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Darchangel posted:Even by the factory! Though only in a concept. Yeah, fascinating reads they are. Not sure what GM was going for with the rotary.
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May 1, 2019 19:05
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C-Bangin' it 
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Colostomy Bag posted:Yeah, fascinating reads they are. Not sure what GM was going for with the rotary. RIP original Pacer, rip
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May 1, 2019 19:24
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This was actually yesterday, but I verified that the solar charger I wired up for my Jeep which frequently stays parked for long periods actually works - took it out for a drive, started right up and ran just fine, last time it was started before that was at least two months ago. If anyone else is thinking about it, charge controller + solar panel. Less than $60, completely removes the ongoing issue of "crap, how long has it been since I drove it?", protects the much more expensive battery. Krakkles fucked around with this message at 19:45 on May 1, 2019 |
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May 1, 2019 19:29
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Darchangel posted:You know what you need to do now. I'm in Denton, just moved home last may after ten years in the PNW. I've swapped a couple of RX7s in the past. I did a circle track 327 in one fc, a semi built LS1 in another fc and had a few rotaries as well along the way. I'm real happy with the LS3 in the Corvette,I just picked up a 2.3ltr blower for it ( https://youtu.be/87-lDMz9J98 ) that's where it needs to be. It's a completely different car in size and manners than the RX7. I'll get this motor running in the RX7 and give it a few trys and different variations but if I do give up the ghost and decide to go piston I'm just going to put in a turbo K20 and keep the power band close to what was intended. bird cooch fucked around with this message at 19:55 on May 1, 2019 |
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May 1, 2019 19:50
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Krakkles posted:This was actually yesterday, but I verified that the solar charger I wired up for my Jeep which frequently stays parked for long periods actually works - took it out for a drive, started right up and ran just fine, last time it was started before that was at least two months ago. Interesting. How do you have the panel mounted up?
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May 1, 2019 19:52
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IOwnCalculus posted:Interesting. How do you have the panel mounted up? It is supposedly weatherproof, so mounting externally is an option, but at least for my use it's not problematic to move it and throw it in a bag under the seat when the vehicle is used. Edit: Oh, and just in case it was in reference to wiring, it's just plugged in via an included cigarette lighter plug to an always on outlet. Krakkles fucked around with this message at 20:00 on May 1, 2019 |
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May 1, 2019 19:56
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Physical was my main concern but hey, good to know on the wiring too. Once I get my WJ sold I should be driving the TJ often enough to keep it from having too stale a battery but it's still tempting, and it's not a vehicle where I'll have any roof to permanently mount it, for example. Suppose worst case I could just throw the panel on the hood whenever it's parked and run a cable through the grille 
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May 1, 2019 20:05
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After reworking the rear end, started reassembling my dad's Chevy. Still have to put the bumper and some of the emblems on, but getting there. Clay Bar'd the doghouse to get the overspray off if it. Should be ready to roll by the time the rain stops.
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May 2, 2019 18:57
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EvilBeard posted:After reworking the rear end, started reassembling my dad's Chevy. Still have to put the bumper and some of the emblems on, but getting there. Clay Bar'd the doghouse to get the overspray off if it. Should be ready to roll by the time the rain stops. I hope to hell you cast your old man in a bronze sculpture or something.
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May 2, 2019 19:27
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bird cooch posted:I'm in Denton, just moved home last may after ten years in the PNW. Cool. I’m dead smack in the middle of the Mid-Cities. Great location-wise, not so great for cheap large property, so I’m probably going to have to move farther out somewhere for my dream of a workshop and space to park That is a big boy supercharger for sure. Intended for a pickup/SUV? Unlike some enthusiasts, I don’t have a seething hate for pistons in RX-7s. I prefer they stay rotary, since that’s what makes them really unique, but I get it. I’ve spent way too much time in hot rod and muscle car circles to hate on mix and match cars. It’s hard to argue against, for example, the price/performance of an LSx.
