Old TDI. Better TDI

 Care And Feeding Of Your 2.0 CR TDI, or "The Only Good TDI Is An Old TDI.

*Long Rant/Read.  I Said What I Said*

I've owned my 13 Passat TDI with the CKRA 2.0 CR TDI enginefor around 3 or so years now.

 It's a nice comfy mid sized sedan that gets excellent fuel economy.  Perfect for my daily work commute, and road trips.

  I got it after a 2.5 year dalliance with a 15 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, that was a replacement for my 05 Golf TDI that someone hit head on one night.

So if it gets great fuel economy,  and is a great road trip and commuter car, why am I finally thinking after 3 years, I might have made a mistake?

Because, Volkswagen.   That's why.

Hear me out.   I've had a few TDIs before this one.  

A 96 and 97 Passat TDI both with 5 speeds.  These were my first VWs and got me into TDIs. 

I also had the 05 Golf TDI that unfortunately had a Tiptronic Automatic,  but was a car that I absolutely loved.  Hell, it even saved my life in the accident that took it out.

Aside from the fuel economy, and the ability to tinker with and modify these cars, they were reliable and very long lived.

The 96 and 97 Passats had over 275K on them and probably another 250K or more if they were taken care of.   The Golf had 250K on it when it was taken out by that dumbass kid, and was still running strong until then.

My 13 Passat TDI? 🥸

 It doesn't exactly inspire me with its longevity. 

VW seems to have engineered a lot of "gotchas" into this generation of TDI that not only make it harder for a home mechanic to service, but actually seems intended to disable the car and force an owner to have a dealership or shop fix it.

Luckily,  I have more than a few tools, some experience messing around with cars and a VCDS Scan Tool that have enabled me to try and keep up with the BS that VW has engineered the car with.  

 

Even so, the fickle finger of fuckery has gotten me a few times, so I just wanted to do a write up to help a new 2.0 CR TDI Owner deal with stuff that will come up.

This applies specifically to the 7th Gen Passat TDI with the CKRA engine, but can be useful for other 2.0 CR TDI cars.

1.  The Dieselgate "Fix"- certain cars were modified with additional hardware and software after VW got caught cheating during emissions testing. Naughty, naughty.

These "fixes" actually decreased fuel economy,  made the cars less reliable and decreased HP and Torque.

In the case of the Passat with the CKRA it also introduced a particular "bug" that threw an error for Low DEF Level (with a full tank) and started a 200 Mile No Start Countdown. 

VW has no idea why this happens only to Passats with the CKRA and can't clear the code.  

A work around is to use your VCDS Scan Tool to reset the "No Start Countdown" every 200 miles. 

The only  supposed "fix" for this error was to change out the DEF Level Sensor/Heater in the DEF Tank and it would "possibly" clear the code.  

However this wasn't guaranteed to work and involved dropping the DEF Tank, installing a $300-600 part and seeing if it fixed it. 

 I asked a local tech, what he would do if that didn't work.  "Delete it", he said.

So do what you will with this information. 😏

2.  40K DSG Service - unfortunately the majority of 12-14 Passat TDIs are equipped with a DSG transmission.   To this day I wish I'd waited for a manual TDI car, but I did what I did and now I have to live with it.

The DSG Transmission requires a filter and fluid change every 40K miles,  which wouldn't be a big deal if it was just a drain and refill.

The factory procedure to service the DSG Transmission requires the vehicle on a level surface, special tools, a factory scan tool (VCDS), monitoring transmission fluid tempd and other assorted nonsense. 

Or you can do it like I do, put the car up on a lift.  Drain the fluid into a measuring pitcher, new filter and top back off with an additional .5 qts of whatever you drained out.

The hard (annoying) part is getting time on a lift and making sure no drained oil is spilled and measured accurately. 

3.  Fuel Injectors- Injectors started making a "nailing" noise when starting the engine cold that eventually went away as the engine warmed up.  The noise was more obnoxious in cold weather. 

Drove it like that for awhile until it threw a CEL, and started running really rough. Limped it home, and scanned with VCDS.  Yup.  Bad injector. 

Sourced 4 new injectors ($600) and new torque to yield injector hold down bolts.

Install wasn't hard, but I had to use VCDS to "code" each injector serial number to the ECU for proper operation.  🙄

 Again,  having VCDS saved me from a dealership visit for something that should have been a simple remove and replace operation. 

4.  CP4 HPFP- The CKRA uses a CP4 High Pressure Fuel Pump instead of the more robust CP3 pump found in older CR Diesel engines.  The CP4 has a tendency to fail internally,  which contaminates the ENTIRE fuel system.  Expect to pay $3500 plus to unf**k your car if this happens. 😳

Companies offer CP3 Conversion kits, which can cost up to $2K or so.  Conversion kit, rebuilt/used pump and the timing belt needs to be removed and reinstalled for the conversion. 

Whitbred Performance offers a CP4 Disaster Prevention Kit which isolates any debris from a grenaded CP4 Pump to the pump itself and a inline 3 micron filter.  Kit runs just under $200.

5. Dual Mass Flywheel-  the DSG Transmission is actually an Automatically shifted manual transmission that's equipped with a Dual Mass Flywheel that eventually will wear out and start making a very pronounced knocking noise at idle.  

If left operating like that for a long time, it can eventually damage the transmission. 

Unlike a manual transmission,  you can't convert a DSG Transmission to a Single Mass Flywheel. So you get to buy a new ticking time bomb DMF( around $500)  and have it installed (another $500 if your luvky) and wait for it to shit itself again.

6. Plastic Oil Filter Housing- CKRA and other CR TDI engines use a plastic oil filter housing that's water cooled and bolted to the block. 

For some reason, there's an isolated passage in the filter housing that ALWAYS seems to fail. If you look at the picture, there are 4 passages.  3 of them have a gasket, while a lone passage has a single gasket.  Hmm.🤔

When the lip on the ISOLATED water passage fails, blows out the gasket and allows all your coolant to dump and renders your car undriveable. 

