pvtskiles

Didn't get the tank dropped like I had planned. I did however notice that whoever owned this before me sure like to run their own wires for stuff. Gonna be best friends with my meter by the time I finish.

While I'm thinking about it, my car has certain options that I don't really care for and would like to remove if possible. Can you switch to manual mirrors and windows? And what about the power seats? I've found out that my seats aren't stock but I have no interest in the stock seats. Can I pull the harness out that sends power to the seats?

Mrmerlin

dont start removing factory wires you will cause many other issues leave dead harness`s in their positions.
For the elex system remove the battery and inspect the battery well,
if the battery has been rinsed many times there is a good chance that the battery acid has eaten through the battery floor,
this will drip acid onto the passenger footwell,
Fix the floor with fiberglass and recoat.

Get a 1 gallon coolant container and cut off the top about an inch below the handle , then cut off one side of the bottle,
then use the remaining part to fit over the top of the battery effectively making a battery cover for the battery,
This will reduce the chance of shorting the battery hot post to the hood and reduce the chances for more damage from battery acid rinsing into the battery well,
if the top of the battery doesnt get wet then the acid cant drip into the battery floor.

NOTE the battery will get wet every time the car is washed or it rains

plumbum

A side note to that I picked up a battery over from the dealer for $11. Was floored they could get it an that it was not expensive

pvtskiles

Thanks for the comments. What's a good battery to run in these? I'm pretty sure the one in mine isn't the right one due to the ground cable running to the chassis having to be extended and it appears the hood shock must have hit the battery once because there is a spot on the hood where you can tell it started to bind. I know some of my questions may cause someone to believe I shouldn't be allowed near a set of wrenches but I was actually a mechanic in the army. I'm just now grown out of my "rice" phase and have what my wife calls a grown man car. Now I'm just trying to do everything right the first time by asking as many questions as possible since my budget isn't as large as I'd like it to be.

Again, thanks for all the answers so far and I know I'll have more questions as I continue to clean these grounds.

plumbum

I was a tech for 13 years also these cars are much different than anything I worked on..your in the right place here...lots of people who know these cars inside and out

944CS

regarding the grounds on the front frame rails, I usually run an M6 tap through them to clean the threads and replace that bolt with a stainless steel one. I do this for the M8 negative battery bolts as well. I also use stainless hardware for the new battery terminals/grounds I make.

Mrmerlin

944cs you could also use a coolant bottle for a battery cover,
make the bottom of the bottle face to the windshield this will protect the battery from getting wet and also shield the pos terminal from the water deflector on the underside of the hood.
you also need to run a vent tube preferably long enough to the bottom of the drain outlet. it would connect to just above the T in duralast

944CS

Thanks for the suggestions. The car has a battery cover, it was removed for the pictures. As for the Vent tube, I don't believe in those, they just cause premature oxidation of the battery box.

pvtskiles

So I've been reading about another ground that runs from the firewall to the motor. My intention is to clean both ends of course but was curious if anyone had any pictures of this one. Also would it be worth it to replace this whole cable?

pvtskiles

So while I'm waiting to get some time to drop the reservoir to clean the grounds. Can someone tell me what the lock does on the rear quarter on the drivers side? I took a picture to help illustrate.

plumbum

I believe that operates the factory alarm system

AKCJ

Yep. I've got the same lock for the factory alarm (or security) system.

I don't really need it but it would be nice to have the key. Does anyone have a source for getting a key?

pvtskiles

Well that answers my next question. I guess I should stop trying to turn it with the ignition key. Haha.

pvtskiles

Well I got some help dropping the washer tank today. Three hours to clean one ground point seems miserable but I can say I learned a lot about the mechanics of my car. Still have all the issues I had when I started the thread and have cleaned all three under the hood one in the hatch and two under the dash on the drivers side. Any help on where the rest are??

pvtskiles

Got an exciting update. Went out to the garage to tinker a little more to realize I had about a half gallon of washer fluid on the floor. Glad I know how to take those out now.