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May 2, 2019 22:28
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Darchangel posted:Cool. I’m dead smack in the middle of the Mid-Cities. Great location-wise, not so great for cheap large property, so I’m probably going to have to move farther out somewhere for my dream of a workshop and space to park the Mid-Cities makes it close to everything. My whole family is out in Denton and I'm on two and a half acres on the northwest corner, which works out great because it affords me the room for a shop and the lift and all that stuff. Even though now the shop is getting too full so I'm gonna expand it in the fall if I can get slab poured this summer. I just find it reminiscent of a two-stroke dirt bike power wise. There's always naysayers for anything done to a car, especially when you get as aggressive and owner base as the RX7. The old man I bought my Corvette from would be beside himself if he saw what I've been doing to it and with it. I bought it last year with 17,000 miles on it. From the original owner who is a codgy old dude. I dug into the motor that came with the car today, not good. Gonna have to built another.  Let me know if that picture size is wierd. Phone posting
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May 3, 2019 02:27
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Random, but of all the places I've lived, I miss Denton the most. Spent about 3 years there, with a year enrolled at UNT. I really miss being able to ride my bike to Hailey's (yes I know they're long gone), then stumble back home. What I don't miss is all the roaches at Hailey's... and all the roaches at my ghetto AF apartment (Campus Square, I think it's 316 Fry now? if you look up "shithole apartment" in the dictionary, you find a picture of that place...). Also miss Mable Peabody's Beauty Parlor and Chainsaw Repair (posting the full name just to make people go "wait what?"). That was an awesome little place. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 08:39 on May 3, 2019 |
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May 3, 2019 08:36
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Sorry, no pictures. GF took her Honda Element into the tire shop to have the alignment check, on account of the weird tire wear on the rear. They said the rear knuckle's bushings needed to be replaced, along with the rear sway bar links, wheel bearings, upper control arms, and sway bar bushings (also the front left ball joint). The shop wanted to replace the the knuckle assembly ($300 ea vs. $12 for bushings). I opted to just replace the bushings and not the entire assembly. The paperwork that came with the Element (she had purchased it last year) indicated the right rear wheel bearing had been replaced about 20,000 miles ago. Things I found when I got the rear up: The sway bar bushings looked ok, but I don't think they were the right inner diameter. There were remnants of electrical tape wrapped around the sway bar to make it fit the bushing. After getting the knuckles off the car, the left rear bearing was ok-ish, the right rear bearing (the one supposedly replaced) had noticeable slop. One of the captive nuts holding a sway bar bushing on appeared to have been knocked off at some point. There was a non-standard bolt in its place that didn't seem to be fully tightened, allowing for play. The car's paperwork also indicated that both front sway bar end links had been replaced 15,000 miles ago with, indicating specific Mevotech end bar link part numbers. While both end bar links look ok, the left front is definitely not a match for that part number. The front right might be, it has the correct Zerk fitting, but looks awfully corroded for 15,000 miles (even with Michigan winters). The break caliper on the left side had 2 different sized bolts holding it on. All of this makes me wonder what other work was totally half assed by the shop that said they did this work. They had supposedly replaced the rear struts 30,000 miles ago. I'm not sure I really believe that. I had to cut out one of the cam bolts holding the knuckle to the lower control arm with my saw-z-all as it was fused with the bushing. I tried to punch out the bushings from the knuckle with a ball joint press. Mostly just punched out the centers, the saw-z-all was the essential tool in splitting the outer metal rings. The new bushings install was much more straight forward and they pressed right in. I removed the hubs from the bearing by knocking them out with a mini-sledge and a 32mm impact socket (with the knuckle resting on wood blocks). The bearings assemblies I removed two ways. The first was tapping one out with a cold chisel a bit at a time. The second time I undid the bolts holding it on only part way and tapped each (relatively lightly) which was enough to walk the bearing assembly out of the knuckle. Part of the old bearing popped out on removal which left me with a perfectly sized backing to ensure I wouldn't knock out half of the new bearing while installing the new hubs. Mostly everything is back together. I still need to get an appropriate sized bolt for the one sway bar bushing. I'm also waiting on new double cam bolts/nuts to arrive. For some reason no place sells these for an appropriate amount of money. For 2 each of the cam bolt, lock nut, and cam nut it is about $40+ and no one local had them. The ones I ordered from a Honda dealership in Texas (with the cheapest shipping option being $20, I opted for the $25 three day shipping) on Sunday didn't actually get picked and shipped until Wednesday, so no parts until Monday. Clark Knapp Honda can suck it. Also the previous shop that did this half-assed work can suck it.
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May 3, 2019 12:35
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Who knew electrical tape could be used as a bushing? Sucks, glad you are getting it sorted. Not sure the two different bolt thing though, hopefully threads were good. Egads. Sounds like a clown car operation.
