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Alright, so I'm probably gonna be replacing my tires soon. My car likes sport tires, but my question is, living in central Florida, do I NEED all-season tires in a land where it rarely drops below freezing, or can I just run the grippiest summer tires I can find year-round?
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Jun 16, 2009 06:22
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Dumb question: How often does gear oil need to be changed? A "car guy" friend of mine proclaimed today that it lasts forever, and only needs to be changed when the tranny gets worked on. Somehow that doesn't sit right with me.
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Jul 31, 2009 18:38
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This may seem an odd thing to ask, but does anyone know where I can either buy or get fabbed a FMIC setup for my Mazdaspeed Protege for relatively cheap? I'm tired of the crappy stock sidemount doing absolutely nothing, and I'd loke to upgrade.
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Apr 14, 2010 02:57
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IceHawk posted:Well I'm dumb and blind so when I was topping off my coolant not only did I put a bit too much in the reservoir but I also added pure antifreeze and not a 50/50 mix with water. Will this cause me any problems?  You can see that as coolant percentage increases, freezing temperature drops up until about 70% ethylene glycol, at which point it starts climbing again. Probably not an issue this time of year, but it shouldn't be a difficult fix. Figure out your car's coolant capacity, drain roughly half, refill with water and you'll be golden. EDIT: Re-read your post, if you just topped it off rather than doing a drain-and-fill as I was thinking, you probably won't notice any difference whatsoever. Matter of fact, the scientifically ideal mixture is 70/30 Antifreeze/water, the 50/50 thing is just a "good enough" measure that makes for ease of diluting in the field. As for the wipers, if you're talking about Bosch Icons or similar, I swear by them, with Rain-X washer fluid for top awesomeness.
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Apr 16, 2010 04:26
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NancyPants posted:I was going to take the wheel off to see what kind of brake caliper I have so I could buy brake pads. I changed my mind halfway through and tightened the lug nuts up again without taking the wheel off. Were the lugs loose at all? Maybe you were driving on an insufficiently torqued wheel.
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Apr 17, 2010 02:53
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SynMoo posted:Buying a new Mazdaspeed3 tomorrow afternoon. Any words or caution, advice, praise? The Speed3 is a solid car. I can't find any recalls on any but the first year (for defective engine mount bolts), and all the TSBs out since are for minor poo poo. I also intern at my local Mazda dealer, and the only real issues they've seen are from rookie drivers taking the car beyond its limits, which are admittedly pretty high. Personally, I'd rather have the pre-facelifted model which is mechanically identical, but that's personal taste. Have fun with the zoom-zoom!
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Apr 19, 2010 02:09
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I've got an 03 Mazdaspeed Protege. I'm thinking about installing these cams in my car, would it cause any issues other than possibly increased fuel consumption? Car is stock aside from stiffer motor mounts.
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Apr 26, 2010 20:36
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Hmm... well, do any performance shops have the software to flash something like that to the stock ECU, or would I have to get some sort of engine management system too?
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Apr 26, 2010 20:49
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ab0z posted:You'll either need to have a qualified person/shop reprogram your stock ecu, or go to a standalone or possibly "piggyback" engine management system. I'm not familiar with the options for mazdas, you might want to ask in the mazda thread.  Thanks for the help!
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Apr 27, 2010 01:45
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PainBreak posted:My 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse leaks water onto the passenger floorboard during left-hand turns when the AC is on. The blower also slows and makes noise, leading me to believe the hose that drains the condensation from the condenser is clogged.
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Jul 31, 2010 02:43
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Alright, I need some goon opinions on this. I've got a Mazdaspeed Protege, and an exhaust leak that I had welded a few years back has reopened. I've got some cash burning a hole in my pocket, and I put in a new, wider-diameter downpipe a few months back, so I figure this is a good time to go ahead and do the rest of my exhaust. I want something bigger than the 2.25 inch stock system, because I plan on building the engine sometime this year and upping the boost a bit. I've got it basically down to two options: 1. Buy an 80mm kit from Corksport, the same guys I got my downpipe from. It's $520 plus shipping+tax if I grab the silencer, another 200 for the high-flow cat, which I'll probably do without. My state has no inspections you see.  Sound here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWs_JG0_jnQ 2. Get, say, one of these options from Borla and find a shop to fab me up some pipes to go with it. A friend of mine did this with his N/A Protege (which he had built up for track racing), and it sounds pretty nice. Sound sample (Another 'Speed, not my friend's):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IBNjsthVZg I'm basically trying to decide which sounds better, and to a lesser extent which would be more cost-effective; I don't have access to a welder, hence having a shop do the Borla option, and I know going that route would take a bit more time for the fabrication to get done. Anyone with any experience in this have any advice for me?
