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

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EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Charging issues and dead batteries can cause each other. Alternators and voltage regulators aren't designed to run with a hosed and depleted battery and vice versa. Without careful diagnostics you can end up replacing multiple parts of your charging/starting system multiple times.

I hope you really got it all wired right :ohdear:

# ¿ Apr 16, 2018 01:37

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# ¿ May 20, 2024 23:31

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Razzled posted:

dumb question: how do solid front axle vehicles turn?

The wheels are mounted on steerable knuckles, through which pass a universal or CV joint to drive the wheel if the vehicle is 4wd. The solid part of the axle only runs to the steering knuckles.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2018 20:57

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

jiggerypokery posted:

I want to upgrade the radio in my Opel Vivaro to allow bluetooth connection with my phone. Digital radio would be sweet too. USB would do, as long as it charges at the same time.

Question is, how the gently caress do you know whether a particular radio will fit my van? Is it a difficult job?

Go look it up on crutchfield.com, you might need a new center trim piece shaped to fit standard radio sizes and wiring harnesses.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2018 14:50

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Javid posted:

MORE RAM VAN BULLSHIT

Was in Auto zone for something unrelated. Go out, van won't start. Auto zone dude hooks up their battery tester, says the battery has a bad cell. Jumps me, van starts. I go to Walmart with the battery reciept, their tester says it's fine, dude refuses to replace the battery under warranty. Claims it's probably the starter. Now the van starts but I'm paranoid that it won't next time. What even the gently caress.

Buy a voltmeter and measure the voltage across the battery terminals. A bad cell will cause the voltage to be well below 12.

One of those idiots doesn't know how to work their idiot machines. I've seen auto parts store guy not know how to pull codes on an OBDII port.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2018 21:56

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Javid posted:

It's just on the serpentine.

Is that minimum pressure something I might hit with a can of the stuff? I'll drop $6 on a sacrificial refill can for this cause.

E: I found a partial can in my trunk, which got it to engage the clutch and spin for a second. Good enough. Now to buy 64 ounces of the fuckers.

Pull vacuum on it first, much cheaper.

# ¿ May 4, 2018 02:24

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Ram effect is very negligible at road going speeds.

# ¿ May 15, 2018 02:26

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

It's normal for cars to feel slightly more sluggish in the heat. Maybe boosting exacerbates that effect. Have you tried putting in premium gas? You probably should just run premium with a turbo, regardless of the manufacturer only requiring 87.

# ¿ May 15, 2018 19:12

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

ExecuDork posted:

That's the page that led me to my belief. I trust wikipedia pages only so far (i.e., not much). Is there an obvious feature of an engine in an engine bay that can tell you if it's pushrods or overhead cams?

OHC heads are significantly taller and have pulleys at one end. Look for a timing cover going all the way up and above the top of the heads.

# ¿ May 31, 2018 15:28

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

I just put my old Integra in fifth gear and had someone hold the brakes. Sucks if you have a auto.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2018 08:13

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Is this a catalytic converter that I should be worried about?

# ¿ Jun 16, 2018 17:58

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Zero VGS posted:

I've been searching google for 3 days straight now... I'm looking for something to jack up my truck:

- Must be able to rise at least 4 feet (something more like 3 feet can work if lifting by the tires instead of the frame)

- Must leave the middle of the underside completely obscured

- Can't be a 2 or 4 post car lift, because this is in a paved back yard. Should be something I can bring in temporarily on the occasions I need to lift the truck.

I can't find anything at all that meets those three requirements. Is there anything that's sort of like, four of these Hi Lift Jacks that are braced in a way I can raise the truck from all four corners?: https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Lift-Jack...l/dp/B00042KG3A

There's QuickJacks, but I don't think even those raise up 4 feet either.

Let's go back a step: why do you need to lift your truck 4 feet in the air all at once?

# ¿ Jun 21, 2018 05:26

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

There should be a way to back off the adjusters by popping off a plug on the back of the drums and reaching in with a screwdriver. Look up a video for it. If the shoes have worn a groove into the drum, you won't get the drum off without backing up the adjusters.

# ¿ Jun 24, 2018 19:03

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

If you feel like there's something catching on the drum, it will be the shoes in their groove. Just because the adjusters are seized now doesn't mean that the shoes can't be trapping the drum from wear that occurred when the adjusters worked.

