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I hope this is the right thread. If not, please point me the right way. I've got a 95 Stratus (automatic) which is making a hissing sound (sounds like an air leak) when the engine is running. It starts up a couple seconds after the engine starts and goes away when the engine is off, obviously. Also, I suspect this is related, we just had some heavy rain and the day after, the car had a hard time starting, though I was able to get it going. Driving around that day, if I stopped and idled for any period of time (say, a long red light) the car would start idling rough? Is that the right term? And then when I try to accelerate, the car would almost stall. Today, when I tried to drive it, it drives just fine. I'm just wondering if that's something pretty obvious. A bit of googling suggests a vacuum leak but my knowledge of cars is pretty low 
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May 27, 2011 05:16
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 12:36 |
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Piano posted:The Japanese aftermarket is typically targeted at a higher spending level and has subjectively(?) higher quality I suppose simply because the Jappos don't really view houses as a status symbol whatsoever- there simply isn't enough room for everyone to have a big house to show off, and are willing to spend more on their cars as their main status symbol, which is pretty much the opposite of how things go in America, where spending a month's pay on your house is pretty normal, but would be silly for your car. Another part of it is that, for a lot of people, it's simply impossible to have cars be your hobby unless you actually do have a lot of money. People hardly have room to park their cars at home so the idea of having a project car is pretty out of the question. Which basically leaves you with people who have money to throw away OR people who are so into cars that they're willing to spend a significant portion of their disposable income on cars. Also, anyone got a guess at what's wrong with my car? totalnewbie posted:I've got a 95 Stratus (automatic) which is making a hissing sound (sounds like an air leak) when the engine is running. It starts up a couple seconds after the engine starts and goes away when the engine is off, obviously. Also, I suspect this is related, we just had some heavy rain and the day after, the car had a hard time starting, though I was able to get it going. Driving around that day, if I stopped and idled for any period of time (say, a long red light) the car would start idling rough? Is that the right term? And then when I try to accelerate, the car would almost stall. Today, when I tried to drive it, it drives just fine.
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May 28, 2011 05:37
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I have an old car I'm trying to get rid of, what's the best way to find out how much I should ask for it besides asking here? If there's a specific thread for this kind of stuff, I must have missed it and please point me in the right way. Car in question is 1995 Dodge Stratus automatic, runs fine but the transmission slips slightly going from 1st->2nd, a/c and radio do not work, has some rust.
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Aug 8, 2011 21:30
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wav3form posted:A 95 stratus with issues? You might get 800 - 1000 bucks for it private party. You didn't mention the mileage but I don't think it matters much. Thanks. It actually only has 120k miles on it, which is pretty good for a 16 year old car. Are there any other places I can check for prices (if someone tries to really short me, I don't want to just be like "Hey, some guy on the internet quoted me 800 bucks so you're getting a good deal")? And if I take it to a dealer, how much am I likely to get for it, if anything at all? totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Aug 8, 2011 |
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Aug 8, 2011 22:32
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I will be buying a new car (new VW Golf at invoice) and was wondering if upgrading the wheels would be worth it. Either 18" Silver Goal wheels; 225/40R18XL all-season tires (1900) or 17" Goal anthracite alloy wheels; 225/45R17 91H all-season tires (1125). They seem fairly steep and I'm guessing that I would be better served, should I want aluminum alloy wheels, to just go with stock and buy the wheels from some other place. I guess one concern I have would be whether my car would need adjustment (given that the original ones are 15", I would presume yes) and if I can get that done when I buy new wheels (again, I'm guessing yes). TIA for the feedback.
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Aug 17, 2011 13:20
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Is there any difference between that and just buying 15" generic winter tires?
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Aug 17, 2011 17:18
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But either way, won't I have to buy a set of wheels? Sorry, I am just having a hard time really seeing a big difference assuming that the factory $$ wheels aren't a major ripoff to begin with.
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Aug 17, 2011 17:58
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Thanks a lot, guys. Final question, hope you don't mind, is there a big difference between the 17" and 18" wheels?
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Aug 17, 2011 19:55
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Leperflesh posted:If we assume you will buy a second set of wheels for snow tires, regardless, then: At the time, I was under the impression it would be ~1300 for the wheels installed from the dealer. After talking with the dealer about the car, though, they're now telling me it would be about 2000 for 17" wheels/tires installed (which I assume is a lot, especially after looking around). Looking online, it seems like I can get a decent set of alloy wheels+tires for about 1200 give or take a few hundred (esp. toward the lower side). I imagine getting them installed and balanced won't cost 800 dollars. So now not buying the upgraded wheel/tires from the dealer is looking a lot better. Given that I will be renting an apartment (though it'll be decently sized and I will have a place to put spare wheels/tires) will I be better off (in terms of better for the car/wheels/tires/NOT MONEY) having a set of steel wheels (would alloy be better?) with winter tires or just buying some winter tires for my 17" (or even 18") alloy wheels? So new option A: Go with stock wheels (free), buy aftermarket wheel+tire (~700 for wheels, ~600 for tires), buy winter tire (~500) = 1800 (plus labor, etc) (+possibly 200 for TPMS) Option B: Get factory wheel+tire (~2000), buy steel wheel+tire (~200 wheels, ~500 tires) = 2700 (forego TPMS? or +200) Option C: Get stock wheels, buy aftermarket (1300), buy snow tire for aftermarket wheel (~600), sell stock wheels/tires (-??) = 1900 + [200 TPMS?] - [stock wheels/tires?] Obviously financially C looks a lot better, but I'm not sure how much impact changing tires twice a year will have. Plus there's also the cost of changing everything twice a year (maybe 50-100 dollars depending on how badly they want to gently caress me?) so I wonder if I should just go with option D of stock from dealer, aftermarket for 1300, and gently caress the snow tires? Cars are hard. I wish there were an extensive public transportation system around here
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Aug 21, 2011 18:26
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Muffinpox posted:Autometer gauges read vacuum in mmHg, buy not many gauges will read in anything but psig for positive atmosphere. Could always get a regular gauge and replace whatever's in the gauge that shows the units with some other units. As long as your min/max are equivalent then there shouldn't be any problems.
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Aug 24, 2011 15:46
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In general, are extended warranties worth it? (VW, brand new)
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Aug 28, 2011 23:45
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The Scientist posted:Well, now I've gone and confused myself. This happens a lot. Isn't dielectric the material inside of capacitors? Yes, a dielectric is just a type of insulator. At a certain voltage, the material breaks down in an electrical sense and allows current through. This is the basic function of a capacitor.
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Sep 5, 2011 01:33
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EightBit posted:The dielectric in capacitors is designed to prevent current from flowing, but allow an electric field to set up between the two conductors. An ideal capacitor wouldn't suffer the breakdown voltage, and most uses of capacitors avoid the voltage range where this happens. Ah yeah, sorry, I don't know why I worded it like that. Dielectric breakdown is definitely bad. Chalk it up to being Saturday, I guess 
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Sep 5, 2011 02:18
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"Hey guys, just wanted to let you all know that my ---- transmission has 200k miles on it and hasn't ever broken down." "Cool story, bro." -_- Zzzzz.....
