An old trick I use to clean out the fuel system that is cheap and effective is to dump one quart of ATF in the fuel tank and burn up that tank. It usually smokes for that tank, but the ATF really cleans everything up good and for cheap. Only do it maybe once a year and not more than a quart per 10 gallons. That was the rule of thumb given to me by an old mechanic many years back. It is also a quick, cheap way to get a car started with nasty old gas in it. Add it to the fuel and it cleans out the varnish and makes the fuel flammable again. And you get a sweet smokescreen from it when added to really bad gas.

 

Sounds nasty and bad haha but I will keep that advice for future use, thanks.

 

What size tires are on it? I think they are smaller, making it look lifted....

Oh, and you quarter panel is out of align, your hood is ok. The driver's side has an even line down, but the passenger is tighter in the front. Loosen the screws in the tray and slide it back. Easy and free. Oh, and if you do have to move the hood, remember it is mostly aluminum and light as heck. I lifted mine off with one arm...

 

235/70/16

I'm thinking of switching to 245/80/16 for my new set of tires (next month).

Sorry I'm vehicle body part impaired :]

What's the tray?

 

245/75 are the biggest you can run stock with out any rub. Even then, you will need to adjust your steering stops. I would say that if you are running 235/70's that you have a lift. the 80 series might be ok for you.

If you open the hood, you can see where the quarter panels attach to the engine bay. It is a tray for draining water that comes through the cracks between your hood and fender. Just loosen (do not remove) the screws and the top of the fender can be adjusted to fit the line of the hood. Mine was pushed in on both sides fron the PO and it took me 10 minutes to adjust them back out. You may want to get some black touchup paint in case the paint chips or flakes.

 

I'll take a look tomorrow. Exam week, I have to study for classes that I have 95+'s in -.-
Thanks, again.

 

*Update*

I changed the coolant, a PITA because the bottom radiator hose would not come off (Didn't want to slip off the little lip at the end). Didn't help that it was below freezing either but whatever. Job's done and now all I need to do is lube the shafts and whatever and change the differential fluid. 60K Service almost done!

 

Make sure you bled the system right. If you ever lose the heater or your gauge drops, you have an air pocket. You can still overheat in freezing temps.

Not trying to scare you, but overheating these things will kill them dead. Proper cooling is the biggest thing to have. Just keep an eye on the gauge.

 

No school today, they cancelled it because of the weather (cold and really cold). So I guess I can check up on that quarter panel now huh?

Also...
Calipers:
I recently changed my brake pads and found that my calipers were pretty pathetic. The seals on most of them were popping out of their place, the pistons had blotchy spots of black on them, and you could tell dirt had already passed the seal, and overall I have to say they looked pretty bad. I sprayed the pistons with brake cleaner (did not have spare brake fluid on hand) and black drips of something started falling. So I think the calipers need a rebuild.

Rotors: I also noticed my rotors were VERY thin, so I checked the minimum rotor thickness and measured my rotors. Ehhh..barely passed and I mean BARELY. Since I was thinking about rebuilding the calipers anyways why not replace the rotors right?

I've looked at pricing from these places
Roversnorth.com
$100 for FRONT w/ pads [for both]
$ 90 for REAR w/ pads [for both]

Britishpacific.com
Rotors:
$ 70 for FRONT w/o pads but OEM [for both]
$ 78 for REAR w/o pads but OEM [for both]
Caliper Rebuild:
$ 54 for FRONT w/ piston and seals [for both]
$ 54 for REAR w/pistons and seals [for both]

Motorcarsltd.com
$ 74 for FRONT w/o pads [for both]
$ 94 for REAR w/o pads [for both]

Vented or Solid rotors? (heard vented are terrible for off road)

Should I keep the piston and just replace the seals or get the new piston and seals all together? Caliper seal kits are like $12 each caliper is why I ask.

I might as well replace the cotter pins eh? I can't find the springs that the pins go through, the ones on mine were all broken off and just sort of hanging there.

Any way to clean the caliper so it doesn't look...rusty and nasty?

 

Update:
Just changed the differential fluid

and found out I have a power steering leak haha