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Quick question about coil packs... I need to replace a coil pack on my '99 Nissan Maxima. I walked down to the advance auto down the street thinking it would be ~30$ for the single coil pack, but it turned out to be 83$ (apiece!) for the only one they had in stock. I felt a bit burned, so I checked online (first thing I shoulda done) and it looks like I cant get all six coil packs for ~60$ on ebay. Is there a substantial difference in quality between brands for coil packs, and is AC Auto a decent manufacturer? I ask because I know it's better not to skimp on stuff like spark plugs, and I wasn't sure if coil packs were under the same umbrella of better to buy OEM, or wether I could save a few (hundred) bucks here. I only need to replace the one for now, but I'm approaching 120,000 on the car so I figure it's probably getting about time to just replace all of them while I'm at it.
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May 25, 2015 16:18
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Extra posted:Just bring it to an independent shop and tell them to look over the brakes and tell the dealer to pound sand. Don't mention any of the stuff the dealer said to the independent shop. "my brakes sound weird hey can you look at them and call me thanks bye" Uthor posted:I don't think you can see if a caliper is seizing up visually. You'll get more wear on that corner (or less, I guess, if it seizes in the open position). You can drive the car some, brake hard a few times, and check the temperature of the brakes. If one is hotter (or colder) than the others, then it's seized and dragging. It would be really unlikely that all four would seize at the same time, especially since then it would be really hard to move the car or stop! Thanks for your replies! I weighed my options and money, and yesterday I spent ten and a half hours replacing all my pads, rotors, and my front calipers when I found the old ones had a torn seal. It took forever and I spent most of the time driving to and from the hardware store, and trying to get ancient rusted bolts out, but I'm really satisfied that I did it. Yes, I looked up how to bleed brake lines and yes I made sure everything worked on a quiet side street before I drove anywhere in it. It wasn't that bad!
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May 25, 2015 16:46
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Yousomuscle posted:Thanks for your replies! I weighed my options and money, and yesterday I spent ten and a half hours replacing all my pads, rotors, and my front calipers when I found the old ones had a torn seal. It took forever and I spent most of the time driving to and from the hardware store, and trying to get ancient rusted bolts out, but I'm really satisfied that I did it. Yes, I looked up how to bleed brake lines and yes I made sure everything worked on a quiet side street before I drove anywhere in it. It wasn't that bad! HELL YES SON Nice job.
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May 25, 2015 17:04
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OSU_Matthew posted:Quick question about coil packs... If you're going to pay $83/each, just order brand new OEM ones for  more from a reputable dealer (Courtesy is local to me, my wallet and I can vouch for them - though their online prices are much cheaper than what you pay if you just walk in and ask for the part).FWIW, Courtesy lists a different part number for front and rear coils, so it's possible Advance may not have even had the correct coil. I just checked Rockauto, they differ physically (Rockauto carries the original Hitachi OEM coils for a reasonable price, btw). The ones on the rear are listed as right hand, while front are listed as left hand. If you feel it's better to do all of them, $60 isn't bad, just hang on to the originals and keep one of each in the car with you. And have fun with the rear ones 
randomidiot fucked around with this message at 17:21 on May 25, 2015 |
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May 25, 2015 17:15
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HotCanadianChick posted:Also, are they SAE or metric? Yes. Sometimes both on the same part.
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May 25, 2015 19:22
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OSU_Matthew posted:Quick question about coil packs... I had a generic coil in my 2000 Maxima for a while that supposedly was a perfect fit, but in actuality wasn't. I'd recommend going OEM if you can swing it, since the difference in mine between generic and OEM was night and day. If you do go generic, make sure you're getting different parts for front and rear coils at the very least. I do have a friend who got generics in his '95 and loves them, but don't know the brand. I'll see if I can dig up info on that.
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May 25, 2015 20:29
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Anyone know where the engine block coolant plug is on Ford's 2.0L zetec engines? The dedicated zx2 forums are garbage.
