Hiro's Ae102

[Hiro Protagonist]

under or over?

 

most cars don't have the complete under side heat shields anymore anyway (usually removed if exhaust is changed or repaired)

 

The upper shields (between the exhaust and the floorpan) do a little, but not a whole lot.

 

I can't remember off the top of my head whether or not there are any lines directly above the exhaust.

 

Just check the heat shield for any loose or rusted bolts/nuts, see if its touching anywhere. Remove it as a last resort I would say.

 

There are three heatshields between the exhaust and the transmission tunnel (well it's not a transmission tunnel because it's FWD, obviously), the rear is separate from the front two. I have removed the middle one, which goes over the hotdog, the one in front goes over the cat and part of the engine pipe - this is the only other one I can imagine would be vibrating. The cat itselt has a heatshield on the lower side of it, not sure if there's another one on top of it as well as the tunnel one. There aren't any between the exhaust and the ground apart from the cat, and don't think there have ever been.

 

And there are definitely hardlines of some kind directly above the exhaust, no idea whether they are brakes, fuel or handbrake cables (I could feel them but not hear them).

 

That's the exhaust heat shields, I've removed 58153, 58151 goes over the cat

 

EDIT: And judging by this, they're brake lines.....hmmm, don't like the idea of heating my brake fluid, even if it's in a hardline

Edited March 30, 2009 by Hiro Protagonist

[orangeLJ]

are you sure its them rattling?

 

try wedging something (rubber, cardboard etc) under the sides and see if the rattle continues, could save you some hassle if it turns out they arent the source of the noise.

[Hiro Protagonist]

are you sure its them rattling?

 

try wedging something (rubber, cardboard etc) under the sides and see if the rattle continues, could save you some hassle if it turns out they arent the source of the noise.

 

Can't imagine it being anything else rattling, apart from something internal in the exhaust (and heat shields are easier to take off and put back on).

 

I'll be kicking myself if it actually is the number plate though, I've got my doubts again. Either way, it sounds _exactly_ like thin steel sheet vibrating, I could replicate the noise exactly by tapping the middle heat shield (which is why I removed it, because I thought it was the cause)

[SLW42]

Either way, it sounds _exactly_ like thin steel sheet vibrating, I could replicate the noise exactly by tapping the middle heat shield (which is why I removed it, because I thought it was the cause)

 

 

try pulling all the shields off and take it for a strap and see if that changes anything

[Hiro Protagonist]

try pulling all the shields off and take it for a strap and see if that changes anything

 

That's what I've been doing, one by one. Only had enough time to do the middle one on the weekend though

[SLW42]

and maybe check were the springs seat in your front struts i know the newish mitsis get stones in there and it makes a noise aswell might be it???

 

could also be a loose/broken exhaust rubber causing it to hit somewhere

Edited March 30, 2009 by mr ae71

[Hiro Protagonist]

and maybe check were the springs seat in your front struts i know the newish mitsis get stones in there and it makes a noise aswell might be it???

 

could also be a loose/broken exhaust rubber causing it to hit somewhere

 

Considering that I can make the noise when not moving, I know it's not anything driveline or suspension related...

 

And out of the few exhaust hangers there are, none of them are broken or loose - the exhaust itself is nice and secure.

[Hiro Protagonist]

In possibly the best news I have ever had for this car, have _finally_ tracked down an FX-GT front bar + foglights.

 

Pretty soon my front end will look like this:

 

Except obviously in sedan form, and with my halos and grille...

[skitz_one]

In possibly the best news I have ever had for this car, have _finally_ tracked down an FX-GT front bar + foglights.

 

Pretty soon my front end will look like this:

 

Except obviously in sedan form, and with my halos and grille...

 

 

pics or it didn't happen!

[Hiro Protagonist]

pics or it didn't happen!

 

I'm still in the process of sorting out freight etc, but trust me there will be plenty of photos when I get it in and on

Edited May 5, 2009 by Hiro Protagonist

[Hiro Protagonist]

Well, the drama is finally over. Taking the typical approach of "it should only take a couple of hours", the suspension has been installed over the grand total of 2 and a half days :lol: Things got off to a great start when I realised that my breaker bar was 1/2" drive but the 19 and 17mm sockets needed for the strut/hub bolts (as they are torqued to high hell) were 3/8" drive......oh well, no real bother as I've got a 1/2"-3/8" drive adaptor.

 

That adaptor lasted all of half a turn before it sheared off - meh, that's Supercheap no-name brand quality for you, the rest of my socket set is high quality so shouldn't fail.....except for my breaker bar, which is also SCA no-name......crap *fingers crossed*. Fortunately, a compromise was achieved by noticing that the impact sockets in my set were all 1/2" drive - excellent.

 

Despite fighting with the strut bolts for a while (like I said, something like 250Nm of torque put on them at the factory and 12 years of time to seize), the fronts were relatively easy to do, and with a pair of spring compressors switching over the strut hats/insulators etc was no big deal, just a big time consumer (note for next time, get rattle gun, air compressor and vice). So that was Saturday.

