quote Originally posted by Scottzilla79: Don't some call a Fiero a girl's car? I got to drive around in a del sol for a little while in l.a. Sure I would have rather had a ttopd trans am but the Del Sol was fun up and down the PCH. Edit to add, I've never seen a CRX move. Seen plenty of them in driveways though! LOL

Hahah... yeah, but that's the thing... some cars, are just cool to both genders. Like the Mustang, Fiero, whatever...

But I've never seen a guy drive a Del Sol. Well... I did see one. It was in high school, his parents bought him a bright lime green brand new 1995? Del Sol. Yeah, he was gay, but he embraced it...


I've never seen a girl drive a CRX though.

I did wonder for a LONG TIME what was up with the front fenders. There was a period for about a year where I didn't see a single CRX that wasn't missing at least one front right or left fender. Are their front fenders made of plastic like the Fieros?

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: I did wonder for a LONG TIME what was up with the front fenders. There was a period for about a year where I didn't see a single CRX that wasn't missing at least one front right or left fender. Are their front fenders made of plastic like the Fieros?

I grew up around a bunch of asian kids. The rich ones got preludes and eclipses. To me those are girl's cars but I guess it's a cultural thing.

That is so true of the CRX fenders! I think that must be the first place that suffers from honda cancer aka rust. Either that or its weight reduction stage one for the ricer crowd.

Geo Storm=good basic car with really good fuel economy if driven in a reasonable manner. Should beat any Fiero in MPG easily.

I've never owned or even driven one, but did ride in one that a friend owned--a 5 speed--it's one of those cars that "appear" to be 'quick'. (There is BTW, a difference in fast--- and 'quick'.)

I was not however, comfortable in it. The seat width was very confining to me, but I'm pretty big. There's always a different feel when riding 'shotgun' than when actually driving. It may have been a different experience, if I were behind the wheel.

Well, I will soon be the proud (or sad ) owner of a 1992 Geo Storm base model with a whopping 95hp 1.6l SOHC 12 valve motor Body is a bit rough on the car, some large dents in the drivers side quarter panel (fixable), needs a new drivers side fender (starting to rust at the bottom mount point just in front of the door a bit, and is creased from what I'm guessing to be bad alignment from a prior replacement), and 2 rear tires. Runs out pretty well, will need a minor tune up (dist cap and rotor, fuel/air filter, possibly plug wires, plugs still good though) and fresh gas and a new gas cap..Again, not a pretty car, but mechanically it is pretty sound.

Its been sitting since the end of 2009, but fires right up. The guy who has it just replaced the alternator over the weekend with a brand new one. Has 134k miles on it, clutch is pretty strong and shifts well, etc.

All this for a whopping $650 (although I may be able to get him down a bit further on it once I look up some parts prices)

As far as Del Sol's go, being a chick car: The one guy at the garage where this Storm is owns one, as well as a 68 Firebird with the 400 in it So take that

Oddly enough I felt pretty comfortable in the Storm. Guess it helps to have a no ass (all the fat goes to my stomach lol)

[This message has been edited by Xerces_Blackthorne (edited 04-18-2011).]

What happened to the Sexscort?

Kewl, let me know what you think of it once you've been driving it for awhile.

quote Originally posted by Tomski: What happened to the Sexscort?

Oh no, not you Its a goner tonight hopefully. Half a dozen people want it, all depends on who has the cash first.. One guy in Lancaster is offering me $900 for it, most of the offers are around $700-$750 so far though.

I hope your friends are all smaller than you, I squeezed into the back of a storm once and it was the worst backseat I ever sat in.

quote Originally posted by Scottzilla79: I hope your friends are all smaller than you, I squeezed into the back of a storm once and it was the worst backseat I ever sat in.

lol, I know the feeling (been there, done that and sat b*tch too , 6 people in a Storm GSi, all over 5'9" and 180lbs doesn't work so well )

Nice thing is, I hardly ever have anyone riding with me, and if anyone does, its almost always in the front (usually only 1 person at a time rides with me, even when I offer to be the driver )

Can't wait to get the car Only thing I don't like about it is the headlight setup. Stupid 150mm sealed beams They don't offer an H4 retrofit kit for 150mm sealed beams, unless I get the crappy Ebay HID kits, and even then I still have to find housings to fit them. Bosch used to make 150mm H4 kits, but my guys at Susquehanna are out of them (outside of one set of yellowed display models), and Bosch discontinued them. Not to mention since it is an import, I would also need to buy the wiring harnesses for each side (4 total, 2 per side), because the imports used a different setup for the ground wire in the H4 equipped cars.

