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DeesGrandpa posted:Cheap car question! I've been having really bad luck with my Fusion so I think it's time to part ways. A guy at work is selling his 08 2.5 Jetta for $2,000. It's got 139k on it, has the leather interior, automanual, sunroof, heated seats, the works. I drove it tonight and it drives well with no obvious issues. I'm really just looking for something I can drive on my weekend trips up to the mountains (2-400 miles for a weekend usually) without constantly being worried about major repairs. I keep seeing people who swear by the 2.5l Jettas, and others that say they're trash.I know at $2k I can't really be picky, but are these likely to be awful money pits or do I have a good chance of getting it to 180 or without selling my soul? My sister bought an '11 about a year ago (same engine) for 6k and put 20k on it in rural Pennsylvania and the only problems it has is slightly warm AC and one coil went bad. The car was 129k when she bought it and was a rental in it's early life so if the condition is there and it's been problem free in the past odds are good. Just be aware Volkswagens love to develop small strange issues as they age unless kept well.
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Jul 15, 2017 23:39
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Raluek posted:Sounds like you did good. If the glass wobbles, there's probably something broken or not seated right inside the mirror, so it's too bad it doesn't come apart like you'd expect. If it's like the honda I did once, it might need more force than you'd normally be comfortable putting on a piece of glass. Still, you might call the full service places when they open during the week, see if they have a less busted option.
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Jul 16, 2017 02:14
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Josh Lyman posted:There's probably something broken because when I tell the mirror to move to the right, it also starts to drifts upward. Right and down is impossible to achieve via power adjustment, but I can manually move the glass into that position. Do you know who broke your mirror or did it happen when you were street parked, and no note?
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Jul 16, 2017 02:45
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Michael Scott posted:Do you know who broke your mirror or did it happen when you were street parked, and no note?
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Jul 16, 2017 03:48
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Double checking on wheel bearings: I am about to order new ones (I only hear front driver's side one, but those are generally done in pairs, right?). It sounds like it should be them; gets pretty noticeable above 60-70kph, and when the car is making slight turns on the highway. I just jacked the car up and tried wiggling the wheel... I can definitely get some movement out of it, which is transferring to the struts/tie rod ends, that should be the bearings, right? Rear wheel does not move at all, but it also has a different steering setup, so I wanted to be sure. I can also hear a faint metallic "tick" twice per rotation when I turn the wheel by hand. GnarlyCharlie4u posted:The answer is in the question. Javid posted:165 to 175 when the other numbers are the same is pretty minor. Thanks for that! I got quoted $300 for a set of Yokohama Bluearth's, which would be tempting if I were more a man of means, but if I can get away with the newish 175s for $80, I think that's probably the more sensible thing to do. The 4x100 stud pattern for the steelies should be standard across cars, right?
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Jul 16, 2017 04:14
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opengl128 posted:Started the beater (05 Vibe) today and it was much loud than usual. Crawled around under it and the exhaust is broken before the muffler connection. Looked up some diagrams and its part of the resonator pipe, looks like this: That same exact poo poo happened with my Matrix. Same exact spot.
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Jul 16, 2017 04:29
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Harveygod posted:Thanks! Any reprogramming/rekeying necessary or just drop-in and go? I've seen the "30 minute relearn" instructions around the webs. You'll need to do the 30 minute relearn. It would be a good idea to disconnect the battery while you swap it - there's no real current going through the switch, but at least the ECM won't throw too much of a temper tantrum over the new switch that way.
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Jul 16, 2017 05:02
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Ethics_Gradient posted:The 4x100 stud pattern for the steelies should be standard across cars, right? Sort of. The bolt holes will be in the right spot, but you'll want to make sure the hub diameter is right, and the backspacing is in the right ballpark. Ethics_Gradient posted:Double checking on wheel bearings: If the one failed due to some sort of damage, then I don't see any reason to not just replace the one that failed. But if it's due to age, you might as well do both since the other one is probably not too far behind. You don't have to, but it wouldn't be a bad idea, preventatively.
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Jul 16, 2017 05:54
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Now a stupid question of my own: is there such a thing as a defective zerk fitting? I replaced the control arm on my brother's car, and I can't get any grease into the boot. It takes a lot of force to move the handle, and the grease comes out of the threads of the tip rather than into the balljoint boot. So did I install the zerk wrong, or is it defective?
