Car almost beat me

Right after I posted the last entry I went out to the GTX to drive home, and the driver door was frozen shut. After trying to get it loose, I tried the passenger door. It too was frozen shut. Again it refused to budge. After going back and forth trying to get them open, I tried the hatch, and it opened easily. My parcel shelf has been wired for speakers, so I can't remove it. So, I dropped the back seats and crawled into the back, under the shelf, into the back seat. I righted the back seats, and moved both the front seats to allow easier access to the driver's seat. Once in the front, I started the car, managed to shoulder the driver door open and used my scraper to clear snow and ice and drove home.

Drove it again two days later. No problems getting in and starting it, but when I turned the defroster on, it started snowing in the car. Not having AC, it was sucking outside air into the car. Once the engine warmed up, the hot air prevented it from snowing. Still, a weird effect. When it first started, I checked to see if the moon roof had opened or leaked.

La Machine!

The weather report was for snow Thursday morning and more Friday. I wanted to make sure I had the GTX back to take advantage of the snow. I arranged to pick it up on Tuesday, and after filling it up, and an uneventful drive home (even the seat felt more comfortable than I remember). I pre-staged it for snow. Today we had 7 inches of light, fluffy snow. The GTX didn't miss a beat and felt wonderful doing four wheel drifts.
The front windshield had a little fog that I couldn't get rid of, but I didn't try high fan with heat, only cold. I noticed a tunnel under the snow on the roof at the back of the sunroof, but didn't detect any leaking inside. I also noticed the dome light was working, for the second time ever; will check that again tonight.

It's waiting for me, covered in ice, with small icicles hanging from the front bumper. I'm looking forward to the trip home!

update 11/7

We're stuck. At this point I'm told we need to remove the transmission (again) to proceed, and I'm not willing to pony up another $600 to do that. I told them to put it back together. Hopefully I still have an open AWD system.

Update, still stuck

They still can't get the center diff out to check the motor. He said they got it 3/4 the way, but don't want to force it as Mazda doesn't carry that part anymore. He's gonna check with the tech today, but thinks that they need to crack open the transmission to go further, and that's $600, and much more than I wanted to pay. He said we'll talk tomorrow once he talks to the tech.

Update 10/25

Center diff lock still stuck. Brad believes the unlocking screw accessed behind the bolt HAS been turned / unlocked,but the motor is still stuck.  He hit it with penetrating oil last Friday and will see if that helps get it loose Wednesday or Thursday.

Center Diff Dis-assembly instructions

From the GTX Yahoo group:

Posted by: "Bob Martin"

Thu Oct 6, 2011 7:07 am (PDT)

Remove 12 mm locking bolt from transmission (this one takes a couple of long
extensions to get to from above). It is hard to see. It is right next to the
diff lock sensor.
Disconnect two wiring harness connectors for diff lock motor (easiest to do
from the engine compartment but can be done from underneath).
Remove passenger side front tire. Remove the pasenger side splash shield.
Thse two steps might be skipped if you are using a hoist but you can see a
lot better if you do them.
Remove 17 mm bolt from end of diff lock motor.
Loosen three 12 mm bolts holding diff lock motor in place. Tap motor a
little to loosen it up and remove any preload from the shaft.
Insert flat blade screwdriver (you may have to grind down the sides to get
it to go in) into hole exposed by removal of 17 mm bolt. Turn diff lock
actuating rod 90 degrees clockwise (or, was that counter-clockwise? I can
never remember).
Remove three 12 mm bolts and remove diff lock motor.

You can bench test the diff lock by pulling out the rod and seeing if the
diff locks. If not, you have an internal transmission problem.

After cleaning and regreasing the diff lock motor (which solves 90% of diff
lock issues), be sure to put it in the unlocked position before reassmebly
and make sure the rod is pushed in.

Good luck,

Bob

10/18/11 update

Maybe an update. Still no actual progress. Was told they tried to remove the motor, maybe yesterday, and failed. Tech is going to read up and maybe try again.

Unplugged radio, so the center diff has 12v, but no movement of the motor. Took the 17mm bolts off and turned the screw, but motor wouldn't budge. I assumed they followed the directions I send them to disassemble the Center Diff.

