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ethanol posted:stupid question, why don't cars ever read out fuel in gallons or liters on the dash? Surely we've mastered the arts of measuring liquids It is actually a lot harder than you'd think to measure liquid volume when the container has an irregular shape and the contents are constantly sloshing around. A simple float or capacitive sensor on the side of the tank doesn't map 1:1 with the volume of fuel in the tank. The manufacturer could get pretty close by writing a lookup table for their specific tank shape and sensor installation, but you'd still have people freaking out because they parked on a hill and their computer is now reporting 2 gallons less than when they arrived. People accept some imprecision in analog gauges, but when you give them an exact number to nitpick about they lose their minds. Charles posted:Someone would probably sue if what it displays on the dash doesn't line up with the pump. This one too, definitely.
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Oct 12, 2021 22:55
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It's funny the stories you remember and the things you learn from them even when the stories aren't particularly good. My dad came home complaining about the guy in front of him who was arguing with the attendant about the quantity of gas. See, he filled up a 5 gallon can and yet he was charged for over 5 gallons of gas. How could this be! Their pumps must surely be ripping people off! So now I understand any sort of can or jug just holds approximately that amount of liquid, since they can expand with the weight of fuel, and the markings aren't precise.
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Oct 12, 2021 23:42
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My simulated airbus a320 reads out fuel in lbs. give me that. Average it through sloshes. All Im hearing are excuses
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Oct 13, 2021 00:05
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That's totally doable, but now you have to mount the gas tank on a set of load cells, and that's gonna cost more than the $2.27 the car company pays for a capacitive liquid level sensor, and they also have 10 million of those in their warehouse already.
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Oct 13, 2021 00:08
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The steel return fuel line on my 1997 Ford F250 HD rusted out. The problem is that it has 2 tanks and the leak is between the front and rear tanks, right after the tee that splits up the returning fuel to either tank. As far as I can tell, returning fuel goes to whichever tank as room for it and a float valve on either tank shuts off once the tank is full. The problem is that the factory fuel lines go like this:code:1. Cut off that steel line back to a good spot, then lengthen that rubber hose from the tee and join them somehow. 2. Say gently caress it and replace that steel line with rubber all the way. Which should I do?
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Oct 13, 2021 01:27
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There's no pressure on the return. Cut the rot out of the line using a pipe cutter. Use rubber if you don't give a poo poo about the vehicle. there's steel fuel line stock you can buy and flare fitting it all together. fwiw the fuel selector valve on the frame determines where the fuel comes from and goes back to. It also has the duties of switching the supply pump and the sending unit for the gauge on your dashboard.
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Oct 13, 2021 01:44
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cursedshitbox posted:fwiw the fuel selector valve on the frame determines where the fuel comes from and goes back to. It also has the duties of switching the supply pump and the sending unit for the gauge on your dashboard. That was the previous generation. Ford did away with those since they were piles of poo poo.
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Oct 13, 2021 01:55
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kid sinister posted:The steel return fuel line on my 1997 Ford F250 HD rusted out. The problem is that it has 2 tanks and the leak is between the front and rear tanks, right after the tee that splits up the returning fuel to either tank. As far as I can tell, returning fuel goes to whichever tank as room for it and a float valve on either tank shuts off once the tank is full. The problem is that the factory fuel lines go like this: Replace it with rubber fuel line the whole way IMO.
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Oct 13, 2021 04:15
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2009 Toyota Matrix 1.8L Engine just threw a code for a bad #4 coil. 1. Should I replace all 4 right now? 2. What is the spread of quality like on the lower level OEM/Standard Replacement brands at Rock Auto like United Motor Products, Hitachi, Standard Motor Products, Beck/Arnley, Denso?
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Oct 13, 2021 16:36
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:2009 Toyota Matrix 1.8L 1 - I would do all four coils at the same time (especially if they're original), unless you're real tight on cash currently. Might as well throw in new sparks while you're that far in, especially if this is one of those jobs you have to pull off the intake hose/throttle body/etc. 2 - I'd go with Denso, but have also had good luck with Standard Motor Products.
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Oct 13, 2021 17:16
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:1 - I would do all four coils at the same time (especially if they're original), unless you're real tight on cash currently. Might as well throw in new sparks while you're that far in, especially if this is one of those jobs you have to pull off the intake hose/throttle body/etc. Thanks, I'll probably do all four. I am tight on cash, but an ounce of prevention etc. Especially when you compare the RA prices ($38-69) with AutoZone ($82). Fortunately the coils are right on top of the engine, so I was considering plugs as well.
