New owner. Couple of questions

[nismoflip]

I purchased a 95 Gen 1 with 46k miles and it didn’t come with the owners manual. I will be ordering both the owners and service manual.

I have lots of questions but I don’t want to bombard the forum with my noob posts too much. Here’s a few:

1. The car came with a key fob. It seems to arm and disarm the alarm. But it is not a keyless remote entry, correct? I have to manually unlock/lock the doors and trunk?

2. I noticed that sometimes in reverse, the tranny wants to get out of gear. If I don’t hold it in gear, it makes a rattling noise. I just physically hold it in reverse to avoid the rattling but I’d like to figure it out soon.

3. Is there a factory horn? When I push the center steering wheel button, nothing happens.

4. I need to get used to the brakes but they seem on the weaker side. I have to push with the pedal with some decent effort. I know this is subjective but is this normal for Gen 1 Viper brakes?

I have found 2 local shops in the area. I want to bring it to a shop to have them test drive and go over the car.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bonkers]

Welcome to the addiction Nismoflip. Im not an expert on the Gen1s,
but heres how i remember things (someone will correct me if im wrong

I will be ordering both the owners and service manual.

Look under the "General Forums" for a series of threads called "Nest of
Vipers." Ive not seen any owners manuals, but I think there are currently
two sets of Gen1 Dealer Service Manuals for sale. If not there is always
ebay.

I don’t want to bombard the forum with my noob posts too much.

Ask the questions - there are some things on these cars you do NOT
want to find out the hard way on, trust me. Its not as quick as Facebook,
but someone will always respond to a direct question here... eventually...
:-( Personally Id rather you annoy me with noob questions than do something
that will spoil your ownership.

The car came with a key fob. It seems to arm and disarm the alarm.
But it is not a keyless remote entry, correct? I have to manually unlock/lock
the doors and trunk?

I thought all 94+ were Lock/Unlock/Alarm FOBs, but I could really be mistaken
here. The Viper does not come with an automatic mechanical lock, on the Gen2s
and up the lock is a solenoid. So if your car has a button that physically engages
the lock then there is no way for a FOB to lock it. On my GTS the lock button is a
digital LED push switch - you push it and you can hear a solenoid click inside the
door.

I noticed that sometimes in reverse, the tranny wants to get out of gear.
If I don’t hold it in gear, it makes a rattling noise. I just physically hold it in reverse
to avoid the rattling but I’d like to figure it out soon.

Your transmission (like all vipers) is a T56. They are notorious for the weak shift
fork that engages reverse. If youre skilled with a wrench there are DIY guides here
that can walk you through fixing it - its not a hard task persay, but will require you
to remove the rear of the transmission. Youll need some parts as well. Yourself
should be less than $700, as dealership will probably cost $1000ish. If you are
unfortunate enough to need a rebuild, Tick Performance is making a name for
themselves on T56 Rebuilds, and if money isnt a concern there are several places
offering a TR6060 swap ($5000ish) - which is a HUGE improvement over the T56.

Is there a factory horn?

Yes, all modern cars a required to have a functioning horn. I suggest starting simple
with fuses and wiring. Make sure you have a factory steering wheel and its installed
properly - its possible a previous owner removed it for an aftermarket wheel (or the
original just got old) and didnt install the current wheel correctly.

I have to push with the pedal with some decent effort. I know this is subjective
but is this normal for Gen 1 Viper brakes?

Viper brakes have some weight to them, but they should still lock up with minimum
effort. If anything, people accidently locking up the brakes early is a bigger concern than
the force needed... I recommend a 40mm rear upgrade to balance the distribution, but
it sounds to me like you have another issue going here. Its possible you have a caliper
locked up or a vacuum leak somewhere.

If youre not mechanically inclined, any compentent shop should be able to diagnos the
braking issue pretty quickly - there is nothing complicated about the mechanics of he
car (unlike German or Japanese cars that have tubes and bolts added just for the hell
of it,) however, there are some dealers who still have Viper Techs on staff, not to
mention several trusted Viper Gurus around the country that you simply cannot go
wrong with.

Good luck, i know its not much but i hope it helps!

 

[nismoflip]

Thanks Bonkers! Actually, this is a lot of help.

