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Alternate title: A glimpse into automotive poverty In 2016, I wrecked my (green) $500 Integra.  I was cited for the accident, and was only carrying liability insurance, so it wasn't going to get repaired. This left me without 4-wheeled transport (except for occasionally borrowing my wife's car), and I had no money, so I offered it up on Craigslist for sale or trade. Almost immediately, I was contacted by a fellow just a few miles away, offering to trade a (green!) '99 Volvo XC70 that wouldn't rev past 3000rpm or drive over 25mph. I don't know anything about Volvos, but I figured that it was probably something, simple, so I accepted his offer. I drove the Integra to his place, swapped tags and titles, and limped the Volvo home. (I don't have any Volvo pics, sorry.) After some research and testing, I narrowed the issue down to the problematic Electronic Throttle Module. Replacing it with a new unit would be prohibitively expensive, and a used one would be a crapshoot. Replacement is a somewhat complex procedure, it was the dead of winter, I don't have a garage, and I was at a low point in my depression. I just didn't want to deal with it, so I sold the car. (The new owner texted me a few days later, declaring it fixed. Good on him.) With $400 in Volvo money in my pocket, I went back to scouring Craigslist. Despite looking for a car or truck, I somehow came across an ad for a 1984 Honda Shadow 700 for $200. The owner said that it had started running poorly 8 years prior, so he (thankfully) drained the fuel and parked it in his garage, where it had remained untouched since. I can't resist a cheap bike, and figured it would be an easy flip, so I bought it. I spent a little time and money getting it up to snuff, then threw it up on Craigslist, looking to trade. An offer came in the form of a 2000 Ford Ranger, which the owner had received as partial payment on a job. He really had no want or need for it, and desperately wanted a bike, so I was more than happy to unload the Shadow and get a small pickup. 2.5L, 5MT, RWD. Not a bad trade considering the ~$350 I had invested in the Shadow, right?  But beneath the not-too-bad exterior lies a deep, dark secret: RUST. The frame, especially at the rear, is a flaky, scaly mess. I've had to replace every single inch of brake piping.The left-rear upper shock absorber mount looks like Swiss cheese, and the right one tore completly off:  The differential cover already has a pinhole, and if I remove it (to replace the leaking axle seals), it'll probably crumble in my hands:  To top it all off, it's just plain unpleasant to drive. It's gutless, even by my admittedly low standards. The ride and handling are atrocious. The brakes are poor, due to the rears being coated in diff oil and the bleed nipples being broken (I tried bleeding them at the inlet fittings, to no avail). It's also a manual with no power options; I'm getting too old for this poo poo, I want an auto and power windows, dammit. I don't need a truck (I have a small trailer), so it needs to go. I had been driving the Ranger for about a year and a half, at almost zero operating cost, all the while saving up money from doing odd jobs and selling a bunch of poo poo I didn't need. Once again I hit Craigslist (and Facebook Marketplace), this time armed with a $1500 budget. I wanted an SUV, so I started out looking at XJ Cherokees, but examples in my price range came with rotted sills, excessive mileage, and tasteless, poorly-executed off-roading mods. 4Runners, Pathfinders, XTerras, and Rodeos all bore similarly slim pickings. Trailblazers/Envoys and Explorers would be too big, Rav4s and CR-Vs too small. Ford Escape? Some flavor of Mitsubishi? Uhh, no thanks. I briefly flirted with the idea of a minivan; my wife's Town and Country, while displaying legendary Chrysler build quality (peeling clearcoat and loose body cladding), has been a real trooper. Cargo capacity is amazing, and it pulls the trailer with aplomb. However, fuel economy with the 3.8 is...not good, and although it's not terrible to drive, I decided it just wasn't for me. In the midst of my search, I was at my wife's nephew's house, returning a tool I had borrowed. He was telling me about needing to get rid of some of the cars he had sitting around, including his wife's retired 2005 Chevy Equinox. Hmm. It had blown struts and a bad wheel bearing, but the drivetrain, body, and interior were all in good shape. I asked for a price, but he said he'd have to think about it. I pestered him for a week, but he couldn't make up his mind. Additionally, the