Prioritizing Maintenance for a newbie

[RuttyRut]

Just purchased a '91 Sho+. I have all of the maintenance notes/records from the original owner (amazing ... down to every oil change). The car has 134K on the odo and the 60K service was performed when the car had about 65,000miles on it. Looks like the OCD owner took care of almost everything that broke, performed poorly, or just didn't seem right (car had a dealer repaint due to defective job).

Where should I start with maintenance. The first owner took care of just about everything except for the suspension ... still sporting the original units and it floats like a NY taxi.

Any suggestions on what to do first? Second 60K or suspension?

 

[93rev2sev]

1. Rod bearings
2. Valve Shims/upper 60k
3. Front 60k

two and three may be reversed for whatever reason you choose, but these are the 3 big ones and a rod bearing swap should be your first goal.

 

[luigisho]

Don't worry too much about the valve shims right now.

Your 60k can stretch into almost 100k if you take good car of the car and nothing is leaking or malfunctioning.

Think about rod bearings and tackle the suspension stuff as you see fit. Get a good look at the bushings and replace strut mounts and endlinks if you decide to replace struts. Price it all out so you can budget for it correctly. Stuff adds up fast.

 

[lowc]

1. Rod bearings
2. Valve Shims/upper 60k
3. Front 60k

two and three may be reversed for whatever reason you choose, but these are the 3 big ones and a rod bearing swap should be your first goal.

^^this then worry about suspention

 

[stangeater]

I have to agree with luigisho, forget about the valve springs for now. I've owned 3 shos and never had to do this, and also had a SHO mechanic tell me not to waste my time on it.

I'd go ahead and fix your suspension before you get killed, then possibly the rod bearings.

 

[luigisho]

I would check the valve lash in another 30-50k miles. Most cars aren't that out of spec by 120-130k.
I would consider new rod bearings good insurance and then tackle the suspension if it isn't performing well or to your liking. Just my $.02

 

[platoribs]

X2 ^

Monroe has a deal, not sure it covers the parts for the SHO... but its a buy 3 get 1 free. Check their site and maybe get the parts from rockauto.com. Unless you want to track your car it's not a bad product and affordable.

 

[RuttyRut]

on the way home, felt like the master cylinder was giving out. The struts were never changed and i feel like the thing is dangerous. Checking brakes tomorrow and will do the suspension right after that that

 

[luigisho]

Sounds like you've prioritized maintenance.

 

[TYSHO]

1. Check Codes (fix what is wrong)
2. Brakes & Suspension
3. Plugs, Wires, Air & Fuel Filter (replace valve cover gaskets if you have oil in the plug wells. clean out the timing chain tensioners at this time, as well.)
4. Tires

After that, I'd focus on any oil leaks and get those fixed, as it's easier to top off the oil until you can get the above done. The valve adjustment is overrated at this time because if you have fresh oil in the engine, you are not risking anything.

on the way home, felt like the master cylinder was giving out.

You might feel that your ABS is not functioning properly because your suspension is toasted. If you apply your brakes in this condition, you will activate the ABS (extending the distance to come to a full stop) in pretty much any road condition except a perfectly smooth road.

 

[sho4life]

#1 is to get subframe bushings, aluminum. i have had two cars practically lock up steering. Its scary

 

[tool88]

oh and be carfull the diff is defiantly a week point

 

[pitaSHO]

Check the records you have and see how regular the oil changes were done. If they were regular, and he used good oil, the rod bearings are probably OK for now. When you do the suspension I would also highly recommend replacing the sway bar bushings, subframe bushings, and strut rod bushings. New suspension with worn out bushings will feel better, but replace the bushings and it will feel new.

My .02.

Chris K.

 

[newshofan]

just curious what should i expect to pay for sway bar bushings, subframe bushings and strut rod bushings and new struts and springs. and mounted?

 

[platoribs]

Struts and springs at a "walk in give them your keys, pay the bill place"...?

Expect 1000-1200 parts included.

Look up the other parts on rockauto.com and find someone who'll let you give them your parts to install while they R&R the suspension...

 

[TYSHO]

just curious what should i expect to pay for sway bar bushings, subframe bushings and strut rod bushings and new struts and springs. and mounted?

Depends where you want to buy your parts and if you want them all from one source or not. You can walk into an auto store and buy all of these with lifetime warranty, being the last time you ever buy parts for your suspension. You will want to buy end links, as well. I will recommend to stay away from poly urethane bushings, they wear out very fast and the strut rod bushings made from poly urethane have been known to crack and fall apart very quickly. At the end of the day, a bushing is a bushing with the other options left out there.

Here's two websites you can check out, just add a vehicle and start searching for prices and parts. These stores will match prices from other stores, as well. It's nice to have a store right around the corner providing the parts you need. If we don't buy from them, we get stuck without having the parts available and have to source from small businesses marking up the prices.

www.autozone.com
www.oreillyauto.com