I do plan on doing some of the smaller to medium size jobs myself but I do want to have a local Viper shop go through an inspection to give me a baseline. I will report back with my findings.

I love the car. It’s so raw and crude and yet puts a huge smile on my face. I’m a mid 90’s Japanese car guy (Z TT, Supra, RX7, etc). But those cars have gone up in value so much, my attitude was “for a little more I’d rather have a Viper”.

 

[viperman4125]

Since you didn't have a inspection on the car before you bought, it's a good idea to have a Viper Tech go through the car. Find one in your area, for safety.

 

[nismoflip]

Thanks. I've scheduled an appointment with a local Viper tech. I will report back with the results.

 

[nismoflip]

Just wanted to follow up my OP. A viper tech inspected my car yesterday and overall the car is in good shape.

My oil pan is seeping at the gasket. I can take care of that myself.

The power steering hose assembly is aftermarket. The tech recommended I use the factory assembly which I can take care of as well.

The tech test drove my car and indicated the brakes are functioning properly. I told him I thought the brakes were weak. And he said, “welcome to the Gen 1s” haha. He mentioned that I can upgrade to the Gen 2 booster. If not too involved, I can probably do the install myself.

I figured out the horn. One of the terminals wasn’t contacting.

The only issue right now is the reverse crunch. I’ve inquired at a reputable shop and they quoted me $2000-$2500. The labor is $1200 and the parts are at least $800 depending on what all is needed. That sounds steep enough for me to at least try the repair myself. My service manual came in. I’m hoping between the manual and a diy thread I can sort it out.

 

[Bonkers]

Define "aftermarket steering hose assembly."

The 1993 RT10 had the years best braking of 210ft which
(if i remember the numbers correctly) was 5ft shorter than
the 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo. I am not sure what issue
you are having, but i can promise you they are not naturally
"weak" components. If youre not getting nose-bleed stopping
under threshold then there is an issue with the car. I
would assume a Viper Tech would recognize glazed rotors,
make sure youre not running new EBC Greens, and if youre
mechanically inclined, pull the calipers and make sure they
are moving freely. (Albeit rarely. factory brake fluid has been
known to absorb humidity and rust the caliper pistons,
especially if the car sat alot in its first years.) Like i said above,
the pedal is heavy, pickup truck heavy, but it should EASILY
lock up the front tires. You can do a 40mm brake upgrade to
balance out the rears, but if youre not flat-spotting the fronts
almost every time you hard brake, then you need to investigate
that more.

 

[nismoflip]

Bonkers I think I’m just not used to non abs brakes and I shouldn’t be saying the braking is weak. It’s more like I don’t like the feel. The pedal is very heavy and the actual pedal travel is shorter than what I’m used to. It feels like it’s 2” of travel. It takes some effort but the braking stength is there. My brakes do easily lock up. I locked them locked up yesterday because someone jumped in front of me from another lane

 

[Bonkers]

In that case Toms 40mm rear brake upgrade helps out
alot, its easy to install, it doesnt require modification,
and its not very expensive. Other than that (unless you
want to drop several grand on a big brake kit) its just a
matter of good ol fashioned seat time. I dont think
swapping the boosters out (ect...) will help with the
"feel" of the setup since its purposely designed to be
heavy and touchy... but ive been wrong before.

What exactly is happening with the steering hose setup?
Are they aftermarket hoses, or modifications to the
pump? Two of the "must have" mods is Roes Vent Cap
and replacement of the plastic pulley (which breaks) so
you dont want to mess with them if the car has them,
but im not familiar with hose issues on Gen1s...

 

[nismoflip]

Thanks Bonkers. I sent an email to Rick regarding the 40mm upgrade.

About the steering, againn my choice of words was poor. The power steering hose assembly is 3rd party like something out of autozone. Tech said to replace it with an OEM unit since not expensive. Thanks for info on roes cap and pulley. I’ll look into to those next.

 

[nismoflip]

I just placed an order for Rick’s 40mm rear brake upgrade. Can’t wait

 

[ViperEnvy99]

Did you have a 350, 370, GT-R, or Juke Nismo

 

[nismoflip]

Haha. No I used to have a Z32 TT many years ago. Got tired of throwing money at it. Wanted to go ‘murican this time