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Feb 13, 2011 10:01
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Buddy has a 2000 Nissan Altima 2.4L about 200k miles with overheating issues. It's only popped up in the last week or so, gone from nothing to pretty bad in a short time. He says oil and coolant look fairly clean. Upper radiator hose apparently popped and was replaced; shop suggested he do the thermostat and flush the radiator as well. Apparently when it overheats (consistently after about a half hour) turning the A/C off will help somewhat, but turning the heat on full blast only mitigates it beyond that, won't keep the temps fully under control. Radiator gets hot, so coolant is flowing at least a little bit through the thermostat, and the fans seem to be operating normally. I'm gonna go take a look at it tomorrow. We're gonna go ahead and do the thermostat (gently caress it, it's a ten dollar part), but I don't know if this is a common issue for these cars. Does this sound like a dirty radiator, partially siezed thermo, head gasket, something else? Any input is appreciated tia.
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May 7, 2012 02:17
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DeusVult posted:I have a stupid question about the tires on my truck. Is age a factor on whether or not to change tires? I've been given a Ford F-150 supercrew from my dad. The tires have never changed in 11-12 years. But he's also driven it very lightly, there's only 50k miles on the car. Is it worth it or safer to change the tires now?
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May 10, 2012 05:26
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some texas redneck posted:[quote="Fucknag"]2000 Altima 2.4L overheating issues. Alright, so I got out there to take a look at the car. Turns out the passenger side cooling fan was stripped out, so the motor would turn but the fan wouldn't. The cooling system also had some real nice rusty gunk inside it; the residue in the engine bay from when his hose popped was pure rust colored. Lower hose was getting plenty warm, so although we picked up a thermostat I haven't installed it yet. I wound up having to leave, but he took it to a shop he knows where they did a coolant exchange and replaced the fan for a decent price. They also did a pressure test and found the radiator was leaking, but for money reasons we held off on that. Car was handling 30-mile highway trips fine (where before it would overheat after 20-40 minutes driving depending on speed), but today he got caught in traffic and the car overheated again. Seeing as we have 2 good fans and airflow/coolant flow seem to be in good order, I'm thinking that there's still some gunk on the inside of the radiator blocking heat transfer, so between that and the leak it seems like that's next on the list. Sound about right?
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May 10, 2012 22:22
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NotHet posted:Question about downshifting in a manual. Right now when I downshift I disengage my current gear, revmatch, engage the next gear, and clutch out. What you need is to have your motor built by a professional race team to rev faster. Lightweight racing flywheel, titanium pistons/rods/camshafts, high-rpm-tuned intake, free flowing but not overly large exhaust, all of it will make it so a slight throttle blip with sufficient precision will get you any revs you need. That or just shift slower.
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May 11, 2012 08:30
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RE: Brakechat, I'm about to toss new pads + rotors on my car, and I was wondering whether to take a wire brush to the sliders and their pathways, or if that's a no-no for any reason
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May 14, 2012 03:07
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Most likely the front hubs are a slightly different size than the rears, and the ring is there to make up the difference. OEM wheels take this into account which is why you can rotate them. Just make sure the rings stay up front when you rotate them.
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May 14, 2012 20:01
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So a guy I know was making some fairly outlandish claims the other day. Apparently, a mutual friend who just bought a 2g Eclipse RS knows for a fact that the 420A Neon motor is a better performance engine than the 4G63, in terms of both durability and ease of power gains. And not just the 7-bolts from the top-model Eclipses, ALL 4G63 variants, including the late-model Evo motors. Is there any validity at all to that idea? Also, he's starting to get into bracket racing. He drives a built-up auto 2.0 Protege DX that said friend used to race in SCCA. >200 WHP, HKS trans guts, the works. He's talking about putting in some systems to improve consistency and ET, including "digital line locks" released by the handbrake, and a "stall converter" (I assume he means a high-stall torque converter) that is "connected to the same lever". He kept going on and on about how these two systems are integrated and operated by a button, calling me a loving idiot for not knowing what he's talking about; I've never heard of any sort of button-operated torque converter. Is this a thing at all?
