AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Can I get a sanity check on flood titles? I'm looking at a car (2008 Corvette) with a rebuilt title. Owner states the car was driven through a puddle, hydrolocked the engine and the insurance company wrote it off. Engine was replaced and reportedly all is well now. I probably could have guessed it, but Carfax does report a flood title.

Does any of this story check out? I've always thought of flood titles more as a standing water thing and have heard of poorly designed cold air intakes doing exactly what's described but never would have expected a flood title to come as a result. Is now the time to walk away and keep searching, or might this be the perfect starting point for a car intended for racing, fun and general abuse?

# ¿ Nov 9, 2020 19:17

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 01:28

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

IOwnCalculus posted:

The story is plausible and "flood title" means "damaged by water" which, yes, a hydrolocked car would be.

*In theory* if the car was towed out of the water / never really got soaked too bad other than popping the engine, it'd be fine. But with a branded title like that I'd be looking for a major discount, and I'd be crawling through the carpet looking very closely for any signs of mud/water intrusion there.

It's not exactly being given away, but it is the cheapest LS3 era Vette in the AZ area by a few grand.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/434442050898737/

I wouldn't be able to make the drive to Tucson until the weekend anyways, so this problem might just solve itself by then. I could overlook cosmetic stuff like carpet (all the more reason to gut the interior) but electronic gremlins give me pause.

# ¿ Nov 9, 2020 20:00

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

STR posted:

Electrical gremlins are the biggest issue you'll run into with flood damage, unless it was truly a "popped the engine, tow truck that just happened to be right there yanked it out of the water immediately, no water got inside the car" situation.

They sit low enough to the ground that a puddle deep enough to submarine the intake means the water was high enough to get inside the car if the doors got opened (some would have seeped in anyway, even if the driver climbed out through the window and never opened the doors).

You said you pulled a Carfax, so you have the VIN. Google the VIN and see what turns up, I'm betting it'll pop up on some auction websites, which may or may not have better pictures of how it looked before it got cleaned up.

Unfortunately Google didn't give me anything other than other VIN check sites. No real info on what the salvager did via Carfax either.

https://pdfhost.io/v/L2JkAtdqG_CARFAX_Vehicle_History_Report_for_this_CHEVROLET_CORVETTE__1G1YY26W385108476.pdf

Figure I should probably assume the swapped motor has a million miles and may or may not actually be an LS3 (would verify casting numbers if I were to bother to check it out).

# ¿ Nov 9, 2020 20:17

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

STR posted:

So the pros: it's been 4 years since it was put back on the road. Mechanically, it's probably fine, though as we both brought up, there's no telling what engine is really in it (I'd bet on it being the 6.2 truck engine, which is a solid motor and a direct swap after you swap manifolds, but it's going to make it a lot heavier up front due to being an iron block engine - it's also a shitload easier to find, and the stock Corvette PCM should run it without any changes).

Cons: that thing has been passed around like the village bicycle. 6 owners?! (I know Carfax sometimes reports someone moving to a new state as a new "owner", sometimes even to a new county - in fact that's what looks like happened with owners #3 and #4, it looks like #3 moved to Arizona with it and it wound up getting "owner #4" when they just transferred the title to AZ). Reports of electrical problems on the Carfax since it was put back on the road. Multiple owners since it was "repaired". It was written off at 8 years old, when it would have still been worth enough for insurance to fix if it was really just the engine. It was off of the road for what appears to be a year and a half (though it looks like a year of that was spent just waiting on a salvage title? possibly 3-4 months getting repaired after being sold at auction?), so it very likely had a shitload more damage than what they're disclosing.

Oh, it's also an Ohio car originally, so you're going to run into some level of rust. Hopefully just enough to make replacing some undercarriage parts a bit more of a pain, but it did come from a salt state.

I would say run hard and fast, except in this case, I would hop on a plane and fly as far away as possible from this thing. This is just what Carfax actually knows; independent shops don't usually report to Carfax/Autocheck.

Yeah, I think that's enough for me. Back to searching I go.

Appreciate all the input!

# ¿ Nov 9, 2020 20:39

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

I keep going back and forth between C5 Z06 and base or Z51 C6 and am more or less open to either at this point. I've spent enough time inside GM products to disregard the interior and just pretend everything is fine.

