MyNeonSaysHi Mod Log: Stone White

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Picked up the car yesterday. Job went well for them. Not so much my pocket book. Only thing they had to do was remove an AC item and they needed to evacuate the system and recharge it. Car has the original freon in it, so I guess thats a plus if it was low or something. Excuse my ignorance.

Compression was 125 across the board as you can see. So nothing really good. But the leakdown numbers don't look the best either. FSM calls for anything under 20% in spec. Service manager mentioned to maybe use some "Restore" to the oil to help seal things up better. https://mkcperformance.com/2020/10/29/tune-check-list/ Thats not good. Oh,, add another $400 for parts. So overall around $1500 for everything. Basically the stimulus check we will be getting soon. Hahaha
15 year OEM belt looked fine honestly. Took some pictures with the light flashing on it. I was hoping it would be in bad shape to feel a bit better about replacing it./
Car drove fine home for the most part, I still have a weird lean spike "hiccup" every once in a while that I do not like. Not sure if the Walbro 255, Aeromotive FPR are on their way out. Or perhaps the upstream 02 sensor? I have no idea. So thats the next thing I am going to have to get fixed.

[occasional demons]

I was hoping it would be in bad shape to feel a bit better about replacing it./

They usually look just fine, until they break. Very seldom do you get a warning sign.

The only time I got a sign was on our '96, was a major chunk of the back side was missing. My guess is that it sat long enough in the elements that the idler had rusted, and bonded to the belt, taking the backing off once the engine was cranked.

By sheer luck of the inner cover being broken, and the belt damage stopping at that opening, I seen the cords in the light.

It promptly got a replacement timing set. Only 43,000 miles. But all that time not moving and moisture in the air lets those sort of things take their toll.

Granted yours has had a pampered life in comparison, but I wouldn't feel bad about replacing it. It still beats breaking down somewhere. You would have a tow bill on top of those expenses. And the risk of the tow truck driver being careless.

On my 1980's Omnis, the belt would go if you ran them much beyond the 60,000 mile interval. They looked perfect, until they didn't. At least the 2.2 was not an interference engine. Being young and stubborn, I drove them until they snapped. Then called my dad or brother, and we towed it home to put a new belt on.

[JeremyJ]

Hey, at least you have a great looking timing cover on it now. And of course, the peace of mind of having a new timing set installed. There's something you don't have to worry about for another 100K.

[occasional demons]

As long as there is not compression blowing out the air makeup line from the valve cover, spewing oil all over, I wouldn't put too much worry into the compression numbers. They are pretty much in factory spec for a used engine. FWIW...

When you have pressure exiting the air makeup, then you have a concern, as there is more blowby than the PCV system can handle.

This was sort of the situation on my '01. It was down to 80 psi per cylinder, but still ran well above 2500-3000 rpm. Idle, not so much, but it would always fire up. I kind of chuckle at some of the posts on the other .org claiming an engine won't fire if it has less than 100 psi compression. Like that vaporized fuel mixture won't ignite because there isn't cylinder pressure.

Stick your face over a tin can full of vaporized fuel, and arc a spark plug in there, and tell me again it won't fire.

I have used Restore in the past, not on my neon, but IDK what real difference it made. The engine seemed to consume more oil when I added it, not sure the exact science behind that part.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

True true. Never know when the belt will break, better be safe then sorry. Rad about the omni, I actually see a black one on the interstate every once in a while on my way to work. Love seeing old Mopars like that still on the road! Non interference motor too, that is soo cool. Awesome story, seeing the belt damage at the opening of the cover!

Jeremy, yup yup! No worries on that. Hey if the motor gives out at some point in the near future then I don't have to worry about ordering those items LOL. I still have my old parts too.

Yes I have been looking into Restore. The thing is I don't have any oil consumption issues. I really wish they would of told me where the leakage was on the leak down? Not sure how hard it is to find out.
What about pressurizing the coolant system? would that show if I had a slight head gasket leak?

Yes not sure on the Restore.
https://www.restoreusa.com/engine-restorer-information

RESTORE repairs worn out areas in the cylinder walls to improve the seal between piston rings and cylinder walls. It is the only product that contains the technologically advanced CSL formulation proven to fill in and seal microscopic leaks in the cylinder wall. Most importantly RESTORE works to fill, seal and lubricate the area of the cylinder at TDC where it is most needed. The result is higher compression, less blow-by, and more efficient combustion that restores power to improve engine performance.

