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Are there any good ways to test the performance of a shock absorber off of a car without taking it to get dyno'd or something?
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Feb 18, 2015 14:58
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Stupid electrical question. The lights on the air conditioning panel and one of the gauge cluster lights on my 92 Miata only work intermittently. What course of action should be taken to make them work all the time?
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Mar 11, 2015 14:05
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Is there a car audio thread anywhere? I looked in here and in IYG and couldn't see one. I'm wanting to replace this CD-only unit the PO put in.
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Jun 15, 2015 18:14
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22 Eargesplitten posted:I'm actually still at the point of deciding between a new, modern head, a stock head that came with a tape deck, and one of those things you put in line with the antenna to basically give yourself an aux input on a FM station, but in a way that overrides even looking for the actual FM signal. I have a traditional FM transmitter, but almost all of the stations are taken, and the ones that aren't are getting heavy interference. Unless you have a kicking rad tape collection you can probably find a modern head to suit your needs and price range. I have an AUX/USB/FM only head that cost about $50.
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Jun 15, 2015 19:47
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Quick and easy stupid question: Should I bother with soldered inline splices for cabin electronics or should I just go with cheap crimps?
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Jun 17, 2015 14:20
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:GO with slightly more expensive crimps with the heat-shrink already on them. Just because they've got plastic around them doesn't mean the plastic is heat-shrink. Thanks. The only ones they had with heat-shrink already on were too small but I found some naked crimps and heat-shrinked them myself.
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Jun 18, 2015 13:17
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Safety Dance posted:This is barely related, but I used to ride a motorcycle that had a 7 gallon tank, and the difference between full and empty was amazing. It was to the point where, if I was just going to be riding around town, I'd only bother filling it half way. I used to drive a Kei car for work, the drat thing actually handled a lot better for everyday driving with a full tank because that was about the only weight there was on the back wheels.
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Jun 23, 2015 19:59
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Crunkjuice posted:2008 Hyundai Sonata. I just got a wheel alignment after nailing a really bad pothole. My buddy is helping me replace brake pads tonight, and struts sometime this weekend. Did I screw up in getting the alignment before those two things? Luckily the alignment does have a 6 month warranty, but i'm curious if either of those repairs will gently caress up the alignment. No idea what the suspension setup is on that but as long as the struts won't change the height of the car then it shouldn't cause a problem. If you have to touch anything camber related just try to take measurements and replicate I guess. If it does change the height then you're probably changing wheel angle, so technically yes you may need another alignment.
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Jun 25, 2015 18:35
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I'm not sure if I should post this here or in the AC thread but being a vague enough question, I'll post it here. We've had a couple of days over 35C recently and my AC can only manage to barf out lukewarm air once the temperature outside gets too high. Being that it's close to a 25 year old car, I would imagine it's just low on refrigerant and the R12 ports (sorry, ozone layer!) are practically untouched so I was willing to leave it at that and get a charge but yesterday I was eating lunch in my works parking lot with the AC on (about 35C outside) and the engine started to surge. It went up about 1000rpms and fell back down about 3 or 4 times before settling back to idle. This happened about 2 or 3 more times and turning off the AC mid surge brought it back to normal idle immediately without any further interruptions. Stupid vague question: Is there probably more wrong with my AC than low gas? 92 Miata black, original RHD R12 system as far as I know. I'd check the sight glass but the outside face is all scratched and hazed over so all I can really see is vague movement in the system.
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Jul 16, 2015 06:01
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IOwnCalculus posted:Go read the AC thread but I had something similar happen with my NB and my MS3. Mazda's idle programming is so simple that it just automatically kicks the throttle open another x% whenever it thinks the A/C should be on, even if the compressor is actually getting shut off because either of the pressure switches is killing it. So when the compressor gets shut off, the idle goes up because there's no sanity-checking to see what RPM the engine is actually idling at. This is an incredibly concise and helpful answer, thank you very much!
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Jul 16, 2015 13:38
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Dobbs_Head posted:A) Is the door mirror part everything? (Motor, cover, mirror, interior pieces) B) If it's the middle bit in the diagram then probably not, if not, then maybe? C) Rockauto appears to have some of the parts you want. Don't worry too much about painting the cover, the part looks small enough that you could do a decent rattle job on it and it doesn't sit next to any other painted panels to compare it to 
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Sep 11, 2015 18:10
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I want to apply some detail to my car in the same vein as this: Will a good old fashioned ruler not suffice? As long as your door doesn't have some sort of ridiculous curve I would think it should be as simple as measuring and marking at several intervals to form points for a perfectly parallel line. Even if it was ridiculously curved you could get over that with a tailor's tape measure.
