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surf rock posted:What in the gently caress is wrong with my goddamn car? Get/borrow a multimeter that can read the DC amp draw and see if there's a load when the key's off. Maybe the ignition switch failed and the accessory circuit is stuck on or some other component is always drawing when it shouldn't
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Mar 31, 2015 00:28
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Sentient Data posted:Get/borrow a multimeter that can read the DC amp draw and see if there's a load when the key's off. Maybe the ignition switch failed and the accessory circuit is stuck on or some other component is always drawing when it shouldn't I appreciate the advice, but I don't know what you're talking about. I think I'm stuck spending half of my savings account on a tow and another mechanic. Edit: I don't mean to be dismissive, I just don't know how to use a multimeter, or how to diagnose what the specific problem would be even if I had the multimeter, or how to fix or repair whatever specific thing is wrong with it. surf rock fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 00:34
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surf rock posted:I appreciate the advice, but I don't know what you're talking about. I think I'm stuck spending half of my savings account on a tow and another mechanic. The short answer is that something is continuing to draw power when it shouldn't, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was related to your original problem with the dome light coming on. Electrical fault finding can be difficult, especially for the beginner, but isn't impossible. That being said, if you'd rather pay a mechanic to figure it out, that's completely reasonable. The trouble with electrical issues is that they range from "replace fuse" to "rip apart entire wiring harness while trying not to damage the system further with your tears and blood", but when you really boil it down its a step by step sort of process. If you can work on your home electrical system, you can work on your car's electrical system.
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Mar 31, 2015 00:53
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SCA Enthusiast posted:The short answer is that something is continuing to draw power when it shouldn't, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was related to your original problem with the dome light coming on. Electrical fault finding can be difficult, especially for the beginner, but isn't impossible. That being said, if you'd rather pay a mechanic to figure it out, that's completely reasonable. Thank you for elaborating. Yeah, I'm not even a beginner. I know how to jump a car and that's literally it, I have zero knowledge about electricity or wiring. No shop classes, never got taught a thing from dad. I couldn't replace a fuse or light switch. I guess my last question is, what are reasonable rates for those two scenarios: easy fix (replace fuse) and difficult fix (point-by-point inspection)? I'm assuming that it's probably not an "expensive part" problem, it's a "potentially a whole bunch of labor" problem. I'm already in the hole $150, how bad do I need to be prepared for? Edit: vvv I love goons, so helpful. Best  I ever spent. I don't think I'll actually take you up on that advice, since I think my shiny new battery is stone cold dead (it's not a case where the engine isn't turning over, I put the key in the ignition and absolutely nothing happens whatsoever) and it sounds like there's a decent chance I'd manage to kill myself by pulling the wrong fuse, but still, thank you for the walkthrough.