If I shop for long enough I might just abandon all reason and go C6 Z06. To be seen there. Haven't really considered the C4 but man is that one pretty. TPI though. :geno:

# ¿ Nov 9, 2020 23:53

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Hey AI, need some input and maybe some problem solving. I recently sent the ECU from my 2001 Corvette off to be mail order tuned to account for some mods. I got it back today like this:

(The gouged lip of the connector, not the corrosion. That part was already there)

Unless I'm wrong about how this plug interfaces, this will never form a watertight connection as-is. Even better, the ECU sits behind the front wheel covered by an entirely unsealed panel. From what I can tell, the plug is part of the ECU itself and not the housing / heatsink portion.

Any ideas on how to unfuck this? I don't exactly drive the car in the rain regularly, but would rather not have to cringe every time I drive through a puddle.

The male end of the connector if it makes a difference:

# ¿ Apr 6, 2021 05:14

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Uthor posted:

Seems to me that unfucking it will entail getting the place that broke your stuff to replace it.

Yeah, I was afraid that'd be the case.

Beach Bum posted:

Either this or it was damaged in shipping, in which case, you insured your $$$ ECU when shipping it, right?

I did, yes. I have a feeling we're headed towards a he said / she said situation about where the damage came from, but oh well.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2021 13:29

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Anyone have experience with / opinions on those DIY windshield chip repair kits? I've got what appears to be a perfect candidate if they work worth a poo poo.

# ¿ May 2, 2021 01:47

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Anyone ever successfuly undent an oil pan? I've got one that's probably best described as "caved in" and I'd feel a lot better if it weren't. With as bad as it is, I'm a bit afraid trying to straighten it out will do more harm than good though.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2021 00:10

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

I need to search more, but I'm seeing nothing for in-stock replacements. Pretty sure I'd need to find something second hand and dug out of the back corner of a garage.

Truck is a 1974 Scout II with a V8 for reference.

Motronic posted:

Also, lol....is that a 0U rack PDU on your bench as a power strip? Brilliant. I need to steal that idea.

Yep, it is giant and gives me useless info like how many amps my air compressor pulls. It rules.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2021 00:49

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

spankmeister posted:

What are you worried about exactly? The capacity loss is minimal and it looks like it's way far away from the spinny bits of the engine so I wouldn't worry too much about it?

The capacity loss is one thing but it's not far from the pickup which keeps weighing on my mind. Plus it's clearly visible when it's bolted to the truck which looks pretty dirtbag.

StormDrain posted:

Cage, you've got the wrong motor. Neither of those have a chance of fitting.

Hammer it out. Or buy a NOS one I guess for $325. Or cruise ebay, looks like there's a couple under one hundred dollars. But if you've got none hundred dollars, hammer. It'll be fine, it should be made of thick soft steel that bends back without cracking.

I would want that capacity back too, I run an extra quart in mine on 15-w40 to keep it quiet. Ive had some ticking before and somehow it always loses a little oil. Could be just be from the puff of smoke when I start and the worn valve guides and also the leaks everywhere.

Hammer it is!

# ¿ Aug 5, 2021 16:20

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

totalnewbie posted:

Are AM builds still dead? I've never properly run an AM/MoM/Agnostic build but AM got gutted

hell yeah PoE thread in AI

# ¿ Oct 20, 2021 00:37

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

What do you all like for rust converters / inhibitors / psuedo-primers? I've got some surface rust on both body and frame that I'd like to cease. POR seems to be the big name and I'm not against going with them, but I wouldn't argue with an alternate cheaper option.

The body part would be going down pre-sound deadening if it makes a difference.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2021 17:56

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

PBCrunch posted:

I have a garage door opener. It is a replacement for the original opener that came with the house. I installed it but I didn't mess around with the bank robbery laser beam trip wire sensors. I just used the old ones. After the fact I built some wooden shrouds for the sensors to keep them from getting kicked or otherwise jostled.

Anyway, twice in the last week the opener refused to shut the garage door. Both times were at sunset. When it happened yesterday I tried for several minutes to get the door to close without success. What worked was standing outside the garage and holding a shovel so that the sensor receiving a full blast of sideways sunlight was shaded from the setting sun. The door shut on the first try when I did this.

So what is the easy way to get this to stop? Is there some kind of sunglasses or tinted condom or something I can put on the sensor that will help it shrug off sunlight without disrupting its ability to receive the beam from the other sensor unit?

I had this problem once and fixed it with a strategically placed notecard and rubber band. Not pretty but it provided enough shade to make things work in the afternoon.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2022 18:00

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

I'm debating a heads / cam / intake upgrade on an LS with about 80k miles. Anyone have a good "while I'm in there" list of other things I should consider? Timing set and oil pump are on my radar now (though the pump looks like it may be a pain) but I'm open to whatever else makes sense. Lifters and pushords too?

