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300 ft-lbs is expecting a lot of overrating when my lug nuts are... 80? ft-lbs. As for roadside kit, gloves. Mercedes is the only one I've seen bundle them in the tire kit.
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Feb 1, 2019 18:53
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Invalido posted:A trolley jack is more than I want to lug around all the time and hopefully never use. What I'd really like to have is something small enough to fit inside the spare well with the rest of my just-in-case stuff, but better made and more stable than the factory jack - I've used that twice, and it was a bit too sketchy for my liking. I probably wouldn't mind a scissor jack if it was less prone to bending and tipping over than those tend to be. You could look for a bottle jack, but depending on how high you have to go, they can get kinda bulky too. The trolley jack isn't bad. Maybe 20 pounds and about 18 inches long, but yeah, it's not gonna fit in the spare tire well along with the spare.
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Feb 1, 2019 21:17
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hifi posted:300 ft-lbs is expecting a lot of overrating when my lug nuts are... 80? ft-lbs. Yeah, 100-110 is where I go to.
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Feb 1, 2019 22:07
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C-Bangin' it 
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I sent off a cylinder head for a refresh (pressure test, cleaning, skim, valve job) for the first time the other day, and got it back today. There are still visible carbon deposits on and around the valves. Is this normal or did I get screwed? I'm thinking of taking this to a different machine shop tomorrow for a second opinion. Or is this fine and I'm being ridiculous?      
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Feb 1, 2019 22:40
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I need some help identifying what's going on when I'm bench testing my starter motor. Car is a 1978 Fiat X1/9, the starter has seemed weak for quite a while and then recently I've been getting absolutely nothing out of it, no crank and no click from the solenoid. I checked the ignition switch when I still had the starter in the car and it seemed fine, 12v at the wire to the starter when I was turning the key but still nothing. Pulled the starter out the other weekend and tried to test it but got nothing, and then kinda assumed it was dead and left it until now. There is a decent chance I was just making a mess of it the first time though. This morning I've gone to test it on 2 different batteries, and it will spin, and the solenoid will engage once or twice, and then nothing at all until I give it a few whacks, and then it will happily (although still pretty weak and uneven sounding) spin and work as normal a few more times before it just completely dies again. I'm guessing there isn't any point to trying to salvage this one, and if I put it back in I'm going to keep having issues with it regardless of what I do? Also, is there anything much else to check before I do buy & install a new starter? I know I should check the heavy gauge and ignition wiring to the starter to make sure they're both fine, but I'm not sure if there's something else I should be checking while I'm at it.
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Feb 2, 2019 01:00
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That sounds like the windings have a flat spot, basically due to wear if the starter stops in certain positions it will get stuck until jostled or rotated to a working position. Depending on where you live you may be able to get it rebuilt for relatively cheap.
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Feb 2, 2019 01:08
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What Autoexec said. Find an old school starter/alternator shop. They'll usually do a really good job on it, and usually for less than a parts store one (assuming the parts stores can even find one). If you need to use it until you can get it rebuilt, keep a hammer with you. Generally a whack or two is enough to jostle it back to where it'll work once or twice.
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Feb 2, 2019 07:57
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STR posted:If you need to use it until you can get it rebuilt, keep a hammer with you. Generally a whack or two is enough to jostle it back to where it'll work once or twice. With the HANDLE. Going all ape on it will crack the magnets and make it stop working for good.
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Feb 2, 2019 15:27
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I have some old pool cues that work marvelously well to persuade a recalcitrant starter. Bonus: you can hit it standing up, from under the hood, and it delivers a good shot.
