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Drive the wheels off it.
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Jan 24, 2019 17:17
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C-Bangin' it 
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Hey guys, hoping somebody who knows a little about older Mopars or electrical systems could help me out. I've got a 1986 Dodge B250 with a 318. Earlier in the year it was killing batteries about once per year. At one point I noticed that my lights where getting very bright when the gas was applied. Tested battery voltage and realized that it was around 14v at idle and 17v under load. Replaced the battery (again) and traced the problem back to the voltage regulator. On these vehicles the regulator is external to the alternator. I figured the problem was a bad ground so I cleaned off the firewall and the regulator and ran a ground wire. Problem was solved for a while. Then recently a new problem cropped up where my temperatures went all out of wack. Gauge was pinned at the top. Shortly after that the oil pressure, battery voltage and all the other gauges were pinned too. Engine was not actually hot oil level was fine. I realized that these were electric gauges and found that once again my vehicle was running at 15+ volts. Lights are dim without gas, bright with gas. I've got a brand new voltage regulator i'm going to install. Also changed battery cables and alternator grounds. Should I change the alternator too? Is there anything else I should be looking at?
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Jan 24, 2019 19:12
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Paging Javid 
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Jan 24, 2019 19:17
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Those regulators will poo poo themselves and die for any or no reason. Either get one with a long warranty you can keep cashing in, or keep a hot spare in the glove box. Where is the regulator mounted? Some people screw them directly to the engine with one of the alternator bolts and that's a recipe for frying them in a month. e: IOwnCalculus posted:Paging Javid <3 I have a 92 b250 with the same engine and regulator, and averaged out over the time I've owned it, the average lifetime of a regulator has been like 90 days from purchase to disposal. It's not just that they will randomly fail, but also any other electrical issue can give them an input they aren't built for and toast them just as effectively. So it's decently possible there's some other sporadic issue that's frying them as a side bonus. Javid fucked around with this message at 19:24 on Jan 24, 2019 |
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Jan 24, 2019 19:19
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2010 hyundai elantra Transmission is slipping in cold weather. If I let the car warm up for a few minutes it seems to be fine. I don't recall this being a problem until about month ago when i had the transmission fluid flushed/replaced. Took it in to get looked at and they were unable to recreate the problem(it was about 60F out that day) and they said the levels were fine. Any ideas?
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Jan 24, 2019 22:42
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Dollas posted:when i had the transmission fluid flushed/replaced. How many miles on it and how many since the last change? Also flush vs. drain and fill is important information. Which was it?
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Jan 24, 2019 23:11
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Motronic posted:How many miles on it and how many since the last change? Also flush vs. drain and fill is important information. Which was it? 110K, about 500 or so miles since the flush
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Jan 24, 2019 23:23
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Dollas posted:110K, about 500 or so miles since the flush So you flushed a 110k mi trans that was still running the factory fluid is what I'm getting here. Why? Was there an issue that you were trying to solve? This often seems to go poorly, and I suspect it's due to flushing being aggressive enough to loosen large chunks of deposits that can clog poo poo up.
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Jan 24, 2019 23:51
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The dealer recommended it when I had it in for the 110K 'check everything in the car' inspection (fluid was dirty, according to them) Why would the chunks only cause a problem in cold weather? Something to do with viscosity?
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Jan 25, 2019 00:19
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Dollas posted:The dealer recommended it when I had it in for the 110K 'check everything in the car' inspection (fluid was dirty, according to them) Why are you going to the dealer out of warranty? And yes, everything is more difficult to move (in the valve body, etc) when the fluid is cold.
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Jan 25, 2019 01:06
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The Slack Lagoon posted:My wife and I are planning on doing a 5,000-6,000 mile road trip in the fall. We bought a 18 model year car in July (new). Is it, for any reason, worth it to get a rental car for a long trip, or should we just take our car? Did you buy it, or lease it? If you leased it and have a low mileage limit, then maybe consider renting. Otherwise, just drive the drat thing. Make sure it gets an oil change somewhere along the line (or just do it before the trip, and check the oil every few fillups). Letting it sit for a few months won't do it any good (particularly the battery), and your wallet will thank you for not renting a car. And most rentals have mileage limits and/or geographical limits (unless you pay extra, of course). MrOnBicycle posted:I think it's more than fair to use the term stealership (had no idea that term was probate-able here). I swear the more I read online and the more I understand cars, the less I want some random dude do poo poo on my car. I'm very glad that I seemed to have found an Alfa Romeo specialist closeby that seems to be a good guy (father/son business) that I can fall back on if I'm in over my head. Anything with car repair in Sweden is very expensive. Parts are often >50% more expensive than from Europe (i.e why bother buying from Sweden). It takes a lot for me to trust a shop or mechanic. Once I find one I like, I stick with them - i.e. the one my mom uses is someone I used for 21 years, until I moved out of the area. He originally worked at his father in law's shop (a Honda specialist that I found when the timing belt let go on my Accord), then spun off and opened his own general import shop. I've yet to find a shop since I moved last summer, but I did find a DIY shop that lets you rent a lift and tools by the hour (and they'll lend a hand if you get stuck). And yes, her filter is pretty much gone - she gives zero fucks who she offends these days (including me). I... think "stealership" was probatable a long time ago? I'm not sure on that anymore. But using spoiler tags also used to be probatable. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 06:37 on Jan 25, 2019 |
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Jan 25, 2019 06:32
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e: good job STR, two days in a row with the quote instead of edit bullshit.