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Jul 16, 2017 05:57
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I've run into that before. New zerk took care of it.
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Jul 16, 2017 06:09
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Breakfast Feud posted:The only way to be sure is to test the lock function from the module with a multimeter. Thanks, could you explain what setting the multimeter should be on and what wires i should be putting it to? My only experience with electrical stuff is from high school 15 years ago 
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Jul 16, 2017 12:35
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:You'll need to do the 30 minute relearn. It would be a good idea to disconnect the battery while you swap it - there's no real current going through the switch, but at least the ECM won't throw too much of a temper tantrum over the new switch that way. Awesome! Thanks for all the help.
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Jul 16, 2017 15:14
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Grakkus posted:Thanks, could you explain what setting the multimeter should be on and what wires i should be putting it to? My only experience with electrical stuff is from high school 15 years ago  You're going to want to use DC volts (if it's not auto ranging then the 10-100V setting or something like that) You're going to want to check the connector (pump?) output first and meter between: pins 3 and 1: should be +12V with red on 1 and black on 3 Once you've determined you have good voltage there, connect only these pins to the module. it sucks to have to un do work but it's the only way to really troubleshoot. My understanding is that the module will take that power and then send a signal to either pin 7 (unlock) or pin 9 (lock). You will have to find a way (read: use scrap wire) to keep the meter in place while you toggle the module functions. So, black probe is still going to be on pin 3 on the pump connector as that's your closest/best ground. Red probe is going to be on either pin 7 or 9, whichever function you want to test. So with your probes in place toggle the lock/unlock feature and you should see a voltage on the meter. It's not a perfect test as I don't know how long the pulse is going to be but you should see power blip out of the module. Test both functions and compare the readings you get and if they're similar enough then the module is likely OK. If your readings are vastly different then your module is probably the issue. hope this helps! edit: just also make sure that you've split + connected the red wire to all of its destination terminals, looks like there are three separate +12V feeds and they're all probably important autism ZX spectrum fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Jul 16, 2017 |
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Jul 16, 2017 15:55
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I may have overfilled my NA Miata by a quart of oil (5 instead of 4). Anything to be concerned about?
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Jul 17, 2017 00:19
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blk posted:I may have overfilled my NA Miata by a quart of oil (5 instead of 4). Anything to be concerned about? Probably not enough to cause an issue, but better safe than sorry right? Keep checking the stick and if it's still reading high you should try and dump some out. It's an easy solution to what could be an expensive problem down the road. So I was torquing down my (probably original 243k mile) lug nuts on my 2006 Outback and I felt two of them stretch. Like, I was applying final torque and I felt it get tighter and tighter.. and then suddenly loose, and it let go about a quarter turn. So did I stretch the threads? What are the odds that I just boogered up the lug nut and not the stud itself? And in that vein, what's the consensus on aftermarket lug nuts? Are aluminum lug nuts safe to use when they are torqued to spec (which I will be doing diligently from here on out)? Or should I just buy OEM Dorman lug nuts from rock auto? I kind of want some unique black or titanium colored lug nuts, but not if it's at the expense of safety/performance.
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Jul 17, 2017 01:24
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OK, not sure if it's the bearings now: I put the front end up on jack stands and tried both sides. If I grab either wheel at 3 and 9 o clock, I can get a fair bit of wiggle on both driver and passenger sides, but this seems to be play in the suspension (can see the strut and tie rod moving) rather than the bearing/hub. Or is that actually faulty bearings, and the force would be expected to transfer that way? If I grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o clock and yank as much as I can it's solid, which is why I'm starting to doubt my bearing diagnosis. While I had the front end in the air, I put the car in first but couldn't hear any noise (aside from that faint metallic tick on the driver's side, which is where I thought the bad bearing was), although tbf it's usually not until 50+ kph when I can start noise on the road. Could it be something else? edit: the tick is really faint, I've never heard it while driving, just if I've got the car up on a jack and am listening closely. Raluek posted:Sort of. The bolt holes will be in the right spot, but you'll want to make sure the hub diameter is right, and the backspacing is in the right ballpark. Ah... I have a feeling they may not be the right size (almost certainly off a different make of car), so I'd need to get them re-mounted onto the wheels that are on there. Will have to check the queue at work; OTOH shouldn't be much more work for them to do if they've already got it on the lift and the front wheels off for the bearings. TheFrailNinja posted:Probably not enough to cause an issue, but better safe than sorry right? Keep checking the stick and if it's still reading high you should try and dump some out. It's an easy solution to what could be an expensive problem down the road. Yeah, it is easy enough to drain a bit off that you might as well. With a motorbike I know too much oil can put undue stress on the seals, IDK about a Miata though. If the new OEM ones are pricey, junkyard might be a good place for lug nuts. Ethics_Gradient fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Jul 17, 2017 |
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Jul 17, 2017 01:45
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Ethics_Gradient posted:If the new OEM ones are pricey, junkyard might be a good place for lug nuts. Yeah but I'm cool paying up to like $50, seems like there are plenty of options around there. I was reading that Porsche 964's use aluminum lug nut and they're obviously safe for high performance application. I'm currently interning at a shop that specializes in old Porsches and I've handled those particular lug nuts many time, they feel strong as gently caress and they weigh nothing. I guess maybe I'm answering my own question? I mean my Outback isn't a high performance car whatsoever, but I do get after it in the twisties. I just don't want any drama from my lug nuts.
