I just bought a red 1994 Viper with 23k miles. Had a few questions.
1. The brakes are very hard to press and i think it needs a new brake booster. I can get a used one for about $100 or a new one for about $400. The shop told me to give the used one a shot because he's never heard of one going bad in a viper before. I'm not exactly rich so any chance to save money where i can is great. opinions?
2. The idle is set at about 300rpms which seems low to me and sometimes it's slow to start and jumps between 300 and 1000rpms for a few seconds until it warms up. Does the idle need to be turned up?
3. Theres a spot under the hood on the side skirts about the size of a quarter where the exhaust runs on the drivers side where the paint is bubbling a little from heat. Normal?
When I first got my car I started to see my silver paint start to discolor in that location so I put on a set of headers along with some Roe high flow cat's and a Corsa catback and the car runs better and the sidesills only get warm to the touch .
on the exhaust, remove the cats, or put on high flo ones. that will stop the damage, and help with cabin heat tremendously.
on the idle. look around on here and adjust your TBs, that might help. others who have had and dealt with Gen 1s should chime in. the brakes being that it is almost a 20 year old car, I would start with braided lines for your soft lines, just as a precaution and preventative, bleed the system through while you are there. if the booster is out, put a new one in it. a fast car is great.....until the brakes fail. absolutely no reason to not spend the money on brakes on any sports car, old new etc. you are probably ok on the MC, but wouldn't be a bad idea to have it and the proportioning valve checked out. also, I would recommend doing a brake upgrade.....also you didn't mention it. so check your tires, if they are run flats or even semi old, replace them immediately. don't become a statistic. they aren't cheap, but I prefer Michelin PS2s. lots of vendors around to help. keep the questions coming.
on a side note, this forum is rough, just get used to the ribbing, it's hazing. these guys really are very helpful. where are you located?
Welcome to the Alley.
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98 DLM Paxton 510 Proline Greg Good GTS.
---Under the knife---
soon to be 98 RSI Twin 67 510 Proline Greg Good GTS
Look at the markings on your tach again. It's probably 700 rpm not 300.
Aside from synching the throttle bodies like was mentioned, a few other things. Clean the IAC, the throttle bodies (all with cleaner approved for such), and also, how old is the gas in that low mile car?
Before replacing the brake booster I'd do a hydraulic flush and check the vacuum to the booster.
I'm located in Destin, FL in the panhandle. The car has new wheels, tires, and upgraded brakes already. I took it to the shop and they said the brakes have vacuum and they didn't need to do a flush to know the booster was bad. My idle is just above the first line above 0 on the tach. I imagine that's 300rpm. For the spot i'll try your advice on the high flow cat or removing the cat.
I have worked on many vipers and never had a bad booster. Not saying can't have one tho. I would not have any issues what so ever buying used. Have bought used on many items for the viper.
800 338 4002 ask for Ryan, he'll hook you up.
Well today I had the booster installed. Didn't help the problem much. Before the install my brake pedal moved maybe 1/2 inch and now it moves 1 inch. Still doesn't feel right to me. Brakes pads and rotors are new, car stops evenly, has vaccuum, they bled the lines. This isn't normal for a viper is it?
As for the cat removal: Found one shop that would chop my cats but they want $500. Sounded a little steep but they said the side skirts were a pain. Does that sound legit?
Well today I had the booster installed. Didn't help the problem much. Before the install my brake pedal moved maybe 1/2 inch and now it moves 1 inch. Still doesn't feel right to me. Brakes pads and rotors are new, car stops evenly, has vaccuum, they bled the lines. This isn't normal for a viper is it?
As for the cat removal: Found one shop that would chop my cats but they want $500. Sounded a little steep but they said the side skirts were a pain. Does that sound legit?
Gen1 / Gen2's usually have hard brake pedals. Test your booster by placing your foot on the brake and cranking the car. If you feel the pedal sink a little, then your booster should be ok.
As for the cats, take the side sills off yourself, it's like 10 bolts on each side. Take a damn sawzall to the pipes on either side of the cats and drive up to an exhaust shop and tell them you need some pipes welded in. They can work on cars that don't have cats on them, it's the act of removing them where they can get fined.
I remember thinking the same think when I first picked up my 95, the brake pedal is like nothing I've ever driven before, but as long as you can lock up the front tires, it's working fine.
Gen1 / Gen2's usually have hard brake pedals. Test your booster by placing your foot on the brake and cranking the car. If you feel the pedal sink a little, then your booster should be ok.
As for the cats, take the side sills off yourself, it's like 10 bolts on each side. Take a damn sawzall to the pipes on either side of the cats and drive up to an exhaust shop and tell them you need some pipes welded in. They can work on cars that don't have cats on them, it's the act of removing them where they can get fined.
Does one inch of brake movement seem right for the car?
Good advice on the exhaust. My sills are held on with rivits i believe. If it was just bolts i'd give it a shot. i've never removed a rivit before. Not quite sure how.
Rivets are typically drilled. Mask off the surrounding area a,d then take a bit that is slightly larger than the hole in the middle. Drill carefully and when the rivet head pops loose stop and take a small punch and knock the rest into the body.
Ok new question. Since i bought this thing it's been driving well but this past week i didn't start it at all and i let it sit in the driveway and get rained on. Tonight i took it for a short drive and it died on me twice while driving at 40mpg. The engine just shut off and the engine light came on until i restarted it. Any idea what could cause that?
Ok new question. Since i bought this thing it's been driving well but this past week i didn't start it at all and i let it sit in the driveway and get rained on. Tonight i took it for a short drive and it died on me twice while driving at 40mpg. The engine just shut off and the engine light came on until i restarted it. Any idea what could cause that?
tell some more specifics.. does the car idle?? does it ONLY shut off at 40 mph?? doubt it... i mean.. your description is pretty broad.. if the engine just shuts off without you turning the key off.. sounds like a sensor. the rain most likely has nothing to do with it at all .. just bad timing.
could be your crank sensor... might be something with the fuel system... get it to do it again.. and hit the obd2 scanner.. see what code it throws!!!! easy as that.
When the car is cold it takes about 5 seconds to crank and the idle jumps from 500 to 1000 for about 30 second before out starts idling smooth. Both times it died i was doing around 40mph. Cracked right back up after dyeing drove normal for 2 min then died again in the 40 mph range. Crack sensor? Fuel pump?
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