Help me love my car again!

[ProbeChris]

So I've got a few issues that are driving me nuts and have been contemplating selling it and picking up a Mazdaspeed 6 or possibly something else. However I think if I fix these little issues I will actually enjoy driving the car again.

AC sucks due to the condenser getting heat soaked I'm sure. I have a fmic, ron davis radiator, two 12" mishimoto slimline fans, and I've wrapped the DP hoping it would help out some and lower the under hood temps. I am all out of ideas as to what else to do besides running a vented hood or something. What have you guys done to fix this?

I'm getting detonation possibly? I'm not sure what it is, it is a ticking noise coming from the passenger side of the engine or possibly down by the water pump... It usually only occurs when the vacuum measures 15inhg or less, or is under boost. It also happens whenever the cooling fans come on at idle. I'll have to retake a video as I broke my phone and no longer have it. Any ideas?

A friend was driving behind me one day and noticed that my tail lights illuminate every time I shift. Could this possibly be something I did when I wired in my remote start/alarm?

Stock alarm sometimes decides it wants to go off when simply unlocking or starting the car via the viper system I've installed. Can I remove this damn thing entirely along with the security button under the dash?

The clunk....I've replaced the bushings and tried wrapping the sway bar in Teflon tape as I read on here it could help. Well it did for a bit but now is annoying as ever and I'm about to just remove the damn thing. (pissed)

Any help is greatly appreciated. It's really hard for me to justify getting rid of a car that's paid for and gets 29mpg in town for a Speed 6 that I'd have to make payments on and deal with getting worse gas mileage. However I've just about had it with this car and am leaning towards something newer with 0 issues that I can just hop in and drive without ever working on it unless I WANT to. lol

 

[hornsfan10609]

I would remove the Viper alarm it sounds like it is installed incorrectly. The clunk is fixed with new bushings and marine grease, lasts for about a year to 18 months. 'Detonation' is probably an exhaust leak, check your mani for missing or broken studs. As far as the AC goes there isn't much you can do, most cars have the same issue when going to FMIC, I only use the ac when i'm at speed not while stopped.

 

[Preferio]

1) A pusher fan if you can fit it may help. I experienced the same issue, but soon afterwards my condenser developed a leak, so I removed it.

2) Need more info on this.

3) In all probability, it would have to do with the keyless/alarm, but, again, would need more information. You mean when the clutch pedal is depressed? And is it JUST the tail lights?

4) Stock alarm is touchy. Turn your sensitivity down to start with, but your aftermarket alarm that's installed with this may also be the culprit.

5) The sway bar bushings don't last very long. I've managed about 11k out of the rears and they're starting to get noisy again. And about 20k out of the front.

 

[ProbeChris]

Forgot yet another issue:

While the car is idling (possibly with just the ac on), the car will idle around 1,500 rpm. However if I depress the clutch, rpms will drop to around 1,000. Pressing the clutch shouldn't change the vacuum or load of the engine.

I installed the alarm, it was my second install on a protg and everything seemed to go fine. I didn't realize the tail lights illuminated until a buddy told me. It isn't the normal brake light or light when the head lights are on. I can't remember which one it was exactly? I'll have someone help me check into it, but I believe it only would do it while the car was running and clutch depressed. Only the tail lights. The stock alarm going off issue has progressively been getting worse, I swear I turned it all the way down but will double check.

Hornsfan-I actually thought the same thing about an exhaust leak. The first time I noticed it there was actually a nut missing and one stud had completely worked itself out. I replaced the parts and ensured everything was snugged up once again thinking I had fixed the issue. Yet it remains. Turbo to dp bolts are snug, dp to cat is a ball and socket fit but that connection is solid as well.

 

[Preferio]

Neutral Safety switch. Do you have a MIL? That'll set a P0705 I believe when it's failed, but it will exhibit the same symptoms

 

[ProbeChris]

You're referring to the idle drop I'm assuming? I believe there are a few on but I just assumed they were from deleting the vics and vcts. I will check the codes again.

 

[Preferio]

Yes.

 

[ProbeChris]

Finally had time to pull the codes, a few more came up than I was expecting. Anyone know of a link to possible causes for these?

P0037-H02S Heater control circuit low (bank 1, sensor 2)
P0103-Mass or volume air flow circuit high input. Dirty maf?
P0850-Park/Neutral Switch Input Circuit (Preferio, is this the code you were referring to for the idle drop?)
P0507-Idle air control system higher than expected. I think I may need to burp the cooling system?
P0140-O2 circuit no activity detected (bank 1, sensor 2) Bad O2?

 

[ProbeChris]

I did some searching and it looks like p0037 and p0140 are possibly due to a bad o2 which in turn can throw p0103 if the fuel cut is being hit too often? But if the o2 went bad, wouldn't the ecu just dump more fuel in as a safety precaution? P0850, I guess I will have to check out the sensor and wiring on the trans for this. P0507 may be caused by a gunked up iac valve?