2002 - (RSX-S)/2 = Rally

All the brakes are back on. New spark plugs in. Optimistic with that one. Spent some time troubleshooting the starting system until I had it down to an issue with the starter. Decided that the bent core support needed attention so I might as well get to if from the front. Starter was only held on by one bolt.
Starter spins but the solenoid doesnt engage. I decided that since I was going to take it in to get tested I might as well pop the alternator off too and get that tested as well. And it needed to come off anyway because it's pretty obvious that the water pump is leaking so I'll get one of those tomorrow too. The fuel pump unit thingy is all broken and has been fixed before, badly, so I need to order a new one of those.
It's like someone took a pile of broken parts and assembled a car.

Ouch. It's super frustrating to go through a car and there are unpleasant surprises at every corner. One minute you're looking at plugs, and the next you're so far down the rabbit-hole that you've got an entire garage full of parts that once resembled an intact car.

Based on the number of loose bolts and barely installed or broken parts I've found on the two used rally cars I've purchased, and that you're now finding on this thing, I think it's a solid theory that failed rally project owners actually give up after succumbing to complete exhaustion- wrench in hand, they forego food and water while consuming large quantities of alcohol to try and forget the amount of money they've lost, eventually becoming completely delirious and haphazardly installing whatever is within reach onto the car until they pass out in a pile of parts.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: Based on the number of loose bolts and barely installed or broken parts I've found on the two used rally cars I've purchased, and that you're now finding on this thing, I think it's a solid theory that failed rally project owners actually give up after succumbing to complete exhaustion- wrench in hand, they forego food and water while consuming large quantities alcohol to try and forget the amount of money they've lost, eventually becoming completely delirious and haphazardly installing whatever is within reach onto the car until they pass out in a pile of parts.

Shhh, I'm just getting started and I don't want to be demotivated.

Seriously, I must be fortunate. Mine was fully running, the only issues I had to deal with is that I didn't fit, which has required me to get new seat mounts fabricated and that the rebuilt title isn't accepted and I have to get a rather difficult "structural inspection" done. There are only 2 locations within an hours drive of me that do them and neither have the room do any right now.

In reply to NGTD:

You should be MORE motivated if anything... to check every fastener on the car!

I'm hoping we can pass this one back and forth to give each other some time off and not give up on it. I want to get it mechanically solid so it runs and drives. I can't even let the title problems or cage updates or any of that into my head or it would be too much. It came to me broken. I want to to leave fixed.

mazdeuce wrote: I'm hoping we can pass this one back and forth to give each other some time off and not give up on it. I want to get it mechanically solid so it runs and drives. I can't even let the title problems or cage updates or any of that into my head or it would be too much. It came to me broken. I want to to leave fixed.

Get it running and driving, the rest become "little things" pretty quick on a car that's able to move under its own power.

Things I've learned from this thread-

• Don't rally
• Rally cars will try to kill you
• I will only consider buying modded/built/prepped cars from other GRM'ers from now on, because the gross negligence and hackness of unknown 'mechanics' scares the berk out of me.

mazdeuce wrote: I'm hoping we can pass this one back and forth to give each other some time off and not give up on it. I want to get it mechanically solid so it runs and drives. I can't even let the title problems or cage updates or any of that into my head or it would be too much. It came to me broken. I want to to leave fixed.

Dude, we've seen you singlehandedly make a berkeleying building. You've got this.

Following this with great interest. I love these cars.

I've bought 2 already built race cars, built 1 from scratch and am currently starting another new build. Im not 100% sure the old adage about how its smarter to start with a built car is true. It seems like by the time I fix it to my standards, I didn't save much. Old racecars tend to be pretty beat. Of course I am sure the non-crap can cars may be a better start.

I think I pulled a coffee cup full of wire nuts off the last car.

In reply to ¯_(ツ)_/¯:

I haven't had a car this car apart in a long time and I'm feeling pretty good about all of it. It's good to remember just how simple and logical mechanical things are. This whole process has me feeling pretty good about the R63.

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯: I haven't had a car this car apart in a long time and I'm feeling pretty good about all of it. It's good to remember just how simple and logical mechanical things are. This whole process has me feeling pretty good about the R63.

So R63 Rallyvan then...

golfduke wrote: Things I've learned from this thread- - Don't rally - Rally cars will try to kill you - I will only consider buying modded/built/prepped cars from other GRM'ers from now on, because the gross negligence and hackness of unknown 'mechanics' scares the berk out of me.

