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There's a 2003 Mazda 6 I might be interested in purchasing at a relatively low price. However, the blower motor will not turn off in the car. The adjustment knob is on zero but it still blows air. Add to that the thermostat adjustment is stuck. Both of the adjusters move in an arc from left to right, only the thermostat will not move into the cooler part to the left; it sticks right in the middle of cold and hot. (Oh, and the radio's all glitchy. Works, but the display is blocky.) This might be a simple problem, but I know fuckall about automotive electrical (I'm a novice at anything else) and I figured I'd ask you guys since I'm very wary of electrical since if somebody tried to gently caress with it it could be a damned nightmare. Thanks in advance.
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May 15, 2015 04:11
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 16:11 |
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Is it a flood car?
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May 15, 2015 04:33
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I couldn't tell you for sure but I don't think it is. Again, still a beginner. I ran the VIN. Everything was clear. Motor's clean and runs and sounds fine. Interior's clean. No rust on the body or anything. I know the man who's selling it. He's a wholesaler who bought it from an auction in GA. I'd ask him but I wouldn't entirely trust his answer. Anything I should look for?
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May 15, 2015 04:40
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Look for rust on any metal bits lower in the interior, like where the seats mount to the car (there's generally 4 bolts - 2 in the front,. 2 in the back, back ones usually covered by a piece of plastic that pops off on most cars). I'm pretty sure that the base model would use a cable between the climate controls and the bits that make up the heater, so you'll probably wind up having to replace that, and probably the cable. Since it still moves a bit, it might be something like a blend door or heater valve hanging up - you'll need to budget to spend a chunk of cash getting that fixed, as the dash might have to come out. Is the fan stuck on one speed, or is there still some kind of control over the speeds? I'm not too familiar with the 3, but it's possible a body control module may be responsible for both the radio display and fan speeds, so you may wind up having to replace that. (I'm going worst case here) You may wind up just needing to replace the HVAC controls though. That said, 2003 was the first model year for the Mazda 6, and it's generally a good idea to avoid the first model year of any car. My immediate thought was the same as BlackMK4's, for what it's worth, and the 6 was a serious rust magnet.
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May 15, 2015 05:14
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Re: dealer stuff like undercoating, I thought most dealers just contract that out to a local detailing shop?
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May 15, 2015 05:17
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some texas redneck posted:Look for rust on any metal bits lower in the interior, like where the seats mount to the car (there's generally 4 bolts - 2 in the front,. 2 in the back, back ones usually covered by a piece of plastic that pops off on most cars). It's stuck on the highest speed, I believe, and turning the knob doesn't change it. But thanks a hell of a lot for the advice and the part rundown. I'll probably avoid it per your suggestion but I'll at least give it another more thorough look over tomorrow.
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May 15, 2015 05:28
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Keep in mind I've never owned or worked on a Mazda, so I may be completely wrong. I'm just basing this on other cars I've owned (especially first-year models.  ). So before you make a final decision, you might want to wait until someone who's familiar with the 6 wanders by.
