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life is killing me posted:Okay, so a bad idea to order online then. Good to know. And I didn't end up going to Autozone because I didn't know they'd change it at all much less for free, so I'll just end up doing that. I had gone to Pep-Boys (a place I loathe) and they said even making an appointment would only guarantee me the next open bay and I couldn't get immediate service, and it just seemed dumb to wait 2-3 hours to have a simple battery replacement done. Gotcha. Autozone, Advance Auto Parts (and its sister companies) will change them for free on most vehicles in the parking lot while you watch. They will also change wiper blades and check DTC's if your check engine light is on.
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Jul 27, 2015 15:59
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rdb posted:Gotcha. Autozone, Advance Auto Parts (and its sister companies) will change them for free on most vehicles in the parking lot while you watch. They will also change wiper blades and check DTC's if your check engine light is on. The funny thing is I don't even see my battery light on. I have no codes being thrown at me...the only thing I saw that made me suspect the battery was the fact that upon finally getting my car started yesterday, my nav system screen started with asking me for the radio code, which will only happen on most cars when the battery has died or been disconnected.
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Jul 27, 2015 16:17
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Crossposting from my project thread because I'm desperate and frustrated (desprated?)scuz posted:This fucker will not budge.
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Jul 27, 2015 16:25
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BlackMK4 posted:So how old are the tires? rdb posted:The rear tires should not have any play. Replace the joint. Got it, will try the joint today. And they're 6 years old with no signs of dry rot, I was thinking that was still within the acceptable age range for tires but I'll try anything at this point (if that new ball joint doesn't fix it) 
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Jul 27, 2015 16:58
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It's probably in the tires.
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I would give the u joint a few good smacks with the biggest hammer you can get, then try to pry between the diff flange and the u joint.
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Jul 27, 2015 16:59
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That is an "inside clip" style ujoint so you don't have to worry about snapping the little cap retention nibs off the yoke. Jam a prybar between the ujoint and the diff yoke and hit it with a hammer to pry the ujoint out of the yoke. The slip yoke will come out of the rear end end of the transmission when you slide the whole shebang back after getting the ujoint unstuck from the yoke. The transmission fluid will immediately follow it, so have a transmission buttplug or at least a rubber glove and a ziptie handy to try and minimize the amount that ends up on your shop floor/driveway... or put a drain pan under it and refill with new fluid after, it probably could use it anyways.
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Jul 27, 2015 17:15
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AncientTV posted:Got it, will try the joint today. And they're 6 years old with no signs of dry rot, I was thinking that was still within the acceptable age range for tires but I'll try anything at this point (if that new ball joint doesn't fix it) It's on the edge of acceptable. 6-10 years says tire rack. I had a pair on my F150 that were 5 years old and had failed internally. They shook hard and would nearly shake the wheel out of my hand when braking. According to my wife they were recently balanced. If you can narrow down which corner the vibration is coming from try rotating the tires and see if it follows.
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Jul 27, 2015 17:38
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tater_salad posted:First problem: Hm. Okay. Well, I'm not sure what the cold idle return is and google is not helpful in explaining it. Is there a more technical name by which I can dig up information?
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Jul 27, 2015 17:53
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life is killing me posted:The funny thing is I don't even see my battery light on. I have no codes being thrown at me... It's not really a battery light, it's for the charging system. And there's no code for a dead battery because cars don't have the kind of testing equipment that parts stores use...it would drain the battery trying to do those tests all the time anyway, because it puts a load on the battery to simulate starting the engine.
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Jul 27, 2015 21:40
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Godholio posted:It's not really a battery light, it's for the charging system. And there's no code for a dead battery because cars don't have the kind of testing equipment that parts stores use...it would drain the battery trying to do those tests all the time anyway, because it puts a load on the battery to simulate starting the engine. Welp, either way, a nice young woman replaced my battery while I watched and the car seems to be doing fine. I really wanted a 500 CCA battery, but the one that died in my car was 500 CCA.
