Glad to hear a 2nd on this. I still don't think it's the starter and it's not on a battery tender. I think the "something shorted" is the likely culprit or the struggling window motor. We'll have to put a pin in this and get back to it later.

First thing is what was in progress - replace the rear main seal (and do a clutch kit while it's open). I got a lot prepped a few weeks ago, Sunday I got the subframe out. Monday the transmission came out.



I noticed the bolts that would only be removed for this type of job had obviously been removed before (rust on the corners of the bolt heads). That surprised me, at almost 89k miles, I wouldn't have thought someone already replaced something. Plus the rear main seal is almost obviously leaking so it must be the original.

I still had to take a TON of things apart to get this thing out, so I'm a little nervous about getting it all back together again just right. So many others have been able to, so I should too (boosting my own confidence). I kept looking for that troubling bracket ModMINI had to remove at the last minute, but couldn't find it. In the end, it came out without finding or removing that bracket. Maybe the person before me removed it and didn't put it back?

Well, it's a very good thing I decided to do this job now rather than any later. I thought the bellhousing would be gunkier with the leaking rear main seal, but it wasn't too bad (based on absolutely no prior experience). I still think it's leaking, but maybe it started more recently than I thought. Anyway, the real issue is the loose metal in the bellhousing. Recall when I dropped the oil pan last year, I extracted a piece of aluminum nugget from the bellhousing that was exposed and could see some nicks from it kicking around. Well I found even more little alum nuggets and 2 ball bearings. Yikes. The bellhousing is definitely all nicked up, but not really damaged. And there is definitely some damage to the pressure plate bolts and tabs. I imagine once I get it all disassembled I'll see where this all came from. But my guess is that previous person did a bad job replacing the clutch. Hopefully no real damage is done and I can put it all back together properly. It is a satisfying feeling being able to clean things up and get a car properly sorted. Hopefully this next weekend I can find the time to get into the parts replacement process. Then the struggle to get the transmission back in to the car - probably by myself and probably only with a floor jack and a ratchet strap. We'll see - this thing is heavy and awkward.

 

Well, it's all back together.

I managed to score a transmission jack off Craigslist - I don't know how I could have put it back without it.

When I dropped (literally) the transmission, I broke the plastic bracket for the shifter cables. It was already a little mangled and brittle, so it was replaced.

I think I manipulated the slave cylinder too much and seals leaked. The clutch pedal doesn't come back up very well and it's way too easy to depress. Before I test drive, I'll replace that.

On to the other 2 remaining issues.

1. melted battery post box. I bought a new one, but want to figure out how it happened so I don't melt another. Battery sits at 12v and running it's charging at 14. Seems normal. There have been a number of body error codes, so I cleared them all and will see what comes back. Maybe that will give me a hint of where a short might be? Also to note that I have had other weird electrical symptoms - wipers coming on randomly, lights staying on. Maybe related?

2. Drivers side rear window isn't working right. Today I pulled the regulator and found the cable had jumped one of the rollers and was getting pinched at the motor. I was able to put the cable back how it should be and put it back in. A quick test resulted in still weird grinding. Pulled it again and the cable seemed to migrate to getting pinched again between the motor and the cable feed area. That just doesn't seem right to me. But what is the real problem and solution (preferably without buying a new expensive regulator assembly)? Can anyone spot an obvious issue and solution here?







Thanks!
-Jason

 

More on Item #1 - melted positive terminal box. I'm kicking myself now. While I had everything apart, I could have removed the starter easily and refurbished it. With the couple of suggestions about it, I'm thinking that must be where the problem is. Nothing else would pull that much current at that location to cause that much heat build-up. I still don't think it's the actual starter motor itself - it always seems to work fine. But I have had intermittent turns of the key with no engagement of the starter. I thought it was the ignition switch, but that sure seemed fine when I pulled it apart. My top guess is the starter solenoid. In my 35 years of car ownership, I've certainly seen my share of bad starter solenoids. Next guess is grounding or wire connections either at the terminal post or at the starter.

I did specifically look at the wires and connections at the starter when I was under the car and everything looked ok. So why might there have been heat build-up just at the terminal post and not everywhere along the line enough to melt the cable insulation, etc.? Maybe my second guess of a bad connection at the terminal post (if current is flowing through) is rising higher than my top guess of the solenoid. If there is too much resistance at that location, it would cause heat build up. It could also restrict the amount of current needed to actuate the starter solenoid and cause the random no start issues I had. Hmm... maybe I can find time today to at least pull that apart and see what I find.

