|
Dennis McClaren posted:I drive mostly with cruise control. I have the Accel/Decel control buttons on my steering wheel. I take a lot of long highway trips lately, and it seems to make things easier. It's largely irrelevant for engine longevity. However, assuming the firmware driving the cruise control actuator is set up right you might see a slight uptick in fuel economy using the CC more than the pedal, as abrupt throttle changes are one of the biggest contributors to poor fuel economy. Assuming the cruise control actuator doesn't manipulate the throttle like it has a lead foot you're probably getting a MPG or two more than you otherwise would.
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 04:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 12:10 |
|
|
kid sinister posted:I have not. Still, that propane or starter fluid test would catch that, right? Propane would probably be more reliable on this - wave it really close to the sides of the throttle body. You may indeed have to touch.. the forbidden. Dennis McClaren posted:I drive mostly with cruise control. I have the Accel/Decel control buttons on my steering wheel. I take a lot of long highway trips lately, and it seems to make things easier. Don't use it on a brand new car until the engine is broken in - on a brand new car (or fresh engine rebuild), you want to vary the RPMs significantly for the first ~500 miles, otherwise the rings never really seat properly and you wind up with oil use issues down the road. Beyond that, it'll save you a little bit of gas, and doesn't hurt a drat thing. It's harmless, maybe even slightly beneficial to your wallet, so long as the engine is broken in already.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 06:30
|
|
|
Geoj posted:Assuming the cruise control actuator doesn't manipulate the throttle like it has a lead foot you're probably getting a MPG or two more than you otherwise would. All my older Fords with automatics would floor it hard enough to get squirrely in slick conditions if you tried to resume cruise to ~60 when pulling away from a stop on a country road. There was a hill on my way in to school that the cruise control would always trigger a kickdown right as I neared the peak, which was pretty fun I assume that newer vehicles with electronic throttles are probably smoother about it, but at least everything from the '93 Crown Vic through the '01 F-150 was pretty aggressive with the pedal. All my newer cars are manual so I don't really hit resume from meaningfully different speeds and of course there's no kickdown.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 14:41
|
|
|
Yeah, newer cars definitely get smarter about it. When my '13 CR-V is in eco mode (which I leave it in 99% of the time because in normal mode the throttle curve is stupid) the cruise is very purposely lazy and slow to react, and won't immediately floor it for a small loss in speed. The only time I consistently turn eco mode off is long distance interstate highway driving, where I want the cruise to react quickly.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 14:55
|
|
|
GnarlyCharlie4u posted:Edit: are you getting any engine codes? Thanks for bringing up the HVAC system. It hasn't been blowing as hot as it used to (a pretty subjective measure, but last winter I never had it at 100% hot), which I hadn't considered might be related to the rolling idle problem. I hope the weather is decent tomorrow.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 15:34
|
|
|
wolrah posted:That assumption doesn't necessarily hold up though. I've seen this too - the CC module in my Focus is effectively a stupid robot that only monitors the VSS signal. If I pull the car out of gear without clutching in first it quickly goes to WOT and stays there until clutch/brake pedal input or I shut the system off. That being said, anything that has throttle-by-wire (IIRC this was federally mandated in the late 2000s) should slowly build speed instead of flooring it until you're back up to speed. And you could negate this by slowly getting up to speed and then setting the CC - even older systems will do a better job at consistent throttle position than you will with your foot on the pedal.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 16:42
|
|
|
Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:Propane would probably be more reliable on this - wave it really close to the sides of the throttle body. I came across an interesting video on Youtube. I suppose this is more of a question in general than just F150s, but there isn't supposed to be a gap around the butterfly blades in a throttle body, is there? The one in the video was from an old F150 that had over 220K miles on it. Compared to a new one, the difference was night and day, pun intended. I'm waiting for it to warm up outside so I can take mine off and shine a flashlight to see if there's a gap. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Mar 16, 2018 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 17:53
|
|
|
Platystemon posted:So put the cover from the new fuse on the old fuse? rdb posted:Yes, if it matches. Just FYI some of those big fuses are physically held in by bolts or just a general pain to remove. Here’s the plastic I cut from, similar if not more thick than the original  And here it is installed. Masking tape so I can see if the fuse ever blows, and taped vertically and horizontally. Not the prettiest, but should be effective and secure. 
Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Mar 16, 2018 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 18:46
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:I came across an interesting video on Youtube. I suppose this is more of a question in general than just F150s, but there isn't supposed to be a gap around the butterfly blades in a throttle body, is there? The one in the video was from an old F150 that had over 220K miles on it. Compared to a new one, the difference was night and day, pun intended. I'm waiting for it to warm up outside so I can take mine off and shine a flashlight to see if there's a gap. I think it varies application by application, but yes, with IAC there should theoretically be enough airflow to need no or only a minimal throttle opening. Newer DBW setups usually can choke off the throttle to nearly 100% closed since the computer just adjusts the main throttle plate for idle, instead of a separate valve.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 19:40
|
|
|
On non throttle by wire setups you don't want the throttle plate to seal completely, as a vacuum will form behind it requiring you to stomp on the pedal to break it free after idling for more than a few seconds. Basically it should just be open enough to allow air to pass.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 20:16
|
|
|
How badly does running your A.C. effect your gas mileage? Does it use a significant amount of additional fuel to run cold A.C. on a hot summer day, then it would just driving with your windows down?
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 20:56
|
|
|
Varies depending on the car, but... rolling the windows down when it's 90+ outside (let alone 110+) doesn't do poo poo, so I don't even see how it's a comparison.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 21:06
|
|
|
Mythbusters did an episode about that and the results were inconclusive. At a steady 45 MPH a scan tool indicated something like a half MPG difference between windows down/AC off and windows up/AC on (in favor of the latter.) Then they changed testing methods and drove at a constant 55 MPH with an equal amount of fuel in the tank, after which they found the windows down/AC off combination went 15% further before running out of gas. There are so many variables at play that there really isn't a one size fits all answer to the question - some vehicles may do better or worse with the windows down or up and AC on or off. Geoj fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Mar 16, 2018 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 21:07
|
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:I think it varies application by application, but yes, with IAC there should theoretically be enough airflow to need no or only a minimal throttle opening. Newer DBW setups usually can choke off the throttle to nearly 100% closed since the computer just adjusts the main throttle plate for idle, instead of a separate valve. Well it just so happens that my cell phone is flat on the back, so I took the throttle body off, put the phone over the hole and it still had enough light in either valve to take a picture. Still, it didn't look like that big a gap to me. Anyway, back to testing. That Ford throttle adjustment spacer I bought has 2 set screws on it, both of which allow air flow around the IAC valve. With both of them completely closed and the IAC valve unplugged, my idle is still too high for what the TSB recommends, so that tells me that I have an air leak. That should mean that either: 1 I have a vacuum leak, 2. the throttle body butterfly valves are leaking too much, 3. the IAC leaks even at rest I checked for vacuum leaks EVERYWHERE I could with the propane test. I didn't get a surge at all. So that should narrow it down to the throttle body or the IAC, right? Or is there another culprit that I'm not considering?
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2018 21:41
|
|
|
Pinch off the power brake booster line, or disconnect it and put a bolt in it. Maybe the brake booster is leaking. What is the idle like without the IAC spacers? Maybe file/sand one of them down if you don’t want to adjust the idle screw. E: looked back at where you posted about the adjust kit. Its not so much a spacer like I was thinking. Disregard this. 900 is high but at least it wont stall. rdb fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Mar 17, 2018 |
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 01:00
|
|
|
Geoj posted:Mythbusters did an episode about that and the results were inconclusive.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 01:10
|
|
|
I'll be picking up a new 2018 Mazda3 grand touring hatchback tomorrow. I've driven nothing but some pretty insane junk up until this point, and have only made this move because I can most definitely afford it now and while I never thought I'd be making such a move (goes against my frugality), I made a value judgement opting for some measure of clarity that (I assume) new car owners must have. I'm not concerned so much about exterior cosmetic things (e.g., I'm not going to stress about the odd scratch), but I'm worried I've fossilized some habits regarding vehicle maintenance. Like for example going two years without an oil change. Are there any good resources for this? Are the manufacturer/dealer recommended maintenance schedules aggressive to the point of extortion? This is completely new to me, so I'd appreciate any guidance. I'm more the type of person to just buy something on craigslist and deal with it myself, to my best ability. But now the demands on my time are about to increase (in a good way), and I'd like to be able to enjoy more of life without having to hustle for everything.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 01:24
|
|
|
Two loving years? I let my Honda get to 6k miles once and I felt like I had committed a warcrime.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 02:56
|
|
|