First things first though: Inspection and emissions testing is at the top of the list, right next to a nice tuneup/seafoam treatment and fresh gas. Need to fix the small hesitation/stumble issue. From there I plan to do a minor gas miser build Short ram or CAI, cherry bomb 12" glass pack 2" in/out, and I also want to find a small lip spoiler for the trunk, either from a GSi (IIRC they had one) or a Mazda MX-3 spoiler (may look ok, and the width between the 2 cars is pretty close). Also plan to do a bit of body work, maybe sand and primer the car for paint in the future (planning a DIY spray can job for now).

From there its on to the interior I plan to keep this car for at least the next 2-3 years while I work my way through school here in PA. Provided it doesn't rust out first...

Don't you mean "oh yes, its you"? Good luck xerces, let me know if you want help with that interior.
I do a bang up job, N3M3S1S can confirm that

quote Originally posted by Tomski: Don't you mean "oh yes, its you"? Good luck xerces, let me know if you want help with that interior. I do a bang up job, N3M3S1S can confirm that

:doh: :facepalm: I opened myself up for that one

I'll let ya know. Interior will most likely be on the list too, but as a last item to button up. The dash is cracked to sh*t on the passenger side, so i need to find a good replacement before I do anything with the interior, not to mention I need a few other small interior parts. Apparently Geo uses crappy plastic parts for everything, so I'm in for a treat. The sliders/knobs on the HVAC are broken off

I drove one for 2 years...they WILL NOT start in the damp...if its rainy/ foggy...you are walking. Its a weak point in the ingnition module....apart from that, they are a BLAST to drive. (hinty-hinty ....put strut bars on it for some real fun in the twisties ....ya can also make a really-really cheap ram-air setup with PVC and dryer tube (yes, I am serious) that actually works...goes behind the bumper opening with a 4" tube, and up to the intake.

<edit>...I would definatley buy another one...but not as a daily driver, just as a toy. It just wasnt reliable enough for a D.D.

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 04-19-2011).]

Lol MEM

Escort SOLD Picking up Geo shortly hopefully. Soon as cash hits my palms I'm all over it like a fat kid on chocolate cake (right Nemesis? )

Can't wait, uber excited to get wrenchin on the Storm and get driving her hard (only to put her away wet )

Hell, this Escort has made me enough money to pay for itself 5 times over almost lol

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Since it looks like I'm going to get screwed on the Mazda I was planning on buying...

Didn't you pay a deposit then back out?

Anyways, I love Geos and I've heard the storms keep the same reputation as the others. Good luck in your new old car!

[This message has been edited by theBDub (edited 04-20-2011).]

quote Originally posted by theBDub: Didn't you pay a deposit then back out? Anyways, I love Geos and I've heard the storms keep the same reputation as the others. Good luck in your new old car!

I never backed out. I didn't have a problem buying the car. But since you asked... I asked the lady for my deposit back after a week of being given the "shove off and die, we've your money and you'll never see it again" attitude when it came to signing the title. I tried to resolve the issue in a civil manner for 2 weeks after the fact, and finally after driving 60 miles round trip, 3 times (only to be blown off each time), and being blown off over the phone 4 other separate times prior, I've had enough and its going to court. Read back through the thread and take note that my posts further into the discussion reflect this, and continued to once I began to calm down and think more collectively about it.

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Can't wait to get the car Only thing I don't like about it is the headlight setup. Stupid 150mm sealed beams They don't offer an H4 retrofit kit for 150mm sealed beams, unless I get the crappy Ebay HID kits, and even then I still have to find housings to fit them. Bosch used to make 150mm H4 kits, but my guys at Susquehanna are out of them (outside of one set of yellowed display models), and Bosch discontinued them. Not to mention since it is an import, I would also need to buy the wiring harnesses for each side (4 total, 2 per side), because the imports used a different setup for the ground wire in the H4 equipped cars.