My Rally project cost me about what a cage cost. It's running and could be ready to go fairly quickly. I also received 12 tires and enough spare body parts to rebuild the car.

I knew there's would be a lot of work but it's my way into the sport

irish44j wrote:

NGTD wrote: That really looks like the RSX that Mark Tabor used to run out west. However RRN shows results with him in 2005 and up running an RSX - it shows in some as 04 and others as 02. Many people don't use Rally Computers anymore. With Pace Notes or Jemba the need for them has almost disappeared.

This. And Terratrip is called "TerribleTrip" for a reason. A lot of people (including us) just use online apps (we use a dash-mounted iPad with GPS in concert with one of the online rally apps, and it works well).

What app do you run?

these good folks can help you get a title, http://www.motorecyclenow.com/

rally on!

golfduke wrote: I will only consider buying modded/built/prepped cars from other GRM'ers from now on, because the gross negligence and hackness of unknown 'mechanics' scares the berk out of me.

So. Much. This.

Does the rest of the general public actually believe wire nuts are ever a good idea when it comes to automotive electrical?

Rotaryracer wrote:

golfduke wrote: I will only consider buying modded/built/prepped cars from other GRM'ers from now on, because the gross negligence and hackness of unknown 'mechanics' scares the berk out of me.

So. Much. This. Does the rest of the general public actually believe wire nuts are ever a good idea when it comes to automotive electrical?

They work great if your car is wired with solid core wire.

Gaunt596 wrote:

irish44j wrote:

NGTD wrote: That really looks like the RSX that Mark Tabor used to run out west. However RRN shows results with him in 2005 and up running an RSX - it shows in some as 04 and others as 02. Many people don't use Rally Computers anymore. With Pace Notes or Jemba the need for them has almost disappeared.

This. And Terratrip is called "TerribleTrip" for a reason. A lot of people (including us) just use online apps (we use a dash-mounted iPad with GPS in concert with one of the online rally apps, and it works well).

What app do you run?

I'll have to double-check with Jim. He tried a few different ones before setting on this one. I don't actually ever look at it except to check speed on transits, lol...

Good news everyone! The starter and the alternator both tested good. Two less things I have to buy. Just need to troubleshoot the starter circuit a bit more.

And it cranks over! Found the wire that was cut. Used my high tech jumper and it worked. I'll need to fix it properly, but because it was sort of an odd wire that liked two harnesses I should be able to reroute it and make it work.
Still no fuel tank/pump or cooling system in the car, but at least some of the spinny things spin. That makes me happy.

I'm guessing if you bought it from a rally school they had several of the same car and the loose bolts were from them taking working parts from the one you bought (the parts car) and putting them on to the functional school cars as students Berkeleyed things up.

Both of us are friends with and sometimes instructors at Rally Ready school in Austin. We didn't buy it there, we just moved it there temporarily between when it was picked up from the PO and when I could make the three hour drive to go get it. The car was advertised as "it will turn over with a battery and it should run". Neither of those were close to true.

Lots of work and not enough pictures today. Co-owner came over. We strapped the car to a tree and pulled the bent core support out. This is the first time I've actually done work like that. It was fun.
While that was happening the fuel pump came so we pushed the car into the Grosh and tested the lift for the first time.
We left it a foot off the ground while we ate dinner and since it didn't crash down we called it good, raised it the rest of the way and put the fuel tank it. We patched a bit of wiring, realized that all we needed was gas to try and start it and went to get some. Filled it up, cranked it over, and the damn thing fired right up. With no cooling system we killed it after two seconds, but it was a damn miracle.
Lots of cleaning. More to come.

Fired right up - that's Honda engineering for ya.

Congrats.

We pulled the car outside and washed it this morning. Then I made co-owner work on removing sticker adhesive while I cleaned and swept the Grosh.
Then I 'let' him take a break by unbolting the seats so we could clean. And we cleaned. And removed most of the rest of the adhesive. And cleaned. And it looks pretty good all things considered. Except the interior wiring of course. I had to leave to take Deucekid#3 to a birthday party but co-owner stayed and changed wheels to a set he had laying around that he used to RX with in his Civic with all seasons. Then he cleaned the bottom of the motor and found that that transmission leak was probably just a loose drain plug and there is one transmission bolt missing. He really busted his ass this weekend. More work coming this week as ordered parts arrive and I hopefully snag some other parts from a car at a pick-n-pull that says they have one in the yard.
If all goes well I'll drive it around the block very soon.