surf rock fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 01:02
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surf rock posted:I appreciate the advice, but I don't know what you're talking about. I think I'm stuck spending half of my savings account on a tow and another mechanic. Do you have a harbor freight near you? They have coupons all over the place for a free multimeter. Just google for one that hasn't expired, print it out (or bring it up on your phone even), head over there and cash it in. It's not fancy, but it'll tell you what you need to know. After that, park the car with the hood popped open, and leave it for 1/2 hour (some cars stay "awake" for a little while after you shut them off, and / or have security systems that will wake up when they sense that the hood has been opened, hence why you want to pop it open first). Once that's done, set the meter to read mA, and attach the probes to the battery terminals. You will probably have some kind of current reading at this point, assuming the battery is not stone dead already. Once you have this set up, start pulling fuses one by one and looking at your meter, until you pull one that causes the current to drop to nothing. Bingo, there's your problem circuit. At that point, you can research what systems, etc. are on that circuit, and if they are noncritical ancillary systems (like dome lights or cruise control, or something) and you are SURE that nothing important is on there (brake lights, etc) you can just leave the fuse out if you're so inclined. If you're lucky, and are feeling up to it, you may be able to google up a service manual containing wiring diagrams for your car and start hunting for it.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:04
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surf rock posted:. It's hard to say, really. The hardest part will probably be finding the problem, but in my experience it would be pretty shady for a mechanic to charge you for every minute they spend diagnosing your problem. Find a mechanic you can trust, ask them what they think about how long it could take and what their labor rate is. Good mechanics can be pretty pricy labor-wise (around $100/hour isn't uncommon), but the price is usually worth it, especially for things that aren't straightforward. Don't forget to tell them about your dome light issue. That could give them something to go on.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:17
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JIZZ DENOUEMENT posted:Thanks for the responses everyone. You can put it off for a few weeks, your fuel economy and possibly engine smoothness will suffer. From that it seems like the vvti solenoid is stuck or damaged internally somehow, all this means is that your vvti is disabled until you fix the problem. A quick google of the electronic load detector code shows that there's a bulletin regarding that part for a range of vehicles that your car falls square in the middle of, so it might be worth calling a dealer, giving them your vin details and trying to find out more (or just spend some time searching on the net). It shows up twice because it's faulted before and been stored. It was also faulty when you scanned the car, hence there is one current code and one confirmed (historical) code.
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Mar 31, 2015 01:32
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2000 Neon, 2.0, 5spd. I wiggled the clutch cable, and the pedal gained about half its travel in free play. Ferrules are intact, cable is sitting in the fork the way it should, the pedal end looks the way it's supposed to as well, and I'm being blamed for breaking the car by my whiny idiot roommate. Aside from the chance that the cable's had already failed and I knocked some hackjob fix apart I've got nothing. Any ideas? e: so it's got some stupid self-adjuster on the cable and it seems to have failed. Nice. Turbo Fondant fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 01:51
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surf rock posted:What in the gently caress is wrong with my goddamn car? You've gotten some good advice, but based on your follow up posts the major problem you have is your mechanic. If you don't want to have to do this yourself find one that is competent and thorough.
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Mar 31, 2015 04:19
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How difficult are tie rod inners on a FWD car like an 07 civic si? I went to get my new car aligned and they said they couldnt because the inner tie rod was damaged. Quoted me 260 bux to replace it, the part is like 20 dollars on rock auto. I just said gently caress that and paid the diag fee, then ordered the full set of inner and outer tierods from rockauto, might as well just parts shotgun the whole thing so I am not fixing it again later. From what I can see you might need some sort of fancy wrench to release the inner from the steering gearbox? PaintVagrant fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 04:31
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It's a pain in the scrotum because of packaging issues that vary car to car. If you're lucky, you can just use some channel-lock grippers to undo/do them up: If you're unlucky, there is a tool that fits on the end of a ratchet extension which fits over the knobby thing and grips it when you apply torque:  Then you just need to figure out how to peen over the lock washer, if applicable. If there is no lock washer, use loctite.
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Mar 31, 2015 06:19
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Slavvy posted:You can put it off for a few weeks, your fuel economy and possibly engine smoothness will suffer. From that it seems like the vvti solenoid is stuck or damaged internally somehow, all this means is that your vvti is disabled until you fix the problem. Thank You. Edit: I called the honda dealership and they said that they couldn't use the information I provided and that they would need to perform their own diagnosis, @ $100. And that charge stays even if they perform the maintenance. All said and done what's a ballpark estimate of cost for my 2003 honda civic?? JIZZ DENOUEMENT fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 14:22
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Slavvy posted:It's a pain in the scrotum because of packaging issues that vary car to car. If you're lucky, you can just use some channel-lock grippers to undo/do them up: Awesome thanks for the pics and description!