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May 3, 2019 13:18
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A story in pictures.   Today sucked. Cranking sounds even, engine never died, but it did hiccup several times while playing submarine. Air filter obviously got wet at some point, it's lightly damp in one corner now. Had a little water come in under the passenger side door while playing submarine captain (silly Saturn, Saturns are supposed to be rockets, not submarines!). I'll slap a compression tester on it next week and make sure it's still even on all 4, if not I'll unload it ASAP. I'd expect it to throw a MAF code if it ingested much water, since the MAF sits basically on top of the air filter; there's no PCM codes at all (pending, historical, present, etc.. nothing). randomidiot fucked around with this message at 10:41 on May 4, 2019 |
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May 4, 2019 09:45
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STR posted:A story in pictures. It may have just been fighting excessive exhaust back pressure from the water trying to ingress through the exhaust pipe, at least hopefully.
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May 5, 2019 00:44
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Yea, I'm in north Houston and these last rounds of storms have been intense. 4.5 inches last 24 hours down here. Two miles south at the inlaws and barely got anything.
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May 5, 2019 05:22
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Looks like 8+ inches out by the airport here (Austin - the airport is SE of the main part of the city), parts of downtown saw over 6 inches.  The picture I posted was just north of downtown in West Campus (I think I was on 22nd? 32nd? somewhere in there), and it was during the worst of it.At home several miles north? Looks like an inch and a half. doogle posted:It may have just been fighting excessive exhaust back pressure from the water trying to ingress through the exhaust pipe, at least hopefully. I didn't pull the entire intake off, but with the filter being damp and signs of water being in the airbox, I'm sure it did take a sip. I kept my foot off the throttle and idled through that poo poo as slow as I could. Hopefully it was a small sip that would just clean out some carbon - and the intake manifold has lonnnnng runners that go way down, then come back up. It's running fine today, and if I put it into flood clear mode, it cranks nice and even. Put about 120 miles on it today with no issues aside from that nasty wet carpet smell, so I probably escaped any real damage.
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May 5, 2019 06:03
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The "rough running" was likely the serpentine belt slipping intermittently due to being soaked.
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May 5, 2019 06:16
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It wasn't what I would even call rough running - I felt and heard it miss several times, but not in a row. Like.. it'd miss once or twice, run fine another 15-20 seconds, single miss again, etc, and it kept that up for a bit after getting out of the water. If it did inhale any water, i'm gonna guess it got trapped at the bottom of the intake (TB sits on top of it, then it has runners that go down almost a foot, then come back up to the intake ports). I did hear the tensioner squeaking this morning, but it was very likely submerged for a couple of minutes, so that's no surprise. The only real issue at the time is the clutch got real bitchy and turned into an on/off switch, and the alternator stopped alternating for a few minutes (light never came on, but the lights got dim and the wipers slowed noticeably, stereo also cut out for a bit and wound up having the clock reset, but not losing any other settings). There was no slip point at all with the clutch until it dried out, it felt like it wanted to shatter the CV joints every time I tried to leave a stop for a good few miles after. I'm more concerned about the starter and radiator fan motor - both were fully submerged, and I know the radiator fan was running at the time (it runs nonstop when the AC is on). I have a spare radiator fan assembly from the old car, so if it craps, no big deal, I can swap to the spare in about 30 minutes (plus however long it takes to dig it out of my storage unit). I've had a new belt I've been meaning to put on, uh, since I got the car a year ago  - I'll go ahead and order a new tensioner and do that soon. The starters on these seem to be pretty loving durable - mine sees up to 50 uses a day (sometimes more) and never misses a beat; the fucker has now outlasted at least 2 ignition switches (history shows 1 done under warranty, 1 done under recall, so it's on #3). The old car was on its 3rd ignition switch when it went to the scrapper, and this one is starting to have Passlock issues, so it'll be getting #4 soon.I kinda feel obligated to the car at this point for handling that poo poo so well. The old Saturn saw flooded roads before, but nothing like this. My #1 priority is changing the gearbox oil though. Even before that, 2nd gear had started grinding on nearly every downshift (unless I double clutch), and on some upshifts. It uses plain old ATF, I'm going to try some Synchromesh in it. That poo poo is serious magic, at least for old Honda gearboxes (had a Civic that wouldn't even go into 2nd, and if you managed to get it in 2nd, it'd pop out... 3rd would grind bad - synchromesh was essentially new synchros in a bottle for that car). randomidiot fucked around with this message at 06:44 on May 5, 2019 |
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May 5, 2019 06:40
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I hit the loving trunk button on my Vic while backing out of the lot yet again, and finally said gently caress this noise and put in the new stereo while I was at it. Starting conditions:  Note this loving placement:  First, remove that which does not bring you joy:  That's better:  Cables pulled up where they belong:  The loving culprit:  Putting that back wasn't that bad:  Then, the wonders of Ford Wiring Harnesses happened. Two hours later, after a trip to the parts store for more butt connectors, and some really awkward heat shrinking:  All cleaned up. Gloves because the old 10+ year old tape wrap was gummy as hell:  Success!  Total done: Removed stock stero and underdash mount. Relocated trunk release back to stock position on dash. Fixed passenger airbag light in place so it is actually useful. Installed Blaupunkt head unit in correct location, and added usb cable as there are no 12v ports anywhere in the cabin and I need a phone charger for road trips.
