I've posted before about the handful of issues I've had with my car, and now after having some work done I'd like to know what to do next. I was having issues with what seemed to be a slipping transmission, and after some advice here had my fuel filter replaced which I was told hadn't been changed before, and has totally eliminated those problems. I also had my master cylinder and front brake lines replaced so my brakes are good to go. All that managed to cost me a large chunk of money, so whate gets worked on next totally depends on the cost. Here'* what needs to be done:

Catalytic converter is shot and needs replaced
Supercharger belt is cracked and needs replaced
ELC not functioning (need to determine the cause)
Engine running hot/coolant loss (LIM failure?)

Also since getting my car back from the shop, it has all of a sudden started having a rough idle, and sputters when driving. It'll go, but its performance is definitely degraded. I'm thinking that a vacuum line might have popped loose when it was worked on as it wasn't an issue before. I'm also going to try to clean the TB today as it could probably use it.

Since getting the car I have done the following:

Replaced leaking transmission cooler with a high performance cooler
180* thermostat
New plugs & wires
New master cylinder
New fuel filter


The previous owner obviously didn't take good mechanical care of the car, so beyond the obvious problems which I'm aware of, what other routine things should be looked into/replaced? What should my next step be? I'm most likely going to get the belts replaced as it wouldn't be fun to have one of those snap on me. After that, I think that the overheating is my biggest issue. Would getting the coolant flushed be the first thing to try? Or should I just plan on replacing the LIM regardless? I'd like to go the cheapest route as I can so I can get this car in a more reliable state asap.

Well, first off, you don't have to replace the LIM only the LIM gaskets. IMO, that is the most important repair you have right now.

Sure, you should replace that supercharger belt of it'* in bad shape, but that would not cause catastrophic failure if it broke. Your LIM gaskets will.

As far as the vacuum lines, that is a quick and inexpensive fix you can do yourself. It just takes a little bit of time to review and examine every vacuum line and connection. Since it wasn't doing it before tha master cylinder replacement, I would start up in that area first....AFTER you replace the LIM gaskets.

Great suggestions Lash....

I'll jump in and add a couple ...
The LIM gasket issues you have read about here don't apply because your Series 1 motor was not prone to the gasket issues that the Series 2 motors have. I wouldn't change the gaskets unless you have visual proof they are leaking.

Belt is up there on the list because your supercharger belt also drives your waterpump. That is something you can not drive without for more than a few moments w/o doing possible damage to the engine.

Rough Idle.. take a look down behind the motor.. Make sure the new plug wires aren't touching the wiring for the O2 sensor (the sensor that is in the rear exhaust manifold behind the motor). This is a pretty common thing right after plug wires. Vacuum leaks would be the next thing and a great low cost thing to improve idle. Ask your autoparts store if they sell vacuum line in foot lengths from a spool. Typically that is much lower cost than prepackaged.

Catalytic converter... also up there on the list. This can cause the rough idle and poor performance as well as the hot engine. Ever see Beverly Hills Cop, the part where a banana gets stuffed in the tailpipe.. If your cat is clogged..it'* the same choking effect and your motor is taking the brunt of it. Ebay has many low cost magnaflow cats that would work for your car.

Engine temperature... See above. Also.. if your car is in the shop again soon..and scanning isn't extra..have the mechanic check the temp gauge. The 92-95 dash clusters were by far the worst I've seen for accuracy. My 95 SSEi would read 240F when the actual temp was 215F. Using a scanner is the only way to know for sure if the gauge is accurate.

I know that you have a much better knowledge of this than I, but here'* a quote from TECHINFO article 38:
Also, regarding the SC belt. Was the water pump driven by the SC belt only 'till '95 in the S1 VIN 1s? Because there'* been many a post regarding people running around with no SC belt.

The quote from article 38 is correct..it'* possible... however based on the number of S1'* with bad gaskets..and the desire of the poster to keep costs down, it was a call I made and caveated with "visible leaks"

Yes on the 92-95 water pump being driven on the SC belt path and the 96+ being driven by the accessory belt instead of the SC belt. An S2 can run w/o the SC belt while the S1 should not consider it.

Good info to know. Thanks.

Well when I decided to clean the throttle body today, I figured I'd change out the vacuum lines as well (only cost $4 for enough hose). Most of them literally crumpled to dust when I went to remove them, so it was definitely needed. I had to order a TB gasket as none of the local stores had one in stock, so it will be in first thing in the morning. It won't be until I get the TB back on that I can tell if any of this fixed the problem or not. While trying to remove the MAF sensor, 2 of the screw heads instantly stripped when trying to remove them (too old and rusty). Any ideas of how to remove these screws now that they're stripped? I figured I might have a better chance getting them off once I get the TB completely disconnected.

Honestly..I'd leave them in and spraying sensor safe cleaner should be ok. I've not had a problem yet.

Otherwise you could use a skilled hand and a dremel tool to get them off.

If you have coolant loss, you need to find out from where.
The sooner the better. Start checking for leaks!!!

Start by looking at the hoses/radiator/water pump first.
Dont forget to check the fittings and heater hoses.

Good luck!!
Bob

Well the whole TB cleaning didn't work out as I would've liked... When removing the last bolt to remove the TB (the one in the rear), I got it loosened up a bit with some PB blaster, and then SNAP! the half of the bolt coming out of the hole broke off. It broke flush with the TB, so there is no way to try to even remove it with pliers or anything. After that, I pretty much gave up on it, and as the remainder of the bolt was still holding the TB firmly in place, I put the rest of the bolts back in and left it alone. I then gave it a test drive to see if changing out the vacuum lines would make any difference; it ran the same as before. I did notice that at idle, the engine seems to run much louder than normal, and when spraying some intake cleaner near the air filter (rice pipe) it would significantly quiet down, almost to the point that it seemed like it might die. Does this only reinforce the fact that the TB must be cleaned some how? I still have a new gasket to put into it as well.