A Gambler 500 CR-V and Whatever Else Shows Up

Bad news:  The blank odometer and the turning off problem are related but they are not a function of a loose battery cable.  

Good news: The part needed is somewhere between $0.69 and $6.99.  

Bad News but really not that bad: The project will take somewhere between 3 hours and 5 hours.  But, it is just plain, easy, clean socket and screwdriver turning (and a little soldering.)  

Good News:  It's all detailed in post #1 of this thread complete with links to videos and part needed. 

EDIT: Amazon has to part price down to just $4.36 (or $0.44 each)

In reply to John Welsh :

Thanks John! I ordered those capacitors and will stick them in the glove box after they arrive. It may be a month or two before I feel like pulling the whole dashboard out, but I doubt I'll ever beat that price.

...and not everything this weekend was Prius:

The engine is finally out of the car. It took a long time not because it's particularly difficult, but because of lots of other demands on my time and 100+ degree temperatures when I had time. I divided the job into parts, doing one section at a time. I generally follow this 'Tech Article' at Pelican Parts: Porsche Boxster Engine Drop / Removal  but I modify a few things in the order. Usually I drop the engine and transmission together. For a full car-to-car swap I have dropped the whole rear suspension with axles, wheels, and shocks still connected.

Back of car: Rear spoiler, disconnect engine harness wires in trunk including ground and push grommet to engine side, bumper and exhaust.

Top of engine: Stuff like MAF connector, oil filler tube, brake booster hose, ground and other peripheral wiring, etc...

Front of engine: Access panel, Belt, AC compressor (Make sure it's free from the engine, but leave in place until the engine starts to be lowered).

Sides: Axles nuts (usually), wheels, axle flange bolts on transmission.

Bottom: Coolant hoses, PS hoses, Fuel system hoses, drain oil, shift cables and clutch slave, subframe braces...

Drop the engine: Support with transmission jack/jacks/engine support beam depending on mood, remove transmission mounts, remove front engine mount (4 studs & nuts), lower engine 2", pull AC compressor into the cabin (hoses connected) Look around the engine for what I forgot to disconnect, make sure the hoses will be clear of the E-Brake cables, finish lowering.

Get the engine out from under the car: Most dangerous part - Im working on jack stands, alone, and probably late for dinner or bed. Raise the car as high as possible. Get the engine as low as possible. 6 Ton jack stands at the top peg usually works. Slide or roll the engine out from under the car. The rear studs from the suspension braces are the bottleneck. Go slow or bad things may happen.

The engine is in the garage and I'm working 7 am to 7 pm until Wednesday. Next task is removing the transmission and installing a LN engineering 'Single Row Pro' bearing using my 'Faultless' IMS tool. After that I will swap on a fuel rail (probably just swap the whole intake system) for the return type fuel system in the car the engine is going into. High temperatures should be in the lower 90s next week and I'm not scheduled to take care of any grandchildren. I may get a lot done.

The transmission and flywheel are off the Boxster engine.  It's ready for me to replace the IMS bearing.

I bought a Chinesium carburetor for my lawnmower. After installing it  the mower still didn't run. Yesterday I wanted some quiet work to do in the garage while I had a feral cat out there in a cage recovering from being spayed. The new carb turned out to be a perfect rebuild kit for the original carburetor and now the mower runs good as ever.

I'm working on the '07 CRV now planning to re-sell it after I get it maintained and running well. Replacing the serpentine belt on these is tought unless you have a two foot long 14mm wrench for the belt tensioner. After many failed attempts I managed to get it done with a zip tie two wrenches and a 14mm socket.

The Acty battery was weak when I got it and I had to jump start it a couple times. It's an odd sized battery with unique small posts. I figured out that a 350 amp mower battery would be a practical replacement for the stock 320 amp one. It took a little improvisation to connect it and tie it down, but it's better than factory now.

...and now it's time to pick up my two year old grandson for an evening of story books, applesauce, and Hotwheel cars racing down the cardboard drag strip.