But "luckily" the other gasket protects the other passages from that nasty coolant leak so there's no oil/coolant contamination.   Lucky,  huh?😌

It gets better though.  The oil filter housing is bolted to the block and buried under the Air/Water Intercooler, which has a ton if coolant hoses running to it.  

You gotta drop the Intercooler, drain the Radiator,  disconnect a bunch of hoses and pull the Radiator Fan and Air Filter for clearance.   Then you can remove the Oil Filter Housing. 

Enough of a hassle for the typical owner to say "Fu**it!" and shell out the $1500-2K to get it fixed at the dealership with the SAME damn part.

Do yourself a favor.   Buy an aftermarket Aluminum Oil Filter Housing if you do it yourself.   And don't forget the Torque To Yield Bolts for the OFH.

7. Oil Pump Hex Drive Shaft- evidently the oil pump is driven by a hex shaft that eventually rounds off at around 120k miles or so.  There's a replacement part that is "supposed" to not round off.  We'll see I guess.   I ordered one and it should be here next Tuesday.   $16, requires the oil pan to be dropped.   Not sure if the timing belt is affected.

When the shaft rounds off the engine loses pressure and is supposed to shut itself off. Leaving you stranded wherever you are.  

But hey!  I'm sure the DEALERSHIP will be happy to fix it for you.

Fu**king Volkswagen.🥸

Raider Rebirth....Revival? I Don't Know

This is mostly to keep track of and serve has a kind of online notepad for the "build" of the Raider into something more fun than "just my truck'.  Don't know if I'll actually follow through, but we'll see.

So,  I've had my Raider since 2006. 

  It's the vehicle I've owned the longest in my fleet, and at around 294K miles, it's still running,  working and doing truck stuff.

However,  I can tell it's getting tired.  And with all I've put this thing through over the years, I'm surprised it's still moving under its own power. 

Which leaves me with a problem.   I know it's getting tired, so do I dump some money in it or replace it with something else?

If it looked like a typical 294K mile truck,  I'd probably sell it and find something else.  However,  after 18 years with the stupid thing...I'm attached to it.

It's a mid sized truck with a V8, and was built in low enough numbers that it's not common to see a lot of these in the wild.   Which pushes a lot of my buttons. 

  Plus, aside from general wear and tear, it still looks pretty good.  No rust, huge dents or serious exterior issues. 

It just needs a little love.  So, I'm thinking I'm going to dump some money into the old girl...eventually.  

I can't throw any serious money or make big moved for about another two years, so this is mostly me thinking out loud.

I never really thought about modifying it before now, because I always needed it to do truck stuff, and didn't want to take away from the functionality of the truck.

 Well, opinions change over the years, so let's get nuts.

When the Raider was first released, Mitsubishi sponsored a 3.7l DuroCross 4WD to run in the stock class of the Baja 1000 race.  

The truck is now belongs to the Boost Rodeo guys who have a channel on YouTube. 

I loved that truck, and always wanted something along those lines.  Lifted, aftermarket wheels, roll bar, tire rack, lights and a custom tubular off road bumper.  It was my computer wallpaper for a long time, and it's still a favorite. 

So, I think  I'd like to build something similar with the Raider, along with generally fixing up the truck and put a little pep in it's step again. 

My truck is a 2WD model, so more of a pre-runner type truck, and not a fully caged and prepped race truck.

So here's a general list/plan to deal with fixing any mechanical issues and eventual modifications.

Maintenance:

Rebuilt 4.7l Engine

Replacement Catback Exhaust 

Power Steering Rack

Front Struts

Coilover Rear Load Shocks

Rear End Rebuild/Replacement 

Mods:

3 in Body Lift 

Chase Rack/Light Bar

Front Light Bar/Prerunner Bumper

Oil Pressure/Transmission Temp Gauge/Water Temp Gauge

New Wheel/Tire Combo (33's) 285/75/16  Will work with 16x8 Wheels

Driving Lights

Stand-alone Transmission Cooler

Aftermarket Seats

Android Head Unit 

This is just a basic list so far and a general idea of how I want to proceed. Subject to change. 

The 3rd Gen Dakota/Raider doesn't really have suspension lift options other than shock spacers for the front and blocks or "add a leafs" for the rear.

A body lift seems like a real hassle to do, but it would retain the original suspension geometry without the additional wear that shock spacers would put on the front end to get more lift. 

Still undecided on the best way to clear for bigger tires.

Anyway,  that's my plan on spending money and time on yet another automotive money pit.

Has anyone done a body lift on a truck?  I imagine relocating certain components is probably a real pain, and I'm wondering how it's handled.  Radiator,  Steering Shaft, Brake Lines etc.

 Down The Rabbit Hole

I haven't logged into this thing in awhile, for..."reasons".

"So Where You Been Numbnuts?"

Finally moved out of my apartment and bought a house in 2019 or so. I've been getting used to being a homeowner and all the assorted BS that goes with it.  

A nice big yard with plenty of trees seemed like a nice idea at the time, but then I discovered the mowing it and keeping it up was a giant PITA.  Luckily it's outside the city limits, no HOA or covenants to deal with.  As long as I don't get too crazy, I can keep a few extra automotive projects on hand.

After getting the Stealth, a lot of cars have darkened my garage and driveway.  To Include:

95 Eagle Summit Wagon 

94 Plymouth Colt Wagon (Clown Car)

87 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 2WD 

08 Volvo C30 Hatch 

92 Dodge Stealth R/T TT (Parts Car, Dog Chew Toy)

87 Dodge Ram 50 4x4 ("Just" had a Blown Headgasket.  Lies)

13 VW Passat TDI* (Sonata Replacement)

04 BMW 325CI Convertible (Never Again..BMW Hot Garbage)

05 VW Beetle TDI 5 Speed (Leaky POS, Got Screwed)

87 Chrysler Conquest TSi (Silver, Rusty Parts Car For The Ram 50)

89 Chrysler Conquest TSi ( Wanted a Conquest Project. Got This Rusty POS)

88 Chrysler Conquest TSi (Maroon Project Car)*  

89 Chrysler Conquest TSi (Blurple Parts Car)

The ones in bold and asterisked are all former Daily Drivers, Flip Cars, Failed Flips or Parts Cars.