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May 5, 2019 14:38
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The saga of the Element continues. I have the knuckles back on the rear, with the exception of the rear, lower control arm cam bolts. Which I paid $25, 3 day shipping on (even base shipping was $20, I'm not bitter...) and it has taken over a week to get them here. Dealership's response on the time it took was "*shrug* We're a dealership, we don't have everything in stock." Also waiting on a rear ABS sensor. It might get here this week? I put new discs and pads on the rear, because I already had pads on hand, and why not. Rather than mess around with the parking brakes (they looked pretty rough, like might not go back together rough), I removed them. It isn't super hilly around here and the car is an automatic, so it never gets used. If I feel really motivated, I might redo them. Finally got the appropriate bolt/nut to replace whatever half-assery was in place on one of the rear sway bar brackets. In the process of putting that in place, I found the bracket was rather misshapen. To the degree I couldn't get both bolts in to tighten it down. Using a 1" impact socket as a form I pounded it back into an appropriate shape. I'm going to guess that was the major source of clunking noises. Fun fact: the inner bolt on the rear upper control arm has such tight clearance I couldn't fit my torque wrench on it. So I artisanally torqued them by hand. I'm pretty sure they're within 25%.... Next up: Replace the front ball joints, boots are torn on both. I am hoping they aren't too bad. They look like they were more intelligently designed than the ones on my Dakota (I couldn't get those out with a press and had to pay a shop $500 in labor to remove the old ones).
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May 6, 2019 12:48
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2006 Xterra Painted the bodywork. Looking head on it looks fantastic, but with the sun at an angle, I can see imperfections and dust. Will have a final verdict in a few days after I wetsand and polish.  Wanted to change the rear diff fluid but the drain and fill plugs take two different sized hex keys. I have the drain size (10mm) but not the fill (14mm) so I didn't touch it.
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May 6, 2019 14:11
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nadmonk posted:Rather than mess around with the parking brakes (they looked pretty rough, like might not go back together rough), I removed them. It isn't super hilly around here and the car is an automatic, so it never gets The parking pawl is not at all a parking brake. Put the brakes back in or take the car to a real mechanic. How do the brakes look rough if they never got used? Find a YouTube video and put it back together. If the pawl is damaged, the part cost is 2.06$ but the remedy is replacing the entire transmission. It is not a brake. bird cooch fucked around with this message at 17:44 on May 6, 2019 |
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May 6, 2019 17:21
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bird cooch posted:The parking pawl is not at all a parking break. Put the brakes back in or take the car to a real mechanic. How do the brakes look rough if they never got used? Find a YouTube video and put it back together. But it will be if you use it as a brake
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May 6, 2019 17:27
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Powershift posted:But it will be if you use it as a brake oh wow you really got me with the autocorrect on a commonly corrected word I guess I don't know what I'm talking about.
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May 6, 2019 17:44
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bird cooch posted:oh wow you really got me with the autocorrect on a commonly corrected word I guess I don't know what I'm talking about. yeah, pwned
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May 6, 2019 17:47
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Powershift posted:yeah, pwned I'll go slip a wrench off a bolt and ritualistically knock the skin off my knuckles as penitence
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May 6, 2019 18:26
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bird cooch posted:I'll go slip a wrench off a bolt and ritualistically knock the skin off my knuckles as penitence brake your skin
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May 6, 2019 18:36
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bird cooch posted:The parking pawl is not at all a parking brake. Put the brakes back in or take the car to a real mechanic. How do the brakes look rough if they never got used? Find a YouTube video and put it back together. The drum brake mechanism (which is only utilized as a parking brake and we never use) was so rusted, there is no way it would go back together. This is a car with nearly a quarter million miles on it and we don't live in a hilly area and we never use the parking brake so the car can live without it for a bit. Also, every living person uses the parking pawl as the parking brake on an automatic. As I said, we literally never use the parking brake, which is not uncommon for people with automatics.
