I've got a 2004 Coupe Base model I believe. I've got a few questions that I'll throw all together rather than making a post for each.

1. I read in the manual that the car had a reserve tank for gas. The way it read to me was that there is the regular gas tank and then there is an extra 2ish gallon tank that can be accessed when the regular tank is empty. It mentioned something about a light on the guage panel, but the only one I see is the regular gas tank low light. This makes me think that it is just worded poorly and there isn't really a reserve tank.

2. When I press the brakes while driving, sometimes the brake warning light comes on telling me the brake pads are low. It only happens when I press on it somewhat hard like at a red light that turns on me. Should I wait to replace them until it always comes on, or do it now. And how complicated is replacing them? I've changed the pads on my old '92 Prelude, but I don't want to mess up this much nicer car. The pads do seem to be giving off a lot of dust currently.

3. When driving, sometimes I'll hit a bump and it sounds like there is a rattle in the back of the car. To me, the sounds is like either the rear hatch is loose or the spoiler is rattling. I've made sure to slam the trunk pretty hard, and with the spoiler manually up in park, it seems pretty stiff. Is there anything I can check to figure out what it may be, or is this a regular noise?

4. This is the first manual car that I've owned. I've only owned the car for about 6 months, and I'm still working on getting the technique down for the smooth shifting. In the manual, it says to shift at 15, 25, 40, 45, and 50. Is this what is best, or is there a better speed/rpm to go with? What about for performance vs fuel economy?

5. The stereo in the car is fine currently, but ideally, I'd like to replace it with something that has either a usb hookup or a 3.5mm jack. It is just the standard Infinity unit. What is the best route to go with to get either of those working? I currently have an fm transmitter that works pretty well, but it doesn't compare to the sound quality that I get in cars that have the aux jack.

Thanks for any help with these questions and if I think of any more I'll be sure to add to this thread.

 

1. That's news to me : there is only one filler pipe.
2. Do it now with ceramic pads - much lower dust. It's an easy DIY.
3. I have a roadster, can't speak to the coupe trunk lid.
4. I have an automatic, can't speak to the 6 speed.
5. I have tried several : Sony, Blaupunct, Alpine. I like the Alpine best. One key thing : do your best to get one with the features you want that also has 4 volt preamp outputs.
The ones with 2 volt outputs aren't enough to properly drive the stock Infinity amp, and you have to use the head units speaker wires to drive the amp. There are many discussions here on how to do the hookup by members much more knowledgeable than me.

 

When the fuel light, the one with the gas pump comes on, there is a reserve quantity of 2.5 gallons.

 

2) I like Hawk HPS pads - much less dust and they simply won't fade in a panic stop!

3) Never had a coupe, but I've read some threads here about noise from back there - someone helpful will chime in!

4) If I shift at anything under 3,000 rpm, it's not a smooth shift. Now, as my car ages, it gets better (I'm at 94000) but STILL, if you are clunking around town and shifting at 2100 rpm, it won't be smooth - these cars were designed to be DRIVEN !

 

My input on no. 3 is that what you are hearing is just the rear suspension working. I hear mine occasionally but only at low speeds in parking lots with crappy pavement. If it's loud and often, you may want to look at the rear swaybar mounts. There are several threads here discussing them breaking away from the body and making a racket.

 

For 3 I'd vote for the latch just as you suggested. It is the easy one to try first. Do a search on trunk latch adjustment. Very common problem.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies.

1. I guess I just misread the manual then. Thanks for the info.

2. I'll work on getting the ceramic pads. Are all 4 tires disc brakes, or are the rear drums? And should I put ceramic on all of them or just the front? Anyone know of any vendors that would be a good deal? I'm a college student that works part time, so cash is somewhat tight.

3. I'll look into the trunk latch and see what I can find out. The noise only happens when I'm going somewhat fast, and hit a bump in the road or something like that.

4. The car only has 23k miles on it, and I think the shifting issues are more my incompetence than anything wrong with the car. Maybe in another few months I'll have it down. I stalled nearly every day the first month I had it, and now I can't even remember the last time that happened.