Oh, and I also got a dog.  Or rather, the dog got me.  She's a amazing dog and I'm glad she found me and my GF.

So yeah, a lot of things going on since 2018.

"What About COVID?"

Oh yeah.  I got screwed by that too.

Just like a lot of people all over the world.  Got laid off for a few months, got called back and started working again.  Worried about money the whole time, especially after buying my first house.  Business hasn't returned to Pre-"Pandemic" levels, and it's still a source of worry.  Decisions were made by the powers that be and I'm not sure if they were the right ones or not.  Moving on now...

"New Lineup, Then?"

Yeah..  Sold my 93 Talon TSi/AWD (Trogdor) off because I just wanted to concentrate on the Stealth.

Of course I had bought a few interesting shitboxes to play with the (Colt/Summit Wagons), the Mighty Max and a 4x4 Ram 50 that "just needs a new head". 

Bought a rebuilt head for the Ram 50, and discovered it had no compression and needed a new bottom end.  Figures.

My buddy in Houston had a complete 87 Conquest that he was selling as a parts car.  Went down, picked it up and after pulling the motor out of the Conquest for the Ram 50, I decided I really wanted a good StarQuest as a project car.

So this led to me falling down the Starion/Conquest "Rabbit Hole" big time.  Bought a 89 running and driving Conquest from a buddy in Texas that turned out to be a giant, rolling Tetanus Shot.

Further inspection revealed it was far too rusty to save, so I started parting it out to recoup some money after my buddy refunded me some money for the car.

Asked around and another buddy let me know about one his boss had been holding onto for the last 10 years or so behind his garage.

It had been stored on a concrete pad the whole time and was supposed to be a rust free Texas car.  

Sure.  Just like the Gold one rotting in my backyard now.

88 Chrysler Conquest TSi 5 Speed in Durban Maroon.   Durban Maroon was a one year only color available only on the Chrysler Conquest in the U.S. Market.  So, kind of a rare car. 

It actually wound up being a fairly decent car that had just been sitting for awhile. "Ran When Parked".

 Interior was kind of blasted from the sun, but no big deal.  The gold car had a decent interior to swap into the one.

Picked it up, brought it home and proceeded to spend the next few months cleaning it up, sorting it out and finally getting it started for the first time in over 10 years.  Interior was swapped out for a black dash and other parts cars and it now runs and drives.

So that's where it's at now.   It runs and drives and now, I'm just trying to get it to look better.

Between this and the Stealth, I think I've got plenty to work on and document in this blog.

Infor mation on the Starion/Conquest cars is very hard to find and a lot of past information resources have either been lost or deleted.

I plan to restore this car as best as I can and will probably wind up swapping a 4G6X motor into it, as the G54B just doesn't have the aftermarket support that the 4G6X series does.

So, hopefully this means there will be more posts and information on this and future cars.

Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot.....

Let There Be Light

"Maybe If I Tape A Couple Of Flashlights To The Hood..."

To be quite honest, the headlights on the Stealth kind of suck.

Language, Spock!

Like may cars from the early 90's, the Stealth has "Pop Up" Headlights, which while cool in a Retro sort of way, means that it uses "Sealed Beam Headlights".

Sealed Beam Headlights consist of a  single or dual lighting element and a parabolic aluminized reflector in a integrated glass housing.  For over 40 years these assemblies were mandatory for any vehicle sold in the United States.  They worked, but the light output was pretty terrible.

In the mid 80's Automobile manufacturers were no longer required to use these assemblies, but some did into the 90'as for whatever reason.

Mitsubishi was one of those companies, and the Stealth/3000GT didn't get fixed headlights until the 1994 model year.

Original Headlights In The Garage

But, I Like Pop Ups?

So do I, but I also would like to be able to see at night.

After having replaced the headlights in my now, DEAD VW Golf TDI with a set of aftermarket projector headlights, I've gotten spoiled.

I COULD SEE EVERYTHING AT NIGHT with those headlights. 

•  Rabid Skunks doing donuts in the middle of the road.  
• Armadillos psyching themselves up to try and cross the road.
• Stupid Deer thinking about running in the middle of the road.
• Possum, Cougars, Foxes and whatever other animals that haunt Kansas Country roads at night getting ready to do something extraordinarily stupid.

*Really didn't help me against a Hyundai Sonata with a sleepy driver behind the wheel, but that's neither here, nor there.*

There were upgrades available for cars with Sealed Beam Headlights, just not a lot of good ones, unfortunately.

What Are Our Options, Then?

• Sealed Beam Upgrades
• Aftermarket Projector Housings
• LED Upgrade Housing
• H4 Housing Conversion

Sealed Beam Upgrade

Sylvania sells a "Silverstar" H4666 Headlight Assembly that's supposed to be brighter than a standard Halogen Sealed Beam unit.  This would be the easiest to install as it basically just replaces the standard headlight with one of these.  Unfortunately while brighter, you still have the diffuse light inherent with the sealed beam design.  These wouldn't be an upgrade, rather serving as a Band Aid for a oozing wound.

Aftermarket Projector Housings

These seem like the best of both worlds.  A modern projector housing enclosed in a housing shaped like a sealed beam housing.  Unfortunately due to the dimensions of the sealed beam housing, the projector isn't really able to be properly installed in the housing, resulting in output that isn't as good as it should be.  Add to that, that pretty much all of these housings are only available from Taiwan or China, made me very dubious about their quality.  I've bought fog lights and other lighting off E-Bay for past project cars, and I've learned to be very skeptical of anything that seems to be too good to be true.  The projector housings also looked to need a slightly deeper opening than the conventional headlight housing.  Another concern, due to the pop up headlights used on the car. 

