubbery material had broken. Sure enough, I pulled the driver’s side, and saw the same thing had happened. In fact, my driver’s seat was collapsing, helping create folds in the leather.

Passenger:

Driver:

Next year during the off season, I might send the seats to an auto upholsterer. For now, I’m using some scrap 1X8 boards, and some 2 inch foam left over from recovering some dining room chairs: