Greetings From Central Iowa - 2004 Crossfire Limited NA
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Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Des Moines Iowa
Greetings From Central Iowa - 2004 Crossfire Limited NA
Greetings Everyone,
I am new to the world of Crossfires and couldn’t be happier that I unknowingly purchased such a special car! I purchased my 2004 Crossfire Limited NA back in November with 56806 miles. It has spent most of the winter covered up in my driveway waiting for nicer weather and cleaner roads. So now that the weather is warming up a little here in Central Iowa I have finally had a chance to get a little more acquainted with my Crossfire over the last few days. Talk about the ultimate delayed gratification! : )
First a little about me…
I am a 52 musician/educator and I own my own music teaching studio, Sinclair Music Studio. So I have the luxury of not having to commute to work. I’ve been doing the music thing for over four decades getting my start playing in rock bands back in 1976 at the age of 13. Since then I have logged countless hours performing and teaching and have been able to turn it into a profitable career. Not the easiest thing to do these days!
I’ve had some fun cars through the years but nothing even close to what I already briefly experienced with my Crossfire. In addition to music and cars I also have a love for motorcycles. Touring on my Roadking in any mountainous area is one my favorite things to do. I’m addicted to twisties, sweepers, elevation changes, switchbacks, etc. Unfortunately, Father Time and the guitar haven’t been too kind to my shoulders, arms and hands. At the moment my right elbow has all but eliminated any hopes of any extended mileage touring. I have really been missing that adrenaline rush that only the bike had provided. Needless to say my Crossfire has given me a new lease on life in this area.
Last fall my trusty 2007 Mercury Mountaineer had finally succumbed to a hard life of hauling tons of gear and logging plenty of miles. Since I work from home I wasn’t looking to spend a lot on a vehicle and had resigned to the fact that I would most likely wind up with something incredibly boring.
The first day car shopping presented many serendipitous moments that proved that I was destined to own a Crossfire. After browsing at the second lot of the day, the reality of boring and practical was starting to seem more like a reality. That’s when a salesman walked up and began chatting me up. While in his office he handed me his card and the name read Jim Page, as in Jimmy Page. So I already loved the guitar connection. He took down my info and said he would keep an eye out for something “fun” in my price range. As I was getting ready to head out he asked if I had about 15 minutes to hang out, which I did. He told me they were just getting ready to pull a car out of the cleaning bay that just came in on trade. He asked me if I knew what a Crossfire was and I had a vague image of a two-seater but nothing really clear. When they pulled it out on the lot it was love at first sight! And after the test drive, I was head over heels for this fast little car that I knew very little about. As I was heading out of the dealer in my Crossfire I mentioned that hopefully there would be some good information on the interwebs
Little did I know I would find one of the best internet communities I have come across. And this dates back to the days of BBS’s and 9600 baud modems!
I’ll write a follow up post detailing what repairs have been done prior to me obtaining the car. Plus, all of the “issues” I am discovering and the fixes I have already done.
Thanks to all for such a wealth of info!
Craig Sinclair
3087
07/03
June 06 2:00
Limited
Sapphire Silver Blue Met Cleat Coat
Dark Slate Gray/Medium Slate Gray
Purchased 11/14 1015
Mileage 56806
I am new to the world of Crossfires and couldn’t be happier that I unknowingly purchased such a special car! I purchased my 2004 Crossfire Limited NA back in November with 56806 miles. It has spent most of the winter covered up in my driveway waiting for nicer weather and cleaner roads. So now that the weather is warming up a little here in Central Iowa I have finally had a chance to get a little more acquainted with my Crossfire over the last few days. Talk about the ultimate delayed gratification! : )
First a little about me…
I am a 52 musician/educator and I own my own music teaching studio, Sinclair Music Studio. So I have the luxury of not having to commute to work. I’ve been doing the music thing for over four decades getting my start playing in rock bands back in 1976 at the age of 13. Since then I have logged countless hours performing and teaching and have been able to turn it into a profitable career. Not the easiest thing to do these days!
I’ve had some fun cars through the years but nothing even close to what I already briefly experienced with my Crossfire. In addition to music and cars I also have a love for motorcycles. Touring on my Roadking in any mountainous area is one my favorite things to do. I’m addicted to twisties, sweepers, elevation changes, switchbacks, etc. Unfortunately, Father Time and the guitar haven’t been too kind to my shoulders, arms and hands. At the moment my right elbow has all but eliminated any hopes of any extended mileage touring. I have really been missing that adrenaline rush that only the bike had provided. Needless to say my Crossfire has given me a new lease on life in this area.