rdb posted:Pinch off the power brake booster line, or disconnect it and put a bolt in it. Maybe the brake booster is leaking. Oh geez, I forgot the reason that I "upgraded" to rubber vacuum lines: you can pinch them shut to do tests! I'll have to try that tomorrow. Yep, it's at 900. That's what it was at both without the adjuster plate with the adjuster adjusted closed all the way.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 03:01
|
|
|
Kudaros posted:I'll be picking up a new 2018 Mazda3 grand touring hatchback tomorrow. I've driven nothing but some pretty insane junk up until this point, and have only made this move because I can most definitely afford it now and while I never thought I'd be making such a move (goes against my frugality), I made a value judgement opting for some measure of clarity that (I assume) new car owners must have. Do what the manual says. Usually it's "don't beat on it for x amount of miles" followed by whatever oil change recommendation it suggests with whatever kind of oil for wherever your climate is. Sometimes it's a year between oil changes provided you use the oil that the manufacturer suggests.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 03:06
|
|
|
How do you decide when to do oil changes in a vehicle with a dead odometer? Just go by time instead? I mean I hope to have it fixed but there's an upper limit to how much I'm willing to spend to do so.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 03:46
|
|
|
Dead odometer: check the oil regularly (every time you fill the gas tank), and look at the colour of the oil on the dipstick. If it looks like fresh oil, you're good. If it's black but not chunky, work out a good time to change the oil in the near-ish future. If it's chunky, change it now.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 04:17
|
|
|
Kudaros posted:I'll be picking up a new 2018 Mazda3 grand touring hatchback tomorrow. I've driven nothing but some pretty insane junk up until this point, and have only made this move because I can most definitely afford it now and while I never thought I'd be making such a move (goes against my frugality), I made a value judgement opting for some measure of clarity that (I assume) new car owners must have. Go by the recommended service schedule in your owner's manual, NOT by what the dealer says (they'll almost certainly say you need to change it every 3k), and use whatever type of oil is recommended (or better... using synthetic in something that doesn't call for it won't hurt a thing, and may prolong the life of the engine). If you don't put enough miles to go by the service schedule in the manual, then change it at least once a year. Personally, I swear by Mobil 1 synthetic. If your commute is lots of short trips, with little highway driving, use the severe service schedule (if there is one). Geoj posted:I've seen this too - the CC module in my Focus is effectively a stupid robot that only monitors the VSS signal. If I pull the car out of gear without clutching in first it quickly goes to WOT and stays there until clutch/brake pedal input or I shut the system off. The car I have now is the first I've owned that wasn't just a stupid robot - it'll rev up by about 1500 RPM, then disengages cruise. Also the first drive by wire car I've owned. Corla Plankun posted:Two loving years? I let my Honda get to 6k miles once and I felt like I had committed a warcrime. I've gone by the oil life monitor on my Saturd for the entire time I've owned it... it usually goes off around 9k. ... I do use synthetic, but Blackstone agreed with the OLM, even said the oil had a good bit of life left in it. But 9k is still 4 oil changes a year for me. Javid posted:How do you decide when to do oil changes in a vehicle with a dead odometer? Just go by time instead? Do you have a general idea of how many miles you drive on average? If it's not a sludge-prone engine, no turbo, and you're using conventional, 5000-6000 miles or once a year is a safe bet (whichever comes first). I know the odometer is broken, but surely you have a rough idea of how much you drive, right?
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 04:48
|
|
|
Well, kinda. I just got the thing as a road trip/camping vehicle so I'm not too sure how much I'm going to drive it yet. Estimating based on how many long trips I've taken over the last couple years give me a number of around 3500 a year, but I'll probably travel more if I don't have to sweat paying for hotels all the time. So we'll see. Like I said, Plan A is "get the odo fixed", it's just late so I can't be outside working on it so I'm obsessing on the internet instead. When I went to buy it the dude had just gotten the oil changed, anyway, so this is really a problem for June. While I'm on oil changes - this is a 92 ram van. Is there any way to fill the engine oil other than removing the doghouse and having them bring the oil hose inside the cab? The haynes manual is unhelpful.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 05:11
|
|
|
No idea on the doghouse, but if you're only seeing , say, 5000-6000 a year, and most of these trips are getting the engine good and warm, I'd just change it once a year with a good oil. Just keep an eye on the oil level.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 07:56
|
|
|
Javid posted:Well, kinda. I just got the thing as a road trip/camping vehicle so I'm not too sure how much I'm going to drive it yet. Estimating based on how many long trips I've taken over the last couple years give me a number of around 3500 a year, but I'll probably travel more if I don't have to sweat paying for hotels all the time. So we'll see. For most smaller car fixes, fluid replacements - it can sometimes be a good idea to check youtube first. Most of the time you YT search for "92 ram van oil change" you'll find a visual tutorial of your fix. Ex. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=92+ram+van+oil+change
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 15:37
|
|
|
How does one insure a hot rod? I see these classic muscle cars from the late sixties and early seventies (and some way back from the 30’s) and their owners have clearly sunk tens of thousands of dollars into them. If the actual blue book value hovers right around zero, how do they get car insurance for the replacement value?