LED Upgrade Housing

These were also only available from Taiwan or China, and were priced way too low to be of any kind of good quality.  I was also concerned about the output and light pattern.  I didn't want to blind anyone in the the oncoming lane, and I hated the way that they looked with multiple single LED bulbs.

H4 Upgrade Housings

This seemed to be the best bet, as I've had past experience with this option.  I had a 90 Eagle Talon TSi/AWD that I bought with this upgrade already performed.  They were older 4X6 Hella Headlights that the previous owner kludged into the car.  They worked fine for the 7+ years that I owned the car.

Doing some research I found a set of H4 Upgrade housings for the Stealth, also made by Hella. Model # HL2110A with Manufacturer's Part#: 1AB 008.888-101 008888101. 

Hella is a German company that provides OEM lights and aftermarket lights for a variety of manufacturers, so I wasn't concerned about quality.  These headlights featured a clear glass lens, and advertised a very sharp and distinct cutoff for the low beam lights.  A definite advantage over the Sealed Beam Unit, but probably not as good as a properly set up Projector Housing.

Everything is a trade off, it seems.

After confirming a few measurements with my OEM Headlights, I returned a different set that my GF had bought for my birthday (Thanks Weezie!) and used the credit to place an order from Amazon for a set of the HL2110A Headlights, a set of H4666 to H4 Wiring Adapters and a pair of Silverstar Ultra 9003 Halogen Bulbs.  

"Drop In Replacement"

Yeah, Right... 

I received everything a few days later, but had to wait for a weekend to work on it.  I started by removing the original headlights, the covers and plastic trim to expose everything.

  I had to remove the headlight buckets in order to modify them, but I used White Out to try and match mark the adjustment screws so that the headlights wouldn't be COMPLETELY out of whack when they were reinstalled.

Skeletal

It wasn't exactly a drop in replacement unfortunately.  As noted before, there were some modifications that needed to be made in order to use them in the car.

Clearance, Clarence..

The new Headlights had a slightly extended circular area in the center of the headlight, resulting in a slightly thicker overall dimension than the original headlight.  

The new headlight also had a mounting boss for a Non Operative European Spec "City Light", that really couldn't be ground down to clear the headlight bucket.  Grinding it would have opened up the rear of the Headlight Housing and destroyed the reflector for the light.

The only real option was to enlarge one opening on the bucket  to clear the extension and also notch it to clear the "City Light" boss in the rear of the headlight.

I used a Dremel tool with a metal grinding bit to enlarge the opening for the extended area of the headlight.  I drilled a hole in the area of the Headlight Bucket for the "City Light" boss and then used the Dremel tool and grinding bit to shape the hole to accommodate the projection on the back of the light.

"Modified"

 Surprisingly, it all fit pretty well after grinding, filing and checking the fir of everything numerous times.  

If It Fits, It Ships

Test Fitting The Assembly

After confirming fitment, I went head and dressed all the cut edges with a file and spray painted all exposed metal with spray paint.

Electron Flow

My original plan was to use wiring adapters from the OEM H4666 wiring to the H4/9003 Bulbs in the back of the headlights.  After some thought, and opening and closing the lights a few times, I went ahead and made the decision to solder the H4 connectors in place of  using an adapter harness.

The original H4666 connectors were cut off and the H4 Connector wires were soldered in place, heat shrunk and wrapped in electrical tape after consulting this wiring diagram to confirm everything was hooked up correctly.

Red Goes To Red...Black Goes To..

After getting everything wired, protected and routed, everything was reinstalled and I hit the lights to check operation.

Success!!   I checked the High and Low Beam Function and also opened and closed the lights a few times to make sure none of my new wiring was going to get caught in the Pop Up mechanism.  

I went ahead and reinstalled the Headlight Trim and Headlight Covers.  

A few days later, I dropped the car off at a friend's shop to have a 4 Wheel Alignment done and to have the headlights adjusted.  A Headlight Adjustment wasn't something they usually did, but they got it in the ballpark.  

I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, since we seem to be rolling into the "Crappy Weather" time of year here in Kansas, so the car has been hiding in the garage for right now.

When it clears up one night, I will definitely get out there and check it out.

Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot.....

Special Task Force:Unicorn: Day 2 And 3 "Mystic Blue Boogaloo"

Continuing our journey to the deepest, darkest heart of...Colorado to pick up a used Dodge Stealth R/T TT:

Let's Go Get This Thing Already

I woke up felling mostly rested and checked in on Jake, who surprisingly wasn't dead from Hypoxia/Dehydration. 

Good.  Less paperwork and questions for me. (I Kid, I Kid...)

We got cleaned up, dressed and headed down to check out the wonderful "Continental Breakfast" that the hotel had laid out for us.

It actually wasn't bad.  I loaded up on juice, waffles, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy and yogurt, to fuel up for the rest of the day.  I intended to make the rest of the trip without stopping, until we got to the car. Jake ate pretty light, but considering the whole "spewing on the side of the road" incident, it wasn't unexpected.

Checked out of the hotel, loaded the Sonata up and we were off.

So Close To Utah

Clifton, CO where the car was located in was about 40 miles from the Utah border.

11 Hours...Ugh.

Once again, I questioned my sanity about going through with this whole sorry affair, but resolved to tell myself to "Shut up and sit down, Stanley."  I was getting this stupid car.

The drive down I-70 was as usual, pretty spectacular.  We passed through several towns like, Rifle, Silt and Parachute before the signs and GPS told us we were near.

We arrived in Clifton, and proceeded to the owners house.

Nice Setup

The owner, Marc lived in a fairly large, wood framed house, with a huge driveway with what looked like a 5 car shop tucked in the back.  

I immediately started thinking about how many project cars I could fit on the property and how I would lay out the shop.  

Then I saw the car, in the driveway...

I think I might have been drooling or something, because Jake said: "You alright?"

I mumbled something in the way of an affirmative and we got out, to knock on the door and meet the owner.

