New, Got a few ???'s

[04PurplePT]

Hey, I signed up here to get more information, and find parts for my girlfriends pt cruiser.

She has a purple 04 touring with 83k miles.

I guess the previous owners really enjoyed driving. haha.

Anyway, The car drives like shit on wheels, its not smooth, you feel EVERYTHING.

Is this a common nature of cruisers? I figured chryslers were prone to very nice rides. Guess not.

I did find out that her control arm bushings seperated, so I need new ones, Im guessing energy suspension is the only replacement for these?

Also, the car is VERY gutless. Pedal to the metal, and she snails her way down the road. Is THIS common? with the 2.4 n/a.

Ive seafoamed the car, and changed spark plugs, air filter, etc. and it still sounds like something is missing for that get up and go. Is there any way to test for a clogged cat?

and last, since its got 83k miles, what should I start looking for in terms of replacing parts?

[Hooligan]

Welcome to the 3 of you. When you changed plugs did you gap them at .040? If you didn't you should have used performance wires, stock are crap!!!

Future: save your money because you are about ready for a new timing belt (B4 100K), while you are there change water pump and all of the rest of the belts, parts and labor from $$850 - $1200. It isn't a job for a shade tree mechanic.

[CREWZIN]

Welcome. The name is "cruiser" and that's what it does without the turbo and it does it well. It won't win any races but it should keep up with %98 percent of the surrounding traffic if it's kept in tune. Changing all the bushing should cure the ride but the kind of tires you have make a lot of difference.

[04PurplePT]

I used autolite plugs. I didnt change the wires at the time. I guess I should have, but the car had been misfiring SINCE SHE BOUGHT IT 5 months, before I changed it, and when we started dating, I changed the plugs.

I gapped them at .40, used a tutorial from here actually. That intake manifold is a PITA.

Im not looking to win races, just keep up with traffic haha.

Timing belt eh? I know she probably needs a new power steering pump, it moans when you crank it over, but the fluid is full. Its a problem she bought the car with.

She made the mistake of buying a POS, and I have to deal with fixing it.

If things get too bad. replacing part after part, I wanna trade it in and get a GM, something im used to.

Something you guys might not know, I dont know if it was just her car or not. but her torque converter quite literally imploded without warning. We called chrysler and they covered the $1000 in parts, but we had to front the $500 labor.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by 04PurplePT

I used autolite plugs. I didnt change the wires at the time. I guess I should have, but the car had been misfiring SINCE SHE BOUGHT IT 5 months, before I changed it, and when we started dating, I changed the plugs.

I gapped them at .40, used a tutorial from here actually. That intake manifold is a PITA.

Im not looking to win races, just keep up with traffic haha.

Timing belt eh? I know she probably needs a new power steering pump, it moans when you crank it over, but the fluid is full. Its a problem she bought the car with.

She made the mistake of buying a POS, and I have to deal with fixing it.

If things get too bad. replacing part after part, I wanna trade it in and get a GM, something im used to.

Something you guys might not know, I dont know if it was just her car or not. but her torque converter quite literally imploded without warning. We called chrysler and they covered the $1000 in parts, but we had to front the $500 labor.

Chrysler paid $1,000 toward a $1,500 transmission repair at 80,000 miles on a car with a 70,000 mile powertrain warranty? I'd say that's pretty decent of them, really. Ask around on how GM did on the CVT transmissions on the 4 cylinder Saturns when they grenaded.

As to the PT Cruiser, did you put in double-electrode platinum or iridium plugs? In my experience, that helps. If it helps, Autolite plugs are fine, I used their double iridium types. The new wires will also help a big bunch.

You may be able to squeak by 10 more thousand miles before you change the timing belt, and also plan to change the water pump at the same time. The water pump may be OK, but it's in there with the timing belt and it's a pain to get at. If you do the work, coat the water pump O-ring seal (there's no gasket) with dielectric grease (looks like swimming pool pump seal lube but isn't) to hold it in place before you bolt it in, or it will leak later. Don't use silicone gasket or Permatex 2. The pool lube looks like dielectric grease, but isn't quite the same.

My 01 needs new bushings like your GF's 04 does, and my 01 rides rough. My 04 with 50K miles is smooth as glass. I have a set of replacement suspension arms ready to bolt in. All I need is time. (Got any extra time I could borrow?) I suggest against poly bushings as in my experience they will get egg-shaped faster and will be a bit rougher than OEM rubber. That's just a preference. I also suggest replacing the whole arm assembly. You can get them made up that way as a complete unit for about the same price as all the parts (bushing, body bushing--I betcha yours is also bad--and the ball joint), and they all have to come off anyway. So save yourself some shop press time. Download the shop manual from this website--it has great pictorials.

My 01 is an auto, my 04 is a 5 speed. The 01 cruises. The 04 goes like a bat departing a very hot place.

BTW: I used to work on my GF's car, in 1975 & 1976. She noticed that it ran waaay better (it had TWO carburetors) and she spent much less on ripoff repairs. She figured I was a keeper, and she kept me. Is your GF a keeper? Sounds like you are.

[04PurplePT]

My girlfriend calls me her handy man. haha.

Where can I find those replacement control arms, they make them for my cavalier as well, but they are stupendous expensive. Do they come premade with the poly bushings, or do you have to buy them seperate and install.

