Here's My Astral [Text View] - VehiCROSS.info Forums

Ala5ka

03/07/2011, 11:35 AM

1999 Astral 28K on the ODO

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0205.jpg

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0206.jpg

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0207.jpg

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0208.jpg

Everything on it works perfectly, all plastics are there and in good condition, the only problem is a small dent in the rear cladding and a cracked drivers side taillight.

If you have any questions or things I should look out for mention it and I can take a look. Does not burn oil, and got about 21-22 mpg.

Ala5ka

03/07/2011, 12:13 PM

I might do the Rocky Mountain sliders, and OME lift but I don't know if I want to change any of the factory stuff. I don't want anything too crazy but having a nice trail rig would be nice :)

Hiredgoon

03/07/2011, 12:46 PM

Man, that is a sharp looking rig.

Scott Larson

03/07/2011, 01:09 PM

They don't come much cleaner looking then that, nice score!

Triathlete

03/07/2011, 02:00 PM

Sounds like a trip to Moab in May is in order!:bwgy:

Very clean looking VX!:yesy:

Ala5ka

03/07/2011, 04:15 PM

VehiX

03/07/2011, 05:55 PM

Looks just like my Astral the day I drove her home minus the roof rack.

Please take care of it! It will take you any where you want to go for many, many, many miles.

Have fun and happy VX'ing :)

Triathlete

03/07/2011, 06:02 PM

Chase, what part of Az?

VX KAT

03/07/2011, 06:04 PM

I wanted to come in May but that is when my spring break is so I will be spending time with my family in Arizona instead, I would like to meet with the other SoCal guys in the future though, if anybody is interested in a meet my number is 6026631691, my name is Chase

But where did you find this beauty? Where did she grow up?

Also, what part of AZ? The Phoenix & Tucson area VXers and myself (I'm about 90 miles North of Phoenix) try to get together every now and then.

Ala5ka

03/07/2011, 06:57 PM

I am in the Wickenburg area when I'm in AZ, Santa Barbara for the winter and Alaska for the summers. I will be in Wick next Saturday through Friday the 18th. I got it from a very nice man in Fremont Ca who bought sight unseen from an older gentleman who had it garaged for a long time. That's the extent of my knowledge about it, I'll get the vin later so I can unlock it's secrets. I drove it around La Paz county today and fired up the 4X4 on a trail to see how it works, and I'm pretty sure it was the first time it had ever been in 4 Low and first time on dirt. It handled famously on the twists and turns, even accelerating into turns.

Bob Barker

03/07/2011, 08:04 PM

and got about 21-22 mpg.

Good looking truck!

and what's your secret? I'm lucky to hit 17 mph on a long highway trip!

VXjunky

03/07/2011, 08:10 PM

what bob barker said x2

Ala5ka

03/07/2011, 08:22 PM

I'm not sure I stayed around 65mph, I drive slow because I'm used to big trucks, and Semis. I'd like to think my VX is special in that respect, I know it's a thirty little car but this one has so far been not too bad. I try to stay at lower rpm's, the car is bone stock as well if that makes any difference. Factor in human error as well, when I go to AZ this weekend I''l find out definitively, it's a 20 gallon tank right?

VX KAT

03/07/2011, 08:45 PM

technocoy

03/07/2011, 09:13 PM

Dude those seats are virginal!!!! Wow. Great score man. Very few with this low mileage. That's the number my baby was at when I brought her home.

I would suggest just keeping a regular check on your oil. Mine starting using it seemed like out of nowhere. It doesn't use so much that it feels like a bad thing yet, but if I was putting more miles on her I'd probably be putting in about a quart every week and a half.

It started for me around 50,000 miles.

Good luck, because now your addiction begins!

Congrats on the good find.

Anita

03/07/2011, 09:15 PM

I wanted to come in May but that is when my spring break is so I will be spending time with my family in Arizona instead, I would like to meet with the other SoCal guys in the future though, if anybody is interested in a meet my number is 6026631691, my name is Chase

Chase, we will definitely have to plan a meet. There are a lot on new owners in So Cal. It would be great to meet ya!

My husband and I drive up to Santa B at least once a month. Maybe next time we are up there we can meet. I'll check my VX toy store and see if I have any goodies I can pass on to a new VX owner.

VXdoc

03/07/2011, 11:55 PM

Not Very Many Low Mileage Vx's Out There. Congrats

Ala5ka

03/08/2011, 11:30 AM

I was told to start running Rotella Synth Diesel oil now to avoid the oil burning problem, and occasional seafoam treatment. What does the VX community think about this?

Bob Barker

03/08/2011, 11:54 AM

Why diesel oil? What makes that different, and why did they say it would work?

