Took the car for another short ride, brakes working better but the BAS/ESP light is on as well as the windshield washer light. I have not tried to reset the ESP light by doing the lock to lock method. Also have not checked the brake lights to see if they are working. Will do that tomorrow. Will be checking the sensor on the washer bottle to see if it is corroded or stuck somehow. Passenger rear tire was low on air after inflating it about three days ago. Tires are original. so should get them replaced. I ordered touch up paint as well as some leather dye for the driver seat. PO had scratched it up some considering it has less than 20k miles. I have used the leather dye on our older Jaguar, and it works really well. One has to look really hard to find defects after using the dye and associated products.

Nice to have it off the trailer and under it's own power.

 

Only warning light left on is washer bottle. I inflated the leaky tire to correct pressure and checked the others, light went out. Did the lock to lock and the ESP light has stayed off. Vacuumed and cleaned everything again, had been a lot of green slime on the outside. Everything has cleaned up well. Awaiting delivery of touch up paint and leather dye, and this thing should look very respectable. A bit more to clean in engine compartment and wife is promising to try to clean mold spots off the headliner. She has a Mazda RX 8 that she seldom uses, and thinks this would be a "new car" for her. Better than the new SUV she has been talking about.I will mess with the washer bottle later today, see if that light will go away. Thanks for looking, and again, thanks for the helpful knowledge on this forum,

 

I've said it before, and will say it again..... such a beautiful car. Aggressive and elegant at the same time.

Lots of luck!!

Jared

 

I received the leather dye for the Crossfire on Thursday, so yesterday I decided to repair and redye the bolster on the driver side. First used a cleaner to clean/prep the area to be dyed. Then used a filler to smooth out the creases and scuffs on the leather. After the filler dried, I sanded it with synthetic steel wool/abrasive material. I applied about 5 thin coats of the dye. It turned out good, but not perfect. The dye has a slightly purple cast to the final coat, even after applying the cream finishing coat. I used the same product on our 94 Jag, and though it was a light biscuit color, it matched perfectly. I may try to apply an additional coat to see if I get the correct color. It is really an easy job to do. Also had a map light out as well as the hatch area light. The bulb had fallen out of one side of the map light, and once I reinstalled it, it and the trunk/hatch light came alive. Still waiting for the title to come from the PO who gifted us the car. They have moved several times over the last decade, coming from Alaska where they bought this car. They could not find the title anywhere, so have applied for a replacement which the state of Washington said to allow 8/10 weeks! They didn't even want us to pay for the lost title. Trying to be patient here. I did order new belts for the engine, as well as washer bottle sensor and brake light switch, in case the trac light comes on again. And have been studying a new set of tires.Any recommendations? It has Michelin Pilots on it with lots of tread, but they are dated 03. As frugal as I am, I don't even want to chance tires that old. I'll try to post some pictures of the bolster dye job.After posting the pictures, you can see the purple cast, looks worse in the pictures than daylight. Guess I could have reduced the picture size a bit more!

Bolster wear before dying.

Product used to clean the leather before filling the defects.

The filler used to repair scuffs or deep creases.

The actual dye color for the Crossfire. Only thing I needed to buy since we had the other components form a previous project

The finished job, just not a perfect match.

Hope this will help others if they have similar issues. A really easy Do it yourself project.

 

Nice job of bringing her back to life. I personally am a big fan of Michelin. I put the summer Michelin Pilot tires on mine, stored more months than driven. In Oregon you probably want their all season tires.
Any tire you buy will give a better ride. If dated 2003 they are hard as a rock. Make sure to search threads on TPMS. Many problems with getting them to sync if not done properly. Easier if all sensor batteries are working.
There is always the option of removing wire in dome light to the TPMS dash warning light. Tons of info on this site just takes time to find what your looking for.

 

Wow! I'm impressed! That is quite a transformation. Thanks for posting these closeups and the products you used.

👍

Regards,

 

A few updates. Installed some pin striping today. No, I don't know how to pin stripe, but I can do a fair job with striping tape. Anyway, wanted to do a simple blue stripe, but didn't have enough blue and because of the current covid situation, I did not feel like shopping all over for some to match. So, ended up using gray/silver. I like it, wife wanted blue. Still have to pull fender inner liner to research washer bottle light. Also need to buys some tires, but a lot of shops are closed. Almost forgot, touch up paint showed up yesterday, so did the brush touch up on chips, but also got spray can of color and clear but that will take some indoor prep work. Good match.
But, after the pin striping, I checked the mailbox and I now have the signed title and bill of sale for the car. Thanks Lonnie and Audrey, you guys are too generous.
A few pictures of striping to follow.