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Feb 2, 2019 15:34
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Motronic posted:With the HANDLE. I remember being about 5 years old and watching my dad get under the car with a ball peen hammer and hit the starter to get the car running. It happened more than once. So with kid logic I naturally assumed that was how you fix a car. A friend of the family recently mentioned an incident where a 5 year old me laid into his car with a hammer, and as an adult I was able to apologize and explain. STR posted:The cable is frozen. There should be a release cable in the trunk for it, though you may have to reach behind the carpeted trunk liner behind the gas filler (not sure how it is on a 2010, but on my 96 Civic, and on my 01 Accord, I believe it was behind the liner). Alternatively, get a heat gun (or hair dryer) on a beefy extension cord and focus it around the gas door (moving the heat gun constantly) for a few minutes. You also may need to pull back the trunk liner and aim it on the cable itself (don't focus it on one spot unless you like melting the cable sheath). Thanks dude. And all the other dudes too.
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Feb 2, 2019 16:51
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This is only kind of a car question, but has anyone had any experience transporting a car cross-country? The industry seems extremely scammy. Are there reputable companies? Just looking for basic, open trailer transport for a sedan from California to the NE.
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Feb 2, 2019 21:03
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2007 Corolla. I'm replacing all of the struts this spring. I usually go OEM only, but for ease of installation (and cost) reasons I'm thinking of buying and using a set of Monroe Quick Struts. Are there any known quality/durability issues with Monroe, or are they a pretty good option versus OEM? Or should just quit being a cheapass and get some strut compressors with some OEM Toyota struts. melon cat fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Feb 2, 2019 |
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Feb 2, 2019 23:31
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If you're going the compress it yourself route get some Moog tops and KYB struts.
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Feb 2, 2019 23:43
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i'm trying to get a ball joint off a control arm i spent 15 minutes heating it with a propane torch and hit it with a pickle fork, nothing. tried direct hits on the bolt with a sledghammer, nothing. tried a pitman arm puller, broke the fuckin thing. tried a tie rod puller and broke that too. is my only hope at this point to just take the control arm to a shop and having the drat ball joint machine pressed out or what?
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Feb 2, 2019 23:56
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DEEP STATE PLOT posted:i'm trying to get a ball joint off a control arm Wow usually the pullers get the job done immediately. Is it a control arm that you can’t replace part and parcel? I think the common wisdom these days is just to replace the whole thing.
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Feb 2, 2019 23:58
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melon cat posted:2007 Corolla. I'm replacing all of the struts this spring. I usually go OEM only, but for ease of installation (and cost) reasons I'm thinking of buying and using a set of Monroe Quick Struts. Are there any known quality/durability issues with Monroe, or are they a pretty good option versus OEM? Ever use strut compressors? Doing the job can kill you in not a good way.
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Feb 2, 2019 23:59
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melon cat posted:2007 Corolla. I'm replacing all of the struts this spring. I usually go OEM only, but for ease of installation (and cost) reasons I'm thinking of buying and using a set of Monroe Quick Struts. Are there any known quality/durability issues with Monroe, or are they a pretty good option versus OEM? You can rent spring compressors for free from AutoZone, et al. $50 or so to take them with you and you get a refund when you bring them back. It's worth getting good struts if you've got the time to carefully deal with it. Can't speak for Monroe's assembly though.
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Feb 3, 2019 00:01
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StormDrain posted:Wow usually the pullers get the job done immediately. Is it a control arm that you can’t replace part and parcel? I think the common wisdom these days is just to replace the whole thing. control arm is off a 91 mr2, ain't no replacing that from what i can tell. for what it's worth i don't know that the front of the car has ever been apart ever, as just getting the control arm separated from the strut arm was insanely difficult.
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Feb 3, 2019 00:01
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Colostomy Bag posted:Ever use strut compressors? Doing the job can kill you in not a good way. It is a corolla, he can probably get it done with an electric impact and a friend to compress the spring/strut stack by hand enough to get the nut threaded before impacting the thing back on I am the terrible mechanic
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Feb 3, 2019 00:02
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BlackMK4 posted:
Aren't we all.
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Feb 3, 2019 00:15
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I went with Monroe quickstruts on my CRV. So far so good, and it was nice not needing to mess around with a strut compressor.
