93 Talon Some Probs

Hi there I have a 93 Talon ES 2.0 Non-Turbo FWD Manual Transmission I've been having some problems here lately with it.

About a week ago I was driving on the highway and the engine bucked 3 times after the 3rd time it started running really rough and I had very little acelleration(sp?). I couldn't even keep it above 50. After managing to pull the car over without getting run over by the Semi on my butt heh, I turned the car off then right back on with no change in the condition.I limped it to where I was going. After getting there I turned the car off and waited about 3-5 minutes before restarting It seemed to run fine then. When I opened the hood I found the Air filter housing was slightly open. so my question is, could the open air filter housing have caused this problem, maybe from to much/to little air?

Also when I try to shift into second I have to short shift it,Or else it will grind going into gear. A mechanic told me the syncronyzers(sp?) were worn so it takes a second for them to line up.however 2nd is the only gear I experiance this with.I'm guessing this isn't a problem I can fix myself. I am not even a novice mechanic, I can do basic things, but never tried anything major.

Also can anyone help me with the fuel filter, I've been trying to replace it, It seems quite hard to get off, Also I've lost the owners manual, what fuse do I pull to relieve pressure in the line?

hkdl;
Yes, the open airfilter housing can cause the problem you describe. You have an air flow sensor inside your air cleaner, as well as a barometric pressure sensor and and air temperature sensor. It's the air flow sensor that gets thrown out of wack if the duct hose is disconnected, or if the housing cover isn't on properly.

On the trans, unfortunately that 2nd gear problem is not uncommon on your year talon. I have a 92, and I had to have the synchronizers replaced on mine. I had over 100,000 miles on my car at the time, but it still upset me that I had to have it done. Like you, 2nd gear was the only problem I had. This work is not cheap, mine cost $1,700.00 several years ago. That included a new clutch, pressure plate, slave cylinder, and having the flywheel refinished. You can surely save some cash if you can pull the trans yourself and bring it to a rebuilding shop.

The fuel filter is kind of a pain. It really isn't that bad to remove though, you just need the right size wrench (the connection on the top and bottom are the same size), and you need to loosen up the band on the filter to pull it out. Don't loosen the band until you break the top and bottom connectins loose. As far as relieving the fuel pressure, you disconnect the electrical coupling on the back of the fuel tank( you squeeze it to pull the male and female connections apart), then start the car and let it stall. This relieves the pressure from the fuel line. Your car may be different, mine is a 92, your connection might actually be accessible from under the mat inside your trunk.

Mark

thank you for replying MrZ :)

The 2nd gear problem is a pain in the butt :P, I hate trying to do a fast take off and have to short shift.How much would you say I'm looking at if I pull it myself and take it to a rebuilding shop?Finances here are kind of tight at the moment.

Thank you for the help with the fuel filter also, It hasn't been changed in a long while, I'll try that soon.

My talon has been a good car, I haven't done any kind of mods with it though, and was amazed When I could keep up even with a 89 V8 Camero, The person in the Camero was quite shocked also, Theres been a couple people with V6's that I've actually beat.All of this before the 2nd gear problem of course :P.I don't race often but occasially I do.

hkdl;
I really can't tell you how much you might save. I had to pull my trans again at about 198,000 miles, 2nd gear was crunching again at odd times, and I was having some difficulty getting it in 3rd some times too. I brought it to a large transmission rebuilding facility on the north side of Chicago, and I think the guy I talked to kind of took a liking to me. He was about my fathers age, and I just hit it off with him joking around and such. Anyway, in my case the front of my trans case had worn out where the front bearing seats, allowing the bearing and main shaft to shift around. They found another case for it from a bone yard, put a new front bearing in it and new seals, all for $445. I think I got lucky on that deal. I had to spend another $135.00 for a clutch and pressure plate to finish the job, but still I think it would have cost at least twice that if I had the same work done in a regular trans shop.

Mark

ah, It seems like the problem will have to wait at least 5 or 6 more months. The guy I called said it would at least be 600 or more.As I said in a earlier post, finances are tight. The problem doesn't really seem to be getting any worse, just annoying. Thank you for all your help MrZ

As far as relieving the fuel pressure, you disconnect the electrical coupling on the back of the fuel tank( you squeeze it to pull the male and female connections apart), then start the car and let it stall. This relieves the pressure from the fuel line. Your car may be different, mine is a 92, your connection might actually be accessible from under the mat inside your trunk.

Okay I found the correct Coupling, I squeezed as hard as a could, and I can't seem to get it to disconnect, any tips?

hkdl;
If you take a good look at it you'll see the part I'm talking about where you have to squeeze. It's just a simple sort of locking tab.

One thing that might help out with the trans: Slick 50 makes fluid just for manual transmissions. It's sold as an additive, but you can actually use it alone if you like. I'm using half and half in my trans, half slick 50 and half synthetic differential fluid. You could try it by draining off about one quart of the fluid and adding the slick 50. It's worked very well in my trans.