5. Anyone else have any imputs on the stereo?

 

For number 3, there is a write up somewhere on the forum. Using a piece of self adhesive Velcro worked for me. Using about a 3" piece of Velcro stuck on the body, where the hatch bumpers touch, solved my problem. Every few years I replace it with new. You only need to use the softer of the two pieces.

James

 

#2 - I went with the Duralast Gold from Autozone, not a true ceramic I believe but quit dustless and they have a lifetime warranty.

#3 - Try a piece of tape wrapped around the trunk lid catch catch bar.

#4 - As stated before these cars like to be driven. I've driven sticks for most of my life and it still took me awhile to get the hang of this tranny. One thing I've noticed is they shift better right around 4K RPM. Even if your just easing up to speed or hitting it hard off the light 4K seems to be the sweet spot on these cars.

#5 - I went with the Alpine iDA X-100 and X-100M on our two Xfires. It's a very easy install with the supplied harness adapter. I used the "M" on the wifes Roadster for two reasons-1) the color of the face closely matches the dash and 2) the "M" stands foe marine use-means it's been designed for boats and such-water resistant to some degree (won't say waterproof though). Also, it handles the i-Pods through the face controls like the circle does on the pod.

BTW-welcome to the Forum

 

As usual, all good advice.
The 1st. to 2nd. shift in these cars can be notchy at times, and even after driving my 6 spd. for 9 summers, I can still be less than "smooth" shifting at times.
Base cars didn't appear until the 2005 model year.
Welcome to the forum.

 

I concur that the 1 to 2 shift needs to be done higher in the rev line for it to be smoother... or you can start from 2nd to skip that 1st to 2nd notchiness all together (you'll find many threads on the forum regarding that same complaint).

That being said, I love slamming it from 1st to 2nd and breaking the rear loose... one of the simple joys in my life

 

I'm not sure what particular model mine is then if it's not considered a base. I do know that the dealer said it had the "Italian" package, with the red "Crossfire" on the rims and the orange/black interior. What would that be considered?

As for the shifting, there's no other way I can think to describe it, but that first to second shift seems like the car is kicking it out of first. I'll start to pull towards second, and it spits it into neutral. And then I'll put it into third. Does starting in second do any kind of wear/damage to the clutch or tranny?

 

The interior is called Cedar/Slate. I've been told that fewer than 10% of the 04's had it. It was never called the "Italian" package. Dealers love to make up stuff to make their cars sound more unique.lol If you have a red sticker that says Crossfire on your center caps, it's probably a decal that forum member "Andrew" sells. (looks like it came from the factory).
There was only one model built in the 2004 production year. In 2005, Chrysler offered it in a Roadster, the all black "Base" edition, and the SRT edition. If you didn't have an SRT, or a Base, then they were considered a "Limited", but the term "Limited" didn't start until the 2005 production run.
Some early cars did have a problem slipping out of 1st. gear. I can't remember what caused it, but it should have been taken care of under warrranty by now. You have a very low mile car, and maybe the problem didn't bother the previous owner enough to take it back to the dealer.
Personally, I feel starting out in 2nd. gear makes you slip the clutch just a fraction more than you need to than when you start in 1st. The more slippage, the more wear on the clutch.
Many people start out in 2nd gear if they are on a slight down grade. Other's feel it doesn't make a bit of difference at all. Your results may vary.

 

Thanks James for the info...works great...Carl

 

The sticker isn't on the center logo, it's on one of the spokes. I'll have to take a picture tomorrow of them. It's also got pink/red valve stem covers on the tires. And it is the all black version without the silver windshield trim.

 

The windshield trim and other parts have been painted black aftermarket, or you don't have a 2004. What number is before the X in the VIN?

 

The number before the X is a 4... Car was made in Germany on 10/03 according to the sticker inside. How would I be able to tell if they were painted? If they were painted, they look identical to the rest of the car.

Here is the pic of the rims with the lettering. All 4 have it.

 

Yes you have a 2004. I had my surrounds painted red to match the rest of my car. Black would be easy to match on a molding.

 

In the August Car & Driver they review the new $93,500 Cayman S. The author states, " Credit Stuttgart for not submitting to customer demand for less brake dust and thus, cleaner wheels. Fade resistant stoppers produce a lot of dust; there is no way around it. " For $845 extra Porsche will paint your wheels the same color as brake dust (platinum).