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May 25, 2015 22:24
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some texas redneck posted:If you're going to pay $83/each, just order brand new OEM ones for Thanks! That's a great idea to hang onto the originals--I did that with my plugs when I replaced them not too long ago. I wish I had some spares on hand when the coil clapped out on top of a mountain while driving through a remote forest road in West Virginia. That was real fun climbing 9% grades on crappy gravel roads with 5/6 cylinders. By fun, I mean I heard "we're dead" more than once from my passengers. Tricky Ed posted:I had a generic coil in my 2000 Maxima for a while that supposedly was a perfect fit, but in actuality wasn't. I'd recommend going OEM if you can swing it, since the difference in mine between generic and OEM was night and day. If you do go generic, make sure you're getting different parts for front and rear coils at the very least. I do have a friend who got generics in his '95 and loves them, but don't know the brand. I'll see if I can dig up info on that. Thanks for the heads up... I was afraid of that. I did go ahead and order the 65$ AC Delco pack, but I'm afraid it's too good to be true... I spent the extra  for OEM plugs last year, and boy am I gonna feel real dumb if these coils don't work out.
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May 25, 2015 23:15
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SperginMcBadposter posted:Anyone know where the engine block coolant plug is on Ford's 2.0L zetec engines? The dedicated zx2 forums are garbage. Not a clue, but the focaljet forums used to be a really good source of tech info. The Zetec was the engine of choice for the US-market Focus for several years. I'm sure something'll come up in a search.
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May 26, 2015 01:46
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I've got an '04 Jeep Wrangler X and a set of mirror relocator brackets that bolt onto the sides for when I have the top off and half-doors on. The brackets mount on some factory Torx bolts that are painted and countersunk, and every time I mess with them the Torx wrench bites through the paint layer exposing the metal below causing the bolt to rust a bit. After ten years of repeating this procedure the nibs of the Torx sockets rusted out badly enough that one of them stripped clean off when I tried to remove it (top bolt in pic below). Anyone got any neat tricks for removing a sticky, stripped, countersunk bolt? I tried hosing it down with a few variants of liquid wrench and hammering an allen wrench/slightly larger Torx driver into the socket in the hopes of getting enough bite to turn it out one last time, but no luck. Anything else I should try before drilling it out?  Second question: There are some plastic parts on the fenders and around the wheel wells that are getting pretty faded (see below). Are there any good wipe-on products that'd bring some of the original color back? 
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May 26, 2015 02:15
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PDP-1 posted:I've got an '04 Jeep Wrangler X and a set of mirror relocator brackets that bolt onto the sides for when I have the top off and half-doors on. The brackets mount on some factory Torx bolts that are painted and countersunk, and every time I mess with them the Torx wrench bites through the paint layer exposing the metal below causing the bolt to rust a bit. After ten years of repeating this procedure the nibs of the Torx sockets rusted out badly enough that one of them stripped clean off when I tried to remove it (top bolt in pic below). For that bolt, drill it in just enough to use an EZ-out. If you don't have them, buy some, they're great.
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May 26, 2015 02:26
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For the bumper, there's any number of products for that exact purpose. Strip off any wax and dirt with a good wash with Dawn or similar, and wipe on Mothers back-to-black or Meguiars ultimate black or whatever, they all work pretty well in my experience.
