Hey guys, i have posted a few times and you guys have been really helpful. Now are a few issues that I have searched and dug for without any real definitive answer. I have a 95 se with 135k.

1. Aftermarket key fob - I finally got it into programming mode after finding out that that door sensor was borked. Now, everything works as expected except for the auto window roll down. Im assuming because its a cheap ebay key fob, that I don't get this feature but I just want to make sure. No biggie.

2. Suspension - When turning at very slow speeds there is an occasional popping sound from the front of the car. It is NOT the CV axels, but I am pretty sure its the strut bearing. I have seen that mentioned a lot but I don't have to hit a bump to make it do it and its not constant.

3. Rear suspension - At high speeds (read 60+) if I hit a bump, generally when turning, the rear end kind of jumps and can have a little side to side shaking feeling. I first wrote it off to the weird multi link suspension on these cars but after pushing down on the rear and seeing it bounce up and down, i realized the rear shocks were blown. Would blown rear shocks cause this problem and is it worth doing myself (I have replaced motors before so im not worried about the labor other than wasting my time) or just have a shop do it and what kind of costs am i looking at?

4. Starting - Car starts and runs perfect except for when starting i have to blip the gas above 2k rpms for half a second or it will start out. Also, very rarely, sitting at a light it sometimes will sputter. Very weird and never notice when driving.

Thanks for all of your help!

 

I changed my rear struts when I got my 96 SE 5-speed in April. I would notice over large bumps at highway speed that my rear end would kind of... do whatever the hell it wanted. It was actually kind of scary if you were on a curve or anything.

If yours is anything like mine, you could get seasick looking in your rearview. I changed them with the cheap autozone struts and everything got a whole helluva lot better.

Check and clean your IACV. It's on the side of the throttle body. Throwing any codes?

 

Jack it up and visually inspect all that! Why do you guys think everyone can troubleshoot from your descriptions over the ORG? Jack it up and start checking your suspension for loose hardware or worn rear hub bearings etc.....

 

I have checked it all out and everything looks pretty good for the age. Just figured people, like the first reply, have had a similar situation and have an idea of where to go.

As for cleaning the IACV, i need to do all of that. The MAF was brand new and I have seafoamed it. No codes and the smog test had pretty damn good results, again for age an mileage.

 

Same here on my cheap rear struts that came with the car, hit a bump on a turn and it would sway hard, it was so strange haha, so I replaced the rear ones with the Gabriel Ultra G's or whatever from Auto Zone and insanely better.

I'm doing the front struts soon because there's a rattle and I'm pretty sure it's the strut.

 

Yeah it was my suspicion, just wanted to confirm. That clank in the front im pretty sure is the front strut bearing so I am gonna take a car day and replace the rears and the front bearings.

 

Replace struts and suspension components.

Clean TB adn MAF

 

Mine did do this on one side and now its doing it on the other. My issue was Lower Control arm bushing was SHOT. A quick check could tell you.

First jack up the car on the side you think it is to where the wheel is off the ground.

Then Take a peek back around your wheel to the control arm and up to the bushing.

IIRC if the wheel moves vertically, for example it has noticable play in the "camber" angle, watch the bushing and see if there is worn down surface allowing for the movement.

The popping sound you might be hearing, as it was in my case, was the control arm slamming back against the joint where the bushing should have been holding it still. Acceleration makes it sit flush and thus kinda works like it should after that.

If this helps cool! if this doesn't sound like your problem well, it might help someone else trying to diagnose. Anyways though, good luck in tracking it down. But it does sound like suspension issues.

 

i had simular starting issues. a good clean of the Throttle body worked out beautiful. also the rockin rear end issue. and its dead rear suspension. are there a guide for changing them?