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Well today I received a rebuilt stereo with added bluetooth capability.... put it in the cat and WOW.... worth every penny.
Nice to have a working stereo again.
Hi, this is interesting, where did you get the stereo rebuilt and how does the Bluetooth work? How do you switch to Bluetooth and does it disable the use of CDs?
www.creativecaraudioshop.com
It works bluetooth as soon as your player/phone connects... when you disconnect or turn off your player it stops.
They completely rebuilt the radio. tape player, volume knob, lights and more.
Steve
I repainted my cam cover! It was starting to corrode under the paint and the paint itself was bubbling and coming off. I decided to go with a high temp flat black "Rust-Oleum" enamel rated for 1200°f.
The weather was miserable and rainy so it was done inside on a bench with a heater going in between coats to combat the humidity and borderline acceptable temperature. Old paint was removed with a combination of sanding, brushing and scraping for a few hours. Prepped with 91% rubbing alcohol. I would have used a primer but the enamel's instructions recommended against doing so.
www.creativecaraudioshop.com
It works bluetooth as soon as your player/phone connects... when you disconnect or turn off your player it stops.
They completely rebuilt the radio. tape player, volume knob, lights and more.
Steve
Hi, looks like the URL should be https://creativecaraudioshop.com
I found the service for my head unit here https://creativecaraudioshop.com/pro...dd-on-service/
Can you confirm that they update Bluetooth to the internals of the head unit? I have seen other Bluetooth options which use a separate adapter connected to the CD Changer or directly to the head unit.
Yes it is internal to the stereo. There is no external control of head unit.
You would never know anything was different about the system other than factory.
Steve
Yes it is internal to the stereo. There is no external control of head unit.
You would never know anything was different about the system other than factory.
Steve
Thanks for the heads up. I'm planning to replace the door speakers and get Bluetooth set up in the coming months.
The original speakers have more or less disintegrated so only have 2 connected at the moment. Definitely needs some attention.
Am also looking into adapting the ash tray to have a USB connector. Should be easy enough as long as I can keep it tidy.
I'm inching up towards the 300k km mark and besides from the regular (see below) What would pay to be replaced or seriously inspected?
Yesterday I did the standard 8k km oil and filter change along with transmission drain and refill 4.3lt
Changed out the standard NGK spark plugs for a set of NGK Iridium IXBCPR6EIX-11, I know this goes against popular wisdom but they seem to be running fine so far, I'm yet to determine if there is any appreciable fuel or performance gain. I also cleaned and re-oiled the k@n pod filter.
Additionally, I changed the fuel filter, this was the second time I've changed the fuel filter and as with the first, I managed to get a face full of petrol and had to dodge the steady stream splashing down on me to install the replacement. Before disconnecting it I removed the second and third fuses from the box in the Boot/trunk with the engine running, thinking I was doing the right thing and this would run out any fuel in the line. regretfully this wasn't the case. Any advice on this point would be greatly appreciated.
I still need to flush the radiator and am betting it may be time to fit some new brake pads, Any additions to my checklist from Enthusiasts with more experience than myself would be greatly appreciated.
I'm inching up towards the 300k km mark .......Any additions to my checklist from Enthusiasts with more experience than myself would be greatly appreciated.
I do have a more suggestions on replacing the consumables:
(a) all fluid (brake and radiator) if not replaced every two years
(b) aircon drier (if not replaced in the last two years)
(c) tires if they are really dated (3-4 years) even if not worn
Then on the more durable stuff, based on my own experience with my 1995 XJR, I have the following suggestions:
(d) check the physical conditions of all your ignition coils (and have a few as well as a crankshaft position sensor as spare for the peace of mind)
(e) replace engine upper tensioner
(f) replace the oil cooler by-pass O-rings (even if you don't have the oil cooler installed, the O-rings will disintegrate at some point).
(g) replace the oil-plug O-rings (front and rear) between the transmission housing and the engine - there are recent discussions
(h) replace the rear engine mount (the transmission mount) and propeller shaft coupling - again there are some recent discussions
(i) check and if necessary replace all anti-roll bars', control arms' and wishbones' bushings
(j) check and if necessary replace suspension tower bushings (if your ride is dropping or there is knocking noise).
(k) check and replace if necessary all wheel bearings
(l) replace fuel pump, if not done before, and while you are at it check the condition of the connecting rubber hose (there was a recent mention of a splitting hose causing engine hesitation and occasional stalling)
(m) replace radiator hoses especially the lower one if not replaced before - and replace the radiator mounting rubbers, upper and lower
(n) check the brake calipers (and hoses) for leaks and rebuild/replace if necessary - clean all brakes to ensure that the ABS sensors will not send false alarm
(o) give the throttle and MAF a good clean
(p) replace the brake rotors if getting too thin (front disk especially)
(q) check all engine belts, tensioners, tensioner bearings and pulleys for excessive noise and/or play
(r) check the effectiveness of the brake booster and brake master cylinder to see if they need replacing (brake force starts right there)
(s) check conditions of hand brake and engine hood cables
(t) check key fob batteries
(u) check window wiper motor and mounting nut (this would not normally appear on any checklist - the holding nut of my Alfa 164 became loose causing the driver side wiper to stop working when it was pouring one day.