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Jan 25, 2019 06:37
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Javid posted:I have a 92 b250 with the same engine and regulator, and averaged out over the time I've owned it, the average lifetime of a regulator has been like 90 days from purchase to disposal. It's not just that they will randomly fail, but also any other electrical issue can give them an input they aren't built for and toast them just as effectively. So it's decently possible there's some other sporadic issue that's frying them as a side bonus. Thanks for the advise Javid. I suppose i'll purchase another to have on hand and look and see if I can find any other electrical issues.
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Jan 25, 2019 10:19
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The Slack Lagoon posted:My wife and I are planning on doing a 5,000-6,000 mile road trip in the fall. We bought a 18 model year car in July (new). Is it, for any reason, worth it to get a rental car for a long trip, or should we just take our car? Contrary view to the others: how long in days is your road trip? If you’re driving 5,000 miles and racking up, say, 500 a day then a rental wouldn’t cost that much. I just checked National and something like 2/1 to 2/10 would only run you $350 for the Emerald Aisle where you can pick whatever car you want, which has SUVs, trucks, minivans, etc. They all offer unlimited miles. IRS business rate is 54 cents a mile and the moving/medical rate is 20 cents a mile. Moving/medical rate is only variable costs such as gas and oil. If you subtract the 20 cents from 54 cents you’re at 34 cents per mile for depreciation, tire wear, miles toward maintenance required, etc. I guess it depends on what you want to do. If you want a true CBA then you’d have to look at everything. How much does your 10k maintenance cost? Assume you’d be paying for half of that cost from your road trip alone. Sticky summer tires with a 20k lifetime? 1/4 of the replacement cost. One intangible that a rental offers is if you total it 2,000 miles from home you can just get another rental to drive home. Likewise if your car is damaged 3,000 miles away you don’t have to wait for it to get fixed or even worse, have to fly home and fly back to get your car when it’s ready, because insurance only would tow it maybe 100 miles.
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Jan 25, 2019 14:21
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edit: nvm
Kibbles n Shits fucked around with this message at 04:28 on Jan 26, 2019 |
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Jan 26, 2019 04:10
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Motronic posted:So you flushed a 110k mi trans that was still running the factory fluid is what I'm getting here. Dollas posted:The dealer recommended it when I had it in for the 110K 'check everything in the car' inspection (fluid was dirty, according to them) Dealer recommended service on my 2011 F150 transmission is in another 50k away at 150... and they don't drain it they flush it. I don't like the idea of either of those things: waiting that long (especially since I tow with it) AND using a power flush, but apparently that's how it's done. I honestly think I'm going to just do it myself soon instead.
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Jan 26, 2019 04:24
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Dear god, you own a truck...and actually use it to do truck things like towing. Gasp.
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Jan 26, 2019 14:12
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So with more modern cars there seem to be less and less room to maneuver when it comes to jacking up a car and then put it on stands. On my current cars there are only one official location per corner, which makes it hard to put it on jack stands without feeling like something might be bad for the car. What I've done so far is to jack the car up on those "towers" used during production to hold the car while it's rotated for assembly etc and then put the jack stands on the official points (i.e at the sills). Should be fine right? Never seen any deformation. I hate jacking the car up. Always feels like I'm doing something wrong because it isn't the official way. Impossible to put jack stands in if the area is already occupied so what can I do. I'm also a bit afraid of straying too far away from the SAE jack points in order to put in jack stands. Don't want to bend anything. Not that it really matters on one of the cars, because on that car the jack point if surrounded by plastic and barely has room for a small jack stand... Also, free dose of anxiety: 
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Jan 26, 2019 19:27
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The areas the suspension connects to have to hold the weight of the car, so I always look around those points for a flat or V spot.
