# 1997 Sentra GXE



## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

I have a 1997 Nissan Sentra GXE 1.6L California Spec Car, I recently bought. Its winter, and cold up here in the North. car had a new water pump put on, and coolent change, 8-9 months prior to buying, but no evidence in papers that thermostat was changed.( car not heating cab very good, got heat, but not that warm once car is heated up ) so I decided to drain out, flush system with steam distilled water, maybe try to back flush heater core. I got a new factory OEM thermostat, and temp gauge thermal sensor, and gonna use Zerex asian formula coolent, for a fresh start ( the temp gauge works when it wants to, because of a bad thermal sensor, which I already confirmed by grounding wire lead )
By searching FSM, I have located the block drain, and what I believe is one (A) of two, air relief vent screws located near thermostat housing, actually sits right next to ECT sensor for ecm, on a housing that connects to one of the heater core hoses.
The FSM shows another one just right and up from the block drain, located somewhere that would be located what would be the back of the engine ( head ) can't seem to find it, would some one please fill me in on the location?

Even after expanding the figure on the page, its still hard to locate. Or is it possible it does not exist on my application, ( California Car ) ?


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

Never mind, I did find it, Air Relief Plug (A), is located on drivers side, just under, the rear distributer housing hold down bolt. It is a 10mm. Just to the rear,down and under a plate/bracket,is the Thermal Transmitter( 1 wire lead, sensor for your temp gauge ) Just as I said before, but it is Air Relief Plug (B), is located on passenger side, near thermostat housing, on a housing next to it, which the top hose from your heater core connects to, that has the 2 wire connector Temp Sensor for the ECM ( ECT ) the 10mm bolt, is right next to that sensor. And the Block Drain, 14mm or 15mm bolt is located on the drivers side of, just slightly, ( but enough to get to it) behind the exhaust/catalitic manifold.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

When you go to refill, leave the screw by the thermostat housing cracked open (other ones tightened up of course, with a bit of gasket goop on the threads just in case) and don't close it up tight until a bit of coolant bubbles out of that one.
Otherwise you'll end up with a big ol' air pocket in the system and you'll end up spinning your wheels trying to figure out why it's overheating and/or not getting any heat to the heater core.
Side note...the "Gray" Permatex is the only stuff I use for the gasket goop on the water pump gaskets (and most others on this engine, not only that, it's what the book calls for). It's served me fine since I've owned my B14's...approximately since 2002 or so.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

Thanks for the tip JDG, Yeah, I kind of figured during the flush out process that the (b) Air relief screw bolt ( near the thermostat housing, on the housing, next to the ECT sensor) was the most important one, because it is as high as you can get for bleeding air out. I also use the permetex Ultra Gray sealant......good stuff. The car is jacked up in front sitting on floor jacks also, Once I get everything done underneath, I'll leave it up there, while I fill with coolent, I have found that helps , when trying to get the air out, of coolent fills on other cars (brands) That I have done coolent changes on. I had to also change that 6 1/2" hose that connects to the thermostat outlet cover, not an easy task.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

One other tip you might've figured out (for future reference since it sounds like you're done already)...if you unbolt that power steering line at the top of the passenger side strut tower, you can gain a fair amount of elbow room down in there.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

JDG, I did that one too, Anymore, when I work on just about anything, I do a fair amount of equipment forum specific research, use manuals, if I can find them, if I Can find a good youtube vid that is a plus, and shop around for good suitable parts.(some internet: dealer, rockauto, etc.) some local.
Problem is, everything has become so specialized, to be a handyman of sorts, you have to. It requires an enormous amount of patience, thinking things through, just being very resourceful. Yeah, it might not be rocket science, but it sure is starting to seem like it. I have just recently bought this 1997 Sentra (auto) (133,000 miles) but have been going through it bringing things up to snuff. I still have my 1994 Sentra LE (211,000 miles ) 5-speed stick and its still running great after 21 years as a day driver. I got a few things that need to be fixed on it, but when I finish with the 97, that car is next for surgery. I have been fortunated to be able to fix my own cars (and others) the only thing I have fixed/farm out is tire work. I have more problems trying to get the places to do it right as it is.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

The main thing I have found over time, when searching for answers on search engines, is you have to keep changing your search terms in the query to keep coming up with other results. you have to do a good amount of reading in the results to find the answers your looking for. ie tips, short cuts, ins and outs. etc.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

I sent the remainder of a '97 GXE A/T off to the scrap yard a few months ago. Got hit 3/4 front/right passenger, took out that corner, radiator, condenser, body work, etc. Stripped the car, kept a lot of the small stuff that'll work on my '98 200SX/SE, motor, transmission, interior stuffs, electronics, sensors, etc. and sent the rest off to the crusher.
Picture may or may not come up...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...983169.-2207520000.1453446861.&type=3&theater

For a change, I pulled the car out of the motor/transmission!, rather than lifting the engine out of the car.
Don't have a cherry picker. Disconnected everything, cut the body work out of the way, jacked the motor/transmission up a bit, set it on some blocks, rolled the car back about 6 feet.