Mark

Where is the Filler plug for the car? And should I drain some first? Wheres the drain plug? Sorry I havn't had the car very long, So I don't know alot about it yet.

hkdl;
I need to either check under my hood or take a look at my Haynes manual. I don't want to point you in the wrong direction. I say this because I have given wrong information several times in these forums because my memory didn't serve me correctly. For example, I had to go back and edit several posts in which I had the terminals reversed to check the ECM for fault codes. I didn't realize it until I was going through the manual looking for something else and ran across it. Doh!

I was thinking a bit more about this subject. I would guess you've got close to 100,000 miles on that car, right? It would be best to get the trans nice and warm and drain it completely. You'll also need to pull the side plug out too, that's how you're going to check the level. I'll post again later today when I get home so that I give you the exact location of all the plugs.

Mark

MrZ;
The Car Currently has 148,000 on it. I've been putting alot of miles on it lately, I've had to put about 60 - 80 miles a day on the car. Anyways, If you wouldn't mind looking in your manual or under your hood I would appreciate it.

Also a update on the fuel filter, I'm thinking that since your is a 92 and mine a 93 the connecter was a bit different. My Fuel Pump Relay had a small tab that could be lifted up with a fingernail or a small screw driver, then it comes apart easily. I did that, and now I can't get the I bolt loose lol, I'm going to try some Liquid Wrench tomorrow, I don't think this will hurt the fuel lines any.

hkdl;
I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I was running network cable in my house last night and it ended up taking longer than I had planned.

I wasn’t able to take a look under the hood of my car last night either. I checked the manual, but the only plug they show is the drain plug. They really aren’t that hard to identify. All three have large heads on them, I don’t know the metric size off hand, but it would be equivalent to about 15/16”, or maybe even 1”. The fill plug is right on top, the side plug is, well, you guessed it, it’s on the side. The drain plug is obviously on the bottom of the trans. All three will probably be pretty tight.

As far as changing the fluid goes, I can offer a couple of tips that will save time. First, let me retract or rephrase an earlier statement. I used slick 50 gear oil in my trans with Valvoline Synpower synthetic gear oil. Slick 50 makes an additive, which they sell in an 8oz bottle, and they make gear oil with that additive in it, which they sell in 1 quart bottles. There is no problem with putting two quarts of the slick 50 gear oil in your trans, I chose to use both slick 50 and Valvoline synthetic because I prefer synthetic lubricants. If you have ever had synthetic oil in your trans you already know the difference. The most noticeable improvement is in cold weather. Regular gear oil can really get thick when it gets cold, making it somewhat difficult to shift until the car warms up. Synthetic is noticeably better.

Anyway, back to the subject. When you get your gear oil, also pick up a 12” piece of vinyl hose. You’ll want to get it in a diameter that will fit snuggly on to the tip of the fluid bottle. Get a diameter as large as you can; you’ll have a hard time filling the trans if you get a small diameter hose. There isn’t enough room to get that bottle in to fill the trans without a hose extension. Regardless of what kind of fluid you pick up, leave it in the house in a warm place until you’re ready to put it in the car. It will make it easier to get it out of the bottle. The trans should hold two full quarts of the gear oil. Chances are it will start running out of the side plug when you get to the bottom of that 2nd bottle, so have something under the plug to catch it. Let the excess drain out, then put the side plug back in and the fill plug back in. One note, if at all possible, you need to fill the trans with the car level, don’t do it with the front end jacked up. If you have to jack the passenger side of the front end up a little bit to get in there, fill the trans then lower the jack to let the excess fluid run out of the side plug. If nothing comes out of the side plug after you put two bottles of fluid in, it is probably ok. I can’t remember if that hole is big enough to get your pinky into, if not, you can use a screw driver, or a drill bit to check to be sure the fluid is just below the side plug.

Good luck

Mark

MrZ;
Could you do me a small favor? can you see if your hayes manual says what the size of the flare nut on the bottom of the fuel filter is, It seems 9/16 just wants to strip the nut.

hkdl;
9/16"? It is metric. I'm pretty sure the manual doesn't specify the size, unfortunately. I'm at work right now, but when I get home I'll size it up and let you know.

Mark

hkdl;
Whew, what a day.

Ok, I checked on my car when I got home. Both fuel connections on the fuel filter are a 19mm. It is tricky to get into that bottom connection, but it can be done.

Also, while I was at it, I checked the plugs on the trans. Boy my memory is innaccurate. The fill plug is a 19mm, and it is right on top, just underneath the shift linkage boots. The side plug, where you check the level, is a 17mm, and if you follow the hydraulic line from the slave cylinder the plug is right behind it. Finally, the drain plug is actually on the tail of the trans, which is on the passenger side of the car, but it is actually on the lower bottom side, not on the bottom. . It is directlly to the right side of the front of your lower control arm. This is the large head I remembered. It is larger the 22mm. Hope that helps.

Mark