|
Back in the old days, I heard a lot of horror stories being parroted about going from regular to synthetic and magical leaks appearing. Apparently the rubber and cork don't work well with synthetic. I haven't heard any bad reports about going the other way, from synth to regular. Just so long as the engine doesn't require synthetic, and the correct grade is available. They even sell partial synthetics these days, and chances are the base stock in "synthetic" is really a conventional thanks to a marketing lawsuit.
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 15:46
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 08:33 |
|
|
Thinking of buying a 2005+ Ford Ranger, just wondering what I should look out for and what "high mileage" might be for that particular vehicle. I'm looking at a very long-distance move and trading in my current vehicle + renting a trailer isn't much more expensive than renting a uhaul truck. We already have a family car so I wouldn't mind a second vehicle with more utility. However, I'd like to keep the purchase price under $10,000.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 16:32
|
|
|
the trump tutelage posted:Thinking of buying a 2005+ Ford Ranger, just wondering what I should look out for and what "high mileage" might be for that particular vehicle. How big a trailer? You might want to get a V6 Ranger or a bigger truck with a V8. You'd also need to figure in a hitch if your purchase doesn't have one. Also, how long a move? The nice thing about Uhauls is that they're covered... I hope it doesn't rain.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 16:41
|
|
|
Don't pay anywhere near that for a ranger. That's insane. I know someone else will but trust me, it's not worth it. Maybe $3k tops. I delivered auto parts in one during high school, I have driven many other trucks since then, a ranger is just not a particularly good truck. Especially for moving across country. And towing. And reliability, and rust resistance. Just find a standard cab short bed f150 if fords are your thing and size is a concern.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 17:37
|
|
|
rdb posted:Back in the old days, I heard a lot of horror stories being parroted about going from regular to synthetic and magical leaks appearing. Apparently the rubber and cork don't work well with synthetic. To add to this, the fear was often based in the idea that conventional oils will build up some sludge, which can sometimes fill in the gaps of a seal that isn't doing its job properly. Synthetic with its superior cleaning abilities would clean these deposits out and cause leaks. The counterpoint to this is that modern dino oils are actually pretty drat good anyway and would probably cause the same leaks. Also, it's a failed seal either way.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 18:03
|
|
|
And the thought that synthetic "swelled" old seals.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 18:05
|
|
|
rdb posted:Don't pay anywhere near that for a ranger. That's insane. I know someone else will but trust me, it's not worth it. Maybe $3k tops. I delivered auto parts in one during high school, I have driven many other trucks since then, a ranger is just not a particularly good truck. Especially for moving across country. And towing. And reliability, and rust resistance. Just find a standard cab short bed f150 if fords are your thing and size is a concern. Not married to the Ford Ranger, they just seemed like the best value in my neck of the woods. What would you recommend besides the F150? I'm looking to tow about 5000lbs around 4000km.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 18:18
|
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:To add to this, the fear was often based in the idea that conventional oils will build up some sludge, which can sometimes fill in the gaps of a seal that isn't doing its job properly. Synthetic with its superior cleaning abilities would clean these deposits out and cause leaks. Yeah, that old chevy 2 piece rear main seal was a leaky piece of crap long before the synthetic got to it. I think synthetic tends to be more uniform in molecule size. So it more uniformly leaks out a lovely seal. Plus it doesn't have paraffin wax and whatever Penn star molecules(sludge)that were in old school oils.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 18:18
|
|
|
the trump tutelage posted:Not married to the Ford Ranger, they just seemed like the best value in my neck of the woods. What would you recommend besides the F150? 5000 is more than a ranger can comfortably handle. You should be fine with whatever half ton you want provided GM made it. With the fords, be cautious of the triton v8 engines that had issues with either ejecting or sized spark plugs and failed cam phasers. Other than that solid trucks. With a Ram in that price range transmissions might be an issue, especially 02-older.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 18:22
|
|
|
