red90tgp Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Im looking for any tips and tricks on these cars. Also wondering if i got screwed. I have 2600 in the car and its a one owner 112,000 mile car. The abs is leaking from the pump i think and the turbo is about worn out. I pulled the intake pipe when i pulled the abs unit and there was oil up by the throttle body. Im thinking about switching to a vacuum booster setup and running an electric pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 take out the pmIII and see where its leaking out of. I just got a new pressure switch for mine. it was $250 and we will see now if that seals it up. I had to buy it from a dealership in louisiana. The dealership can do a nationwide search for accumulaters and pressure switches and there is like less than 10 of each of these parts in existence. FWIW I got my first TGP for $2400 in 2000 and got one earlier this year for $500. both had about the same mileage, about 118,000 miles. a small price to pay for a lot of performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Welcome The Oil in the Intake is probably a bad oil return line from the turbo, very common on these cars, And very cheap and easy to fix. PM3 on these cars really bite (Maintence wise, some people really like it) I swapped in a non-abs Master cylinder and vacuum power brake booster, its not for the faint of heart, but it can be done. A Non-Abs setup from a 89-93 w-body is the only interchange from the PM3 that I'm aware of. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 why not for faint of heart? how much custom stuff is there to do really? ..just wondering because there is a 89 gp coupe that just showed up at the junk yard in my neighborhood. it has one of those, looks like miniaturized in there when you are used to pm3s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted September 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 i think its leaking from the pump because the fluid is only on the bottom around the motor. i did some reading and supposedly you have to replace a panel of the firewall because the booster doesnt mount the same as the abs. to do this it looks like the dash has to come out and the rivets on the panel have to be drilled. im thinkin its gonna make a good weekend project. i also toyed with the thought of mounting a wilwood master cylinder and running manual brakes. its good enough for a race car but im not sure if thats the route to go. i also think i have a drain on my battery. im hoping it just a bad battery but it goes dead every couple days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 why not for faint of heart? how much custom stuff is there to do really? ..just wondering because there is a 89 gp coupe that just showed up at the junk yard in my neighborhood. it has one of those, looks like miniaturized in there when you are used to pm3s. The Non-Abs brake booster is a twist-lock versus the pm3 being bolt-in The Firewall Plate must be swapped. The entire Dash has to come out, the heater core, evaporator, and all the annoying ductwork. Red90tgp swapping the PM3 will definetly be a Weekend project. The first thing you gotta do is remove the PM3 by the two bolts that hold it in place and disconnect it from the brake pedal. then you gotta pull out the steering column. Then The entire dash assembly, I had to take mine out piece by piece. Then the HVAC box and everything in it. Then you must remove the firewall plate, I had to be very careful because I couldn't get the back of the HVAC out so it was still kinda holding it in. Some bolts on the plate must be taken out from the engine compartment, some must be taken out from the passenger area. Then put the non-abs firewall plate in very carefully, sliding it between the HVAC and into the firewall. Then Reverse of Removal. Sound Like Fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 oh man. I hope my pressure switch solves the problem. that dont sound like fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted September 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 what about cutting out a piece of the firewall plate and riveting in a new piece. i havent looked really close at it but its an idea. i dont see any reason that wouldnt work unless the pedal brackets mount to it or are different than the vacuum booster setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 what about cutting out a piece of the firewall plate and riveting in a new piece. i havent looked really close at it but its an idea. i dont see any reason that wouldnt work unless the pedal brackets mount to it or are different than the vacuum booster setup. The Brake pedals mount the same. It Could work, but I personally don't recommend it, If something goes wrong you won't be able to stop the car, and that is a scary thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z284pwr Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 what about cutting out a piece of the firewall plate and riveting in a new piece. i havent looked really close at it but its an idea. i dont see any reason that wouldnt work unless the pedal brackets mount to it or are different than the vacuum booster setup. The Brake pedals mount the same. It Could work, but I personally don't recommend it, If something goes wrong you won't be able to stop the car, and that is a scary thought. And of course the emergency brakes on these cars is 1 step above complete udder shit so they would offer no help either.... Oh but there is always ONE other way of stopping.... Use your imagination.....Drag car, doing 140, chutes don't open, no sand trap and there is a cliff at the end of the "track".....The result was spinning around about 10 times.....didn't hit the wall or anything else either :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted September 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 i took a look and i came up with the idea of just putting a new piece on the engine bay side of the firewall. i think if i remove the pm3 mount i can use the bolts to mount the plate and maybe make some kind of plate steel reinforcement to hold it more rigid. im gonna look into this idea. im always looking for the easy way out but at the same time im not gonna half ass it. ive also ran into a problem with my battery running down every couple days. ive narrowed it down to the ignition. has anybody run into a problem with something in the ignition causing a drain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 why do you think its a draw in the ignition? how are the brakes? mine are starting to REALLY piss me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted September 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 