shumax

Wazzzz up?
I finally got off my lazy A$$ and did the tranny cooler install. I have to say that the kit is very easy to understand. The hardest part was finding TRANNY line to use in conjunction with the supply they gave you. I went to 5 places; they all had fuel line, but not TRANNY line.
Finally found a place, but it cost me $2.99/ft!!!
The install is easy and I drained the fluid out and then drove it and drained again. I added the Penzoil ATF that protects against SHUDDER?!?!? Anyway, the only thing I have to say is that if you were good enough not to bend ANY fins on that tranny cooler, you are a god! I must have bent 20 of those damn things traying to get it in there..F-it, who cares, right? Now the car does less gear hunting and seems to be a bit more responsive!!!!
Brake pads were a ***** though. The fronts are easy and I had them done in about 20min. The rears are the dumbest thing I have ever seen. You have to buy a tool to drive the caliper back into the 'seat.' Even with all the force I could get on it, I couldn't get it to retract enough to swing the caliper down. I had to remove the caliper and put it in a vise and work with it that way. Finally after breaking two knuckles open, it worked. I even took it to AUTOZONE to see about a new caliper. They wanted $140 and said that there was nothing wrong with mine. Thats when I went home and put muscle to it!!
Once I got it on I had to bleed the brakes. I bought some of that Valvoline Synthetic DOT3 fluid to flush the system. I bled them 3 times at each corner to get clean fluid through it. I took it out on the road and noticed that the front left was 'clicking' a bit. I ended up having to take them apart and put them back together....problem solved. I am not sure what the hell I did, but the clicking is gone.
My impressions of "EAT RICE?" Pads?(Axis Metal Master) Well, like the front ones he sold me, they kind of suck at first. Once they seat and have a few 100 miles they seem to work about 100 times better than the first run; I guess that would be obvious, right? The one thing bad about them is the brake dust. There is easily 5 times as much as the stock pads. But once they 'seat' they are easily 10 times better than stock


10 hours in the garage/Autozone has taken me to a case of Sam Adams. You guys have a good night. I am going to attack the car with Zymol tomorrow Is that stuff any good, or is it another fad?

SHUMAX-


P.S. Oh yea...painted my calipers and pads bright red....nixed the yellow! With a green car, it started to look like I was driving a John Deer Tractor...ha,ha.

shumax

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ZuMBLe

iTrader: (1)

Haha. When I had my Metal-Lux pads in stalled. Man! Did braking suck. Haha. I also have the rotors resurfaced. So that didn't help either. I have about 250 miles on them since. And they are great now. I'm gonna put on my SS brake lines in today. =) I can't compare the metal-lux pads to stock. I haven't had stock pads for a while now. =) But the Metal-Lux pads don't dust as much as the EBCs I had.. and they don't make any funny noises.

ZuM

shumax

Is it normal to smell a slight burning smell when driving around? I have been smelling that a bit today as I have been driving around. The car is being held back by a dragging brake though. I think its a combination of new brakes and fresh paint on the calipers...what do you think??

SHUMAX

Lime

where did you get the tranny cooler?
I have ATX too, and I was wonderng about getting one.

SleeperSE

- I notice the same thing whenever I replace my brake pads. For me, the smell resembled a smoking clutch - it turned out to just be the anti-squeal goo that the dealership puts on the pads. After about 350 miles, its all gone and everything smells as it should.
- Since you did yours at home, I doubt that you put on the squeal stuff. I imagine that it's probably just the paint, like you suspected. Give it a few hundred miles - you should be fine.

shumax

Truth be told I ~DID~ use the anti-squeal 'stuff' on them. However, it didn't smell that bad when I did the fronts?!?! Oh well, I am going to give it 300 miles and then take another look. Its not worth worrying about right now. I can put it in neutral and it rolls freely, so they can't be 'hanging up' that bad anyway.

Thanks,
SHUMAX

Lime

the goo smells bad but keeps the new pads from squealing.
where did you get the tranny cooler?