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Paging STR or anyone with maintenance knowledge of GM Delta models - sister's friend has an '07 Cobalt with a dead engine (from what I've been told "was very low on oil, they added some, two days later it stopped running and refused to restart, mechanic friend told them it needed the engine replaced but he didn't have time to do it"), apparently they've already bought a junkyard engine and just need someone to swap it for them. Anything I should know before considering taking this one on?
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May 3, 2017 19:10
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Thanks Yu-Gi-Ho again for the impala advice some weeks back. After a long time with no problems it finally wouldn't start again, but leaving the key in for awhile before trying to start it worked perfectly.
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May 3, 2017 21:30
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Geoj posted:Paging STR or anyone with maintenance knowledge of GM Delta models - sister's friend has an '07 Cobalt with a dead engine (from what I've been told "was very low on oil, they added some, two days later it stopped running and refused to restart, mechanic friend told them it needed the engine replaced but he didn't have time to do it"), apparently they've already bought a junkyard engine and just need someone to swap it for them. Compression check the new to her engine with a leak down tester before you do anything.
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May 3, 2017 21:42
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Elsa posted:Maybe your MAF connector is unplugged? It's got a MAP, which is getting vacuum. I haven't tested it any further because I pulled out the PCM and found this:  Which doesn't look good to me.
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May 4, 2017 02:00
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joat mon posted:It's got a MAP, which is getting vacuum. Yeah thats bad. Left side is a electrolytic capacitor which looks like it leaked its electrolyte out, corroding some traces. Right side looks like a tantalum capacitor. Those are generally reliable, but when they do fail, they often fail closed (i.e. creating a short circuit). The damage around it may have been caused by the elecrolytic capacitor leaking, or it may have failed itself.
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May 4, 2017 02:26
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I took my '03 Civic Hybrid to Jiffy Lube today, and they claimed that its brake fluid was low and I should top it off. This wasn't a service they offer, so there's no profit motive there, but thoughts? I haven't noticed any issues with braking, but I could well believe this to be one of those "it works fine until it doesn't" things, and I'd rather not lose my brakes, all else being equal.  I'm guessing there's a reservoir somewhere that I can just pour more fluid into, so all I'd need to do is buy the right type of fluid and find the reservoir. Is that about accurate? I'd prefer to do the simpler maintenance tasks myself, rather than hire someone.
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May 4, 2017 04:08
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What does the reservoir look like? Brake fluid doesnt disappear but jiffy lube may be just trying to sell you poo poo.
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May 4, 2017 04:12
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Christobevii3 posted:What does the reservoir look like? Brake fluid doesnt disappear but jiffy lube may be just trying to sell you poo poo. I don't know; haven't looked yet. My driveway's sloped enough that I generally don't bother trying to check levels when at home. Considering that the last time anything was done with my brake system was ~5 years ago when the brake pads finally got replaced, it wouldn't surprise me if there was an incredibly slow leak or something. I just don't know anything about this particular system, so I'm asking for general advice. Like I noted, Jiffy Lube themselves said "we don't do brake fluid, you should get that topped off."
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May 4, 2017 04:24
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joat mon posted:It's got a MAP, which is getting vacuum. Bummer man i wasn't gonna go there via online forum but it was on my horizon.