title was in his now-estranged wife's name. Okay, nevermind. But the seed had been planted: what about a CUV? The cargo and towing capacity I wanted, but with carlike ride and handling, and slightly better fuel economy. I had the answer I was looking for. I returned to the classifieds, intent on finding another Equinox. I refreshed the Craigslist search page I already had open, and there it was, at the very top: a 2001 Aztek with 130K miles. $1200. And it was green. Perfect. I contacted the seller and arranged to see it. I gave it a very thorough inspection and a long test drive. It had a weeping water pump (easy fix), a bad upstream O2 sensor (less easy), and the interior was filthy, but I decided I had to have it. I paid the owner, took the title, and returned the next day with a temporary plate. The drive home was uneventful but...comfortable. It's not fun to drive, mind, but in comparison to the Ranger (or even the van), it was a loving revelation.  I'll give you all the ins and outs of my particular car in a later post, but for now, enjoy this RCR review (h/t spog): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ckJHvOk_30
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Dec 4, 2018 20:26
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TRIGGER WARNING: As stated in the OP, the interior is loving filthy. Fret not, for I will clean it. Someday. Maybe. Also, holy poo poo are these some bad photos. If you watched the RCR video, you saw an Aztek GT, equipped with: -16" alloy wheels -Power sunroof -Leather upholstery -Dual-zone climate control -Head-up display -A portable cooler in the center console -A weird roll-out table thing, and of course -That loving tent. Mine is the base model, which has none of those things.  Large, round gauges are easy to read. There's a small LCD information screen at bottom--left:  The dash and controls are peak Pontiac, with an expanse of dark plastic punctuated by chunky grey knobs and switches:  The center of the dash pad has come loose, but can be reglued:  Included was an off-brand touchscreen head unit:  But for reasons the PO couldn't explain, the aftermarket stereo wouldn't work unless wired inline with the stock unit, which now resides under the front passenger seat:  The door panels share the exterior's quirky styling:  The accent fabric on the seats and door panels is a fun sort of cubist-floral design:  Cargo capacity is huge with the rear seats folded (they can also be removed completely):  The rear features two large cupholders and butt-reliefs on the tailgate, and remote stereo controls and a power port, suitable for pregame partying:   The large, flat rear windscreen has no wiper or washer. It's an ideal use case for RainX. There's also a fairly wide LED CHMSL:  Sorry, videogame nerds, but Mario and friends won't be staying:  The only visible rust, inside the right rear doorjamb:  15" steel wheels wear P215/70 tires and decidedly Pontiac-looking hubcaps:  The 3.4L, 60-degree V6 features sequential fuel injection and a leaky valve cover gasket:  The proboscis money shot:  There you have it, a quick look at my personal example of GM's ugliest FWD shitbox. Want to see something specific? Got questions? Let me know!
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Dec 4, 2018 22:49
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Boaz MacPhereson posted:I look forward to watching you make this Aztek suck a lot less. Thanks, but I'm just going to fix it and drive it? (Unless that's your definition of "sucking less", which is fine.) Darchangel posted:You're probably going to hate what you find if you pull that rocker trim off. Oh I know, there's already a chunk visibly missing. Ordered a WP, thermostat, and O2 sensor from RockAuto. Forgot the wiper blades and blower motor resistor because I'm disorganized and never make lists. This weekend is supposed to be cold, but sunny. Reinstalled the Ranger's stock HU, and cleared out all my crap except the snow brush and jumper cables. I've hopefully driven it for the last time.
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Dec 5, 2018 01:46
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Darchangel posted:I’ve always sort of liked the Aztek’s interior. It’s just the awkwardness of the exterior that was always the problem. Let's be honest, the styling is bizarre. But a) I think it's cohesive, and b) I don't find it offensive. spog posted:I always give credit to designers to try to do something different from the bland norms, even if it doesn't work out. I know it's trite, but I can't tell a new CR-V from a Sportage from a Forester.
