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Havoc's Questions Post.


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Hey yeah so I've noticed that I always ask small questions for get lost in my progression thread or they just clutter up a page so I thought it would be a good idea to try and put them all in one place and just keep this post updated with anything I need to know/want to ask.

I'm going to use this post to mostly ask things about my car, but I also might ask general automotive questions that I want to just know.

Okay so My first 2 questions are this:

How are these for plug wires?

http://www.summitrac...74606/?rtype=10

I noticed some cracking in the insulation of one of them and I figured I would just replace the lot of 'em.

My second question is:

What would cause my gauge lights and headlights to be dim. Last week I noticed that they were not as bright as they used to be, almost like there is a drop in voltage. My alternator isn't stock but I don't know how old it is too. Any thoughts?

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As for the Taylor wires they make a good product that lasts a while. I would buy them.

The lights dimming could be a weak alternator, weak battery or the dimmer on your headlight switch starting to go bad. Get the battery and alternator load tested or follow this:


/>http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Alternator/Alternator.htm

If your switch is dirty you can clean it with contact cleaner (acetone) or needs to be replaced.

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The dimmer only affects my gauges. So can't be it, can it? Unless we aren't talking about that knob that I pull out to turn the lights on and twist to dim.

Although a bad connection in the dimmer could cause a loss of voltage?

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Yes that thingy you pull to turn on your lights. If your resistor (or potentiometer) in your switch is dirty then you are going to increase resistance of that part. Effectively, decreasing the voltage available to your bulbs.

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Another thing to look at is the actual electrical connections to the headlight/dimming switch and the connections at the lights. Dirt and corrosion will increase resistance. I often clean any underhood connections with a screw driver and a small piece of sandpaper and then I apply a dab of di-electric grease to help resist moisture. Also check your fuses, including the one at the alternator. I had to replace that one when my Lemans failed to start. It had a marginal crack in it and it allowed moisture to penetrate it which led to me replacing it. So make sure you use good fuses and replace any marginal ones. Keep a set of spare fuses in the glovebox too.

Also if your gauges are a lot dimmer regardless of your dimmer switch setting, it is most likely that the gauge cluster bulbs have developed a tungsten coating on the inside of the bulb's glass that over the years obstructs some of the bulb's light. You have to replace the bulbs which means removing the gauge cluster. The bulbs are plentiful. All light bulbs of that era used tungsten as the bulb's fillament.

One last thing to check is the actual headlight dimmer switch that is on the floorboard. On newer cars, it is part of the steering column. The dimmer switch is exposed to moisture on the floor and can corrode and add resistance.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I put the Phoenix away until spring lol. I'll get onto this stuff when it warms up :D

Next set of questions: Should I register to vote? What kind if cigars should I buy? $5 Dollar lotto ticket?

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  • Founders

Should I register to vote?

That shouldn't even be a question. OF COURSE YOU SHOULD!!!! Or you have no room to complain whenever there is an issue with this country lol

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I put the Phoenix away until spring lol. I'll get onto this stuff when it warms up :D

Next set of questions: Should I register to vote? What kind if cigars should I buy? $5 Dollar lotto ticket?

Of course, once you are legally an adult, we will assiminalte you into the adult conspiracy!!!! We want you to be like us - be evil, smoke, drink, fart and pick your nose in public, feed your boggers to the dog, etc. Playing the lottery is everyone's retirement plan, you might as well develop that senior citizen love of gambling and spending your social security checks at an early age. Of course you should register to vote. Actually votings is another thing all together. Voting gives you the right to complain about the guy that won and expound upon what an evil bastard he really is - even if you did vote him.

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If you do not vote you are not allowed to bitch in my opinion.

Cigars -- I have never tried that.

$5.00 Lotto ticket. Only if the $5.00 is extra in your budget.

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Hey guys. I'm looking into taking my A/C pump off my engine. It is mounted by a few nuts that are easy to get at. The pump has a bad bearing, the magnetic clamp doesn't work, and it doesn't have a belt on it. It just takes up space.

My question is; If I removed it, what would I do about the send and return lines? Are there caps I can buy to plug them?

1328389648537__cefa5c54cf6d.jpg?th=700&tw=1500&s=false

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1. Is the system still charged.

If it is you will need to discharge it at a shop.

2. You might as disconnect the lines at the box at the firewall.

3. As for plugs there might be some out there. If you find the thread size you might be able to get common plumbing caps from Lowe's.

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I don't believe the system is charged, but it would't hurt to check. How do I? Don't I have to connect a gauge to the blue low-pressure port on the accumulator?

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Don't bother trying to check it yourself. Take it to a profession A/C repair shop like notallthere said. They have the tools and recovery equipment to safely evacuate the freon from the system. This system is R-12A based freon, which means it is a cloro-floro-carbon, which was legal back in the day, but it if released, it can help damage the ozone. That is why you need to take to a shop! Even though I have never used the A/C system on the Lemans, I plan to keep it. One of these days, I will take to a real shop and have it repaired. I might even have it replaced with R-134A, which is environmentally friendly. Until then, I have left everything intact.

Also. don't forget that if you remove the A/C components, you reduce your resale value of your car. As I said in another post, unless you are going racing and you are trying to reduce weight, I don't recommend getting rid of these components, even if you take them off. Keep them and put them safely away and re-install them back on the car when you are ready to sell it.

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Yep and Yep I knew all about the r-12 and the r-134A stuff, I'm taking it to the shop in front of my house tomorrow to have him look it over. I also don't plan on throwing the components out, I never did. I simply wanted to remove the compressor to see if I could fix it, and if not, to get an OER replacement.

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UPDATE: The system was empty. He just said "Yeah, I'll check it" *grabs a screw driver* he just poked the low pressure valve on the accumulator and it just hissed for about 5 seconds. Well thats good! Means I can go right away to working in it.

He told me that it was smart to come to him even though it didn't have any r-12 left. Better safe than sorry!

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UPDATE: Got the compressor out. I also had to take the accumulator with it because the nut is too stiff to get of without torquing the metal pipe that goes into it. All in all it was easy, every nut/bolt was still greased and came out without a fight.

432298_2905285225853_1072187700_2869093_858380759_n.jpg

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"Yeah, I'll check it" *grabs a screw driver* he just poked the low pressure valve on the accumulator and it just hissed for about 5 seconds.

He told me that it was smart to come to him even though it didn't have any r-12 left. Better safe than sorry!

what a tard I could of done that! yea smart to come to you all you did is let the last little bit into the ozone! :picard:

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oh and how much are clutch installers and pullers? I know they are those special tools I would use to take apart the clutch.

Does anybody know where I would be able to get them? Are they available local or online?

Is it even worth it? Should I just lug the compressor over to my mechanic or do it myself?

oh and this: http://bernardembden.com/xjs/comclutch/index.htm Seems like a good set of instructions.

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Harbor Freight or Sears Craftsmen speciality tools catalogs are two places I'd look. I would also suggest looking online at Eastwood Company and Summit Racing since they have a separate speciality tools these days. I know of a couple speciality tool suppliers in my neck of the woods too. I suspect you do too.

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