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May 4, 2017 04:25
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Geoj posted:Paging STR or anyone with maintenance knowledge of GM Delta models - sister's friend has an '07 Cobalt with a dead engine (from what I've been told "was very low on oil, they added some, two days later it stopped running and refused to restart, mechanic friend told them it needed the engine replaced but he didn't have time to do it"), apparently they've already bought a junkyard engine and just need someone to swap it for them. What year engine did they get, and which engine does it have now? If it's the most common (2.2L L61), they need an 07+ engine. I don't know much about the 2.0 and 2.4 versions. 06 and older use wasted spark ignition (2 coils), 07+ uses coil on plug (4 coils) - that wouldn't be that big of a deal, just swap the ignition parts. But 07+ also has a different tooth count for the crank position sensor, and the only way around that is to swap the crank. A lot of the electronics got changed for 07 as well; 07 gained a cam position sensor, for example. Assuming they managed to actually get the right year model engine, it's a pretty simple engine, and everything should be just plug n play - the ECU is under the hood, and you can unplug the entire engine harness from the ECU easily (there's a lever you flip back, then pull back some more, then the connectors just pop off). The factory coolant fill is DexCool, so if the coolant hasn't been changed before, Prestone's Dexcool is the best stuff to use (just change it every 50-75k instead of 150k and it's fine). Battery's in the trunk, obviously disconnect it first. I think the alternator connects to the underhood fuse box, not positive ( ) though. May be easier to leave the exhaust manifold on and unbolt the downpipe.TooMuchAbstraction posted:I took my '03 Civic Hybrid to Jiffy Lube today, and they claimed that its brake fluid was low and I should top it off. This wasn't a service they offer, so there's no profit motive there, but thoughts? I haven't noticed any issues with braking, but I could well believe this to be one of those "it works fine until it doesn't" things, and I'd rather not lose my brakes, all else being equal. As your front brakes (which are disc) wear, your brake fluid will seem to get lower. Check the brake pads - if they're almost worn out, and your fluid is down to the "add" mark (if there is one), you've found your fluid. It'll reappear once the pads get swapped. If you top it off now and get a brake job soon, the master cylinder will overflow when the caliper pistons get compressed. Digirat posted:Thanks Yu-Gi-Ho again for the impala advice some weeks back. After a long time with no problems it finally wouldn't start again, but leaving the key in for awhile before trying to start it worked perfectly. Glad it worked, now go get a new ignition switch on GM's dime if the recall hasn't been done. If it has, get a new ignition switch, and do the 30 minute re-learn after changing it. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 04:39 on May 4, 2017 |
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May 4, 2017 04:36
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:As your front brakes (which are disc) wear, your brake fluid will seem to get lower. Noted, and thanks for the explanation. It's been probably about 5 years since I got the brake pads replaced, but I'm a pretty gentle driver and try to use the regenerative braking (remember, hybrid vehicle) as much as possible, so I wouldn't expect the brake pads to be in danger of wearing out. Unless I guess it was installed poorly or something. Guess I get to take a wheel off next time I'm parked on the flat. I definitely haven't had any chatter/flutter from the brakes or anything like that.
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May 4, 2017 04:47
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I have several friends with hybrids, and yeah... the brake pad life on them just blows me away. One coworker bought his Prius with about 80k... has ~250k now. He's changed the brakes once.  (but he's also racked up all those miles in about 5 or 6 years)
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May 4, 2017 04:56
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2008 F150, 4.2l V6, 123,650 miles Just got this truck last Saturday. Drives wonderfully, body has some chipped paint/minor rust but nothing out of the ordinary for a decade of driving where I live. Passed mandated safety inspection etc, everything if fine except for two small issues. 1) TPMS is malfunctioning. I've set the vehicle into the retraining mode and tried the magnet thing to no avail. Tire pressures are fine, hesitant to buy the TPMS tool to see if that will work. Truck was a fleet vehicle so there is some small chance in my mind that a corner might have been cut at some point and a sensor didn't make it back into one or more tires. It's just a blinking light and I know how to use a tire gauge, but if anyone has any other thoughts, I'd feel like I accomplished something if I managed to turn it off on a more permanent basis. 2) Brake light is almost always on. Mechanic that looked at the car at used lot as part of safety inspection indicated everything as fine re: pressure in line. Emergency brake is not engaged and pulling up on the pedal does not cause light to go off. Fluid was over the max line in the revoir when I got it, used a pipette to drain some and now light sometimes clicks off while moving. Since there is nothing else seemingly wrong with the brakes, I'm thinking a faulty fluid sensor? Some minor googling seems to indicate this is a thing for this era of Ford. Further leading me to this as a possibility is that, while a fleet vehicle, the fix was a small piece of electrical tape over the indicator light. To me that says faulty sensor, look at the reservoir every so often like you always did in every other vehicle, driver happily ever after. And since I live where there are no hills or mountain, I basically never need the parking break. Anyone familiar with replacing the sensor re: cost/time, or should I just get my roll of electrical tape? 3) Perhaps complicating #2 is that I wouldn't mind adding in an aftermarket cruise control system. I'm thinking Rostra? Any experience with that or any other? I don't think their systems rely on a properly working brake fluid sensor as a backup like a stock unit, but if it ties in somehow that I am of yet unaware, then I guess I have to address #2 before looking at #3.
