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Cross-AI post: If you're really, legitimately worried about getting around in snow, I would sell the truck and buy a reliable beater and an extra set of some cheap snow tires. Rims for mid-90s Japanese econoboxes are a dime a dozen and there are plenty of affordable options in snow tires. Light car, FWD/AWD, snow tires. Hell make it RWD if you know what you're doing and want to have some fun while you're at it. Also your WRX overheating was either an unrelated issue or you not clearing out snow from the front cowl. Certainly not a reason to buy something else. Come to AI and we'll help you find something cheap and reliable. Please please please get rid of that truck, because it's murdering you buddy.
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Dec 4, 2013 16:43
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 09:37 |
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Good on you for being incredibly practical about your car situation. In regards to ground clearance: lived in Grand Rapids (100-120 inches of snowfall per year on average) for 7 years and drove a raked beat up E30 BMW that had about 2" of ground clearance and plowed literally everything. I never once got stuck, because I had snow tires. I'm telling you man they're a beaaauuuuuutiful thing. Loving the old beater truck idea. You'll have much more fun with a beater truck than you ever could hope to have with a newer truck that you assign that much value to. It's a very very free feeling, knowing you only have ~$1500 tied up in a depreciating asset. Free yourself. If you're worried about reliability, please feel free to come over to AI and ask a bunch of questions. We love people that drive older cars and will fall over eachother trying to help you.
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Dec 6, 2013 15:11
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Hi I'm your AI representative. LT1 Camaros have a backup MAP sensor on the intake manifold and will run on speed-density maps using the MAP, IAT, and RPM if the MAF is unplugged. This is not ideal long-term but you have time to get a new MAF if it's bad. Here's a really great (shittily-designed 90's) website for your exact year make and model. If you're talking about this little guy a very GWM approach right now would be cleaning the heated strip on the inside of the MAF tube, and retesting. MAFs are very picky about being clean. You literally just spray the strip inside the intake with MAF cleaner or electrical contact cleaner. If that doesn't solve it, we can go through meter testing of the pins to make sure you aren't just gonna throw parts at it. BWM: Buying a new MAF right now GWM: Absolutely making sure you need a new MAF before you buy a new MAF
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Apr 13, 2016 20:55
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Yup. Here's the three main bits: Make sure they're still connected and spray the poo poo out of them. Watch it though, they're fragile.
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Apr 14, 2016 01:20
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How'd the cleaning go? While poo poo is apart, check for any cracks in the rubber intake tubing downstream of the MAF. A big enough crack will give you the symptoms you're experiencing. FYI I did a little research, and your MAF varies frequency instead of voltage. This sucks for diagnostics, as we need either an oscilloscope or an ALDL->USB cable to do any serious diagnostics on it. The software is free but the cable is $60 and this is a budget thread... We can test to make sure nothing is seriously hosed with the help of a voltmeter, though.
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Apr 14, 2016 14:52
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Knyteguy posted:ALDL cable Oh neat. I assume you've got a voltmeter so here's your next steps if cleaning doesn't work... According to this fella:  the middle black/white wire is ground, the reference is pink, and the signal to the ECU is yellow. Backprobe the sensor while it's plugged in, first with key to accessory and engine off. Pink-Black should be a 5V difference. Then you want to backprobe yellow-black. According to this little guy:  it should be 5V on Key On Engine Off and 4.3V with Key On Engine Running. Once you've verified nothing is majorly boned in that department, use your ALDL cable and the free TTS software to monitor the mass flow (in grams per second) of the MAF with the engine running. Internet says 6-10 g/s at idle, and it should steadily climb with RPM. If any of this is out of whack, try cleaning again and retest. If you're still getting wonky data, replace it. EDIT: Secondary Air and EGR are whatever, but that first trouble code is a bit distressing. It may be due to your jaunt with the MAF plugged in, so try clearing all the codes and see if it pops up again. If it's still there, swap the O2 sensors with eachother and see if the code travels to the right bank. If it does, you need a new O2 sensor. If it doesn't, you've got issues. Adiabatic fucked around with this message at 14:42 on Apr 15, 2016 |
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Apr 15, 2016 14:38
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I'm trying to keep you automotively GWM here and that will tend towards a bunch of DIY so here we go:Knyteguy posted:O2 sensor alright I'll have to try that tomorrow. I've been holding off on some car ramps but now that I have a bit of a car budget I can take care of it with a Harbor Freight special. Still much cheaper than a car payment that's for sure. Make sure the trouble code comes back after you clear it, before you go spending money on them. Also they're a biiiiiiitch to get out so have fun! Knyteguy posted:Ideally I can just keep this LT1 running cheap until the Optispark goes out and just throw in a new motor/transmission (like after we're out of debt and have some real savings/investments). I'm only running it about 100-150 miles a month or so right now. The main trouble with Optispark is not the optispark distributor itself. The waterpump is located directly above the optispark distributor and when it goes bad it leaks everywhere. This contaminates the optical sensor and wheel on the optispark distributor and bricks it. Lesson: Keep an eye on coolant weeping from your water pump and replace it if you see any leaks, so this doesn't happen to you. Knyteguy posted:Well I bought it in the Fall so I haven't gone a summer yet. And the window motors are shot... I'd better get a freon recharge next month or so. Buy this fella and head on over to Motronic's badass A/C information station and recharge it your drat self. You won't save much the first time as you have to buy the tool, but subsequent recharges are pennies on the dollar and it's super easy once you get the hang of it. This is totally all to save you money and in no way an AI plot to infect you with the Jimbo disease.