 

I figured out the window problem. The roller that is often seen blue or green was broken. So I bought a repair kit. No problem? Ha. I drilled out the old aluminum post. I can’t, for the life of me, manage to peen the end of the new one over the hole in the regulator. Argh! Any suggestions welcome, or I may just take it to a local machine shop to see what they can do.

 

Voila! The guy at the local machine shop took it to a press, no charge. There’s no way I could have done it without a press. In fact, it split the hard aluminum instead of mushrooming, which makes sense to me. Seemed pretty solid still. Good to go! It’s now the best operating window on the car.

 

Tackling the melted positive terminal post box. I took the connectors apart and didn’t find shiny metal - there was probably a bit of oxidation and the nut unscrewed pretty easily so not on tight. Maybe this was all enough to heat things up right there. I sprayed it with contact cleaner and scrubbed as well as I could get in there with a metal brush. Coated it with dielectric grease and put it back. Fingers crossed.

 

I should update, at least for my records, the status. We're now at about 89,500 miles. I drove the car down 200+ miles, with about 45 minutes of stop-and-go in 95-degree weather. My clutch leg and new clutch got a workout. I also sweat through the seat because the A/C isn't working right. Fun times. But the car behaved wonderfully as far as engine and drivetrain. I almost wasn't able to leave because the top wouldn't got up. Click and nothing. Click and nothing. I jostled it, unplugged the battery and re-plugged. Finally, after a few more attempts it squeaked and muscled it's way up. I definitely need to lube the joints.

Remaining/current issues (next summer's projects) and status:

1. Slave cylinder. I replaced the slave cylinder with OEM. I was worried about bleeding the system after reading all the posts. The real challenge I had was not being able to turn the bleeder screw very far with a swing of a wrench. It's really screwed out a ways before it opens up. Then it takes a couple swings at least to ensure it is fully closed before letting more air back up. Once I got the hang of it, and then also doing the "compress the clutch pedal overnight" trick, it was all just fine. One thing to note, when I went to check the fluid before swapping the slave, the brake fluid had almost solidified into a gel. Yuck and weird. I scooped as much of it out as I could and put new fluid in before starting the procedure. I should remember to suck out fluid again next summer and put new fluid in again, just for good measure.

2. Power steering lines and reservoir replaced. The reservoir filter was probably clogged which was likely the real reason for the leaking. I was surprised the reservoir is a maintenance item - I never knew that. But after reading a few threads and recognizing the filter gets clogged and can't be cleaned or repaired, you just replace the entire reservoir. It's almost a universal part for $14 on Amazon. Easy peasy and a cheap fix.

3. Electrical gremlins. I may have narrowed this down to a loose positive battery terminal clamp and a non-secured battery. Fixed those things and haven't had any electrical issues since (knock on wood). It might also be my battery cutoff switch and maybe once or twice I didn't "turn it on" correctly. I bought cable and a remote switch (so I don't have to manipulate it in the dark under the boot floor). I haven't had a chance to install it. I was thinking of running the cables under the back seat and just having the switch at the base of the back seat, but the cables are too thick to really make that work easily. I'm open to suggestions for location and routing.

4. A/C. The compressor clutch goes on. The system is pressurized. After reading a few threads, I'm guessing it could be a stuck plenum door or something like that. There is whistling and rattling when I turn on the A/C (as opposed to just the fan). So clearly there is something not quite right in the air stream.

5. Steering column boot. Argh, this confounded thing! I wish I had spent time on it when I had the transmission out - it would have been so much easier. Silly me, I thought it could be resolved from the inside of the car. Because the white plastic pieces that secure the boot are separated, it's impossible to get them to marry up without pushing in from the outside. Having now taken it all apart and reading through a few (not terribly comprehensive) threads, I now understand how it is all constructed and how it supposed to sit. For now, it's just mostly all together pressed up against the firewall from the inside. Good enough as long as I don't drive through a puddle or rain (which this car never sees anyway).


For now, the car runs tremendously strong. It's just too much fun, I probably drive it too hard. At least it does help to flush out any issues, right? That's my excuse anyway. Now it goes into partial hibernation in the Central Coast garage, while I bring up my E46 to get smogged in the more stringent Bay Area.

 

The HD silicone lube worked great on the top. No more creaking when putting it up.

i should include a glamour shot

A beauty overlooking Shell Beach