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Jul 27, 2015 21:42
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My battery died yesterday, jumped it and took it to Advance. When the gentleman tried to do a reading, the battery was in use by the aftermarket amp. He disconnects the amp from the positive terminal, then tells me that the battery is fine, but I should wire the amp to the stereo so that it isn't constantly leeching power. The only weird part is that the amp/sub was installed 3 years ago, and this is the first time the battery has died. The only other thing I can think of is that I have been using Max A/C almost every day this summer. (have never used it previously) Could I have drained the battery using the air conditioner, or is the amp the issue here? 2012 Honda Civic, stock battery RF 250 watt amp
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Jul 27, 2015 23:04
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I took my battery to get tested at advance auto. He hooked something up and had me turn the hvac on and rev the engine and he said he battery didnt look good. I then went to another advance auto and he said it looked fine. Its been starting up no problem 4 months later so I dunno.
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Jul 27, 2015 23:09
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fenix down posted:My battery died yesterday, jumped it and took it to Advance. When the gentleman tried to do a reading, the battery was in use by the aftermarket amp. He disconnects the amp from the positive terminal, then tells me that the battery is fine, but I should wire the amp to the stereo so that it isn't constantly leeching power. The battery is probably just dead/dying anyway, but depending on how the amp is actually hooked up (don't trust a parts-jockey to actually know what they're talking about - the ones who do are in the minority) it shouldn't be drawing anything noticeable from the battery with the car off. It's common practice to feed a large amplifier with its own heavy-gauge wire from the battery, but properly done, the amp shouldn't actually draw any current on that until it receives a power-on signal from the head unit. Now, if the installer was lazy and wired the amp to be on 24x7, then yes, get that poo poo fixed, but I have a hard time believing you've gone 3 years without a drained battery if that's the case. I replaced the battery in my '13 CR-V already, those Honda batteries are not big and they don't give a whole lot of room for error once they degrade a bit.
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Jul 27, 2015 23:14
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The testers they use while the battery is in the car are worthless. Pull it and have them test inside. Check your amp and see if the turn on lead is hooked up. Maybe it broke a connection.
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Jul 27, 2015 23:16
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Thanks for the tips, I'll get it checked again down the street. Edit: I'm being told the voltage regulator diode has failed!! O_O fenix down fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Jul 28, 2015 |
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Jul 27, 2015 23:34
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fenix down posted:Thanks for the tips, I'll get it checked again down the street. What's the voltage read when the car is running? That means your alternator is not charging the car properly. You should see <12v (normal is >12). This would continually drain the battery until the car is completely dead, a jump or charge would get it going again but the problem would come right back. Protip: If you replace the alternator, replace the battery as well. A dead battery can kill a good alternator.
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Jul 28, 2015 00:34
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Might be too esoteric for the stupid questions thread but here goes. 1984 300zx, started as an NA and is now a turbo. E4N71B auto tranny, needs vacuum for the modulator. My setup builds boost much faster than the stock turbo version. I put a vacuum check valve in the line and that's eliminated most of the exceedingly late hard shifts under any major load, except when I am hanging between like 2 in/Hg and 1 or 2 PSI boost. When that happens, the tranny basically just fumbles for a gear. I can drive around it by backing off the throttle a little if I'm not in a hurry or flooring it and engaging the kickdown if I am, but I figure there must have been a stock solution. Unfortunately, the car's service manual had nothing on it. Is there something obvious I am missing here?
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Jul 28, 2015 01:55
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Extra posted:and here's what I'm looking at: 
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Jul 28, 2015 02:56
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Parts Kit posted:Is that a length of bare steel cable being used as a wire on the right hand terminal? Grounding strap? 1st Edition ADandD posted:Might be too esoteric for the stupid questions thread but here goes. 1984 300zx, started as an NA and is now a turbo. E4N71B auto tranny, needs vacuum for the modulator. My setup builds boost much faster than the stock turbo version. I put a vacuum check valve in the line and that's eliminated most of the exceedingly late hard shifts under any major load, except when I am hanging between like 2 in/Hg and 1 or 2 PSI boost. When that happens, the tranny basically just fumbles for a gear. I can drive around it by backing off the throttle a little if I'm not in a hurry or flooring it and engaging the kickdown if I am, but I figure there must have been a stock solution. Unfortunately, the car's service manual had nothing on it. Is there something obvious I am missing here? Spergelord? Is that you?
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Jul 28, 2015 04:20
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If so, at least the auto trans will be misshifting instead of him now  don't think it is the same guy but it would be funny.
