Post by
DAEDALUS »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/daedalus-u128.html
Thu Nov 14, 2002 12:42 pm
Did the pump today. It took me about 2.5 hours, which is pretty good for me (but faster than the dealer, based on what they charge!). It's been humming for who-knows how long. I looked at the controller connectors but no signs of burning or melting. Haven't checked the fuel pressure yet, but there is definitely a bit more kick in the pants. The tires are back to spinning in 1st. Ahhh...no more humming. I did notice that the pump is making a quiet, fast clicking noise, kind of like it's clicking on each revolution. Anyone else notice this? I'm thinking it'll quiet down after it breaks in a little. I can only hear it with the trunk open and my head near the tank.Thanks to everyone who's posted and emailed about this job in the past. Because of all the precautionary measures, I only got a trickle of a leak when I removed the flare nuts and metal lines, and I was well prepared with towels in place to catch all the drips. I removed the rear seats and deck cover, and it made access a bit more convenient, but does anyone know if the job can be done without removing the rear cover? Seems the recessed tray would prevent removal of the pump.
Now I'll just ramble a bit. I finished sooner than I thought I would, so I took the opportunity to work on my 85 Firebird. This week, the alternator belt suddenly began making the worst, most horrible screeching noise I have ever heard a belt make. It was LOUD.I propped the hood open and stood there looking at the engine for a few minutes with my girlfriend. Neither one of us wanted to touch anything. We remembered when we first began doing work on the Q, and how everything seemed so complex and advanced and impossible then, unlike the Firebird's engine bay. Now, 15 months later, everything in the Q's engine bay makes sense, is very well designed, and just plain seems right; in comparison, the Firebird's engine seems so crude and archaic (not to mention dirty). Case in point: the belts don't have any tensioners! Each peripheral belt-driven component is held on with 2 bolts; 1 on which the item pivots, and another that's fastened through a concentric slot. I loosed the bolts and then I had to PRY the alternator away from the frame with a crowbar to induce tension in the belt, and then simultaneously tighten the bolts. WHAT? The designer's obviously didn't expect the car to last very long. The odometer will roll over at 100k, not 1M like on the Q. Only 2,000 miles to go, and I'll be happy if it actually gets there. The Q get's spoiled rotten. The Firebird get's Chevron oil maybe 2-3 times a year, regular gasoline in the tank, and very little else.