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Ok, I've been busy like crazy but I've had a few issues I've put off until recently. I live near Seattle, WA and have an '88 L Festiva with about 190K on it, 4-spd manual tranny. I've got a summary and some detail about all the things I've tried for these three issues. What can I say? I'm thorough, but I know people don't want to drudge through the details.
SUMMARY:
1. Speedometer cable. Just replaced it and the housing last night. This morning it made a clacking noise and stopped working after 3 miles. I did lube it when I replaced it. See the details for other things that may have affected it.
2. Brakes. These don't engage until the pedal's very low. I've bled them twice without effect. I'm not losing any fluid. See details for the brake history.
3. Electrical. The dash dims by half when I use the brakes. The handbrake light dims by about half when I use the turn signal. Alternator and belt are fine. See the details for more information on the history.
DETAILS:
1. Speedometer cable. I just replaced it yesterday and lubed it with lube that came with the cable. There was a rubber grommet *and* a plastic clip on the old one, both of which I chose not to reinstall because I couldn't figure out how to get the grommet over the cable head. I also purchased a longer cable because the original one was very short. Drove it and it seemed fine last night. This morning, it made this loud clacking noise and after about 3 to 4 miles, stopped working again. The clacking is consistent with the speed of the car. Thoughts on this: (a) I need to lube it more. (b) The torque from the cable plus not installing the grommet could have shaken the cable loose from the speedometer. (c) It's not making complete contact. (d) With the extra long cable, there needs to be more slack in the engine compartment and not behind the dash.
2. Brakes. The brakes have been an issue for a while even though I didn't know it. I'm almost to the floor before it engages. Usually there's not any squeaking and it stops fine. I just replaced the master cylinder within the last 6 months (it was leaking at the O-ring) and bled them around that time. After I did that and tried it that night, the brakes worked better than any other time since I've owned. It made me realize there might be a problem that I wasn't aware of. Over about a week, they reverted back to the "normal" state. I also re-bled them within the last month because it's just bothering me. No effect. I'm not losing any fluid. Thoughts on this: (a) I'm not bleeding them all the way or correctly. (b) Maybe some kind of vaccuum leak? That's a huge stretch. (c) Perhaps the pedal itself needs to be adjusted.
3. Electrical. This one's been a long-standing issue. Whenever I brake, the interior dash lights dim by about half. I stopped using the brake as much and use the handbrake whenever I'm stopped. When I use the turn signal, the handbrake light dims by about half. I'm pretty sure these are on separate circuits. For a while, I was replacing the battery once a year until I borrowed my friend's charger. The alternator is fine. The belt is not as tight as it could be but it's not that loose either. He thinks maybe the ground cable?
SUMMARY:
1. Speedometer cable. Just replaced it and the housing last night. This morning it made a clacking noise and stopped working after 3 miles. I did lube it when I replaced it. See the details for other things that may have affected it.
2. Brakes. These don't engage until the pedal's very low. I've bled them twice without effect. I'm not losing any fluid. See details for the brake history.
3. Electrical. The dash dims by half when I use the brakes. The handbrake light dims by about half when I use the turn signal. Alternator and belt are fine. See the details for more information on the history.
DETAILS:
1. Speedometer cable. I just replaced it yesterday and lubed it with lube that came with the cable. There was a rubber grommet *and* a plastic clip on the old one, both of which I chose not to reinstall because I couldn't figure out how to get the grommet over the cable head. I also purchased a longer cable because the original one was very short. Drove it and it seemed fine last night. This morning, it made this loud clacking noise and after about 3 to 4 miles, stopped working again. The clacking is consistent with the speed of the car. Thoughts on this: (a) I need to lube it more. (b) The torque from the cable plus not installing the grommet could have shaken the cable loose from the speedometer. (c) It's not making complete contact. (d) With the extra long cable, there needs to be more slack in the engine compartment and not behind the dash.
2. Brakes. The brakes have been an issue for a while even though I didn't know it. I'm almost to the floor before it engages. Usually there's not any squeaking and it stops fine. I just replaced the master cylinder within the last 6 months (it was leaking at the O-ring) and bled them around that time. After I did that and tried it that night, the brakes worked better than any other time since I've owned. It made me realize there might be a problem that I wasn't aware of. Over about a week, they reverted back to the "normal" state. I also re-bled them within the last month because it's just bothering me. No effect. I'm not losing any fluid. Thoughts on this: (a) I'm not bleeding them all the way or correctly. (b) Maybe some kind of vaccuum leak? That's a huge stretch. (c) Perhaps the pedal itself needs to be adjusted.
3. Electrical. This one's been a long-standing issue. Whenever I brake, the interior dash lights dim by about half. I stopped using the brake as much and use the handbrake whenever I'm stopped. When I use the turn signal, the handbrake light dims by about half. I'm pretty sure these are on separate circuits. For a while, I was replacing the battery once a year until I borrowed my friend's charger. The alternator is fine. The belt is not as tight as it could be but it's not that loose either. He thinks maybe the ground cable?
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