# ¿ Jun 24, 2018 23:45

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

STR posted:

If you're going to go with Bosch wipers, get them from Rockauto. They're insanely cheap on there.

But don't trust their application guide for wipers, it's way off (Rockauto claimed my GF's Matrix/Corolla needed 24" blades... it uses an 18 and a 21). Go to Bosch's website and get the part number. I got a set of Bosch Evolutions for $14 from Rockauto, plus $7 shipping. A single Evolution is currently $12-13 (shipped) on Amazon.

Icons are overrated IMO, but they're still a lot cheaper on Rockauto vs anywhere else.

They're rusted to the hubs - they don't budge at all when I try to pull on them. That's my issue. I don't think they've ever been off the car, and the car spent at least 4 years in MN.

They spin freely with no dragging as well, and spin pretty easily by hand even with the parking brake on (until it's on the last notch).

Dude, I'm trying to help you avoid a frustrating headache. The shoes can trap the drums on without dragging, and what you describe really makes me think that they will do that to you (lots of miles without maintenance). Keep it in mind if you break the rust-glue off of the hub and still can't get them off. I live in the rust-free south and have never taken drum brakes apart without having to back the adjusters off manually. Not once have they relented without sliding a flat head screwdriver up a rusty hole and fiddling with a notched metal ~~clit~~ratchet wheel.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2018 20:29

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

IOwnCalculus posted:

I like it on the WJ because it prevents a lot of splashing that I'd get when removing the drain plug, which makes a bigger mess there because it's lifted.

They really make a lot more sense when you have a lifted vehicle or are draining oil with your car on a lift. My TJ is just high enough that I can drain into a typical 5 gallon bucket, but I've dropped the plug in before. Get a magnetic pickup tool, reaching into hot oil for a drain plug is no fun.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2018 15:27

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

You need to be careful repairing the wiring to an O2 sensor, different metals can mess up the voltage reading.

# ¿ Sep 1, 2018 00:55

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

+1 for buy a manual if you want one.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2018 19:06

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Am I some kind of troglodyte for just slapping some oil-resistant RTV on the plug before I put it back on my TJ? It doesn't leak from the plug, anyway, just the rear main seal.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2018 01:25

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Stevie Lee posted:

Is it possible that one brand new tire on and AWD car (2010 Subaru Impreza) could damage one of the other tires due to having a different tread level?

I put four new tires on last fall, but I had the front right tire replaced (for free) last month after somebody smashed into me and hosed up that tire. Yesterday, towards the end of a ~300 mile drive, the right REAR tire went flat on me. I couldn't find any punctures in it, so I'm not sure what happened.

That one replacement tire last month was part of some work that's under warranty by State Farm (the dude who me's insurance). Mostly I'm wondering if I'd have a case of I went back to them and asked to have all the tires replaced like I probably should have asked for to begin with.

Your tires won't be harmed by the mismatched diameters, but your drivetrain really doesn't like it. Press for all new tires or get the new one shaved to match.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2018 20:33

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Did it return to blowing fully cold? If so, my starting point would be the electrical side, primarily the compressor clutch and pressure cutoff switches. Harbor Freight R134a gauges are pretty cheap.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2018 16:57

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Yup, it's alternator noise amplified by your radio and your charger having slightly different voltage to ground.

# ¿ Sep 19, 2018 18:13

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Fuel pump losing prime or just starting to get worn down?

# ¿ Oct 4, 2018 13:51

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Karma Comedian posted:

Now that I�m driving the jeep more I�m noticing it pulls to one side when I let off the gas, and corrects when I give it gas again. Is that motor mounts?

Is it a lifted wrangler? Any suspension mods?

# ¿ Oct 8, 2018 19:49

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

My desire to own an old vehicle has dramatically fallen off :aaaaa:

# ¿ Oct 15, 2018 03:55

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

The very similar NV3500 was used in 1500 and 2500 light duty Ram trucks, so you can extrapolate the towing capacity from there.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2018 02:51

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# ¿ May 20, 2024 23:31

EightBit: Jan 7, 2006; I spent money on this line of text just to make the "Stupid Newbie" go away.

Probably some plastic or metal getting too hot. Not likely to be the core itself, but the fan or electrical parts.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2018 02:20

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

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