lots of questions

[david_12121]

1: my front diff oil smells like sh#t...literally...are they all like that? (and the smell fills the cabin on hot afternoons)
2: how do I test for head gasket problems? (it does not overheat, no oil in coolant and vice versa, but exhaust smells weird)
3: AC has leak, no sign of oil on the hoses, will AC sealant fix these? should I try?
4: car runs rich in the mornings, has awful fuel economy, what could it be?
5: I once punched it in the freeway and it did not shift down, kept it floored for more than 10 secs and it did not shift down..finally put it on power and it shifted...anything wrong? (rebuilt tranny 3k miles ago)
6: is changing the spark plugs difficult? more than timing belt?
7: I found a post about putting a switch for 50/50 power distribution in the center diff on the 4eat's...possible on svxi?
8: (not svx related)has anyone ever tried this product called plasti-dip? any good?

sorry for asking so many but I assume they are all short answers so why not...please answer as many as you can

[Lookin4SVX]

Well, I'm not mechanical expert, so ill just chime in on the ones I got a guess on.

3:AC - Yes, go have it filled with the dyed stuff, if there is a leak then you can trace it and fix it.

4:Rich on startup - My 92 smells rich or something on startup but after it warms up a bit the fuel like smell goes away.

5:downshifting - If you are on the highway going like 65, and you punch it, but not enough to get to power mode, then it may just stay in gear.

Not very helpful,I know... but at least you know someone read your post...

[RojoRocket]

Originally Posted by david_12121

1: my front diff oil smells like sh#t...literally...are they all like that? (and the smell fills the cabin on hot afternoons) REALLY!? No!.....Change it.
2: how do I test for head gasket problems? (it does not overheat, no oil in coolant and vice versa, but exhaust smells weird) Don't buy trouble. Watch it and continue to apply sniff test though.
3: AC has leak, no sign of oil on the hoses, will AC sealant fix these? should I try? What have you got to lose? With some of the recharge kits you come away with a gauge for future checks
4: car runs rich in the mornings, has awful fuel economy, what could it be? Doesn't like your current driving pattern. No clue
5: I once punched it in the freeway and it did not shift down, kept it floored for more than 10 secs and it did not shift down..finally put it on power and it shifted...anything wrong? (rebuilt tranny 3k miles ago) I've heard various methods for certain "power" engagement, including ON/OFF/ON at Full Throttle. Mine has a a switch
6: is changing the spark plugs difficult? No, demands patience though. Pull airbox and battery more than timing belt? NO!
7: I found a post about putting a switch for 50/50 power distribution in the center diff on the 4eat's...possible on svxi?
8: (not svx related) has anyone ever tried this product called plasti-dip? any good? yes; and as with most coatings, preparation/cleaning is critical

sorry for asking so many but I assume they are all short answers so why not...please answer as many as you can

Hope you don't mind brief responses.
Glenn

[david_12121]

Originally Posted by Lookin4SVX

Well, I'm not mechanical expert, so ill just chime in on the ones I got a guess on. ... but at least you know someone read your post...

It's very helpful...thanks

Originally Posted by RojoRocket

Hope you don't mind brief responses.
Glenn

absolutely not
follow up question:
3: wouldn't it clog up something that is supposed to stay unclogged?

and the forced 50/50 used to be here...the link stopped working though

[Chuckls]

The forced 50/50 is a bad idea.

[icingdeath88]

Originally Posted by david_12121

1: my front diff oil smells like sh#t...literally...are they all like that? (and the smell fills the cabin on hot afternoons)
2: how do I test for head gasket problems? (it does not overheat, no oil in coolant and vice versa, but exhaust smells weird)
3: AC has leak, no sign of oil on the hoses, will AC sealant fix these? should I try?
4: car runs rich in the mornings, has awful fuel economy, what could it be?
5: I once punched it in the freeway and it did not shift down, kept it floored for more than 10 secs and it did not shift down..finally put it on power and it shifted...anything wrong? (rebuilt tranny 3k miles ago)
6: is changing the spark plugs difficult? more than timing belt?
7: I found a post about putting a switch for 50/50 power distribution in the center diff on the 4eat's...possible on svxi?
8: (not svx related)has anyone ever tried this product called plasti-dip? any good?

sorry for asking so many but I assume they are all short answers so why not...please answer as many as you can

I'll field the ones no one else got to. briefly, because I don't have a lot of time.

1 - gear oil smells like ass, but just because it "always smells bad" doesn't mean that it shouldn't be changed. if you don't know when it was last changed, change it.

4 - maybe coolant temp sensor? Idk of anything else.

5 - make sure your throttle cable doesn't have any slack. even though the pedal was floored, doesn't necessarily mean the throttle body was 100% open, or that the throttle position sensor read that it was 100% open.

6 - it's about a 3/10 difficulty. 1 is opening the hood and checking the oil.

7 - it can be done, but it's an extremely bad idea unless you are drag racing the car.

8 - plasti-dip is good for a lot of things, but I can't think of anything it would be needed for on the SVX. It's a quality product though.

[david_12121]

Originally Posted by Chuckls

The forced 50/50 is a bad idea.

why's that?

Originally Posted by icingdeath88

I'll field the ones no one else got to. briefly, because I don't have a lot of time.

followup:
1: it's clear and tranny rebuilt 3k ago...so I guess no need to change...right?
7: again why?

thank you so much

[oab_au]

Originally Posted by david_12121

why's that?

followup:
1: it's clear and tranny rebuilt 3k ago...so I guess no need to change...right?
7: again why?

thank you so much

If you switch the C solenoid to full pressure, the front and rear wheels will be locked together. This makes turning a corner a real problem, that will either, cause wear on the transfer clutch, or scrub out the tyres.
Only good to do at the drag strip, to prevent the transfer clutch from slipping, or the clutch drum from breaking.

Harvey.

[icingdeath88]

Originally Posted by david_12121

1: it's clear and tranny rebuilt 3k ago...so I guess no need to change...right?
7: again why?

1 - Nah, probably not yet, but don't neglect it. People tend to forget about front diff gear oil when they get around to changing the fluids. Rear diff too.

7 - What harvey said basically. The switch puts it in full lock (50/50 doesn't quite accurately represent what's going on, btw). So the front and back wheels will be forced to turn at the same speed. Which is great as long as you're going straight. But when you're turning (even a little bit) you will be putting a lot of stress on the transfer clutches and whatnot in the transmission, as well as wearing out the tires.

So the idea behind the switch is that you pull up to the line at the drag strip, flip the switch to put it in full lock, then do the run, and when you get to the end, before you turn around, you flip the switch back to normal. It will prevent the very slight delay before the rear wheels start to work. Basically the little chirp that the front wheels do sometimes when you floor it from a stop is prevented. It also relieves some strain on the front diff, which sometimes don't hold up well to the sudden jolt of power when you take off. So, yes, it's pretty much only useful at the drag strip.

[david_12121]

ok so i should do it but be careful with it...okay i can work with that
thank you guys...most of the questions were answered sufficiently