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Jul 17, 2017 02:14
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Ethics_Gradient posted:OK, not sure if it's the bearings now: 3 and 9 is a good test of slop in your steering (tie rod ends, I guess); 12 and 6 is wheel bearings. Clicking can be CV axles; usually when a bearing goes it starts to grumble or whine. If it's a real faint click, it could also be just a piece of something stuck in a tire or a slight irregularity in the brakes. Investigate further! E: That said, it's also possible for bearings to fail where they're rough but not sloppy. Imperfections in the rollers, but not enough to change the preload. But I've not personally noticed that happening. I'm also not a pro mechanic 
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Jul 17, 2017 02:17
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TheFrailNinja posted:Yeah but I'm cool paying up to like $50, seems like there are plenty of options around there. I was reading that Porsche 964's use aluminum lug nut and they're obviously safe for high performance application. I'm currently interning at a shop that specializes in old Porsches and I've handled those particular lug nuts many time, they feel strong as gently caress and they weigh nothing. I guess maybe I'm answering my own question? I mean my Outback isn't a high performance car whatsoever, but I do get after it in the twisties. I just don't want any drama from my lug nuts. Just avoid getting a set of cheapo ebay rays/muteki knock offs and you should be fine. I'd also avoid getting a spline drive lug set since the keys on those are universally poo poo.
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Jul 17, 2017 03:21
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Raluek posted:3 and 9 is a good test of slop in your steering (tie rod ends, I guess); 12 and 6 is wheel bearings. Clicking can be CV axles; usually when a bearing goes it starts to grumble or whine. If it's a real faint click, it could also be just a piece of something stuck in a tire or a slight irregularity in the brakes. Investigate further! Ah, doing some reading it sounds like you're right about the tie rod ends. I will pop it back up on the jacks later and have a look... especially if it's just the outers, that looks to be pretty cheap and painless to do. I haven't really noticed anything funny with steering, but I'm also somewhat new to not having PS, so  The click/tick is when I have the wheel off the ground so it wouldn't be debris in the tread, it'd be difficult if not impossible to hear when the car is moving. Because it's a moan that gets noticeable above 50kph I was thinking bearing (from what I can tell of ball joints/CVs/tie rods that's not symptomatic), the noise does get worse in curves on the highway. I had a dig back through the PO's maintenance records and the right hand rear bearing was done 30k/3 years ago, with a new stud fitted to the driver's side front (suspected problem area) at the same time. 100k kms ago both rear bearings were done, but I can find no record in the last 150,000kms/12 years of the front ones having been done.
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Jul 17, 2017 04:23
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Ethics_Gradient posted:Ah, doing some reading it sounds like you're right about the tie rod ends. I will pop it back up on the jacks later and have a look... especially if it's just the outers, that looks to be pretty cheap and painless to do. I haven't really noticed anything funny with steering, but I'm also somewhat new to not having PS, so OK yeah if it starts moaning over a certain speed that definitely sounds like a bearing. If they just pounded the stud in instead of pressing it in, I could see it making that bearing unhappy. Divots in the rollers, maybe? Sounds like a good place to start. Keep in mind, if you replace the tie rod ends you'll have to get an alignment.
