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New TTA Owner - Need help with some problems

T

turbotaguy

Member
Just picked up my Turbo TA tonight - very excited. Its a one owner car with 68k on it, but it is a little rough around the edges. I've got some work to do. I'm going to list out a few of the problems below. I'm hoping that some of these are common and you guys might be able to relay a quick solution:

1) Hatch latch pull down doesn't work
2) Boost gauge doesn't work
3) Tach needle jumps around occasionally during steady driving (i.e. cruise control mode)
4) Heater control - car is stuck in defrost mode - sliding the knob over to another position does nothing
5) Fog lights don't work - switch doesn't light up when you turn them on.

and last but not least:

6) The engine runs like ass. It idles high and rough. It "bucks" on the freeway in cruise control mode or during light throttle like going up a slight incline. Also, the Check Engine Light is on for 20 seconds, off for 20 seconds, one for 20 seconds, off for 20 seconds, etc.

The car needs some work, but I got what I think was a pretty good deal on it. Just need to work out the bugs. Love the car, but GEEZ, what's with all the squeaks and rattles. My '81 Turbo TA is pretty solid in comparison. I'll have to chase each one down and attack with my roll of BSR tape :wink:

I'd appreciate any input you guys have on where to start for any of the above items. I was going to start from scratch, but thought it would be wise to use the collective smarts of the group to save time! If you've had experience with even one of the items, please tell all.

Thanks.
 
Sorry to hear it sounds like you have all the typical issue with your TTA. Let's see how much I can help on...

Here is some hatch info I found..
http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/hatchpulldown.pdf

I remember reading something on the boost gauge but can't find it now of course.. Have you looked over
http://www.89tta.com/ ?? There is allot of good info on that site about our cars.

Find a good local mech. and let him go over it for you. Where are you from? Good Luck with it!
 
Thanks for the tips Philly. I've got the car over to my favorite mechanic now. He should get looking at it tomorrow.

I'm in the metro Detroit area. Any of you guys local? Do we TTA guys get together at all?

I've had my '81 Turbo TA for nearly 10 years now. I actually have a pair of Turbo TA's now. I love that.



PhillyTurboSix said:
Sorry to hear it sounds like you have all the typical issue with your . Let's see how much I can help on...

Here is some hatch info I found..
http://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/hatchpulldown.pdf

I remember reading something on the boost gauge but can't find it now of course.. Have you looked over
http://www.89tta.com/ ?? There is allot of good info on that site about our cars.

Find a good local mech. and let him go over it for you. Where are you from? Good Luck with it!
Click to expand...
 
Hatch pull down could be a couple things. Does the motor just run and run? Plastic gear nut - 8 bucks. It could be a couple things. Pull the interior panel and see if anything is broken.
Boost gauge not working could just be a disconnected vacuum line, which would make your idle high too! Look around for that.
Heater blows only from the defroster vents......classic disconnected vacuum hose. The one on my IROC was right above the distributor. Check in that area.
Fog lights. Well, the light doesn't light up in my IROC, but they work. Could be nothing more than blown fuses or even just bad bulbs. Pull the bulbs out and see if they are cloudy or black on the inside. If so, replace.

Let us know what you find :)
 
I've chased down just about all of the items on my list:

1) Hatch pull down- The motor housing (clear part) was cracked and the gear was just about stripped. The previous owner unplugged the connector to the motor because it just ran and ran. I replaced the gear and motor housing, made some adjustments and I'm back in business.

2) Boost gage - Input line was disconnected.

3) Tach needle - stopped bouncing around, but still does it on occasion

4) Stuck in defrost - Vac line disconnected just as suggested.

5) Fog lights - still not working, need to investigate

6) Motor runs like a*s - This was tough. I bought a scanmaster and did a ton of research. Turns out I had a bad MAF sensor, O2 sensor, and a few cracked vac lines. After I got that all squared away, I did the IAC adjustment which was way out of whack. Need to adjust the TPS which is just slightly high. Runs a TON better now!
 
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