First Viper - 2000 RT/10 - So Far, So Good

[JoeTango]

Last fall, I turned 40 and decided I’d been stalking Vipers long enough and finally bought one. I picked up a 2000 RT/10, black with cognac interior local to me (DFW). I went in knowing it needed some TLC. Partly because it appears to have been neglected and partly because it’s a 25 year old car.

I’ve been digging through posts like a madman tracking down all the bits and pieces not captured in the service manual. No questions at this time – just happy to be here.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• Oil – went with 15W-50 for the Texas heat
• Transmission fluid – went with Redline MT-85
• Coolant: came with green, so I flushed several times and filled with Zerex G-05. Made the square plug tools from high strength bolts and had no issues getting the drain/vent plugs out.
• Replaced idler pulley, tensioner and belt
• Upgraded power steering pulley (Rockauto) and billet bracket
• Front control arm bushings, inner and outer tie rods, sway bar links and bushings and shock bushings.

Info that was harder to find:

• Confirmation that there is a washer behind the idler pulley to maintain clearance between the pulley and the alternator.
• The factory shock bushing part numbers. I’m pacing and budgeting myself so opted to replace the shock bushings rather than go with a complete BC Racing setup at this time. I’m not sure the juice was worth the squeeze to change these out. The OE bushings are Clevite FG 61416 (control arm bushings for a Taurus). I was able to track down and order Moog K8415 bushings as a replacement. Was surprised when I received the OE Clevite bushings in the mail.

I see a lot of posts about availability of factory tire sizes. When I got the car, it came with ~2 year old Kenda Vezda UHP tires, in the original sizes. I haven’t seen these tires discussed in the various Viper pages. Outside of the Viper community, they seem to be a good, low-cost tire. That being said, I’m still getting the car sorted and haven’t pushed it too much to know one way or the other. A friend of a friend doing my alignment sponsors a drift racer and he had pretty positive things to say about the tires.

Last thing – when I inspected and test drove the car, I could hear a noise coming from the front end while turning. I took this into account before making an offer. Once I got the car home and torn apart, I was amazed to find the driver’s side inner tie rod threads were worn down to the minor diameter (pic below) and the outer tie rod locking nut couldn't be tightened. I suspect this was from someone cutting and threading the Dakota inner tie rods. I’m still getting some noise while turning so I’ll be going after the steering rack next. It appears solid steering rack bushings were installed, so I’m thinking it’s something internal to the steering rack.

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Anyway, apologies for the long post. Just wanted to say hello and relay my sincere appreciation for the wealth of information this community has captured over the years. The level of depth the various procedures go into is fantastic.