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May 26, 2015 02:31
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VelociBacon posted:For that bolt, drill it in just enough to use an EZ-out. If you don't have them, buy some, they're great. Thanks for the suggestion. I had considered that but the bolt is somewhere around a 1/4-20 size and I didn't know if they made EZ-out style removers that small. I should look on McMaster-Carr to see if they make them that size and if so order one along with the replacement bolts. e: It appears that you can get bolt extractors down to at least 1/8" size. Just ordered a set! Enourmo posted:For the bumper, there's any number of products for that exact purpose. Strip off any wax and dirt with a good wash with Dawn or similar, and wipe on Mothers back-to-black or Meguiars ultimate black or whatever, they all work pretty well in my experience. Thanks for the info here too. I figured there had to be something that'd do this but never had a reason to try it before now, I'll check out the brands you mentioned. PDP-1 fucked around with this message at 03:12 on May 26, 2015 |
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May 26, 2015 03:04
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PDP-1 posted:I've got an '04 Jeep Wrangler X and a set of mirror relocator brackets that bolt onto the sides for when I have the top off and half-doors on. The brackets mount on some factory Torx bolts that are painted and countersunk, and every time I mess with them the Torx wrench bites through the paint layer exposing the metal below causing the bolt to rust a bit. After ten years of repeating this procedure the nibs of the Torx sockets rusted out badly enough that one of them stripped clean off when I tried to remove it (top bolt in pic below). I'd suggest getting a permanent mirror relocation setup. Going doorless is supposed to be a spontaneous thing, and the easier it is to switch, the better. Or, you could get some factory half doors that have mirrors. The way the weather has been down here in Texas this spring has been pretty crazy the past few months, so I get a week or so of doorless weather, then it's two loving weeks of flash flood warnings. My mirrors just go in the hinges and require only one bolt, but that's still more than I want to do when the weather is being fickle.
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May 26, 2015 03:05
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I've had a 2003 Mazda Protege5 (2.0 FS-DE, 5MT) for about a year now. Its original owner kept wonderful care of it and it's in great shape, but it has one problem that has been haunting me. Soon after I got it I noticed some throwout chirp waiting in line one day, the slight kind that goes away when you toe the clutch pedal. It's an adjustable assembly, so I tweaked it a little and the sound stopped at idle and I thought it was fine. I noticed it again much later, coasting in gear, and hosed with it some more. And again. And again, back and forth. Long story short, there is no right position for this pedal to be adjusted that will not produce a chirp, intermittently. I can get it where it's not present most of the time but that's the best. If i'm trying to recreate the problem, a situation where i stand on the clutch and brake at the same time often summons the cricket. This car has a stupid shared master cylinder, so combined with my limited knowledge of hydraulic and vacuum systems (it's a wizard's spell, right?) I don't have any informed opinion on what the problem could be. I have taken the car to three shops, described the problem as the dude at the counter stared at me with glassy eyes, and they all kept my car for ten hours and told me nothing was wrong. I had some major services coming up that I decided to get out of the way before I started replacing poo poo. I did them (see below) and it didn't help. Other pertinent tidbits: -I know what you're thinking, and I didn't just adjust the free play wrong. I've tried everything, from barely-disengages to way-too-tight. It's within spec from the service manual, and I should have a very reasonable margin in which to adjust the free play without issue, but I don't. -Clutch has been replaced very recently. It was on the original disc at 130000 mi so it was about due. This shop, which had to actually get in there and gently caress with the system, told me the pressure in the master was fine. Was hoping it was just a bad bearing and this would fix the issue. It did not. -Brakes were done all four corners two weeks ago. There was a big pressure drop (a caliper seized) so I let the shop take care of it. They flushed/bled everything and put new fluid in. Surely this will do something! It didn't fix the issue. The brakes also seem kinda spongy for a new job. Mushy brake pedal seems to be one of those Mysterious Protege Problems that a lot of people just live with so I'm not sure if this is related. It was on those king-poo poo ceramic pads from the previous owner that lasted too long, so these are the first new pads I've ever felt on the car and have no reference. -Everything works fine. The clutch disengages and engages fine and has a good feel, acceleration is strong, gear changes are good, and the car stops well even though I have to go a little deeper into the pedal than I'd prefer. -There are no fluid leaks and the level in the reservoir never really budges when I check. -Clutch (dis)engagement is consistent but the very top of the pedal softens a little sometimes, as does the brake. This coincides with the chirp, generally. Please help me. Protege forums are horrible abbatoirs piled high with unsolved problems.