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May 6, 2019 19:09
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bird cooch posted:I'll go slip a wrench off a bolt and ritualistically knock the skin off my knuckles as penitence Better brake yourself before you break yourself. Because car ownership is bad for your health.
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May 6, 2019 19:41
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nadmonk posted:The drum brake mechanism (which is only utilized as a parking brake and we never use) was so rusted, there is no way it would go back together. That is a whole lot of "nobody does x because I don't" on a safety item that any state with inspections would instantly fail your car on. If you're handy enough to remove it, you're handy enough to put it back together with new parts and it'll sure be a lot cheaper than your insurance refusing to cover an accident caused by brake failure because you removed a safety backup.
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May 6, 2019 23:14
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I've had a car with the hand brake mechanism completely seized and unable to activate the brakes. It was fine for the couple years I drove it, I never needed it a single time However, after having multiple hydraulic brake failures, I wouldn't drive a car without a manual brake anymore. That little handle has saved my rear end too many times to even let the cable get loose E: As far as my own car, I almost lit the engine bay on fire today. I was topping off my leaking oil and spilled some on the valve cover, which isn't a big deal, it cooks off harmlessly. I guess I spilled a lot more than I thought because my hood was billowing white smoke. Thankfully, I had my welding bag in the car and could sop up the boiling oil with my kevlar sleeves and get to class without going up in flames The Door Frame fucked around with this message at 02:30 on May 7, 2019 |
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May 7, 2019 02:22
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My '99 Mustang had an inoperative parking brake for the 3 years I owned it, dude I sold it to wouldn't take it without it working, so I had to grind several new slots into the actuating cam (I think someone put a too-short cable on it at some point, only reason I can think of the cable would be too short to engage the pawls) anyway, I think he was a pussy, I lived through a rear hard-line failure on that car and I'm still here. It was a manual though, so it was parked in gear with the wheels curbed always, and I lived on a steep rear end hill.
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May 7, 2019 05:33
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I drove an ‘85 300ZX around back in college and never used the parking brake because the rear calipers would stick if I did. But I guess in my case the parking brake did actually work, it just didn’t stop working until I crawled under the car and moved the e-brake actuators on the rear calipers to disengage them. I think that was the fault of lovely autozone calipers, though (I was young, broke, and hadn’t sworn off autozone yet).
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May 7, 2019 05:40
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I cleaned up my shop a bit and started to prep for tearing into both cars at the same time and trying to do more YouTube stuff. I found another rats nest in the FD and accidentally showed my wife Excel spreadsheet for the Corvette cost. I should probably start a thread. 
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May 7, 2019 05:48
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Meanwhile the gearing in my Saturn is so loving tall (+ engine is probably a bit worn out too) that I couldn't park on more than a slight hill without it rolling, even in 1st or reverse. I drove it for about 2 months without a parking brake, and since I drive so much (delivery boy here), that suuuuuuuuuuuuucked. Speaking of, dropped the Saturn off at the nearby Chevy dealer to fix that pesky fuel leak. Original plan was to take it in at 9am tomorrow, but I called them back the other day and asked if I could just drop it off tonight, they said yes. Hopefully they either have the fuel pump on hand, or can get it locally. If they do, I should have it back in the afternoon. If not, I'll probably have it back Wednesday. I made sure to drop it off with little more than fumes in the tank to make life easier for the poor bastard who gets stuck with it. There's a revised version of the service bulletin that adds on the fuel tank and filler neck, but it doesn't come up with the VIN in their service database (the revised version shows it covers ALL 06-07 Ions though, regardless of where registered). I left a printed copy in the car anyway, but I'm not getting any evap codes, so that just seems like replacing parts for the hell of it. The original bulletin is what was done to my old car, and I never had any issues with a leak or evap codes after - the leak is because of the  plastic supply and return lines permanently attached to the pump cracking over time. I suspect the tank and filler were added because some techs were hamfisting the repairs.
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May 7, 2019 05:51
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STR, my man, my old Ranger holds on hills in 1 or R despite the time it stopped running on the highway due to lack of oil, I know funds are tight, but if Negative Ions has that bad compression, it might be a good time to start looking at alternative transportation.
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May 7, 2019 06:58
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bird cooch posted:...accidentally showed my wife Excel spreadsheet for the Corvette cost. Are you ok? 
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May 7, 2019 09:05
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nadmonk posted:Also, every living person uses the parking pawl as the parking brake on an automatic. As I said, we literally never use the parking brake, which is not uncommon for people with automatics. This is wrong, you are wrong
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May 7, 2019 11:35
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