2014 Hyundai Accent GLS - 1.6L DI DOHC 4cyl - 33k miles Identified source of noise and fixed it. Cause was a combination of one brake pad shim/spring that was slightly bent and, more importantly, an inside brake pad that was worn way the gently caress down. Just look at it. Both pads from the same caliper.  Pads on the right wheel were fine. Replaced all 4 pads and shims. I am worried about the premature wear on the pad. I understand the inside pad wears faster, but this seems extreme to me. Few theories: 1. That pad was not changed out last time the brakes were serviced by the previous owner. 2. Factory issue. Pads of different materials were packaged together or there was just a production flaw. 3. The brake rotor surface is damaged and causing excessive wear on braking. The inside surface of the rotor did look like it had some crap on it, but it could very well be from the fact that the pad was so worn down. I plan on pulling the wheel again this weekend and taking another look at the rotor surface after the new pad has had a chance to clean it up a bit. I'll inspect the rotors more closely and try to determine if they need resurfacing or replacing. I am having a hard time figuring out what the condemning thickness is supposed to be, though. Is there a guideline for this or is it specific to the make and model of the rotors I have on my car? I've learned some valuable lessons on this and I'll summarize it here for the benefit of those like me who have little experience with auto maintenance. 1. Learn what you are looking for. Youtube videos are a good resource for component assembly, disassembly and inspection. 2. Properly inspect things. Don't say it's fine just because it kind of looks that way to your untrained eye. I looked at the pads through the inspection hole on the caliper and thought they had plenty of material left. I was right about one pad, absolutely wrong about the other one. 3. In a similar vein to the ones above, if you can't see something well, apply more light and if necessary disassemble as much as you safely can/need to so you can properly inspect things. 4. Replacing brake pads is really quite simple. I got a cheapo spreader like this one to push the piston back and it did the trick. I did place one of the discarded pads over the piston to protect it though. Thanks for the input, guys. I really appreciate it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 18:47
|
|
|
How easy would it be to replace the brake lines in my '94 Ford Ranger? The truck spent most of its life in Michigan, and the mechanic tells me that salt from the winter roads rusted them out. He also quoted me $1000 in labor alone for the job, which I'm pretty sure is deterrent pricing, because he didn't seem enthused about taking the job, but for all I know, it may actually be that big a task. I'd like to take a swing at it, but I've never done brake work that involved before. I've changed the calipers, pads, and rotors on a vehicle before and had little trouble, and I can do basic stuff like replace vacuum hoses, locate and replace an EGR valve, swap out an O2 sensor, change oil, etc. Would I have a lot of trouble doing this myself?
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 19:23
|
|
|
GOTTA STAY FAI posted:How easy would it be to replace the brake lines in my '94 Ford Ranger? The truck spent most of its life in Michigan, and the mechanic tells me that salt from the winter roads rusted them out. He also quoted me $1000 in labor alone for the job, which I'm pretty sure is deterrent pricing, because he didn't seem enthused about taking the job, but for all I know, it may actually be that big a task. Once you swapped out the lines, Bleeding them only by yourself can be a pain unless you have a helper to push the pedal or you have a pump. But replacing the lines yourself is fairly simple. Routing the new lines through the frame and around all the other parts can be a pain. Just match pipe diameters and threaded ends.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 20:10
|
|
|
Michael Scott posted:$5 for welding, wow. That would be 10 seconds of welding here in my US city. The differences in costs are crazy. Tomarse posted:I've not quite worked out where you are to use mm and $ but have an MOT?, but in the UK nobody bothers turning brake discs now as the labour alone would usually cost more than just buying new ones. You should definitely look online for pricing - I just spent under £50 for 2x discs for my 35 year old car shipped from Germany to the UK.  And the thickness specs were in mm too. I'll call around tomorrow and see if I could have them machined reasonably (which I think it will, labor is relatively cheap here), otherwise new rotors it is.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 20:51
|
|
|
mobby_6kl posted:$5 is super cheap for here as well, I was really surprised when I heard that but didn't complain. I'm sure this is only possible in these shade-tree places and a dealership would have me replace the whole midsection and lambda sensor for $$$ in parts and labor. I'm in the US. I just got the air tube nipple replaced on my exhaust for $18. Of course, I had to take the whole Y pipe assembly off and to the welder. Doesn't the CR use Euros?
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 21:29
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Once you swapped out the lines, Bleeding them only by yourself can be a pain unless you have a helper to push the pedal or you have a pump. But replacing the lines yourself is fairly simple. Routing the new lines through the frame and around all the other parts can be a pain. Just match pipe diameters and threaded ends. That's a relief. Mrs. Fai can pump the brakes to bleed the lines when the time comes, so it sounds like I've got a weekend project ahead of me. I've been pricing the lines in the meantime and they're a bit more expensive than I expected. Would it be kosher to grab some off an old Ranger in a junkyard? Or are brake lines one of those things you really want to buy new?
