finally finished with clutch

I went back to Brad's house to finish the remaining things on the clutch job. He first put back the plastic undertray beneath the car. Then he checked both the motor oil level and the gear oil. The motor oil level was spot on. He also double checked to see if the filter was tighten. Brad wanted to top off the transmission gear oil. I had some gear left over from last light so I took a clear hose and poured the gear oil in.

I mentioned to Brad that the clutch pedal felt a light on my way home last night. He recommended that I had my clutch bled. We both went to the local Wal-mart to pick up some brake fluid.

Brad did an awesome job with the install. Everything felt great and I'm good for another 150k miles. He was very professional and knew what to do. Hopefully by then I'll have my refreshed GTE motor swapped in.

clutch finally replaced

I finally got my clutch replaced by Brad, a mechanic that previously worked at a local performance shop in Mira Mesa. It was a long day before the both of us. He worked on several Supra clutch jobs, so he pretty much knew what to do.

I had everything set aside for the job.

• Aisin OEM Clutch


• Throw-out Bearing


• Release Bearing


• Rear Main Oil Seal

There were a few things that I needed to get done. I still had to pick up some gear oil and had to get flwheel resurfaced. It took about 2 to 3 hours to have the clutch removed. He first removed my undertray, then removed my exhaust out of the way to unbolt the drive-shaft, and then remove the transmission.

After the transmission was out we dropped the the flywheel off to get resurfaced at local Poway Machine shop. The machine shop did an awesome job. Luckily, Poway Toyota was nearby so i picked up 3 bottles of gear oil and an gasket for the transmission plug

When we got back Brad focused his attention to the rear main oil seal. He inspected my current rear main seal and told me it was still good. I already had purchased a new rear main oil seal, so I decided while the transmission is out to replace the oil seal. Removing the rear main oil required me to change my oil in the process... I remembered that I was due for an oil change. The timing was perfect.

I went out again to pick up 6 quarts of motor oil and a filter. When I got back from the store Brad had already drained the oil from the car and removed the part that holds the rear main seal. He then used a hammer to remove the seal from its enclosure.

The process of putting everything back together was a long. It took the rest of the afternoon and evening to get everything done. Putting back the transmission was tricky. Since we didn't have a lift Brad and his friend Kyle had to lift the transmission up. I was responsible of position the jack below the transmission and making sure its at an appropriate height so they can bolt it on.

... We finished at around 11pm. Brad told me to come back tomorrow to finish a few things but majority of the work was done. He was really tired and wanted to rest up. So we took the car for the test drive and everything went well. When I drove my car back home I noticed that the pedal felt light than before. It felt a little different from the stock clutch but still engaged at the same level.

So i realized that a clutch job on a Supra definitely takes a days worth of work. If we only had a lift the job would be easier. But we had to make due with what we had.

wet day in san diego

Yesterday was a good day to stay inside. Rain continued to pour but that didn't stop me from getting my new JL Audio C2-650x speakers installed. Originally I was going to have autofashion install them but i wanted to get quotes from other places. I didn't what the going rate to install rear speakers was.

I first called San Diego Car Stereo on Convoy. They quoted me $60+ to install. The guy recommended that I come in to get a more accurate quote. I also called two other places. However, the price to install was more than I wanted to spend. I decided to make the trip down to San Diego Car Stereo to get an accurate quote. The rain was pouring down like crazy when i left the house.

When I arrived at San Diego Car Audio one of the employees checked out the rear speaker setup. The Supra rear speakers are located on the rear panel and not in the back. To reach the speakers they would have to remove the panels, which would take some time. According to the guy it would probably take an hour or two to complete and would be $80. That price was comparable to autofashion. I decided just to find another place that would do it.

I remember seeing another car audio place on Clairmont Mesa blvd. I drove to that area and there it was Car Audio Heaven. The guy was really friendly. He came and looked at my car and said that they can do it for $65. He asked me how I was going to pay for it, cash or credit. I told him that I was going to pay with credit. The credit card system was down at the time and that they can only accept cash at the moment. So he offered to do it for $60 cash. I was all for that.

They were able to complete the install while I waited. I was surprised they got the work done in about an hour. One of the employees told me that the Porche they are currently working on is getting everything done up. The owner is putting major money on it! When you own a car like a Porche you need to go all out. I wish I can go all out on my Supra. I'm more of a budget conscious person.

The speakers sounded good but not great. I talked to a couple of my friend's about my situation and they recommended that I get an amp. An amp would provide enough to increase the the power to the speakers while making things sound clear.

So my next upgrade to my audio system will be an amp! Time to figure out which one to get now.

New JL Audio Speakers C2-650x

I had the urge to purchase something for my car. So I had to think about what needs to be replaced. The car is about 12 years old and things need to be changed to something better. One thing that needs to be upgrade is my rear speakers. I was told that my rear driver speaker was blown when I had my Panasonic headunit installed a year and half ago.

So yesterday I was surfing the web to find out prices for JL Audio C2-650x speakers. These speakers are a new model of coaxiel for 2009. I finally settled and purchased them on ebay for a way better price than everybody else. I can't wait to get them :)



JL Audio C2-650X Info
JL Audio's Evolution C2 speakers bring precision sound to your vehicle. They'll reproduce subtle elements of your music like delicate woodwinds or soprano vocals, then turn on a dime to deliver the deep thrum of the bass or thunder of the drums.

The C2-650X 6-3/4" speakers feature rugged polypropylene cones that can handle high power without distortion, so you get full-bodied low tones you can really feel. The 3/4" silk dome tweeters serve up smooth-sounding high frequencies that won't tax your ears, adding a satisfying dose of realism to your soundstage. Built-in crossovers make sure your tunes play smoothly across the whole musical spectrum.

Details:

• 2-way 6-3/4" speakers (pair)


• injection-molded mica-filled polypropylene woofer with butyl rubber surround


• 3/4" silk dome tweeter


• built-in crossover network


• 4-ohm impedance


• power range: 15-60 watts RMS (100 watts peak power)


• frequency response: 59-22,000 Hz


• sensitivity: 91 dB


• depth: 2-9/16"

My Ex-Supra Seats in a Lexus SC

Last night I was able to meet up with Anthony, the new owner of my 97 Supra Seats. I got a glimpse of the seats. The Supra seats were a plug-in play application. They make the SC interior sportier. I had a chance to sit inside and they definitely feel low. Anthony told me its comparable to his Supra MKIII seats. All in all he was happy with the overall outcome. I'm glad my seats are in good hands!

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