10/10 update

Disconnected the stereo, and had the correct power to the motor, but on a test drive, it still wouldn't engage. He's gonna try and stay late WED to again check the motor.

I'm going to send him a message from the GTX board that might help him.

NEWS!

A real update! They hooked up an electric probe and there is power on both ends of the motor, but it isn't enough power, only 6 volts. He mentioned that when the button was pushed that the radio came on. I'd never noticed this because the radio was already on. He thinks the radio is on the same circuit, so he's going to unhook the radio's power and see if the motor resumes working... next weekend.

Also, I'm having them run the car next door to Auto Collision Specialists next door to them and have them look at the underside. I hope to get a diagnoses and maybe do some sort of anti rust spray.

Honey Do, GTX Don't

No progress this past weekend, tech never made it down to diagnose; had too many Honey Dos. He's going to try again this weekend.

Another Week, another ZERO update.

Actually game them 11 days, as they said they would be talking about it last WED.

Still busy, haven't had a chance to do ANYTHING about the center diff lock. Brad SAYS he may go in this weekend himself and try and diagnose the problem. I'm still assuming it's a motor problem, and that the electrics are working fine. If this is the case, we should be able to rewind or replace the motor.

RTFM?

Went in person this morning to find out what's happening after the vague email requesting information on fixing the locking center diff. Brad wasn't there, tech was busy. Wasted surprise visit.

Brad called later in the afternoon, said he took the manual home over the weekend and found some stuff the tech may have missed. He is going to meet with tech midweek and compare notes. I figure we should just work our way backwards from the motor:
Is the motor getting power? (yes means dead motor)
Is the button sending power? (there's a modulator that's confusing them, but I expect it's only to flash the light on the button until the motor is locked on or off.)
If both answers are yes, then the problem is the wiring between the two.

I assume they understand what the system is supposed to do.

17 Days Later, no change

They say they've looked at it, but are stuck. The button signal isn't making it to the motor, they believe. Took the dash apart and there's an ossolator (?) that they don't understand. I assume it just flashes the light until it it receives the OK from the motor locking.
SO, they're sending me an email with some questions I will post to the GTX board.

Battery rattle

I haven't noted this yet, but I noticed the battery isn't secured.  There's a universal kit from Advance Auto Parts that should work.

The stuff they wanted to fix is fixed, the stuff they've been ignoring is still ignored.

Rear defroster and temp gauge fixed. They've still forgotten to fix the center diff lock. I told them to work on it. Maybe they didn't understand what I was asking, but I think they do now.

One week passes in service

Called the shop after a week passed. The part ordered from Mazda (rear defroster switch) came in, which had taken a long time. The 'easier' part to get, the engine temp sender, is still not in. The part, ordered from both NAPA and CarQuest were the wrong part. Part is now being ordered from Mazda. Still no progress on the center diff motor, they were supposed to look at it today.

Summer Service update

Looks like a $300 repair so far.
This includes replacing the sending unit for the temp gauge in the dash (the fan and water pump are controlled by a different sensor, or so I'm told).
The switch for the rear defroster is bad. New switch ordered.

No progress on the center diff.

Back in the shop

This time it was optional. I wanted them to fix 3 things that I felt were keeping it from being a reliable winter vehicle:
1-Rear Defroster not working
2-Temp gauge not working
3-center diff lock not working

I drove it once this winter and not having rear defrost was really bad. I don't care what the temp gauge reads, but I want the car to know the correct temp, so it can turn on the fan and water pump for the engine. The center diff lock is a unique feature. I don't think you're supposed to use it unless it's real bad weather on low traction surfaces, or you get stuck. But, since it has it, I want it to work. It may also take some distance to lock the diff?

Strut pt 2

Replaced the other strut tonight. It was hard to get the ball off the hatch, and it wouldn't come off the strut, but I finally got it off. Put the new one on. The hatch now stays open when it's open, BUT still won't open correctly, there's nothing to give it that little push up when the key is turned or the lever is pulled in the car. Different mechanism maybe?

Job finished. Score +0.5 Stays open, but doesn't start opening correctly.

