ABS trouble on a 1991 Cutlass Supreme

[Crazy K]

On issue I encountered on my brothers 94 cutlass supreme, was a bad auxilary post nut, it would loosen and cause resistance in the car's circuitry.... this left the abs light on, but it was a completely different ABS system. I replaced all my older style brass nuts with the ones used on 95 and newer models.

thats just a thought, but I am grabbing at straws... it may have nothing to do with your issue.

 

the one car I own that came with a powermaster, i removed it and installed conventional vacuum brakes.

I stay away from GM's evil experiment.

 

 

[peeeot]

Today I checked the auxiliary post nut as well as some other things, namely the electrical connections at the master cylinder and all brake lines/connections/hoses for any leakages. I didn't find any leaks, but there was one weird thing: when I pulled the connector off of the pressure switch, there was a little bit of brake fluid in the connector. At first I thought it had just collected there from when I replaced the accumulator, but looking back on it the fluid was inside the connector, like past the little rubber dust boot, so I'm not sure it could have dripped there.

 

Anyway, I cleaned the connector, checked pad wear both front and rear, and re-checked fluid level after depressurizing the system.

 

After all this, finally, all my brake lights went off!!!

 

I couldnt believe it, so I went for a drive. It was the first time I've driven the car without any warning lights on.

 

It was short-lived though. I hadn't even gone a half mile before braking at a second stop sign. As soon as I touched the pedal at that sign, both lights came back on and stayed on.

 

I expected to return and find more brake fluid in the connector on the pressure switch, but it was clean.

 

I don't know what to do now. The shop manual just tells me to talk to the ABS computer, but I don't think I can afford the tool to do that, or to pay someone else to do that. How much do bidirectional scan tools cost?

[Crazy K]

You've gotton much further than I ever did with a power master!!! I drove about 2 miles home with it and carried it 50 feet to a dumpster! Like I said... I modded on a vaccuum booster brakcet onto the firewall and installed regualr brakes

 

I guess if you can figure out how to read codes from it... you'd figure out whats next.

 

maybe... sometimes a wheel sensor may be bad.. or dirty.. or something. try cleaning around your wheel sensors and see what happens? I know I need to on my 95 CD sedan... it was metal on metal on all four wheels at the time of purchase, and everything was covered in thick rust flakes, the results of powered metal coating everything.

 

[jimmy91444]

When I bought my 91 3.4 with PMIII, I found that the brakes work pretty good, but the ABS light would not come on at startup.So I took the dash off, and found that there was no bulb,so I put one in and whent for a ride,within a few hundred yards the light came on and stayd on,and at the end of the street I almost went right thru,praticaly no brakes at all. I return home and took the bulb out, and my brakes return to what they were before. They are not great,the pedal is a little hard to push down, but they work pretty good after you get used to it. It may work for you too.

[peeeot]

I appreciate the suggestions! At present, I'm planning to check the items under "preliminary inspection" in the shop manual and to call someone to find out how much it would cost to talk to the ABS computer. I have a feeling that the pressure sensor is at fault, but I don't want to replace it unless I know it's the problem OR it's the cheapest option.

 

Here's a different sort of question: Let's say I end up replacing the pressure sensor and motor relay and that after that the lights go off and stay off and everything's peachy. Can I expect reliable, trouble-free service from the PMIII unit for another 10 years or is this system likely to be a steady series of headaches?

 

I have 2 cars right now. The other one is a 1959 Thunderbird that I've done a whole lot of work on. It's not too far from being ready to drive as transportation, though it still needs a lot more work to be "finished," if such a thing exists. The cutlass is definitely a more practical choice overall, but it is not fun to work on (whereas the t-bird mostly is) and it has many more things beyond my equipment and skills that can go wrong than the t-bird. The Cutlass only has 86k miles. I've gathered that the 3.1 is a reliable engine, but I hear bad things about brakes (especially PMIII) and the lack of availability of convertible parts, which will wear out sooner or later. It needs a new top too, which isn't cheap. Should I invest the time, energy, and money into repairing the cutlass, or should I sell it and put the bird on the road? Or sell them both and get something else altogether...