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 21:44
|
|
|
the trump tutelage posted:Thinking of buying a 2005+ Ford Ranger, just wondering what I should look out for and what "high mileage" might be for that particular vehicle. I wouldn't tow anything very long distance with a Ranger I'd tow something just about every day (boat, trailer, whatever) with mine, but never more than 200 miles. You're gonna need to do a lot of maintenance before you start out, and probably break a lot of poo poo along the way. After owning a proper fullsized F150 and towing with that, I really don't know how the gently caress I managed with just a 4 cyl ranger. Why not just buy an '06+ F150?
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 21:45
|
|
|
1998 Isuzu Rodeo This beater has been reliable as hell for me until today. Replaced the Fuel pump at 120k mi. but that's been the only major issue. About 1/4mi. from home last night the brake light on the dash lights up, the battery symbol lights up, and the engine squeels. I drive the last 1/4mi home with no power steering. I park it, and decide to look at it in the morning, when I see this under the hood...  The belt has snapped off of the pulleys, wrapped around the fan, and apparently knocked one of the pulleys off axis. Wonderful! *gently caress* So, can anyone tell me wtf happened here, and how to remedy it? Thanks so much for your time.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:08
|
|
|
The bearing let go in that tensioner pulley. Just replace the whole assembly and the belt and you should be fine.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:13
|
|
|
I think the damaged one is just an idler, the tensioner being the plain one below it. But yes, replace it. I would replace the tensioner as a matter of course, too, unless they're silly money. Looks like the pulley on the fan got itself a little bent out on the lip, so you may be able to smack that back into shape with a hammer rather than needing to replace it. Have a feel that none of the others seem loose, and run a straight edge across them to make sure everything is still aligned. As for what caused it, I would assume either the idler bearing collapsed, or a bit of debris kicked up into the belt and tripped it off.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:20
|
|
|
What's the assembly called? For instance if I was searching to purchase it online. Sorry obviously I'm a mechanical newb, I don't know what to look for here.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:27
|
|
|
GOTTA STAY FAI posted:That's a relief. Mrs. Fai can pump the brakes to bleed the lines when the time comes, so it sounds like I've got a weekend project ahead of me. Which lines are we talking about? If you mean the soft lines that run to the calipers, absolutely not, buy those new. If you mean hard lines, you also don't want to buy those used (unless maybe you get something completely rust free at a junkyard) but you also have options other than buying a pre-formed vehicle-specific line. A roll of copper-nickel brake line, some fittings, an inline flaring tool, and a good tubing cutter, and you can fab your own replacement hardline by hand. rdb posted:The bearing let go in that tensioner pulley. Just replace the whole assembly and the belt and you should be fine. InitialDave posted:I think the damaged one is just an idler, the tensioner being the plain one below it. But yes, replace it. I would replace the tensioner as a matter of course, too, unless they're silly money. To add to this, the only real possibility that anything has gone horribly wrong is if the engine was somehow able to overheat during that last half mile and cause damage. But if you drove it sensibly, you're fine. Twice I've driven trucks where the front snout of the water pump broke off, resulting in both a loss of all accessory drive and a massive coolant leak on top of it. First time I limped it to the closest parking lot at the next exit (2 miles away), second time I probably drove it five miles home without even really trying to limp it. Both engines (a small block Chevy and a Ford Pinto) were perfectly fine after repairs.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:28
|
|
|
Subways Jared posted:What's the assembly called? For instance if I was searching to purchase it online. Doubleposting: Rockauto will often sell a whole "accessory belt kit" that includes the belt and any tensioners / idlers.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:29
|
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:To add to this, the only real possibility that anything has gone horribly wrong is if the engine was somehow able to overheat during that last half mile and cause damage. But if you drove it sensibly, you're fine. Twice I've driven trucks where the front snout of the water pump broke off, resulting in both a loss of all accessory drive and a massive coolant leak on top of it. First time I limped it to the closest parking lot at the next exit (2 miles away), second time I probably drove it five miles home without even really trying to limp it. Both engines (a small block Chevy and a Ford Pinto) were perfectly fine after repairs. Yeah thankfully no overheating or any other issues other than the dash lights I mentioned- brake and battery. But it drives up and down the street fine, just no power steering. Obviously I will not be driving it anywhere again until I fix this, I just needed to test it after sitting overnight. IOwnCalculus posted:Doubleposting: Rockauto will often sell a whole "accessory belt kit" that includes the belt and any tensioners / idlers. *EDIT* I'm pretty sure this is what I'm supposed to buy, right? http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=5963883&cc=1315873&jsn=339