Last fall my trusty 2007 Mercury Mountaineer had finally succumbed to a hard life of hauling tons of gear and logging plenty of miles. Since I work from home I wasn’t looking to spend a lot on a vehicle and had resigned to the fact that I would most likely wind up with something incredibly boring.
The first day car shopping presented many serendipitous moments that proved that I was destined to own a Crossfire. After browsing at the second lot of the day, the reality of boring and practical was starting to seem more like a reality. That’s when a salesman walked up and began chatting me up. While in his office he handed me his card and the name read Jim Page, as in Jimmy Page. So I already loved the guitar connection. He took down my info and said he would keep an eye out for something “fun” in my price range. As I was getting ready to head out he asked if I had about 15 minutes to hang out, which I did. He told me they were just getting ready to pull a car out of the cleaning bay that just came in on trade. He asked me if I knew what a Crossfire was and I had a vague image of a two-seater but nothing really clear. When they pulled it out on the lot it was love at first sight! And after the test drive, I was head over heels for this fast little car that I knew very little about. As I was heading out of the dealer in my Crossfire I mentioned that hopefully there would be some good information on the interwebs
Little did I know I would find one of the best internet communities I have come across. And this dates back to the days of BBS’s and 9600 baud modems!
I’ll write a follow up post detailing what repairs have been done prior to me obtaining the car. Plus, all of the “issues” I am discovering and the fixes I have already done.
Thanks to all for such a wealth of info!
Craig Sinclair
3087
07/03
June 06 2:00
Limited
Sapphire Silver Blue Met Cleat Coat
Dark Slate Gray/Medium Slate Gray
Purchased 11/14 1015
Mileage 56806
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From: Aurora , ILL
Re: Greetings From Central Iowa - 2004 Crossfire Limited NA
Greetings Everyone,
I am new to the world of Crossfires and couldn’t be happier that I unknowingly purchased such a special car!
I purchased my 2004 Crossfire back in November with 56806 miles.
I'm addicted to twisties, sweepers, elevation changes, switchbacks, etc.
Craig Sinclair
I am new to the world of Crossfires and couldn’t be happier that I unknowingly purchased such a special car!
I purchased my 2004 Crossfire back in November with 56806 miles.
I'm addicted to twisties, sweepers, elevation changes, switchbacks, etc.
Craig Sinclair
Welcome to the forum
You really must find your way down to Fontana Dam, North Carolina for the ..
9th Annual Spring Tail of the Dragon GTG - March 31 - April 4, 2016
Take a look and come drive 318 curves in 11 miles on the Tail of the Dragon (US 129) and many more fun roads around the Smoky Mountains
This has been an annual event for our Crossfire community since 2007 both Spring and Fall where you can join many other Crossfire owners for some fun driving and evening gathering at the Fontana Village Resort
If ya cant make the spring then save the dates for the Fall later this year
September 30 and October 1 & 2
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 945
Likes: 6
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Re: Greetings From Central Iowa - 2004 Crossfire Limited NA
Welcome, enjoy the car, they are quite a bit of fun. Read as much as you can on this site and you will learn more than you will ever need on over %90 of the good and the bad issues, all for free. Read every sticky in every forum as well. I have only been on this since July, and have found tons of good information and people here. Is yours a manual or automatic?
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 26
Likes: 1
From: Des Moines Iowa
Re: Greetings From Central Iowa - 2004 Crossfire Limited NA
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!
Riding the Tail of the Dragon has been on my wish list for a while now. I always thought I would tackle it on the Roadking but I would imagine the Crossfire will do quite nicely. I don’t think I can swing the Spring run but I have the October dates blocked out and you can count me in. It will actually work out to be a great vacation. I have a niece in Dallas getting married on Saturday Oct 8 so now the plan will be to make a road trip week out of it.
My motorcycling mountain trips include the Rockies, a 10-day trip to New England, a 10-day trip to Corpus Christi, two trips to the Black Hills, plus a lot of time in Arkansas. Especially Northwest around the Boston Mountains and a few times down to the Ouachita Range.
A big gap in my resume is the Mid and South East. So it’s time to pull out the Atlas and start some trip planning for early October.
At the moment it is going to be beautiful outside today and I have my calendar clear so it’s time to get more acquainted with the Crossfire. Especially now that my Kenwood 562BT is installed with the better (forum) option. I hope I get to the point where I can drive the Crossfire as well as I can handle my Roadking. I’ve put over 100,00 miles on it and really know how to push it in the mountains. Presently the Crossfire is a little more car than my driving abilities so this is going to be me my kind of practice. I’m already looking forward to some pointers and driving tips from the more experienced owners/drivers.