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Jul 17, 2017 04:35
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Where do I find the SOPs that lay out how many legal hours a shop can charge for labor?
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Jul 17, 2017 19:55
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Red posted:Where do I find the SOPs that lay out how many legal hours a shop can charge for labor? Uh, generally, a shop can bill you for as many hours as they want/work/you approve. Are you asking about book hours for a job?
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Jul 17, 2017 20:13
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Boys who love boys
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Ethics_Gradient posted:bearings Just to be clear: lifting the car up and feeling for slop in the wheels is good because if there is slop, you know you need to change the bearings. However, there being no movement is not proof that the bearings are fine. The moaning sound you're hearing is probably bearings and them still feeling tight on the wheel doesn't disprove that. Secondarily, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're putting the front of the car up on jack stands and then starting the car, putting it in gear, and powering the wheels up? Don't do that, it's dangerous. The forces at work as you shift into gear and create gyroscopic forces in the wheels etc. can cause the car's weight to shift enough to knock it off a jack stand and hit the ground with a powered wheel or two. A mechanic can get away with it when the car is on a proper lift because the car can move a little without being in danger of falling off, but the normal way to test that sort of thing is either by driving on a road, or by using a dynomometer setup where the wheels are put onto rolling drums and the car is safely secured so it can't jump off of the drums.
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Jul 17, 2017 20:23
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I'm driving a 2006 Nissan Sentra with power windows these days. A few months ago, I noticed that my passenger side rear window had rolled down ALL the way (instead of staying up a few inches) and wouldn't close. I have a passing familiarity with windows because I replaced a broken one in a different car last year, so I took the panel and plastic protective cover thing off to check it out. I took pictures of the arm out of the track and a short video thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_P6NJQElRE The motor works fine. I can roll it up and stick it back into the track and it'll stay closed, but when I roll it down it pops out and the window just sort of slowly slides the whole way down again. This is what I originally did, leaving the switch unplugged, but that made my car fail inspection. I can't imagine fixing this should be a huge problem - the motor works fine, the window's intact, just... doesn't work.
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Jul 17, 2017 21:47
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I doubt you can buy just the plastic bushing it runs on, but maybe you could find one from a defunct window regulator at the junkyard, which would itself be worthless? Edit: It's a bodge, but if you drill two holes on the remains of the bush and ziptie the ball in there, it'll probably work as a temporary solution. InitialDave fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Jul 17, 2017 |
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Jul 17, 2017 21:53
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Leperflesh posted:Just to be clear: lifting the car up and feeling for slop in the wheels is good because if there is slop, you know you need to change the bearings. However, there being no movement is not proof that the bearings are fine. The moaning sound you're hearing is probably bearings and them still feeling tight on the wheel doesn't disprove that. Thanks, and crap, won't do that again (thanks for the explanation)! FWIW had the rear wheels chocked, although I know that's not gonna stop a determined car. Gonna order those bearings today, and go out and check inner tie rods to see if those need replacing too. It's only another $50 or so and I can probably borrow the tool from work, but would have to order from overseas rather than domestically.
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Jul 18, 2017 00:43
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Yeah I mean, running the wheels in gear on stands is not the most dangerous thing in the world to do: if the car is very solidly on its stands on a good flat hard surface it's pretty unlikely to fall off just from a little movement. But it's not really safe, and definitely not advisable for someone who might be a bit inexperienced with putting a car on stands anyway. I've put my own vehicles on stands dozens of times now but I still wouldn't risk it personally. Good luck with the bearings and stuff!
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Jul 18, 2017 00:55
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I recently purchased a bottle jack to keep in the car to make emergency tire changes a bit less poo poo. Of course on my 2002 Corolla it doesn't fit under the factory jack points. There appears to be far more clearance further under the car, what are some safe jacking points (if any) that may be located a little higher? Or am I boned and stuck using the factory screw type jack?
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Jul 18, 2017 01:54
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Leperflesh posted:Just to be clear: lifting the car up and feeling for slop in the wheels is good because if there is slop, you know you need to change the bearings. However, there being no movement is not proof that the bearings are fine. The moaning sound you're hearing is probably bearings and them still feeling tight on the wheel doesn't disprove that. I will nth this. My MS3 ate a wheel bearing on the right front that never wobbled at all, but roared like a motherfucker. It also seized on the stub axle so I had to buy a new CV and spindle too.