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Feb 3, 2019 00:22
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ought ten posted:This is only kind of a car question, but has anyone had any experience transporting a car cross-country? The industry seems extremely scammy. Are there reputable companies? Just looking for basic, open trailer transport for a sedan from California to the NE. I had one recently and it was super easy. Acme Car Moving IIRC
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Feb 3, 2019 01:50
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Never doing anything other than quickstruts again.
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Feb 3, 2019 03:51
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DEEP STATE PLOT posted:i'm trying to get a ball joint off a control arm There are ball joint press tools you can buy/rent. Failing that, yeah take it somewhere with a press. Also, make sure there's not an unexpected rivet or something holding it in place. I don't know how those are constructed.
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Feb 3, 2019 05:05
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Colostomy Bag posted:Ever use strut compressors? Doing the job can kill you in not a good way. PabloBOOM posted:You can rent spring compressors for free from AutoZone, et al. $50 or so to take them with you and you get a refund when you bring them back. It's worth getting good struts if you've got the time to carefully deal with it. Can't speak for Monroe's assembly though. Queen Combat posted:Never doing anything other than quickstruts again. IOwnCalculus posted:I went with Monroe quickstruts on my CRV. So far so good, and it was nice not needing to mess around with a strut compressor. melon cat fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Feb 3, 2019 |
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Feb 3, 2019 07:09
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melon cat posted:2007 Corolla. I'm replacing all of the struts this spring. I usually go OEM only, but for ease of installation (and cost) reasons I'm thinking of buying and using a set of Monroe Quick Struts. Are there any known quality/durability issues with Monroe, or are they a pretty good option versus OEM? melon cat posted:Never used them before. Are they anything like garage door springs, as in, they're in "Don't gently caress with ever" territory? I'm experienced with tools but have never messed with anything that could definitely kill my dumbass in 0.5 seconds if I hosed up a tiny bit. In my own opinion, Monroe is absolute garbage. They're great if you want to sell the car soon and advertise it as having new shocks/struts. Their top of the line stuff is "better" than their mainstream stuff, but for the same price point, you can get far better. KYB is the OEM for Toyota (and really, a ton of car makes - KYB and Sachs are the two biggest OEMs for struts, shocks, and springs, AFAIK). Gabriel and Moog also sell quickstruts. KYB makes them for some cars (my mechanic tracked them down for the front on my mom's 2003 Avalon, saving her a decent chunk in labor). Moog doesn't make their own, I'm honestly not sure who makes them for Moog (if anyone who can ID parts stampings can help, I have some new in box Moog quickstruts that I'm installing soon...). Gabriel makes their own stuff. Outside of quick struts, Moog generally makes their own parts, and they're usually their "problem solver" line, which is meant to address shortcomings in OEM design. For example, their sway bar end links for my car are steel (instead of the OEM plastic), and have grease fittings. I would say garage door springs are about as dangerous, but it's more in the "if you let go of this or the handle slips, it will hurt the entire time it kills you", instead of "if your grip slips on the garage door spring, it's gonna knock a big hole in the wall and maybe a hole in your skull when the handle flies out". The better quality (i.e. not Harbor Freight) spring compressors are generally good (the ones you can rent from AutoZone are decent, just inspect for obvious cracks). Both require wearing eye protection. Both require similar precautions. Garage door springs are a bit tricker in that you have to play a balancing act between how tight the spring is, and being able to lift the door (and the spring holding it in place no matter what position), so there's a lot more work put into replacing a garage door spring overall. The nice thing about quick struts is they include everything though, including the bearings at the top hat if your car uses them (some cars pivot the entire front suspension per corner for turns, others only turn the knuckle - I want to say your car probably uses the former). KYB's OEM line is the Excel-G (also known as GR-2 previously - same thing, they've just consolidated product lines). Those are a bit more tolerant of lowered vehicles, but are the closest thing to OEM you'll get. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 10:17 on Feb 3, 2019 |
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Feb 3, 2019 10:11
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melon cat posted:
Perfectly competent. Possibly not as good as the OE ones were new, but that was a long time ago. Far better than the OE after 130k.
