New guy here, glad to join!

[inthepipe5by5]

Just wanted to say a quick hello and glad to find that there is still an active forum for these rigs. I'm new to this rig but not new to wrenching, been about 10 years since I've dealt with a 4x4 (last one was a Sammy that I grudgingly had to let go) and have since been dealing with Subies and BMW's. I recently landed on a 93 XE that had some work done but still needs to be finished:

 

- Surprisingly, the frame and underbody are rust-free. Undercoating did wonders to preserve this section of the car.

- Rust along the rocker panel, front bumper, and mud guard attachment. That's it!

- Automatic Tranny was rebuilt by 2 different mechanics. I'm pretty sure overheating killed it. Never seen strange behavior like this before-

1. Tranny does not shift (feels like failsafe mode), but will change gears if you shift the stick manually to the indicated gear (which is not considered safe mode?).

2. O/D light works, Power light does not. It does not come one when turning the key or flipping the switch. Still need to check the light bulbs in the panel.

3. Speedo works, but hunts at low speed. Both speed sensors connected and in good condition. Wiggles up to 10mph then acts normal. Rinse. Cycle. Repeat.

- Brake light comes on when key is turned. I found no wiring shorts so this must be the brake switch.

- 1 Mechanic mentioned above decided to cut one of the bolts connecting the pass exhaust manifold to the downpipe. Bolt is stuck (minus head) and exhaust leak is loud!

- Liftgate and glass hatch struts busted. I can't believe how much these parts cost (more than my BMWs and harder to find for some reason).

- Problems are with all fuses/relays operational

 

I can't tell you guys how excited I am to get started on this truck. As soon as I get the above sorted out, I can work on better things like installing the aftermarket trans cooler/filter, better lights, welding my bumpers/tire carrier/body cage etc. Looking forward to adding what I can to this knowledge base and getting away from German cars and their CAN-BUS electrical demons.

[rollingrock]

Welcome, I am new too...what year did you get ?

[Towncivilian]

Check the brake fluid level, low fluid can trigger the light. Matter of fact just flush your brake fluid.

 

I would change the transmission fluid and add an auxiliary cooler bypassing the stock cooler, or plumb it inline with the stock cooler only after cleaning it out. An inline filter is also a good idea. Do a search, you'll find all the necessary info and fluid exchange procedures.

 

I'm on my phone so excuse the brevity. Welcome to NPORA!

[Precise1]

Howdy, and welcome to NPORA!

 

The first thing you should do is go to the Garage section, and pinned at the top is a thread with links to download the Factory Service Manual (for free). 1994 is the first year, but the vast majority if it still applies (different dash, trim, etc). There is an excellent section on A/T diagnostics in there... Of course, making sure it has good fluid, a cooler and flow is pretty much step one as well.

 

I was under the impression that RockAuto had the lift struts for $20 or something. Do they not ship to Guam?

 

B

[WxChaser]

Hit up RockAuto for a lot of parts... they've been really cheap and reliable for me.

[inthepipe5by5]

small update:

 

Exhaust leak from pass. side collector to downpipe is now repaired, but man does this car stink! Can't put my finger on it, but the last time I smelled a car like this was when I was restoring my '74 Beetle. Can't seem to find any fluid leaks so scratching my head on this one. Brake light pads for the brake and cruise control switches at the pedal end have been replaced so those systems are running as they should. Why on earth did they not just put a solid plate there instead of material they know *will* decay over time is beyond me. Finally, corner lamps have been replaced - the ones there were original and one (pass side) suffered the losing end of an altercation sometime in its early life. Thank goodness TYC makes reasonably priced replacements, so I ordered a pair and they look great! Now the good stuff - I'm suffering these problems:

 

1. Aftermarket stereo is a mess. The unit works, but I can tell they tapped into the wrong lines all over the place. The switched and constant power leads are tapped together and only the front left speaker works in this 8 speaker system. Thankfully they wired the aftermarket stereo into what looks like the plug end of the factory harness on the stereo side. I'll have to look up the wiring diagram to make any sense of this later.

 

2. Transmission looks like it only has 2 forward gears working. As mentioned earlier, AT tranny does not shift when in normal drive mode, nor does POWER button illuminate under any circumstances. I've switched bulbs to no avail. Can't figure this out as while researching, there should be more problems compounded to the usual AT failure modes. Basically failsafe would not allow it to go out of 3rd gear in any circumstance, but this will switch to 1, and 2 if done manually, but 3 (D) and OD do nothing. However, switching from 1 to 2 produces a hard shift, while switching from 1 to D does not. Both are switching to the same gear because the RPMs match at both speeds for the higher gear. I've checked and re-checked all AT wiring connections and connectivity has checked out. There are no shorts or breaks in the lines either.

 

Pictures will come up soon as I'd like to see its visual progress documented myself. Hopefully this will not be a black hole project.

[inthepipe5by5]

Don't know where #3 went, but here it is (issues should really have been in reverse order, but I'm tired and really shouldn't be in front of a computer):

 

- Brake system failed on me *while driving* - I basically had to make an emergency stop and wouldn't you know it.... NO BRAKES!!! Pedal went ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. Needless to say a change of draws was necessary. It's the same feeling when you have a hose failure and all the fluid leaks out, but noooo.... master cylinder is full. The only thing I noticed out of the ordinary is that the master cylinder cap is ridiculously easy to remove. Compared to my other cars, this one seems to hold no pressure. Could this be a culprit? I'm going to flush, bleed and adjust the system to see if it improves anything.