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Jun 19, 2012 20:13
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dreesemonkey posted:If I have a bad O2 sensor is that going to cause misfires, or at least throwing codes for misfires? I assume so but wanted to make sure. I'm getting a bunch of codes for misfires, and one for the bank 2 O2 sensor, which I assume directly effect those cylinders reporting the misfire. The opposite, actually; I can't think of any situation where an O2 sensor would cause a misfire, unless it's reading leaner than it ought to and the computer is dumping in a shitload of fuel to compensate, making it so rich the cylinder doesn't fire; that usually means an exhaust leak before the sensor is sucking in air, so that's easy to check for. When you have a misfire, the unburnt oxygen is read by the sensor, which registers it as an ultra-lean reading. Factory O2 sensors are usually narrowband, meaning they really only signal whether the amount of oxygen they sense is above or below 14.7:1 AFR in closed loop, and when trimmed properly it will oscillate between the two at idle. A misfire will cause it to read lean all the time, which the computer interprets as a sensor fault and throws the code for it. Now, if it's the upstream (bank 2 sensor 1) sensor, it could also be fouled from the unburnt fuel; only way to check is to get the misfire fixed and visually check the sensor, and replace if necessary. If it's the downstream (sensor 2), that could indicate a restricted cat due to the excessive unburnt fuel overheating it and degrading the catalysst material. Basically is it B2S1 or B2S2?
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Jun 26, 2012 04:02
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BRB MAKIN BACON posted:2 door DX 2003 Honda Civic (I think it's a DX... not 100% sure). The price included replacing the timing belt, water pump, and timing belt tensioner but as I understand it those pieces aren't that expensive to replace anyway. The store owner specifically mentioned having to send away to a machine shop. However I was unable to snag any photos between last night and when the shop stated these decisions. That was silly on my part not to take some photos. As far as I could tell (which tbh means basically nothing because I know next to nothing about cars) there didn't appear to be any visible warping. Would I be able to determine if there was warping that required warping just from popping the hood? The only way to be certain would be to pull the head off and check the block/head deck surfaces with a straightedge and trying to stick feeler gauges underneath. A visual inspection, even with the engine disassembled, can't rule out the kind of tolerances you're working with; just a few thousandths twist end to end is enough to screw things up.
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Jul 6, 2012 04:37
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So the front seat of my 03 Mazdaspeed Protege is getting a bit worn out, and I'd like a lower, farther back driving position anyway; since I am 6'5", legroom and headroom are both at a premium if I don't hunch over. I want something that sits lower and about 6 inches farther back than I can go now; I never have passengers so rear legroom isn't an issue. Stock seat top is 12 and 7 inches above the floor front and rear, respectively. I'd be comfortable with a sport seat, like a Recaro, or just something out of another car, as long as it slides and has an adjustable seat back (seat cushion adjustment is nice but not mandatory). I don't even know how I'd check to make sure the bolt patterns would be compatible with my car, so that's a concern as well. Budget is... well, I have no budget at the moment, but I just found out I'm getting promoted at the end of the month so I'll be able to save up for something in a more reasonable amount of time. I'm looking at the options, but hopefully someone here will have some input on the situation. E: Good bolstering is also high on the list. Fender Anarchist fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Jul 10, 2012 |
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Jul 10, 2012 23:50
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To clarify, putting in DOT 5 without flushing the poo poo out of your system will cause all the rubber seals to go bad, and you'll dump brake fluid all over the place next time you clutch in. DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 are all compatible though.
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Jul 12, 2012 01:10
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mobby_6kl posted:After searching for a while, I came up with these anti-seize and gasket sealant compounds for using on my NB Miata spark plug threads and valve cover gaskets, respectively: Just so you know, most modern spark plugs from reputable brands come with anti-sieze metal plated threads, so the compound isn't strictly speaking necessary.
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Jul 12, 2012 17:50
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particle409 posted:2011 Porsche Panamera Panamera? Cover it with aircraft remover I say! E:\/welp. Joke's not as funny now. 
Fender Anarchist fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 06:47
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Sponge! posted:Had a brainstorm of terrible proportions in traffic today. It happened somewhere between letting the "I'm so macho my aluminum rims are anodized pink!" guy in a lowered Civic out in front of me, and nearly being run over by a Hummer about a minute later... But then how would they get the sicknasty demon camber?
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Aug 3, 2012 00:53
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rcman50166 posted:Now, another question. How do you tell if lack of power in the brakes is the brake booster or the master cylinder? Are there any characteristic differences? I don't want to buy one part and find out I need the other. Both are about $100 each. I'm very sure this is a separate problem from the one above. Master cylinder doesn't produce power, it receives the assist from the booster. The only way it could produce a lack of power feel would be negating the booster if it was seizing up, which I assure would be very noticable. 99% it's your booster, although check the vacuum hose, it could be a simple fix.
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Aug 4, 2012 05:35
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Safety Dance posted:Speaking of which, if I'm tightening lug nuts, and they're specced to 85 and change lb/ft, and I have an 80lb/ft and a 90lb/ft torque stick, which should I use? Go with the 90, any impact is gonna absorb a bit of the torque, and having it a hair overtight isn't going to hurt anything; if it's a 5 ft*lb difference, better to have it tight than loose.