A few main things I've learned about the B14's...

Upper timing chain tensioner - usually goes bad around 100K-150K, starts sounding a bit like a diesel, or a noisy sewing machine.

Front crank seal - same time frame, goes bad and starts dripping oil here and there.

Trans drain - The magnets in the pan work well and it's a piece of cake to swap tranny filters.

DON'T start the car, drive it 50ft in the driveway or down the block, and shut it off. For some reason, they like to flood themselves (whether that's what actually happens, I don't know, but I'll call it that) out on the next start attempt and you'll end up needing a new set of plugs. NGK only. If you have to move it a really short distance, let it run for a few minutes at least. If it does happen, pull the fuel pump fuse, crank it dry, pull the plugs, dry them out, and see what happens. Usually a guy ends up needing a new set of plugs regardless.

Put some lock tight on the distributor rotor hold down screw. Happened to me 3 times where the screw let loose and left me 'stranded'. First 2 times I doubted myself and had the car towed thinking I threw a timing chain. Last time I got smart and used the lock tight.

Make sure the base timing and base idle are set according to the correct 'procedure'. Don't try to 'eyeball' (or do it by ear) it like a guy could on an engine back in the day. Won't work.

If you drive I-70 across western Colorado, you'll spend a lot of time in 2nd gear  These engines don't have enough power to kill themselves, hence the righteous gas mileage, and long life.
My '97 GXE A/T had 192K before it got hit, ~30MPG with the wife driving the kids around, only major thing I swapped was the alternator. The '98 200SX/SE M/T, around 35MPG (got 55 MPG on one tank tooling around Yellowstone Natl Park in '07, 675 miles on one tank!), got 169K on it now. Aside from the upper tensioner fiasco ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJvC4fQrnyg ), no problems.

Use genuine parts. So many stories/threads rolling around about swapping out a reman'd water pump or alternator from Autozone only to go back and do the same thing a week later.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

Wow, theres, a good amount of info, and tips there on the B-14 plateform, that you shared, JDG! Thanks, I'm still working on my 1997 and have not refilled it yet with coolent,(that system is ready though) because I'm working on things I see, and things I just know to check out. My 1994 B-13, is the same color as that one you parted out and scrapped. My 1997 is the Starfire Blue.
I can't take the time right now to post it, but check back here on this thread in the near future and I'll share some stuff with you as well, that, even though my experience, has been on the B-13 platform, it would certainly apply to just about any platform and especially the B-14 because it has the 1.6L.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Lots of things cross-over between the B13 and B14, including the engine/transmission issues. Obviously not the body panels, and most things relating to the actual fuel injection subsystems.
I got 99.99% of a good running engine/transmission from my '97 for you if you ever toast yours...although the drive to pick it up might be a pain. And that's assuming I don't let grenade my engine in the meanwhile.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