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Jul 28, 2015 04:35
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2003 Toyota Avalon. Needs brakes on all 4 wheels, and rotors up front. Anything special about them compared to any other cars, or just basic metric tools? Rear calipers - twist-in or compress for the pistons? Finally, belt or tensioner are squeaking. How much of a PITA is it to get to the tensioner? (I honestly haven't looked yet, but if it's anything like my car, it's going to a shop for that)
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Jul 28, 2015 07:26
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kastein posted:If so, at least the auto trans will be misshifting instead of him now Uh, okay, I guess that means I *am* missing something obvious...?
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Jul 28, 2015 10:45
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Allen Wren posted:Hm. Okay. Well, I'm not sure what the cold idle return is and google is not helpful in explaining it. Is there a more technical name by which I can dig up information? It had been awhile since I had done it. On mine it went to the air idle control valve which I remember some forum calling a cold idle return., I had a 2.0 SPI but this is a common issue on most foci/fords because for whatever reason they haven't learned and include awful rubber with no protection on their EGR tubes. You can either buy the ford part.. or remove it and go to a parts store and get some ruber hose.. you'll proably get another 10 years out of it. The material that Ford used in the OE from the factory is prone to collapse / holes from rubbing on the top curve As seen here: http://s62.photobucket.com/user/RelentlessRC/media/Focus/P1000976.jpg.htm Some regular old Parts store tube will be thicker and made form better matrial.. it won't have the proper bends and won't have the protection over it but the OE one didn't either. The biggest pain in the dick is going to be getting it off (And back on) of the non valve cover end.. focus fanatics has a good write up. http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/general-technical-chat/190218-how-change-pcv-hose.htm tater_salad fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Jul 28, 2015 |
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Jul 28, 2015 15:54
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tater_salad posted:It had been awhile since I had done it. Both of those links appear to be dead or removed.
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Jul 28, 2015 19:20
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Wtf I googled it earlier today. Google this and itll be like the 1st weblink for focus fanatics. ford focus replace pcv hose tater_salad fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Jul 29, 2015 |
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Jul 29, 2015 00:40
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puberty worked me over fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Jan 4, 2020 |
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Jul 29, 2015 05:57
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Extra posted:Are you in the USA? If so I believe the 2001 Focus only came with the 2L DOHC Zetec and 2L SOHC CVH SPI. Which of the following do you own: ZX3, ZTS, ZTW, SE Sedan, or SE Wagon? Ah, I'm an idiot. That's 16V on there, not 1.6L. Goddammit. In related news, it apparently started throwing a check engine code tonight, so that'll be the next thing to look at. (My girlfriend took it to and from class.)
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Jul 29, 2015 06:41
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That's the zetec, then.
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Jul 29, 2015 07:05
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Allen Wren posted:In related news, it apparently started throwing a check engine code tonight, so that'll be the next thing to look at. (My girlfriend took it to and from class.) Welcome to Ford ownership.
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Jul 29, 2015 07:27
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tater_salad posted:Google this and itll be like the 1st weblink for focus fanatics. Focus fanatics was a festering pile of poo poo in the mid-2000s when it was being run by enthusiasts, I believe it has since been sold and is now little more than ads with a forum in between. See if this works. e: I meant that in terms of since it's been massively commercialized it doesn't surprise me that you can't access the forum from a google search link. They probably want you to register and become a click generator for their lovely ads. VV Geoj fucked around with this message at 15:17 on Jul 29, 2015 |
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Jul 29, 2015 14:52
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Geoj posted:Focus fanatics was a festering pile of poo poo in the mid-2000s when it was being run by enthusiasts, I believe it has since been sold and is now little more than ads with a forum in between. Don't most car enthusiast forums end up that way? I have looked into multiple TSX enthusiast boards looking for answers on things like my car's oil consumption, and rarely do people even post. When they do, most of the posts are on the boards where they can show off their sick mods. The rest are just ads. To each their own I guess, I think the car looks better all stock. Although I'd love to put TL Type S wheels on my TSX. But that's neither here nor there.
