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AXE EFFECT posted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz445_5xNWI I believe that sputtering is the popping you hear from the exhaust when your engine's running lean. Provided you're doing that under deceleration (which this guy's car does) its nothing to worry about - most stock production cars have mufflers which silence that noise. Your exhaust could have a hole in it which would explain why you hear it. Now if you're driving down the road, and you lay into the throttle, and THEN you hear that popping and stuttering noise, pull over immediately or Mr. Detonation's going to outright destroy your engine. Also, what's the funny smell? Like plastic burning? Like gasoline? Like burning brakes? You could have a hole in the exhaust, a plastic bag wrapped around the exhaust, or you could have a seized caliper that's rubbing the rear rotor.
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Aug 8, 2007 13:40
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Does it matter in terms of gas quality at which station (BP, Exxon, Speedway, random grocery store, etc...) I fill my car?
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Aug 8, 2007 18:08
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I'm curious about whether my car is exhibiting "bump steer", if it has some other kind of suspension/steering/alignment problem, or if this is normal: In a recent thread, someone mentioned "Bump Steer". From what I've read, it describes an issue that happens when you drive on uneven pavement (like an asphalt road with big "ruts" going parallel to the direction of travel) and your wheels have a tendency to turn themselves without any input from the steering wheel. The driver has to rapidly correct the steering wheel back and forth to keep the car going straight. My 2005 RX8 does something kind of like this on occasion. There's a regular asphalt road near my house with fairly deep ruts because of heavy truck travel. As I drive through the section with the deepest ruts, my steering wheel exhibits a tendency to turn itself in one direction, either left or right depending on where my tires are positioned on the ruts. If I hold onto the wheel tightly, the car will continue to go straight, meaning the tires don't move independent of the steering wheel. I just have to "fight" the steering wheel to make it go straight. If I were to let go of the wheel, the car would swerve in one direction pretty rapidly. Can someone tell me whether this is something I should get examined by a mechanic, or is this normal? My girlfriend's CR-V doesn't seem to exhibit this problem as severely when driving on the same roads. Is this just because my RX8 has a more sport-tuned suspension?
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Aug 8, 2007 18:39
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Endor, I've heard that called "tramlining"; I don't know if bumpsteer is the same thing. Yes, it is normal if you're driving a car with a tight suspension and wide tires on roads like that.
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Aug 8, 2007 18:42
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struan87 posted:Endor, Awesome, that helps a bunch to know the actual term. I found a good comparison of the two terms on this web page. Also an article about high-performance tires & tramlining and a general discussion about the two problems in this BMW forum. So basically tramlining becomes more noticeable with higher-performance tires, tighter suspensions, wider tires, lower profile tires, worn tires, and worn suspension components. It's also (obviously) more noticeable on slanted/rutted roads. An alignment apparently may help some, but might not fix the entire problem. Interesting.
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Aug 8, 2007 18:56
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swanage posted:Would you say that the term "Throttle Response" is a good way to describe what you felt? This may be a better expression. Prior to the oilchange if you stomped on the pedal there would be some lag before the engine would respond. If you do it now, it seems to be half of that. Similarly if you're going and make any variation in throttle position it's more responsive to your actions (either on or off the pedal).
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Aug 8, 2007 20:15
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Ripoff posted:I believe that sputtering is the popping you hear from the exhaust when your engine's running lean. Provided you're doing that under deceleration (which this guy's car does) its nothing to worry about - most stock production cars have mufflers which silence that noise. Your exhaust could have a hole in it which would explain why you hear it. The funny smell can be described to that of a burning clutch. But I've gotten much much better at driving stick, so I don't believe that's the case. If my caliper was to be seized, what would my options be? As far as the exhaust, I would like to replace everything from headers down? Pre and post cat? (What's the name of the entire thing?) Or would just a Cat-back exhaust provide slightly better performance and some sort of classical sound to the engine? (read = not a booster rocket) Also, if I get an exhaust, do I need an intake first?