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May 15, 2015 05:32
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A while ago I posted about a family member's ancient '96 Maxima that was suffering from intermittent stalling/hesitation problems. You guys gave me some good direction, but unfortunately this thing is still being a huge piece of poo poo and I'm losing my mind. Basic rundown is that the car has a noticeable lack of power/hesitation problem that comes and goes, as well as intermittent stalling. I've only ever personally witnessed the car stalling at idle, but I'm told that once or twice it's stalled while coming to a stop. Of course, half the time it runs like a champ. I've had the stupid thing idling in my driveway for half an hour or longer and been totally unable to make it stall at all. I've never actually been able to do anything to directly cause a stall - it stalls when it loving wants to. Here's the story so far:
At this point I'm not really sure what to do. With no codes or other information, I feel like all I can suggest is blindly replacing either the MAF or the IACV and hoping that's the problem. I loving hate the idea of just replacing parts that might be good, but I'm not sure where to go from here. Edit- One thing worth pointing out is that when it does stall, it'll usually stall two or three more times immediately after starting before it idles properly again. It always starts back up, though, and doesn't have any problems with long cranks or other weirdness. Paradoxish fucked around with this message at 00:05 on May 16, 2015 |
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May 15, 2015 23:57
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Does anyone here have any experience taking the cams out of a 6 cylinder valvetronic BMW engine? I don't want to remove the sprockets from the cams, just the cams themselves so I can get at the hydraulic lifters. I realise there are meant to be special tools involved but I've circumvented impossible special tool requirements more times than I can remember, so that doesn't bother me, I just want to know if there are any pitfalls to look out for with the variable lift wizardry mechanisms.Paradoxish posted:A while ago I posted about a family member's ancient '96 Maxima that was suffering from intermittent stalling/hesitation problems. You guys gave me some good direction, but unfortunately this thing is still being a huge piece of poo poo and I'm losing my mind. Basic rundown is that the car has a noticeable lack of power/hesitation problem that comes and goes, as well as intermittent stalling. I've only ever personally witnessed the car stalling at idle, but I'm told that once or twice it's stalled while coming to a stop. Of course, half the time it runs like a champ. I've had the stupid thing idling in my driveway for half an hour or longer and been totally unable to make it stall at all. I've never actually been able to do anything to directly cause a stall - it stalls when it loving wants to. So...did you replace the cam position sensor?
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May 16, 2015 04:52
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Slavvy posted:So...did you replace the cam position sensor? Yes. The only known bad part that hasn't been addressed is the knock sensor.
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May 16, 2015 07:43
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Just spitballing, but the lack of power could be the computer pulling timing due to the faulty knock sensor, which could also lead to stalling under certain situations.
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May 16, 2015 07:49
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Enourmo posted:Just spitballing, but the lack of power could be the computer pulling timing due to the faulty knock sensor, which could also lead to stalling under certain situations. Yeah. Seen this once on a subaru. The woman bought a wreck from the owner of the company, kept coming back because it kept stalling etc intermittently. Tiny coolant leaks got fixed but, to no avail. Eventually it was realised (I did not work on this car myself) the knock sensor was directly under a spraying pinhole leak.
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May 16, 2015 07:53
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Yeah, I really should just suck it up and replace it to conclusively rule it out as the cause of all of this. I've mostly been holding off since it's a pain to get to and everything I've been told is that knock sensors in Nissans of this generation generally won't retard timing enough to cause significant or noticeable drivability issues. The knock sensor code actually won't even trigger the CEL on its own.
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May 16, 2015 07:57
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Enourmo posted:Just spitballing, but the lack of power could be the computer pulling timing due to the faulty knock sensor, which could also lead to stalling under certain situations. Nissan ECUs from that era just flat out ignore the knock sensor when (not if) it goes bad. And it's such a crappy design that they will go bad, it's just a matter of when. Sorry to sperg, but I dealt with that on my Altima before, and on several 80s/90s Nissans belonging to friends. The sensor is a really lovely design and tends to crack, it's in a lovely place (on the KA24DE, under the intake manifold between 2 runners - book labor is something like 4-6 hours to replace it, or you can get under the car and knock it out in 15 minutes if you have skinny arms and a really good flashlight), the ECU sees the open circuit and says "no knock sensor". My Altima actually struggled to get up to 55 MPH once I did replace it, though I did use a generic knockoff from eBay for  instead of $300 for an OEM replacement. Ran perfect with it unplugged or with the original knock sensor connected, just kept logging a knock sensor code (P0325, I think). Plug it in and power (and mileage) went to poo poo, but the code would go away.With it disconnected or with the original, that car had no problem burying the speedometer. Since P0325 doesn't trigger a CEL on non-turbo Nissans of that vintage, just logs the code, I just ignored it, and it passed emissions just fine (even though that involved an OBD2 scan). Half rant about lovely knockoff parts, half meant to explain Chrysler of Japan's ECUs and how they treat knock sensors. Also, this only applies to non-turbo Nissans; I've not driven/worked on a (factory) turbo Nissan, I'd hope they actually throw the engine into limp if they lose the knock sensor. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 08:35 on May 16, 2015 |
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May 16, 2015 08:27
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Per thread recommendations on getting my 2015 Fit to stop trying to connect to my smartphone (which causes lag when playing music and renders the screen inoperable), I tired a usb condom. That works for about 5 minutes then I get an error on the car screen "there is a problem with the usb connected device see owners manual"which doesn't help. Could the car not be providing at least 1A of power to the usb ports?