# ¿ Nov 27, 2022 17:00

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Problem statement - Brake lights on our beat up old Scout don't work.

Question - Is it possible the brake lights activate off a brake pressure switch on the proportioning valve rather than the brake pedal switch in the cab?

This seems crazy and not the way I'd do it but maybe it could make sense? The logical thing to do here is reinstall the brakes and see, but the parts won't be here for a week or so and I'd rather not waste time counting on that if there's something else at play.

A mess of poorly sorted extra context:

The truck has no rear brakes installed. The rear brake circuit ends at the rear axle's hard lines. The front brakes are in place.

The brake lights have worked while the truck was in our possession, though it's been a while and we've messed with a lot of things since then (though nothing electrical, at least not intentionally).

The brake light half of the dual element taillights are wired. I believe this to be sufficent but intend to wire the tail light portion tomorrow to rule that out.

4 way flashers work just fine and I believe they're eventually on the same electical circuit as the brake lights. Turn signals do NOT work front or rear, but that relay isn't clicking so I've put that aside for now. I'm not seeing where that's an issue but could be overlooking something.

I have 12v everywhere I'd expect to right up to I think #56 and #57 in the bottom right of this diagram (the turn signal harness). I may go double check the exact location though.

https://forums.ihpartsamerica.com/attachments/wiring-diagram-cab-and-dash-jpg.10982/

The "BRAKE" light on the dash is illuminated, telling me the truck knows there's no brake pressure when there should be. This leads me to think the truck is comparing the pedal switch to the pressue switch and illuminating when the two are out of sync, though this is significantly more smarts than I expected given what we're working with.

The current state of the truck is best shown here if there's any value in anything to be found - https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3983095&pagenumber=5

Thanks smart people!

# ¿ Feb 28, 2023 04:38

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

cursedshitbox posted:

Lots of good info

Nice, appreciate all the info! I'm glad it's not just me that couldn't make sense of the black box of the turn signal switch. I'll go poke around with a jumper and report back.

Raluek posted:

because he's restoring his truck and this is one more thing that has to be fixed before it's drivable?

This is correct. I have no intentions of operating a vehicle without rear brakes. The rear brakes are less disabled and better described as "completed removed and awaiting parts to make them function like new."

# ¿ Feb 28, 2023 16:21

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Problem: starter continues to crank after attempting to start, even when the key is released or removed. Pulling the negative battery terminal is the only way we've got it to stop. Reconnecting the negative does not immediately restart the starter, but turning the key results in the starter stuck on again. Probing voltage, I cannot find anywhere the starting circuit is stuck on.

Starter solenoid?

# ¿ Apr 22, 2023 21:10

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Motronic posted:

That sounds more like wiring. Can you test the control side of the circuit right at the solenoid for the presence of 12v on key turned to crank and then see if it's still there when the key is turned back to run?

Lots of potential issues here, largely dependent on what this is in. Plenty of things have another relay on the PCM output that could be hanging, wires to it chaffed and causing this, etc. Id' want to poke around before firing a starter into it.

In fact if it's easy enough you can just jump 12v to the control side of the solenoid with the key in the run position and see if it hangs. Anything to get a bit more information on what's actually happening.

Jumping from the big terminal on the solenoid (connected direct to battery positive) to the real little post (control I believe but am also don't know the right words here) results in the same "stuck" behavior described earlier, even after pulling the screwdrivers off.

No PCM or computers to worry about here. The vehicle in question is a mechanically original 1974 International Scout.

# ¿ Apr 22, 2023 21:40

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Motronic posted:

Yep, that's the test I was talking about. And that's a good confirmation and plenty enough for the simple electrical system you're dealing with,

Good job, that's a complete diagnosis. It's more that most people do. Replace that solenoid - or the whole starter. (I forget if those have a sperate solenoid like the Fords of the time did.)

It's a GM style piggyback solenoid. If I recall correctly, I think the part number is shared with Buick or Olds starter.

Thanks for the help and the kind words!

# ¿ Apr 22, 2023 22:09

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Dr. Lunchables posted:

Yeah dude. Don’t waste your time looking, waste your time doing massive burnouts

Yeah I agree

# ¿ Jul 20, 2023 02:48

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

IOwnCalculus posted:

The closest thing to a "consistent" rule I've found is that NAPA will be priced slightly above the rest, with worse hours and fewer locations, but that may be regional.