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Aug 8, 2007 22:21
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Minto Took posted:Does it matter in terms of gas quality at which station (BP, Exxon, Speedway, random grocery store, etc...) I fill my car? No, not really. Most gas stations in an area will usually get their gas from the same fuel distribution company, in fact. They load it up with a brand-specific additive package, and pump it into the underground tanks. You might see slightly lower mileage depending on the amount of ethanol in the gas (it can go as high as ten percent ethanol, translating to a couple percent drop in mileage at most), but it shouldn't make much difference. The only thing to be wary of is the gas station itself - a really seedy place might not care if their tanks get contaminated with a bit of water or solids, not take good care of the pump filters, or whatever. Avoid Jimbo's Diskownt Petro-lee-yum and you'll be fine.
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Aug 8, 2007 22:41
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AXE EFFECT posted:The funny smell can be described to that of a burning clutch. But I've gotten much much better at driving stick, so I don't believe that's the case. If my caliper was to be seized, what would my options be? AXE EFFECT posted:As far as the exhaust, I would like to replace everything from headers down? Pre and post cat? (What's the name of the entire thing?) Or would just a Cat-back exhaust provide slightly better performance and some sort of classical sound to the engine? (read = not a booster rocket) On an N/A car, headers probably make the biggest difference in the exhaust. Do those first. For sound, try to find other people with your car and find an exhaust you like. BMW I6s tend to sound really good, though, so don't sweat it too much. The popping sound is what I was trying to record here. Don't worry about it if it's only happening when you get off the throttle, it sounds cool and it's not a bad thing 
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Aug 8, 2007 23:04
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Endor posted:I'm curious about whether my car is exhibiting "bump steer", if it has some other kind of suspension/steering/alignment problem, or if this is normal: Bump steer is caused by the tie rods moving in an arc and thus changing length as the suspension moves up and down. If one wheel moves up or down more than the other, the tie rod will move in or out (in the travel of the arc) and cause the steering wheel to turn to the left or right. Bump steer doesn't occur when both sides of the suspension move up and down in unison because the tie rods change length equally and the net change (in total toe) is zero. There is nothing you can do about it really. We need a suspension megathread I think..
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Aug 9, 2007 00:01
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Is there a way to park a car that would make it relatively tow-proof, both generally and in this following scenario? Better yet, is having a car in gear (5-speed in first) plus an e-brake set (rear disk brakes) going to give the towers some heartache? Combining those with pulling into a tight spot so that the FWD wheels are facing away from a tow bed/fork plus locking the steering all the way into a turn... wouldn't that all make it hard to move a car? How would it get picked off in that situation? Assuming damage is done, will the tow company be liable for damages? Would the tow company be protected from paying damages by the community's private property rules? Not like I'm plotting for something here...
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Aug 9, 2007 02:35
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tkNukem posted:Is there a way to park a car that would make it relatively tow-proof, both generally and in this following scenario? Better yet, is having a car in gear (5-speed in first) plus an e-brake set (rear disk brakes) going to give the towers some heartache? Combining those with pulling into a tight spot so that the FWD wheels are facing away from a tow bed/fork plus locking the steering all the way into a turn... wouldn't that all make it hard to move a car? Neither your transmission nor your parking brake will even slow them down a bit. They will literally pick up whichever end of the car they can reach, and drag it out to allow access to what they want. They will also, if needed, put the other end of your car on dollies or even unlock your car to take it out of gear/release the brake. Towing companies are liable for damage caused through carelessness, but not particularly for damage caused by you making their job difficult. Pretty much no court would side with you, so your only hope would be a jury trial, which is exceedingly unlikely.