In addition, CSL is an extreme pressure EP lubricant that provides extraordinary lubricating protection beyond the range of normal motor oil. As a solid lubricant, it protects the metal surface of engine components by reducing metal-to-metal contact when the liquid hydrodynamic oil film breaks down under severe loading conditions.

I have no oil consumption issues or oil blowby. I just wish my car had better compression numbers. Awfully low. Normal seems to be around 150+ in these cars. And that link from that tuner shop I listed in my previous post, it should be 150- 170 or so.

[occasional demons]

(9) Compression should not be less than 689 kPa
(100 psi) and not vary more than 25 percent from cylinder
to cylinder.
(10) If one or more cylinders have abnormally low
compression pressures, repeat the compression test.
(11) If the same cylinder or cylinders repeat an
abnormally low reading on the second compression
test, it could indicate the existence of a problem in
the cylinder in question. The recommended compression
pressures are to be used only as a
guide to diagnosing engine problems. An engine
should not be disassembled to determine the
cause of low compression unless some malfunction
is present.

For a new engine:

Compression Pressure 170-225 psi

100 psi is the "wear limit".

It is the only product that contains the technologically advanced CSL formulation proven to fill in and seal microscopic leaks in the cylinder wall

Microscopic leaks aren't going to drop compression enough to matter. Given how fast the piston moves, a leak that small isn't going to have enough time to bleed off compression. This is why my '01 ran better at higher rpm, there was less dwell time to bleed of pressure.

They basically wrote their disclaimer right into their claims. The engine I was using it in didn't have an oil consumption issue, but using Restore seemed to increase the consumption. Whether it was because it was using the oil to help seal or not, I can't say for sure.

I used it for about 9 months, daily driving and I can't say I was really impressed. Nothing got better or worse during or after I abandoned it.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Good info thanks.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

You guys are going to roll your eyes. But I got an itch...An itch for different wheels!..AGAIN! LOL! The itch might go away and could be a phase.

I mentioned the O.Z. ALLEGGERITA HLT in the past. But I couldn't chew the price tag of $381 each. I really wanted them in red. But the red ones are special order. Looks like TireRack is the only company that can get them really.
Here is a link: https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCl ... ed+Painted

Well the Red is still $381 each, but the black is on sale for $270 and the white are over 40% off at $220 a wheel and in stock! I know Jeremy you mentioned in the past about a different colored white being on a white car would look odd. Which I agree. But man, thats a deep discount! I just want the red ones to go on discount too! What do you guys think of red wheels on my car? Too much?

Problem with my Konigs is the offset.. et40 I have to run spacers. So I get some vibration on the interstate which sucks. The fact they are made in China sucks too. The OZ wheels have the perfect offset of et35 so no spacers would be needed and they are made in Italy. Plus they are lighter by a couple pounds.

[JeremyJ]

I'd hold out for the red ones, personally. I think they'd look killer on your car.

[occasional demons]

The white ones are $644 cheaper before taxes. Probably even a little more "affordable" after sales tax.

What would the cost be to have them powder coated in the red you want? (I have no clue what PC'ing cost for a wheel)

[MyNeonSaysHi]

You think the red ones will eventually go on discount? That would be killer. Seeing the white ones and black ones going on discount gives me hope haha.

When I had my RPF1's powdercoated in PWI stone white with clearcoat. The clearcoat was an extra $144. Overall it was $505 to have them powdercoated. All 4 of course. Every place is different.
Of course to offset the cost I would sell my Konig Countergrams. But keep the tires.

Good idea, I could look into getting the white ones powedercoated in the future and it would probably be more durable then the painted red.

EDIT: Ordered the white ones. Will rock them and see how I like them! Powdercoat a unique red in the future.
Can't find O.Z. wheels at all really in the states! Might as well jump on em.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Some update/news with the Peon:
Went to start the car a couple days ago and the CEL came on. P0456. Small Evap leak. Not sure what it is. Quick google search shows the gas cap. So not sure if mine is failing. I did a boost leak test and double checked evap lines by brake booster. All seemed good. Jacked up rear of car and inspected the evap lines and connections. All seemed good too. Can't see them all of course unless I dropped the gas tank. So I reset the CEL with my ScanGauge. Took car for a spin and everything good so far. It could come back on after so many cycles, so we shall see. Not too worried about it