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Aug 18, 2016 14:52
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Two Finger posted:Noticed the fuel economy is getting noticeably worse in my 1992 Bluebird with the SR20DE. Could it be a bad O2 sensor?
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Aug 20, 2016 09:37
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22 Eargesplitten posted:I need to scrub some small rust spots off, put some OEM touchup paint on there, and apply clear coat. What should I use to make the touchup look the least bad possible without getting a spray setup? A sponge? It's a trite old adage that 90% of a good paint job is prep but it really is. To make it not look terrible you're gonna need to put in the time sanding and polishing before, in between and after. That said though, depending on the size of the job, for cost effectiveness your best bet is probably regular spray cans.
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Aug 29, 2016 23:07
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88h88 posted:The more people that appreciate Crowns, the better. The estate versions are immense. Old crowns are pretty cool but a lot of the later second hand ones here in Japan are just driven by idiot kids who do stupid VIP car stuff and drive around with their high beams on.
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Sep 12, 2016 19:08
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some texas redneck posted:The sprayer may be clogged up. Take a paperclip and try to poke it through the holes, if the paperclip is too thick you may try a bare bread tie (with the plastic or paper covering peeled off), or a SIM card tray tool from a phone. Might want to remove the hose from the underside of the nozzle first, if you can get it off easily. The lines may be brittle though, so be careful trying to remove them. Interdental brushes are pretty much perfect for this job.
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Sep 16, 2016 02:23
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Anyone got any good ideas on how to get baked on magnet off of a bonnet? My friend recently removed his magnetic learner mark (  ) only to find that this year's unusually hot summer had pretty much baked it on. I managed to pick most of it off with the help of some detergent but there's still a fairly large patch that just won't move using paint safe tools (read: my fingernails ) For reference, it's about half a millimeter or so thick like a fridge magnet. I also tried regular strength sticker remover but it didn't really do anything.
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Sep 26, 2016 19:07
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Thanks for all the magnet advice guys.Pham Nuwen posted:Can you pry it up with a razor blade? If you're careful, you should be able to do that without damaging the paint. SouthsideSaint posted:They make plastic razor blades that are perfect at removing stuff like this and the don't really scratch or scuff. GnarlyCharlie4u posted:WD-40 and a very thin plastic or nylon paint scraper/fiberglass resin tool. In a pinch you can use one of those plastic cutting board mats. Miraculously a local auto store actually had some bonafide plastic razors in their old stock section, wasn't aware that they existed so thanks for the heads up. If it doesn't manage to shift it, I guess I'll have to try the metal kind. Tunicate posted:Have you tried a powerful magnet? Unfortunately I do not own any powerful magnets to try it. StormDrain posted:Heat gun or hair dryer to soften it up?  No outside faucets either, the monsters!
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Sep 28, 2016 14:02
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RillAkBea posted:Thanks for all the magnet advice guys. Update on the magnet car, the problem has sort of resolved itself, in that my friend crashed it today and it's gone to the body shop for more pressing repairs.
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Sep 30, 2016 22:37
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Geoj posted:Speaking of - content for this thread: anyone have a favorite brand for OE spec clutches on Rockauto? I'm down to an OE spec unit from Exedy or M-PACT (which appears to be a Rockauto only brand...?) I replaced my Miatas clutch with an OE spec Exedy and it works well enough that I have nothing else particular to say about it but I'm not far enough in to comment on the longevity.
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Oct 19, 2016 02:45
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Red_Fred posted:The only major annoyances I have with it are the bad mileage and tendency to wear the front inside tyres. You may want to look at getting a 4 wheel alignment done, that may solve your tire problems. As for maintenance items it's hard to recommend what needs to be done without knowing what's been done already. For example I'd assume you've had your timing belt done by now but you may be driving on borrowed time if you haven't. Other than that replacing every fluid that hasn't been done in a while isn't a bad idea and same goes for a fuel filter. Suspension bushings on the other hand I wouldn't bother with unless you know you have bad ones, it's a pretty labor intensive job and you probably wouldn't feel the difference unless they were properly dead. Assuming the dealer isn't stiffing you though you're probably doing pretty well for maintenance. RillAkBea fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Nov 2, 2016 |
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Nov 2, 2016 13:59
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A quick stupid question before work. Is discount engine oil worth bothering with? I was looking at the oil selection at the hardware store and they had a generic brand, supposedly full synthetic SN grade, that was about half price of the cheapest brand name oil. Does it really matter about price and manufacturer if the grades on the bottle square up?