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Apr 15, 2016 16:56
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SiGmA_X posted:He needs more than that to do AC. Care to elaborate? He needs exactly that (and a $8 can tap and some r134a with dye) to test and recharge the system. If he actually needs to replace anything, he needs a vacuum pump and a source of air. However, depending on the severity of the leak (if there is one... it's an old car) he can run with a recharge for quite a while. Depending on the faulty component, it may even be cheaper to just keep recharging it. This is all hypothetical though, contingent on doing a test of the system and recharging it with dye. Which is what he'd be doing with what I showed him. Which is exactly what an independent shop would do as a first step, only they'd charge him more and take longer.
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Apr 15, 2016 19:17
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SiGmA_X posted:Okay, yes. I just assume with an old car (5yrs+?) you're going to find a leak. With a car as old as his, it may have dye already and an obvious leak. I'd get a UV lamp too. Yeah that's definitely a valid assumption. Knyteguy you still have the UV lamp from your highschool bedroom?
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Apr 15, 2016 19:48
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Knyteguy posted:No but I can pick one up at Walmart (or Spencers probably) if necessary. How's that work? Who knows if you wanted this much detail but oh well here you go. FYI Motronic's baller A/C instruction thread I linked earlier lays the following out way better than I do and he's a lot better at it than I am. To lay out what SiGmA_X and I are talking about, A/C repair is generally a multi-step process, with a few options from the get-go. 1. One of the components has died. You find this out when you try to recharge the system and it won't take at all. You buy a bunch of poo poo, replace the part and the desiccant pack, vacuum the system with your new vacuum pump, and recharge the system. $$$$$$$$ 2. There's an obstruction in the system. Same as #1. 3. It's leaking from a hole in the system. If your car's been recharged with dye before, it'll show up with a UV light. If not, you need to recharge the system with R134a with UV dye added, enjoy your cold air, and wait for it to go warm again. It might go warm in a few days, and it might take a few years. It all depends on the severity of the leak. Independent shops are horrible at explaining this and this is why people don't trust them. Once your system goes warm again, you then shine the light everywhere and find what component is leaking. You see how much the component (plus a desiccant pack and a vacuum pump) will cost and weigh that with how much you'll be paying to just continue to recharge the system (like $40 for 2 cans, per however long it took to go warm again.). 4. The components are fine, no leaks anywhere. Your R134a has all escaped through the tube-hose connections over the years and all you need is a recharge. Numbers 1 and 2 you'll know immediately once you try to recharge the system with those gauges. Numbers 3 and 4 you'll find out if/when your system goes warm again after you recharge the system with those gauges. If it's number 3 and someone's recharged it before and put UV dye in with the R134a, you can run a UV light around and it'll show up right now, so do that first. In all but #4 (and #3 if the leak is minor and the recharge lasts you for months and you'd rather just keep recharging it) you'll need to buy more stuff and do some pretty gnarly repairs, but #3 and #4 are definitely the most common problems. My point is that buying those $60 gauges, plus some R134a, is the required first step to fixing all of those problems and an essential diag tool. There's also a very good chance that the recharge is all you'll need to fix it, or the leak is small enough that it'll last for years on that one recharge. Shops charge at least $150 to recharge, and your first DIY recharge will cost you $110. Subsequent recharges will cost you $40. Those gauges work on any car with an R134a system (required after 1993-ish). GWM in my book. Adiabatic fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Apr 15, 2016 |
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Apr 15, 2016 20:18
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Knyteguy posted:Didn't get to the Camaro. As I said I was in a bad place while I was working through some stuff (plus I was sick which made it worse). I intend on taking care of MAF sesnsor in the following few days. Simple diagnosis is pretty cathartic for me, and calms my brain, with the added bonus of making me feel like I'm fighting entropy and actively bettering something. I struggle sometimes in similar ways as you, and given our similar career backgrounds as well, I figured it may be of some help. Do it, don't do it. Makes no difference to me, and please don't feel yourself beholden to give me any sort of result. I'll be chillin here waiting to give you info if you need it. MAFs are the least of your worries and your car will be fine, but you may find it helpful mentally. Worth a shot, at least 
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Apr 18, 2016 17:02
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Knyteguy without therapy:
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Apr 21, 2016 21:18
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 09:37 |
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Knyteguy posted:Boon to that is truck maintenance would likely be cheaper than motor home maintenance. Noooooooooooo You'd want a turbo-diesel to tow a fifth wheel. Everything about a turbo-diesel is minimum twice that of a gas-powered truck.
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May 24, 2016 04:12
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