Just had a stem cell injection for my knee and waiting for a consult to see if I can get one for my back in the near future if the knee improves. Meanwhile Amazon says that a VTEC solenoid gasket has been delivered for the CRV and I just went to FCP Euro's web page and ordered a Pierburg water pump to restock my shelf from the one I put on the 3.2L engine for the silver 2000 Boxster S.

IMS bearing replacement is done along with spark plugs, AOS, and lots of clean up. The coils looked almost new and only one spark plug tube showed signs of a leak. I replaced that one and left the others alone.

Flange removed and IMS bearing about to be removed:

The Tool mounts on a plate which firmly aligns the bearing puller:

The old single row bearing on the right and dual row "single row pro" bearing on the left. The groove and wire locks it in place where the C clip was:

The new bearing is pushed into place using the same tool that extracted the old one (with some adjustments) and seats the bearing within the IMS tube.

A bit over two weeks since the last post here, not much progress on the cars. BUT:

I did way too much physical stuff before my knee was ready and had to give it a break and let it heal.

I had my annual flight evaluation and have been certified as good enough to keep my job for another year.

I took a short walk with my daughter and now my 'pretty much' son-in-law is 'son-in-law'.

This evening, after family was all settled in or flying home I replaced the coolant tank in the silver Boxster. The engine has been fully prepped with the harness and fuel rail swapped (the '02 engine has a non-return fuel system and this is a 2000 model car with a return). I think that I'm going to have the Silver Boxster back on the road by the end of the coming week.

The silver 2000 Boxster S was registered Monday and is running well with the engine from the blue '02 Boxster S. I plan to drive it for a month or two while I work out any issues that may arise and fix a few cosmetic deficiencies. I don't think I'll keep it long as it brings nothing to the fleet that I don't already have.

My attention has turned to the Xbox/Gambler Boxster now. There's an Okie Gambler this weekend and I have taken a few days off from work to attend. Today I extended the rear fender line to give it a more finished feel and there's plenty more that can be finished and re-worked as I get time. Maybe pics soon, but maybe not until the weekend. Mrs AAZCD will not be attending, so I'll be camping this time rather than staying in a luxury suite in a nearby town. I don't think that a lot of planning has gone into this one, so it may just involve a lot of drinking and burn-outs in the dirt.  ...I'm feeling a little burned-out, so that would be fine too.

My next rallycross is the last weekend of October. https://www.northtexasrallycross.com/schedule  October 8th was canceled, so there may be a change - Saturday and Sunday???? I don't know what car I'm going to run (as usual). I had to step away from the Frog for a while to catch up on other things, then fell way behind on all the projects and dealt with a string of minor medical issues that ate up most of my non-working days. Stem cells shot into my knee, needles and electrodes poked into my back, and a minor concussion. Each event required three appointments which each took up at least half a day. The Parts car Boxster is likely since it was still running well after the last race. Xbox would be fun. I'd have to put a factory hardtop on and run it on the rain Hoosiers. I could opt for comedy and run the lesser of the three Prii to see what it can do on the dirt? I bet I could take the Fwd-Mod-Hyb Class if they make one.

A Boxster SE popped up locally for $11k on FB.  I messaged the owner but never heard back, then it was marked sold.  Bummer.

docwyte said:

A Boxster SE popped up locally for $11k on FB.  I messaged the owner but never heard back, then it was marked sold.  Bummer.

Wow, at $11k I'd probably have to buy that myself if it was in half-decent shape.

Here's one that is not marketed as an SE, but clearly is: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/693747816?

Here's one listed as an SE at a good price, but has the charcoal interior vs brown and exhaust tip is incorrect: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/694189779?

___________

Rear fender extension added onto the Xbox using the Texas tags from the silver 2000 S. I think mud flaps would be a step too far. ...maybe:

It had higher mileage, like 150k+ and the interior door panels needed to be redone.  I messaged the seller asking if anything else was wrong and that I'd buy it but never heard back

I had a great time at the Okie Gambler 500. Camping went well for someone who hadn't camped in about twenty years. I set the tent up on my trailer after unloading the Xbox. It made a nice platform and kept the bugs and snakes away.