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Aug 9, 2007 02:40
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Recently my old corolla was let to go a little too long between oil changes, about 10k. I was about to change it because it's being taken across the country. When I checked it, the oil looked like it had just come out of the bottle. How 
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Aug 9, 2007 03:44
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talk show ghost posted:Recently my old corolla was let to go a little too long between oil changes, about 10k. I was about to change it because it's being taken across the country. When I checked it, the oil looked like it had just come out of the bottle. How
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Aug 9, 2007 04:40
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AXE EFFECT posted:The funny smell can be described to that of a burning clutch. But I've gotten much much better at driving stick, so I don't believe that's the case. If my caliper was to be seized, what would my options be? I guess I have to ask about what kinda car at this point. Also, it depends on where the exhaust is cracked - if your manifold is cracked (which I doubt because you'd be hearing an obnoxious farty noise) then you might want to get a new manifold or headers, depending on which is cheaper. Headers may be larger than the stock exhaust, requiring a new exhaust all the way to the rear. Then again, if its just a hole in the muffler or a resonator, you can just replace that part and be done with it. Like Krakkles said though, you probably have a seized caliper, and its just buying a remanufactured one or getting them to fix it. I'd buy remanufactured, because once you return the core you get a pretty hefty refund. Also, you don't need an intake if you get an exhaust. They can be done independently of one-another. Neither do very much performance-wise when done alone, and when combined they usually only improve performance very slightly (turbo cars are the exception to this rule).
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Aug 9, 2007 04:52
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tkNukem posted:Not like I'm plotting for something here... Disconnect the steering, remove your wheels, or boot your own wheels perhaps.
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Aug 9, 2007 04:56
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I wanted to ask my own stupid question: for a turbo car, what's more useful? A EGT pyrometer, or a wide-band A/F ratio meter? I know you don't want to fry your turbo with nasty-high exhaust temps, but at the same time I know the air/fuel ratio will prevent you from sending your engine to scrapyard heaven by detonating it to death. You have a choice of putting either one in the car, but only one. Which would you do?
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Aug 9, 2007 05:16
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streetlamp posted:Was it Amsoil? Thats the only logical explanation. If only it were that simple...
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Aug 9, 2007 06:26
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How do I go about washing a car with a window that won't go up?
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Aug 10, 2007 21:58
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angor posted:How do I go about washing a car with a window that won't go up? Very carefully.
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Aug 10, 2007 22:31
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My old Acura Legend has started making a click/scrape sound regardless of conditions. It is speed dependent and is coming from the passenger side wheel. I am away from home for another week, would it be safe to drive on it 300 miles or could something easily fail and leave me on the side of the road? edit: it started only 2 days ago. vwdriver fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Aug 11, 2007 |
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Aug 11, 2007 19:31
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vwdriver posted:My old Acura Legend has started making a click/scrape sound regardless of conditions. It is speed dependent and is coming from the passenger side wheel. I am away from home for another week, would it be safe to drive on it 300 miles or could something easily fail and leave me on the side of the road? That could be a bearing or CV joint on its way out. It might be OK, but I would have it looked at since those items are most prone to failure at high speeds/long distances. If one fails at highway speed it won't be pretty. The scraping might mean it's also a brake pad, but that's worth looking at before a long trip too.
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Aug 11, 2007 20:15
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Got a bit of a question about power steering. Car is a 1995 Ford Falcon so I hope that this question is going to be universal enough to apply to most things. I started up my car after work on day to hear a horrible grinding sound when reversing and turning, that became a quiet grind when driving that was more noticeable when idling down a hill or straight, and quite loud again when turning sharply like at a roundabout of off a turn at a light. The noise is kind of like a drill at low speed, with a vibration noticeable through the steering wheel. Popped the hood, power steering fluid seems empty, no worries, fill 'er up. Strangely enough I only get about 500mL in the reservoir when the manual reckons that it takes 1L. Noise goes away, all seems fine. A few days later I get the same noise, less noticeable but still there. I add another 300mL maybe to the tank and assumed it needed a while to gravity feed through. Noise goes away. I carefully check where I was parked and there doesn't seem to be any lubricant there, but there was water which I assumed was nothing, until... A few days later again I get the same noise, even quieter than time #2. I pop in the last of the fluid that I originally bought, and as of today there is no noise vibration. So, the question is, leak or not, do you think? Does it simply take a few goes to fill an empty reservoir with the required amount of fluid? Is it bad that I got a sudden problem in the first place without any forewarning? Are those additives that claim to stop leaks worth using? Thanks in advance!