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Jul 18, 2017 02:28
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slothrop posted:I recently purchased a bottle jack to keep in the car to make emergency tire changes a bit less poo poo. Of course on my 2002 Corolla it doesn't fit under the factory jack points. There appears to be far more clearance further under the car, what are some safe jacking points (if any) that may be located a little higher? Unfortunately, that's kinda the way bottle jacks are desiged (they are usually meant for trucks and stuff with higher clearance). I have one from my old van that I hung onto and it's juuuust barely too tall to slide under my Starlet's jack point. The redneck solution is to drive your car up onto a 2x4 or something, but it's not best practice. On my wish list is a hydraulic floor jack for doing repair work at home... I keep mentally upselling myself on a heavier duty one because I eventually plan to buy a bigger vehicle (Delica, Transit, or maybe a 4WD) but maybe I should just get a car-sized one and use my bottle jack in the future if needed. edit: the bottle jack is also going to be more dangerous for changing a flat since it has such a small contact point that the car could easily be knocked off of; it's meant for getting the vehicle up and onto a jack stand. Scissor jack is more of a PITA to use, but it actually cradles that rail and is less likely to come free/get knocked over. Ethics_Gradient fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Jul 18, 2017 |
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Jul 18, 2017 05:34
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You also need to be mindful of the scenario where you need the jack. Unless you've got super low profile tires on the car, it will be considerably closer to the ground when you have a flat.
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Jul 18, 2017 05:36
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That's the reason I carry my lovely little Craftsman jack around in my trunk, it's a hydraulic jack that's low enough to reach the jack points on most cars even with a flat tire.
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Jul 18, 2017 06:43
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Bearings are on their way! I inspected the inner and outer tie rod boots, which are fine on both sides. I did discover that the outer CV boot has a small rip and is leaking grease on the driver's (problem) side. How much more effort will that be to change if I've already got the hub off to change the wheel bearing? I get no ticking at full lock or anything like that, so thinking I can maybe just get away with doing the boot. Tried getting inner tie rod off to check that but wasn't having much luck, had to put everything away since I was losing daylight. It seemed rock solid when I grabbed it and tried to move it around while it was still in place, but again, I can get that in/out play when I wiggle the wheel at 3 and 6.
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Jul 18, 2017 07:53
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Unless axles for your car are expensive or hard to get, I'd still replace the whole thing. Less work than trying to replace the boot.
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Jul 18, 2017 13:53
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opengl128 posted:Yeah it's a pretty clean split straight around the pipe. Really no rot whatsoever. Went to the nice looking place near work and they quoted $150 to cut out the flange and weld in a new pipe in it's place. lol no. Gonna swing by the dumpy looking muffler place a little farther away and see what they say.
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Jul 18, 2017 20:18
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Just get a slightly larger ID piece from NAPA and two ubolt clamps, then cut the flange off and fit that pipe in there. Probably... 25 bucks? E: 25 bucks if you own a grinder and a cutting wheel already Wickerman fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Jul 18, 2017 |
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Jul 18, 2017 20:20
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Wickerman posted:Just get a slightly larger ID piece from NAPA and two ubolt clamps, then cut the flange off and fit that pipe in there. Probably... 25 bucks? Huh. That's so obvious I'm embarassed I didn't think of it. For some reason I had it in my head I needed to buy that whole pipe I linked earlier to make this repair. I do have an angle grinder and the finest HF death wheels which I assume would do a good enough job for the cuts. I'll see what the second shop says and if it's any more than $50 I'll attempt this myself. I guess I can't make it any worse. e: even easier: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...wE&gclsrc=aw.ds opengl fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Jul 18, 2017 |
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Jul 18, 2017 20:25
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lolllll the second shop wanted $250. the hell. Gonna cut off the flange and clamp a new pipe over it. Just need to find the right size.
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Jul 19, 2017 01:05
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opengl128 posted:lolllll the second shop wanted $250. the hell. lmao what. I forget exactly what I paid, I think it was $20, definitely under $50 to have the place down the road cut off the ends of the exhaust pipes from the old manifolds, weld on reducers for my new headers, and weld up some cuts in the exhaust from where I got halfway through cutting the mufflers out before deciding I was going to keep them after all. Guess DIY is the way to go, for some reason.
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Jul 19, 2017 01:30
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