Friday evening was about catching up with old friends and making some new ones. It's an amazingly diverse group of people; age, background, income, and world opinion span a wide range, but we all share a sort of brotherhood in the things we value and enjoy with the Gambler 500.

Our Okie event organizer is great at getting us a location and set-up, but unlike many Gambler events there's very little (no) planning for routes and checkpoints. It's more of a figure it out as we go, stop when we see a trashy place and get a general consensus about where to head next, then maybe get there.

I took the Xbox out for some off-road fun on Friday evening after unloading. It ran well and it was fun to cut loose and just play with a car where North Texas Rallycross sets up courses. What I didn't know until about 20 minutes into the drive on Saturday was that when I used the windshield wipers to clear dirt from the windshield on Friday night, they abraded a slit in the hose that I rigged for the aftermarket heater core. I didn't worry much about the slight coolant smell at first - I had driven the car hard and rough. When the low coolant light came on, I realized there was a problem. I used most of a gallon of coolant to refill and another Gambler gave me a gallon bottle in case I needed it to reach camp where my tools were. Back at camp, I found the problem and used some hose to bypass the damage and heater core.

A friend sent me coordinates of where to catch the group and I met them at a riverside nature area in the Chickasaw Indian Tribal lands. We cruised around south central Oklahoma all day; back roads, dusty roads, and beautiful countryside, gathering litter where we found it.

Back at camp in the evening, we filled the dumpster then had dinner at a local restaurant 'Bill's Cafe' with the "best steaks in southern Oklahoma"

There was a lot of drinking Saturday night for those who do. A liquor distributor brought a selection of bottles in brown paper bags. Guess what's in the bottle by taking a quick drink and win the bottle if you are correct. Watermelon Whiskey was easy from the smell before drinking it. Habanero Whiskey a little slower to figure out and who knew there were so many varieties of Mad Dog 20/20? Now I know. Chugging a bottle of Gatorade helped get the electrolytes back in balance in the morning.

My favorite part of the weekend was handing the key to the Xbox to people on Sunday morning, "Have fun and don't worry about breaking it." and watching them have fun playing on the rallycross course. When one couple stopped in the distance and got out, I was worried that something was wrong. I realized all was well when they walked around the front of the car, high-fived and switched drivers for another ten minutes on the track. Fun car and fun to share.

A couple pics of the car ...because I like pics of my car:

I'm planning to NOT Rallycross this weekend. Family time and expecting it to be canceled for rain anyway.

Maybe some Sawzall time too.

Okie Gambler 500 '23, The Video.

I have too many Boxsters. I have too many project cars. Oh, Look....

I saw this last week and thought, "That could make a nice car for someone." I did not message the seller. Sunday, Captain Awesome texted me a link to the ad and asked my opinion. He passed on it after he found out that the seller was keeping the front bumper and a fender. Yesterday it came up in my feed again. I have bumpers, fenders, and a 2.5L engine in the terrible 1999 I bought in March. The seller told me realistic bottom dollar. Mrs AAZCD is not thrilled, but didn't say no. I pick it up Saturday and plan to part the terrible 1999 into it. This is the last one. Again.

Copy/paste from 986Forum:   The cold heavy rain stopped as I arrived to pick up the car. Aside from the bad engine it's in very nice condition for a 24 year old car. The seller had tried to replace the engine and keep it. After buying two supposedly good engines and finding them both to be in bad shape he became frustrated and found an '03 in need of minor repair and bought it as a replacement. In doing so, he needed a radiator, the front bumper and left fender from the '99, so I bought the car significantly discounted.

The interior looks well cared for and everything I've checked functions correctly. Eventually I'll give the leather seats a good cleaning and probably repair any minor cracking to keep the original interior in good shape.

