'69 FI Squareback: The Continuing (Mis)Adventures

[Tram]

[D/A/N]

I haven't had a chance yet to reconnect the 02 sensor and go for a drive so there are no updates on the state of the MAP sensor or etc.

Had a pleasant drive in the blizzard today though.....the car handles SO much better than a Type 1 in the snow. My only gripe was I could only see out of the windshield and the front windows.....everything else was fogged out. But I survived.

Of course, this car being what it is, there were a few interesting issues today. First was when I got into the car this morning. Something in the passenger side heater vent caught my eye:

That's solid ice up to the lip of the vent! So there must be water getting in from somewhere...there was a very slight and incomplete water trail under the coco mat but it didn't go all the way to the vent. The coco mat wasn't wet though. It snowed a bit the other day and mostly melted so I guess that was the source but I can't be fully sure.

FWIW, the fresh air boxes leak a little bit of water into the car whenever it rains....not because they're plugged up though. We clean them out every few weeks. Perhaps the seals are bad? They also don't close up very well....there's always a draft out the vent even when fully closed. And when driving in the snow today, snow would gust into the car through the "closed" vents every time the wind was strong enough!

Then, an intermittent squeak developed in one of the wheels....either the passenger front or rear. Kind of like the squeak when a soft brake line collapses internally and the drums rub the shoes. Except in my experience that sound is constant, not intermittent. Plus, none of the soft lines are even 3 years old yet. And none of the hub caps were warm like they usually are if a brake is rubbing. Would a bearing in need of re-packing intermittently squeak?

[Tram]

Well, the air box seals were new Summer of 2013 as was the windshield seal. About the only way that could be coming into the footwell vent and freezing like that is coming in through the windshield seal and running down into the defroster vent.

The snow must be a vent flap not closing all the way. You'll likely need to take out the glovebox and adjust the wire(s) so the flaps close tighter.
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[D/A/N]

I can’t for the life of me find a breach in the window seal…..the sealant is perfectly thick all over the leaky side and I didn’t find any water trail.

When there was a leak on the other side prior to windshield and seal replacement, there was always a very clear water trail. I guess I’ll have to keep looking out for one.

In other news, I can now attribute one of the newish noises at idle that I described a few weeks ago to something: the clutch. At high idle/warm-up I noted there was a “wuuhhhh….wuuhhhh” sound. Well, I’ve discovered that if I even only rest my foot on the clutch pedal, the noise goes away as does some (not all) of the vibration I’ve been feeling at idle.

Once warm, the noise becomes a dull tapping….like someone’s poking on the top of the engine lid with a broomstick. Again, it goes away with gentle pressure on the clutch pedal. I looked and the clutch cable wing nut isn’t tapping the tin and nothing is loose.

Obviously, something’s awry in the transmission, clutch, pressure plate, or flywheel.

Also, I hooked up the 02 sensor today. Still idling at 11.5 even with two vac leak areas fixed. I couldn’t find any others. Still cruising rich…..between 9.9 and 11.5 depending on how warmed up. Also, still going lean under hard acceleration. Cruising at 50 in 4th was at around 11…..speed up to 60 and it was in the mid 13’s until I level out the throttle and it riches up. In general, the more load, the leaner it gets…..even if I’m cruising at 50 in 4th with an AFR of 11 it leans out if I go up a hill or even a smallish incline. Leans even more if I give it more gas under those conditions.

I’m not inclined to lean out at the MAP b/c when I did that last time, it only got leaner under hard acceleration up into the 14’s and 15’s which obviously isn’t good for valve, head, or piston longevity. Though who knows if damage has already been done.

Any ideas?

[sjbartnik]

[sjbartnik]

[D/A/N]

[Tram]

Hi Daniel:

Clutch disc, pressure plate, and release bearing was all replaced in July 2013 with new Fichtel und Sachs pieces... but with how replacement parts "quality" seems to go anymore, that's not saying it *can't* have an issue. I've had really good luck with the F&S stuff though- anything else I won't even look at.

On the strange AFR readings, I'm thinking it might be time to try a different MAP. I'd be inclined to say that intermittent brief spikes to the lean side aren't really a huge concern because you're not always at WOT, but the fact that these values are now different than your previous readings from some months ago tells us that something has changed, and we need to pinpoint just what.
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[D/A/N]

Well, the noises only happen in neutral at idle if that makes a difference. The first one, the deep “wuuhhhh….wuuhhhh” (I hate describing noises in writing!!) only happens during the high idle phase of warming up. The noise and the vibration are far too deep and big for it to be something as small as the throwout bearing.

However, once fully warm, the tapping sound could possibly be the throwout bearing but don't throwout bearing noises appear when you depress the clutch pedal and not while in neutral?

At the very least, we can say

--there are two noises and both go away with slight pressure on the clutch pedal

--both noises are associated with a vibration which is diminished by putting slight pressure on the clutch pedal

--in a healthy situation, depressing the clutch shouldn't significantly change the sounds or sensations at idle but it does for us and that isn't good.

--there are no significant noises while driving in any gear. If something big was loose I'm sure it'd make a huge racket while driving down the road.

Question:

--Could these noises be something in the transmission?

As for the MAP, I have a spare I bought off the classifieds but who knows the condition? I can try it out this weekend.....I'm sick of my clothes stinking like exhaust after a drive!!

[Bobnotch]

[Tram]

[D/A/N]

[Suesanctuary]

[jadney]

[D/A/N]

Ok, so I'll add checking the spring to the list of what to look for.

Another thing to note in case it supports or refutes any of the theories above......the shifter vibrates and buzzes at idle but it, too, gets quiet and stops moving when I apply pressure to the clutch pedal. Would issues at the back of the trans (t/o bearing, spring, etc.) cause vibrations all the way up through to the shifter?

[jadney]

[D/A/N]

[Bobnotch]

[Tram]

[D/A/N]