Autozone, OReilly, and Advance/CarQuest all tend to be interchangeable for me, with who is actually cheapest varying on the individual part, sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot. Also inevitably much more expensive than Rockauto, Amazon, or Summit.

This might just be a location-level issue, but lately I've had a 50/50 shot at actually getting items listed as In-Stock at Autozone. Apparently their inventory is wrong and they just don't have the thing.

I've all but written them off in favor of the other options listed here. At least for anything other than the on-shelf basics.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2023 18:21

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Kvlt! posted:

Hope this is the right thread for this but was hoping someone could help me out.

My Dad recently retired and I got a new job that gives me much more free time. He didn't get a chance to do a father-son car project with me growing up because of work (and please don't read that as a complaint, I'm incredibly grateful to have a great Dad who provided for us), but now we thought would be a great time to start!

Our knowledge: My Dad loved driving sports cars back in the day, but his mechanical knowledge doesn't lie beyond basic car maintenance. I'm a huge racing fan, and have been studying engines as a hobby; read a lot of textbooks but haven't turned a lot of wrenches. Do basic maintenance on my car but thats it.

We're both particularly interested in engines, and would love to assemble one together, or rebuild one. We've been looking at junkyards for engines to rebuild or repair, but were too inexperienced to look at an engine and know if wed be able to repair/rebuild it!

I was wondering if I could get some help on what would be a good project for us. Should we keep looking at junkyards for something to rebuild? Can you buy engines unassembled and assemble them yourself? (We've both built those Toyan V8 mini engines but theyre more for learning/novelty).

Is there a specific engine great for hand-tools or begginers we should look for?

Is all this a dumb idea, and if it is, any ideas for a similar project to replace it?

We have all the basic tools and an empty garage, a stand, and a friend whose happy to lend us his hoist, and we have pickup trucks for transporting. We were looking to spend $500-$1k on the engine but thats flexible.

I won't make specific recommendations but every bit of this was my exact scenario and would highly recommend getting in way over your head with a project that needs everything. It takes up all our free time, requires a ton of learning and new tools and is all around great. My dad and I spend tons of time together and always have things to chat about, which wasn't really the case back in the day.

I'd vote more for a whole vehicle than just an engine, but you do you. Unless you're going to finish and just have an engine on a stand, one probably leads to another anyways.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2024 15:08

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

I ordered this:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/yga-33266

I got this:

Weird part is the bag it came in is labeled properly. Any idea what the hell this thing is? I haven't had the corresponding axle entirely apart but have found nothing that looks like this.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2024 04:18

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Not Wolverine posted:

Close, that's a positrac spring, here is a similar one: $166 at Advance Auto

Ahh, at least it's in the right ballpark. Points for trying I suppose.

Powershift posted:

If you look at the reviews the other 2 buyers also got different wrong things than you got.

Well poo poo, now I'm tempted to order the other 4 they have in stock and see what else I get. C'mon new diff!

Thanks dudes.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2024 04:46

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

I am at my wit�s end trying to make the brakes work on our project 1974 Scout and will take any and all ideas of what we�re missing. I am going to err on the side of way too much information because we have countless hours into it and had two legit and trusted mechanics go hands-on with no success.

Problem statement: No brake pedal resistance. Little to no stopping power. At idle on jackstands, the brakes will eventually stop the rear wheels very lazily (we have not tested actual stopping power for obvious reasons).

Problem start: We removed the entire front axle and rebuilt everything associated. The brakes have not functioned since reassembling. Reference - https://i.imgur.com/WFUW9Nk.jpg

Parts: I am going to break the current brake system down into three categories: Original (Was on the truck when we purchased it, has been driven on and functioned), Newish (Has been replaced by us, previously driven on and functioned) and New (Completely new, not yet driven on and has never functioned properly).

Original:
All hard lines minus the two rear lines on the rear axle
Junction / distribution block just downstream of the master cylinder
Rear drums
Rear drum backing plates
Front rotors (though one is freshly turned)
Brake booster bracket + pedal linkage
Brake pedal
Master cylinder (though no longer available since we ruined a seal disassembling and reassembling)
Front banjo bolts (the new banjos included with the new calipers were too long to seat on the brake lines)
Parking brake pedal
Front parking brake cable

Newish:
Rear drum internals (springs, shoes and all that)
This aftermarket master / booster / bracket / linkage combo (note: is not currently installed) - https://dandcextreme.com/product/scout-ii-power-brake-booster-kit/
Rear brake lines