 

Pulled the wheel, passenger side front, and removed the water bottle. Installed a new fluid level sensor and all is well. Lots of nasty stuff in that bottle when I emptied it! No dash lights now, at least for the time being. Thanks for the "How to" postings on this forum. Helps a HUGE amount.

 

I see it has been a while since I posted. The car is refurbished as best I can. The touch up painting has been done, including having to repaint the spoiler since the fiberglass was pretty ragged along the trailing edge. Turned out pretty good. As I mentioned in another thread, I bought and installed Achilles tires to replace the rotted Michelins that were original to the car. Cleaned up the wheel wells, painted the brake calipers and polished up the wheels while touching up some road rash on the rims. Had the original RCM refurbished for a spare. Used my "Ding Thing" as seen on TV many years ago, to remove four door dings on the passenger side. Worked great except on a sharp ding just above the passenger side window. I got about 80% of it out but could not pull the last little bit. Bought new belts for the engine, but am not going to install yet. The originals seem good after sitting for such a long time. Buffed the paint out a bit, but still may need clay barring since there still is a bit of roughness to the feel. Can't see anything, but you can feel it! I bought one of those Honda front air dams that have been used on Crossfires. I am working toward getting it fitted. Spent about an hour on it so far. I think it will work without too much effort. Of course once fitted, then it's gotta come off and get painted, then reinstalled. Balky riding mowers have been getting in the way of finishing that project. Also need to deal with oxidation on the engine. Cover hides most of it, but it shows on the front of the engine. And, the headliner is in good shape, but has some black mold spots on it that just don't want to come out. Hate to replace an otherwise good headliner. I'm sure there will be more to fix. I have sneaked around the back roads for a total of about 10 miles, and it runs and drives fine. Been waiting for DMV to open so we can get the title changed and new plates. Washington plates expired in 2013, but the car hadn't run since around 09 or 10.
DMV opening is not happening anytime soon, apparently. So I ordered a three week trip permit from DMV which will allow us to drive it without the title change. Also insured it starting 5/18/20. The permit showed in the mail today, also starts 5/18. Man, I would really like to take it out this weekend, but we have waited so long now, I guess another couple days won't hurt.Once we get it out and about, I'll post a couple pictures when it is parked someplace other than our driveway! Thanks for looking, and thank you to all who have compiled the troubleshooting threads on this site. VERY helpful.

 

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WOW, Awesome!


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Today, we finally took the Crossfire out onto the highway, legally. First time it has been driven at highway speeds in about 10 years, except on the trailer when we brought it home! My observations are as follows. Nice firm ride, Very quiet for a sports/sporty car. Achilles tires are quiet and seem to work fine. The spoiler rises at 55/60, and retracts at 40 or so. Transmission works great, overall things work well.
Except, for the following: The car tramlines, following the worn areas of the highway. Good road, no problem, old worn road kinda a hand full.I took the time to read a few threads about that issue, and it seems to be fairly common. Keep in mind this car has less than 20k miles on it. I read about a possibility of a loose pinch bolt in the upper steering shaft area, replacing the stabilizer, and beyond that, looking at worn suspension components. But the latter, at 20k miles seems unlikely.

Also, the BAS/ESP light illuminates frequently. It will stay off for some time after doing the steering wheel turn to reset sequence. It was on, more than off, for most of the time during our 50 mile ride today. Everything seems to work correctly and the car runs/drives ok except for the above mentioned tramlining.I have read some on this issue, and since I will probably be removing the panel under the steering column to check the pinch bolt, I may as well replace the brake light switch while there. I bought a new one as a spare a few weeks back. Beyond that, not sure what else to do to keep that light from triggering. I do know that since the car sat out for several years during its non op status, that the brake rotors were pretty crusty/rusty. They have polished up pretty well with use, and no pulsating or pulling is happening.
All in all,Ii"m pretty happy with my first real Crossfire drive at normal speeds. But I sure would like to get a bit more comfortable with the steering situation. Any advice would be appreciated.
And, I promised some pictures, other than in the driveway.

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Cannery Pier Hotel and Astoria/Megler bridge in the back gound.

Cannery Pier Hotel and a peek at the Columbia River.

A bit of the river, and Port of Astoria mooring basin in there as well.

And a shot of the passenger side, just so you know it exists.

