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My car did something that made me nearly poo poo myself. Pulling out of a parking space at work, it suddenly sounds like a bunch of skeletons loving in a filing cabinet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRIrPRul7Ic My first thought was "what the gently caress? did I just toss a rod?"  Turns out the serpentine belt ripped - the knocking was the loose part slapping the motor mount. Cut the loose parts off, went on a delivery, same sound a mile later... then it went away and I saw a piece of the belt in the mirror. Did it one more time, went away again. This is how it looked after that first delivery.  I managed to finish 4 hours out of my 5 hour shift (I left for a bit to see if O'Reilly's had a different belt tool than AutoZone - they're the same though, so I can't use it). It's down to 2 ribs on the belt, I still can't believe it didn't break entirely. I'm off work tomorrow and Monday though. It'll cost about the same to have a shop replace it as purchasing a belt tensioner tool that I can actually use (actually, probably be cheaper), so it'll sit until Monday. Probably go to the shop that repaired the wiring on mom's car, they're only 5 miles away and willing to haggle. Even if it does break, I only lose the alternator and a/c. Water pump is run off the timing chain, and power steering is electric. Just won't get very far since I'm on a 9 year old battery. Geoj posted:Probably cheaper for GM to install the same engine bay distribution/fuse box into every car regardless of options than to supply the manufacturing lines with different boxes with some fuses/relays missing. Yup, a lot of car makers do the same thing. Honda Civics, for example, at least from 92-00, are usually wired for every option, with fuses populating the spots for, say, a USDM market car, even if it's a bare bones DX. Adding OEM fog lights? Pop out the blank on the dash, the plug for the switch is right there. Get under the car, plugs for both fog lights are already there.
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Jul 13, 2014 06:35
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| # ? May 27, 2024 15:22 |
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xpost: wash, quickwax, car seat install on the wife's passat, and wash and car seat install on my jetta.    ...I need a bigger car, the passenger seat has to go all the way forward for the car seat to fit.
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Jul 13, 2014 21:38
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devmd01 posted:
And so it begins.
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Jul 13, 2014 21:41
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I am resigned to a minivan in the future. As long as the car I drive is nice and fast to counteract that a bit.
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Jul 13, 2014 21:49
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Once you buy a 50k minivan you can't afford anything else.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:05
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devmd01 posted:...I need a bigger car, the passenger seat has to go all the way forward for the car seat to fit. This is the reason I now have a CR-V. Car seats are loving huge, especially when rear-facing.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:13
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Bypassed and removed the rotted and leaking power steering cooler pipe. To hell with tracking down an OEM replacement, got a universal kit on order.
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Jul 13, 2014 23:41
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First of my 'upgrades' for the Abarth showed up this morning. The stock 'guards' did poo poo to protect the bodywork, especially the doors. Every little puddle or rock gets thrown right into the doors.  Suspension lowering/leveling bits are still on order as is the new ECU and intake. But now I've got bitchin' mud flaps. edit: Looking at the pics the new flaps make the horrible rear wheel gap look even worse. Some weird trick of lighting or probably that I had just set it down off the jacks I guess. I've got to get that fixed.
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Jul 14, 2014 03:41
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Please take those flaps off.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:42
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Chinatown posted:Please take those flaps off. Don't listen to this man, the rally-style wheels and flaps look good.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:43
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I also love them. A friend of mine has a white STI with red flaps and it looks awesome as hell.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:45
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Panty Saluter posted:Don't listen to this man, the rally-style wheels and flaps look good. They don't on that car. But I respect your opinion. Otherwise that Abarth is good poo poo.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:51
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Chinatown posted:Please take those flaps off. Panty Saluter posted:Don't listen to this man, the rally-style wheels and flaps look good. I figured it'd be a love it or hate it thing. I should have taken a close up of the side of the car showing the dirt I've picked up in just a week. No rain, no puddles, freshly washed 5 days ago and there's tar and poo poo all down the sides. The front wheels stick out past the OEM body work on the rear of the opening and gently caress up the car. Red might be a bit 'bold' for the flaps but it's a drat Abarth. It's meant to be over the top, obnoxious, and silly. If it'll make you feel better, Chinatown, there's a completely unmolested Golf R, except a single blacked out badge, in the garage there.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:54
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I think I fixed the overheating problem in my beetle. After fitting the doghouse cooler, I was still going a bit hot, especially on the freeway. So, after reading up on how even the super beetle's decklid vents may not be enough air flow for the engine during the summer, I cut a slit into a tennis ball and jammed it on the decklid latch, so it's propped open about three inches. Drove to and from work today and it seems much better. I don't have an infrared thermometer or an oil temperature gauge (though one is on my ebay watch list for next payday), but I do have a simple gauge of how hot the engine is: saliva. Before, when the engine was hot (and smelled hot), I could spit on the case right behind the crank pulley, and it would immediately sizzle and evaporate like butter in a hot pan. Now, I can spit on the case and the saliva hangs around for a bit before evaporating, much less rapidly than the sizzle from before. That puts the main case (and therefore, oil) at around boiling point, whereas before it was much higher (maybe 230+, and 230 is the most common figure I can find for the "upper end" of acceptable in the summer).