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Aug 13, 2007 03:03
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Spark plug questions! I recently looked under the hood of my 1995 Mustang GT 5.0L and discovered the reason it was running like rear end was because a spark plug on each side had managed to lose its boot and golden cap where the spark plug where connects. Now I was under the impression that this was impossible, the spark plugs are perfect apart from the fact that they managed to unscrew their caps and blow the boot off. What could cause this? Also, what is the best way to go about gapping spark plugs? Where exactly am i supposed to use dielectric grease?
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Aug 13, 2007 03:17
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I'm about to start driving around 2 hours a day on the interstate to get to school from work. However, my 01 Impreza 2.5RS is geared pretty low, and at interstate speeds I'm nearly at 3500 RPM. Is this going to cause my engine to grenade prematurely?
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Aug 13, 2007 05:04
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My mom is a slut posted:I'm about to start driving around 2 hours a day on the interstate to get to school from work. However, my 01 Impreza 2.5RS is geared pretty low, and at interstate speeds I'm nearly at 3500 RPM. Is this going to cause my engine to grenade prematurely? Not in any significant way, no. Many 4 banger cars are geared similarly and will last several hundred thousand miles. Just keep your car well oiled and don't worry about it. My Miata turns around 4000 RPM at 80mph.
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Aug 13, 2007 05:08
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I bought a 1980 Fiat Panorama CL (131 Wagon) recently and I need some suggestions regarding the headliner. The heat over here has screwed with the glue that held it to the roof and the headliner sags quite a bit. I was wondering how I could re-fasten it without butchering it (it is in excellent condition other than the sagging).
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Aug 13, 2007 06:40
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My mom is a slut posted:I'm about to start driving around 2 hours a day on the interstate to get to school from work. However, my 01 Impreza 2.5RS is geared pretty low, and at interstate speeds I'm nearly at 3500 RPM. Is this going to cause my engine to grenade prematurely? My nine year old Integra with 100k+ on the clock just made a 2000 mile trip at 3-4000 RPM the whole time. So, no.
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Aug 13, 2007 12:17
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~Coxy posted:So, the question is, leak or not, do you think? Does it simply take a few goes to fill an empty reservoir with the required amount of fluid? Is it bad that I got a sudden problem in the first place without any forewarning? Are those additives that claim to stop leaks worth using? Thanks in advance! The small bit of fluid that was still in the system was probably aerated, which increased its volume, and only allowed you to put in a small amount of new fluid. As that aerated fluid lost its bubbles, its volume shrank, and you were able to put in more fluid. The power steering pump is not good at pushing air or aerated liquid, so you got lots of noise and poor performance. The sudden loss of fluid is a problem though. You need to figure out where the original fluid went, and fix that. It's probably coating some part of the underside of the car, which can help lead you to the source. Additives that stop leaks rarely work as well as new hoses and parts that actually replace the leaking parts.
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Aug 13, 2007 16:53
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I posted in my GTI thread, but I called up VW for a 1,000 mile break in service and they pretty much told me to gently caress off until I hit 5k. That sound right? I thought you wanted an oil change at least kinda early on with a new engine.
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Aug 13, 2007 18:05
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I just got in my first accident where it's not 100% obvious that it's the other party's fault. I got sideswiped and the insurance companies can't decide who merged into who. My company is denying his claim and his company is denying mine. Anyway, Progressive gave me some options. But I'm interested in taking it to my own bodyshop (damage is only cosmetic). What I'm trying to confirm is that all I have to pay is my deductible? And then the bodyshop will fight it out with the insurance company if they don't agree with my insurance company's estimate? Is there any chance that I'll have to pay more than my deductible for any reason? If not, it seems the only downside to choosing my own bodyshop is that Progressive won't guarantee the repairs for as long as I own the car.
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Aug 13, 2007 19:55
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If a car is smoking out the exhaust ONLY when the foot is OFF the gas does that mean bad rings? Could it be anything else? It never smokes at all with the gas pedal pressed, even at high rpms...