[Crazy K]

well you can get tops regularly on e-bay for $155. The probelm is that neither of your cars is really a daily driver.

 

but i sorry to inform you.. the PMIII will be a device that need continual service.

 

However.. IMO everything else on the car is easily repairable and you can always count on us here on W-body to help you and answer your questions if you are having difficulty with a problem.

 

p.s. I should be the convertable expert I swim in a sea of them.

[peeeot]

Tops for $155? Are they the whole top, including back window (glass, w/defog)? That sounds like a good deal. I know I could save a lot of dough by replacing it myself too, but I would hate to find myself in over my head and waste a top. The only conv. top I've replaced was on a Fiat Spider, and that was a piece of cake. Much simpler though. No staples.

 

Why do you say that neither of the cars is a daily driver? I understand about the T-bird, what with 10-12 mpg city and all, but why not the cutlass? PMIII?

 

Thanks for the support. Without your and the forum's help I wouldn't have been able to get even this far.

 

Update: I've been driving the car lately and the brake warning lights have been very intermittent. I have actually made one complete trip during which I was warning-light-free the whole time. In the past, I had a problem with the pump motor relay sticking, causing the pump motor to run with the ignition off. The way I got it to stop was by tapping on the relay with a screwdriver. So today, when I came to a stop and the warning lights were still on, I went under the hood and tapped the relay. Immediately the motor started to run, and soon it stopped and the red warning light went off. I turned the car off, started it again, and hit the brakes (I think a couple times). The lights soon came on again, but this time tapping the relay didn't fix anything. On the drive home, at one point I lost power assist again.

 

All this to say: now I think the relay is the problem and not the pressure switch.

 

Oh, and... PMIII sucks.

[Crazy K]

Oh, and... PMIII sucks.

ha ha!!! j/k the reason I would say it is not a daily driver is just becasue it is not completely reliable or safe... etc etc.....

 

the top is only the upper surface and does not include the rear window or surround

but...

that where I ordered my top, for my 91, availble in balck or white.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-1995-OLDS-CUTLASS-CONVERTIBLE-TOP-BRAND-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33652QQihZ007QQitemZ170006463444QQrdZ1

 

However, type in cutlass top on e-bay and some other links come up.

 

p.s. where do you live?

[peeeot]

Sorry about the delayed response; I've been out of town for the week.

 

I live in Raleigh, NC.

 

I've ordered the relay from gmpartsdirect.com. Hopefully it will be here in the next week or so, and fix this problem. As soon as I get reliable operation of the normal power brakes (regardless of ABS functionality), I'm going to sell the Cutlass. I decided this over the past week, and it's not entirely because of the ABS issues. Is there a part of the forum for advertising cars?

[Crazy K]

yes but I hope you can find it!

 

whats the deciding factor in getting rid of it?

[peeeot]

Okay, I PROMISE I've tried to look for that for sale thread more than once in the past and it wasn't there. Now it's obvious.

 

I've decided to sell it for the following combination of reasons: 1. (this is probably the most important) I don't really like the way the car drives. It feels very heavy to me, like I'm driving with a full passenger and cargo load at all times, and with the extra 500 lbs of the convertible over the coupe, that's almost the case. There is noticeable cowl shake over some bumps, and when the top is up those bumps also cause some squeaking sounds that kind of annoy me. It corners well, keeping nice and level, and the ride isn't harsh over the bumps, but there is the cowl shake. Acceleration has always felt mediocre to me. It will get moving if you dig into the throttle, but of course that comes at the expense of fuel economy, which is okay overall. To me, the driving experience is only particularly enjoyable when the top is down. Otherwise, it's just ho-hum. 2. It is a modern car. This means it is loaded with complex electronics and emissions control devices packed in tight, often difficult-to-access places that do not readily lend themselves to servicing. The complexity of the systems combined with age and wear mean that the liklihood of my having to service things is pretty high. Sure, with my preferred old (carbureted) cars there is usually something that needs servicing too, but it's usually pretty easy, fun, and cheap to perform the service rather than aggravating. This is not a direct complaint with the Cutlass but with EVERY late-model car I've owned. 3. The cost to make the car exactly the way I'd want it from a functional/cosmetic perspective would cost more than the car is worth to me. American cars from the early 90s aren't worth a whole lot on the market, and I don't get too excited about them, so the motivation just isn't really there. 4. The deep red color of the interior makes it feel dark inside the car even when it's quite bright outside. The white exterior is all right, but I've never been a fan of the white exterior/red interior color scheme. Even on the first corvettes.