JDG, I'll definately take note and be mindful to that B-14 flooding issue, that you shared. I have changed that front seal at 95k- 100k, on the B-13, its time to do it again on my B-13, 5-speed stick. No upper tensioner issues yet on B-13 or B-14, but because I have got to change valve cover seals on B-13, I'm going to check that, on that car. 
So far on the B-14 ( 1997 GXE sentra, California car ) everything is clean! meaning very little rust! That is "Golden" in this rust belt State of Michigan. ( probably one of the worst in the Nation ) ( TIP! ) As I take bolts/nuts off, I got in the habit a long time ago of wire wheeling just the rust off and Anti- seizing the threads before re-install, and I torque any bolts that I can ( if I can get to them with the wrench ) I have always had a problem with overtightening, have got better over time, but try to always leave things as if I have to take it apart again, in the future. 
What I have done and am doing yet on the B-14:
1. Complete flush of cooling system, complete separate flush of heater core, (normal flow flush, and reverse flush using a motor home/RV electric water pump and steam distilled water) New factory 170 thermostat, and factory thermal temperature guage transmitter installed. removed ECM temp sensor, cleaned, inspectected and re-install. Overflow/recovery bottle cleaned to spotless. ( what a pain, it was real bad ), water pump was replaced 8-9 mos ago, no evidence of leaking or issues yet ( it looks new to)
2. Remove/ completely dissasemble/ clean/ repack outer CV joint, install, new outer CV boot (Moog, from Rockauto) on axle ( its not the original axle, has anti-lock sensor ring on it, the car does not have anti-lock brakes on it. Good!., hate them anyway! ) Despite what FSM says about left half shaft removal, you can pop it loose from housing with a pry bar, with out having to take the right axle out. need to add 28 oz of fresh trans dexron fluid yet. Thats how much I lost in catch pan, when I pulled left axle. ( front axle 14 1/2 inches off level ground, rear axle, tires, not touched yet, still on ground.)
3. tightened upper power steering supply hose clamp, removed lower stock supply hose clamp, replaced with band style rad clamp right directly over the bulb of pump fitting connecter. ( pain in the ass to get to from underneath, with one hand, and be able to see good, but its done! )
4. Completely cleaned, the front of the engine of oil/ power steering fluid/ coolent mix grime. cleaned all pulleys real good, scuffed up with wire brush, completely clean belts of same as former grime, check all pulleies and tensioner for excessive play, noise. ( put some PB blaster on tensioner bearing to let it soak in a bit, to see if that is where I'm getting noise intermittently at idle) Also with clean belts and pulleys was able to lower the tension on the belts some. They had them way to tight to over compensate, for oiley/greasy belts and pulleys ( Yes, they walk the earth )
5. Completely cleaned front brakes, re-greased pins and applied little film on pad shims, pad ends, piston end, caliper housing to pad contact points, and caliper bracket to pad slide shims, where pad ends make contact. Wire wheeled bleeder and PB blasted Bleeders and cleaned Bleeder port holes ( why do they not leave dust covers on! they do serve a purpose, You know! )
6. Back axle is now up on jackstands, tires off, brake drums off, time to clean those, check for excessive wear, replace/adjust/ grind contact backing plate pads, if needed, clean up bleeders ( getting system ready for full caliper/wheel cylinder bleed to get old out and new fresh dot 3 fluid in )
Hope I can get all those Bleeders to brake free, so I can plug the hole temporary with plastic/rubber plugs so I can clean/anti-seize the threads on them. before reinstall.
My B-13 Original factory Stock Front calipers lasted 19 years on left, 19 1/2 years on the right one. from bleeding the system every 1-2 years and putting in fresh fluid. My Wheel cylinders 21+ are still Stock, as is the master cylinder. Brake lines have only been replaced from drivers door back to wheel cylinders, everything else is still Stock, except for front pads and calipers.
7 got to check/adjust blend door and inlet door ( Did they really need to use electric motors on this!, B-13 is slide cables, still works great!), Got to pull Heater/AC blower unit to clean squire cage/ check air passages car seems to have air flow issues, on high really does not feel like the air flow in my B-13, maybe its just the design. we will find out. Thats it for now, hope theres something in there you can use JDG, or anyone else, got lots of tips, maybe start a B-13 thread in the B-13 section. I'll Be back soon here.
I am looking for things/ that need correcting, as I fix things I know need correcting, some things I will be watching when I get it back on road. IE front engine seal. can't see it as good with vibration damper on as you can on my B-13, in 3 months of driving the car no significant loss of oil.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

OH! and not to forget! I like the Drain plug on the Auto Transmission pan, first visually saw that around 96' on brother in laws Ford Contour......That's Real "New" Technology! for me anyway, About Frickin time! ( need more "Common Sense", "New Technology" ) Sorry, gotta poke fun at this, Hope you find a laugh out of it as well.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

M.J. said:


> No upper tensioner issues yet on B-13 or B-14


 No worries as long as it doesn't sound a bit like a diesel or a sewing machine.



> That is "Golden" in this rust belt State of Michigan. ( probably one of the worst in the Nation )


I'm originally from southern Minnesota. I feel the rust pain. Had a '77 Monte Carlo in high school. Had the special "light weight" body panels (eg. more rust than steel)



> Remove/ completely dissasemble/ clean/ repack outer CV joint, install, new outer CV boot


Loads easier to just swap them out these days. I saved the bulk of my fluid by tipping the car as far sideways on the jack stands as I dared as well as parking it on the slope of the ditch on my land. Helped but I don't think it was worth the effort looking back.