I really hope you arent serious about that. If you actually do that I hope somebody smashes the **** out of that car at night with a baseball bat. Way to be a dick to everyone else on the road. For around 200 bucks you can have the best HID setup money can buy.

quote Originally posted by turboguy327: I really hope you arent serious about that. If you actually do that I hope somebody smashes the **** out of that car at night with a baseball bat. Way to be a dick to everyone else on the road. For around 200 bucks you can have the best HID setup money can buy.

Guess I should have put up my signature with that post Refer to it at the end of this post for your answer. I forgot how hard it was to convey sarcasm online :facepalm:

I'm may be an ******* , but not that big of an ******* . I don't like being blinded by them, therefore I won't use em to blind anyone else.

I probably should have mentioned my plans as for how to mod them. I am planning to mod the front bumper cover and find a way to bring the lights out further as well as find a way to use 165mm H4 housings (which I can get easier than 150mm E-code housings). Or even maybe 90mm/60mm Hellas. Either mounted in the bumper or not.

------------------
****Disclaimer****: For those of you politically correct so-and-so's, who have to crap on everyone's parade, the above post was made entirely in jest, as are most of my posts. Life is too short to take things so seriously, and as such, I will not spend valuable time or energy arguing semantics, politics, religion, etc. when I can utilize that energy for something more constructive.

As the author of the above post, I do not suggest that you commit or participate in such actions (in the event that the above post suggests any actions/activities), unless of your own free will or character. That is all, now bugger off.

"I AM A SATANIST! BOW DOWN, FOR I AM THE HIGHEST
EMBODIMENT OF HUMAN LIFE!"

[This message has been edited by Xerces_Blackthorne (edited 04-20-2011).]

Bought a brand new standard Storm for my son in 91. The car was as reliable as a stone bridge, could touch 40 MPG on a road trip. We used brake pads and front struts. We got rid of it at 228K still running OK. Original clutch. It was a 100 HP car, the hot one had 130. It was light years better than the Toyota Celica we had later. Very nice tranny, BTW.

If you think hellas are good check out moritomo mini's. Cheaper and better.

And the fun begins Electrical problems

Car ran great for the first night I had it. Yesterday morning I drove home from my buddies house to grab a shower and head back (crashed there Friday night after we gamed a bit). Noticed on the way home that the battery light and e brake light were on when I came to a stop light/sign. When I got back on the throttle and drove away, it went away. Fast forward to 9:30 last night, my buddy and I had to run to the store, so we took the Geo. On the way we hit Skyline drive (where he races the Pagoda and Duryea hill climbs) and he drove. We hit the top of the hill, and as we were coming up on it the lights kept getting dimmer and dimmer. He had to pop start the car once on the way down the hill, lights were so dim we were lucky if we could see 10 feet ahead of us on high beams.

So we baby it down the hill and get closer to down and drop the headlights completely. It was all downhill to his place from there, but we had to run stop signs to get to the right street. Had one intersection where we had to stop and the car died right at the flat of the intersection, so I had to get out and push. Got through the intersection and he's rolling downhill pretty good while I'm yelling at him to hit the brakes so I can open the door and hop in (door handles on the Storm are hidden and inside the door frame/pillar).

Made it back to his place, and no sooner do we pull into the parking spot the car dies. And up pulls a city cop He saw us with no headlights on, so decided to check it out. No ticket. We explained (in less than a dozen words) that we lost power and were trying to get home. Then he drove off. Had better things to do than ticket us for car troubles. Nice guy

Anywho: I'm almost positive that its not the alternator. The guy I bought the car from just replaced it mid last week, and it has under 100 miles on it (brand new, not a reman). The odds of getting a toasted alternator brand new are pretty slim, although possible. Its under lifetime warranty, so I should be ok if it is.

Thinking its either a bad ground strap somewhere, or bad cell in the battery. Need to charge the battery and head down there, start the car, and load test the charging system. Also wouldn't hurt if I throw a heavy gauge ground wire in as well, just to be safe.