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Feb 3, 2019 17:55
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What's the best way to guarantee belt tension is set correctly? About to replace a couple belts on a 2007 subaru forester. I've found a guide that lists specs for belt tension, and it looks like the key is a certain amount of deflection given a specific force on the belt. Or maybe better stated, a certain force produces a specific displacement. I've googled and seen some awfully imprecise rules of thumb, as well as a confusing array of tools that all seem to work differently.
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Feb 3, 2019 22:42
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If there's some kind of spec for you application, use it. otherwise: Deflection of no more than one inch at the longest run between pulleys. I'm old, but have had no issues with either belt slippage or eaten bearings over the past 40-years.
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Feb 4, 2019 01:41
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Gonna re-ask a question from the summer for more feedback: Are there tire designs/varieties that will, on a RWD van, give me a meaningful improvement in unpaved road or off-road traction, but NOT be * significantly larger and (presumably) heavier (turding up my already terrible MPG) * noisy on asphalt (this alone isn't necessarily a dealbreaker since I doubt they'll drown out the v8 I'm sitting next to) * significantly more expensive (Rather not break $125 a corner as a ballpark, generic tires at wally world or Schwab start around half of that) Size is 235/70/15 iirc. I have four nearly bald all-seasons and one pristine full-sized spare, so I'm either gonna get 3 matching all-seasons and have the least hosed current tire as my spare, or 4 off-road tires if that's viable. This thing has no lift as such but it has enough ground clearance to crawl under it and work on most things without jacking it up. Ground to body is ~12 inches, the oil pan and rear diff are lower but that's it. E: I'm fully aware it's possible I'm asking too much of tires here.
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Feb 4, 2019 01:55
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Javid posted:Gonna re-ask a question from the summer for more feedback: You're not asking too much of tires, but you are asking way too much of all seasons. My go-to on road and off road combo are BFG KO2s, but those are gonna be way more than you want to spend. In reality, any all terrain is going to romp a set of all seasons off road. I'd look at reviews carefully for road noise and on road performance/wear.
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Feb 4, 2019 02:15
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Javid posted:Gonna re-ask a question from the summer for more feedback: It looks like there is a lot choice around that size, and not too expensive either. 235 75 15 Cooper discoverer at3’s can be had within that budget and would be my pick. Also check the date code on your spare before you decide to use it as more than a spare.
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Feb 4, 2019 02:27
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Is there a compound I can use to 'restore' my exterior plastic? I've seen "TriNova Plastic And Trim Restorer" but I'm not as concerned about cosmetics as much as keeping the plastic from becoming super brittle from UV and whatnot. If it's too late and all I can do is rub paste to make it darker but it's better than Armor All, that's better I guess but wanted to know before I bought. I already use Gummi Pflege on rubber seals and gaskets but thought maybe I could give the plastic around the windshield base some love too.
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Feb 4, 2019 02:40
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Javid posted:Gonna re-ask a question from the summer for more feedback: Discount sells the Pathfinder S A/T, which is a house brand on top of an older Kumho design. I had no noticeable increase in road noise with them over the all seasons my WJ came with, but a big increase in off-road traction. The Falknen AT3Ws I have now are another big step up in traction, but they definitely have audible road noise. It's not awful but it is there. Forgot which Korean tires I actually have right now. IOwnCalculus fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Feb 4, 2019 |
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Feb 4, 2019 03:23
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rdb posted:It looks like there is a lot choice around that size, and not too expensive either. 235 75 15 Cooper discoverer at3’s can be had within that budget and would be my pick. I've got the ATP's on my Jeep, which are a little more road friendly, and quieter than whatever tires I had before that I can't remember. I've put them on many a dirt/gravel road, and they're probably my favorite of the various tires I've used. I still haven't tried Duratracs, though.