> tensioner for excessive play, noise. ( put some PB blaster on tensioner bearing to let it soak in a bit, to see if that is where I'm getting noise intermittently at idle)


Probably. They look and feel good but they get some heat on them after running a bit, and they're toast. A bit of a pain to swap, but easy enough.



> Hope I can get all those Bleeders to brake free


Piece of cake to swap out the rear brake wheel cylinders. Like $10 at RockAuto or something like that.



> My B-13 Original factory Stock Front calipers lasted 19 years on left, 19 1/2 years on the right one. from bleeding the system every 1-2 years and putting in fresh fluid. My Wheel cylinders 21+ are still Stock, as is the master cylinder. Brake lines have only been replaced from drivers door back to wheel cylinders, everything else is still Stock, except for front pads and calipers.


Not too many people flush the brake fluid. I'm one of them, every few years when I feel like it.



> ( Did they really need to use electric motors on this!, B-13 is slide cables, still works great!)


Ya think!!!


> Got to pull Heater/AC blower unit to clean squire cage/ check air passages car seems to have air flow issues, on high really does not feel like the air flow in my B-13, maybe its just the design. we will find out.


Both of mine were packed full of leaves. Amazing what getting rid of those leaves does for airflow.

As far as the magnetic trans drain plug...no kidding. Who was the genius that finally figured that one out?


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

Yeah, I'm not that cheap, That I won't go out and get the parts I need, I have always been geared toward working with what I got, to make it last. My B-13 drive shafts are still stock at 21+ years, have changed the outer boots on them twice each ( never had problems with the inners ). I know its easier to just go out and buy remans, but by buying a boot kit 10-15 bucks, having it sent to the house,the time I spend removing diassembling, cleaning, repacking, rebooting, is the time it takes chasing down a reman ($60-80 each, locally) so its like paying myself back the cost, the gas, the tax, and the tax on the core. I check those cv boots anytime I have to get under the car. IE oil changes,brakes ETC.They are not hard at all to break down. A ways back guys were changing them out, and having issues with the remans not fitting right too, probably not so now. I did not mind losing the trans fluid on the CV job, because I could not get the info from the former owner, when it was changed last, so I used that as a means to freshen it up a bit, even though it did not smell burn't or looked dirty (TIP!) I write down, Mileage, Date, what got done, what parts I used in my Owners Manual, or additional Note pad to log my repairs, and maintanance and keep it in the Glove box, for future reference. 
So I see JDG, your a North Dakotain, its warm here along the I-94 corridor in MI, compared to there ( Max, here can get down to -25-30 degrees ) I know it can get to -60+ degrees there, what is that like to deal with? cars, just life in general? ( probably don't dare pissing in the woods!, You guys wear space suits there! ) Salt or(chemical combinations) on your roads probably would not do much of anything? Plowing and putting down sand is probably about all they can do. Plus you got all that Oil drilling up there, traffic probably is comparable to Florida in the winter ( I know that the boom has slowed down, if not stopped and shut down, considerbly, since the drop in price of oil worldwide, demand is way down ) Man, you got 2,445 something posts there, are you one of the owners there at Nissanforums? we got to be near in age too. Oh hey, got to go for now, something came up.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Bah, I just order the axles off RockAuto, get them shipped here. And, no, I won't be putting the car up on the angle next time I do the axles. That extra quart or three of lost fluid isn't worth the hassle of jacking it up on grass.
Got stupid cold here last week, -10F give or take, cold enough that I left my Odyssey idle overnight just so the wife and kids wouldn't have to deal with the cold in the morning. Built an OBD scanner awhile back with my own software on it. Figured the Ody burns about .35 gallons per hour. I can soak that amount of $$$ to stay warm.
BTW - I also hooked up my homemade scanner to both my Nissans way back when. All other things being equal, the GA16DE in both of them burned about .26 gallons/hour at idle (lights off, blower off, etc.) in the winter.
Was a balmy 42F today. Good and sloppy...and now a sheet of ice on the roads. Good stuff. They use sand and something else up here...not sure what, along with urea on the overpasses and intersections. Pissing in the woods in the winter = pissicles 
Oil drilling - Traffic /WAS/ stupid heavy up until the gas and oil prices started dropping. Just took a trip out towards Williston yesterday. 2 massive man-camps along the side of the road near Ray, ND. Used to be chock full, roughly maybe 1,000+ men in each camp. Drove by them yesterday, completely empty. Not even tire tracks in the 2 day old snow in the parking lots.