Ala5ka

03/08/2011, 12:05 PM

Here is a post from another site addressed toward my VX.

Your engine is young. If you do the right stuff now It may never get the oil burning problem. I sold my 2000 Trooper over it because at the time it was not well understood. The oil burning is caused by the fact that the pistons in the early 3.5 only have 4 small return holes under the oil ring. If these get gummed up the oil scraped off the cylinder walls goes into the combustion chamber instead of back into the block. Eventually the the rings can stick compressed in the ring land. There is a lot of write up on this on the planet. Main thing is run rotella synth diesel oil and periodically clean the entire EGR tract and tubing and run seafoam through the engine. If you keep it clean before it starts you should be fine. After the rings get gummed it's hard to free them again without an overhaul. Other than that is a fine powerful engine.

Here is a pic from an engine that was past cleaning. See the stuck oil ring?

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/Stop_Touching/Rodeo/Engine%20conversion/IMG_2060.jpg

Ala5ka

03/08/2011, 12:07 PM

I'm not sure why diesel oil but he advised me to use Rotella 5w-40 full synthetic. I don't have the burning problem and I don't want it :)

rsteinmetz70112

03/08/2011, 12:22 PM

Rotella has a very high detergent content.

Ala5ka

03/08/2011, 12:42 PM

So my engine stays clean :)

Rotella has a very high detergent content.

Triathlete

03/08/2011, 01:18 PM

Chase, I have read reviews on the planet of the Rotela use that go both ways. Some say it helped some say they had no differance. I have been running Mobil1 since I bought my VX at 65,000 miles (now have 140,000) and burn no oil. Other oils that have good followings are Royal Purple and Amsoil.

Ala5ka

03/08/2011, 01:54 PM

I do love Royal Purple :)

Ala5ka

04/26/2011, 09:17 PM

I hit up Glamis this weekend, amidst the prerunners, sand cars, and quads I parked my little VX...everyone was thoroughly confused :)

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0287.jpg

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0289.jpg

Gussie2000

04/26/2011, 10:12 PM

I'm not sure why diesel oil but he advised me to use Rotella 5w-40 full synthetic. I don't have the burning problem and I don't want it :)

Welcome to the fun ala5ka !
That's a beauty...of course,it's a shinny astral :p

I also use rotella in my VX,it is a excelent oil and many owners in other forum are well pleased about this oil too.

Hope you fully enjoy your VX and have a lot of fun

Congrats and welcome ! :yesy:

vt_maverick

04/27/2011, 07:07 AM

Lookin' good - what roof rack is that?

Ldub

04/27/2011, 07:15 AM

I can almost remember that long ago, when mine was a blank page...:_thinking

She's a beauty...:thumbup:

Ala5ka

04/27/2011, 07:23 AM

Lookin' good - what roof rack is that?

That is an older IPF rack that I fenagled with Yakima Mighty Mounts. A friend had it laying around and thought that the rack looked like it was made for my car so he gave it to me. I looked online and they go for about $600 new, I think I lucked out. IPF is a subsidiary company of ARB, they make all of their lightweight aluminum stuff.

Ala5ka

11/26/2011, 10:04 AM

Well here is the current incarnation of my VX (nicknamed "Sally" as some said it looks like a salamander?)

With the old IPF rack (which is for sale)and the new Grabber AT2's

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0658.jpg

With the new Yak rack

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0689.jpg

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0692.jpg

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0691.jpg

What do you think? My goal is for near stock for ultimate reliability and fuel economy (hahahaha) but still capable and nifty looking. Only mods I still want are head unit, sliders, brighter lights, skid's (lighter than Kilby) possibly locked rear. After those things my VX will be perfect!

I've only had to add a quart of oil in 15k miles and other than that no other problem has surfaced :)

Triathlete

11/26/2011, 11:04 AM

Nice:)
Only thing I would do different is if you are going to do a locker Inquiring I'd go with the front...you've got an LSD in the rear.

Ala5ka

11/27/2011, 06:12 AM

Correction I meant front thanks Traithlete.

Ala5ka

11/27/2011, 08:55 PM

Dangit PCV and MAF need cleaning, got the rough idle and stall problem, it'll be good tomorrow though, when the air rushes in the problem solves itself until I slow down, nothing MAF cleaner and a new valve won't fix :)

vt_maverick

11/28/2011, 07:37 AM

...After those things my VX will be perfect!

Still in stage 1 I see lol... trust me, it will never be "done"! :)

Ala5ka

11/28/2011, 02:42 PM

Cleaned pcv (not replaced), cleaned throttle body, and MAF. Used to idle at 2500rpm now steady at 850, easy fixes rock!