Believe it or not there are some decent roads to ride/drive around Central Iowa. Nothing like the aforementioned spots. There are a few nice back roads with plenty of variety to make the ride/drive fun. Another fun spot is NE Iowa and SW Wisconsin. That area kind of reminds me of “Bunny Hills” for roads. Nothing to drastic but enough to get your heart going. And plenty of wildlife to watch out for…
The plan when I get back from the drive is to pull the engine cover off and take a look at the secondary air pump and the contacts to see if I see anything that might be causing my intermittent P0410 code. I can hear what I think is the pump kicking in right at start up. Then it shuts off at about a minute. Pump has a slightly high pitched whine. Normal?
I already have a plan in place that will enable me to use the Crossfire as a gear hauler to gigs in the Summer.
Now it's time to get some driving/practice in...
Riding the Tail of the Dragon has been on my wish list for a while now. I always thought I would tackle it on the Roadking but I would imagine the Crossfire will do quite nicely. I don’t think I can swing the Spring run but I have the October dates blocked out and you can count me in. It will actually work out to be a great vacation. I have a niece in Dallas getting married on Saturday Oct 8 so now the plan will be to make a road trip week out of it.
My motorcycling mountain trips include the Rockies, a 10-day trip to New England, a 10-day trip to Corpus Christi, two trips to the Black Hills, plus a lot of time in Arkansas. Especially Northwest around the Boston Mountains and a few times down to the Ouachita Range.
A big gap in my resume is the Mid and South East. So it’s time to pull out the Atlas and start some trip planning for early October.
At the moment it is going to be beautiful outside today and I have my calendar clear so it’s time to get more acquainted with the Crossfire. Especially now that my Kenwood 562BT is installed with the better (forum) option. I hope I get to the point where I can drive the Crossfire as well as I can handle my Roadking. I’ve put over 100,00 miles on it and really know how to push it in the mountains. Presently the Crossfire is a little more car than my driving abilities so this is going to be me my kind of practice. I’m already looking forward to some pointers and driving tips from the more experienced owners/drivers.
Believe it or not there are some decent roads to ride/drive around Central Iowa. Nothing like the aforementioned spots. There are a few nice back roads with plenty of variety to make the ride/drive fun. Another fun spot is NE Iowa and SW Wisconsin. That area kind of reminds me of “Bunny Hills” for roads. Nothing to drastic but enough to get your heart going. And plenty of wildlife to watch out for…
The plan when I get back from the drive is to pull the engine cover off and take a look at the secondary air pump and the contacts to see if I see anything that might be causing my intermittent P0410 code. I can hear what I think is the pump kicking in right at start up. Then it shuts off at about a minute. Pump has a slightly high pitched whine. Normal?
I already have a plan in place that will enable me to use the Crossfire as a gear hauler to gigs in the Summer.
Now it's time to get some driving/practice in...
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,756
Likes: 4
From: Maryland (Central)
Re: Greetings From Central Iowa - 2004 Crossfire Limited NA
[QUOTE=bodhijames;860369]Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!
The plan when I get back from the drive is to pull the engine cover off and take a look at the secondary air pump and the contacts to see if I see anything that might be causing my intermittent P0410 code. I can hear what I think is the pump kicking in right at start up. Then it shuts off at about a minute. Pump has a slightly high pitched whine. Normal? QUOTE]
Welcome! Just had mine out yesterday for the 65 degree weather here in central Maryland! Winery visits and some awesome twisty and hilly roads around here make for a great time.
As far as the "whine" upon start up. It could just be the fan coming on and then shutting off as well. The whine is normal.
Enjoy the car! The Crossfire is a lot of fun and quite a conversation piece for many who don't know it and see it out on the prowl...........
The plan when I get back from the drive is to pull the engine cover off and take a look at the secondary air pump and the contacts to see if I see anything that might be causing my intermittent P0410 code. I can hear what I think is the pump kicking in right at start up. Then it shuts off at about a minute. Pump has a slightly high pitched whine. Normal? QUOTE]
Welcome! Just had mine out yesterday for the 65 degree weather here in central Maryland! Winery visits and some awesome twisty and hilly roads around here make for a great time.
As far as the "whine" upon start up. It could just be the fan coming on and then shutting off as well. The whine is normal.
Enjoy the car! The Crossfire is a lot of fun and quite a conversation piece for many who don't know it and see it out on the prowl...........
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