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Oct 5, 2011 18:30
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Your plugs look fine. The "o-ring" is a gasket. It can be re-installed. Hand tighten first. Installation torque is 25-30 N*m with a torque wrench. Otherwise, for that spark plug, since it's reused, turn 1/12th of a turn or 30 degrees. Common misconception: Corona staining (stain on the insulator) is caused by leakage around the spark plug. This is not true. Corona staining is caused by a corona discharge due to the dielectric breakdown of the air between the insulator and the metal shell. This attracts oil and dirt particles. This is completely normal even if your mechanic tells you otherwise. By the way, you can see directional staining/wear on the spark plug due to gas flow in the cylinder. This depends on the cylinder design and the angle at which the spark plug ends up installed in the engine. Sometimes everything looks pretty uniform, other times there is heavy anisotropic wear/staining. It all just depends on the operating conditions. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Jul 15, 2012 |
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Nov 7, 2011 22:24
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Sorry, my mistake on misreading what you wrote about the o-ring/valve cover. The spark plug itself may or may not have been in tight enough but if it had never been removed prior (as in the last installation was when the engine was assembled) then it's doubtful that it was not tightened enough. But as far as corona staining goes, that is not a problem for the spark plug. If you have a problem, you will see black carbon streaks on the insulator that looks like lightning. Carbon tracking/flashover is a problem and can cause misfire. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Jul 15, 2012 |
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Nov 7, 2011 22:47
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Copper probably means nickel. The spark plugs all have copper in the center but the bit you see that's big and fat (like the ones on this page) are nickel while the small thin ones are Pt or an Ir(idium) alloy. The advantage of multi-prong is for fouling resistance. The biggest advantage of precious metal over nickel (besides durability) is higher ignitability and a more stable combustion (due to more stable spark location). It's hard to say how it will impact your car specifically because it depends on the whole ignition system which I don't deal with. Also, engines are very finely tuned to work with their OEM spark plug. If you contact our Customer Service division, they can probably more accurately point you to what is a suitable replacement for your car/engine/spark plug. http://ngksparkplugs.com/About_nGK/contactus.asp or on Facebook. Splizwarf posted:Why go with "sounds like" when you can just read "actually says"? I work with GM and we refer to the "spark plug tube" as "coil boot". So I think there's a lot of different terms that get used in referring to these specific things (e.g. coil boot, corona stain, etc). It's very possible that "corona stain" is just NGK's preferred term. By the way, just in case you weren't aware, NGK is the biggest automotive spark plug manufacturer in the world. (Champion is pretty close if you throw in small-engine applications.) totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Nov 7, 2011 |
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Nov 7, 2011 23:31
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When I said "just in case you weren't aware" I really meant just in case you didn't know, because not everyone knows. I wasn't trying to be snarky, though in hindsight I can see why you'd think that.
totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Jul 15, 2012 |
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Nov 8, 2011 03:50
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Yeah, the lower ignitability (basically when the spark occurs, it creates an expanding flame. More electrodes around the spark slows down the flame expansion, basically) will change your ignition timing.
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Nov 8, 2011 14:51
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some texas redneck posted:I didn't reuse those plugs - I wound up reinstalling platinum plugs, which is what the owner's manual calls for (NGK as well). Here are the recommended installation torques for our spark plugs:  Also, please do not use anti-seize as that will affect the heat transfer between the spark plug and the engine head (which can cause pre-ignition). Similarly, anti-seize can loosen the spark plug, which can also affect the heat transfer and cause pre-ignition. Of course if you don't torque to the recommended tightness then that can also affect heat transfer, cause pre-ignition. Overtightening can damage the threads, etc. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Nov 8, 2011 |
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Nov 8, 2011 23:02
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Geirskogul posted:"Warped rotors" don't exist. Cementite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cementite 
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Nov 9, 2011 00:36
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Splizwarf posted:I'm helping, I'm helping! Jesus christ what is your problem. Cementite is a structure of iron and carbon (Fe3C). Disc rotors are made of grey cast iron. It is cooled slowly to allow the formation of graphite, which gives it its higher thermal conductivity. Heating through hard braking causes the carbon to diffuse back into the iron after which it will experience rapid cooling, forming cementite which is harder and has lower thermal conductivity than the surrounding grey iron. Thus it causes the surface of the rotor to eventually become uneven due to different wear rates. There, that is your "cooked on" brake pad material. I don't doubt his article nor do I really support it - I simply don't know. In the end, I suspect everyone is a little right (in that there it's not JUST rotors warping or JUST the formation of cementite on the rotor). totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Nov 9, 2011 |
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Nov 9, 2011 01:26
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Alright, I am willing to take your word for it. TBH I was just thinking about this in the car and I don't think so much the rotors would end up warping themselves but rather the mount might go off balance somehow. Although the heating/cooling should be rather even unless the pads don't apply pressure evenly. /shrug Like I said, I really just don't know. Anyway yeah, no problem for the picture. Feel free to PM me if you happen to have any more concerns about your spark plugs.
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Nov 9, 2011 02:01
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It's hard to say without knowing the specifics of the material and prior heat treat but heating to low temperatures for a short time should not affect the properties of the iron. Certainly, it would not make the tie-rod more brittle and would not affect the yield strength until you got to very high temperatures (over 600 or 700 C). That said, don't use water or anything to cool it down (quench). I'm pretty sure all they're trying to do is to make the outer portion expand a bit to loosen it up, in which case they shouldn't really have heated it up too much.
