Got the rear right and front driver wheel bearing done. So much less noise- or I guess it’s the right noises now.

Since the weather has gotten cold, car is running fantastic with the new tune and minor adjustments to exhaust. However, I have an intermittent timing chain mosh noise on startup. And then occasionally, just depending on the day, it’ll happen even after the car is warmed up.

I just replaced the tensioner about a month ago- didn’t say much about it in this thread, I think, but it went fine. I inspected the timing chain guides when I did the valve cover. They looked fully intact, but am worried they have since cracked. Or more worried that on my 185k engine, the chain has stretched. Will probably wait til Spring and do the oil pan gasket and look for tensioner bits. Anyway, onto the pictures.



Got the parcel shelf and the oem shift **** from a member here. Parcel shelf isn’t really installed in this picture, just sitting loosely, but it will fit great and matches really well. Will probably do a blue sea high speed usb/ voltmeter in the left blank. Already have a left over one from my Tacoma, just need to find it now...

I ordered the heater matrix cover panel from mini seattle. Should clean up the look and keep me from burning my ankles when I have my flip flops on (yeah, it happened. That thing gets hot!).


Black flag USA shift boot delete. They were great- first one was broken in shipment and they sent me out a new one right away. As for the product- I’m not wild about the fact that you have to now take the whole lower dash and tubes out to get at the shifter box. The 4 screws that hold it in attach from the bottom, unlike the stock one with the 4 pegs you can pull up on.

Have the WMW 19mm rear sway and greasable bushings. I’m gonna cruise over to my local Velasquez auto and ask them to mount it up. They redid all my brake hard lines for $100! I’m betting they will tear into it for $75 not knowing how much you have to take apart to get it in. I bet it would take me 3 hours on my driveway in the cold. No thanks!

Replaced the hatch seal and put wool wax inside the hatch- rust proofer used for frames and undercoating for those unfamiliar. I am starting to like the smell of that stuff? Is that bad? Also did wool wax on everything metal underneath the car. Adjusted my exhaust so it is all secured- no more clamp leaks or rubbing on the body. New skid panel is rattling a little- probably need to tighten up or make a support bracket. Only 6 of the ten bolts reach on my bumper because it is missing the lip.

 

If a shop would install my rear sway bar for $75, I might consider it, but I think it took me about an hour to do it. You just have to remove the rear wheels, struts, sway bar links, and a couple of the rear subframe bolts. then the subframe will come down enough to snake the old bar out and the new bar in.

The bottom bolts on the rear struts do get torqued pretty high, like 125 ft/lbs. But other than that it's a really straight forward job.

 

Those bottom strut bolts are my concern- I already replaced the struts and the bottom bolt was so rusty it needed a lot of map gas heat and my neighbors heavy duty impact to get them out. And, as I said, I would be doing it laying on the driveway, which is fine in summer, but not as great when it’s 30 degrees. If I can’t get it done cheap, I may take a crack.

I have the 19mm solid bar, planning on running it on the stiffest setting. Anybody who is running one, would be great to hear your experience vs. stock.

the best thing about this car: all the suspension was pretty thrashed when I got it so every little change makes it feel like a brand new car. I think the sway bar and front control arm bushings will make a huge impact.

 

thats fair enough, I'm actually running a solid 19mm bar (from ALTA) I love it. I haven't run a bigger/stiffer bar, but I don't think I would want to. I have it on stock springs, koni FSD shocks, and IE fixed camber plates, power flex race LCA bushings, and an M7 strut tower brace in the front. The balance on the stiffest setting is perfectly neutral. It rotates easily but predictably at turn in, but is very stable through the turn, and sometimes just a little light in the rear on turn exit.

We just had a bunch of snow, so I adjusted it to the softest setting to keep from having the back end come out and surprise me.

If you're going to autocross, you might want a stiffer bar to rotate it more to get it through tight turns, but for street and track on stock(ish) suspension, I think 19mm is the way to go.

 

I have some vague hopes to do an autocross day this next year, but never have. Good to hear your comment about the snow- maybe I should start with the softest setting because I plan to cruise the mini all winter in the IL snow and ice. Plus, then it will have a whole new feel when I go to the stiffest setting in the Spring. Thanks!

 

Got my catch can finished, mostly. I need a couple spring clamps that fit the larger hose. Not super pleased with the way the hoses are sitting, but it works.




Notice the zip tie to the motor mount- not super happy with that.

Left fitting on the can is larger because hose needed to for pcv. Spring clamp on left fitting doesn’t fit over it, so I’ll grab another later.

My mom bought me some 5mm spacers off my Christmas list- I threw them on yesterday ( see the silver in between the hub and wheel?)

I don’t have a perfect before and after, but it is just barely noticable visually. Could be my imagination, but steering felt a little lighter too somehow- maybe my butt Dyno is off

Sprayed the wheel well liners in some leftover truck bed and undercoating cans I had. Holding up well.

 

How do you like your engine mount setup? Any additional noise or vibration? I have the wmw tsw right mount, and the additional vibration is really annoying, but I like that I don’t have to worry about breaking my precat, again.

 

I am starting to feel like the motor mounts I chose was a half measure/ a band aid for the real issue.

This is a car I drive almost every day right now, but isn’t my only car. If I feel like riding in something quieter, larger, etc. I have a truck and my wife has a nice car. As such, I have realized that I don’t really care about the extra nvh- exhaust noise, intake noise, whatever, this is always going to be a noisy car. Having said that, instead of power flex inserts and oem mounts, I wish I would have gone for vibra technics mounts all around.

I still have some slight movement in the shifter/ trans, and I think the stiffer mounts might eleminate it. I don’t know- still a lot of bushings in the car that are untouched in 180k. Front control arm bushings, rear control arm bushings, sway bar bushings front and rear, rack bushing. I think the power flex inserts are great for what they are, but ultimately still a half measure that will leave you with some driveline movement (as advertised, to their credit).

 

Did great in the snow and ice! Really made me want to get the limited slip diff though. You sure can feel the torque steer bad when the wheels spin. Overall, it’s maybe the best fwd car I have driven in the snow.

glad I have the skid plate installed. Also glad I did the fluid film/ woolwax underneath. Will wash and spray fluid film again- crazy amounts of salt on the road today.



As anticipated- not a lot of room for snow buildup under the wheel wells.

Love these wheels.




You can see the impact of fluid film- those shocks have been through 3 IL winters.

If you know what the underside of a Midwestern Toyota Tacoma or 4runner usually looks like, this is an indicator of fluid films effectiveness.

Crazy temp swings in IL- this was earlier today.

Not going out in the snow again tonight- movies on the couch and puppy fights for the rest of the night.

 

Still sitting on front control arm bushings and sway bar. After snow, salt and winter I think.

have had a couple drops of oil under the car- has to be the oil pan or oil cooler lines, everything else has been done.

On the coldest days this winter (right around zero for a few days in a row) I am getting more zingy timing chain noises. Not sure what to think with 185k on it. Want to ignore it until the Spring to take off valve cover and oil pan to check condition of chain guides.

couple questions:

1) Did a febi chain tensioner before winter, anyone have an opinion about the quality of these? My chain noises are intermittent and it is tempting to blame the tensioner.

2) Is there any way to measure excessive chain slack with valve cover off? I looked at it before, but didn’t really know what I was looking for...