There, There, She Is

This is what I saw when we pulled up in the driveway:

Yes!

Original Wheels!

The car was pretty much exactly as described, Good and Bad points included. 

 Pretty much exactly as described, a well maintained car that was driven and didn't appear to have been modified or mucked around with too much.

The Climate Control worked, along with the windows, power seat, mirrors and other items.  Even the Power Antenna.

 The usual wear and tear as the car was fairly old, but overall in very good condition considering it wasn't a pampered garage queen.

I did notice the stress marks on top of the Radiator and the Radiator Cap looked to be the original unit, but figured they'd be good enough to make the drive home, since I didn't intend to push it.

Words that would haunt me later.

Aside From The K&N FIPK, It Looked Bone Stock

Worn Steering Wheel, Should Be Easy To Refinish

Clean Dash, Aside From Cracked Defroster Vents Under The Windshield

Worn Shift Boot.  Easy Fix

Sigh..Nothing's Perfect

Test Drive

The owner wasn't too keen on allowing a test drive without seeing some cash first, which put me off a little bit.  

  He didn't strike me as the kind of guy who would try to rob us, considering his 6 year old kid was running around the driveway, being a kid and wondering who these new people were. Plus the idyllic country setting of his home and the area didn't strike me as "I'm gonna jack you fool!" type of setup.

 I didn't drive over 11 hours to waste his time, but hey...it was his car. His rules.

 Jake and I headed to the local branch of my bank, so I could withdraw the money.

We got back, and piled into the car.  Myself, along with Marc and his son. The Stealth, while "technically" a 4 Seater, was just a bit tight.

I was nervous driving the car, because

1. It wasn't my car...yet.
2. I wasn't familiar with the area.
3. I was afraid that I had built this car up in my head and was going to be disappointed behind the wheel. 
4. It wasn't my car.

It definitely wasn't as fast as I thought it would be, but then again I had to remind myself it was bone stock and at a higher altitude.

Driving it I could tell that it was a heavy car, which I kind of liked the feel of after driving smaller cars most of my life.  It didn't feel like it was going to get blown off the road, but also didn't feel like I was driving a luxury barge of some kind.

The suspension felt good on the drive along with the steering response.  Engine accelerated strongly and I couldn't see exhaust smoke or any other signs of possible issues.  The A/C blew cold and overall it seemed like a very solid car aside from some noises under the dash whenever the clutch was pushed in.  It didn't sound like anything serious, just a creaking noise I attributed to a linkage that needed to be lubed or adjusted.  Clutch felt fine and didn't slip at all.

Definite potential here....I'll Take It!!!

Doing The Deed

We headed back to the house and Marc started pulling out the paperwork, while I counted the money out. 

As far as used car transactions go, this was probably the most legitimate one I've ever gone through, besides a real dealership.  He had sanitized copies of the Title, multiple copies of the Bill Of Sale and gave me very precise directions to the local DMV, so I could get a Temp Tag for the drive home.

Jack remarked that most of his used car sales involved meeting in a Grocery Store parking lot and throwing money, keys and titles at each other.  

He agreed to let us keep the Stealth there while we headed out to get the Temp Tag, and said he had extra parts for the car that he would gather up for me.

This Is...Clifton!

Clifton is a nice little town.  I can definitely see the appeal of living there, but I figure the cost of living is going to be astronomical.

Upon arriving at the DMV, I was informed that before I could get a Temp Tag, I needed to have insurance for my new car.  

Crap.

This prompted a very hurried telephone call to my insurance agent who emailed me a .PDF copy of my insurance card to my phone, just in time before my number got called to get my tag.

Isn't technology great?

On the way back we had lunch at Qdoba's and stopped off at a Autozone to pick up some "Oh Shit" supplies.  Oil, Coolant, and a tube of Steel Stik because I didn't like the way that top Radiator tank looked.  I figured between that stuff and my tools, we were ready to tackle the trip home.

Headed Home

We transferred some stuff from the Sonata to the Stealth, loaded up the parts Marc had found and had Jake lead in the Sonata, since he had spotted a route that took us through some mountain passes. 

 He's a photographer, and wanted some shots of the area and figured some mountain driving would give me time to get acquainted with my new car by some "spirited" driving.

I agreed, as we were in Colorado and it would be criminal to not take in some of the sights.  Besides, I did want to stretch the legs on the car a little bit.

We took off and hit the mountain road, with me chasing him in the Stealth.  I was being very cautious as I was still unfamiliar with the car, and definitely worried about doing something stupid with it.  We were about 20 minutes into the trip and  I was having a good time, driving and taking in the sights, until I looked at the temp gauge.

"That looks a little high."

"Shit.  It is a little high!"

We pulled over to the first Scenic Turn Off on the pass, and I relayed the bad news.   The car hadn't overheated, but it had definitely given it the "Old Junior College Try" and was making gurgling noises, but hadn't boiled over yet.  

Not A Good Start

Old Reliable And The New Money Pit

No leaks and the Radiator Tank hadn't cracked...yet.  Hoses looked OK, then I remembered the Radiator Cap.

"Oh Shit.  I should have bought one at Autozone, but spaced out on it."

We pulled the cap after it stopped gurgling, and looked the cap over. It was definitely tired.

 It hadn't started to get hot until we started hotdogging it through the mountain.  We topped it off and decided to take it easy for a bit and replace it at the first parts store we found.  

Managed to get some shots of the car, while it was trying to strand me on top of the mountain though.

About an hour later, we found a NAPA parts store that had a cap,  We gassed up and replaced the cap after it cooled off a bit.  It hadn't overheated the rest of the way, and I was keeping a CLOSE eye on the temp gauge.

That's Right...Don't Move

Like An Oasis...In The Mountains

Thirsty Girl

Eurobeat Intensifies

Rest Stops In Colorado, Definitely Do Impress

McDonald's Stop

The rest of the trip went pretty well.

Jake was trying unleash his inner "Takumi Fujiwara" the whole way home on I-70 in the Sonata.

