Sounds like your car went through about the same as mine. I can trace every fault I've had with the car to the previous owner (PO). My 5th gear synchro came out of the car in 3 pieces when I rebuilt the transmission. How all three pieces stayed in place is anybody's guess, but it did. When I rebuilt the transmission, I found that instead of using the right synchro, the PO had used a reverse gear synchro.



I also had the pwer steering hose give out, due to it rubbing on an aftermarket coil that was mounted in a location that allowed contact.



I've replaced every soft coupling from the turbos to the UIM at least once, and replaced most of the hose clamps in the intake.



I don't really consider the things I've done beyond fixing the PO's mistakes to be beyond regular maintenance. Oil changes are more frequent than on other cars, but the oil is subjected to a lot more in the 13b-REW than it is in most engines. Yearly coolant flush and replacements aren't bad considering the price paid if you overheat the engine. Spark plugs only last a year, and at $9 each, it can seem extravigant. On the other hand, I knew all these issues before I bought my FD. I'd driven SA's and FC's for years before I even looked at buying my FD. I'd also been on what was "the big list" for most of that time as well, so I had a good idea the level of commitment the FD required.



Would I do the same thing again? Probably. This has been the most fun car I've ever driven, I know first hand what the condition is on most of the internals, and after fixing problems introduced by some idiot that owned the car before me, I've now got a relatively reliable sports car. It's also taken me nearly 5 years to get it to this point.



Enough rambling, and I'm curious...did you ever go check the tire pressure?



Travis

 

damn suspension!

 

This is like Twilight Zone or something. Checked the pressure in all tires. They were close (with in 2-3 psi) so I made them exact. Drastically reduced the swerve inbetween gears and made the pull under boost barely noticeable. Same problem came back a few days later and I was thinking that was cool....I had a nail in the tire....except I didnt and the air pressure was still even all around. So maybe Ill just drive slow and pretend like there's no problem.

 

hmm wierd. is your car black?



mike

 

Check your toe links in the back. Jack up the rear and grab the tire at 9 and 3 o'clock and seel if you can wiggle them.

 

nope....car is red

 

nope....car is red [/quote]

cause theres a black one around here that does the same thing, turns out the owner was crazy



mike