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May 16, 2015 12:56
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some texas redneck posted:(on the KA24DE, under the intake manifold between 2 runners - book labor is something like 4-6 hours to replace it, or you can get under the car and knock it out in 15 minutes if you have skinny arms and a really good flashlight) Yep, it's under the manifold on the VQ30DE too. You can get at it from the top of the engine without pulling the manifold, but it's still a massive pain in the rear end.
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May 16, 2015 14:51
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So my tires are starting to dry rot. How much could would the labour and cost be to replace them roughly? (Just some standard tires) Also what kind of tires for the Pacific Northwest when there is barely any or if any snow but lots of rain (If there is, on one drives or goes to work) All Season or just summer? lol internet. fucked around with this message at 15:57 on May 16, 2015 |
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May 16, 2015 15:54
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lol internet. posted:So my tires are starting to dry rot. How much could would the labour and cost be to replace them roughly? (Just some standard tires) This is pretty hard to answer without some more info. What is the tire size? It'll be listed on the sidewall. If you have a Discount Tire/Big O/etc. you can quote an total figure including mount/balance online once you have the tire size.
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May 16, 2015 15:57
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Bovril Delight posted:This is pretty hard to answer without some more info. What is the tire size? It'll be listed on the sidewall. 215 45R17 I'm in Canada so I don't think those really apply to me but how much would the labour be for 4 of them?
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May 16, 2015 16:11
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lol internet. posted:215 45R17 Mount and balance would probably run you anywhere from 50-100.
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May 16, 2015 16:22
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Elendil004 posted:Per thread recommendations on getting my 2015 Fit to stop trying to connect to my smartphone (which causes lag when playing music and renders the screen inoperable), I tired a usb condom. That works for about 5 minutes then I get an error on the car screen "there is a problem with the usb connected device see owners manual"which doesn't help. Whoops, sorry, I figured that would just work.
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May 16, 2015 16:36
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I've got a '95 Chevy Blazer whose alternator went out recently. I removed it and got a replacement from my local hardware store. When I went to put it back in, I couldn't remember how the connections to the battery went  . Any of you helpful goons happen to know? Would it help if I snapped some pictures?
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May 16, 2015 17:10
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Kimchi: my 2005 Kia Optima, V6, low miles (54k, inherited her from my mom, the proverbial granny who only drove it to church) but Kimchi used to live in upstate NY so she's got some significant undercarriage rust from the salt on the roads. She started making noises a few months back, and a friend correctly diagnosed low steering fluid. I've been topping it off as needed, but never noticed any leaks on my driveway. Yesterday, out of nowhere, Kimchi starts screaming the same noise she made when I first found out about the steering fluid leak. Sure enough, it's low, no problem, I limp her up to the Autozone a mile away and buy more fluid. Add fluid, start her up to get some in circulation, and she's still screaming. I look underneath, and poo poo's dripping out like mad. Tried to take her around the block on a test, and completely lost power steering. If it's just a hose, I can probably do that myself. But I've been looking up other forums' posts, and apparently I could potentially fry the pump if it's not getting fluid? How do I find where the leak is without causing more damage?
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May 16, 2015 19:28
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Paradoxish posted:A while ago I posted about a family member's ancient '96 Maxima that was suffering from intermittent stalling/hesitation problems. I'm just spitballing here but have you checked the fuel filter?
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May 16, 2015 21:05
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Leperflesh posted:I'm just spitballing here but have you checked the fuel filter? Yep, took care of it along with a bunch of other maintenance junk before moving onto more serious diagnosis. Made a huge difference and fixed some nasty sputtering (it was apparently the original 19 year old filter!), but didn't solve the stalling issue.