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Mar 31, 2015 14:52
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On Friday I got a p0135 code on my Jeep TJ - Oxygen O2 Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1, Sensor 1). I ordered the part (NTK) and it should be here today, but yesterday the code cleared itself. With emissions codes I think there's a drive cycle that is completed before setting or clearing a code, is that right? If I drove a certain amount of miles and the computer did a re-scan and the problem no longer exists would that mean the code clears and all is well? I'll put in the new sensor anyway probably...
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Mar 31, 2015 16:28
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Not sure if this is the right thread for this or what... When my father passed I inherited a great deal of tools, his 50th anniversary snap-on tool box loaded full of more tools than I would ever know how to use. I wish to get more use from these tools but I haven't ever worked on a car beyond the simple poo poo (Brakes, oil changes, chasing electrical headaches aka car audio). Yeah, my father and I rebuilt my old Astro's motor back when it welded a bearing to the crank and spun it out of the block when the oil pump died (I remember specifically calling him and asking "What is my oil pressure supposed to be?), I've helped him with numerous other jobs but I wouldn't know anything specifically. The one thing he always told me is that nuts and bolts work in two directions. Either you are taking it off or putting it on... He always had access to GM Dealerworld (He worked in a dealership) and those diagrams and being able to search always made things easier (Sometimes). I digress, what would be a good way to get experience with these tools and learn to fix my own problems. I've grown up with the luxury of always having a lift available (I am sure the shop would let me use one, but... memories), but now have a spiffy set of jacks and jack stands and ramps. But I've no clue how to use them. My car (Saturn Ion) sits too low for ramps, so I'm staring at these jack stands like they should be easy to use and I feel clueless. My sway bar links and bushings are shot and I feel like I would be an idiot to not use these tools he left me to pay someone else to work on my car... Any Advice? I am a novice mechanic lost in an ASE Master Tech's toolbox.
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Mar 31, 2015 21:56
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JIZZ DENOUEMENT posted:Thank You. No idea sorry. Astonishing Wang posted:On Friday I got a p0135 code on my Jeep TJ - Oxygen O2 Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1, Sensor 1). I ordered the part (NTK) and it should be here today, but yesterday the code cleared itself. With emissions codes I think there's a drive cycle that is completed before setting or clearing a code, is that right? If I drove a certain amount of miles and the computer did a re-scan and the problem no longer exists would that mean the code clears and all is well? That sensor's hosed. GotDonuts posted:Not sure if this is the right thread for this or what... There will be a hard-point under the front of your car somewhere that you place the jack under, STR should be able to tell you where it is on that model specifically. As for the axle stands, there will be designated hard-points at the bottom of the sills on either side of the car, one for the front and one for the rear (so four in total). Place your axle stands under these bits. They aren't hard to find, they're intended to be used with the factory jack for when you change tyres by the side of the road so they're reinforced to take the weight of the car. The sockets will be divided into metric, which are measured in mm, and imperial, which are fractions of an inch. You'll only need the metric set on your car; imperial is for older American and british cars (although some 80's/90's american stuff has a mixture of both). I would suggest buying a cheap gently caress-around Japanese car (Japanese cars are easy-mode for learning) that needs fixing up, use that to make all your mistakes on instead of disabling your normal everyday car.
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Mar 31, 2015 22:34
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GotDonuts posted:Not sure if this is the right thread for this or what... Read books, get the factory service manual for your car.
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Mar 31, 2015 22:50
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Also jacking points should be in the owners manual. If you don't have one, it's probably available in pdf online somewhere for free.