 

That's pretty much it. I bought this car because I've been buying, selling, and working on cars since I was around 15 and I felt it was time to give it a rest and make time for other things in my life. My dad said that, in spite of my love for cars from the 50s and 60s, that what I needed was something modern with low miles. This cutlass looked good on paper, with the convertible top and decent fuel economy and low miles and a low purchase price, loaded with options in good cosmetic shape, but it never appealed to the emotional side of me, and whether I like it or not I have a lot of emotion wrapped up in cars. The lack of emotion translates to a lack of motivation to invest time, money, and energy into the car, all of which it requires to some degree, thus, I want to sell. I figure if I'm gonna have to be working on something, it should be something that I really like, as long as that is economically feasible.

 

I've been plugging away at that t-bird even though I probably have spent more than I can get back for it at present because I just really like it. And even though it is certainly not the most practical option, it's really hard for me to sell it, which I may have to do. I just don't feel that way about the Cutlass though.

[Crazy K]

sorry to hear that. other than the powermaster, I consider these early 90's cars to be quite easy to work on, but of course..... you have to get used to how they are constructed designed and everything. If the fate of the world depended on me I could not tune a carburated car period... and I have rebuilt 3 carbs!

 

I've only been driving my 93 vert, I know what you mean by cowl shake, mine does that too, And I am going to replace the front struts asap, as I think they are weak and contribute. It has sensatracks on the rear when i bought it and I think the work fantastic, I;ve not felt the rear act fishy, only the front. I also want to swap a better set of tires onto the car as they seem to be poor quality tires as well.

 

oh yeah, some of the roof squeek will go away if you lube the weetherstipping with a rubber treatment to make it soft.

 

Have you tried giving the car a full tune up to see if it gives you a bit more power? My vert seems pretty quick, and I am not a lead foot accellerator. I plan to drive it all the time but I always baby my cars just right so I can run it for a couple 100000 miles...

[peeeot]

I've replaced all the spark plugs, changed engine and transmission oil and filters, and air filter. That's all I've done on it mechanically though, aside from brake work. The old spark plugs looked really worn; I was surprised they ran as well as they did.

 

One of my qualms with modern cars is that you can't really make adjustments to them to make them run differently. In order to alter performance or economy, all you can do is buy bolt-ons and chips and the like, all of which are expensive and do not make enormous differences. Major machine work on engine components is expensive as well.

 

The acceleration on my car probably isn't really that bad, but it FEELS like it's really working all the time, and that's what bugs me. If I'm going 0-50 in 15 seconds but it feels effortless and nimble, I'm okay with that.

 

When I talk about 90s cars being difficult to work on, I'm talking about the frequency with which something unrelated to the part you're working on has to be removed and the lack of space to manipulate tools. Not all old cars are great about that, and nor are all new cars bad about it. Still, having to rotate the engine forward on its mounts to have limited access to a bank of spark plugs is a chore to me. It doesn't have to be done that often, true, but... I've come to see cars as being in a constant state of decay, and the less things there are to fail and the more readily accessible they are, the better. My trust in modern technology is not very good. Cars are built to be disposable; get 150k miles or 3 years out of them and then it's time for something new. Sophisticated electronics in close proximity to high temperatures and frequent temp. fluctuation never seemed like a good idea to me. Emissions devices help the environment but take up space and add complexity, cost, etc. I don't know; for some reason I just don't want something that I can't take care of myself. I hate paying other people $80 an hour to do things I could do if I just had access to the equipment.