I did find a few wires for the front impact airbag sensor that got a little wet. The seam at the top of the radiator leaks a bit (its plastic on aluminum, and original from 92) . The wires had some sheathing that was broken and had exposed wiring, so I plan to let it dry out a bit and fix the wires with heat shrink tubing and black tape. Explains why my Infl Rest light on the dash flashes and goes out when I drive the car.

If anyone has any ideas as to what may be causing my electrical issues as described above, feel free to chime in. It acts as though the v-belt is loose, but there is maybe a 1/4" of play in the belt and it is as tight as its going to get.

I want the Izuzu Impluse version of this car, same exact but much prettier all around. simply because its so rare and cheap still.

So is someone regretting getting rid of the escort now?

Trickle-charge the battery and take it to your favorite auto parts store to get it tested. If it tests out ok, take the alternator in for testing. In the meantime, make sure the wiring is in good shape, probably want to replace the positive and negative battery cables anyway, and make sure the large wire on the back of the alternator has continuity between it and the positive battery post. Some cars have fuses or fusible links between the alternator and battery.

quote Originally posted by RenegadeShadow: I want the Izuzu Impluse version of this car, same exact but much prettier all around. simply because its so rare and cheap still.

I know a guy that had one that was an Impulse in the front half and a Geo Storm in the rear - or vise versa. It had evidently been pieced together after a wreck; it even had all the stock badges on it and unless one looked carefully, it looked completely normal. All the paint matched reasonably well - not perfect but just as good as, say, my Fiero which had several body panels found in the junkyard, all medium red.

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Anywho: I'm almost positive that its not the alternator. The guy I bought the car from just replaced it mid last week, and it has under 100 miles on it (brand new, not a reman). The odds of getting a toasted alternator brand new are pretty slim, although possible. Its under lifetime warranty, so I should be ok if it is.

Brian, I've had 2 brand new (not rebuilt) alternators that were bad right out of the box, and I got them at O'Reilly's, which normally carries pretty good parts. Seems like I may have called this, per our texts....and after reading what you wrote about how the car was acting, I'm even more convinced that you DO have a bad alternator.

quote Originally posted by litespd: Brian, I've had 2 brand new (not rebuilt) alternators that were bad right out of the box, and I got them at O'Reilly's, which normally carries pretty good parts. Seems like I may have called this, per our texts....and after reading what you wrote about how the car was acting, I'm even more convinced that you DO have a bad alternator.

Yup. After a voltage drop test with a fully charged battery, I'm calling it an alternator. Going tomorrow to pick up a replacement under warranty, so at least its not costing me anything outside of gas to get to the parts store Battery sat at 12.33 volts with the car running. At idle it would drop .01 volts ever so slowly, and if I revved it up it would hold steady at that voltage until I backed off the throttle again. Really not looking forward to changing this alternator. Its in a very bad spot (worse than my 88 duke), and I have a feeling there will be lots of cursing all day tomorrow, in the rain, while I change it.

As for you Rick, your answer is hell no I'm glad to be out of that damn Escort. I was very uncomfortable in it, and it needed work that I refused to pay for or do. I already put enough into it, and it already paid for itself at least 5x over, so I am glad its gone.

Btw, I'm still waiting for that call back

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Yup. After a voltage drop test with a fully charged battery, I'm calling it an alternator. Going tomorrow to pick up a replacement under warranty, so at least its not costing me anything outside of gas to get to the parts store Battery sat at 12.33 volts with the car running. At idle it would drop .01 volts ever so slowly, and if I revved it up it would hold steady at that voltage until I backed off the throttle again. Really not looking forward to changing this alternator. Its in a very bad spot (worse than my 88 duke), and I have a feeling there will be lots of cursing all day tomorrow, in the rain, while I change it. As for you Rick, your answer is hell no I'm glad to be out of that damn Escort. I was very uncomfortable in it, and it needed work that I refused to pay for or do. I already put enough into it, and it already paid for itself at least 5x over, so I am glad its gone. Btw, I'm still waiting for that call back

If you feel like helpin me change a clutch than come down here. i have the cradle all ready to be dropped.

quote Originally posted by pontiackid86: If you feel like helpin me change a clutch than come down here. i have the cradle all ready to be dropped.