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Jan 25, 2017 06:54
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Deteriorata posted:It shouldn't matter. If it meets the spec, then it's good to go. Good to know, guess it's at least worth a try then. It has the added benefit of being the only oil in Japan I've seen sold in easily disposable plastic bottles rather than the god drat 4L square cans that are an absolute rear end to pour.
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Jan 26, 2017 07:31
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Dominoes posted:I'm looking for a car; moving from UK to US. It will mostly be used for a 1-hour highway commute with me listening to audiobooks. Can't have much road/engine noise. Can't be twitchy (ie no miatas with a ripped top). I don't plan to have kids anytime soon. Something fun would be nice. I currently drive an R3 RX-8; basically I'd like that, but with good fuel econ. Ie it's reliable, fun, looks great inside/out, nice interior etc. Looking light-moderately used. Maybe the toyota/subaru/etc sports car that came out a few years ago? Or is that not good for audiobook-commuting? I'd consider a tesla, but I think apartment-living will eliminate that option. The Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 sounds pretty much like what you want, though personally I wouldn't know about the road noise.
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Apr 13, 2017 12:43
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Ugh, I clipped my tire on a low brick wall that I didn't see as I pulled into a very tight space at work.   For general scale:  I measured it with vernier calipers and it's 1.5mm at its thickest point. In case the photo doesn't make it apparent, it's pretty much only on the rim protector part of the tire. 4 hours later it appears to be holding air just fine and it survived 60km/h without any noise or vibrations. Is this gonna be safe to drive on or should I see about repair/replacement? I probably would have considered replacing the tires but they've still got a lot of tread on them and it's a AWD Subaru so I would need a full set unless I can find a place that does tire shaving but preliminary searches don't look good on that front.
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Apr 25, 2017 14:12
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TBeats posted:How come car manufacturer's haven't embraced cell phones integration beyond just media and hands-free talking? Like, why don't more cars allow you to start your car via cell phone? Or even have a cell phone completely replace a key/key fob? I feel like this would be the natural evolution of automotive technology before self-driving cars, but it doesn't seem to be going that way. For a more simple take on it though, the manufacturer would presumably have to include a regular key fob as well. As far as unlocking the car goes, are you going to take your phone out, press the home button, find the app, wait for it to pair with the vehicle and then press the unlock button or are you just gonna find the unlock button on the fob without even looking and press it once? Heck with modern transponders you don't even have to touch the fob, just get in and press the engine start. I don't see how any app could be more convenient without majorly compromising security. RillAkBea fucked around with this message at 14:58 on May 17, 2017 |
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May 17, 2017 14:55
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I completely killed one of my tires today. I hit a curb on the way home and blew out the sidewall. Worst/best part is it was less than 500m or so from my place. Sucked to blow a tire when I was so close but at least it was close enough that I could gingerly roll it home. Anyway, to the point, I've found a used tire on an internet auction that has roughly the same amount of tread left as the remaining tires. In my mind this looks perfect. It's cheaper than a new one and I avoid most of the mismatched tire problems that might have pushed me to buy a whole set. Is there anything I'm missing? Is there any hidden danger to running a mystery tire?
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Jun 10, 2017 16:46
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IOwnCalculus posted:Unless it's a car with a fickle AWD system, seems legit to me. 2000 Impreza WRX but it's all open and viscous diffs so there's not much resistance in the system and no computers to freak out.
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Jun 10, 2017 20:08
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BMW E46 330Ci coupe (blue) The ECU refuses to send signals to the vaucum solenoid that activates the muffler valve. I've checked the solenoid wiring, it gets power and the solenoid itself works, it just never gets activated by the ECU. I recently moved the car to enclosed parking and the low rpm drone on startup is a real problem. While I work out a better solution, I've bypassed the solenoid putting the 2 vacuum hoses together with an aquarium hose connector. This works great but the vacuum pressure never gets released even after the car is turned off. So stupid question, is keeping a vacuum system under constant vacuum going to damage anything?
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Aug 4, 2020 11:38
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Motronic posted:No. Parts of it (past the check valve, so brake booster, parts of the climate control systems on a lot of things, etc) already are. Cool, thank you! I'll eventually put the solenoid on a manual switch so I can BRAP at will, but nice to know I won't be breaking anything in the mean time.
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Aug 4, 2020 15:00
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