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Jul 29, 2015 15:00
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The Ferret King posted:I mentioned this in the Hot Hatch thread but would appreciate input from here. I read your post there and wasn't going to mention it, but - Ford built it that way for a reason. There was a Ford tech who came out and specifically said "stop doing this". So maybe, don't do it. At the most, change the spring to a weaker one, but don't remove it entirely; the rest point of the non-sprung clutch pedal is lower than that of the sprung clutch pedal, meaning force is being exerted on the clutch "at rest" if you remove the spring. Edit: Enthusiast forums for modifying cars are, for the most part, a poo poo show. This is true of most internet forums focused on a specific topic, as it allows insular opinions to be presented as facts and encourages self-reinforcement of the users. One person will see "a problem", do whatever ghetto mod they feel like as a "fix", and then some other chucklehead will copy him. Now you've got twenty guys all changing out their diverter valves for vent-to-atmosphere blowoff valves, or swapping their spark plugs for ones that burn twice as hot. And then nobody can figure out why their spark plugs die after 5K miles, or why their valves are burnt. It must be lovely design on the manufacturer's part. Don't take the group guidance from a car enthusiast forum as wisdom. Yes, I'm aware how ironic that is. Even so, don't do it. The Prong Song fucked around with this message at 16:15 on Jul 29, 2015 |
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Jul 29, 2015 16:07
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Focusfanatics was always garbage. Focushacks had great writeups (no idea if it still exists) and focaljet is still around but even though usership has dropped immensely and most of it is barely active at all, all the info and old posts are still up. Some areas still have some active posting though.
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Jul 29, 2015 19:19
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TIRES I need tire recommendations. I have a Ford Econoline E-250 V8 5.8l and need something that is great on highway and wet conditions, while also being able to load the van up and also be able to take it on off-road trails sometimes (I'm not mountain climbing or mud-running like a 4x4). I also want to avoid as much MPG loss as possible. I'm looking at either: Michelin LTX A/T 2 BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain T/A These seem to be the best combo for highway and off-road needs. Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventures seem pretty nice as well, but I think they're probably too much of an A/T tire. Are either one of these better for my needs or something else? I've looked at 4Runner, Tacoma, and Jeep forums, but those are guys mostly concerned with aggressive tread while car forums, well, don't really care about any off-road stuff.
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Jul 29, 2015 20:26
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Subjunctivitis posted:I've looked at 4Runner, Tacoma, and Jeep forums, but those are guys mostly concerned with aggressive tread while car forums, well, don't really care about any off-road stuff. That Michelin gets great reviews from 4Runner guys for highway performance, FWIW. I've got the Latitude Tours on my Runner and they're pretty decent hwy tires. Not sure how they are on anything too offroad--I mostly take mine on sand. Pretty loud on the hwy though. I'll probably do the LTXs next.
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Jul 29, 2015 21:50
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Subjunctivitis posted:TIRES Just get a regular highway tire. If you're driving the occasional dirt road you're fine. Think long and hard about the number of times you've been traction limited.
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Jul 30, 2015 06:00
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Sigma X posted:I read your post there and wasn't going to mention it, but - Ford built it that way for a reason. There was a Ford tech who came out and specifically said "stop doing this". So maybe, don't do it. At the most, change the spring to a weaker one, but don't remove it entirely; the rest point of the non-sprung clutch pedal is lower than that of the sprung clutch pedal, meaning force is being exerted on the clutch "at rest" if you remove the spring. Thanks for the reply. Any guess as to the reason for the spring other than feel? What do hydraulic clutch pedals rest on if they don't have assist springs in other vehicles? Or do they always have return/assist springs?
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Jul 30, 2015 06:13
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If force is being exerted, it's wearing your clutch out by being partially engaged. I'm surprised there's enough pressure to do that, though.
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Jul 30, 2015 07:13
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Epitope posted:But now I've already done it, it'll be easy next time! Fate punished me for tempting it with my bad joke. Had to go back and redo the timing belt. Apparently the little arrow on the crank sprocket is different than the line you use for TDC. What's the arrow for, tricking newbie's like me? At least it's a non-interference engine!
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Jul 30, 2015 08:59
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Allen Wren posted:Ah, I'm an idiot. That's 16V on there, not 1.6L. Goddammit. Check the code it'll probably be lean or misfire if its the egr tube. First (cheap) thing is to replace that hose um surprised it lasted this long generally everyone had this issue starting in the late 2000s Depending on how long this has been going on a new set of plugs may be in order. Then if it still acts up come back.
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Jul 30, 2015 12:30
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