I could do the control arms in a day. its just finding someone around this town I can trust to align it when I am done. Meineke threw the keys at me when I refused to pay after I explicitly told them I wanted to see the readout before they touched the car.

I went with the single spark electrode, Ive read everywhere that it makes no difference what plugs you use, unless you are towards 5-600 hp.

I was amazed chrysler did that for us. She would have been without a car for months otherwise.
Something I am a little worried about, and this is specifically my dealership. But I changed her brake pads after they quoted ups $275 when they were fixing the tranny, (probably to get some money out of it haha)

There was a groove in the rotor, from what i figured to be the "screech" replace me finger brake pads have, but when I installed the brake pads, i didnt see any of those fingers that screech when its time to replace.

Do you think the dealer could have made that groove in our rotor?

[quicksilverdon]

I wouldn't sweat a groove in the rotor unless it is very deep. The first time you apply the brake, the pads will conform. It was probably a bit of sand that got caught between pad and rotor - all the disks I've seen look like phonograph records (anyone else remember them?).
Agree with the above - the stock wires don't last and just about any aftermarket brand is better (the Cchrysler "high performance" wires aren't bad).
Also check the tire pressure - recommended is inside driver's door - go 2-3PSI above - every car I've gotten from a dealer has been way low on air - give a floaty ride, but also hurts acceleration.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by 04PurplePT

My girlfriend calls me her handy man. haha.

Where can I find those replacement control arms, they make them for my cavalier as well, but they are stupendous expensive. Do they come premade with the poly bushings, or do you have to buy them seperate and install.

I could do the control arms in a day. its just finding someone around this town I can trust to align it when I am done. Meineke threw the keys at me when I refused to pay after I explicitly told them I wanted to see the readout before they touched the car.

I went with the single spark electrode, Ive read everywhere that it makes no difference what plugs you use, unless you are towards 5-600 hp.

I was amazed chrysler did that for us. She would have been without a car for months otherwise.
Something I am a little worried about, and this is specifically my dealership. But I changed her brake pads after they quoted ups $275 when they were fixing the tranny, (probably to get some money out of it haha)

There was a groove in the rotor, from what i figured to be the "screech" replace me finger brake pads have, but when I installed the brake pads, i didnt see any of those fingers that screech when its time to replace.

Do you think the dealer could have made that groove in our rotor?

Just one online source for control arms, and also where I got mine:
Family Car - Auto Parts and Accessories Catalog - 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser Control Arm
The TSM says you should break off the zerk fitting on the ball joint when you install the arm, but I am not planning to do so. One squeeze of grease per year won't pop the boot.

Ditto about the groove. No worries. It would take A LOT of work to put a groove into the iron rotor. A piece of sand over several stops is way more likely. I've done it me-self a few times. Also, not all brake pads have the fingers, but I think they oughta.

I went with the dual iridium plugs to smooth out the idle. It worked for me. Maybe the regular kind might have worked, but the difference in price was maybe $10 for the whole job. And I really like the PGM type electrodes. (PGM = Platinum Group Metals.)

As for tire pressure, I use very good brands (e.g., not Kumho or Hankook--my opinion here) and run them at 40 to 44 PSI. When I can get them, I use Performance Friction pads. Not a lot of dusting and they take high heat and nasty stops well.

Finding a good wheel alignment place is no fun. I try to stay from alignment places that also sell tires. (Long story from the 1970s here.) There's a really good outfit in Phoenix (Network Alignment) with several locations. When they check out my truck and it needs no adjustment, they won't charge me anything. I keep trying to pay them but they won't take my money, and that is no joke.

[04PurplePT]

Car came with Cooper Doral 65's, Im not a fan of the tread pattern, has very chunky blocks for dry traction, but the grooves are very thin, meaning very little water gets out from under the tire.

I will definately replace these tires at least in the spring, will be something to save up for. maybe some pirelli p4's? haha.

I dont know how long she wants to keep the car, we might go look at trading it in this weekend.

I can get the bushings, balljoints and alignment for the price of one of those control arms.

Im gonna leave them alone til she decides what to do.

thanks for answering all my questions, this is probably the nicest community towards new members on a forum ive been to in a long time, Ive made the mistake of going to srtforums.com before.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by 04PurplePT

Car came with Cooper Doral 65's, Im not a fan of the tread pattern, has very chunky blocks for dry traction, but the grooves are very thin, meaning very little water gets out from under the tire.

I will definately replace these tires at least in the spring, will be something to save up for. maybe some pirelli p4's? haha.

I dont know how long she wants to keep the car, we might go look at trading it in this weekend.

I can get the bushings, balljoints and alignment for the price of one of those control arms.

Im gonna leave them alone til she decides what to do.

thanks for answering all my questions, this is probably the nicest community towards new members on a forum ive been to in a long time, Ive made the mistake of going to srtforums.com before.

Maybe P6's? Pricey, though. I run Michelin tires as they stand up to the heat here. The control arms are fast. If you have the time and the tools, the bushings are faster. Keep in mind that there is a rubber mount thingy that takes the place of a strut rod bushing in older cars, and it takes a lot of abuse. It is the part that mounts the control arm just under the driver or passenger feet. I'd bet it may also be shot. That's why I went with the whole arm assembly. It also gives me time to rebuild the 2001's arms for when my 2004 needs them. (I do have the tools.)

I agree. This forum was very good to me when I was new, and that wasn't very long ago.