Strut p1

Picked up and installed the new strut for the rear hatch. Both the instructions, and a question from the clerk (just one?), said I should instill these in pairs. But, I ordered only one, as only one was not installed on my hatch. I assumed the other one was ok.
Installed the new strut, but there are two extra clips I couldn't figure out what to do with: they're like C-clips but made or wire and one end turns out 90degrees. No idea. So, I ignored them and installed everything else. New strut plus old strut is better, but still not enough to hold the hatch open. Going to order another $25 strut tomorrow.

The new strut had a new ball for the hatch side of the strut, but didn't have any screws to attach to the body side, and since my second strut was gone, I bought two new bolts and washers from the local ACE hardware. They worked fine, and I installed one new set on each side, with one old set (of the two that were on the original side) on each side.

SO, another strut another install. This one made slightly harder by having a strut already installed on the left side.

Ed

Two more checks; A NEW FEATURE!

Replaced the spark plug wires and aimed the 'new' headlight today. Test drove it tonight and readjusted it a hair down. We'll see if I get reactions from oncoming drivers, or if I did a good job.
There's condensation in the left headlight, so that needs to be replaced too.

Also while I was working on the car today I gave another try at fixing the dome light to turn on when the door was opened. I got it working, but it stopped once I screwed everything back in, so it stays on the list. It does mean it's a problem with the bulb fixture, and not the wiring or door sensors.
I was hot in the car so I decided to take advantage of the sun roof, and cranked it open. To my surprise, the back lifted up as a vent. I know many sunroofs do this, but I thought I had tried this with mine and it didn't. There seems to be a click between the two modes, and I think that's where it should be to be fully closed. It sucks not having a manual for it.

The hood latch still doesn't work, don't know which end the problem is at, maybe both. Found an easy way for me to get it open, my skate key. I just hook it over the cable (in front of the radiator) and pull. Works great, but not very portable. Gonna try a aluminum tent stake that I bent and see how it works.

Strut in later this week, so that's next.

Strut my stuff

Ordered a replacement rear hatch strut from Autozone for $25. Looking at the old one and hatch today, nothing is broken other than the ball stud that screws into the hatch. Hopefully the replacement will come with this ball stud. I'm also missing the two screws that attach it to the body. If the replacement doesn't come with these, I can pull one from the other side and use it as a model to buy two more from Ace.

Hopefully one replacement will work and I won't need to order the second.

turn signal fixed?

As mysteriously as the turn signal problem occurred, an unscrewing of the turn signal assembly causes it to start working again. Kept it blinking as I screwed it back on, and it's keeps working.
Don't know what I did to cause the problem, don't know how I fixed it.

Next: aim headlight and install plug wires. But not today: cool and wet.

New issue, wires and aiming

One thing fixed, another broken. I must have flubbed something on the FR turn signal, as it is no longer working. Easy fix, I hope,

The new right headlight is aimed low, so I'll need to adjust it up.

Thanks to a coupon from Ebay, I purchased a (New, old stock) NGK Spark Plug Wire Set. Again, an easy install underhood.

Home Dental Work

Finally did some work on the GTX. As I dreaded, the hood release wouldn't work, so I had to reach up from underneath and pull the cord. My arm was too short so I have marks on my arm today from pushing through the hole in the grill too hard. Got it open and was going to start polishing the left headlight. There was moisture inside, so I'm thinking a replacement might be in the cards.

On to replacing the right headlight. Upper brow removed, turn signal unscrewed, but the lower brow wouldn't come off. Back and forth I went trying to get it out, but failed (it was a center tab I couldn't push). So I just went around it and removed the lower brow along with the whole headlight assembly. Plugged in the replacement, but no light, so I swapped the bulbs. Reinstalled the assembly but dropped one of the lower brow screws into a frame hole (bought the magnet thingie today to retrieve it). Seems to be aiming low, but I'll know more after dark.

While the hood was open, I had to answer other questions I had. The underhood fuse box was all OK. Opened the airbox, and I do have a K&N filter. Took it and my Dodge K&N and cleaned them.


Next on the list? it will be one of the following:
Get and replace left headlight
Get and replace Steering wheel
Check wiring on rear defroster. Power?
Remove unused wiring (a large number of wires, mainly for the missing sub woofer)
Get and replace hood release
Get and replace hatch strut stud.