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May 26, 2015 04:43
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Those cars have a shared reservoir for brake and clutch, but the actual hydraulic systems are separate as usual. One wouldn't really affect the other, unless it's an issue like ancient brake fluid, which I doubt based on your symptoms. Was the throwout bearing replaced along with the clutch? What about the pilot bearing (the tiny one in the middle of the flywheel)? Was the flywheel replaced, resurfaced or reused as-is?
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May 26, 2015 04:54
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Enourmo posted:Those cars have a shared reservoir for brake and clutch, but the actual hydraulic systems are separate as usual. One wouldn't really affect the other, unless it's an issue like ancient brake fluid, which I doubt based on your symptoms. Oh, TMYK. The fluid is new in both systems. Both bearings were replaced. The flywheel was resurfaced.
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May 26, 2015 05:42
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OSU_Matthew posted:Thanks! That's a great idea to hang onto the originals--I did that with my plugs when I replaced them not too long ago. I wish I had some spares on hand when the coil clapped out on top of a mountain while driving through a remote forest road in West Virginia. That was real fun climbing 9% grades on crappy gravel roads with 5/6 cylinders. By fun, I mean I heard "we're dead" more than once from my passengers. AC Delco? You mean AC Auto, right?  AC Delco doesn't actually make (most of) their own parts, BTW, but I would trust them more than a brand I've never heard of.For future reference, the OEM plugs on your car are just NGK double platinums, which you can get at AutoZone or any other major parts store. Amazon also carries them. If you have the manual, it'll say which ones to use; both Courtesy Nissan's and NGK's websites say PFR5G-11 are the original plug (Courtesy Nissan's parts site also used to carry owner's manuals, not sure if they still do). Annnnd now I feel stupid, I just looked up plugs for my car - I had ordered AC Delco plugs, since it's a GM, and I ordered the part # in the manual. Just checked NGK's part finder, NGK makes the plug for AC Delco.  At least there was a rebate on the AC Delco plugs at the time.
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May 26, 2015 05:42
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some texas redneck posted:I just checked Rockauto, they differ physically (Rockauto carries the original Hitachi OEM coils for a reasonable price, btw). The ones on the rear are listed as right hand, while front are listed as left hand. Seems like the chain parts stores have thrown in the towel on trying to be competitive with online sellers like Rockauto and are now moving to a "gouge the guy who needs it today" business model. About two years ago I bought a coil pack for my wife's Mazda 6 (that I didn't end up needing & returned), it was $35 or so at Autozone. Fast forward to about a month ago when she legitimately needed a coil pack and the cheapest I could find was $70 at O'Reilly. SperginMcBadposter posted:Anyone know where the engine block coolant plug is on Ford's 2.0L zetec engines? The dedicated zx2 forums are garbage. Do you just need to drain the coolant or do you specifically need to drain the block? I've never heard of a specific "block coolant plug" on the Zetec, AFAIK one does not exist. The radiator has the only drain that I know of, on my Zetec powered Focus its on the bottom-left corner.
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May 26, 2015 06:26
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some texas redneck posted:AC Delco? You mean AC Auto, right? FYI, for recent model years: NGK makes plugs for I4/V6, Denso makes plugs for V8.
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May 26, 2015 14:45
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So here's a weird one. It's from a Porsche, but generic enough that I don't want to bother asking in the Porsche thread... '99 Boxster, base 2.5 engine. I just installed Manzo SS headers and catback exhaust. Everything works fine and there's no leaks or anything. I've been driving about 100 miles with it so far and there is a fairly large buildup of lint/fuzz on the back of the car from the tailpipes. It's white in color and looks like a cross between peach fuzz and dryer lint. I assume it's from the mufflers, but has anyone seen this sort of thing before? Does it go away fairly soon...?
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May 27, 2015 02:07
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McMadCow posted:So here's a weird one. It's from a Porsche, but generic enough that I don't want to bother asking in the Porsche thread... It could be muffler fluff, the sound deadening material some exhausts use. Never seen it on a Porsche though. Does it come off in clumps, or can you drag more of it out like hair?