(v) check the drain-filter-nozzle inside the fuel gate basin for potential clog.
Finally finished up my Bluetooth install using an Alpine KCA-801B which allows one to "inject" audio between the factory head unit and the CD changer without any cutting of wires. Works like a charm and one can't tell there's any OEM difference other than a little switch I installed inside the ashtray.
You just need the Alpine KCA-801B (discontinued, but readily available used and NOS for about $10-20), a few conversion cable/connectors to go into and from the DIN style "Mbus" connectors on the radio and CD changer to the "AiNet" ports on the KCA-801B, and your choice of Bluetooth receiver that has RCA outputs. Add a simple switch to supply 5-12VDC to the KCA-801B to have it switch between CD changer and the aux (Bluetooth) input and you're done.
Since I had the dash apart and radio out for something else, I went ahead and installed it all behind the glove box.
If you don't want to lose the OEM radio appearance, be somewhat "stealth", and want to retain the use of the factory CD changer, this is a great option and IMHO is probably the easiest and most elegant. No wire cutting and just works.
Also finally found a NOS driver side sun shade/visor for cheap and replaced that along with the little plastic escutcheons that go under the sun shade/visor mounts that all shatter over time. My driver side visor had a tear from a previous owner apparently sliding some sort of mount onto the visor. It's bothered me for years seeing that hole in the fabric right in my line of sight! So now that distraction is gone
....oh yeah, and washed the car for the first time in ages since it has been out of service. We found a shop that seems capable and willing to do a few things I'm leery about attempting myself on our journey to get it back on the road after a year+ of other fiddling. So we'll have it towed there this week hopefully, and most hopefully we'll get this solved.
Last edited by al_roethlisberger; 04-01-2019 at 08:51 AM.
Hopefully Al you get your car back on the road. I have not seen you on here for a while.
Hopeful as well. Our mechanic was able to get to and remove the IACV (total pain) and verified that it looked like it was not in good shape, which is good news as that's the first thing we've really found wrong in this escapade.
He may have it all back together by the end of the week, so crossing fingers the IACV may be the culprit. Here's hoping!
Replaced my winter tyre shod wheels for normal summer type. Checked the tyre pressures and destroyed the foot pump. Then I could not find the new one I bought last year. Oh well!
I purchased a replacement Cam cover some time ago, in good condition for a great price, or so I thought. Three of the screws that hold the coils in place would never tighten up.
Today I fitted 3 m6 Helicoils, Annoying problem solved.
Fixed the inside driver's door handle, replaced the exterior handle, drove her to my golf weekend, 200 miles RT, she purred at 75-80 mph for most of the whole trip.
Replaced my starter today in hopes of getting it to operate properly.
I thought it was going to be difficult to replace, but it proved to be easier than
trying to replace one in a Ford Contour V-6. All I had to do to make it easy, was to
lower the back of the trans mount to give me a good gap to remove the top bolt .
Did it all with the correct tools. T45 & T40 Tory, 13mm swivel socket for the top bolt,
13mm straight socket for the lower front side bolt and hot cables, screw driver
for the solenoid screw, 3’ & 4” extensions , a breaker bar and ratchets. Done in the
air on jack stands during the rain outside. Replaced the starter, but didn’t make any
improvement in my situation.
Took it out for a test drive after a 3 days in a local garage that I tried for the first time. Suspension felt like new again, but the vibrations that arise when pulling up slowly, or even when trying to maintain speed have not gone and they worry me. I told the shopkeeper beforehand to take a look at the donut, but apperently he only visually inspected the powertrain and greased the joints. (The bill was so steep I could hardly believe he didn't do more than that to justify his labour hours).
Wondering what to do now: follow up on the donut in a different garage (with possibly another financial hangover) or start looking for other possible causes (ssuming his inspection was sufficiently thourough to rule out the donut as the cause)?
Just some standard maintenance items this last weekend, along with putting things back on like the various cosmetic engine bay covers, trunk floor, fuse box covers and a good vacuuming. Put my Union Jack stainless steel front license plate mounting hole "cover" back on and straightened the grill, which I had apparently put on slightly cocked when doing some other front end work.
Been driving it for a week with no problems following the IACV replacement other than one stalling upon start incident yesterday when I came back out after dinner, so hopefully that was an anomaly. It ran fine after that. Will see.
03-17-2019, 12:12 PM
bluetooth