New:
Aftermarket master cylinder #2 (identical PN to the one included with the combo linked above)
OEM replacement master cylinder
OEM replacement brake booster
Aftermarket Front brake hoses (extended length due to lift)
OEM replacement front brake calipers
Brake pads
Front copper washers
Rear parking brake cable

Things we�ve tried:

Oh boy I am almost certainly going to forget details here. To the best of my recollection:

-Original state immediately after front end reassembly was the aftermarket booster / master setup. This did not work after multiple bleed attempts.
-Acquire and use Motive pressure bleeder. No change.
-Replace kit aftermarket master with identical and bench-bled aftermarket bleeder. No change.
-Replace entire aftermarket setup with bench-bled OEM replacement master, OEM replacement booster and original bracket setup. More bleeding, no change.
-Acquire and use hand vacuum pump bleeder. We had very little luck getting fluid out with this and resulted in no change.
-Like a million more bleeding attempts. I am so loving sick of brake fluid and it�s ruined almost every part of our freshly painted front end.

Current state:

-First brake pump goes right to the floor even without vacuum. We have found 4-5 pumps will eventually get us enough pressure to hold a person�s weight standing on a pry bar.
-Bleeding with the Motive acts in a way I don�t expect. Pumping to 15-20 PSI and opening a bleeder pushes out some fluid but reaches a steady state after 5-10 seconds where no more fluid comes out and the pressure does not drop. I have no idea what to make of this.
-Other confusing thing � with the pressure bleeder on and pressurized, the brakes work with a single pump. I have yet to wrap my head around this.
-We did get some unidentifiable black chunks out of the lines with a recent pressure bleed. This truck has lived a very hard life and maybe that crap has been in there all along?

Thoughts / next steps?:

-Are there any individual component tests that I can and should be doing?
-I really don�t want to do this, but is there any value in blowing out / brake cleaning out the hard lines?
-After al this, is this as simple as there�s still air in the system? If so, how the hell do I get it out of there?
-Does anyone want to buy a Scout? I know where to find one.

Thanks folks.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2024 01:29

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Powershift posted:

Are the front calipers on the correct side with the bleeder at the top?

Have you tried bleed it the old fashioned way. one person pump and hold, the other open and close the bleeder?

Calipers are confirmed to be on the correct side. Top of picture is up.

Lots of old fashion dad-and-son-style bleeding before and since acquiring the Motive. No change.

Dr. Lunchables posted:

What about your fluid reservoir cap? If it�s unsealed you�ve got a potential failure point. It�s the only thing that wouldn�t be on when the motive is connected

No change with the cap on or off either style of master. We even tried swapping the caps between the two aftermarket style masters just because one was less scratched up than the other (since we've taken it off a lifetime's worth of times by now).

# ¿ Mar 7, 2024 02:01

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

Powershift posted:

Uhh, are they? it looks like the bleeder is on the bottom side of the caliper.

e: it seems right, i guess. that's what the pictures on this are.

https://dandcextreme.com/product-category/brakes/brake-calipers/

e: it's wrong according to this, and how it works in my head.

The unless the top channel where the bleeder would be tapped isn't drilled at all, there would be an air pocket at everything higher than the bleeder.

e: yeah, i think your calipers are on the wrong sides, and upside down. hopefully someone less high can chime in.

Well poo poo, I thought the important part was that the bleeder was higher than the brake line. If that's not the case then we have some caliper swapping to do.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2024 02:18

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

A thing I will try unless you all say otherwise - the calipers easily slide out after removing a single Allen. I can remove them from the mount, stick something roughly rotor thickness between the pads, flip the caliper over and try bleeding again without messing with actually moving them to the other side. That way they'll have been bled in both orientations without introducing more air to the system.

Also confirming the circled thing is the single piston.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2024 04:11

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

The goddamn calipers were swapped all along. Thanks Powershift and everyone else for saving us from this unending misery.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2024 23:15

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 01:28

WTFBEES: Apr 21, 2005; butt

IOwnCalculus posted:

It's also very slightly an EPA thing. BMW could reprogram the car to command the alternator on more often, but because that would burn more fuel, that would be a fairly onerous process to get emissions recertified on that car.

Given that BMW only (barely) cares about the first owner, a few new batteries got those cars out of warranty for far less money than recertification would have cost.

I'm also jealous of how long most of you get out of batteries. I consider them questionable past 24mo and borrowed time after 36mo.

I laugh when a retailer offers more than 2 years of warranty on a battery in AZ. Preemptive thanks for the free battery two summers from now.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2024 04:17

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > AI Stupid Question Thread - The automotive forum is calling about your car