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Dec 6, 2018 17:47
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NumbersMatching320 posted:LS4 swap when? cursedshitbox posted:Montecarlo ss bits... NumbersMatching320 posted:I mean never mind the LS4, nobody's even swapped a 3800SC in one of these yet. I like you guys, but you're dreaming.  It's about 20F (-7C) outside, but I've got hot coffee and new parts, so let's ignore this frozen hellscape and get some poo poo done. Old water pump off:  It's obviously been weeping. Nice brown coolant, too. I'll flush it as soon as the weather allows. The replacement is a brand-new ACDelco unit with an OEM-style cast impeller. It was only a few bucks more than a reman with a cheap lovely stamped-steel impeller:  New pump installed:  There's an arrow cast into it to denote the top. I didn't see it, and tried all 5 positions before getting it clocked properly.  With the water pump done, I moved on to the thermostat. I've had a few thermostat failures in the past; one caused an overheat that blew a head gasket, and 2 others left me with no cabin heat in sub-freezing weather. I don't care to repeat those experiences, so I replace the thermostat as a measure of preventative maintenance whenever I buy a car. This one lives in the lower intake manifold, below the throttle body and behind the exhaust crossover pipe:  I started with the lower bolt, since it had the least access.The only way I could reach it was from the front or rear with a wrench. I linked 2 wrenches together for leverage:  I tried it from the front, but only managed to turn the bolt a couple of degrees before the wrench fouled on something. Tried it from the rear; same result. I spent about an hour fiddlefucking around, brainstorming and trying different tools, before I gave up. Not gonna happen. It's a bridge I'll have to cross if and when I reach it. Since the top of the engine is higher than the radiator, there are a pair of air bleeds; one behind the water pump, and another ahead of the thermostat:   I wedged a long funnel into the radiator filler neck (which required swinging the core support brace out of the way, which required moving the fusebox...), filled it to the top, then opened each bleeder until coolant dribbled out. Easy peasy. I started the engine, waited for the thermostat to open, then topped off the radiator and recovery tank. I put the cap on, let it run a bit longer to build pressure, then cracked each bleeder once more. Done. I need a new serpentine belt (it's not cracked or squealing, but looks glazed), an air filter, wiper blades, a blower motor resistor, and floormats. Then there's this:  I bought a replacement in hopes that it's just a bad sensor and not a deeper electrical problem.  There's absolutely no access from the top, so I'll check from underneath sometime when it doesn't require lying in the snow.Oh, and I adjusted the hilariously low tire pressures.
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Dec 8, 2018 22:53
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Had to take a trip to town today, and noticed that the cabin heat was underwhelming. When I got home, I plugged in my scanner and let it sit and idle for about half an hour. The highest temperature recorded was 186.8F. It's supposed to be a 195 degree thermostat. Crap. Never heard the fans kick on, either.
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Dec 11, 2018 15:34
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STR posted:cooling system STR posted:stereo Thank you for the input, much appreciated. I still don't trust the thermostat, I'm eventually going to replace it. Maybe I'll go scorched Earth, preemptively replace the LIM gaskets, and do the 'stat with the intake on the bench. STR posted:I'm kinda curious to see what exactly is spliced in from the factory radio. And how. As am I, since it was done by a  professional installerI'm leaning toward reinstalling the factory HU; I wonder how much an electronics-savvy goon would charge me to add an AUX port?
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Dec 13, 2018 15:38
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The front passenger seat fore/aft adjustment wasn't working, so I pulled the seat. Loose wire, which could be avoided by not awkwardly jamming the stereo under there:  I pulled it tight and crimped the ends down:  Good as new. Bonus ewww: 
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Dec 13, 2018 19:55
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No, I had that in there. It did come free with another car, though.
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Dec 14, 2018 02:56
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Sold the Ranger to a young man desperate for work transport. He stopped and kicked the tires, then went home and got his stepdad to come check it out. I grabbed a tarp to lay on and a flashlight, and stepdad and I crawled over, under, around, and through it, and I pointed out Every. Tiny. loving. Thing. wrong with it. Kid really wanted it and stepdad approved, so my conscience is clear.