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Jan 26, 2019 19:32
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Queen Combat posted:The areas the suspension connects to have to hold the weight of the car, so I always look around those points for a flat or V spot. this.. subframes are pretty stout too. Don't use oilpans  MB for example uses plastic lift points that are surprisingly stout on the sills.. MrOnBicycle posted:
Don't doxx me please.
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Jan 26, 2019 21:27
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Ok so I'm worrying unnecessarily. I know that it's probably fine, and when you go to a mechanic they don't give a poo poo and just lift wherever, and there are guys on YouTube lifting super-cars without using the proper points with no damage. Just not comfortable with it yet. At least not on the new-to-me car. I can't wait til I can afford a proper hydraulic scissor jack of something. Must be wonderful to just drive up, put some rubber bits under and lift the car. I've ever only lifted the engine on the oil pan (with block of wood spreading the weight to the walls) when changing the engine mount. Doesn't really seem to be any other way of fitting a jack.
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Jan 26, 2019 21:48
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1989 F250 XLT 7.3 IDI Query for the truck/camper/trailer afficionados that might be here. When I purchased my truck, it came with a female 7-way trailer outlet wired into the back below the bumper. I've never used it. It also has a long male 7-way plug, also wired in - when I got my camper shell I moved it underneath the truck and ziptied it out of the way; when I was doing so I brushed my hand against the center pin and got a jolt, so it's live. My question is what's the point of the male end being wired into the truck? If I understand trailer connections correctly, that piece is supposed to be wired into trailer lights and plugged into the aformentioned female end so I'm kind of confused. (The reason I'm poking around at this is because I want to run power into the camper shell so I can hook up some light strips.)
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Jan 26, 2019 21:48
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MrOnBicycle posted:Ok so I'm worrying unnecessarily. I know that it's probably fine, and when you go to a mechanic they don't give a poo poo and just lift wherever, and there are guys on YouTube lifting super-cars without using the proper points with no damage. Just not comfortable with it yet. At least not on the new-to-me car. One of the steps to remove the (dented by a jack previously) oil pan on my Galaxie was to lift the motor off the mounts by jacking from the oil pan with a block of wood. What a delightful experience. Same for lowering back down too to get the shims out.
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Jan 26, 2019 22:50
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I dented my oil pan ('66 Pontiac/389) trying to replace the motor mounts :/ It has to be jacked up off of the apron/crossmember to pull the pan. The only way I can see to do this is with an engine hoist from above. I'm living with it for the time being.
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Jan 26, 2019 23:36
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The "best" way to jack up an engine to do mounts at home is still the oil pan, but with a block of wood between the pan and jack, with the block of wood being long enough to go corner to corner diagonally. Needs to be a 2x4 or something like that. PainterofCrap posted:It has to be jacked up off of the apron/crossmember to pull the pan. The only way I can see to do this is with an engine hoist from above. That's a little annoying. Can you lift it enough by unbolting the mounts, lifting it with a jack (with the block of wood), removing the mounts, and shoving as much wood as possible (  ) between the mount points to support it? Or does it have to be lifted more than, say, 6 inches?
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Jan 27, 2019 08:39
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It was reeaalllly tight in there, even jacked off () the mounts. Getting at the bolts is hard enough; clearance to get the pan out seemed to be the issue. I did use a block of wood, but failed to notice that I had pinned the top of the bellhousing to the body tunnel & was actually jacking the front of the car. I only noticed when I heard the springs creak as they were unloading. I have to review the factory manual...but it may involve removing the transmission first - which seems way too British or French for GM, especially in the 60s. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 09:26 on Jan 27, 2019 |
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Jan 27, 2019 09:20
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I had to lift my engine 5-8cm or something to return it to its proper position. Thankfully my oil pan didn't give a poo poo.
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Jan 27, 2019 10:01
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Anything to look for in a new battery (in MN, so cold weather) for a '14 Impreza?
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Jan 27, 2019 20:18
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So I'm trying to re-glue some broken-off tabs on the bumper cover of a 2006 Volvo XC70 after I low-speed hit a a snowbank while parking. I'm planning on using superglue to align the pieces (since it dries very fast) and then using epoxy to make the actual reinforcing bond. Am I missing anything/would this work, and is there a recommended epoxy for this application? For example should I go for epoxy putty, JBWeld, quick-set, or and standard 2-part? Thanks!
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Jan 27, 2019 20:28
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Dukket posted:Anything to look for in a new battery (in MN, so cold weather) for a '14 Impreza? The heaviest one you can find.