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May 4, 2017 05:31
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joat mon posted:It's got a MAP, which is getting vacuum. oh you know, I meant the air sucky sensor thing
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May 4, 2017 08:20
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:What year engine did they get, and which engine does it have now? If it's the most common (2.2L L61), they need an 07+ engine. I don't know much about the 2.0 and 2.4 versions. Not much detail but they mentioned something about it was a California car and had a specific engine that was difficult to track down - maybe a PZEV model?
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May 4, 2017 13:42
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Anyone have any experience with the lincoln ls platform, mainly the 2nd gen 03-06? Same platform as the retro thunderbird and a few jags (that part worries me) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_DEW_platform Looking at this car in question: Autotrader
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May 4, 2017 15:24
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Yeah they don't have a very good track record and are generally lovely cars. Get this instead, 10 times better in every way https://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/6089680222.html [e] steal for that car if it's in decent condition, miles don't really matter if it was taken care of. If you want a V8 sedan a Lexus GS or LS is your best bet. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 17:12 on May 4, 2017 |
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May 4, 2017 17:08
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Geoj posted:Not much detail but they mentioned something about it was a California car and had a specific engine that was difficult to track down - maybe a PZEV model? Huh, I had no idea until now that the Cobalt was offered as a PZEV model. Interesting. The little bit of info I'm finding suggests that was a 07-08 only thing. Maybe 09 as well, though 09 switched to a different 2.2 (didn't know that until now either). randomidiot fucked around with this message at 17:16 on May 4, 2017 |
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May 4, 2017 17:11
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Elsa posted:oh you know, I meant the air sucky sensor thing It uses a slightly more primitive system that uses a vacuum sensor instead of an air sensor. But a new PCM is on the way, so hopefully that will do the trick.
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May 4, 2017 17:17
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Yeah they don't have a very good track record and are generally lovely cars. Is 135k still "not care" territory? edit: nm texted the guy and its sold 
Cage fucked around with this message at 17:31 on May 4, 2017 |
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May 4, 2017 17:24
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There's a 96 LS400 running around with close to 1 million miles. 135k is factory fresh for those things so long as they get a new timing belt and oil changes when appropriate. It's also a big rear wheel drive land barge with a V8. 
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May 4, 2017 17:26
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Yeah I wouldn't hesitate to buy one with over 200k that was taken care of. Even the timing belt is not a problem, it's the water pumps that usually go before that. The LS is nice, but if you can find a LS430 that's the way to go, I own one and it's the best car I've ever owned in my 46 yrs on this planet. The amount of car you can get for the money is just stupid. Cage, use this website to check the VIN and get service histories. That LS430 I posted is a steal if it's in good condition. http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/history
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May 4, 2017 17:33
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I haven't bled brakes in a while, and I think the last time I did it was with the Ate blue fluid which made it super easy to tell when the old stuff was gone. My question is, how do you tell when non-dyed fluid is completely replaced? Now that my wife and I have nicer/newer cars, I'm focusing more on preventive maintenance and doing the brake fluid every couple years so the fluid doesn't get to the point that it's nasty and dirty.