Pictures come up so big. So I will just put the URL.
Noticed these lines on my new serpentine belt. Going to keep an eye on it...
https://i.imgur.com/hcudsjO.jpg

Got my new O.Z. wheels today. Inspected by Sergio in Italy. LOL Looks like I got the last set in white 17x8 5x100 et35
https://i.imgur.com/RXho8jn.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/EUbBPHo.jpg

Much brighter then stone white as you can see. Not sure if I would like them on my ride.
https://i.imgur.com/X8jpakt.jpg

Got quoted at $415 for powdercoat depending on what color I go, so it could be slightly more. I got to debate to get the tires mounted on these white ones and rock them for a while...or just get them powdercoated now. I just hate to get a new wheel powdercoated. Decisions Decisions.

[JeremyJ]

Powdercoat. They'll look like butt on Stone White. They'll look like sex if they're red. Deep, metallic red.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Lol. I'm actually thinking about just sitting on them I think they're going to be worth some money. ... It would just be very hard for me to have a brand new set of wheels powder coated. I will atleast mount one up without a tire onto my car to see what it looks like when I have some time. But I remember seeing a white SRT4 with bright white wheels and.... yeah.....lol.

I like that red idea. Bright red metallic. I honestly don't want a dark maroon red though I want like a bright red, like Ferrari red.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

https://i.imgur.com/LFwKrwl.jpg

Put one on. No for sure for that color. Dropping them off to get powdercoated on Monday. Turnaround time is 2-4 weeks. Not going to sit on the wheels, really no point due to the bolt pattern and size. Not many cars they could fit on. Going with a some sort of bright red. I like the candy red for sure on that BMW pictured. I will figure it out tomorrow.

[JeremyJ]

Yeah, the bright white makes the whole car look dirty. Good call on the powdercoat.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Yep dropped the wheels off yesterday. going with illusion red. Hope they do a good job. The owner said he's been powder coating for 4 years. So fairly new IMO... Turn around time for wheels he said is 2 weeks. another customers getting his wheels in the same color too so that will help. his main concern was getting off the old paint/powder coat on these new wheels he said sometimes they can be difficult to blast down and take a while

[JeremyJ]

Is Illusion Red kind of metallic? It will look great either way.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

https://images.app.goo.gl/akiQ9kbJauqneXMi7 it has metallic in it.

[JeremyJ]

That will look really good. Especially with the all red tails.

[JeremyJ]

Where are the wheel pics?

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Time to rant a little bit. So as you see above I was told 2 weeks. After two weeks I asked for progress pictures and if they were being close to being done. Just simple questions a customer should ask. He just told me they were coming along and he would let me know when they would be finished. Then he told me "probably another week". The next week arrived, (Week 3) so I didn't even message him at this point. I just waited to hear from him. I am not a person to continue to bother someone. So a bit after the 4th week I messaged him letting him know I have not heard anything and was wondering what the status was on my wheels. He said, "Should be done tomorrow" LOL I said, thats great to hear. Next day arrives he shoots me a picture of them with just the caption "come get them" :/ So that I did. He did a good job, not the best. A couple areas around the valve stem on one wheel and the lip had couple small spots. Nothing crazy or to really complain about, At this point I just wanted to get me wheels and leave. So paid cash, grabbed my wheels and got out of there!

Here is a picture of them in direct sunlight:
https://i.imgur.com/hKhaMLj.jpg

There is a flake, you can't really tell in the picture. Much darker looking red in a dark area. I know one thing is going to bother me, it already has a little bit, but I believe I will deal with it. And I knew this would happen before I even got red wheels! My orange calipers! Luckily the calipers are pretty small on these Neons and don't really stick out too much. So we will see after I get some time with them on the car.

Got the tires mounted that were on my Konig wheels. Took the wheels home and put them on. I got a picture of them on my ride but the tires were very dirty with lots of tire lube. So I am going to clean them up and put some wax on them. And get some new pictures along with the car cleaned up again! They fit on my car perfect. No spacers needed. They really do pop. I am satisfied. No more wheel buying for me! More then likely going to clean up the Konig Countergrams and put those up for sale. But I do love those wheels too...