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Mar 31, 2015 23:21
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GotDonuts posted:I am a novice mechanic lost in an ASE Master Tech's toolbox. I was in a similar situation (without thousands of dollars of tools (I'm so jealous)) where I wanted to learn more, but didn't want to practice on my clean, newer-model BMW. After seeing so many threads here of guys having "fun" fixing ratty pieces of poo poo I decided I wanted to do that too. I chose a ratty piece of poo poo Jeep with a million leaks, tore straight into it and a year later have learned a whole lot. The entire process would have been even more fun without tool expenditures, so I recommend it for you. Pick something that tickles your fancy for a couple grand, and go to town. Just don't learn on your daily if you can help it at all. The Royal Nonesuch fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Mar 31, 2015 |
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Mar 31, 2015 23:44
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I got in my car, put on my seat belt, and my car kept beeping and flashing at me to put on my seat belt. I looked under the seat and the electrical connections seem solid. How do I begin troubleshooting this? Related, is my air bag disabled if the car thinks I'm not wearing my seat belt? I can deal with the warnings, but I don't want to airbags disabled because of it. 2007 VW GTI (This is like #6 in the list of (unrelated) electrical issues I'm having; guess I did buy a VW after all! I was worried with it working pretty well up until now.)
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Mar 31, 2015 23:49
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Thanks for all the helpfull advice. Maybe I will pick up a clunker this weekend from my buddies junk yard and see how long it takes me wrenching on it to either mangle it all to hell or end up with a decent veichle to sell for another lovely car. I will pick up the service manual for my car this weekend also. I seen in the car's manual it has points for lifting with that lovely scissor jack, never would of though of using those.
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Mar 31, 2015 23:53
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GotDonuts posted:Thanks for all the helpfull advice. Maybe I will pick up a clunker this weekend from my buddies junk yard and see how long it takes me wrenching on it to either mangle it all to hell or end up with a decent veichle to sell for another lovely car. Don't use a normal floor jack on those pinch welds, you can bend them. Look for a big solid piece of metal in the center of the car (the subframe, and not the oil pan).
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Apr 1, 2015 00:01
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+1 to replacing it. Oxygen sensors need to be hot to work.
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Apr 1, 2015 00:13
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Hey Slavvy/anyone else familiar with replacing tie-rod inners. 07 Civic Si. Can you take a look at this and tell me what the "unbend the lock washer" instruction means? The lock washer looks like a ring with a tab, are they saying to somehow destroy the washer by bending the tab out? http://civic.hondafitjazz.com/A00/HTML/00/SNB6E00F00000057145KDAT02.html (click the little compass pictures for diagrams)
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Apr 1, 2015 01:38
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05XOhz67jGA is a great video that details the process. The process and reasoning are explained well, and the instructions are meant to be as generic as possible to apply to just about any car
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Apr 1, 2015 01:44
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Sentient Data posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05XOhz67jGA is a great video that details the process. The process and reasoning are explained well, and the instructions are meant to be as generic as possible to apply to just about any car Cool, bookmarked!
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Apr 1, 2015 01:45
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Neptr posted:Don't use a normal floor jack on those pinch welds, you can bend them. Look for a big solid piece of metal in the center of the car (the subframe, and not the oil pan). How would using a floor jack on the pinch welds be any different from using a scissor jack? Its still exerting the same amount of the weight of the car on that small area in either case.
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Apr 1, 2015 01:51
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Slavvy posted:There will be a hard-point under the front of your car somewhere that you place the jack under, STR should be able to tell you where it is on that model specifically. As for the axle stands, there will be designated hard-points at the bottom of the sills on either side of the car, one for the front and one for the rear (so four in total). Place your axle stands under these bits. They aren't hard to find, they're intended to be used with the factory jack for when you change tyres by the side of the road so they're reinforced to take the weight of the car. I've run into a couple of imperial bolts on the Ion, but only little tiny bolts/screws (front corner lights, stereo, cluster, etc). And they're small enough that they could actually be metric, but the metric socket that "fit" felt a bit loose. Anyway, GotDonuts, if you're using the lovely scissor jack, use the pinch welds. From the owner's manual (the picture is for a sedan, but the coupe is similar):  If you're using a real jack, and not that piece of poo poo scissor jack in the trunk, place it under where the shock attaches to the control arm on that particular wheel, get the car high enough, and place a jack stand either under the control arm, or under the pinch weld (let it down really slow if you place it under the pinch weld). Or as Neptr said, you can also lift it by the front subframe. No matter how you lift it, use jack stands. Since you're doing the end links, it'll probably be better to have the car supported by something other than the control arms.