 

At this point I don't have any idea what car it is that I want. All I have is a bunch of characterisitcs I DON'T want. Just thinking about all this makes me tired, haha.

[Crazy K]

Of course.. I kind of think the same thing of the newer cars... OBD II meddles with everything too much.

 

The 93 is just perfect... still OBD 1, I can diagnose it myself. It is as simple as a modern car can be and still be simple. But the 93 has the electronic transmission as well and I plan to add second gear start. but the 90-92 models are still very good IMO.

 

Having read what you have written... I have a few recomendations... I had that problem on the 93 vert when i bought it, it felt like it got a shit load of drag... in fact... I got 20mpg on the first tank..BULLSHIT!!!

You know what i mean??? bang it was tapping my wallet! I expect closer to the true mpg i get on my other cars.

 

as for the drag... The 93 vert was wrecked when I purchsed it. all it needed was a door. The right door skin was peeled and split at the front, it was just dragging air like a parachute. But it also has the factory rear calipers... and they are know for hanging up and creating drag as well. (I'm a proponent of upgrading to 94 and newer rear brakes, btw) it also hesitated when i punched the gas.

 

I upgraded the brakes and installed a new door. it improved to about 25mpg.

I changed the plugs and air filter, they were dirty but not that dirty. oohh maybe 26-27 mpg.

 

I changed the oxygen sensor, and I removed the egr and cleaned the egr port, which was clogged with carbon. That has made the vehicle run better, but for my last run I got 27mpg, but I was hauling ass doing about 85-90mph, so I don't yet know if the economy has reached 29-30 at normal speed.

I also have not yet changed the fuel filter..... this week sometime...

 

 

I know you are thinking about chucking it... but I recomend inspecting your rear brakes for drag, changing the Oxygen sensor and cleaning the egr port

 

[peeeot]

You know, it's funny you chose to make those recommendations, because in spite of all I said earlier I find myself looking for an excuse to keep the car. Maybe it's because I'd hate to sell a car in its condition for as low as it's valued on the market. In any case, I actually did have fun driving it today, so maybe I was being a bit too hard on it earlier.

 

Which brings me to an important question. You said that even if I replace the relay and accumulator and pressure switch and my ABS and brake warning lights go off, I should still expect trouble from the PMIII. Why is that? What sort of trouble would I have? I mean, the parts I'm replacing are being replaced with GM-manufactured equipment; I should expect it to last pretty long on its own.

 

Reliability is one of the most important qualities in a car that I'm looking for. I don't want to have to be replacing expensive components all the time. If I have to go through this ABS stuff once and not again for a long time, I may be able to live with that. If, on the other hand, I can expect this sort of maintenence to be a regular occurrance with the engine, transmission, brakes, etc, then I want no part of it. Things wear out. I don't expect no maintenance. But I DO expect reasonable service intervals; a water pump should last at least 120k miles, a head gasket at least 150k, etc. I maintain my cars carefully and by the book.

 

Do you mean to tell me that you regularly get better than 25 mpg in a cutlass convertible? The best I've done on a tank yet is 22, and the others have been around 20. I figured that was about right, with EPA rating 19. I'm pretty gentle with the throttle most of the time.

 

I DO have factory rear calipers that haven't seen any major servicing. I inspected the sliders on one of them and it was pitted and rusting. I put lithium grease on it but it didn't help much. I know for a fact that one of the two rear calipers doesn't release as fully as the other, and have wondered whether that increased drag at all. What is it about the design of these calipers that's so bad? Shouldn't a rebuild kit, complete with new sliders, seals, etc. make them work properly? I don't like the idea of having parts from different years of cars on there, just because it makes it harder to find what I need from the parts store. Upgrading the rear disks may be manageable though.

 

I've cleaned out my EGR too. It wasn't heavily blocked, but it the service engine light was on with an EGR code and it went off after I cleaned it. I haven't replaced the o2 sensor. I need a new catalytic because its insides rattle. That's REALLY annoying.

 

I forgot to add, I also changed the fuel filter and ran injector cleaner through a tank of gas.