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:33
|
|
|
GOTTA STAY FAI posted:How easy would it be to replace the brake lines in my '94 Ford Ranger? The truck spent most of its life in Michigan, and the mechanic tells me that salt from the winter roads rusted them out. He also quoted me $1000 in labor alone for the job, which I'm pretty sure is deterrent pricing, because he didn't seem enthused about taking the job, but for all I know, it may actually be that big a task. I just did this on my old dodge and it's totally achievable but how aggravating it is depends on your skill level. Get a set of speed bleeder first, then a set of flare nut wrenches, mid to good quality ones. You'll likely have to drop a bunch of stuff like the manifold/headers and starter to get at the proportioning block somewhere in the C channel then it's a matter of just undoing the lines at both ends and not putting too many bend in them as you take them out. Then take the shorter one to a parts store, find the right fittings and get a flare tool and some brake line in bulk. You'll spend an afternoon (or less, if you're better at this than I am and invest in a good flare tool) recreating the flares. Bend the lines (you'll need a bender but I've heard guys can do it with a beer can) into a rough approximation of your old ones and reinstall. It sucks but it saves you mad amounts of money. The proportioning block is brass and shouldn't seize too bad when it comes to removing the lines.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 22:41
|
|
|
iospace posted:I'm almost positive this has been asked prior, but why don't you go from synthetic to regular exactly? Others have pointed out some of the differences, but there's no real reason you can't switch between them. Synthetics do have more detergents (as they're meant to be run longer) and may wash some crud away if you suddenly switch to it on a high mileage engine, potentially making existing leaks worse. But going from synthetic to conventional isn't going to cause anything like that. FWIW, I have no idea what the original owner of my car used, but I switched to synthetic on my first oil change after purchase (~70k I think?). I'm up to about 175k, and it still doesn't consume much oil between oil changes (rarely enough that I rarely have to add any between oil changes). No real leaks either. Any reason you're thinking of switching back? On most cars, if you change your own oil, synthetic will only run $10-15 extra. You can generally push synthetic a bit further between oil changes too (I do ~9k between changes, with mostly highway driving, but it's still 3-4k miles per month for me). Though if you're having Jiffy Lube or the like doing your oil changes, I can see why you'd want to go to conventional (just  at what lube shops charge for synthetic)
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 23:00
|
|
|
mobby_6kl posted:I just did the tech inspection/MOT thing and they weren't completely happy with the brakes, apparently uneven braking even though it brakes straight and strong. But still, not something to gently caress around with. They all look like this roughly, a small outer lip (except front outside) and somewhat uneven wear on the surface: Somewhat contradictory: are you sure that the problem isn't that you failed to bribe the tester? If the uneven braking is caused by the brakes (ie. pads, rotors, pistons, etc), the one side should be worn more than the other and you should be able to see which one is braking too hard/not enough. Could be a suspension issue
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 23:21
|
|
|
Thanks for the feedback re painting, I think I'm going to have a go! I may try and find a spare body panel to practice on first.kid sinister posted:Also, how long a move? The nice thing about Uhauls is that they're covered... I hope it doesn't rain. That's what tarps and judicious amounts of ratchet straps are for 
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2017 23:42
|
|
|
GnarlyCharlie4u posted:Why not just buy an '06+ F150?
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 00:13
|
|
|
This weekend I got to do some driving in the mountains with my as of late problem-ridden 2011 Ford Fusion (3.0 6). Denver has been super hot this week (mid nineties) and the car had a full load of people, bikes, and camping stuff, and with the AC blasting. I noticed occasionally on large hills while it was warm and I was trying to maintain 65-70mph or so the temperature gauge would climb (the hills were I70 coming up out of Georgetown, 36 going uphill from Boulder towards Denver, and the Vail Summit. I think the hottest it got was about 2/3rds of the way up the temperature gauge, and once I backed off a little bit the thing would go right back down within a few seconds to the normal position (just a little under halfway). I already have to bring this piece of poo poo in for an awful suspension noise, is this something I should write off as an issue caused by uncommon circumstances, or is this likely to be serious?