NOT the end

I went to the dealer with the idea of trading in the GTX on a better awd vehicle. There seemed to be no inexpensive awd vehicles, but they did have a used 2011 Grand Cherokee Limited, which I test drove.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited was full of features, but if I were to buy new I would either go to a lower or higher model. The 290hp V6 felt underpowered, with it needing to downshift twice and make a lot of noise just to accelerate onto the highway. Actually, it needed to do that just to keep up with traffic from a stoplight. If I build my own, I'd get the 5.7l V8.

As expected, they tried to overprice the vehicle, originally trying to ask more than MSRP of a new one as the starting point. Telling them what I expected, MSRP-$7000 (KBB) - $4500 (clunker trade)= ~$28000 was too far apart for them. So I passed.

I offered to buy the cheapest awd vehicle they had, but that garnered no interest from the dealer. So, I'll keep my vehicle(s) and pack this information in the back of my mind in case I wreck a vehicle or one wears out.

The End part 2?

Went to the dealer today. I had forgotten how new car dealers only have 'new' used cars. Some of the other 'cash for clunkers' cars weren't even drivable. Looked at a 09 Subaru Impreza (16K), and at the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited that caught my eye online.
It's a no-option Limited with 14.5K miles. MSRP on a new one is $39,680. Unlike the Ford Explorer, where the Limited is the top of the line, the Overland is the top Cherokee, with the Limited next. The Overland adds variable ride height (Quadra-Lift) (useful off road for more ground clearance), wood & leather heated steering wheel, Vented seats, and come stock with 20" wheels instead of 18". The Luxury package adds the wheel, seats, power liftgate to the Limited for $1500. The off road package costs $550 for lots of different skid plates.
It gets 16/23mpg with the V6 and still has 290hp. My charger with the 360hp hemi is listed at 16/25, but my average is close to 16mpg.

Going back tomorrow at 10am. The more I think about this, the more I'm not going to do this. The Charger does its job well, the F150 hauls stuff ok, the Mazda seems to be reliable, and once I get the rear defroster fixed will only be missing ABS from being a true winter fighter. To trade all that for one vehicle that tries to do it all is hard. Yes, getting $4500 for the Mazda is nice, but I only wanted to get a cheap vehicle to replace it, not trade all 3 in.

Is this the end of the line? & Problems list

Local dealer is running a $4500 trade in, to be used for a used car purchase. $4500 is a lot more than I would normally get.

The GTX still has these problems:
cracked headlight (I have replacement)
rear defroster doesn't work
center lock doesn't work
Dome and door lights don't come on when door is opened.
Temp gauge not registering on dash. Could be sensor or wires.
Plug wires rusty (pressure washed by former owner)
Hatch has broken strut stud
surface rust underneath, 1 pea sized hole
washer and wiper motors weak
Steering wheel missing a chunk of foam
Hood release not working

It's a good deal, and I'd have to pay a bit more money to get a car, but it would be a newer, reliable (hopefully) AWD vehicle.

Updating problems

Holy cow! For the first time ever, the interior lights came on last night when I opened the door. Don't know if this is related to putting the fuses back in or something, but it startled me.

Speaking of, even with the fuse, still no rear defroster. Strangely, the dash light doesn't come on when I insert the key like all the others do. I wonder if it's related. I'm thinking I may start checking fuses to see if any are busted.

No luck either with locking the center dif. Light flashes on the dash, but I nether hear or feel the motor working. Tried it with the motor off or on, both with the car not moving.

The defroster is my #1 problem now, as I can't drive with it frosted over, and we get frost in winter when I want to drive it. Front windshield is #2. It's both cracked, as well as the aftermarket tint being too wide. Both would get fixed with new glass.

Both headlights work, and even with their frosted lenses I can still see where I'm going. I have a replacement for the cracked one, and I have polish for the other.

Temp gauge is still not working. Shop said it's either the sensor or the wire.

Battery seems weak, and that makes starting in cold weather slower.

Still haven't checked the airbox. There's a K&N sticker under-hood, but as we found out, that's not a guarantee.

I've not opened the hood as the hood release is another problem the GTX has. Opening it would allow me to fix the headlight and check the airbox.

I'm using a 2x4 to keep the hatch open. I need to repair the right strut mounting stud on the hatch. It's broken off (new stud?) and maybe a new strut too, although I still have the old one (with the broken stud inside). Fixing this would also help with opening the hatch.

Still also need to replace the plug wires.