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Jul 14, 2014 16:27
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Is your spit consistent though? Maybe you've been eating something different between tests. Better buy some more tools.
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Jul 14, 2014 16:31
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Seat Safety Switch posted:Better buy some more tools.
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Jul 14, 2014 16:34
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I need to man up and drive the drat thing. It's been sitting in the garage for nigh on two weeks now and hasn't gone anywhere. Going to get up super early to go to work to make sure I get a park outside the office so I don't stress about it during the day.
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Jul 15, 2014 08:22
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A few days ago, my car made this sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRIrPRul7Ic It was quickly determined that the serpentine belt had split, and was basically making noises like skeletons loving in a filing cabinet after mixing Cialis, Viagra, meth, cocaine, and anything else that has any hope of giving a 90 year old a rock hard boner. My boss and I cut off the flappy parts of the belt. Yesterday, I took it to my longtime mechanic, who has worked on every car I've owned, except for the Saturn. He specializes in Japanese makes, and his shop is about 35 miles from home. I drove with the a/c off and the windows/sunroof open in hopes of reducing strain on the belt (the power steering is electric, water pump is run off of the timing chain). Turns out I actually had 3 ribs left on most of the belt (2 on all of it). Had I known that, I would have actually used the a/c when I drove up there.   Original belt from 2005 (2006 MY), almost 98k. It took him less than 10 minutes to swap the belt, since he actually has a belt tensioner tool that's adjustable. The ones from the parts stores that you can rent? Even buy? None would line up. The weird part is the belt looked brand loving new, except it was cut in half. 1 tiny crack, no glazing. After seeing it off the car, I'm pretty drat sure I could have gone 30k+ on what was left of it. We did find a ridge on the belt tensioner that lined up with where the belt split (looks like a casting flaw), but seeing as it took 9 years to actually cause a failure... I'll fix it when I feel like it. I also had a delicious lunch at my favorite ever taco place while I was in town (did I mention my mechanic is far enough away to be a long distance call?):  Mechanic basically asked pennies, I handed him double what he asked for (he worked me in the day after he got back from a 2 week vacation FFS, on a make he's never touched, and it was a tiny fraction of what other shops asked, even with me supplying the part). I'm going to be back in town to get some  this weekend, I think a decent amount of what I get will wind up in his hands.
randomidiot fucked around with this message at 11:21 on Jul 16, 2014 |
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Jul 16, 2014 11:17
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Installed the MSM suspension in my 97 today. Took about 5 hours to do everything, but a lot of that was figuring out the right combination of tools to use in each spot, and the general learning curve. Could probably do it again in 2-3. I did the long bolt method and it was really straightforward. Luckily no majorly stubborn nuts or bolts. The top nuts under the fuel lines in the trunk are a pain in the rear end. Initial impressions are very positive. My suspension was all original at 148K. The shocks that went in have about 70k on them. I only had time for a short drive, but the best way to describe the ride is more composed. It doesn't jump all over the road on bad imperfections, and is just more comfortable in general. Totally worth it for a budget upgrade. Ride height is very similar, maybe half an inch higher in the rear. Luckily my 97 is the heaviest of the NA's, I understand on early models you gain a few inches in the rear with this setup.      
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Jul 17, 2014 04:16
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Lugged $420 worth of my $600 brake order inside... Can't wait for the weekend!!!
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Jul 18, 2014 02:48
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Geirskogul posted:Plasti-dip does not peel nicely from faded paint surfaces PlastiDip won't peel nicely from ANY surface after a few months of full sun............. There's some rarely-seen fine-print that everybody should take a look at before doing this kind of thing.
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Jul 18, 2014 02:55
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Lamar Smith R-TX posted:Lugged $420 worth of my $600 brake order inside... Are those just standard iron rotors? They almost look powdercoated.
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Jul 18, 2014 02:56
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Panty Saluter posted:Are those just standard iron rotors? They almost look powdercoated. They come coated so they don't rust. It comes off when you bed the pads in.
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Jul 18, 2014 03:04
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Well then you are buying far fancier rotors than I ever have sir 
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Jul 18, 2014 03:22
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Zimmerman rotors with """"coat z""""" anti corrosive, supposedly it lasts a while. They're the least expensive I could get on Pelican Parts, and they are the suppplier for BMW + identical to the OEM parts just... missing the BMW stamps Lamar Smith R-TX fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Jul 18, 2014 |
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Jul 18, 2014 04:56
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Mounted the most important part of the car:  Mounted the second-most important part of the car:  Potato-quality, but I cut some carpet scrap for a temporary (1 month to 1 year or so) floor covering. Better than rotten carpet or tar board! Also removed probably 5 to 10 pounds of thick, falling-apart fiberglass/carpet matting mix insulation, that was also somehow permanently damp       (loving phone, worse camera than my GSII, I swear) What's that back there?  Surprisingly, it works. Don't need to prop the lid anymore (or nearly as much).  Tucked the wire for the dashcam, so it doesn't hang down the middle of the windshield anymore. A flat USB cable would make this much easier and less ugly, but it'll work for now:    (need grommets and better routing) Got my shirt in the mail! 