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Jan 27, 2019 21:44
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I'm looking for a book recommendation. I know practically nothing about how cars and engines work, other than that there are explody things that make other things move and spin and that get hot. Does anyone know a book on a popular science / cars for dummies level that goes into how cars and car parts work, perhaps with some help in diagnosing and fixing issues?
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Jan 27, 2019 21:52
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Suicide Watch posted:So I'm trying to re-glue some broken-off tabs on the bumper cover of a 2006 Volvo XC70 after I low-speed hit a a snowbank while parking. I'm planning on using superglue to align the pieces (since it dries very fast) and then using epoxy to make the actual reinforcing bond. Am I missing anything/would this work, and is there a recommended epoxy for this application? For example should I go for epoxy putty, JBWeld, quick-set, or and standard 2-part? Thanks! I've had lots of bad luck with using both CA glue and normal 2-part epoxies on thermoplastics. Sometimes it bonds well, often it doesn't bond at all and then it's impossible to make a strong repair. Googling the problem indicates there's a J-B weld product called "plastic bonder" that might work better than the cheap stuff I normally have laying around. If it does bond (you can test a glob somewhere and see if it sticks), you should rough up the mating surfaces with sand paper or something and clean (acetone is good) before gluing. Consider reinforcing the repair with some fiberglass. Even tiny pieces work much better than no reinforcement at all. Doesn't need to be fancy to help make it strong, dry wall strip or something you have laying around will be much better than nothing.
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Jan 27, 2019 22:20
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PainterofCrap posted:The heaviest one you can find. This and the most CCA.
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Jan 28, 2019 00:53
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:This and the most CCA. Oh, "heaviest" wasn't sarcasm? Thanks - I've been meaning to replace the battery for a while (seems pretty DIY) and the recent cold snap has made it a necessity.
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Jan 28, 2019 01:07
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Dukket posted:Oh, "heaviest" wasn't sarcasm? Nope, it's not. Measure your current battery and/or the size in the bay a battery could fit, make a sketch, and hit up the store with the measuring tape and go to town. The biggest/heaviest/most listed CCA. Also note what orientation the pos/neg posts are in. My crown vic now has an F350 diesel battery under the hood, about 400 more CCA. It's a squeeze, but always starts up juuuuust fiiiine.
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Jan 28, 2019 01:22
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My van's battery is smaller than the space it goes in and can slide around, I should probably get a bigger one when this one dies for that reason. Hadn't thought of it before, even though I know other than "is 12v and has enough CCA" the car doesn't give a poo poo what the battery is.
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Jan 28, 2019 02:29
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 STUPID BRAKE QUESTION 2005 Toyota Camry LE 3.0 V6 225,000 miles I'm getting a vibration related to my brakes. The vibration occurs at variable speeds, but disappears after a few miles without braking. (I drive about 30 miles to and from work daily. The vibration stops after driving a while down the freeway and not braking) There's no vibration associated with using the brakes just after driving for a while so I think I have a pad dragging on the rotor or something like that. I replaced the pads about 5 months ago, I was in a hurry and didn't service the caliper guide pins at all. I replaced the pins and boots today assuming that one or more was sticking and causing the problem. Some of them were a little stiff, but nothing super bad. While changing the pins I realized that the passenger rear pads were completely worn out. They are worn evenly, but they need to be replaced ASAP. The rest of the pads look new still. When i changed the pads before, I noticed uneven wear on that same set of pads (the passenger rear) This time they are worn evenly, but crazy fast. I'm thinking there must be something wrong with the caliper itself, but i'm not familiar enough to say what, or if that's even what's causing the problem. Anyone have experience with this?
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Jan 28, 2019 02:54
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Action Man posted:
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Jan 28, 2019 05:39
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Queen Combat posted:Also note what orientation the pos/neg posts are in. THIS, so much this. I discovered the difference between a 24 and 24F battery once the hard way - the batteries look identical, but the terminals are swapped around. On my 88 Accord, it just threw a bunch of sparks when I tried to hook it up (and I never fully connected the cable, I knew something was wrong when I got those kind of sparks), and popped the fuse for the radio - on something like a '14, I'd expect it to need several thousand dollars of electronics replaced even if hooked up backwards only for a second.
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Jan 28, 2019 06:57
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How long, at idle, does it take to charge your typical 12V battery? I am keeping a couple of vehicles (my Mazda pickup and my Jeep Cherokee) in my backyard. I have not pulled the batteries out - one because I'm lazy, the other because the holddown screw is rounded and I haven't cut it out yet. I haven't even disconnected the batteries. I go out there every few weeks and run them for maybe a half hour to charge the batteries and get everything up to operating temperature. Is this enough time?
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Jan 28, 2019 13:12
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