 

Sunday morning was put aside for the rears, which progressed at a significantly faster rate than the fronts (experience does wonders in these situations, even if it's only one time), partly due to experience and also because I didn't have to fight against the steering lock. RR took maybe an hour to do by itself from start to finish (heaps easier to re-install too because the strut top doesn't rotate, unlike the fronts), but the LR decided to be a bitch and in the process of undo-ing the sway-bar link, I managed to strip the hex on the link ball-joint rod (external screw thread, internal hex so you can lock the ball joint when removing the nut). Crap. Fortunately, I managed to undo the other end of the link and thus remove the strut+link together and try to tackle it in more spacious surrounds. No dice. Trying several different combinations of hex keys, Torx bits, phillips-heads and pliers, I only managed to strip it further. Chances are the initial strip would have prevented me from installing it back on anyway, but at a bare minimum I needed to get it off the strut. As twilight fell, I went "buggerit" and just installed the new LR without the swaybar link, and left it up on the chassis stands whilst I went and mulled over a few beers and dinner. Decided that there was no way around it and would have to get a new link, so left that for this morning

 

So this morning rolled around and I headed out to Toyota to get a new link, but on the way decided that they'd rip me off too much for a new one (and probably wouldn't be on the shelf anyway) so diverted to the nearest Jap wreckers in town, and 10 minutes and $33 later and lighter, walked out with a replacement link+nuts which were substantially less seized than the one I had. Another 10 minutes of installing link and torquing up wheel nuts, and she was ready for a few laps of the block. First impressions were that the difference wasn't too great, but with a bit more gumption going into off-camber corners and a tightened seat belt (to stop me sliding around the still stock seats) proved that the car sat _much_ flatter through the corners. Grins were had all round, which then turned to groans as the scale of the mess I had left in the garage needing to be tidying up dawned on me (I'm never tidy nor organised when I work on cars). Buggerit, it can sit for a while whilst I knock back a few brewskis and be happy with the car again for the 3rd time in as many weeks.

 

So thats the saga of how after 5-odd years of AE102 ownership, and much bugging from Davo et al, has lead to me finally getting suspension installed. Some pictures may follow, but everyone knows what springs/shocks look like and stupid net is capped at the moment so suffer in your jocks and just imagine what things look like :osama:

Edited August 31, 2009 by Hiro Protagonist

[Hiro Protagonist]

Well, after taking a much needed week-long vacation to the Gold Coast, decided to drop by Terra's place and finally pick up my Levin front seats. So whilst the trip back down to Newy was kinda cramped (boot full of souvenirs and luggage, back seat full of front seats and front seats full of people, still managed 6.5L/100km from Ballina to home on a single tank), it was definitely cheaper and more efficient than getting them shipped.

 

Anyway, apart from a few niggles the seats are a direct bolt-in to the ADM models, and the difference between the two is like night and day. Of biggest issue is the fact that the ADM seat-belt buckles do not engage the JDM clips, so that means that the clips have to be swapped over. In addition, the wiring for the seat-belt dash warning has a different plug, but since the clip is being swapped over and the wiring is kinda connected to that, it turned out to be a non-issue.

 

And for those who like walkthroughs, here is one (note the driver's side was done in a hurry in dim light so no photos were taken)

 

First, unscrew the two screws holding the boot/fuel-cap door release levers moulding and pull the moulding away from the rail (don't move it too far or you'll pop the boot etc, and possibly stretch the cable or pull it out of one of it's clips which I did a long time ago, meaning that the fuel door doesn't open and I have to manually do it through the boot)

 

Then, pop off the remaining plastic covers at each end of the seat rails (most of mine had broken/fallen off anyway, especially the rears which tend to get kicked by back-seat passengers)

 

After that, it is a matter of using a 14mm socket and extension bar (gives you more sweep) to undo all the bolts. Drivers and passengers are direct mirror images of each other

Outside front

Inside front

Outside rear

Inside rear

 

Once the four bolts for each seat are removed, tilt the driver's seat back and unclip the seat-belt warning light wiring from the body loom.

 

And remove the seats from the car.

 

Now you need to swap the seat-belt clips over. To do so, unscrew the plastic trim piece on the inboard side of each seat

 

This will expose the fastener holding the clip to the seat frame/rail. Note that the JDM seats use a nut and stud, the ADM ones a bolt and tapped hole - both work fine so no need to swap them over too. Also note that the ADM rails attach to the seats differently from the JDM rails, even though they bolt to the chassis the same - I figure this is so the JDM seats can sit lower as they are a "sporty" seat.

JDM

ADM

 

To remove the clip, use a 19mm socket for the ADM seats and a 14mm socket for the JDM seats. With the driver's seat, remember that the wiring for the warning light is attached to the clip, so thread that through the seat frame so it comes out with the clip

 

Comparison side-by-side of the clips - JDM on the left, ADM on the right. Note the much longer stalk on the ADM one, as the seat base is thicker

[Hiro Protagonist]

Now, swap the clips over so you have an ADM clip on the JDM seats (remembering to thread the wiring for the ADM seat warning light through the frame again so it can connect to the body loom.

 

ADM clip on JDM seat

 

Then, reverse the removal procedure to install the new seats back into the car, remembering to connect the seat-belt warning light on the driver's side.

 

Comparison shot between JDM (driver) and ADM (passenger, with Autobahn-spec seat cover)

 

And the new all-JDM front (photo was an afterthought, so excuse the quality :P)

[Trev]

Looks good Ian, How did you go with the front bar?

[Hiro Protagonist]

Looks good Ian, How did you go with the front bar?

 

Contact with the seller fizzled out after they said they were going to get a quote for a bumper box, didn't hear from them after that then a lot of stuff started happening in my life and I forgot about it.