2,400 some odd posts... Nope, not an owner. Just been around awhile. Don't even remember when I first signed on. But I'm pretty much a one-trick-pony as far as Nissans go. B14 & GA16DE are pretty much the limit of my in-depth knowledge other than generic automotive stuff.


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

I not only, just like nissans, I like toyota, Hondas, jap cars in general, they, the japanese, are pretty hard to beat when it comes too, economical, reliable, long lasting 4 cylinder engines, in my opinion, Newer cars are nice, but have become real money pits. all brands. ( maybe except that 1.8l in the newer sentras )
I live near, the American acclaimed " Automotive Capital of the world " Chrysler, GM, Ford, all headquarter in Detroit surrounding metropolitan suburbs. I have worked on different versions/and years of those cars and trucks, from those brands, one thing or another, from those brands, somethings are ok to work on, but some things are just stupid, that need to be fixed or worked on. or have to be replaced. I get it, its about making money, and about built in Absolance, job security etc. etc.. Yeah, parts can be recycled, But the constant specialization in platform redesigns, is just a total waste of resources, I don't really want/or want to afford a new car, specialized chip keys that are not cheap, alloy rims that leak after a few years of corrosive winter salt, if they don't get bent all the hell, if you should happen to drive through a bad pothole.Hackable cars?just to name a few quick things. Cars overall have become more reliable, but man, when one of those quirks pops up that all cars have, it is unbelievable what people have to pay to get it fixed, at dealerships and repair shops.....If they fix it at all the first time, not to mention the things, that i have seen out there that should be a recall but still to this day are not.
That is why I prefer to stay with older, still somewhat relatively easier cars to work on. Between registration, cost of gas (not bad these days, good in one sense, not so great in another),cost of maintenance, cost of insurance ( Michigan is one of ,if not the worst in the nation) you have got to try to save, some money, some how.
Enough of my Ramble, if you got a question? about Michigan, I'll try to answer it. 

The question that I have about my 1997 Nissan Senta GXE, california spec car is: (other than the exhaust manifold catalitic converter being different and more expensive, than federal setup). what else is different? than federal specs? I have read, but not sure that the starter is different. Not finding much in searches. ?


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

As far as I know, the starters are the same. Only starter difference...I think...is between manual and automatic.

Cars in general...Ya, they're pretty much all crap when it comes down to it, some more than others. There hasn't been a decent domestic ride (designed and built domestic by the big 3) that I'd really want to buy made in the past 20-ish years. My Vibe, a rebadged Toyota, the '01 Dodge 1500, ok, that's domestic, it was cheap, and it gets the job done. Haven't blown that one up...yet...but it's a gas hog. And I gotta wonder how long the new GDI systems are actually going to last. Will they start crapping out right after the emissions warranty runs out? Will they last as long as 'regular' fuel injection systems these days? Who knows. Bad enough I've got two other cars with 'throttle-by-wire'. Not digging the fact that, in the end, I don't have absolute control over the throttle plates. Even driving the Ody around the driveway thru the snow is a pain. Stability Control kicks in, loose speed, forget to hit the button to turn it off, and.....I'm stuck.
I think the reason why cars are overspecialized crap these days is for the same reason that there's warning on pencils not to shove them in your eye or the warning on the bottle of drain cleaner not to drink it. Forward looking radar, adaptive cruise control...ya, that's for people not paying attention to squat. ABS...maybe that's halfway alright. Hasn't saved my butt yet, but again, for people that can't think fast enough to pump the brakes rather than lock 'em up.

It's all about soccer mom's, driving oversized vehicles, hauling 4.3 kids, leaving home 15 minutes late, trying to make up the difference by going 90MPH down the highway, for a 7 mile trip where going 90MPH is going to make 13 seconds on the drive overall, on a hot sunny summers day, with tire pressures that haven't been checked in 6 months, on tires that are worn damn near down to the cords, with a fuel low light that's been on for the last 37 miles, on an oil change that 3,500 miles overdue, trying to fix that last bit of war-paint (eg. makeup), sipping away their latest greatest coffee-wanna-be-specialty from the coffee stand just outside the local WalMart, texting on one phone, yakking to some other dingbat in the same situation on the other phone, and just generally making life miserable for the rest of us in the long haul.