i did the test light check on the draw. if you disconnect the positive battery caple and run a test light between the cable and the battery post it lights up when there is a draw. the light went off when i pulled the ignition fuse from the panel under the hood on the pass side. as far as the brakes i havent started on the booster swap. im definately going that route though. im thinkin i can bolt the twist lock part to my existing firewall and make it work. if you take the pmIII mount off the firewall it leaves four studs that i think will hold it just fine. just cut the piece out of another car, drill some holes and bolt it up. then im going to get an electric vacuum pump and a reservoir out of another car to run the booster. top it off with a wilwood 1 1/8" bore master cylinder and it should faceplant some unsuspecting passengers into the windshield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 . take lots of pics and keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted September 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 i plan on documenting the experience pretty well. it'll probably be a couple weeks before i get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 well I got to do something for now. I got a vial of UV die and a fluorescent blacklight and find out exactly where the things leaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted September 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 i think mine was leaking from the pump housing. it might have been the master cylinder its self though. i couldnt tell exactly, it was wet all over the back and bottom of it. wherever it was leaking it was losing a lot of pressure and fluid. it lost all fluid in a trip across town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 what about cutting out a piece of the firewall plate and riveting in a new piece. i havent looked really close at it but its an idea. i dont see any reason that wouldnt work unless the pedal brackets mount to it or are different than the vacuum booster setup. The Brake pedals mount the same. It Could work, but I personally don't recommend it, If something goes wrong you won't be able to stop the car, and that is a scary thought. i did this sway myself....and did Exactly as you describe. the big issue is I had to cut a hole in the firewall to accept the diaphram that goes on the back of the booster. want pics? coming up. btw, the firewall plate bolts in, I consider this to be a much longer than weekend project, because ALL metal brake lines must be replaced, EXCEPT for the second part of the line the that goes to the right rear tire. I stripped a 96ish car for all the OEM metal brake lines. and putting them on your car requires the rear of the frame to be lowered for clearance to install the lines. (not really that hard) 88-93 brake swap donor? yes. but if you think you want abs... the only other W-body ABS system is the ABS IV master cylinder with abs module used from 92 up... and it apparently won't clear the downpipe. and the 94 up brake booster is larger, and I don't know if it would fit a turbo car. myself I swapped the ABS IV onto my project, a 91 CS convertable. at this time, the ABS is not wired in yet. but then, I'm also doing a tranny swap. PM Jeff M for part info, he has resources and I believe he can hook you up with aftermarket parts from a company named prior, rebuilt exhust manifolds, and tuned chips, specifically for your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 here you are. the nuts thread and lock the adapter to the installed plate. I JB welded them together, and threadlocked the nuts on the shaft. But I would change the firewall plate if you have the choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted September 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 im gonna go with the easier way first. i bought the car about a month ago and have only driven it for about 30 minutes total. its killing me to have it sit in the garage. if i dont like the way it turns out i can always do it the right way later on. its not my only vehicle but i want to get it out and play a little bit. i know a few ricers that need some money took off their hands. and thanks for the pic. that helps me out alot. im gonna get the ball rolling on that come next payday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 if you look closely at the picture, you will see the mounting plate that holds the firewall diaphram, still stuck to the big plate. while it worked fine, you will still have the change the brake pedal, as the (correction) pedal attachement to the booster is a different diameter. Idumped that plate because I upgraded to the mtx plate... and ripped the dash out. I would seriously just remove everything and do it correctly. and... i could even give you a walk through.... on what must be done to remove everything inclusing the hvac unit. I can rip out the entire dash in about 2 hours in a yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 alright, might have to get more help on that if my problem doesnt clear up. did the UV dye test and from under the car looks like the gasket from the reservoir to the aluminum housing is either completely blown out or the hose above it is leaking down around it. that dye is cool stuff man I tell ya. looks like molten lava when you dump it in the reservoir. too bad I cant tell for sure where its leaking. it only leaks when you push on the pedal and where else would it leak if its not that gasket? something above that? either the rubber hose (not a pressure hose ) will be replacing it this time for piece of mind. either that or the reservoir is cracked on the underside. where is it most likely leaking? hose or gasket? the gasket has way more pressure I know that much, so how do I fix that? make my own? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 a regular m/c can leak out of the back of the bore, where it is hidden my the booster. The PMIII has the same type of bore, and can probably leak there too. oh, I made and error and corrected it above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red90tgp Posted October 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 you could be leaking from one of the solenoids. it would make sense because they are on the pressure side and are right there in the area you are leaking. i dont really know much about the pmIII but i have mine out and am able to pick it up and look at it. it goes a long ways when its out of the car and you can move it around to look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 ditto. wish I hadn't tossed the junk one I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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