[Crazy K]

unfortunatly you car has the powermaster. it is the least reliable part of the car. You will have to be proactive on it's maintence in the long run. Supposedly the prior units (the brand of a company that redesigns and rebuilds them i think) are better than the ones GM put on the car... keep in mind.... ummm how should I put it... the PMIII is made by Denso. I call it a Chrysler part since I believe denso exists almost completely to manufacture chysler parts. IIRC their stamp is all over Chrylser alts and starters if not more. they also make the CS digi-guages and early dis/dic in GPs and CSs. the TGP portion of our forum is a great place to watch for PMIII info since all TGPs got powermasters. I think the accumulator is the only wear part that really should be expected to be replaced, as they rust out... IIRC the prior accumulator will fit on a non-prior unit.

 

reliability?

I have never replaced a waterpump on a W I own. they just don't seem to quit. to be specific, three of the fleet have been owned for 55k(totaled 91 lumina), 56k(frankenstein lumina, the guts are being re-used) and 48k miles(bros car). On these I never had to replace a compressor, coil, starter, egr, engine or tranny, (I have had no head or intake gasket issues on anything!) ps pump, steering rack, ecm/pcm, exhaust..... I've never had a bad wheelbearing.

 

alts were replaced on everyone, one fuel pump at 155k cause I ran it dry twice(my first W ). an ignition module at 215k, a fuel injector at 161k. I've never had a check engine light. I had to get towed only twice, once was because the car got totaled.

 

Keep in mind I do not know any of my car's prior service history, but these three looked to the book under the hood. I don't doubt replacement of stuff of course. and the lumina engine and tranny at 222k is number matching... it's original!

 

things that I replace before they quit:

crank sensor. I have never been stuck with one that went bad, but I pull em out, if they are cracked, they get replaced.

oil drive O-ring. I add a paper gasket too, in addition to the O-ring... double protection

plugs, oxygen sensor, all fliters, all fluids...

I add tranny coolers to help extend transmission life as well

I inspect and replace bad suspension components, tie rods and ball joints, tires and brakes.

on the 93- cars the rear brakes get upgraded to 94+ I don't wait for them to feel bad.

 

New on my list of things to do is remove and inspect the frame bushings. I grind rust off the frame and I grease the rubber and metal with silcone grease (rubber friendly) to prevent their failure, as my 222k Lumina experienced loose feeling in the steering and clunking. I analysed them during dismantling... they were rusty and SHOT!!!

 

Getting better than 25mpg? well I drove my lumina overloaded at all times, but I had added a tranny cooler in advance knowing hoe I'd use it. I commonly got 28 highway with AC on. But mileage did drop in stop and go traffic from about 25 to 22. I did get 31mpg on the highway when the lumina was totally empty and at 66mph all the way once. I figured the vert if emptied would do better than the loaded lumina though it has slightly higher wind resistance, and wind noise. Oh umm, this mileage was with the top up btw... I cruise with the top down but not distance driving.

so I should ask, is your mpg highway or city and top up or down?

 

time to do a rear brake job. The older calipers have the pistons jamb quite often as well, and the parking brakes are shitty as hell. If the piston jambs you should just replace it, but the slides are jambed you can force the slide out, hone the bore and purchase new sliders at most auto stores. I would just upgrade. I've never seen a salvageable early style rear caliper, but I have only seen three faulty new style calipers out of about 50 I looked at. one slide jambed, one cause the boot was torn and one where the pads wore out and metal on metal ate eveything up. I got all my parts for four different upgrades from junkyards, off car that had recent brake jobs. Cheap, and if some part turns out to be bad... buy and try another. The only issue I expericence is that the slider sleeves are sometimes dry rotted, So I'd junt for the best ones I could find. I paid about $10-$20 per set.

 

btw they make HIGH TEMP caliper grease that Advanced Auto sells in bulk for about $8 a plastic jar

 

that is the greatest resource, as i have posted before.

http://www.tpsgarage.com/TGP/brakes/rear_brake_upgrade.htm

I use the orignal parking brake lines on the car, And I intend to do a writeup.

 

do something about that, and get that oxygen sensor changed.