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Dec 15, 2018 19:28
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Went to the u-pull-it yard to find a trailer hitch. Struck out on that front, but scored a pair of front floormats and the cooler that snaps into the center console:
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Dec 17, 2018 19:39
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HVAC fan has developed a vibration, creating a very annoying buzz in the steering wheel and pedals, and adding another layer of fun to the lukewarm heat/single-speed fan situatin.
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Jan 10, 2019 18:48
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meatpimp posted:Have you cleaned the hvac tract? Could have poo poo plugging it up causing lack of flow and imbalanced blower? No and yes, respectively. Fender Anarchist posted:Yeah the cabin air filter is the first thing I would check. It's behind the glovebox. things_to_do_when_its_above_20F_outside.xls
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Jan 10, 2019 19:32
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drat straight
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Jan 10, 2019 19:54
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loving lol
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Jan 10, 2019 20:38
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Sun is shining, so I put it up on ramps and doused the upstream lambda with B'laster. No room for a sensor socket, so I'll probably need one of these.
Dagen H fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Jan 11, 2019 |
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Jan 11, 2019 20:04
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It's the middle of winter. Nothing's happening. I can't curate this thread rn bc I'm going offline for a while, fighting the good fight against some rough sadbrains stuff. See you in May, jerks.
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Feb 1, 2019 16:51
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Hello, thread! I have, at least temporarily, staved off the brainworms. I didn't spend my entire sabbatical wallowing in self-doubt and suicidal ideations; I did some work on my bike, as well as my son's Miata:    (As always, apologies for the garbage-tier photography.) Spring has also sprung in Ohio, so I've been busy installing a new front storm door, cleaning up the yard, and removing the snowblade from the tractor and installing the freshly greased-and-sharpened mower deck. I haven't done much to the Aztek, but there are a couple small things I'll report on soon-ish. Stay tuned. Dagen H fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Apr 23, 2019 |
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Apr 23, 2019 19:48
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It stopped raining for a minute, so I did something.   
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Apr 26, 2019 21:54
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Last week, the big brown truck dropped off $89 worth of Chinese steel: Here it is in situ:  You may have noticed the top-right bolt is installed inside-out; there's a weld very close to the bolt hole, and there wasn't room for the flanged nut. Strangely, this does not trigger my OCD. The fit is excellent, installation was a snap using the clear, concise instructions, the cut edges/welds/paint look very good, and the supplied fasteners are nice. Yes, other hitches (Reese, Draw-Tite, etc.) are one welded assembly rather than three separate pieces, but I'm not worried. I have a small utility trailer that I only use when interior space is a concern, and the most it will see is a garden tractor, motorcycle, or a couple sheets of drywall and some 2x4's. I'll check all the fasteners every time I go to hook up. If I were Mister Big Welder/Fabricator Man, I would've cleaned and chamfered the edges of the flanges, bolted it all together, and welded it solid. But I'm not, so I didn't. It's fine.
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Apr 26, 2019 22:15
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Tow rating is a surprisingly-high 2500# (it'll never see that). Bolts are grade 9.8 M12s.
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May 1, 2019 12:57
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 ~80 mile round trip to Lewis Center without issue,* albeit with a very light load. * you were hoping I'd say "without a hitch", weren't you
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May 11, 2019 00:15
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Dude walking downtown just complimented me on my car 
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May 28, 2019 16:58
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MrOnBicycle posted:Is the plastic faded or stock colour? If faded - god how I'd love to see it with some ceramic trim coating that makes it black again. Yeah the bumpers are dark charcoal, but the cladding has faded to a medium grey with bonus marbling. I need to hit up the detailing thread to see what's the consensus best trim restorer/protectant. MrOnBicycle posted:Your car is cool. Thanks 
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May 28, 2019 17:37
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Ever since I bought the Aztek, it's had a low-speed, high-frequency brake squeal. I traced it to the left rear, which began locking up when I would stop at the end of my gravel driveway. Pulled the wheel and drum only to find like-new brakes and a token amount of brake dust. Put it back together, and the symptoms have disappeared. 
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Jun 5, 2019 13:20
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Oh, and thanks for all the trim restoration/protection tips.