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Aug 27, 2012 16:18
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Godholio posted:That year and that paint scheme are the best looking Vette's from the end of chrome bumpers until '97. Yeah, I said it. It's still no split-window Sting Ray, though.
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Sep 15, 2012 04:22
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Rageaholic Monkey posted:With that being said, my question is this: Will my car survive a drive-in car wash? Or is this a horrible idea that will destroy my car and render it unusable? It'll be perfectly fine. Your engine bay gets wet anyway anytime you drive in the rain. The only potential danger would be getting water in the electrical connectors and shorting something out, but that pretty much takes a direct blast from a pressure-washer -- incidental spray from a car wash is no trouble at all.
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Sep 24, 2012 00:06
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COUNTIN THE BILLIES posted:I'm thinking of changing the battery in my car. Is this an easy job or should I bring it to the mechanic? What they said, plus if you have them install it for you, you avoid having to take a return trip to return your old core.
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Oct 7, 2012 23:47
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I've been thinking about picking up a cheap, RWD sports car to wrench on the side, and have an alternative transport if I need to work on my Protege. I've been leaning towards MR2s, but I am 6'5", so size is an issue. I sat in an auto AW11 recently, and headroom and footroom were fine, but the center console stuck out so far there was no lateral room for my knees. Are the SW20s any better about this, or am I SOL on that front? I'm in Central FL, so RX7s and 240sx's are way overpriced for their condition.
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Oct 8, 2012 21:56
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Memento1979 posted:Have you ever sat in a Miata/Mx-5? I know it sounds ridiculous but a mate of mine who is 6'4" uses one as a daily driver and has no issues at all. Most of his height is in his legs as well; where the centre console is works really well for him as a knee rest. NA/NB is thoroughly out, I have trouble fitting my feet in the footwell and the shifter is under my knee in 1st and 2nd. NC might work, but even the earliest years are still a bit too new to be in cheap second car territory.
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Oct 9, 2012 02:14
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Just my 2 cents, at my store (which is a national chain), we'll replace 2 tires at a time, but we generally push to have them put on the rear, since among the general population understeer is preferable to oversteer. So in some texas redneck's case, we'd have replaced your fronts, but recommended that you rotate them to the back for that reason. Also, you're lucky those tires didn't pop - somehow I doubt they're rated for 55 psi, even Michelins typically top out at 51 psi max rating.
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Oct 15, 2012 11:39
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Are any of the motor/trans mounts particularly difficult on a 1st gen Focus? My cousin has her car in the shop getting the transmission rebuilt, and they're saying one of the mounts (she couldn't remember which when I talked to her) needed to be replaced. I know rears are usually a pain in the dick, anything I should know beyond that? Car's an 04 with the 2.3L engine.
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Oct 15, 2012 23:22
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Splizwarf posted:Got a weird one. '89 Volvo 740, sometimes when the key is turned there's a couple seconds of delay before the starter fires. Yeah I was gonna say, sounds like maybe the relay is gummed up or something so that it takes a second to close once it's energized. Try having someone turn the key while you feel the relay and see if clicks immediately.
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Oct 23, 2012 23:02
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`Nemesis posted:Trying to do the rear drum brakes on my 2003 Protege and the drums have these phillips head screws holding the drums in place, and of course they're seized/wont come out. On most cars the screws are only there for assembly line reasons, once the wheel's on they're held on my the lug nuts. Should be no problem.
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Oct 30, 2012 02:42
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Hotbod Handsomeface posted:I hit the door with a hammer and the window went up. Sounds like a loose solder joint or a corroded connector.
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Nov 5, 2012 01:12
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Why not? It's just aluminum and plastic with slight coolant residue, no different from throwing away an empty jug really.
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Nov 7, 2012 04:08
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Crankit posted:It's a red car Well considering that Crankit posted:I've got a Renault Clio 1.4 petrol. which is FWD, the drain plug most likely points rearward. Ideally the car would be level, but the point is to make sure the oil isn't puddling away from the drain plug so it all drains out. As long as the rear isn't jacked up higher than the front you'll be fine.
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Nov 8, 2012 13:23
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stupid puma posted:Under someone's suggestion last page, rather than replace the alternator right off the bat I checked the grounds on my car. I found the damage below on the ground going from the battery terminal to the body. Is that enough damage to cause the electrical pulsating I've been experiencing? My multimeter doesn't detect any resistance there, but is it possible that it performs differently under load? I'll probably replace it either way and clean the connection points to see if that helps. Do a voltage drop test on it. With the car running, stick the negative lead on the alternator and the positive on the B- terminal. If it reads more than ~0.1V, you've got a problem.
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Nov 16, 2012 00:34
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