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Nov 9, 2011 19:26
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Leperflesh posted:Maayybe a butane hand-held torch, for a few seconds at a time. Not a MAP gas torch, that'd be too hot, and definitely not a oxy/fuel gas torch. Better to just stick with penetrating lube and brute force. Now you're talking less heating and more cutting 
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Nov 9, 2011 21:20
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Didn't think you could even get a gasoline engine to start with diesel...
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Nov 14, 2011 00:40
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Similar thing came up on cartalk and they said it may be more related to stopping for 5-10 minutes while the engine is hot and then trying to restart it rather than the act of filling up the tank itself. Try stopping but not filling up with gas and see if it still does the same thing.
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Nov 16, 2011 16:58
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Loose/broken wire?
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Nov 21, 2011 01:33
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Sure, why not? Pretty much everything else does, why not fuses?
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Nov 21, 2011 01:45
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iv46vi posted:Spark plugs I know little of. Iridium plugs are fine. Just make sure the gap, heat range and projection are the same. I'm not sure what exact plugs Honda is using right now but I'm not really sure if we make any platinum plugs for OEM anymore. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Dec 29, 2011 |
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Dec 29, 2011 16:50
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Skyssx posted:Spark plugs don't actually last 100k miles. I changed my last truck at 100k, I could put quarters in the electrode gap. Changed my mom's plugs at 80k, almost the same thing. My new truck has seen a marked MPG decrease at 40k miles, probably the plugs. If you've got a HF radio, you can start to hear ignition hash increase after just 15k miles. Whenever I get around to pulling my plugs, i'm betting they'll be fried. gently caress if i'm going to spend $18x8 for plugs that will last another 30k miles. It really depends on the spark plug and the engine. Nickel plugs definitely won't last that long but precious metal plugs may. The problem is, as your plugs start wearing, the gap gets bigger and demand voltage goes up, which increases sparking wear. In some of the newer highly boosted engines, the demand voltage is already very high, so I agree that 60-100k miles is pretty optimistic. It really depends.
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Dec 30, 2011 07:19
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iv46vi posted:Sorry to dig this up again, was without Internet for a while. You'll be fine with the part finder. And iridium is better than platinum. It's cheaper and suffers from less sparking wear than platinum.
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Jan 1, 2012 04:17
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Unless you're a grandma driving downhill with a tailwind both ways, you'll not see your rated fuel economy numbers, especially on short trips. Those numbers should be used as relative references to compare to other cars.
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Feb 3, 2012 01:32
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Do you want to buy a car and constantly have the fear of being unable to fix your car in the back of your mind?
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Feb 8, 2012 02:29
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To add to Hadlock, I'm fairly certain your Elantra came with platinum spark plugs, which have a service life interval of 60k miles. So, if at that point your spark plugs were changed then don't bother changing them. However, if they weren't changed (which would mean they have never been changed) then you might as well get them replaced.
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Feb 28, 2012 21:32
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I think someone once posted a site with information about different engine configurations. It was mostly text with a few diagrams. Basically looks like someone took an old text book and put it online. Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about and a link to that site? TIA.
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Mar 26, 2012 18:49
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Out of curiosity, what are you selling?
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Mar 28, 2012 04:38
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The problem with trying to gap a precious metal spark plug is that you can't measure the gap. You need to use pin gauges to measure the gap - other types of gauges will damage the center electrode. It is very fragile and that is why you should not gap them. When it comes to "copper" spark plugs (the center electrode is actually nickel), the much bigger size of the electrode means it does not get damaged (pretty much at all) so you can gap it much more easily. Don't gap the platinum spark plugs - just buy some that come with the right gap pre-set.
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Apr 14, 2012 20:01
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I suppose some manufacturers do that, which is dumb. We put a gap protector on the spark plugs which prevents that from happening. But I still wouldn't try to gap precious metal plugs wihout pin gauges, though. It causes us endless headaches when people do...
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Apr 14, 2012 20:41
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 12:36 |
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Alignment issue? CV joint? I think those are the common culprits.
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Apr 26, 2012 23:23
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