 

btw I'm not convinced the EGR will trigger the check engine light if it is clogged, only if it is broken.

[peeeot]

About the EGR, I had an EGR code and there was some carbon debris in the line. I also fully disassembled the valve, replaced gaskets, and tested for proper solenoid activation with a 9v battery. When I put it all back together, the light went away and hasn't come back since. It was an intermittent light anyway.

 

Upgrading the rear calipers looks to be really easy. The current parking brake is almost useless as is; lean on the car and you hear it groan as the parking brake slips. I just don't understand what it is abou the design of the rear calipers that makes them bad in the first place, other than the point about ease of pad swap.

 

About the PMIII, are you saying that the accumulator is the only part you can expect to fail with some frequency? Is that what you mean by preventative maintenance? I'm sure that it's been a faulty prop. valve and accumulator that has resulted in motor relay failure. Like I said, that part's on the way.

 

I get 19-22 mpg on almst purely city driving. The time I got 22, I made a small trip with a fair amount of highway driving, all with the top down. Most of my gas is used on the commute to work, which is very stop and go thanks to all the stoplights. I'm fully warmed up by the time I'm 1/4 of the way there or so.

[Crazy K]

sounds like you did a great job on the EGR.

 

It takes me about 2-3 hours to do the upgrade myself, including rerouting the parking brake cable. The rerouted cable works much better, but not as well as the true parking brake on a 94+ car. It also taked about 3 pumps to engage, but might be adjustable, but the adjuster nut is rusty and hard to adjust. BTW, to my knowledge, no 93- W bodies exist in Portugal, This being on a us military base. american cars must pass the local inspection, and the poorly designed parking brake can't pass the safety test. Which is why i gave my parents a Ciera and not my lumina. (they live over there) and if

 

on the PMIII, thats what I interpreted at least. the relay maybe too.... On all my cars I lube connectors and stuff with dielelectric or silicone grease to prevent corrosion... I get the feeling that it fails due to corrosion.... Personally, I have never had a relay fail. I would take and lub the contacts to prevent them from corroding. On second thought.. if the accumulator fails you can burn out the relay, or even the pump, since they would be operating continously... so watch the accumulator and that might prevent further wear! btw I would also flush the entire brake system yearly, since I get the feeling the PMIII is really harsh on fluid.

 

do the improvements I suggest as every bit helps... But you may be getting a fairly realistic mileage for the way you have to drive.... sorry man, sucks to be you!

 

p.s. I forgot to mention, that I replace the temp sensor by the thermostat on my cars, as quite often I get the feeling they they are old and mal-adjusted. my new car (93 vert) always runs the fans for a minute when i start, even when cold... I suspect an inaccurate temp sensor reading and I know that is killing my fuel mileage.

[peeeot]

That's strange about the fans running, I never have that problem. In fact, I have to let the car idle a really long time to get the fans to cut on at all.

 

Yesterday I made an adjustment on the top because the pass. sail window weatherstrip kept catching on the tattered rubber on the belt moulding and pulling it off the sail window. I slid the whole top assembly towards the driver side a little and now I can put the top up and down without messing up the strip. This is good, because I enjoy driving with the roof down a lot. Also, I discovered that some of the screws on top of the roll bar were loose. Tightening them up seems to have eliminated much of the squeaking/creaking I referred to earlier. I always thought it sounded like plastic on plastic friction.

 

I'm sure the relay has failed due to overuse. I've been driving it with a shot accumulator for months, and who knows how long the previous owner was driving it that way. Now it operates very sporadically. A couple times it would stick in the on position. I worry a little that it will mess up the new accumulator, but I can't think of a good reason why that would be the case. Still, I'll feel better when the new relay is installed.