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May 16, 2015 21:42
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Elendil004 posted:Per thread recommendations on getting my 2015 Fit to stop trying to connect to my smartphone (which causes lag when playing music and renders the screen inoperable), I tired a usb condom. That works for about 5 minutes then I get an error on the car screen "there is a problem with the usb connected device see owners manual"which doesn't help. Got a multimeter?
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May 16, 2015 21:59
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Elendil004 posted:Per thread recommendations on getting my 2015 Fit to stop trying to connect to my smartphone (which causes lag when playing music and renders the screen inoperable), I tired a usb condom. That works for about 5 minutes then I get an error on the car screen "there is a problem with the usb connected device see owners manual"which doesn't help. Surely you don't need power if the phone is charged?
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May 16, 2015 22:58
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Unbound posted:I've got a '95 Chevy Blazer whose alternator went out recently. I removed it and got a replacement from my local hardware store. When I went to put it back in, I couldn't remember how the connections to the battery went The cables should be marked red for positive and black for negative. If not, the cable that's somehow connected to the block and/or the truck body will be the negative, and the other will be the positive. Positive should also run to a fuse box, with a cable splitting off to run the starter, and another branching off to connect to the alternator (which generally has some sort of rubber cover over the nut).
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May 16, 2015 23:27
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Ran across this "electric supercharger" on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Intak...b2e8017&vxp=mtr Do these things actually do anything other than cost money? I'm thinking it might be funny to rig up something similar but way way cheaper on my not-even-90hp 87 Mazda B2000, assuming they do anything.
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May 17, 2015 00:32
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Parts Kit posted:Do these things actually do anything other than cost money?
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May 17, 2015 00:42
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InitialDave posted:Yes, they also add an obstruction to the intake system. Haha, so yeah, crap. But the twin leaf blower was pretty funny, I think that'd actually be appropriate for the truck. 
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May 17, 2015 00:51
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Enourmo posted:The cables should be marked red for positive and black for negative. If not, the cable that's somehow connected to the block and/or the truck body will be the negative, and the other will be the positive. Positive should also run to a fuse box, with a cable splitting off to run the starter, and another branching off to connect to the alternator (which generally has some sort of rubber cover over the nut). Awesome, The cables are marked for the positive and negative. I found where the positive needs to go but it's the ground that I'm unsure of. I have a bolt on the left I can attach it to, which also has a bar that runs to the transmission area of the engine. And another bolt on the far right of the alternator that connects to the mount for the alternator. Do I just throw it on one of those two?
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May 17, 2015 01:34
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You should be able to connect it to anything that's bolted directly to the engine. So yeah, one of those should work. Just make sure it can't (in any way) come into contact with the positive cable.JacquelineDempsey posted:Yesterday, out of nowhere, Kimchi starts screaming the same noise she made when I first found out about the steering fluid leak. Sure enough, it's low, no problem, I limp her up to the Autozone a mile away and buy more fluid. Add fluid, start her up to get some in circulation, and she's still screaming. I look underneath, and poo poo's dripping out like mad. Tried to take her around the block on a test, and completely lost power steering. You will absolutely ruin the pump if you drive it like that. Since it's pissing it out that fast, you need to get under it and figure out where it's coming from. It'll be coming from one of the lines, or the power steering rack. I'm going to guess one of the lines, since they usually have solid metal sections, and you mentioned it has a lot of rust. If it's a line, you can do that yourself, you just need to figure out if it's the high pressure line (which feeds into the rack from the pump), or low pressure return line (which runs from the rack to the fluid reservoir, and usually loops in front of the radiator at some point - likely has multiple rubber and metal sections). If it's the rack, I would suggest having a shop tackle it, unless you have air tools. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 04:19 on May 17, 2015 |
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May 17, 2015 04:15
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JacquelineDempsey posted:Kimchi: my 2005 Kia Optima, V6, low miles (54k, inherited her from my mom, the proverbial granny who only drove it to church) but Kimchi used to live in upstate NY so she's got some significant undercarriage rust from the salt on the roads. She started making noises a few months back, and a friend correctly diagnosed low steering fluid. I've been topping it off as needed, but never noticed any leaks on my driveway. Clean everything really well with degreaser, add more fluid, run the car for a few minutes, and see where it's leaking from. You very well might be looking at a new power steering pump, especially if you're noticing power steering fluid being slung all over your engine bay.