0.5 of 2 successes?

Put the two fuses in.
Still not getting a light for the rear defroster on ignition or activation, so I'll again need to wait for it to fog or frost to see if it's working.
The active center diff light now comes on a flashes, but stays flashing, showing it's not completing the locking. Going to try it again with the car on. I assume the motor is busted. At least we have a light showing it's trying to work.

Replaced the rear hatch light, still no light. I may use my multimeter to see if it has power.

Fuses

So, I'm trying to find out why the rear defroster isn't working. I pull the fusebox cover and see that there's no fuse in that socket. I also notice there's no fuse for the center diff. I wonder how the shop confirmed it working when there wasn't a fuse?
Buying replacements today.

Living with the GTX FEB '11

I've had it back for a week+ now, and so far it hasn't let me down. It's still restricted to urban duty though.
Passed 159,000 when I drove home from the shop.
Got to drive it in the snow for the first time, which is the reason I bought it. The AWD works great, and the car felt in control even when in a 4 wheel drift. Traction on acceleration seemed great.
I replaced the 3 wipers right before it snowed. The motors work, but slowly when pushing heavy snow. My rear defroster doesn't work. The button on the dash doesn't light up anything when down, and the window doesn't get warm. Gonna check the fuse and the hatch connection.
I had a scare the second night of the snow. The doors wouldn't open. I figured it was a lock problem, but I think it turned out to be the door freezing shut. Not sure how this happened, and can't remember it on any other vehicle. It was with both doors. I finally just started pulling real hard and the driver opened. Pushing on the passenger from the inside got that one open too.
The car doesn't have ABS. While traction in snow and ice seems superior, the lack of ABS caused me to slide into an intersection. It was very icy (drove up it later), and downhill. Once I figured it out, I used the skills I learned last spring at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School. It's hard to feel the 'loss of grip' point when there's no grip to be had in the first place. On regular packed snow, I tested out the grip and could feel and hear when the tires lost grip and when they regained grip, but on this downhill, nothing. I slid into the (blind) intersection but not across it (T intersection with me hitting the T), and regained control and slowed enough through the exercise that I was able to make my turn. Luckily no traffic at that time.

Strangely, I think the GTX was broken into. Came out the car this morning, and after I opened the front door, noticed that half the back seat had been folded down. Passenger was locked. Nothing was stolen, and I think I felt the lock unlock when I opened it. However, while unlocking it is easier than I remember, I can't lock it from the outside now.

Daily Update- Button her up

Shop agrees with my conclusions and ideas. They're going to mark the wear points on the bell housing with some paint and put it back together, Figure I should be on the road by the end of the week.

Daily Update- What we know, what I think

After a bunch of back and forth, a bunch of measuring, and a bunch of scientific method, here's what we know.
1- The pressure plate rubbed against the bell housing.
2- We've measured all the things that could be too long- The engine-transmission spacer plate; the flywheel; the clutch pack; and the pressure plate. All are correct thickness.
3- In a reversal, we found out the throwout bearing didn't engage too much, but instead it disengaged too much, getting wedged against the bell housing. This left a lot of space and no pressure against the pressure plate.

SO, since nothing is too long / thick, I believe that the pressure plate only came in contact with the bell housing because the throwout bearing wasn't supplying pressure against it due to the arm that normally puts pressure against it wasn't because the slave cylinder was broken in two.

THEREFORE, now that we've replaced the slave cylinder, we should be able to put everything back together without any further problems (in the bell housing). However, to double check this, we'll monitor the clutch fluid for metal pieces from the bell housing.

Daily Update- Clutch Performance

Still trying to figure out what parts from where go where. These are notes from the Yahoo GTX board:

------------------------------------------

Looks like you've got a 2wd bellhousing plate. The oil pans are slightly different.

MT

------------------------------------

You definetly have an extra hole in the spacer plate. That should not be a big deal as long as the four critical holes (the two with the dowels and the two top ones) line up (the others are nice to have but not critical). Do you have equivelent rub marks on the clutch that match up with the rub marks on the bell housing? To answer your stack height question, assemble your clutch to your flywheel and measure the stack height and let us know how high it is and what is the highest point. Several of us either have measurements (Greg?) or have assemblies we can measure and compare.