 

I'm really torn about whether to keep the car. It's been on its best behavior lately, considering the fact that the brake lights are still on and off, and driving with the roof down is really nice. It's remarkably quiet with the top up, and rides very nicely. It revvs smoothly and shifts smoothly, and feels about as equally at home in the city as on the highway. I've been seeing the plusses of it more. But part of me still feels like it's a time bomb, just waiting to cause one expensive headache after another. I already have top weatherstrip damage that everyone says is unavailable, and I don't expect it will become available. Top alignment is tricky. I wonder how many times I'll get to use the top before it starts having problems. I wonder how much grief I can expect from PMIII in the future, assuming this relay fixes it for now, and what trouble I will get from other systems, like the non-cold r12 a/c. I just don't have much confidence in the engineering and build quality of 90s American cars, much as I hate to admit that. It's doing its best to inspire confidence now, but...

 

On the other table, if I didn't keep it I'd get something like a '74 Dodge Dart. It may need more serious mechanical work, or cosmetic work (rust!), and even when like new it probably wouldnt drive as well as the Cutlass, just because of the age-old suspesion setup and 3-speed transmission without overdrive. Parts would be cheaper, though, and it would probably be at least as reliable. Also, I already understand how all its systems work.

 

I just wish I could, you know, look into the future and see how things will work out one way or the other. That would make my decision making a lot easier.

[Crazy K]

I taught myself to rebuild the ac system. I convert to r-134 in the same shot.

 

I should do a write-up!

 

creaking solved is good.

 

I think you've got a handle on the PMIII for now. I would replace the relay as you said. but once it's new hopefullly it will last.

 

let me know if somthing new comes up. and one of these days... get us some pics!

 

[peeeot]

Hey, I linked to some pics in the members' rides forum... but for your convenience, here they are:

 

http://thewolfweb.com/photo_photo.aspx?user=21299&photo=458160

http://thewolfweb.com/photo_photo.aspx?user=21299&photo=458164

http://thewolfweb.com/photo_photo.aspx?user=21299&photo=458165

http://thewolfweb.com/photo_photo.aspx?user=21299&photo=458167

http://thewolfweb.com/photo_photo.aspx?user=21299&photo=458161

http://thewolfweb.com/photo_photo.aspx?user=21299&photo=458163

http://thewolfweb.com/photo_photo.aspx?user=21299&photo=458168

 

I'll update when the relay comes in.

[Crazy K]

Goddamn I just wet myself! that car is smoking hot! You even have to original OEM boot! I've only seen one OEM one ever... mine... and some ass put a old strut ontop of it while it was in the trunk.

 

Red may not look that great to many but I'm ok with it.

 

p.s. if you get rid of it I want first dibs!!!

[peeeot]

Hahahaha glad you like it! The pictures don't show all of its little flaws (the worst being PMIII) but I expect you know the high and low points of convertible CS ownership by now. The biggest problem I've had has been with the sail window weatherstrip. Apparently I adjusted too far towards the driver side because today the strip came off of that window, and I had to put it back on. Didn't stop me from enjoying roof-down driving all day though.

 

I lost power assist for the longest period of time yet today. Pretty alarming when you aren't ready for it. It hasn't put me in any danger yet though, thankfully.

 

That boot is in perfect condition. When I was first looking at the car the precious owner mentioned the boot and said he wouldn't carry it around if he were me because it took up trunk space. I was puzzled because I wasn't accustomed to boots having hard shells like this one. It sure does look nice when it's installed though.

 

Don't you already have 3 convertibles?

[Crazy K]

Don't you already have 3 convertibles?

your point?

[peeeot]

heheheh, well, I guess I don't have one.

 

Driving now is about 95% without power assist, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to take the relay apart and see if I couldn't make it work for a while until the new part shows up. The contacts were worn, not surprisingly, from excessive use, but they still conducted electricity and everything. There was, however, a resistor that came up as having infinitie resistance on my multimeter. I suspect it was damaged during those couple of times the pump kept running after turning the car off; maybe the contacts got stuck and blew the resistor. At any rate, there was nothing I could do about it right off. I'm considering getting a resistor from Radio Shack and soldering it in in place of the damaged one. It appears to be identical to one of the other resistors in the relay, which registers 84.2 ohms. If I was wrong, and used the wrong resistor, do you think there would be any risk to circuitry outside of the relay? At this point I don't really care if anything happens to the relay itself. It already mostly doesn't work.