Masticore

today i finally got a chance with the break in the weather to give some much needed tlc to my baby.
i started with sealing the hole in my radiator near the water hose with some jb weld. i hope that will help my overheating of the engine. Seemed to work as i only had a trickle of steam coming from under the hood on the last leg of the drive to work. i will apply a second coat as soon as it has cured fully. My next thing to do is to get a new radiator off ebay...seen them for around $50 plus shipping.
next i capped the IACV simply by taking one of the hoses off and looping the 2 nipples with that hose and then the other hose i used to loop the intake manifold and the MAF air intake. i added some dexron 3 ATF to the PS reservoir. i noticed some squeaks and squeals from the PS Pump when i started the car but immediately noticed the loose feel of PS.....YAY...so im happy i have PS and its so much of a relief to not have to break my arms to turn the wheel. still need to get rid of the squeals, any recommendations?
i then added some oil to the crankcase and this weekend i plan on putting some seafoam in the crankcase and changing my oil. on a side note, i tried to loosen if not remove the oil drain plug to no avail. i was using a 14mm socket wrench, but that thing was on there tight. i was unable to remove it so i will try again when i got to change the oil after the seafoam.
i have noticed an immediate improvement on the way my car runs and hope to resolve the trac off and CEL soon....i tried searching but its still a bit sketchy on the 411...any advice is always appreciated....comments and critisism is always welcome.....slowly but surely im reviving my baby from what the previous owners screwed up...

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

get a 14mm socket and a breaker bar and it should come out no problem (this way you dont worry about stripping the drain plug like you can with a wrench.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Sounds good -- I second PD's recommendation on your drain plug. Just make sure you have a box socket on there, and go at it. If you don't have a breaker bar,.. you can tap your ratchet handle with a hammer. (Not so good for the ratchet, but it works).

Also, a wrench is very hard to get proper leverage on in certain positions, imo.

As for your IACV -- Did you loop this because you had a PS leak into the manifold?

And did your PS become hard because it was simply low on fluid? (Perhaps due to the Air Valve leak?


As for the squeels -- Jack the front of the car off the ground.. put on jack stands,.. just enough for the wheels to clear the pavement.

*Remove PS reservoir cap*

Turn the steering wheel from lock to lock (not too fast) (left to right, right to left) fully as many times as you can without getting insanely bored. Go at least 50.


*Place cap back on*

Lower car.. and that is about all you can do. The system develops air in it and is the reason it squeaks,.. Over time, soemtimes weeks or months the air works out. The previous procedure just speeds that up, and sometimes gets rid of it all together.

Though a bad PS pump can also cause some noise. But the turning of the wheel is 'bleeding' the PS system technically.

Masticore

PD: Thanks for the Advice, def will do.

Neofate: I will be bleeding the PS system this weekend, per your instructions.
I haven't been able to enjoy PS since i bought it Thanksgiving 2007, so thats why i did the loop. I finally can drive without breaking my arms, and its 10x better, nice and loose.

I plan to also order the new radiator off ebay this weekend. Is the install as easy as it looks? Remove the bolts, braces, then disconnect the vacuum lines and water hoses, and pull out the old one, and then inspect the hoses and lines for integrity and reconnect the new one?
The 2 coats/patches of JB Weld are holding and no overheating yet, on the drives around town so far the temp gauge has not risen past the midline yet.
i Just want to protect my investment and replace the cracked now patched one, just waiting til payday to order the new one.

Oh and if the weather holds up, I have everything needed to Tint 35% all around, so thats what i will be doing as well. This winter has been hellatious for me, all the cold and snow and now rain. Just need a sunny day to make my baby look good. Im Sick of all this rain and cold temps, I was out all weekend in it assaulting a village and clearing buildings during my National Guard Drill...But i can't complain, I made it back home from overseas with my life and My LS400 is paid for. So i continue my saga to restore my baby to factory specs and hopefully by the summer i'll be able to turn it into a Bond car with my personal array of gadgets and such....Trust me when its done, CL will know about it...

I will post some new pics this weekend.

Enjoy,
-Phil-