 

You have done this car EXTREMELY well! About the ride and the BAS/ESP? Have you inspected the connections to the wheel sensors (for the light) including those wear sensors, CLOSELY? I am guessing you checked all the suspension bushings/connection points for damage or loose? Finally, have you gone (when all has been checked/repaired) and done a complete 4 wheel alignment? The 4 wheel is a lot more complicated than the 2 wheel with rears 'kinda' checked. I say this because some shops will say a 4 wheel but they do not have the right equipment for a MB suspension to do a correct 4 wheel (defrauding you). You MIGHT want to get the rear camber/other suspension parts so they can be set up 100%, as the rears are factory non-adjustable (from most of what I read), BEFORE YOU GET THAT ALIGNMENT! I foresee many more miles on this car due to your careful thoughtful restoration! Good luck (I have a feeling you will not need luck though!)…


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Have driven the car a few more times. Replaced the steering stabilizer with a Bilstein unit, and it seems to have helped the tram lining/hunting issue with the steering. However, the original unit (20,000 miles) seemed to be just fine upon removal. The BAS/ESP light still has a mind of it's own. Stays off for 15/20 miles, then comes on, usually after engine has been shut down and then restarted. Cruise control still works when light is on. Finally got a VIN check , by appointment, at our local DMV. Now have to send all paperwork to DMV headquarters to get the new Oregon title processed in our name. Been a long wait with the Covid! Also trying to fit a Honda front air dam (kinda looks like the SRT6) to the front of the XF. Not an easy task, but doable. Also ordered the rear defuser panels. Had to think twice about $200 for a couple plastic panels, but think they will look nice once installed.Thanks for looking.

 

if u don't like the repaires seat bolster being sat on every time u get n the car maybe do this ,i did and it is like a brand new seat on the drivers side
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ght=swap+seats

 

Been a while since I posted. Finally got the rear diffuser panels painted and installed them tonight. Still working on the front air dam and yet to get it painted. The rear diffusers are, in my opinion, just OK once installed The plastic rivets kind of glare at you when looking at the panels. Once the rock chips and dirt gets stuck on the panels, I probably won't notice the rivets!
The car has been doing fine, though we have put only about 150 miles on it. Traction control light still having a mind of it's own. Still no title or plates from DMV. Trip permit expired June 7. Oregon says we can still drive with expired permit.
Amx1397, thanks for the link to the seat change. I have done that on a couple of my Fiero refurbishments, but they are manual seats, so fairly simple. Looks like a good method.
I'll post a couple pictures of the diffuser panels installed.

 

Been a while. We have put about 600 miles on the XF since the refurbishment. My wife sold her 94 XJ6, so now the XF has a parking space in the garage next to her RX8. Anyway, she has taken it over, so seems like I have to ask permission to use it. Still have intermittent BAS/EXP light so will be trying to figure that out when we install new rotors and pads due today via UPS. Otherwise running very well, and a pleasure to drive. I installed a Civic type front lip. It took two tries, but the second install fit very well. I was pleasantly surprised after I figured it out. Also got the title after two months delay from receiving the plates/ registration. Didn't think it was going to show!
Thanks again for all the help and info available on this site.
I do find myself looking at "for sale" listings for SRT6, though. I'm so cheap, most turn me off with the pricing. I know there are not a lot to choose from. Found one with 103k miles, looks nice, but more miles than I like.
Anyway, posting a picture of the front lip.

Finally installed. Since changed out the ugly license frame for stainless one.

 

Well, It has been a long time since I have posted anything about the Crossfire. We have ventured out on some short road trips, 200 miles or less a couple of times. One trip was to show the car to the couple who gave it to us. They were genuinely happy to see the car shined up and running well. Made me feel good when they said that they knew I was the right guy to give it to. Very generous of them! But last week, two other couples and us, drove to Reno Hot August Nights for a 5 day vacation. I sweated over driving the Crossfire that far, but it came thru the 1260 mile round trip with flying colors. I teased one couple, who drove their Pickup, that I wasn't worried about a breakdown since I could just get a U-haul trailer and load the car on, attach it to their pickup and all would be well on the way back home. The car still does tramline pretty badly on worn roadways. Straight as an arrow on good road, quiet, air worked great,(90-98 degrees a lot of the trip), music is good, seating fairly comfortable and so on. Bas light still on most of the time. I still, after well over a year, have not changed the brake light switch or checked the wheel sensors and have not installed the drilled and slotted rotors that I have in the parts inventory. About 2800 miles since you all helped me get it fired up after many years of non op. 22,660 miles total, so far. Oh, I was pleasantly surprised the fuel mileage-28.5 to 31.5 and two additional fill ups in between. At $5 plus a gallon, we were pleasantly surprised at the MPG. Thanks for looking, and thank for all the help.