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May 17, 2015 04:16
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2007 civic si. Can you guys take a look at this vid and see if you think my tie rod inners need replacing? I took it to get aligned and the mechanic said one inner was bad, but they both seem similar and don't seem to have the symptoms that people list online for a bad inner. The outer ones seem to be in pretty bad shape and I have the parts on hand. My first time fiddling with tie rods though. So I don't have a baseline to compare them to. http://youtu.be/2ZMumRAHDcI
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May 17, 2015 05:14
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That isn't how you judge if they're hosed. You need to have the car assembled with the outer tierod etc hooked up and a wheel on. Then you wiggle the wheel gently side to side and feel for play. If there's play there, you put your hand on the ball joint (or get a friend to watch) and see if the movement is in the ball joint or not. If it isn't, pull back the steering boot and see visually if there's play at the inner. It's impossible to tell if they have play when there's no load or leverage; pulling on it directly shows you nothing unless they're really, really hosed.
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May 17, 2015 05:33
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Parts Kit posted:Ran across this "electric supercharger" on ebay: Pretty much any car system that purports to create way more energy than it consumes is suspect - you can't make a shitload of power from a relatively low-draw electric motor. That being said, I recall years ago seeing an M45 or M60 roots blower hooked up to an electric motor through a gearbox that was powered by a bank of deep-cycle batteries. It would work...until the charge in the batteries diminished. IIRC it was intended to be used like nitrous - boost at the push of a button vs always on like a traditional turbo or supercharger.
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May 17, 2015 06:50
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Godholio posted:Got a multimeter? I do, but I'm not sure what I'd be looking for.
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May 17, 2015 12:57
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Geoj posted:Pretty much any car system that purports to create way more energy than it consumes is suspect - you can't make a shitload of power from a relatively low-draw electric motor.  Really the best thing for the truck would be to replace the horrible vacuum driven mess of a carb with a Weber. Maybe the distributor too since I think that has a vacuum advance as well. 
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May 17, 2015 13:19
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some texas redneck posted:You will absolutely ruin the pump if you drive it like that. Safety Dance posted:Clean everything really well with degreaser, add more fluid, run the car for a few minutes, and see where it's leaking from. You very well might be looking at a new power steering pump, especially if you're noticing power steering fluid being slung all over your engine bay. Fuuuuck. I'm unemployed, broke, and finally got a temp gig on Thursday --- that's not on a bus line, and 20 miles away. As they say, if it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. I'm hoping Safety Dance is on the money, bc the fluid's not all over the place, very specific drip from under the front passenger seat side. Though I think that's where the pump is, so... fingers crossed. So just to be clear: if I top her up to the brim, and just run her in the driveway without turning the wheels, am I okay trying to find the leak? Like, if the pump's not shot, I don't want to do any more damage, as texas redneck's suggesting. Thanks for all advice, I try to work on my cars myself as much as I can since I'm pretty good at fixing poo poo, and I hate being "stupid woman being taken to the cleaners because chicks know nuffin' 'bout cars". Any recommendations on good websites for schematics? Normally I'd run up to the library and grab the Chilton's (why I never just bought a Chilton's for my '89 Probe, I dunno, I practically owned that copy), but... yeah. Not going anywhere today, it seems. "Just curious" side note: I've never driven without power steering before, and holy poo poo did I have to haul on that wheel to do the hard right back into the driveway. Is that what driving an old, non-power car is like? JacquelineDempsey fucked around with this message at 13:23 on May 17, 2015 |
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May 17, 2015 13:21
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