If ya feel like paying me and have me working out of the rain in the garage, then by all means, lets go for it I could use the cash... Geo needs inspection and 2 rear (used works...) tires to pass.

I'll call ya in the morning, lets work something out.

[This message has been edited by Xerces_Blackthorne (edited 04-24-2011).]

Ya know, an 8x10 buck-store tarp, some buck store bungie cords and rope, and if need be a couple broom handles (from the buck store) can make a pretty handy shelter to keep the rain off the poor wittle woosy who dont wanna get wet working on the car <j/k>

quote Originally posted by MidEngineManiac: Ya know, an 8x10 buck-store tarp, some buck store bungie cords and rope, and if need be a couple broom handles (from the buck store) can make a pretty handy shelter to keep the rain off the poor wittle woosy who dont wanna get wet working on the car <j/k>

Hey, bite me Old Man I don't wanna melt like the wicked witch here

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Yup. After a voltage drop test with a fully charged battery, I'm calling it an alternator. Going tomorrow to pick up a replacement under warranty, so at least its not costing me anything outside of gas to get to the parts store Battery sat at 12.33 volts with the car running. At idle it would drop .01 volts ever so slowly, and if I revved it up it would hold steady at that voltage until I backed off the throttle again. Really not looking forward to changing this alternator. Its in a very bad spot (worse than my 88 duke), and I have a feeling there will be lots of cursing all day tomorrow, in the rain, while I change it.

A bit of advice. Have the parts store check the NEW alternator out before you leave the store with it. Don't ask me how I know to have this done....

quote Originally posted by litespd: A bit of advice. Have the parts store check the NEW alternator out before you leave the store with it. Don't ask me how I know to have this done....

Done and done. Car is fixed, tach works properly now and doesnt get stuck at 3000 rpms Old alt test fine up until DC volt test, which it failed.

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Done and done. Car is fixed, tach works properly now and doesnt get stuck at 3000 rpms Old alt test fine up until DC volt test, which it failed.

Our Grand Prix would do similar things when the alternator went bad. Tach would go crazy, the ABS light would flash, and the car would go 35MPH without touching the gas pedal. Once the new alternator was in, all the symptoms magically disappeared. Glad to hear that it's fixed....I'm assuming it wasn't as hard as it appeared it would be?

3 hours of labor. Damn lower alt mount had to come out with the alt because the pivot bolt hit the frame rail and wouldn't come out all the way. With the way its laid out, there isn't much room to move around in there to work, and the alternator is physically huge. 2 bolts hold the lower mount in place, and getting the mount out is easy. Its reassembly that is a b*tch and a half. Its a juggling act, since the pivot bolt and alternator have to be in the mount before reassembly, and ya can't see the holes to line up the mount bolts. All done by touch. Not to mention this alt weighs damn near 25-30 lbs.

Was a pain in the arse. Not impossible, just not fun.

Now its off to do the oil change and wire in my speakers.

[This message has been edited by Xerces_Blackthorne (edited 04-25-2011).]

Ohhhhh...wiring speakers.....are ya sure its safe to play with the milivolts in the wet ?????......wouldnt want to melt or get electrocted or anything hehehehehe

quote Originally posted by MidEngineManiac: Ohhhhh...wiring speakers.....are ya sure its safe to play with the milivolts in the wet ?????......wouldnt want to melt or get electrocted or anything hehehehehe

You corksucker

Actually turned out to be a very nice day today. Was supposed to roll through with scattered thunderstorms, and it looked like it was going to rain this morning when I left for the parts store (actually started to a bit), but ended up with the sun coming out, 85 degrees, and wonderful.

Can't find my damn ramps My stepfather moved them me thinks and I have no idea where to. And he's out of town until Saturday Gotta get this damn oil changed, and do my sister's oil change as well (it pays gas money ). Cant do it without ramps..

quote Originally posted by Xerces_Blackthorne: Cant do it without ramps..

Oh, come on ! I thought you were part redneck. Think shade-tree, man.....THINK ! !

I never said redneck...What am I, from Kentucky or something

Shade tree huh? Well, I have a shady tree in the back yard. But the car is so underpowered, it's gonna be kinda hard to drive it up the tree