Think It Will Be Ready For [Texas] Tucson? W/Pics.

[Bob D.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

Dave

Good seeing you in Frisco. Glad you made it even without the car,

Bob

[Terry M.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

This year's Texas Regional is history, and while I didn't make the objective for Texas, I'm going to continue the transformation of a $6,000 Used C4 into a Top Flight presentation. Unless an Admin or Mod has an objection or better idea, I'm going to continue to use this thread.

The next opportunity for Flight Judging at Regional is Tucson in March 2023. That is the new target date. While the ultimate achievement would be a McClellen which includes a PV, I have come to the conclusion that this car may require spending a lot more money than this used 92 would be worth at resale time. The more I get into this car addressing items, the more I find wrong. So I came up with a self-guide for plan of action: If it is required to make the car enjoyable to drive, or improve its score in Flight Judging, use the "low-hanging fruit" approach to expenditure vs improvement, which we are all familiar with. If it is something required for Performance Verification, defer that for now until the car is strong enough to "97" consistently, if it gets that far.

I spent some time today on "low hanging fruit".

The 3rd Brake Light inop was the switch under the dash. I changed that out, and while I was under there noticed that the 92 still has the 'old way' starter circuit that passes the full current of the starter solenoid through the Clutch Safety Switch, which can deteriorate and cause frustrating "no crank". In 1993, the CSS only passes low current to close the Starter Interrupt Relay, not the full current, and the long-term reliability of the starter circuit is greatly improved. This is generally a ZR-1 issue because of the LT5's starter location down in the valley which subjects it to heat-soak,exacerbating the problem. It cost nothing, and improves the car.


Here's the modified wiring (the large yellow wires) on the rear of the starter interrupt relay.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]114016[/ATTACH]



Here is the Clutch Safety Switch connector with one wire moved, and one additional wire added to the 4-cavity connector. Vinnie likes articles for The Restorer. I may write a detailed explanation in a future article, although this subject is well-covered on CF.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]114017[/ATTACH]


While I was under the LH dash I observed a couple of plesant surprises.
A: The VATS key resistance is still in operation and has not been "bypassed". So the car is protected against drive-off theft.
B: There are a zillion fasteners on the Left side of the console stack that must be removed for access to the CCM. None of them have been touched. The odometer reading is in the CCM, and if the CCM is changed, the odometer reading can also change. Sometimes to zeros if not uploaded with the existing mileage. While I didn't suspect that a 72,000 reading was suspicious, it is nice to see that nothing has been molested.

- The Back Up lights are fixed.
- I have a new Clutch Master Cyl to install to replace the leaker that is making a mess inside the car. Another reason to be under the LH dash.
- And I removed the Bose speakers to send the amps off to Dr. Dons for repair. (With my "new-think", I'm going to wait to do the CD player, but I intend to drive this car to the events. I need music.)
- There are a number of items to address in the cargo area in conjunction with R&R of the rear speakers. For a future entry.



And I found this on the backside of the rear cargo area carpet. Just trivia. C4s have a "Sequence Number" on various components and sub assemblies that match the Seq number on the front of the core support, and the LH rear face of the cargo tub, under the car. It seems that the outside supplier of the carpet applied the Seq number before shipping to BG Assembly. I don't have a pic, but this car's Seq number is 021.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]114018[/ATTACH]


I'll update about once a week. "Build Threads" keep me motivated to continue making progress on long-term projects.

Thanks for reading.

Nice story Dave

FWIW: My 2008 has the sequence number all over it, including tires.

[Bob D.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

Dave

See ya in Tucson!

Bob

[Mark D.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

Hey Dave...

How's the 92 coming along? Any progress pics?

Regards,

Kramden

[Ed H.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

I would like to correct an earlier comment, more like the size of a bull elephant. If we meet in Fla. or Tuscon it will be monumental. Excellent work old friend.

[John M.]

[John M.]

[Gary C.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

FYI - fellow Texas Chapter Member John Lejsal used flexible plastic of some sort to fix floppy visor ears.

Gary
....

[Mark E.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

I didn't know about "automatic resetting circuit breakers". When/how do they reset...when they cool to a set temperature?
And if there's a problem like a short do they continually trip then reset?

[Gary C.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

Found the Gloso catalog but no joy finding Bussman's
GlosoUSA Auto Reset Circuit Breakers Bussman Auto Circuit Breakers sold by Grainger

[Mark E.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

Sunday, I didn't know that they exist for ATO applications either. They are available in manual and automatic reset versions. I wanted automatic because of the difficult to access location.

I took one and tested it in a dead short between the terminals on a loose battery in my shop. It tripped instantly, there was about a 10-12 second pause and it clicked again. The second click was an instantaneous reset and trip. I only tested for two cycles, but with other similar types of automatic reset breakers, the hotter they get, the longer the duration before they attempt another reset.

Yes, as long as the short is present, they will continually trip and reset. The power seat harness in a 90-96 C4 has a diode that is susceptible to damage from an inadvertent reverse polarity connection such as a jump start. The 'POWER" breaker gets hot as hell, and the battery goes dead. This comes up about 2-3 times a year on CF. Your 40th has this diode, Mark.

Thanks Dave. What are the unintended consequences of a breaker automatically cycling on/off every few seconds due to a circuit problem? This may be okay for an astute driver like you who will notice and take action quickly.

I also wonder why auto makers don't use manual reset breakers instead of fuses altogether. Cost is the only reason I can think of.

[John M.]

Re: Think It Will Be Ready For Texas ? W/Pics.

Thanks Dave, I was unaware of this type of breaker. Yes, I am very familiar with that cigarette lighter fuse location. One week before my PV I had to replace that fuse.