I couldn't believe how cheap the OZ centercaps are!! They are very brittle! 1 of them was cracked in shipping.
https://i.imgur.com/B9W0rmT.jpg The other one cracked on install. The specific metal OZ centeric hub rings are horrible too, they have a metal clip around them that just pops off. So I just took the clip off and they go in the hub of the wheel so much easier and still hold very well. I have some other centric hub rings laying around but none of them fit in these OZ wheels.

[Midnight_Rider]

Wow, that is red! I do like the color.

[JeremyJ]

No more wheel buying for me!

I'll believe it when I (don't) see it.

The color looks perfect. I look forward to seeing them on the car. Ever thought about repainting the calipers?

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Wow, that is red! I do like the color.

Yes, very. Its kind of funny. I like em too.


And yes I will probably end up painting the calipers. One of the first mods I ever did on my base model 01 Neon with a dupli-color caliper paint kit. Luckily Orange doesn't clash too much with Red, both bright colors. If and when I paint them I will go with red or black. Original owner had them powdercoated orange.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Cleaned it up and took some pictures with the red wheels a couple days ago:

side shot-
https://i.imgur.com/c5L3ZNA.jpg

made in Italy-
https://i.imgur.com/8h2DzpM.jpg

orange and the red-
https://i.imgur.com/MbElH6F.jpg

upper side shot the following day-
https://i.imgur.com/tu799em.jpg

shadow on it-
https://i.imgur.com/wpSKSZX.jpg

sun directly on it-
https://i.imgur.com/jK95Mzc.jpg

booty:
https://i.imgur.com/lui4I3G.jpg

sun direct hit-
https://i.imgur.com/foTGTdY.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/JKBAhqN.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gSNKtMH.jpg

Have a new set of RC 750CC injectors coming in the mail that I bought from a guy who is out in Puerto Rico. He never installed them. He said he got them in a trade. Why did I get them? Well I got a pretty good deal on them. And I checked the ones currently on my car which are SL4-750. Well RC does not produce them any more and from what I have read and they had issues with them (via srtforums). I contacted RC injector and waiting to hear back... The ones I am receiving are SH4-750 which supposedly do better under higher pressure and have no problems. I have been having a weird issue every once in a while, its very random. I drove about 20 miles to a gas station to fill it up. After I got gas I got back on a road that is 45mph. I normally accelerated and the car felt like it cut fuel for a second after 2k rpms and my wideband leaned out for a second and car lost power. It did it a couple more times on that drive, then it stopped happening. It might not even be a fuel issue. I just feel it is. Yes I am throwing parts at it to fix it. I also have a new FPR/Filter (the one that sits on the canister) with a new AGP billet block off piece on it. I need to install that too.

[JeremyJ]

The wheels look great. Perfect fit for the look of the car. I really like them.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

thanks. I am happy with them for sure.
Still haven't heard from RC injectors. I emailed them again and tried to contact on social media. No response. Makes me wonder if they are still in business. I will try to call them next week.

Those injectors I got from that guy in Puerto Rico..Well yeah they were not new. They had surface rust on them like no other under the o-rings. I didn't feel comfortable putting them in my car. He was giving me the run around. Don't really want to get into details, but he is a liar. I ended up filing a PayPal claim and won. Had to ship them back to PR on my dime though. Really wish they were new. They looked to have been sitting in a bucket of water. Contacted a local performance shops with pictures of the injectors and he told me there is no way those are new and to not run an injector with rust like that.

I did put the new FPR with AGP block off plate in my canister. So now I have a fresh filter. Car still has a weird issue with a random lean spike around 2k RPMS with just cruising around after the car has been up to temp for a while. Doesn't happen all the time though. So odd. I will probably end up having a shop diagnosis it. Car might need a new tune or something. I need to do another datalog but all my info for tuning is gone on my netbook so I need to figure all that out again and hopefully be able to do a cruising log.

There will also be times when I get to a stop light and the car randomly starts to run rich at idle for a bit.\ then it goes to stoich. I believe my fuel trims are way off. Need to figure all this stuff out LOL. Car really hasn't been much of a joy to drive. :/ I wish it was just a full Mopar Stage 3 kit or stock turbo on PCM controlled boost.

[sidepipe87]

I got that same clear outer timing cover from Zaklee as well. I love the way it looks. It's much better than the nonexistent outer timing cover that I used to run lol.

What upper torque strut is that? I don't recognize it.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Yes love the color too. Its an Avid torque strut I believe. Probably a discontinued part by now.