metaruss

It is starting to become a little tricky to find certain parts for these cars and the overall quality has been in decline for a long time.  While Chrysler’s parts-bin approach has been helpful to keep the unique part numbers for major components down, we are still talking about 30-40 year old cars at this point.  The market is drying up, so it makes sense.  I’ve been collecting various parts that I know I’ll need to get the CSX back into shape and I’ve noticed some things.  I’ll keep updating this as I find new details, as it’s mostly for my own posterity anyway (the Internet of olde is dead).  Let the parts hoarding commence!

Engine

Timing Belt Tensioners

ITM 60114

These are still readily available for both the early and common blocks, but I have noticed that most manufacturers have moved to a plastic pully design.  Most were either pictured as plastic or were pictured as steel but delivered as plastic (AC Delco).  There is still the steel one from ITM (p/n 60114) for the early block and Enginetech (p/n TT192) for the common block, but it is the design with riveted halves that at one point had a reputation for coming apart.  Perhaps these could be tack-welded together?  Otherwise, we may have reached the point where we need to keep our old tensioners and try to replace the bearings….

Gaskets and Seals

Availability seems fine from most of the usual suspects (Victor Reinz, Fel-Pro).  I don’t know if the quality has degraded any, but it generally wasn’t very good anyway.  Timken seals are still available for certain applications, which were good back in the day.  They look the same to me.

Cooling System

Radiators

There seems to be a manufacturer still making a full-size radiator for these (part number usually ends with “980”).  No distinction is made between turbo and non-turbo, but a modern aluminum core likely outperforms the old designs anyway.  It is of aluminum/plastic construction, so it would be wise to move away from green coolant over to something more modern.  A full flush and change over to a yellow or orange antifreeze (extended-life, Dex-cool, HOAT, etc) is wise to preserve the condition of an aluminum radiator.

Heater Bypass Valves

Later 3×1 arrangement with angled barb.

Later “3×1” arrangement.

Early “2×2” arrangement.

I did notice that a number of listings for heater bypass valves are not correct.  There are 3 versions of the same valve, with the only difference being the direction of the top barb.  They all seem to be made by the same factory now, as the version with the crimped steel ring is being superseded by the glued version.  I refer to different types as:

• 2×2 – used on early “suck-through” turbo setups when the valve is located under the airbox right next to the head.
• 3×1 – used on later “blow-through” turbo setups, sometimes including intercooled depending on the mounting location.  These are usually located in the area in front of the trans or under the battery tray.
• 3×1-angled – used on non-turbo and some later turbo setups.  Sometimes needed when the cruise control is located under the battery and/or when there is an intercooler and/or some custom setup.

Just look closely at the one you are replacing.  For the 2×2, look at ’86 2.2L Turbo.  For the 3×1, look at ’88 or ’89 2.2L Turbo II.  For the angled version, I found it listed under 1990 turbo models.

Thermostat Housings

The OEM housings like to rust, but new ones were always available for a few bucks.  Despite what some of the pictures show, most of the current ones (including Four Seasons) seem to deprecate down to a poorly cast iron/steel housing.  It should last, but it doesn’t look right.  If you want the stock look, I found that GPD p/n 8241385 arrived as the stamped one.  Otherwise look to the billet aluminum housings from FWD Performance, etc.

Hoses

I was pleasantly surprised to see that coolant hoses all seem to be readily available for most setups from known-good brands like Gates and Continental.  This includes the short lower radiator hose for intercooled engines (non-L-body) and a number of the custom-molded heater core lines.  Some of the listings are wrong, so just look closely at what you have and check nearby models and model years if you don’t see the one that you need.

Chassis

Power Steering

Steering Racks

There were two OEM power steering rack manufacturers that were slightly incompatible with each other (Saginaw and TRW), each with a bunch of sub-variants.  The reman market has always been a bit of a mess about this, which made it difficult to get an exact replacement rack for certain applications.  This topic is a a rabbit hole, so I made a separate post about power steering racks and how to identify them.

Pumps and Lines

Remanufactured and new Saginaw and ZX pumps are still available.  While separate line sets are still available for the two types of pumps, I did notice that there is often no distinction between Saginaw and TRW racks.  Sometimes separate return lines are shown, but sometimes not.  The two rack manufacturers had two different arrangements for the line fittings, but the fittings themselves are the same (M18x1.5 inlet, M16x1.5 return).  The only difference between the lines were a few bends and the retaining bracket, so it should be possible to use what is available with some mounting modifications.