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Aug 21, 2007 05:39
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Out of curiosity are the "here is a giant map of every last inch of your car" books available for purchase online anywhere? Or accessible? I'm no good at cars without these sorts of guides, and I'm currently trying to figure out what sorcery I need to unleash on a 2003 Passat's battery mount to loosen it up. I tried looking for the name of these books on google but it turns out nobody calls it that but me, apparently.
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Aug 21, 2007 16:11
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Mulloy posted:Out of curiosity are the "here is a giant map of every last inch of your car" books available for purchase online anywhere? Or accessible? I'm no good at cars without these sorts of guides, and I'm currently trying to figure out what sorcery I need to unleash on a 2003 Passat's battery mount to loosen it up. I tried looking for the name of these books on google but it turns out nobody calls it that but me, apparently.
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Aug 21, 2007 16:37
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I'm running my '00 Explorer on a set of BF Goodrich Control Plus tires that are getting thin on tread. I'll be replacing them before December. I just checked the pressure this morning and it was at something ungodly low like 21psi all around (I hadn't checked in a very long time TBQH). I loaded these up to 32psi apiece, but I just now realized that was a cold reading (two minute drive to the service station). I've obviously been running these tires at 20-something PSI for a long time, so I expect I've taken liberties with the sidewall integrity. Should I be worried that this, in conjunction with the age and condition of the tires overall will lead to a horrible blowout when I get these tires up to highway speed for an hour? They're rated at either 35/40 psi by BFG's website, I just don't know what spec tires are on my truck without going downstairs and looking though. I'll go purge some air if necessary. While we're on the subject of tires and tire pressure, I haven't inflated my spare tire in a few years and don't remember the procedure. If the tire is rated for something like 35 or 40, does the fact that it isn't mounted on a car change what psi I inflate it to? some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Aug 25, 2007 |
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Aug 25, 2007 22:26
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I've got problems with the stock stereo in my 2005 lancer. It was working fine last night but when i started it today it just displays "TEL". On the way home it would occasionally work for a split second and then go back to displaying TEL. I've looked through the manuals and searched google but i cannot find anything at all about it. I know there must be information somewhere about this error code, but i can't find it
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Aug 26, 2007 02:06
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Hox posted:I've got problems with the stock stereo in my 2005 lancer. It was working fine last night but when i started it today it just displays "TEL". On the way home it would occasionally work for a split second and then go back to displaying TEL. ok as of this afternoon its working again. weird.
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Aug 26, 2007 08:14
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I'm all about fixing my own car nowadays so I need some advice. The car in question is a 2001 Nissan Maxima. -Lately I've been hearing a rattling near the exhaust/muffler. I'm almost positive it is one of those. How would I go about fixing this and what tools would I need? I have access to alot of tools, hopefully I can fix this myself. -Sometimes when I turn on my car the "Brake" and "Battery" warning lights pop up. I recently checked my brakes and replaced my rear pads & barrels. I also had the battery tested 3 months ago and it was in perfect shape. Why is this happening? -Another new problem, today while I was driving my ABS warning light popped on for 10-15 seconds then turned off. It did it again a minute or so later. -Lastly, one major problem. Call me crazy but it seems like my car's engine has gotten so much louder compared to when I first purchased it. Mainly when I accelerate. Are there any parts that may need replacing that could quiet down my engine?
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Aug 29, 2007 04:32
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Really broad question but what would be better to convert a carbed small block 283 to; TPI or TBI I know MPFI is the best choice but that's not in the cards. I'm worried TBI is not going to beable to produce the power I currently have and TPI will end up being a huge headache.
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Aug 29, 2007 06:32
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Corbet posted:-Sometimes when I turn on my car the "Brake" and "Battery" warning lights pop up. I recently checked my brakes and replaced my rear pads & barrels. I also had the battery tested 3 months ago and it was in perfect shape. Why is this happening? Corbet posted:-Another new problem, today while I was driving my ABS warning light popped on for 10-15 seconds then turned off. It did it again a minute or so later.
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Aug 29, 2007 06:50
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