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 16:20
|
|
|
Agrikk posted:How does one insure a hot rod? Agreed value policy through hagerty or another specialist insurer.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 16:24
|
|
|
Agrikk posted:How does one insure a hot rod? https://www.hagerty.com/
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 16:30
|
|
|
Oh of course. I should have known that if it exists then someone has
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 16:39
|
|
|
For brand new cars, do you all recommend dealer servicing or independent servicing?
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 16:52
|
|
|
Kudaros posted:For brand new cars, do you all recommend dealer servicing or independent servicing? Something like an oil change doesn't matter. If it's an actual repair of something that the warranty should cover, then definitely to the dealer.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 16:53
|
|
|
Book values aren't that bad on older classics like you're talking about, either. Kelley doesnt go that far back, but NADA does and the values are well above original MSRP.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 16:55
|
|
|
Deteriorata posted:Something like an oil change doesn't matter. If it's an actual repair of something that the warranty should cover, then definitely to the dealer. Dealer is probably the only option for warranty repairs anyway. But yes, routine maintenance is easily done by any shop on the vast majority of cars. Godholio posted:Book values aren't that bad on older classics like you're talking about, either. Kelley doesnt go that far back, but NADA does and the values are well above original MSRP. They might not be zero, but good luck convincing a "regular" insurance company to properly insure a classic. They want to use stated value policies with enough loopholes that they're nearly worthless.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 17:08
|
|
|
Kudaros posted:For brand new cars, do you all recommend dealer servicing or independent servicing? For maintenance, anywhere, just keep the receipts (especially for oil changes) in case the dealer tries to deny warranty over it not being serviced. Consult your owner's manual for the correct oil to use; some cars require synthetic, and the dealer can (and will) void the engine warranty if you need an engine under warranty and show up with a stack of receipts for conventional oil changes or the wrong oil weight. As others said, anything that's under warranty should be done by the dealer.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 20:55
|
|
|
Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:For maintenance, anywhere, just keep the receipts (especially for oil changes) in case the dealer tries to deny warranty over it not being serviced. Consult your owner's manual for the correct oil to use; some cars require synthetic, and the dealer can (and will) void the engine warranty if you need an engine under warranty and show up with a stack of receipts for conventional oil changes or the wrong oil weight. Sorta echoing this, but I always get my oil changes done at the dealership if its under warranty. It eliminates the problem of oil if something happens with the engine. Most warranties only last 3-4 oil changes so its kinda no big deal.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 21:31
|
|
|
I may be an anomoly but I get my regular service done at the dealership. Namely because they're not any more/less expensive on oil/filter changes and rotates, have a nice waiting room, and get me in/out in under an hour with an appointment. And with a modern car you get any available non-ota software patches.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 21:55
|
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:They might not be zero, but good luck convincing a "regular" insurance company to properly insure a classic. They want to use stated value policies with enough loopholes that they're nearly worthless. The problem with companies like Hagerty is that you don't get to drive your car for things like "running errands" or "going to work." Unless you want to pay 2-3x as much for your premium. Most policies are basically written to turn these cars into trailer queens that are basically covered when parked at home or at a show, but everything in between is up for debate. There's not a really good answer, if you're someone who likes to actually drive your car.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 22:10
|
|
|
I ended up going with Grundy for that exact reason. I cant use the classics as back ups for my daily or anything but there are no mileage limits and they just went with what I wanted for both trucks for the agreed value. No book value negotiations or anything. Great company if you want to drive your stuff and not have it be a trailer queen.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2018 22:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 12:10 |
|
|
Wait, when I looked at Hagarty I could get pretty reasonable insurance that allowed a couple thousand miles a year. Did I miss fine print or something?
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 00:44
|
|
