Penglii's 1989 TGP

[ManicMechanic]

PM me your address please.

[Penglii]

PM sent

[Penglii]

Scored two-thirds of the radio system from an 88 Prix... the radio head and the tape/eq head.

The radio head I don't need, so that's just a spare.

This tape/eq head, unlike my original unit, actually works 100% flawlessly and the cassette player even works!

 

The audio from the cassette is muted simularly to the audio from my first attempt at an Aux In... so I think that tapping into the tape audio wires is not the way to go. It must do some unwanted pre-processing.

Now that I have the schematics though, I should be able to locate a better location to tap into.

Maybe I can tap into the radio head... gotta look into that though.

Either way I probably won't need the switch so that simplifies things.

 

Or I can just do the sensible thing and wire it into the amp when I get my replacement one from ManicMechanic.

If I'm crafty I can still have the jack located in the cassette module (I really like that spot) and just run the wires out the module and down to the amp behind the glovebox.

Too bad I already fitted one faceplate for both the jack and the switch, so now I'll likely have to drill through my nice fresh faceplate too. Oh well, I'll plan better this time.

[EGTGP]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dynex%26%23153%3B+-+Stereo+Cassette+Adapter+for+Most+Vehicles+-+Black/1854937.p;jsessionid=20F0CD5255AD949575C6B65CE0944975.bbolsp-app02-73?id=1218297520012&skuId=1854937

 

Problem solved!! Just kidding.. I can Totally understand the obsessiveness Im the same way.

[Penglii]

Word.

The enjoyment I gain from obsessing over these kinds of details is part of the reason I bought a TGP in the first place.

[Penglii]

Got the Aux In working properly finally. Tapped into the tape L/R inputs for sound and wired the switch to have the T-On circuit broken when off (Radio On) and have T-On connected and provided with +12v Power when on. (Tape/Aux On)

 

My biggest problem before was actually a bad EQ module, having a new one of those really helped.

 

The new amp I got from Jay really helped too, no background noise anymore... and the overlall sound quality seems better.

The only mismatch between the 89 head unit and the 93 amp is the Dobly button on the radio head unit does not function anymore, that is hardly a problem. LOL

 

It's nice to have music in the TGP again.

[ManicMechanic]

[Penglii]

Ugh... damn you FailMasterIII...

Already getting a Low Accumulator Precharge code.

Apparently that NOS accumulator I got a while back did not have much life left.

Guess it's time to hemorrhage some more cash and get one of the Hydac units...

[White93z34]

I had the same thing happen to me!

[Penglii]

I forgot to jot down my mileage when I started driving the car this year, so I don't recall how many miles I put on this year... but it's safe to say I got less than 2000 miles (maybe even less than 1000 miles) out of the NOS accumulator before the precharge became low.

[White93z34]

This HYDAC one I have seems to work good for now, we'll see how long it lasts though. I hope for at least 5 years... and considering in the past year I put 2200 miles on it I don't think I'm asking much.

[Penglii]

Well, being that the Hydac ones were actually made in this decade... I imagine (hope) that 5 years or more is a reasonable expectation.

 

Mine must be JUST at the spot between ok/low precharge... of the four 3-mile drives I did today, she threw a Low Precharge code on the first three and functioned perfectly on the fourth. Go figure.

[Penglii]

Well... that's the end of that for a while...

 

My driver's side trailing arm mount finally completely removed itself from the car.

 

I knew this was coming, but I did not expect it would happen so soon... although I admit most of that was wishful thinking.

I am really not thrilled, but I am not giving up.

I may have a plan.

Not exactly a great plan, nothing as proper as Breakdown's cut and weld fix... but a plan nevertheless.

I hope to get that sorted out over the winter, so I can take action next spring and get that shit put back together.

 

I will take some photos tomorrow.

 

I will not give up, don't anyone worry about that... I am in this for the long haul.

[RobertISaar]

i know that feeling.... happened 3 times now with the MC.

 

not sure what you have in mind, but just be sure that you can correct for any changes to the alignment later, if not, you'll have a tire eating, bump steering PITA.

[Penglii]

Thankfully the actual detachment happened as I was pulling into my parking spot. So any sort of accident was 100% avoided.

 

I thought I was OK because the metal right around the mount seemed sort of solid, but what I ignored or possibly did not even seriously consider was the 2.5" or so radius of sheet metal surrounding the mount. It broke off in a guesstimated 5"-ish inches diameter rough circle that rusted out around the mount. Seems road salt got the better part of that general area. Some of what is left can probably be saved with POR-15 but a lot of it is just trashed at this point.

 

I don't exactly know what I intend to do... but I have a good buddy who is in the structural steel business, I intend to build some sort of (probably tubular) steel, adjustable, support bracket for a trailing arm mount using either a scavenged mount from a clean junkyard 1st gen, or the discrete and replaceable trailing arm mounts (I think?) from the 2nd gen W's.

 

From there I hope to securely, and using as large a contact plate as possible, attach it to whatever sheet metal is remaining between the ground and the rear seats.

 

I don't think it's the greatest idea I've ever had... but I think it should work and it's by far the best thing I can do with the resources (and money) I have at hand.

I just have to take a lot of measurements before winter hits.

 

Edit: I should ask, what did you do the 3 times it happened in the MC?

Edited September 28, 2012 by Penglii

[RobertISaar]

i can't weld..... at least, not with the welder i have access to.

 

so my dad took it to someone he knew who welded in what was essentially a piece of angle iron and some regular sheet steel. worked for a while.

 

then the other side went and my dad did it himself, same method, still holding.

 

then the other side let go and it got the same treatment, also still holding up.

 

 

 

also, with the 1st gens, it's not as bad as a 1.5.... the leaf spring seems to hold the wheels fairly straight, the 90GP did this as well, but with the 1.5, the wheel moved around however it wanted to, changing toe rapidly and without warning.

[Penglii]

Apparently it has been a solid year and a half since I last was hanging out here.

 

Due to the TGP's rotted body, and the still-in-affect needs to differently allocate whatever money I have... my TGP is still in hibernation.

It will rise again eventually though... sometime after my wedding and whatnot... sometime when I have the disposable income to throw at the TGP again.

 

More detailed updates to come...

[94 olds vert]

I was just thinking about this thread earlier today when some mentioned a c21 wire splice.

 

Good to see you back around.

[intern8tion9l]

That's pretty funny, my red tgp is also rusted out, and I also can't afford to do anything about it because of my wedding this year

[White93z34]

My red TGP is very rustfree but its a basket case in every other metric