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Oct 13, 2021 17:30
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Thanks, I'll probably do all four. I am tight on cash, but an ounce of prevention etc. Especially when you compare the RA prices ($38-69) with AutoZone ($82). Fortunately the coils are right on top of the engine, so I was considering plugs as well. When cross-shopping, don't forget to include Amazon (use the mfr. part number from RA as search query). RA's shipping prices are pretty high, and while I do try to avoid buying things from Amazon sometimes it's just not financially sound to buy elsewhere. I got brake pads delivered next-day last week for almost 50% less than local parts stores and ~10% less than RA after shipping was factored. The Royal Nonesuch fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Oct 13, 2021 |
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Oct 13, 2021 18:03
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I've been reading about the Italian Tuneup lately because even if my engine is still in great shape, the concept of burning poo poo out of the engine by driving sounds fun. Is this a patently stupid idea though?
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Oct 14, 2021 15:30
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Dudeabides posted:I've been reading about the Italian Tuneup lately because even if my engine is still in great shape, the concept of burning poo poo out of the engine by driving sounds fun. Is this a patently stupid idea though? it's all anecdotal but i think some cars respond real well to this. got to just feel it out
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Oct 14, 2021 16:12
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Dudeabides posted:I've been reading about the Italian Tuneup lately because even if my engine is still in great shape, the concept of burning poo poo out of the engine by driving sounds fun. Is this a patently stupid idea though? Depends on the car and what shape it's in. High strung engines in sports cars generally run like garbage if you baby them all the time. Modern EFI engines in commuter cars shouldn't have issues like this, but also shouldn't break with spirited driving. If anything breaks from that it was going to break anyway.
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Oct 14, 2021 16:19
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Motronic posted:Depends on the car and what shape it's in. High strung engines in sports cars generally run like garbage if you baby them all the time. Modern EFI engines in commuter cars shouldn't have issues like this, but also shouldn't break with spirited driving. If anything breaks from that it was going to break anyway. 'Enthusiasts' also talk about it being a thing in Direct Injection only vehicles like the Audi A4, to avoid some of the valve carbon buildup. However, who knows how much of that is complete placebo, it is impossible to tell.
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Oct 14, 2021 17:08
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Inner Light posted:'Enthusiasts' also talk about it being a thing in Direct Injection only vehicles like the Audi A4, to avoid some of the valve carbon buildup. However, who knows how much of that is complete placebo, it is impossible to tell. Yeah, that doesn't fix poorly engineered DI vehicles. They still need to have their valves media blasted occasionally.
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Oct 14, 2021 17:12
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It's good to rev your car up to redline a few times per drive (once it's warmed up, obviously) because machines, like human bodies, work better when they get used frequently. Machines fall apart from disuse just as often as from overuse -- parts seize, gaskets shrink, rubber cracks, lines clog. Let the thing stretch its legs now and then, and everything will just work a little more nicely and reliably over the long term. You are unlikely to see a sudden boost in performance from the Italian tune-up, though. About the only case that actually happens is in actual classic Italian sports cars, so like the rich old fart has his Ferrari that he only drives 200 miles a year and always at 20 miles an hour, and it's carbureted so it's running rich and the spark plugs are getting coked up and it just runs like poo poo. In that case, a few minutes of high-load running will burn the carbon off and wow suddenly it runs much better. Modern cars don't really work that way though.
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Oct 14, 2021 21:10
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Sagebrush posted:It's good to rev your car up to redline a few times per drive (once it's warmed up, obviously) because machines, like human bodies, work better when they get used frequently. Machines fall apart from disuse just as often as from overuse -- parts seize, gaskets shrink, rubber cracks, lines clog. Let the thing stretch its legs now and then, and everything will just work a little more nicely and reliably over the long term. It's good to pretend that it helps, though, to give you an excuse to do it again.
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Oct 14, 2021 21:16
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best "italian tuneup" experience: free accord from a little old lady hadn't run at all for a few years, throwing emissions codes, wouldn't idle right. couple days thrashing and some seafoam sorted everything out, it's still running great worst: same treatment on a $240 chrysler minivan from my dealer put a hole in the block at 104mph on day three Sagebrush posted:It's good to rev your car up to redline a few times per drive (once it's warmed up, obviously) because machines, like human bodies, work better when they get used frequently. Machines fall apart from disuse just as often as from overuse -- parts seize, gaskets shrink, rubber cracks, lines clog. Let the thing stretch its legs now and then, and everything will just work a little more nicely and reliably over the long term. this is the best answer tho. it's exactly like exercise, you can hurt yourself going too hard but getting some in regularly is good for you
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Oct 14, 2021 21:25
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pnac attack posted:best "italian tuneup" experience: free accord found the problem
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Oct 14, 2021 21:26
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pnac attack posted:best "italian tuneup" experience: free accord from a little old lady hadn't run at all for a few years, throwing emissions codes, wouldn't idle right. couple days thrashing and some seafoam sorted everything out, it's still running great Even the worst result has a silver lining, you didn't have to drive a $240 Chrysler Minivan any more than three days.
