Roger Frazee

I am in the process of overhauling the brakes on my '89 TC, starting with the rear brakes. I have the calipers off the car and have rebuilt them. The driver's side brakes went back together just fine, but I cannot get the passenger side pads to fit into the caliper. The seem to be about 1/16th of an inch too thick to fit. I have disassembled and reassembled the piston assembly several times, and I am certain the emergency brake adjuster is fully retracted, and the piston is bottomed out in its cylinder. I must be missing something in the reassembly process, but I can't figure it out. Has anyone else run into this problem before?

I purchased two lifting straps from Tractor supply, and routed both straps through a steel ring. I attached one strap to the left rear and right front. I attached the other strap to the right rear and left front. The straps cross at the steel ring. With this arrangement, you can easily position the top for correct balance as it is lifted from the car. To do the lifting, I used rope (rated at 500 lbs) two pullies, and a trailer winch, like is used on boat trailers. The winch is attached to the garage wall. With this arrangement, taking the top off is an easy one-person job.

Speaking of radios, does anyone have a source for replacement speakers?

Thanks Hemidude and Twincamfan. Those are interesting ways to determine the build dates for the cars. My later build does have the fabric-covered speaker grills and the new fuel line location, but still has the plastic strut-tower covers. One slight correction to Twincamfan's post: My cars are 2.2l 8-valves. I had to buy two cars in order to get 16 valves.

You might want to inquire on the AACA Judging forum. They have specific guidelines for displaying a car at a meet. In the case of a TC, I believe the approved method would be to have the soft top up, and the hard top on the ground or on a stand, beside the car. The trunk and hood would be open and the widows would be up. Doors would be closed. The interior judge will ask the owner to open the door when it is time for judging. Literature would not be displayed with the car, but would be available for documentation, in case the judges had questions about authenticity. Once the judging is over, you can display the car any way you wish. You can read the judges guidelines at http://www.aaca.org/images/judge/2014_Judging_Guidelines.pdf

Front

I am in need of axles for my '89 2.2L automatic. All of the parts sources lists axles for 90-91, but nothing for an '89. Does anyone know if an axle for a '90 will fit an '89? If not, does anyone have a source for the axles?

I always enjoy and learn from the experts on this forum. I know there is someone out there who can answer my next question. Through a series of circumstances which has caused some to question my sanity, I now own two '89 TCs. Both cars have the 2.2L 4-valve engines. One TC has the steel fuel lines attached to the firewall and emerging just aft of the engine. The other TC has the fuel lines attached to the passenger-side fender well, and emerging to the starboard side of the engine. I am curious when and why Maserati changed the location of the fuel lines, and which design came first.

Thanks Digger. The problem turned out to be corroded connections on the #3 injector. The hardest part of the repair was getting all of the vacuum lines back in place when putting the car back together. Is there a picture that shows what all of the vacuum devices are, on the passenger-side fender? I couldn't find anything in the blue shop manual.

The #3 cylinder on my 2.2l TC is not firing. I have error codes 27 and 45 on the computer. Code 25 is " injectors 1,2,3 peak current not reached." Code 45 is " turbo boost limit exceeded-<acronym title="Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">map</acronym> sensor detects overboost" This is my first experience with fuel injection and I need to know where to go next. Should I remove the injectors, clean them and test them, or is there something else I should do first? Is there a way to check to see if the control module is sending a voltage to the #3 injector? Could a code 25 cause a code 45, or vise versa?

I have been noticing a few drops of brake fluid on the garage floor, under the TC. The fluid ic coming from the proportioning valve flare nut fittings. Is this a common problem? Of course I tried tightening the fittings, but they are already good and tight, and I didn't want to damage them by over-tightning. The problem is probably aggrivated by my very steep (20-degree) driveway, which requires considerable braking, just before entering the garage. In the event I end up replacing the proportioning valve, are new replacements available?

Thanks Shelbyone!

I am in need of an original TC windshield for my '89. The windshield must be scratch-free and contain the Maserati logo. Please let me know if you know where one is available.

I finally got a chance to work on the cigarette lighter problem. I was not able to unscrew the lighter so I went with Digger's advice. After removing the trim collar and the carpet access panels, reaching up to reconnect the lighter was a piece of cake. Thanks to Bill and Digger for your good advice and ultimate solution.

I need to reconnect the wires the the previous owner removed from the cigarette lighter socket. How do I remove the console to get access to the wiring?

Thanks Todd! Much appreciated.

TNtc, did you have to remove the glass from the hardtop to work on it?

Can someone tell me the correct sizes for the two rubber fuel lines under the hood and the two lines back by the tank? Are they metric or SAE? What is the inside diameter for each line? Thanks for your help.

I need a windshield.

I am interested in doing both seats and the arm rest, in ginger.

I don't have a wiring diagram yet. I purchased a shop manual on Ebay, but it has not arrived yet. The seven milliamp draw was measured by placing a multimeter between the negative battery terminal and the negative cable. Seven milliamps seems like a very small draw, and may be normal, for all I know. Can you tell me the location of the shutdown relay? I'll start there. If that doesn't help, I'll start pulling fuses. Thanks for your help.

Please pardon all of my newbie questions. I'm still getting to know my TC. My problem jour is a dead battery. There is a constant 7 milliamp load on the battery that causes it to go dead in 2-3 days. The previous owner removed the bulbs from the trunk lid and the hood, so he must have been trying to find the problem too. I disconnected the pull-down motor, but the load still remains on the battery. Any suggestions on where to look next?

Thanks Bill. Much appreciated.

Before the AACA forum was hijacked the other day, I posted a question about the location of rubber fuel lines on my '89. I have now located the two lines near the passenger firewall, and I understand there are two rubber lines near the gas tank. I also understand that the fuel filter is located back there too. My question now is, what is that thing that looks like a fuel filter, that is bolted to the top of the engine. It has a fuel line connected to one end of it, and another rubber hose connected to the other end. Should I be concerned about the age and condition of the hose that is connected to the other end? Here's a picture of the part I'm referring to:

According to the 1989 sales brouchure, TC stands for Turbo Convertible.