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May 27, 2015 02:18
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Cthulhuite posted:It could be muffler fluff, the sound deadening material some exhausts use. Never seen it on a Porsche though. Does it come off in clumps, or can you drag more of it out like hair? There's none actually hanging out of the tailpipe itself, but it's obviously coming from there and is sticking to the bodywork all around there. It really is like dryer lint. It wipes right off so NBD, but it would be great if it would eventually stop. Seems like the worst of it is over, at least.
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May 27, 2015 02:23
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McMadCow posted:So here's a weird one. It's from a Porsche, but generic enough that I don't want to bother asking in the Porsche thread... It's muffler fluff. 100 miles isn't enough to even know what you exhaust note will end up at yet. But keep an eye on it.
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May 27, 2015 03:05
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I've got a 1995 Ford f-150 with the 4.9 I6. Great truck, can't believe how reliable it is for 1500 dollars. Anyway, the alternator finally went out, and I ran into unexpected problems changing it. Seems the alternator bracket (see screen shot) is aluminum while the bolt going through the bracket and alternator is steel. The two had chemically bonded together and to make a long story short, the whole thing ended up cut out with an angle grinder. Now I'm looking to buy a replacement alternator bracket. At one point I saw an OEM bracket for 200 bucks which is absolutely nuts, but the aftermarket brackets the websites assure me will fit don't look anything like it - they look like pieces of flat metal with slots of them, not the C shape of the bracket. Maybe because the aftermarket bracket assumes you're not mounting the smog pump? Here's a picture of the bracket, can any help me find a replacement for it. Christ, I can't even find the over priced oem replacement I saw earlier. Would something like this work assuming I didn't mind getting rid of the smog pump? 
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May 27, 2015 03:08
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Jack B Nimble posted:I've got a 1995 Ford f-150 with the 4.9 I6. Great truck, can't believe how reliable it is for 1500 dollars. Anyway, the alternator finally went out, and I ran into unexpected problems changing it. Seems the alternator bracket (see screen shot) is aluminum while the bolt going through the bracket and alternator is steel. The two had chemically bonded together and to make a long story short, the whole thing ended up cut out with an angle grinder. Have you checked any scrappers or junk yards in your area? A 90s F150 isn't exactly a rare vehicle, I'd be surprised if there wasn't one there you could rip a bracket from and it'd probably cost you <$10.
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May 27, 2015 03:32
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Motronic posted:It's muffler fluff. 100 miles isn't enough to even know what you exhaust note will end up at yet. Will do, thanks for the input. I wasn't pleased to see all the crud on the rear, but if that's part of the break-in, I'll just make sure to wash it and deal.
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May 27, 2015 03:51
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On a scale of 1-10, is a $500 '85 Land Cruiser an 11?
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May 27, 2015 04:03
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Cthulhuite posted:Have you checked any scrappers or junk yards in your area? A 90s F150 isn't exactly a rare vehicle, I'd be surprised if there wasn't one there you could rip a bracket from and it'd probably cost you <$10. This. Finding stock replacement accessory stuff aftermarket is always a crapshoot, since there are so many variants year-to-year. I'd just go to the yard with a mental image of what you're looking for, and root around in the Fords until you find it.
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May 27, 2015 05:43
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Raluek posted:This. Finding stock replacement accessory stuff aftermarket is always a crapshoot, since there are so many variants year-to-year. I'd just go to the yard with a mental image of what you're looking for, and root around in the Fords until you find it. I called around and no one said they had it, though that doesn't mean it's not there. I see other posts from other people having problems with these bolts seizing, so even if I find one in the junkyard I may end up with the same issue. Still, I'll check it out. I think if I can't find one at the junk yard modifying that aftermarket piece will be easier than starting from scratch.
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May 27, 2015 10:53
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McMadCow posted:Will do, thanks for the input. I wasn't pleased to see all the crud on the rear, but if that's part of the break-in, I'll just make sure to wash it and deal. Definitely keep an eye on it, because if it starts getting worse it could be a sign of a bad muffler.
