Picked up a J2. Have some questions. Options

[milehighhyundai]

Hi everyone!

I picked up a nice little 2000 J2 Thursday night for $1700 from one of my neighbors. We decided to spin off our little Mazda5 and its related car payment d/t our lovely economy these days. Anyway, here are a few details on this neat little car and some questions:

-Original owner
-177k highway (I know his daily drive- it is 85-90% clear highway each day)
-Original clutch- still engages pretty well
-Timing belt, cat, ps pump and battery replaced w/in the past 10k.
-LOF's have been done every 3-4k- the beta runs very smooth and is still quite powerful for what it is (esp at our altitude)
-A/C works great!
-No collision history
-I had it smog tested today and it barely read on the scanner- runs very clean!
-New head unit with sirius and ipod connection!
-The car is super clean- although I still need to detail it to my high standards before this becomes my DD in the next few weeks after the Mazda is gone. My wife will be driving the new HD w/ the kiddos most days.

Questions/concerns:

-The drivers window is very "squeaky" when closing- the regulator is relatively new- how do I lubricate the window track? I have never removed a door panel before and don't want to break anything! I think a bit of lube would definitely give the regulator a longer life span.

-The most concerning issue is when I am shifting from 1st to 2nd (or downshifting into 2nd from 3rd), it grinds a bit and then goes into gear. I am thinking a synchro may be going bad, or could it be the clutch? My wife drove it today and had the same issue downshifting from 4th to 3rd- I did not notice that today on my longer (30 mile) drive.
- I have read that the clutch fluid/ slave cylinder can get gummed up and cause issues- do you think a simple flush could help?
- I want to avoid replacing the clutch at this point if I can- as is still engages great and all of the shifts are smooth w/ exception of what I stated above.
- My guess is that the MT fluid has never been replaced- would a good synthetic (redline or the like) possibly help a weak synchro?

My goal is to have this car be a DD for the next 20-25k (approx 2 years). At that point, it will probably enter service as a track car for me- I want to get into autocrossing and this sled seems like a good candidate- being that I can swap in 1st gen tibby parts for it.

I will post up some pictures when I get a chance... Thanks in advance for your help guys/gals!

[mlumz]

1. windows: Buy spray silicone. Roll down the windows. Spray onto a rag and wipe the side channels of each window. Repeat if necessary.

2.Grinding. Kind of happens on the elantra transmission. Check the DIY to do the slave cylinder removal. Change transmission fluid, you might need multiple changes in the next 1-2k miles to fully flush out all fluid. Use OEM hyundai or redline. Redline is suppose to eliminate some grinding.

[sarge]

Agreed with the grinding... it happens and a clutch wouldn't fix it (at least didn't in my case)
I'd start with the bleeding/flush of the clutch line. I'm not sure if the J2 models had that spring, but if they do definitely remove it, you'll enjoy shifting more.

Sounds like you've got quite a plan for that little thing. If you're in the market for some wheels/rims later on, check out the OZ Ralliart Lancer rims, they're light and look good (IMO)

[sciphi]

Yes, J2's benefit from the clutch valvectomy too. Replace the fluid with Redline MT-90, that'll make the grinding less evident.

For suspension parts, there are a lot of things you can do for it. I loved the Eibach/GR-2 combo on my old car that Sarge is running on his car, and ditto on the Lancer OZ rims. Also there's a poly bushing kit available from KDM-land for $300 that replaces every bushing imaginable on the car. For the Tib 19mm swaybar, that requires a bit of bending to fit. I still have the custom-fit one off my old J2 laying around.

[milehighhyundai]

Thanks for the tips guys!

mlumz- the silicone did the trick! i did find part of that channel was twisted and causing most of the binding- it is much better now!
I am happy to hear that the valvectomy may help me- i'll attempt that next weekend when I service the car (LOF, MT fluid). I was able to get the interior cleaned to a higher standard and the engine bay cleaned up a bit today. Winter is on its way and I need to get this done.

sciphi- I would be interested in the swaybar if you ever find it/ want to part with it.

Does anyone know where I could pickup a "nice" center console/ shifter boot? My boot is coming apart and it looks like crap in an otherwise nice interior.

Thanks again and I'll keep everyone posted.