Bob

-----------------------------------------

it looks about right, the thickness should be a bit less than 2mm.

MT and Bob say it a 2WD plate, but it should work even if it has an extra hole tab. I would cut that extra tab off if it were me.

What combination of flywheel and pressure plate are you using?

Greg Downing

-----------------------------------------

A centerforce clutch is easy to identify - there should be weights wired to the clutch pressure plate springs. Again, can you measure your stack height
or at least measure the flywheel? I'll compare your measurements to my
spare.

Bob

------------------------------------------

I went out and checked the few I have here and no spring. The plates are exactly the same thickness 1.14mm the only difference is the extra mounting hole for the fwd tranny.

Clay

Daily Update- the thick and thin of it

Still at a standstill. It doesn't seem to be making sense with what parts are inside the clutch.
Still don't know why we had rubbing between the pressure plate and the bell housing.
Still don't know why the throwout bearing came of the shaft.
Still don't know why the spacer plate between the engine and the transmission has an extra mounting hole that was pounded 90 degrees off flat. Is it too thick or thin?

Going to take the shop manual back in and see if there's anything in there about any of these questions.

Daily Update- nothing

Pulled the clutch, and everything looks fine. Still trying to get mesurement specs on the pressure plate, but we're going to compare it to the part they have on hand. No contact with Mazda Racing yet. Going to give it a few days and see if anything happens.

Daily Update- Rubbin's Racing

Went down to the shop and brought up to speed. They had both clutch kits, and the Turbo housing matched the installed housing instead of the non-turbo.

From what I came to understand, the pressure plate has rubbed against the bell housing. We know the bell housing is correct, as it has the 4wd parts integral to the casting. We know the clutch kit/ pressure plate is correct, and that the clutch plates are not in need of replacement. We have no idea when the rubbing happened, but since the clutch kit looks new, it has to have been receintly.

So, the questions we currrently have are thus:
At what point does the Capri (engine) end and the GTX start?
There doesn't seem to be a spacer we can remove.
Is the flywheel housing correct for the Capri or GTX? Is it different?
I've checked the GTX vin# to confirm it's a GTX. Is there a way to check the Vin# of the Capri engine to tell if the engine is a turbo?

Daily Update- Under Pressure

Received the replacement clutch pressure plate. Visually, it looks like the installed unit. They also ordered the non-turbo pressure plate so we can compare that. It's not there yet but should be today. The problem is that this is rubbing against the transmission, so we're not sure if something- the plate, the housing or something isn't stock.

Going to go in tomorrow morning and take a look.

Daily Update- Under Pressure

Clutch pulled. Yes, it was the throwout bearing that was off center out of it's correct position. However, they noticed that the pressure plate is rubbing against the front of the transmission. Checking to see if it's the correct pressure plate. Clutch plates seem new, so no replacement necessary.

Daily Update- the Rust Monster

Went in to examine the under body rust. Only two places it had taken hold, both of them just behind the front wheels. Each patch is about hand sized, and flaking, but not through yet. This made me happy, and after talking with my service writer, I decided to go ahead with the transmission repair. The BOOK says it's an 8 hour job, so $800, plus whatever parts cost. I'm having them do a preventative clutch job when they're inside if there's any question, and also having them replacing the missing bolts as they button it up. I'll apply some POR-15 (if that's the right stuff) anti-rust paint when I get it back (and use it on my Czech gas cans).

slave install update

Scope doesn't show anything. They need to pull transmission to fix whatever the problem is. I'm willing to spend the $800+ to fix this, if this is the end of the road for repairs. Unfortunately, there's no way to know, as I didn't get enough time with the car to find out what other problems it has.
I'm having them put the car up and examine the under body and frame for condition/ rust. If that isn't bad, I think I'll have them go into the transmission and fix this problem, as well as debug any potential problems like giving it a clutch job.

bad news

Went to install the new slave cylinder, and it wouldn't go in. Could be the throw-out bearing/ release bearing. They're going to scope it tomorrow and hopefully have good news for me. Not good news would be an 8hr job.

Lunch update

Called the shop, my service writer was at lunch, left msg asking about status of Slave Cyclinder part order. 1:50pm.

UPDATE, 3:00pm Part was ordered FRI, but after shipping deadline. Was overnighted today, should come in and be installed tomorrow (TUE)