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Apr 1, 2015 01:55
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So, I have a possible mechanic horror story to tell you guys. Winter is finally gone so after having my car washed last week, this week was time for my fluids getting changed out. The mechanic I had used previously was a bit pricey and tried to upsell every. loving. thing. plus he forgot to put back plastic caps and covers for my car and only fixed it after I insisted they be replaced. This time I researched a place that came highly recommended with lots of information and reasonable prices. If they had created a massive online paper trail to hide any problems, I certainly am impressed with their thoroughness. Anyway I had a tire rotation and fluids exchanges (oil, brake, transmission, power steering, coolant) which I typically get done at the same time. Three hours pass and they tell me the coolant is all that's left and that it'll be 20 minutes. Over an hour passes, with me checking in once and a while. Two or three guys peering under my hood. I ask if there's a problem and they say no, before finally relinquishing my car, with a bunch of antifreeze dripped all over my front left quarter panel, a bit on my hood and bumper. I ask them point blank if they'd spilled coolant and they explained yes they had, and I had to ask them to clean it off, which they did (poorly) and I explained if I had any problems with this I would be back. I had to pick up my girlfriend from work so I put as much water as possible, dropper her home, and checked my panel. By now it was raining a bit so apologies for the quality but I found tons of small paint flecks gone from the left side of my car. Not enough for it to be visible at a distance but about a dozen points on the main area that had coolant on it and maybe another dozen little pinpoint dots of lost paint on the bumper and hood. I race back and reiterate that they had spilled at the very least coolant and may have damaged my paint. Of course, they explain, it's rock chipping, not them. I had enough time to take it to one body shop to ask for an opinion and he agreed but I'm not entirely convinced because I went over the car with a fine-toothed comb after I got it washed last week. Thoughts? I'd say it was coincidence but I've seen paint get hosed up my antifreeze in the past.  
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Apr 1, 2015 02:39
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I took my 2009 Camry to Autotire for an oil change and tire rotation. They tell me the rack and pinion is leaking power stearing fluid and they want $1400* to fix it. Looking under the hood, I seem to have plenty of fluid. If there actually is a leak, how serious is this and how long would it take to get repaired(at Midas or something)? I was planning on taking a 600 mile trip starting Thursday and I don't want to die unnecessarily. Thank you in advance for your time and attention. *I got a second opinion and they indicated they were probably overcharging for the part.
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Apr 1, 2015 02:39
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SCA Enthusiast posted:How would using a floor jack on the pinch welds be any different from using a scissor jack? Its still exerting the same amount of the weight of the car on that small area in either case. Scissor jacks have a cutout for the pinch weld. You can get pucks to put on top of a regular floor jack to accomplish the same thing. Without something like that you're just going to fold over the pinch weld.
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Apr 1, 2015 02:44
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If you have a large pan you could put under the car you could try to catch any overnight drippings to see if the problem is bad. If you're not afraid of getting a little dirty you could jack the car and check under it (WHILE THE CAR IS ON STANDS, NOT JUST THE JACK) to try to find any moisture around the power steering hoses or around the boots that protect the tie rods. If you find a leak out suspect one at all, contact a different place and tell them you think you might have a power steering leak for X reason, but don't mention the rack replacement suggestion. Let the new place try to find the leak without bias, it may just be a hose or a non-rack-internal seal which is a MUCH simpler and cheaper job for them to take care of
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Apr 1, 2015 02:47
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Blindeye posted:Thoughts? I'd say it was coincidence but I've seen paint get hosed up my antifreeze in the past. Those definitely look like chips to me - antifreeze or really most car fluids won't do that to paint, except for battery acid. Brake fluid or strong solvents will eat/dull the clearcoat but not take out chunks. Looks more like someone being careless with an air hose connection or other tool. Sucks either way. The Royal Nonesuch fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Apr 1, 2015 |
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Apr 1, 2015 02:57
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Uthor posted:I got in my car, put on my seat belt, and my car kept beeping and flashing at me to put on my seat belt. I looked under the seat and the electrical connections seem solid. How do I begin troubleshooting this? Don't know about diagnosis but if it thinks the seatbelt is unbuckled the airbag will not deploy as forcefully (dual stage airbags were federally mandated unfortunately). It is a safety issue. Sorry.