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Feb 4, 2019 06:22
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Yeah, so let that CV boot go on my 96 Starlet - didn't have access to the tools/shop at work and just got busy with life. I found out a couple weeks ago I could have probably patched it temporarily with some zip ties and an old inner tube, that would have been doable and doubtless extended its life more. So now that the passenger side CV has started clicking, I need to replace the whole CV shaft... not that it's really much more work tbh. Car is a $500 beater that's served me really well, I'd like to eke another few months/thousands of kms out of it while I look for something nicer to replace it if I can. That's been the plan all along and I have been looking, but I'd like the luxury of taking my time since I'm in a pretty small market. Not mad considering how long it took to go back, really. It doesn't look insanely complicated to do (the most involved thing I've done before is back struts, w/ spring compressors, this looks harder but not impossible), but I'm still not confident I won't get partway through and get stuck because I couldn't get something apart. I've got a basic tool kit - breaker bar, socket set, jack stands, trolley jack), but nothing like a ball joint separater, torch to heat a stubborn bolt, etc. Is it worth it to pick up the ball joint separater for $35? https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/toolpro-toolpro-tie-rod-end-ball-joint-separator/377217.html What are the sorta Rubicons I have to worry about crossing in terms of putting it back together again so it can be driven? I've already got in touch with the one mobile mechanic in my area I could find on Gumtree, but he refuses to work with eBay replacement parts (and I refuse to shell out for an OEM drive shaft on a $500 car...). The only other issue I've had is a very intermittent shuddering when taking off in 1st. I can't seem to find any common factor other than the car not being fairly warmed up - outside temp, time since I ran it last, etc don't seem to have any consistent effect. Something I read suggested a possible oil leak onto the fly wheel or something? Ethics_Gradient fucked around with this message at 09:58 on Feb 4, 2019 |
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Feb 4, 2019 09:43
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The shuddering is either a glazed flywheel, glazed clutch, or a bad motor mount (most likely the firewall side). Or, oil on the flywheel. In any event, on a $500 beater, it's something you should just deal with (you could try replacing that mount, and it will help, but it's the most difficult one to do on a FWD car). Get the $35 separator, if the ball joint has to come apart to replace the axle (hint: it does on most FWD cars). It makes life a lot easier. Or just drive it until it breaks. If it's only been clicking a short time, you probably have a few months left in it unless you drive on unpaved roads often. Make sure to get a new axle seal for the gearbox when you do this. They often leak after an axle replacement (and even if it doesn't, it's a wear item that's meant to be replaced when the axle is replaced). They're dirt cheap (even OEM), and they take all of 2 minutes to replace once the axle is out. Also, break the fill plug on the gearbox free before you do anything; you're going to lose some of your gearbox oil when you remove the axle, you want to make sure you can top it back off. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 09:56 on Feb 4, 2019 |
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Feb 4, 2019 09:53
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Ok. I don't come here a lot but you all correctly diagnosed a problem years ago for me that no one else could figure out. So here is my situation: My 2003 Honda Accord with the 2.4 litre 4 cylinder is haunted. Normally it runs fine (for a car with 214,000 miles on it) but occasionally in the last few months, when it tries to shift or i accelerate suddenly, the tachometer bounces up and down, the car shudders and bogs down, and I have to let off the gas and push back down for it to stop doing that and accelerate properly again. Sometimes doing that will make it shift. Yesterday, it refused to go past 25 mph and I had to call in to work because it's never been that severe before and I have a 50+ mile commute. I had O'Reillys hook up a tester and all that and nothing came back except some kind of power discharge issue that they told me could be fixed with a battery. I have to get a ride to my job and pick up my check and then I'll go buy a battery. If that works cool. The weird thing is the problem doesn't happen all the time. The last occurrence was probably 2 months ago and my mechanic buddy chalked it up to "frozen solenoid" because it was 5 degrees outside. It was 70 when I left for work yesterday so I'm pretty sure it wasn't frozen then. Anyone have any other ideas of what might be happening?
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Feb 4, 2019 15:10
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Fuel or spark. Or something really loving weird with the transmission, but I’d look at the first two first. Do you have a scan tool to see if it has any hidden codes?
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Feb 4, 2019 16:38
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Power discharge issue...interesting.
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Feb 4, 2019 16:47
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