UICP install did not go well !

Well then, just got done installing my RRE uicp. And it only took FIVE HOURS. And I had two other people helping me and one of them works at a shop. That was the worst experience of my life, well no not really but I am pretty pissed. So here's what happened. One of the bolts that holds the stock uicp on is impossible to get at. Seriously, it took me a couple hours just to get that one bolt out. There are two of them right under the bov-the front most one is the bitch I'm talking about. I had to move what I assume to be the brake lines out of the way about 1/2 to 3/4 in out and I cant see how that could be good for them, but there was no other way. And then there's the clutch? line. Seriously am I the only one that's had this problem? And the hose that goes from the uicp to the throttle body elbow is imposible to get off. I must have put it on the new uicp wrong because it had a kink in it right before the new pipe. It was the same size restriction that I just spent all that time getting rid of with the new uicp so I wasnt going to just leave it. So I spent the next hour or two trying to get the hose off the uicp to reajust it. Man I tried pulling on it, using a flat head, dish soap. Finally my friend just yanked it off there.

On top of all this I took it out to see if everything works right and I must have a boost leak. When I let off the gas in 3rd, there's this tiny high piched squeek sound. No, it's not the bov. Only giving it like 2k-2500rpms. I gave it some good gas in 2nd and 3rd and it seems like it's hesitating just a little. Then when I push the clutch in the rpms dropped below idle and it seems like it was gonna shut off. Basically just acing different than it did a couple hours befoe.

I've got almost all the parts for a pressure testor to check for the leaks but I cant find a hose to put on the pvc end cap. Every place I've went doesnt carry radiator hose that big and Home Depot doesn't have anything either.

Sorry for such a long post but I'm just kind of aggrivated.

aww how sweet, your car was a virgin. hang on to that 1.

what size endcap you're lookin for? I got mine from depot, i think it was a 1-1/2 or maybe 1-3/4 endcap

wow.. there is a blast from the past...

sup Fourg63!!

for the problem at hand...

not to rag on ya... have you ever changed a tire?

i mean, 5 hours for an UICP?





just playin man :)


sometimes it's a can of worms... other times it's a can of snakes...

not to rag on ya... have you ever changed a tire?

i mean, 5 hours for an UICP?



No, seriously. You've kind of got a point. I've never really worked on cars other than my old one and I kind of f ed that up good ($1200 fix). All my DSM knowledge is just from reading. I dont have any actual hands on experience. I want to really bad, but every time I try I just f something up or waste hours and hours. I just wish I was better at this. Actually, now that you mention it. The only time I have really changed a tire was on my friends jeep and his tire ended up flying into the woods as he was driving home, sooooooo.

I've got the end cap, just lookin for a hose to atach it to. I guess I need a 2 1/2 in. outside diameter one. My bike pump isn't working with the tire valve I got either so I guess I gotta find another valve. So no one's had that problem with the bolt? How long did it take you guys? That sounds like a air leak though right?

woah....4g is back.

Yay, i like starring at his car...lol...its sexy.

No, seriously. You've kind of got a point. I've never really worked on cars other than my old one and I kind of f ed that up good ($1200 fix). All my DSM knowledge is just from reading. I dont have any actual hands on experience. I want to really bad, but every time I try I just f something up or waste hours and hours. I just wish I was better at this. Actually, now that you mention it. The only time I have really changed a tire was on my friends jeep and his tire ended up flying into the woods as he was driving home, sooooooo.

I've got the end cap, just lookin for a hose to atach it to. I guess I need a 2 1/2 in. outside diameter one. My bike pump isn't working with the tire valve I got either so I guess I gotta find another valve. So no one's had that problem with the bolt? How long did it take you guys? That sounds like a air leak though right?


Well, you are somewhat right, my intercooler piping was a bitch to get done but, 5 hours? and im not sure why you had to mess with your clutch line? when i changed mine I had no problem with the clutch line being in the way. Also the bolts and clamps were hard to get to but you just have to find them all and remove them, I did however have to unbolt my fuse box to get the piping in. Did you remove your right fender well? thats the only way to get to the fitting going to the intercooler. Yes you have a boost leak i have one now and have already fixed two other boost leaks, just check all your fittings and make sure there tight. The best way is to give the car hell on a back road or something to see if she will hold and fix a leak if one happens. You think the uicp was a bitch? try doing the lower intercooler pipe at the same time, by youself in 40 degree weather with no garage and no lift just an old floor jack and an extension cord, lol :) you'll get it right though just take your time and learn from you mistakes, thats how I learned!! :bigthumb:

wow. i reamber doing my uicp. fipk w/ intake, mbc install last summer. after taking off the sidemount, cleaing it out & using tweesers to straiten the fins i think it took me a total of like 5 hours.

The clutch line goes into the same bracket that the fuse box is on, and the stock UICP is bolted on right there. No surpise that you have to mess with it. If messing around with bending lines and such was a problem, my car would have blown up years ago ;) Its ok, they are felxible.

When little projects go wrong, dont worry about it, be happy about it. That is when you will learn the most. If everything goes smoothly, you probably didnt learn anything ;) The very first project I did on my car was a clutch swap. I was nervous as anyone could possibly be, but what I learned from that mess allowed me to do all the other mods on my car that year without much trouble, and eventually build dozens of motors, etc. Just chaulk it up to experience and drive it on...

Well I didnt think to look at it that way. I'm not going to give up and hopefully it goes a bit smoother next time. I am going to invest in some frickin gloves though. My hands are cut to pieces, lol.

kevins got a good point. the best upgrade for our cars is experience...

Good way to say it. SOmeone add that to the sig. Before long we'll all have clever little sig sayings :D

A quick example. A first timer doing a clutch swap on a 2g can take 2 days to get it done. And thats still considered good :) I can do them in 3 hours on my car, but more importantly 6 hours on a virgin car. So where is the difference that cuts 2 days down to 6 hours? Experience. I've done it before. I know what to do, and can think several steps ahead because I know what is coming. I also know what NOT to do, and often those things are the biggest time savers. Special tools at certain points can litteraly save hours. Its in the details. Also, knowing what fastners go where. A first timer might spend time labeling every bolt, which is the right thing to do, but very time consuming. Or he might just say F it, and worry about it later. That time will still be spent figuring out what goes where. I can look at any of the bolts and tell you where it goes. So I can just tear into it, and reassemble with no questions about where to put what bolts. Huge time saver.

I'm rambling a bit here, but I think its important to point out why and how experience can play such a large role in working on these cars. Like I tell all the new guys, dont get discouraged when you make mistakes because the knowledge isnt there. All of the poeple like me or even more knowledgable than me all started at the same point. Even if it was another car that we learned on before DSMs. Just recently blew the motor because I ran out of fuel capacity. Is it the Walbro 255s fault the motor blew? No, its my fault for being stupid enough to try to run a T67 at 29 psi on that 255 pump ;) We all make mistakes, even when we think we know everything :icon16: And the more you learn, the more you will realize you still don't know ;)

Yeah, I'm still rambling...

I'm not understanding the leak tester problem. Are you using a tire valve? Drill a hole in the end cap for the valve and put it in. depending on the valve.. bolts or pvc cement. I've never seen it done with rad. hose. I didn't have any stubborn bolts on my 97, but my virgin 95 undergoes a RRE uicp install soon, too. Having exactly the right tools helps tremendously.

I'm going to post a pic of the bolt I'm talking about just so everyone will know what I was talking about. Maybe the 99's are a little different. I dont know. The pic will probobly help though.