You can quote the above


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

jdg said:


> As far as I know, the starters are the same. Only starter difference...I think...is between manual and automatic.
> 
> Cars in general...Ya, they're pretty much all crap when it comes down to it, some more than others. There hasn't been a decent domestic ride (designed and built domestic by the big 3) that I'd really want to buy made in the past 20-ish years. My Vibe, a rebadged Toyota, the '01 Dodge 1500, ok, that's domestic, it was cheap, and it gets the job done. Haven't blown that one up...yet...but it's a gas hog. And I gotta wonder how long the new GDI systems are actually going to last. Will they start crapping out right after the emissions warranty runs out? Will they last as long as 'regular' fuel injection systems these days? Who knows. Bad enough I've got two other cars with 'throttle-by-wire'. Not digging the fact that, in the end, I don't have absolute control over the throttle plates. Even driving the Ody around the driveway thru the snow is a pain. Stability Control kicks in, loose speed, forget to hit the button to turn it off, and.....I'm stuck.
> I think the reason why cars are overspecialized crap these days is for the same reason that there's warning on pencils not to shove them in your eye or the warning on the bottle of drain cleaner not to drink it. Forward looking radar, adaptive cruise control...ya, that's for people not paying attention to squat. ABS...maybe that's halfway alright. Hasn't saved my butt yet, but again, for people that can't think fast enough to pump the brakes rather than lock 'em up.
> ...


 Now that is Entertainment! nicely done JDG!
It is the Old American Adage of "look what I got" OK, If you got the Money to burn, go for it. Nothing wrong with having a pretty car, with all the extras and conviences. But the bottom line is, "You don't need it " They have turned out, to be nothing more than distractions, or in some cases just plain hinderances in a persons ability to get done what they set out to do in the first place. get from point A to b! And all that extra stuff, some good (but not really needed) is costly as Hell to repair/replace. This whole reliance on technology so you don't have to think, does not help with what you are suppose to be doing out there on the Road, Concentrating on your driving. That cell phone call can wait! you got voice mail! ( I do see more people pulling off the side of the road, to make calls ) Radio volume to high, turn it down or off, don't even start about texting! or watching a TV moniter! Reading a paper?! to many passengers talking? Tell them to Shut Up! or just park the car safely until they do. 
I have driven semi-tractor trailers, and different size trucks through out my whole life. and you think you see it from a car, pickup, mini- van or whatever. It is blantly unbelieable what you see from up there. Not really because, your looking for it. But because its all about space management, so theres way more, in the big picture that you have to see, to safely Operate a Rig around.
Oh, and yeah, I've been flashed, a few times out there, its nice, but it still is a distraction
I think I need to get back on topic ( I took a break, from my repairs, its time to get back to them. A quick review of a few things: JDG mentioned, and I want to respond to, for now, more later.
Timing, by FSM procedure: Yes, have done it, on the B-13 a few times, timing has stayed consistant. (TIP!) From Farming Experience: " IF it ain't broke, don't fix it " never have had to adjust, base or initial Timing, as you will. Perodically Clean Cap, rotor and blow out internals of distributer hosing, (clean wires if needed). with light compresed air. only still on second cap, rotor, wires on B-13, no misses
Spark Plugs: NGK all the way! just standard V powers, you'll get 30,000 out of them easy, just make sure you look at them periodically ( once a year, or depending on your mileage accumalation ) see how they are burning, regap, clean up a little bit, if they start to look to rounded at electrode points, replace them, standard NGK plugs are cheap enough. ANTI- Sieze on install, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN! (TIP!) blow out spark plug tubes with air if you can before you remove them, and try to look down there to see if all the connector caps are on them before you remove them. Mostly, if you don't know, for sure, if they are fixed or removable screw on caps. 
Case in point, Worked on a 94 Toyota Camry, four cylinder, had a intermitten mis-fire going on, pulled wires, blew out tubes, pulled plugs, one was missing the screw on cap, (shit!) thought it might have went down in the cylinder, while try to fish it out of the tube a couple of times. Used a magnet, rigged a vac tube up, nothing! Really looked the spark plug over with a magnifiy glass to see if it may have been installed that way, and see any evidence of where it may be sparking to the wire. nothing! checked the wire to see if it was still in the socket, nope! appeared to be firing good! Replaced with new plugs that had fixed wire contact connectors. said my prayers before starting it. listened for anything on that cylinder, with a steathiscope, immediately after starting it. nothing! There was no longer that intermitten misfire going on, That car is still running good today, did that about 3 years ago. Always check if it is not yours, or if you are not for sure if it, is yours. Save yourself a headache! 
I ran Bosch Platinium tips once when they were all the rage, got my 60,000 out of them, but was not all that impressed with their performance. You don't need "fancy" plugs on these cars. B-13, B-14 (1.6L)
Gotta go, more later


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