I was enjoying the very different driving through the passes, but after about 6 Hours of Uphill and Downhill "Togue" driving, I was pretty done with it.

Once we got past Denver, it was pretty wide open, but I was TIRED. I kept losing sight of Jake as I did "Touch and Go's" with my head in the car.

Eventually we crossed the border (Kansas.  Yay.) and pulled into then hotel I had reserved.

Since I had originally planned to make the trip solo, and the hotel was booked solid for some reason, I gave Jake the bed and crashed on the floor in my sleeping bag.

I was out, pretty much immediately.

I'm Going To Wichita

I woke up, wondering where I was and why I was on the floor.  I haven't gotten good and drunk in years, so I was confused slightly.

"Oh yeah.  The Stealth".

Got up and proceeded to get ready for the trip home.

We hit McDonald's again, me for the "Big Breakfast with Pancakes" and Jake for a "Sausage McGriddle."  He was fascinated that they somehow managed to infuse the muffin with Maple Syrup flavor.  I was too busy stuffing my face to add too much to the conversation.

We had things to do!

Miles to go!  And all that stuff....

About 4 hours later we were back in Wichita in I-135 and I immediately missed the lack of traffic on I-70.  Lunatics!

We stopped off at his buddy's place to have the Stealth checked out, as he's pretty much the local 3/S Guru in the area.  His family also owns a used car lot and they had a shop with a lift, so I was happy to have a chance to check out the underside of the car and have someone who knew about them, look it over.

Looks Good For The Most Part

He immediately diagnosed the creaking noise as a misaligned heatshield on the rear turbo intercooler pipe.  At some point it had been bent out of shape and was rubbing against other components while the engine rocked back and forth while shifting.

He also tracked down a vacuum leak using a smoke machine, and plugged the offending hose up.

All in all, he thought I had gotten a pretty good deal and pronounced that it felt fairly healthy for a pretty much stock car after he test drove it around the block.

The Nope Train, To Fuckthatville

He then tried to talk me into adding fuel mods, cranking the stock turbos up to max and then installing a methane kit, telling me that it would be..."fine".  "It's got a really rich fuel map from the factory."

Yeah, I already have one "Garage Queen" that I do stupid things to. This is going to be a driver, not a first place contender in the "Jackstand Racing League".

Home

I thanked him for the work, and promised that if I needed any used 3/S parts I would hit him up. We headed back to my apartment and parked the car in the carport spot I have reserved.  

I hadn't gotten rid of my 98 Talon project yet, so it was going to have to cool it's heels outside for awhile.

Drove Jake home, and thanked him for going along with this little bit of insanity and all the help with everything.  He said he was gonna go inside and pass out, and if I needed something like this again, make it at least a few months from now and provide more notice next time.

Drove back home, and passed the Stealth sitting in its temporary spot...and took it all in.  As I drove off towards my apartment, I mumbled..."finally".

Mission Complete

Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot...

The Adventures Of Secret Task Force: Unicorn- Part Deux/Day One

The Plan:

  So, now that I had a willing Co-Conspirator to go with me, the plan to get the Stealth from somewhere in BFE, Colorado and back to Wichita in one piece, was pulled together.

We would leave here on Thursday and drive through and past Denver to Eagle, CO and crash for the night in a hotel.

Friday morning, would see us to the seller's house in Clifton, CO where we would check the car out, test drive it and make a final decision on whether or not to pull the trigger on the deal.

If I bought it, I would need to go to the DMV, and get a Temporary Transport Tag to drive it home.

We would then drive the Stealth and my Sonata back home and crash at a hotel in Kanarado (Really?) , KS for the night.  Then continue on into Wichita, on Saturday morning.

As far as harebrained, and impulsive decisions to buy yet another "4 Wheeled AWD Money Pit" go, I congratulated myself on coming up with what seemed like a decent plan.

Day One:

I had the Sonata loaded up with tools, my laptop, a bag with some clothes and my "Shower, Shit and Shave" stuff. 

I picked up Jake, my Co Pilot at his place in Downtown Wichita.  Loaded his stuff up and we headed out, following the Navigation system in the Hyundai, towards Denver.

The trip was off to a good start, were were bombing along on I-70, with Jake playing DJ and navigator.  It was good to have someone to talk to on the trip, and I really appreciated having him along.  I could have done this myself in a rental car, but it would have SUCKED.

What's This?

Somewhere before we crossed the border into Colorado, he mentioned that he'd like to try a substance that's legal in Colorado, but not in Kansas.  He'd never tried it and was curious as to what it was like.

Three guesses what it was, and the first two don't count.

I was OK with that, even though I couldn't partake myself because of my job and lack of interest for the most part. I told him if he could find a place, then yeah, we can stop somewhere so he could check it out.

That Was Easier Than I Thought

It turns out, that Denver is lousy with "Dispensaries" for both Medical and Recreational use.  So we added it to the itinerary on the Nav System and soon found ourselves at one after a few twists and turns in Denver traffic.

A Hive Of Scum And Villainy...

I'm honestly not sure what I expected to find at one of these places, since I've never partaken of the substance or even knew how to go about buying it before it became legalized in some states.

I figured it'd be some sketchy looking setup, and borderline dangerous with lowlifes hanging around outside. 

 I was pleasantly surprised.

The building had a decent sized Waiting Area and a Reception Desk, where both of our ID's were checked upon entry.  Aside from a very distinct smell in the air, it looked like a customer lounge at a  car dealership.

We sat there for a few minutes and then Jake was led into the back with a "Consultant", while I cooled my heels and did some people watching.  

I'd say about 80% of the people in there and behind the counter looked like everyday, average people. 

Weird.  Not what I was expecting at all.

About 10 minutes later Jake showed back up holding a small paper bag and we left.

He said that the Consultant let him know what was available to buy and made some recommendations based on what he asked him.  Based on this, being his first time and not wanting to inhale anything, he ended up buying some.."edibles".