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Apr 1, 2015 03:15
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CharlesM posted:Don't know about diagnosis but if it thinks the seatbelt is unbuckled the airbag will not deploy as forcefully (dual stage airbags were federally mandated unfortunately). It is a safety issue. Sorry. I went back out there to see if there were any codes, jiggled some wires under both seats, turned the car on, and the light now goes off when I put the seat belt on. No codes. Dunno.
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Apr 1, 2015 03:30
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:Those definitely look like chips to me - antifreeze or really most car fluids won't do that to paint, except for battery acid. Brake fluid or strong solvents will eat/dull the clearcoat but not take out chunks. Looks more like someone being careless with an air hose connection or other tool. Brake fluid will eat through to the metal in seconds. But it won't have sharp edges like that...agreeing that it looks like impact damage. If the guys at the shop caused it, it was by being careless with screwdrivers or open-ended wrenches. Not antifreeze.
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Apr 1, 2015 04:02
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About 20 years ago I was gifted a craftsman mechanic tool & socket set. That poo poo is half lost and half rusted out now, and I'm ready to own something of which I can take proper care. I'm rebuilding a '71 challenger so I want SAE and hopefully 12 pt? Rakuten has a nice-looking gearwrench set for 220 bux. Is their stuff a gimmick? What should I buy? I'm looking to spend less than $400. I don't want to gently caress around with replacing individual craftsman pieces. I want a set with extenders and all three drive sizes.
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Apr 1, 2015 05:12
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Speaking of brake fluid. I'm not going to run into issues with this stuff for fun driving street usage, am I? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VXRPL0
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Apr 1, 2015 05:52
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Crossposting from the BMW thread because I'm stressing over here. So I'm in a jam here. My 1995 530i won't unlock with the key. I pull the exterior handle up on the driver door and the interior light comes on. I turn the key counter clockwise in the driver door lock and nothing happens. I turn the driver door lock all the way clockwise and it makes the noises you would expect as it activates all the locks. I've tried the emergency unlock procedure but i can't get the lock to budge. Another twist is that the original key for the car is in the ignition because I have that problem where if I take it out, I might have to spend a good 15 minutes getting it to turn and start the cars so I leave it in. Also, the driver door is not the original. The original driver door developed that problem where the door check rips out so I replaced the door with one from another car so it has a different key than the rest of the car. I have that key in my hand but it suddenly does nothing now. So the key for the passenger door and trunk is in the ignition and the key for the driver door is in my hand but will not unlock the door. I even called my insurance and the company they sent out couldn't do anything because they were trying to unlock the car with the interior locks but the car is double locked so that does nothing. Neither of the two guys they sent out had a slim jim which I think should have worked if they had one. What do I do? This loving sucks.
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Apr 1, 2015 06:06
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Do you not have another key matching the rest of the locks in the car? If you do, you can probably get in through the trunk (turn it left instead of right). If not, you'll probably have to find a way to get to a dealer, with proof of ownership (insurance ID card usually works), and get them to order a key for you. A valet key will be cheaper, and should (probably) unlock the passenger door and turn the ignition, but won't unlock the trunk. Also try turning the key as if you were unlocking the door twice, if you haven't. I'm not sure about BMWs, but that unlocks all the doors on most cars I've owned, instead of just the drivers door.
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Apr 1, 2015 06:40
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