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May 4, 2017 19:55
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two_beer_bishes posted:I haven't bled brakes in a while, and I think the last time I did it was with the Ate blue fluid which made it super easy to tell when the old stuff was gone. My question is, how do you tell when non-dyed fluid is completely replaced? Now that my wife and I have nicer/newer cars, I'm focusing more on preventive maintenance and doing the brake fluid every couple years so the fluid doesn't get to the point that it's nasty and dirty. I usually pump fluid until it goes from black/amber to light straw, then pump another reservoir (or two for the rears) through. Probably overkill but I buy the big bottle of fluid and there isn't a point to saving any. ETA: Buy speed bleeders. They're like $12 an axle and make the job so easy. I just stay at the reservoir topping up and have my wife pump and the job is done in 10 minutes. monsterzero fucked around with this message at 20:36 on May 4, 2017 |
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May 4, 2017 20:31
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Boys who love boys
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Hugh G. Rectum posted:So the heat really started this week and of course when I go to turn on my A/C I get nothing but warm air and no compressor idle bump. Car is nearly 20 years old and the A/C was pretty weak the last time I used it so I figure it just needs a recharge. Added a can and that's when I see this: Update on this after taking it to a proper A/C shop, apparently this is actually by design. I put a bit too much R134a into it and that's an overfill release valve in there. The tech ended up using his proper gauge set to release a bit of the extra and it's working great now. Didn't even charge me for it. So yeah, that's a lesson learned. At least it blows colder than it ever has before, hooray.
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May 5, 2017 02:48
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Give him a 6 pack of natty light or something. Jeez
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May 5, 2017 04:12
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I didn't have anything right then but I'm gonna go drop off some beer for him tomorrow. Got him a six pack of Sierra Nevada. and some blue dream if he wants it too
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May 5, 2017 04:50
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I think this is kinda car related so I am asking here. If I have used a spray gun with hammerite, is the gun ruined forever or is there a good method to get all the silicone residue gone from the gun, white spirit or acetone, I think ultrasonic cleaning is frowned upon? It's a cheapo 30 LVLP gun but it was fine, just not with hammerite, I'd like to keep using it for normal paints.
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May 5, 2017 07:11
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His Divine Shadow posted:I think this is kinda car related so I am asking here. If I have used a spray gun with hammerite, is the gun ruined forever or is there a good method to get all the silicone residue gone from the gun, white spirit or acetone, I think ultrasonic cleaning is frowned upon? I have sprayed with Hammerite too. The hammered one gives a nice metallic finish. Hammerite is xylene based paint (like standard cellulose car paint) - so generic cellulose thinners works with it (to thin or clean). Or you can use the hammerite branded thinner/cleaner - which is the same stuff but at 5x the price of the generic stuff. cellulose thinners from a paint shop here is 20 or less for 5L (or was when i last bought any!) What you should have done is cleaned it out immediately. If its been a while since you used it you could soak it now but it will take a lot of stripping and cleaning with a small brush to remove it all and it will probably never work quite as well as it used to! I think cellulose thinners has acetone in too (amongst other stuff), so i guess neat acetone will also work. White spirit wont do much. Tomarse fucked around with this message at 13:28 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 13:26
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Weird old-car braking issue: 66 Pontiac Bonneville; 4-wheel power drum brakes. All-new wheel cylinders; hoses less than 5-YO; shoes have less than 4000-miles on them. I have had this problem for about eight years; changed the wheel cylinders, shoes, hoses; adjusted each side (and the rears) endlessly; the single-reservoir master was rebuilt by White Post & sleeved in brass in 2008. I change the brake fluid every 3-4 years. Problem: after driving for more than a couple minutes after the last application of brakes, the next pedal push, the car pulls to the right, lightly, but enough to track the car that way if I take my hand off the tiller during initial braking. If I come off, then apply again immediately, it brakes straight. It's been doing it so long & so consistently, I automatically start pulling the steering wheel to the left as soon as I put my foot on the pedal. Alignment's good. Tires are 3-YO, have about 4K on them. I drive this thing less than 1500-miles/year. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 22:09 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 22:04
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My Fusion's fan stopped working too. I hate this piece of poo poo. gently caress.