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May 27, 2015 13:09
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Does anyone here mount tires at home? I am cheap, and drive about 70k miles a year, split between two vehicles. I also have a couple tandem axle trailers, a utility tractor, and mowers, etc. I wind up needing to change tires about 2-3 times a year, and the cost and lost time during the day is really getting to me. So my question is, would mounting 195/65/15 Eco tires and 265/75/16 load range E truck tires be feasible at home with a harbor freight tire changer (or similar from northern tool) and airsoft bb's for balance? Would the BB's mess with tpms sensors? Also, had anyone filled tractor tires at home? What do I need to get antifreeze in them?
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May 27, 2015 13:15
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Has anyone here tried making a car computer / media center with a raspberry pi as the main bit? I was mulling that over the other day. It seems some people have already done this too. http://www.instructables.com/id/Raspberry-Pi-Touch-Screen-Car-Computer/
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May 27, 2015 14:54
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Parts Kit posted:Has anyone here tried making a car computer / media center with a raspberry pi as the main bit? I was mulling that over the other day. I've had a look at it myself in the past, and after seeing that instructable and the mess he made of the dash (It looks like the screen was just taped to some plastic he glued in there) I'd suggest you purchase a HDMI-enabled touchscreen screen that fits into a DIN slot, like this one. As the Raspberry Pi has a HDMI port you can just plug it straight in. Then it's just a matter of installing your preferred operating system and apps. There are countless options there, it all depends on your preference, but here's a couple of suggestions for Car-Specific software installs. Dashwerks or Headunit would probably be the best for Linux-based solutions.
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May 27, 2015 15:14
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Parts Kit posted:Has anyone here tried making a car computer / media center with a raspberry pi as the main bit? I was mulling that over the other day. We've got a Raspberry Pi at the hackerspace that boots automatically and displays information for the bus stop outside. It works pretty well. All you'd need is a small touchscreen monitor, an aux jack for your stereo, and an SD card with your favorite flavor of linux on it. Don't cheap out on the SD card, because the RPI doesn't have any internal storage. If you can find one, get a microSD card and a low profile SD adaptor designed for the RPI, so you don't have anything sticking out the side.
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May 27, 2015 15:14
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Bovril Delight posted:On a scale of 1-10, is a $500 '85 Land Cruiser an 11? That price is less than the scrap value...
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May 27, 2015 15:40
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Cthulhuite posted:I've had a look at it myself in the past, and after seeing that instructable and the mess he made of the dash (It looks like the screen was just taped to some plastic he glued in there) I'd suggest you purchase a HDMI-enabled touchscreen screen that fits into a DIN slot, like this one. As the Raspberry Pi has a HDMI port you can just plug it straight in. Then it's just a matter of installing your preferred operating system and apps. There are countless options there, it all depends on your preference, but here's a couple of suggestions for Car-Specific software installs. Dashwerks or Headunit would probably be the best for Linux-based solutions. Safety Dance posted:We've got a Raspberry Pi at the hackerspace that boots automatically and displays information for the bus stop outside. It works pretty well. All you'd need is a small touchscreen monitor, an aux jack for your stereo, and an SD card with your favorite flavor of linux on it.
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May 27, 2015 16:09
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As long as you're not actively writing to disk, you should be able to just cut power no problem.
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May 27, 2015 16:20
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Hey, autogoons. I had a pretty gnarly oil leak and took it to a shop recommended by a dude I work with. Long story short, I just got the car back after a week of failed promises as to when it was actually going to be done, and I'm wondering how much I got ripped for in the end?
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May 27, 2015 19:33
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Michael Scott posted:That price is less than the scrap value... It actually looks pretty clean. Clear is trashed but not unexpected. Parked for 10 years, I'm sure it'd need tires, new rubber everything, fuel pump, etc. Might go check it out this weekend.
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May 27, 2015 20:37
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