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Jun 5, 2019 13:23
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Very weird speed-related noise eminating from the right front, not affected by braking. Stay tuned.
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Jun 15, 2019 17:53
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Welp  
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Jun 15, 2019 18:27
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Filed to the gently caress Rust dept.:
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Jun 15, 2019 18:40
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Not sure how long it was like that, but it got loud enough to drown out License to Ill at full blast.
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Jun 15, 2019 19:55
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Nidhg00670000 posted:If you ever get an answer I would like to know. "Move South, stupid."
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Jun 16, 2019 16:48
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After fighting with the spare-tire winch for an inordinately long time*, I freed the spare from its hidey-hole under the rear cargo floor and found it completely flat (emergency preparedness FTW). I inflated it to the proper 60 PSI and mounted it on the right rear. Moving to the right front, I liberated the wayward coil, and cut the pokey bit off the end of the remaining spring:  I then installed the undamaged formerly-rear tire. Here she temporarily sits, listing like the Costa Concordia:  You may have already guessed, but the spring is still rubbing the tire.  *The spare-tire winch thingy has an internal latch mechanism which prevents the tire from becoming a road hazard should the cable break. This latch releases when the winch is cranked down slowly (i.e. with the factory wrench). Buzzing it down with a 1/2" cordless impact does not qualify as "slowly".
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Jun 16, 2019 21:38
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Since the Aztek is down and it's monsoon season in Ohio, I dropped my biek off at my MIL's and borrowed her base-model '06 Cobalt. What a hateful little shitbox.
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Jun 17, 2019 18:40
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New tire mounted Wednesday, big brown truck just dropped off new struts. Effortpost incoming after the job's finished. Spoiler: it's not going well
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Jun 21, 2019 19:27
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"It's all bollocks." -- Nik Blackhurst
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Jun 21, 2019 19:46
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Right. So, where were we? Ah, yes.  First things first, I put the wheel/new tire on the right rear, and stowed the spare:  Now let's open the hood and check access to the top-hat nuts:  That windshield wiper linkage is in a really inconvenient place. What's on the other side?  Yeah, that whole wiper assembly is going to have to come out. I'll just pop the arms off real quick, and  gently caress. This is a direct result of me being hamfisted, stubborn, and impatient, rather than stepping back, re-evaluating, and trying an approach other than brute force. I never learn. gently caress this, it's Friday night, I'm going to the dragstrip. Got up reasonably early Saturday morning, had coffee, hopped on the beik, and rode to a car show with Dad. Nice morning. With a clear head, I got back on task. Dad('s tools) to the rescue:  Using the puller, the other arm came off without issue. I popped out the dozen or so plastic push-rivets attaching the plastic cowl cover (without breaking any, woot), removed the cover, and vacuumed up all the organic debris. Peep all the pollen in the cabin air inlet:  Four M6 capscrews, a bit of twisting and turning, and out it comes:  After that, it's a cakewalk; wheels off, knuckle bolts out, top-hat nuts off, struts out. Old vs. new. The new springs have 4 coils instead of 3:  New strut in place:  Repeat for the other side, finding more broken poo poo in the process:  Everything went back together smoothly, ride height is restored, drives nicely. I'll hit the U-Pull-It this week for another wiper arm, and then hopefully I'm done with mechanical emergencies and can focus on catching up on deferred maintenance.
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Jun 23, 2019 16:23
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Oh, and in case you're curious (as I was):
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Jun 23, 2019 17:13
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It's the best fishing car too, especially when you color-coordinate.
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Jun 23, 2019 17:32
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12 acres of fun: Target acquired:  Hmmmm...  Procured a replacement wiper arm and slapped that baby on right there in the parking lot (I replaced the plastic nut cap when I got home):  E: No tent, no rollout table. I checked. Dagen H fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Jun 24, 2019 |
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Jun 24, 2019 16:44
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Seat Safety Switch posted:That wiper arm is like paper loving thin. It was probably already compromised. I was prying up on it with a 36" (~1m) prybar while wailing on the shaft hard enough to deform the nut. It didn't break, I broke it, because I'm a hack.
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Jun 24, 2019 18:20
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