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Oct 14, 2021 23:04
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Ill kick my Jetta into tiptronic periodically just to enjoy some shifting fun so Ill have to just give it a few surges in 3rd or 4th on a backroad
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Oct 15, 2021 01:23
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Sagebrush posted:It's good to rev your car up to redline a few times per drive (once it's warmed up, obviously). I've taken my car to redline only once on a track by accident because I wasn't paying attention. I know that's where the engineers have decided it's dangerous to rev past (or the valve components can't keep up) but it really doesn't feel great. I'll take it to 5k or so fairly often just because it feels good but redline itself has always felt like a danger area.
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Oct 15, 2021 01:41
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There isn't a thing wrong with going to redline on a modern car. In fact, if you're actually trying to drive it on a track redline is probably about 20 RPM past your max power (and then it falls on its face). The only thing you need to not do is money shift it.
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Oct 15, 2021 02:23
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I found it weird that my Mazda 3 had a lower redline (6500) than my venerable early 90s Protege (7000). That was newer 2.3L L3 whatever vs the 1.8L BP, respectively.
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Oct 15, 2021 02:39
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Dumb question - my mom's Mercury Grand Marquis ended up with the brake pads worn down so far it wouldn't hold fluid; however, if you buried the pedal, you could cable-activate the emergency/parking brake on the rear drums. (Desperation solution until the brakes could be fixed.) Does anyone know if that's the case with a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport? Strictly for emergency use - getting from where it's deadlined to a spot I can work on it, maybe four blocks of dead-slow side-streets. I'd just use the actual parking brake, but it's in a godawful spot on this thing, and my leg doesn't fold up the way it requires.
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Oct 15, 2021 02:58
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Dont do this, at all. No.
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Oct 15, 2021 03:33
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Ygolonac posted:Dumb question - my mom's Mercury Grand Marquis ended up with the brake pads worn down so far it wouldn't hold fluid; however, if you buried the pedal, you could cable-activate the emergency/parking brake on the rear drums. (Desperation solution until the brakes could be fixed.) flat tow so if you do hit something it's you/your buddies car, drag the parking brake a little the whole way
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Oct 15, 2021 03:41
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Comedy option. The real answer is that modern cars have two hydraulic circuits, so even if one loses fluid, the other circuit will still function (but less efficiently because only two wheels are braking). The circuits are diagonal: FL & RR are one circuit, and FR & RL are another. So for most brake failures, the brakes still work, just with more pedal travel and less effectiveness. Keep your car maintained so that you don't lose both circuits, and you'll probably be fine.
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Oct 15, 2021 03:44
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:1 - I would do all four coils at the same time (especially if they're original), unless you're real tight on cash currently. Might as well throw in new sparks while you're that far in, especially if this is one of those jobs you have to pull off the intake hose/throttle body/etc. They're dead simple on the Matrix - right up on top, don't have to remove anything else. Really, pretty much everything under the hood, at least on a first gen, is easy to get to (unless you want to re-seal the timing cover; that's gonna be a pain in the rear end on any FWD car). I'd assume the earlier 2nd gens with the 1.8 are similarly easy to work on. I've done the valve cover gasket and intake manifold gasket on ours, along with plugs, lower control arms, brakes... it's just an easy car to work on. The intake manifold gasket in particular surprised me, it was a handful of nuts and bolts (left the TB on it so I wouldn't have to remove the coolant lines from it). Took less than an hour. Denso is also the OEM for Toyota. Ygolonac posted:Dumb question - my mom's Mercury Grand Marquis ended up with the brake pads worn down so far it wouldn't hold fluid; however, if you buried the pedal, you could cable-activate the emergency/parking brake on the rear drums. (Desperation solution until the brakes could be fixed.) The cable isn't attached to the hydraulic brakes in any way - you were activating the brakes with air or what little fluid was still in the system. And you're pushing through a bunch of rust that's built up inside the master cylinder when you do that - it destroys the seals (and thus, the master cylinder) in a hurry. And no, don't do this. Get AAA and get it towed. This is coming from someone who (when younger and muuuuuuuuch dumber) did the same thing. It was nerve wracking, dangerous, and incredibly stupid.