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Jul 19, 2014 04:18
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I put a new clutch master and slave in the Subaru. Did the same thing 2 years ago and they have a one year warranty, fuckin chinese junk! Its nice not having the clutch engage when I dont want it too, though. Backing out of the garage was a chore not to mention between every gear Id have to life the pedal with my foot. Maybe this set will last more than 2 years...
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Jul 19, 2014 23:39
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Spent what little free time I had today sanding some more on the beetle. A little clean up on the bottom (have to remove the fender, and it seems the PO used sheet metal screws instead of proper bolts ) and it should be ready for some protective primer until I have spare funds to actually paint the thing (probably two or three paychecks from now - cat amputation has eaten ALL THE FUNDS).  Matching the curve is hard.
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Jul 20, 2014 00:35
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Lamar Smith R-TX posted:Lugged $420 worth of my $600 brake order inside...  Most of my new rear brake stuff and a few other goodies came in earlier this week!   Not pictured are the new rotors and loaded calipers, but my plan now is to rebuild the entire brake system, starting with everything in the rear. Since I have to remove the slowly decaying factory cat-back system to replace the fraying parking brake cables, I figure I'd replace it with something a bit nicer as well.  I'm also waiting on a new driveshaft from The Driveshaft Shop. I'm barely 2 weeks into the 4-week build/assembly time frame that they gave me in their confirmation e-mail. I'm kinda kicking myself for not taking care of it when I had the trans out, but money and time were in short supply at the time. Ah well...
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Jul 20, 2014 04:28
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In case anyone needed confirmation that the AZ Historic plates are in fact solid copper... they are. I wish you could get them with a vanity tag.
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Jul 20, 2014 04:39
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91 MR2 decided to piss all its coolant out from infront of the passenger footwell yesterday. 45 mins this morning to bypass the heater core in the engine bay because gently caress stripping the entire dash just to get to it when summer is coming. Luckily not the pipes from hell (copper pipes that run over the fuel tank) but I really don't look forward to fixing the whole system.
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Jul 20, 2014 05:12
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Fought with the Forester a little more, this time trying to convince the a/c to function. It seems I need a low pressure cut-off switch now, and then I can continue trying to get the HVAC system functional.
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Jul 20, 2014 06:01
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 Washed clayed waxed tire shine plus replaced a leaking rad cap.
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Jul 20, 2014 16:57
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Put a new drivers side mirror on. I only purchased one since I wasn't sure if it would look good or not. I think I'll go ahead and get another! Old and busted:  Shiny and new:   I still may modify it so it sets closer to the door.
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Jul 20, 2014 19:04
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Attended a dyno day this afternoon, very proud of my little Civic. It's stock besides a header.   Rated at 108 HP when new.  Look at that flat torque curve I/H/E S2000 dyno for comparison  Edit... @ 4600 ft elevation Chriskory fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Jul 21, 2014 |
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Jul 21, 2014 00:00
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Spent the whole week organizing spare parts (and cars) for my newest project.
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Jul 21, 2014 03:51
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Cross-post from the Jeep thread, and it was actually a couple of weeks ago, but I've been a slacker about getting the pictures uploaded:Darchangel posted:Installed some more upgrades on my stripper SE XJ. I like my junk to have all the toys.
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Jul 23, 2014 21:50
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Pulled the top off the carburettor. Checked everything again. Found a small leaf in the main jet and also found that I forgot to set the lower limit for the float. Fixing these things made stuff all difference  I also think I damaged something in the rear suspension or axle when it hit some potholes. The back clunks when it hits bumps now. Can't figure out why though.
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Jul 23, 2014 23:13
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Avalon's been throwing "evap very small leak" codes for awhile. Tossed a new gas cap on... got "very small" and "small" leak codes. Threw an OEM cap on.. didn't get the CEL again, but got a pending "very small leak" Yanked the engine cover. Found drat near every evap-related line under the cover looked kind of like this:   Most hilarious one: 2 inches away from the evap service port... was split in half along half its length (first picture). Had we smoked it, it would have looked like Bob Marley had taken up residence next to the port.  Upside: only took about  of assorted hose from AutoZone. Drove it around, highway speeds, city traffic, parked several times and restarted. No pending codes (yet). Only tests that haven't completed are evap and catalyst.  The last picture should make it obvious which ones have been replaced so far, I need to find a way to keep the one next to the throttle body from rubbing the runner (the original one was wrapped in plastic tubing). It's all fuel-rated hose, since I figure fuel vapors will pass through them at some point.
randomidiot fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Jul 25, 2014 |
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Jul 25, 2014 01:35
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| # ? May 27, 2024 15:22 |
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Paid RockAuto 300 in parts and a shop 400 in labor to replace the Miata's AC compressor, expansion valve, and dryer. They definitely earned their money, I just feel powerless when there's an expensive job like this I can't really do myself. Throwing away an expensive nonservicable part when a lovely rubber seal fails also bugs me. Did replace the fuel filler neck and vent hoses in the trunk and fixed the gas smell. blk fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Jul 25, 2014 |
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Jul 25, 2014 02:12
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