The engine will come from the terrible '99, but I need to make a decision about what body parts to use to finish the car. The parts will need paint and I am very tempted to take the aero kit parts from the blue '02 instead of the rough bumper and fender from the '99. If I do the aero kit, this car will be a keeper for sure.

Note: Always lock or tape the fuel lid if you are towing a 986 backwards. I learned that with my rallycross car. The air flow can easily open it and rip it off the hinge.

If you fix that and decide to sell it cheap, let me know...

docwyte said:

If you fix that and decide to sell it cheap, let me know...

I'm pretty sure that the Arena Red '99 will be a keeper when I am done with it, but I'll keep you in mind if I decide to flip it. I hadn't run the engine in the Terrible '99 for a few months, so I put a battery in the car and gave it a try. The car is terrible, but the engine cranked right up and ran smooth. Sounded awesome revving it up a bit after it warmed up. I'm looking forward to stripping that car out and getting rid of the shell.

I've found  a little time for progress on the silver 2000 S.

I smelled coolant while driving it and found that the heater core was leaking. Not too hard to fix, but the whole windshield wiper mechanism and a few other things needed to be removed.

Next I plan to pull off the front bumper and clean the radiators - regular maintenance on a 986. Its running a little hotter than my other cars, with the needle up to the '0' rather than the '8' in '180' like my other Boxsters.

While I had the paint gun out today from touching up a door on Mrs AAZCD's Element, I decided to paint the gold Prius a dirty silver. Planning to do some black on it tomorrow and adjust the fenders a bit with a Sawzall.

Rough concept sketch on top:

It's gonna need a bit of a lift for terrain, but the 235 75 15 is doing better than expected.

I'm ready to pause on the Prius for a few days. It's going to need the bumpers sorted out and a little bit of a lift.

To make it look more CyberTruckish, I need to make more sharp angles, less curves.

Veterans Day Photo op:

I decided that I want to keep the Cyberjunk Prius for the Gambler 500 'Texas Carnado' in February. It's going to be winter camping and I've found that 2nd Gen Prii can be awesome campers. Check teh Youtoobs for people vlogging how they live in them. That means that I need another car for the Key Swap on December 9th. The CRV has been a big disappointment and frustration for me. I finally got the lein release from the seller last week and got it registered on Monday. I did a bunch of minor work on it - VTEC solenoid, major interior clean-up, belt tensioner... It doesn't appear to have any major problems now, but it doesn't *appear* to have any *major* problems *now*. So '07 CRV for the Gambler Key Swap. I just put some AT tires on the front, but don't plan to do a lot of work to Gamblerize it.

A 40 mm lift kit will arrive later this week for the Prius and I still have lots of finish work to do.

I'm planning to put the silver 2000 Boxster S for sale in about a week. If anyone here is interested, let me know. I'm planning to list it at $8,500 - $9,000 and will significantly reduce the price for anyone I know of from GRM.

Known history: A friend of mine who used to have a major Porsche 986 salvage business bought it at auction 2020 with collision damage to the left front wheel well. It had a clean title and he sold it to a friend in Texas. The damage looked minor, but the car ran very poorly. He found that the brake booster vacuum tubing had been crushed in the wheel well causing a major vacuum leak and repaired it. He did not [need to] do any significant body repair. He drove it for about two years, then had the clutch, flywheel, and IMS bearing replaced. A couple months after having that done, the engine developed a rod knock and showed metal flakes in the oil filter. After going through the stages of grief, he decided to sell. My friend that had sold it to him, let him know that I would be a likely buyer and put us in touch.    I replaced the engine, as described earlier in this thread with a 3.2L engine from a 2002 Boxster S with about 119k miles. The car has a little over 95,000 miles

Here's the the wheel well damage:

The cover for the side airbag had water damaged leather. I replaced the whole door panel. How it was:

Other than that, the car has some minor cosmetic flaws as expected from normal wear, scratches and a few small dents. I may swap out the seats for stock before I list it for sale depending on if Mrs AAZCD finally decides she wants them in her car.

Post any questions here if you're interested and want any more details or pics.  Thanks.