A Few Mixed Questions

[Baconer]

Well i have a few small problems and maintenance questions and being the beginning of my 3 day weekend i figure i should start on fixing them.

bit of background, the car is a stock standard 1996 Series 2 R33 with 86,000km on dash (has a 100,000km sticker though) I bought the car in Sept 06 with 73,000km and have changed the oil and oil filter ever 5-6000km. Only problem i have had with the car was an idle problem that has been fixed and climate control unit problem which has also been fixed

Problem 1 - Boost Gauge not reading. (SOLVED - Perished Hose)

This happened about 2 weeks ago, basically the stock boost gauge will not display the correct boost, instead it just sits on 0. The car is still hitting boost and I can hear the turbo spooling but it just isnt reading correctly. How would i go about fixing this?

Problem 2 - Ticking. (POSSIBLY SOLVED - Noisy lifters caused my thin oil, replaced with thicker oil

(soundfile - soon to come, no ticking at the moment of course )

This has been going on for a few months (2-3 months) and has slowly but progressively become louder. It began with a ticking for the first few minutes on cold start which was only heard from the outside of the car towards the front and would disappear till the next morning, but it has got to the point where it is still ticking after a 15-20 minute drive. From what ive read it is most likely the Exhaust manifold gasket but just wanted a confirmation before spending money on this

Problem 3 - Squeaky Clutch.

(soundfile - http://media.putfile.com/Squeaky-Clutch) (dont worry about that clicking noise at 3 seconds, was a message on my phone coming in)

Has been going on since around January this year but does not cause any problems except for embarrassment when i have a passenger in the car. When i depress the clutch it makes a fairly loud squeak inside the cabin (some days no squeak, others lots of squeak).

Problem 3 (cont'd) - Possible Thrust Bearing

(soundfile - same as above, can sort of hear the rough sound)

Slightly related to above, the car runs fine but occasionally on idle it sounds a bit rough, though once the clutch is depressed the 'rough' sound disappears and it sounds perfect, have been told it is possibly the thrust bearing. Would this be related to the above question?

Problem 4 - Replacing Belts (SOLVED - Repco )

Just for some peace of mind i want to replace all the belts (ps, a/c, timing etc.) and was just wondering where i would go to buy these items.

Problem 5 - What the hell is this and how do i set it!?

Have had this item in my car since buying it and googling the name ULTM comes up with nothing, have only ever seen 1 other car with this and that was in a youtube video. It is pretty much a digital rev/speedo gauge but after fiddling with it one night i messed the settings and now it reads incorrectly when above 3k rpm, if anyone knows how to use it or knows where i could find a manual or more information about the item that'd be great.

Thanks for any help anyone can give on these problems.

Alex

Edited June 18, 2007 by Baconer

[SECURITY]

ill try help with a few of these...

Problem 1 - Boost Gauge not reading.

This happened about 2 weeks ago, basically the stock boost gauge will not display the correct boost, instead it just sits on 0. The car is still hitting boost and I can hear the turbo spooling but it just isnt reading correctly. How would i go about fixing this?

the standard boost gauge vacuum hose is shit.

over time it gets really hard and eventually breaks. check for it at the back of the plenum near the aav valve for a vac hose thats split or come off.

Problem 2 - Ticking.

(soundfile - soon to come, no ticking at the moment of course )

This has been going on for a few months (2-3 months) and has slowly but progressively become louder. It began with a ticking for the first few minutes on cold start which was only heard from the outside of the car towards the front and would disappear till the next morning, but it has got to the point where it is still ticking after a 15-20 minute drive. From what ive read it is most likely the Exhaust manifold gasket but just wanted a confirmation before spending money on this

what type of oil are you using? if its too thin it will cause the lifters to tap a bit.

use a decent oil, something synthetic and 10-40.

Problem 4 - Replacing Belts

Just for some peace of mind i want to replace all the belts (ps, a/c, timing etc.) and was just wondering where i would go to buy these items.

any place that sells things like oil filters and fuel filters should have them. try a repco or anywhere similar.

[Baconer]

ill try help with a few of these...

the standard boost gauge vacuum hose is shit.

over time it gets really hard and eventually breaks. check for it at the back of the plenum near the aav valve for a vac hose thats split or come off.

what type of oil are you using? if its too thin it will cause the lifters to tap a bit.

use a decent oil, something synthetic and 10-40.

any place that sells things like oil filters and fuel filters should have them. try a repco or anywhere similar.

Had a look at the aac valve and noticed this line (connected at aac with a cable tie) is unconnected at the other end (in hand), unsure where it connects to :X

ignore the dust haha

Using Mobil1 10W30 (full synth), actually it would make sense if its somehow oil related as it only came up the first time i used this oil. What would you recommend and also what are lifters. It wont cause any damage if i wait till the next oil change will it?

Cheers for the info

[SECURITY]

your lifters are in the head, theyre what your cam lobes push down to open your valves. gtst lifters are hydraulic so they need the right oil pressure to function correctly. if you're using thinner oil your oil pressure will drop a bit. use something like 10-40 which is the recommended oil weight, just make sure its synthetic. motul turbolight does the trick and is well priced.

do the oil change soon, you dont want to damage your lifters.

as for the vac hose you're holding, thats the one that goes to the factory gauge.

either find the other end and connect them somehow or block it off so you dont lose vacuum/pressure.

[Baconer]

haha dam, ive done about 200km since the oil change...

found where it connects to, just a matter of getting the pipe on it now

Edited June 17, 2007 by Baconer

[Baconer]

Re-attached it, cable tied it and boost is reading again

Edited June 17, 2007 by Baconer

[Baconer]

Will be putting some 10W40 in today and will see if the ticking disappears, hopefully its fixed but if not thats one cause ruled out

[Baconer]

Well i went out and drained my 200km old oil (good waste of $90 there) and refilled with the 10W40 and the ticking sound is definitely quieter, hasn't completly disappeared but will update after a few days of driving. Thanks again for the help

[SilverECR33]

hopefully yours is a tap tap tap not a electronic tick tick tick like my issue, and your oil solves your issue, my tick you were referring to is my injectors. As to why they start to tick, but still operate normally is beyond me. hopefully soon i will have an answer

[EdGTR]

Hey mate Just a quick thought about your possible thrust bearing noise, The thrust bearing is the bearing that is connected to the end of the clutch fork and when you push your clutch down it actually pushes on the spinning clutch pressure plate causing the clutch to release. So if you get that you will be able to work out that when your foot is off the clutch your thrust bearing isnt turning or if is just touching it is under no load ie no noise. What you are probably hearing is a bit of gear box noise and when you put your foot on the clutch the gearbox stops so you can select a gear. Alot of cars have an amount of noise from their boxes and it really isnt a problem unless it gets worse or is loud. I would change your box oil just to be safe and then just monior the noise and if it gets worse deal with it then.