Overall, the whole operation was very well organized, efficient and regulated, which to me was an eye opener.  Maybe legalizing this stuff isn't such a bad idea after all.  

Anyway, "Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys".  I leave that for others to argue and consider.

We got back on the road and headed out of Denver.

Crosstown Traffic

We got stuck in some traffic leaving Denver, and I got to experience bumper to bumper traffic in yet, another Major Metropolitan Area.  

Go, me.  

This is one item I can definitely go without adding to my Life Experience Data Bank.  Already full and quantified, thanks!

While I was wondering (and hoping) if someone was both dead and the reason for the traffic jam, Jake decided to try out the stuff he bought.

He consumed the two Gummy Bears as was recommended by his consultant, and then waited as we finally cleared the traffic about twenty minutes later and were able to leave Denver, proper.

Hypoxia Sucks

So, we're making pretty good time on I-70, going through mountain passes, talking and taking in the scenery.

If you ever have the chance to drive I-70 going west through the mountains, do it and enjoy the view.

It's gorgeous up there!  It's also a awesome drive in the right car, which the Sonata wasn't, but we were making do with what we had.  Pushing it up and down the mountain pass, with music blaring from the stereo the whole time.

At this point, I believe the Gummies had finally kicked in, because Jake was suddenly finding everything funny, bouncing from topic to topic in our conversation, while going through every song on his phone.

On one particularly steep downhill stretch, he said something to the effect of:  "This needs some Eurobeat....", and then twitched, rolled his eyes, shook a bit and then PASSED OUT.

Kaput

Goneski

Sayonara

Checked The Fuck Out

I immediately pulled over and started shaking him, and yelling at him to wake up but he was completely unresponsive.

"Holy Shit"

I could feel breathing, from sticking my finger under his nose and was getting ready to dial 911, when he started twitching again, convulsed a bit, then started coming back to consciousness.  I figure he was out for about a minute and a half or two, total time. 

He said he could hear me yelling at him, and felt me shaking him, but couldn't move at all for a few seconds.  After a bit, he was able to move and talk again.  He said he was fine, then immediately grabbed my mostly empty Quik Trip cup and threw up into it.

  OK...not weird at all.  

"I'm Fine."  Yeah.

I told him I thought we should go to a hospital to get him checked out, but he nixed that idea. No insurance and didn't want to pay for the visit.  I insisted again, but he waved me off. He said he wanted water, but that he still felt like shit and probably just needed rest.

I plugged in a local hospital into the GPS, just in case and continued on into the next town about 20 miles away and hit up a 7-11 for some water and a slightly lower elevation.  

We figured these were symptoms from the altitude changes, possible dehydration and the Scummy Bears.

He cleaned up and after about an hour in the parking lot, drinking water, we decided to try and make Eagle, so that we could check into the hotel.

About 20 minutes into this next leg, he grabbed my arm and said "Pullthefuckoverrightnow!", which I did.  Just in time, it would seem.

He then proceeded to paint one side of I-70, with the entire contents of his stomach, in one massive hurl.

I wan't even really disgusted by it, just mostly impressed.  

I could see some of the oncoming drivers on the road, kind of eyeballing us and probably wondering why he was on his hands and knees...and passing out again, and landing headfirst in a puddle of puke.

"Aww Shit"

I managed to get him sitting up again, and waited for him to come around.  Once again, the hospital idea was shot down, so I helped him get cleaned up and we continued on to the hotel.

Made It

We got checked in and headed up to the room.  But not before Jake decided it was a good idea to sit down on the floor in front of the elevator, while we were waiting for it and go to sleep. 

 I picked him up, explained to a passerby that he was "dead tired" (Thanks Arnold) and helped him get to the room. Where he crawled into his bed face first, clothes and all, and pretty much passed out again.

 I could hear him snoring, so I figured he was doing as well as he could, and couldn't hurt himself that much.  Besides, I was pretty tired as well.  I got ready for bed myself.

"Hell of a first day.  I wonder, what's next", I thought,  as I fell asleep.

To Be Continued

Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot....

The Adventures Of Secret Task Force: Unicorn

"Unicorn"?  Really?

Everyone has a "Unicorn".

Whether it be a Car, House, Relationship or some other Tangible, or Intangible Goal, everyone has that one thing that they want above all else.  

Something they're willing to go to ridiculous lengths to have, or willing to drop everything to achieve.

Like,  willing  to sell their current "Basket Case" Project Car at a Fire Sale Price to get it out of the way, just so they have garage space for their newest..."prize".

You know?  That kind of "Unicorn".

My Automotive Unicorns

When it comes to Cars, I unfortunately have several "Unicorns" that would lead me to go to ridiculous lengths like that.

To include: 

• Clean Conquest TSi/Starion ESi (4G63 Swap, What?)
• 71-77 Toyota Celica Coupe
• 92 Kensington Grey Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 (Had One And Sold It Before I moved To Kansas.  Still Kicking Myself For That One.)
• A "Clean" Non Rusty 97-98 Eagle Talon TSi/AWD (I Have One, But It's Rusty And Needs An Engine. :-( )
• Lowered Shortbed Chevrolet LUV Pickup Truck (LS or 4G63 Swap Candidate?)
• 79-83 Mitsubshi Mighty Max/Dodge D-50 Truck (Notice A Theme Here?)
• JDM Diesel Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero SUV
• 70's RWD Dodge Colt
• 80's RWD Dodge Challenger (Mitsubishi Galant Lambda)
• Old Rat Rod (With A 4G63 Of Course.  Why Not Piss Everybody Off?)
• Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo (Mystic Blue, Black Leather Interior, Mostly Unmodified)

Wait.  That Last One Seemed Oddly Specific?

It should, because it's a particular color combo, I've been chasing, for a very long time now.  

For something like, over 25 years now.

Damn, You're Old

I spotted my very first Dodge Stealth around 1992 back at the now shuttered, Bergstrom AFB in Austin, TX.