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May 5, 2017 22:11
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hey y'all so I'm looking at someone's 2003 350 z that we pulled out of storage this morning. It has 80,000 miles and it's basically pristine. There's a wheel hop on the passenger side rear. It's mostly an up and down shake, between 25 and 30 mph. We tried switching the wheels on the back and it improved, and then swapped out the passenger rear wheel with the spare. It's still there. Nothing's bent or scraped and it was apparently fine before storage. Tires are basically new. Any ideas? We're taking it to get balanced but I'm not sure it would fix the issue. Thanks!    I wish all cars I touched looked this good Update: Tire shop manager thinks it's just a flat spot from sitting with low pressure for so long. We put 40 psi in the tires for now and see if it gets better, and deal with it otherwise. Thanks! Anagram of GINGER fucked around with this message at 23:41 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 22:46
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PainterofCrap posted:Weird old-car braking issue: Serious answer: It sounds like you are already a drum brake master, but I'll mention the obvious since you didn't call it out: if it pulls to the right, then the right side is fine and it must be the left. Most likely culprit is a collapsed/crimped brake line. Trace the left line all the way and look for trouble spots. Also double check auto-adjusters and parking brakes. Comedy answer: install disc brakes
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May 5, 2017 22:56
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By basically new, you mean they have a lot of tread but have been mounted on the car for a while, right? It the car was on its wheels for an extended period you could have flat spots or out of round tires. I just (this hour) replaced the tires on my backup Camry. I've probably only driven it 2k miles this year and there were a couple of times it didn't move for a month/6-weeks. That was enough to trash the tires, it rode horrible over bad pavement at low speed and was a paint shaker above exactly 65. New (used) tires on it and both those issues are gone. Hopefully the balance does the trick, but new rubber might be needed.
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May 5, 2017 22:59
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PainterofCrap posted:Weird old-car braking issue: Did you replace the springs on the shoes when you did the shoes?. If not then if one is weaker then I guess the shoe could sit closer to the drum after a brake application?
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May 5, 2017 23:19
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CharlieWhiskey posted:Serious answer: It sounds like you are already a drum brake master, but I'll mention the obvious since you didn't call it out: if it pulls to the right, then the right side is fine and it must be the left. Most likely culprit is a collapsed/crimped brake line. Trace the left line all the way and look for trouble spots. Also double check auto-adjusters and parking brakes. I'm ready to pull the soft line on the left front. It's not that old, but one of the hoses that was on this car when I bought it (in 2000) had busted the inner-most ply, so that pressurized brake fluid would cause the loose section to flap across the inner hose & block pressure to the wheel cylinder. Impossible to tell visually; I cut & peeled the hose open, later, and found it. When that happened, it nearly yanked the wheel out of my hand. Drove straight home granny-style, in first, in dirty underwear. I actually have a new set of hoses, it's about the last thing I haven't replaced (since '01) and on discs. About $3200 because the knuckles & balljoints gotta be changed too...Tomarse posted:Did you replace the springs on the shoes when you did the shoes?. If not then if one is weaker then I guess the shoe could sit closer to the drum after a brake application? Yeah; all brand-new hardware & I cleaned & lubed up the self-adjusters. A bitch, but still easier than Chrysler's weirdo rig. And all four drums are true. Thanks, guys. Will keep you posted.
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May 6, 2017 00:29
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PainterofCrap posted:Weird old-car braking issue: Could it be that the shoes aren't adjusted the same left to right? First application of the pedal moves the shoes into position, and one side grabs first. Then they haven't retracted all the way when you apply the second time, so both sides are near the drum, and they apply at the same time and don't pull. Probably not, but it's worth jacking the front end up and spinning both front wheels to make sure they both have the same amount of drag (the amount I use is 1.5 turns of the wheel when you throw them as hard as possible by hand).
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May 6, 2017 05:15
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I just bought a new car today and the dealer was trying to hard sell me on some extended warranty (2.5k) + maintenance package (2.5k) + some wheel thing (800). Especially trying to convince me on the warranty... Didn't really have much time to think about it so I just said no to all of them. Did I screw up? Should have researched more before buying?
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May 6, 2017 07:01
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MeruFM posted:I just bought a new car today and the dealer was trying to hard sell me on some extended warranty (2.5k) + maintenance package (2.5k) + some wheel thing (800). Especially trying to convince me on the warranty... No, you dun good. Those add-on warranties are usually through a third party, not the manufacturer, and they have a bunch of fine print that excludes big dollar expenses anyway. If you bank that $2500 for if you ever have serious problems after the warranty, you will come out ahead 9 times out of 10.
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May 6, 2017 07:19
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No, that's the right thing to do. Extended warranties are rarely worth it. The rare new car that has issues will generally manifest them in the first few thousand miles/first few months of service.
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May 6, 2017 07:21
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