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 00:43
|
|
|
the trump tutelage posted:Any reason to avoid Dodge? Yes. http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2016/10/ram-ranks-last-in-consumer-reports-reliability-survey.html This is not a new thing for Chrysler.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 01:12
|
|
|
the trump tutelage posted:Any reason to avoid Dodge? Pros of a ram (formerly known as Dodge) truck: best rust resistance, generally solid engines. Cons: 30k ball joints, death wobble on 4x4s, transmissions so sketchy that 100k miles on one is considered good, cracking dashboards, questionable electrics, seats that deteriorate in 94-02 models, cummins engine attracts idiots like flies to poo poo, it's just general downtime and expense that add up. I would own one, but it would be a 2017 3500 heavy duty with the cummins engine and aisin trans that would ideally be brand new. And probably a lower spec trim with less to break inside. Used ones are too hit and miss. Chevys and GMCs are rust prone but solid driveline and electrics. 07 and down 4x4s had an issue with transfer case pump rub but a dab of JB weld seems to be the cure. Fords had a few issues with the triton, powerstroke and early ecoboost engines. If your comfortable working on one they aren't bad. Other than that they are solid and less rusty than a GM if you live somewhere it snows. Toyota makes toyotas. Tundra gas mileage is miserable. But resale, reliability and rust resistance (except for 00-03) is great. There is one out there that toyota bought back and tore down with a million miles on it, videos on YouTube. I was impressed because half tons don't make it that far. That's usually the realm of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 01:50
|
|
|
Don't Dodge trucks also have a propensity towards electrical fires?
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 02:29
|
|
|
Fo3 posted:Yes, if the battery has some shorted cells it will be a drain on the good battery and a hindrance. I never followed up on this but I swapped out the battery and my old one was still under full warranty and now it's running like a champ so thanks for the advice all
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 02:44
|
|
|
cigaw posted:2014 Hyundai Accent GLS - 1.6L DI DOHC 4cyl - 33k miles Often times when one pad is worn out like that but the other is good is due to a stuck caliper. Either the piston sticks or the pins/bolts that hold the caliper together are bound up.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 03:33
|
|
|
rdb posted:Pros of a ram (formerly known as Dodge) truck: best rust resistance Everyone I see here in SE Michigan has what can only be described as rusty dinosaur claw wounds on their sides. A line-shaped rusty edged gash 4 feet long in the rockers, wheel wells literally missing, etc. The vans seem just as bad.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 03:41
|
|
|
Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:Others have pointed out some of the differences, but there's no real reason you can't switch between them. Synthetics do have more detergents (as they're meant to be run longer) and may wash some crud away if you suddenly switch to it on a high mileage engine, potentially making existing leaks worse. But going from synthetic to conventional isn't going to cause anything like that. I didn't switch at all, I was more curious than anything because I've heard you're not supposed to go from synth to regular without "weening the car off of it" or something to that effect and was wondering why I heard that mostly.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 05:36
|
|
|
PaintVagrant posted:Everyone I see here in SE Michigan has what can only be described as rusty dinosaur claw wounds on their sides. A line-shaped rusty edged gash 4 feet long in the rockers, wheel wells literally missing, etc. The vans seem just as bad. Yeah, ram trucks (and Durangoes) are far and away the biggest rust buckets left on Michigan's roads.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 07:34
|
|
|
PaintVagrant posted:Everyone I see here in SE Michigan has what can only be described as rusty dinosaur claw wounds on their sides. A line-shaped rusty edged gash 4 feet long in the rockers, wheel wells literally missing, etc. The vans seem just as bad. Personally I see the rockers go on chevies first, then cab corners on chevy and Ford, and then bed sides on all three. E: I think we can all agree GM is the worst. rdb fucked around with this message at 12:18 on Jun 13, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 12:10
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:I'm in the US. I just got the air tube nipple replaced on my exhaust for $18. Of course, I had to take the whole Y pipe assembly off and to the welder. Nope, they kept the Koruna/Crown which was a good idea for more control over monetary policy imo spog posted:Somewhat contradictory: are you sure that the problem isn't that you failed to bribe the tester? It was quite tough to measure accurately with regular digital calipers so I'm not quite sure if they're really unequally worn, but it's probably worth checking. I don't think it's a suspension thing as they were testing them on a stationary dyno type of thing is it should be out of the equation.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 14:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 08:33 |
|
|
Thanks for all the brake line suggestions for my Ranger, guys and gals. I may end up making them myself as was suggested because that looks way less expensive than buying them pre-made. I'll buy an extra length of line so I can practice making the ends before trying out the real deal, though. Plumbing has never been my strong suit. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2017 14:55
|
|