I was a Traditional Reservist in the 924th TFG Engine Shop, and probably 19 years old at the time. Young, Dumb and Broke. 

 I drove a 84 Toyota Tercel 5 Speed Hatchback back then and didn't really have a interest in cars, other than getting me from Point A to Point B.

 I remember seeing one of the Full Time Technicians in the unit pulling up in a Firestorm Red Stealth Twin Turbo one morning and hopping out of it.  

It was like something SNAPPED in my head.

I had no idea what it was or anything about it, but something clicked on in my head that day, and ever since then I've wanted one for myself.  

It also sparked an interest in cars, that changed them from mere appliances, to something far more interesting and desirable.

Back then, the Internet as we know it didn't exist, so I had to research the car by reading magazine articles, pestering the aforementioned Technician with a lot of stupid questions, and driving by Dodge dealerships to "Window Shop" the cars.

Twin Turbo and AWD were very much on my brain at the time, and I drove myself nuts plotting and scheming about how to get one.

Never Gonna Get It

Unfortunately, the odds of getting one for myself, were very slim.  Seeing as I was a broke ass, 19 year old Air Force Reservist who was still living at home, because he still hadn't figured out what he wanted to do with his life yet.

The Stealth became something I wanted, but couldn't have so, I started messing around with my Toyota Tercel (hah!).  Did some car stereo installs and over the years drifted into Mini Trucks and basically moved on and mostly forgot about the Stealth.

Kinda Like A Stealth, But Not

I eventually got into Mitsubishi's and DSM's in a big way, but aside from a brief time with a 3000GT SL in 2005, owning a Stealth continued to elude me.

Non Turbo, DOHC, FWD

"Fiji" Blue!

The 3000GT was nice, but I preferred the styling of the Stealth.  I also hated that the 3000GT required Premium Fuel and didn't have a a Turbo or AWD. 

I did however, LOVE the color of the car and the Dark Charcoal Leather Interior.  Mitsubishi called it "Fiji" Blue, while it was referred to as "Mystic" Blue for the Stealth.

 I think this is where I decided that I while I would take a Stealth R/T TT in any color, besides RED, What I really wanted, was a Mystic Blue Stealth R/T TT with the Charcoal Grey interior.

Good Luck with that I said to myself.  It's not the most rare combination, but it's not that common.

I sold the 3000GT soon afterwards and kept messing with DSM's and other Turbocharged Mitsubishi cars.

Oh, What's This Then?

Back in July, I happened to catch this ad on my Facebook Timeline:

Oh, Bloody Hell!

It was a little pricier, than what I wanted to spend on yet another Money Pit Project car, and was over 11 hours away from Wichita.

"Too far away", was my first thought.  

"Too much money", was the second.  

"Besides, I don't have the room, with the 98 Talon in the other garage", was the third thought as I scrolled down to see what else Facebook had decided I wanted to see that day. 

 I congratulated myself on being a rational adult.

*Ten Seconds Later*

"Fuck It.  I'm Getting It."

Ten Seconds?  A new record, I believe.

 

Why Are You Doing This, You Dummy?

I agree, it's not a very smart thing to do, but then again, I do have a problem with impulse control.  But, there's a little more to it in this case.

I was in a pretty serious car accident last September.  I almost died because some random guy fell asleep at the wheel and almost punched my ticket.

I wasn't doing anything stupid.  Coming home from work.  Wrong place, wrong time. Completely random thing.

Like I said, I've wanted one of these cars for a very long time.  Whenever a good deal on a Stealth R/T TT has popped up over the years, I either didn't have the money or the room.

Whenever I had the money or the the room, there were none to be found.

I had recently settled on the car accident, then this pops up randomly on Facebook? 

I was holding onto the money for adult things like buying a house or for a "just in case" situation, but I did have a little money I could spare.

Fate?  Kismet?  Karma?

Seems like the Universe is saying to do it, so here we go.

Screw it.  It's time to stop "Wanting" and get to "Getting".

Secret Task Force Unicorn: ASSEMBLE!

I contacted the seller and put down a deposit to hold the car for 2 weeks.

My initial plan was to either fly out to the car and drive it back or rent a car, drive out there and drive it back.

Neither option really appealed to me.

If I flew and the car was a dud, then I was screwed because who knew how I would be able to get home? 

"Hey dude, this car sucks.  BTW, can you give me a lift so I can get to the airport and try to schedule a flight home sometime?"

 Flying was pretty pricey as well.  Plus, I wanted to take tools and other parts with me, for "just in case" on the way back.   I figured checking a Tool Bag with a bunch of assorted Pokey and Stabby things in it would be a real hassle.

A rental was the second best choice,because I could carry tools, and had the flexibility to leave if the car turned out to be a turkey.  Plus slightly cheaper than flying, but risky driving a used car for 11 hours through mountain passes by myself.

"Ugh."

The best option from a flexibility and safety standpoint was to drive my Daily Driver Hyundai out there.  Check out the car and caravan back with both vehicles if I decided to buy it.  The drive would still suck, but with a Co-Pilot, well..."Misery, Loves Company."

The Daily Driver

It's a great idea, but I don't know a lot of "car people" in Wichita who could just drop everything for a three day road trip.  To go get a 26 year old Turbocharged "Bastard" Dodge from somewhere out in BFE, Colorado.  Well, except, for one guy maybe crazy enough to sign on for this nonsense.

I called my buddy and he surprised me by not only agreeing to go along with me on this impulsive and ill advised venture, but actually seemed excited by a 11 Hour drive to go check it out and another 11 Hours to come back.

I Have Weird Friends.

With that, "Secret Task Force: Unicorn" was born.

It's Mission?

"Retrieve the asset, designated "Unicorn 1" from Remote Location and return with it, intact to Home Station with all personnel accounted for".

In other words:  "Drive our dumbasses from Wichita and buy the car if it doesn't suck. Don't die while driving it back home."


Got It.

So, I had a car, tools and a willing Co-Pilot to accompany me on this fools errand.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

To Be Continued...


Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot.....