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Oct 15, 2021 03:50
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VelociBacon posted:I've taken my car to redline only once on a track by accident because I wasn't paying attention. I know that's where the engineers have decided it's dangerous to rev past (or the valve components can't keep up) but it really doesn't feel great. I'll take it to 5k or so fairly often just because it feels good but redline itself has always felt like a danger area. look here, I paid for the whole tachometer, i'm drat well going to use it I take my crosstrek to the redline all the time, esp when I was living in LA with short freeway merges where you need to get up to speed quick. Just bury the pedal and let the CVT do it's thing until i'm up to speed of traffic then lift off.
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Oct 15, 2021 04:16
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That's what I tell the SO every time I drive the Matrix - she firmly believes that it should never see over 4k. Toyota gave me 8000 on the tach, I'm going to use as much as the tach as I can without angering the ECU or connecting rod gods. The car sounds pretty much like an angry rattly...thing... once VVTI kicks in, but it scoots pretty decent for what it is (a barebones stripper Matrix, the only option it came with was floor mats). The P71 HAS to be beat on to even merge with highway traffic; they weren't fast cars to begin with (mid 16s 1/4 mile on the police version; their upsides were 0-30 speed, and top speed, limited to 129 MPH on mine), and the transmission tends to hunt a bit... but at least it has low RPM NNNNNGHHHS going for it. My work van has more power overall, but it kinda feels like driving something with an older Honda VTEC engine - you gotta let it wind up, then the Ford version of VTEC kicks in, the transmission decides "oh hey, bump up the line pressure for this next upshift" and next thing you know you have a concussion from slamming your head into the steel cage behind your seat and you're wondering how you wound up sideways from that upshift. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Oct 15, 2021 |
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Oct 15, 2021 07:06
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Charles posted:I found it weird that my Mazda 3 had a lower redline (6500) than my venerable early 90s Protege (7000). That was newer 2.3L L3 whatever vs the 1.8L BP, respectively. Every time I get a new vehicle my redline is slightly lower. My old Pro was also 7000, though the fuel cut off was about 7400 (oopsie!) BP FTW!! My Corolla is like 6500 and now the Tacoma is....... I forget, but its less than that.
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Oct 15, 2021 11:44
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I run my house up to the governor every drive to keep the carbon from building up.
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Oct 15, 2021 17:48
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STR posted:That's what I tell the SO every time I drive the Matrix - she firmly believes that it should never see over 4k. Toyota gave me 8000 on the tach, I'm going to use as much as the tach as I can without angering the ECU or connecting rod gods. The car sounds pretty much like an angry rattly...thing... once VVTI kicks in, but it scoots pretty decent for what it is (a barebones stripper Matrix, the only option it came with was floor mats). Matrix XR is pretty fun (and has a real nice exhaust note!) with a stick, I must say. Being able to control where your revs are makes a huge difference.
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Oct 15, 2021 18:49
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Thanks to an errant 5 gallon bucket flying onto the interstate, my Mazda 3 needs to have the front bumper cover and the passenger side front wheel well liners replaced, and the shops around here all backlogged until early 2022. In the interm, how bad of an idea is it to drive around without that liner for a couple of months? The bucket hit at such an angle that it tore off several of the brackets the liner attaches to, so I can't replace that part of the liner without the bumper being replaced.
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Oct 15, 2021 23:27
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Is LeMons still a thing, and if so where can I get more info on it? It seems like the perfect way to send off my $2 grand Mazda 3 once I find something else.
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Oct 16, 2021 01:24
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Looking for performance tire suggestions. The tread on the stock Pirelli tires for my widebody challenger hellcat is quite low, so I need to figure out an upgrade. I'm looking for the best street driving performance with good grip in wet conditions. I track the car infrequently. A lot of the SRT forum posts are geared more towards people taking their car to the strip. I see several people mentioning the Nitto 555r as a good option, but I'm concerned about the W speed rating for the occasional track day. More traditional performance tires I've seen suggested include the Continental ExtremeContact Sport, but these are pretty pricey.
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Oct 16, 2021 15:13
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Professor Spatula posted:Looking for performance tire suggestions. The tread on the stock Pirelli tires for my widebody challenger hellcat is quite low, so I need to figure out an upgrade. I'm looking for the best street driving performance with good grip in wet conditions. I track the car infrequently. Pilot Sport 4S. Cheaper option- Firestone Indy 500.
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Oct 16, 2021 15:43
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