VX KAT

11/28/2011, 03:09 PM

Cleaned pcv (not replaced), cleaned throttle body, and MAF. Used to idle at 2500rpm now steady at 850, easy fixes rock!

Is idle of 850 in the "normal range"? :?:
Mine's been idling low, like 400-450, makes it a little rough, but it doesn't stall or anything.

MSHardeman

11/28/2011, 04:32 PM

Sue, 400-450 seems kind of low to me. Mine idles in the mid 700's once it's warmed up (I THINK that is the normal range).

VX crazy

11/28/2011, 04:48 PM

Mine sits right about 700 as well.

VXorado

11/28/2011, 05:08 PM

With the old IPF rack (which is for sale)

I might be interested, do you have a price in mind?

Scott Larson

11/28/2011, 06:32 PM

Idle of most mild to mid performance V-engines usually falls at around 750 rpm, give or take a few revs...whatever sounds good and doesn't mess with your auto trans lock-up is a good reference point! :yeso:

Scott Larson

11/28/2011, 06:37 PM

...Sorry, that is to say, if you have to stand on the brake to keep the car from creeping or if you have to feather the throttle to keep it running, it's not right...

Ala5ka

11/28/2011, 08:34 PM

...Sorry, that is to say, if you have to stand on the brake to keep the car from creeping or if you have to feather the throttle to keep it running, it's not right...

Haha yeah. Had another little scare today when I finished the project up and drove for a second and the check engine light came on followed by the 0122 code. Then I remembered that I keep the key on the "on" position while working on it to listen to NPR thus the throttle body, MAF, and accompanying sensors were disconnected while the VX was "conscious." Cleared the code, and drove some stop and go w/some highway, no problems. Check the throttle position sensor, associated cables and connections and all systems are a go. While I was under the hood I might have also gone ahead and detailed the engine compartment :)

VXorado for a fellow VX I'd take 50 bucks plus whatever shipping and packaging would be. That covers the Yakima mighty mounts alone :) It's an IPF aluminum rack, a prototype before IPF migrated to mainly lights and stuff. They were used as ARB's aluminum products manufacturer for a while. Not as sturdy as the Yak rack cause it flexes but weighs nothing and looks like it was made for the VX. No broken pieces, some minor scratches

VXorado

11/29/2011, 06:14 AM

VXorado for a fellow VX I'd take 50 bucks plus whatever shipping and packaging would be. That covers the Yakima mighty mounts alone :) It's an IPF aluminum rack, a prototype before IPF migrated to mainly lights and stuff. They were used as ARB's aluminum products manufacturer for a while. Not as sturdy as the Yak rack cause it flexes but weighs nothing and looks like it was made for the VX. No broken pieces, some minor scratches

Thats a great deal and I'll take it. Just let me know the total price with S&H... no rush if you're busy. My zip is 80241, thanks ;)

deermagnet

11/29/2011, 02:41 PM

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/imgs/vx2/idle750.gif

Our idle spec is 750 rpm when warm. It's totally controlled by the PCM and there's no way to mechanically adjust it. I'm guessing if you're more than 100 rpm out of spec there's something that needs attention. The PCM is trying to keep idle at 750. I'm not saying it's a huge problem. Sometimes these things are hard to track down and you may make it worse.

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/imgs/vx2/idle750.jpg

I just took this pic of mine a few minutes ago idling in park while warm. It's purring like a kitten at 750 rpm. If my engine with that many miles on it can idle correctly, then there's no reason why every other VX engine can't do the same.

Mark Griffin

VXorado

11/29/2011, 03:02 PM

Is idle of 850 in the "normal range"? :?:
Mine's been idling low, like 400-450, makes it a little rough, but it doesn't stall or anything.

Our idle spec is 750 rpm when warm. It's totally controlled by the PCM and there's no way to mechanically adjust it. I'm guessing if you're more than 100 rpm out of spec there's something that needs attention. The PCM is trying to keep idle at 750. I'm not saying it's a huge problem. Sometimes these things are hard to track down and you may make it worse.

Maybe the Idle Control Valve is having issues or a vaccum leak somewhere?

Ala5ka

11/29/2011, 05:38 PM

just checked again, 725-755, sounds good :)

Scott Larson

11/29/2011, 07:56 PM

260,000 MILES!! Mark, you are my hero...:yeso: All hail the mighty VXer!

VX KAT

12/20/2011, 03:34 PM

1999 Astral 28K on the ODO

http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo331/chaseckert/IMG_0205.jpg

Everything on it works perfectly, all plastics are there and in good condition, the only problem is a small dent in the rear cladding and
a cracked drivers side taillight.

Here's a Driver's side TAIL LIGHT on ebay.....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380385466204?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_2568wt_988

Price seems pretty reasonable. It's off a 2000.