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Crossposting from the mechanical failures thread, went out to check my fluids and pressures before a trip and found a flat.  Guessing these are too close to the sidewall to fix reliably? I tried inflating anyway to see what would happen and air was pissing out of both holes.
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Feb 28, 2015 12:50
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Kids (presumably) nicked the dustcaps off my tyres, are the locking ones worth it or shall I just get a shitload of black plastic ones?
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May 10, 2015 18:15
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VelociBacon posted:Are you talking about valve stem covers? Yep, always called em dustcaps before, though valve stem covers is a bit more descriptive.
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May 10, 2015 19:00
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I'm about to replace a slowly dying battery and came across a dilemma the Internet seems split on. Let's say I connect up an older but good battery, leave it for an hour or so to equalise the voltages a bit, then start it up. Should I shut off the ignition before disconnecting the reserve battery?
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Jul 19, 2016 13:08
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Is spraying starter fluid to find vacuum leaks as bad an idea as it sounds? I have mental images of me and/or the engine bay in flames. Is there a good trick to it otherwise?
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Jan 19, 2017 18:54
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Replacing vacuum line is as easy as it looks-remove old stuff, cut new stuff to length, attach new stuff- right?
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Jan 22, 2017 23:37
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Memento posted:Yes. Make sure it's not going to rub on anything (especially if the thing is sharp or gets hot), liberal use of cable ties to keep it in place, go to town. You can get molded vaccum line for a lot of applications but I've never had a problem using generic stuff, which probably an order of magnitude cheaper. Yeah, 5 metres of well reviewed (and hp increasing bright neon green) silicone hose was under £10, I expect the shortest ready-made bits to be at least that. I can make the runs a little longer, yes?
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Jan 23, 2017 17:45
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IOwnCalculus posted:Add in "removing whatever you need to get at the vacuum line" but yeah. Replacing one on the 280ZX once, I added a plastic elbow in the middle because the bend was too tight for generic line. gently caress paying $Texas for a bespoke line for that garbage fuel injection system. Good advice, there's a bunch of check valves and a few other plastic bits guaranteed to be half dead and just waiting for the chance to crumble away, so I'm taking the chance to replace them all now rather than stress over them breaking while I do the lines. The place that sold me the line also does pre-moulded corner pieces, but I think I should be okay. gently caress you VAG, rubber and lovely plastic don't belong in a rats nest on top of an engine, and your weirdo hose clamps can go choke on a thorned cock. Semi related question- the plastic engine cover on top of my 1.8T can just come off and loving stay off this time, right? it doesn't seem to do very much other than get in the way.
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Jan 23, 2017 22:15
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While I have it exposed, is there anything wrong with hosing down my air intake temp sensor (A4, 1.8T) with contact cleaner? I know some sensors are picky but it looks a bit grubby and it probably isn't helping my lean code.Sir Tonk posted:Nah I want to keep the OEM head, just need buttons that aren't wrecked. Probably would be easier to just pull some buttons from a broken one and replace them than replacing the working unit that's in the car, assuming they'll come off without destroying them. Both times I have looked over a scrap car looking for random bits, the buttons I wanted to replace have been worn out in just the same way as on mine. At a guess, you aren't going to be able to replace the buttons without pulling the unit, and I'm gonna take a guess from the picture and say removing the unit is gonna mean removing at least part of the dash. You might be just better to find a way to remove the rest of the plastic coating from the buttons and then paint them with something yourself.
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Feb 1, 2017 14:33
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big trivia FAIL posted:This 2nd shop said they cleaned everything and dyed it, ran it and watched it, and all of those things are leaking badly. Like I said, I don't know poo poo and they car has been in shops for 4 weeks now, so I guess I'm paying a lot b/c I can't do it myself. If it's gone from not leaking to suddenly leaking all over I would guess something else happened other than "well all these just happened to go at the same time"- has it leaked before?
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Feb 1, 2017 22:46
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A4 1.8t. Few weeks ago the air intake hose/pipe coming from the intercooler to the engine popped off while driving hard and i put it down to an old hose clamp, stuck on a new one nice and tight, noticed a day or two later the hose had slipped a bit, changed to another hose clamp in case the new one was poo poo and its still doing it. I figure that as its old it could be collapsing in on itself when the engine is trying to suck in lots of air- change out the pipe first, or is there something else at play? No other problems other than a dying diverter valve which im hoping to get done next week.
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Sep 13, 2017 21:34
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Got a P0322 code on my 1.8t A4, so I'm swapping out the crankcase sensor today- Do I need to lube the sensor, and if so, with what? I have copper anti-seize, probably some dielectric grease and engine oil, any of them do it?
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Feb 21, 2018 09:18
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:I assume you're talking about the crank position sensor? Yeah its the crank/rpm sensor, will give it a smearing- thanks. Its not gonna be easy but I think I can get it from the top if I shift the coolant tank over and use an inspection mirror to guide me- I have 3 days to do it, so if needs be I can prime another extension e.t.c and deal with some more vac system stuff instead while I wait
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Feb 21, 2018 12:27
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Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:Watching a youtube video about doing those on your engine made me an expert.  awd I cleared my way in and access up to it isn't too bad at all- enough room to manoeuvre now the coolant is out of the way, its just seeing it and getting the right angle at the same time is tricky. Having lunch then I'm going to cobble something to reach it or order an extention the right size in the smaller drive size, and probably duct tape my inspection mirror in place Those youtube vids of mechanics doing it lazily in a few minutes make me envious but I guess this is how I learn
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Feb 21, 2018 14:41
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Dr. Kyle Farnsworth posted:Is there a good beginner resource y’all can suggest? I don’t have the space or tools to do stuff like my own oil changes at the moment but I love reading threads in here. I know the very basics of how engines and systems work but there’s a vast gap between “I know mostly in theory how an internal combustion engine works” and “here’s me pulling out the old engine and replacing it by one from a different manufacturer” like some of you guys do. Have a car and when it breaks, try and figure out whats broken, and then look on youtube/forums for videos/guides of people fixing the same thing. See if you think you can follow that. Pick up tools generally as you need them- a basic socket set is often a good start, as is an obd2 reader and torque. I don't have a garage, I do it roadside. I have been doing the above for the last few years and not only did I enjoy myself fixing poo poo and learning, I have also saved myself a chunk of cash doing what I can myself- its also a lot nicer to go talk to a mechanic with "well I tried x and y, can you check z for me" rather than "I dunno whats wrong, halp".
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Aug 17, 2018 11:59
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titties posted:I know this is stupid as hell but this is the first time I've had a car where absolutely everything worked and I am sad now. Any suggestions? Check all the fuses you can get to, have the obd codes read to see if the car knows if anything is up.
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Oct 9, 2018 22:00
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C-Euro posted:There's a shallow chip in my windshield that I just noticed, probably no bigger than my pinky fingernail. Can I get this filled in at any decent mechanic, or should I be looking for a place that specializes in auto glass? 2011 Ford Escape. Check your insurance details but you might be covered for a free repair that shouldn't affect your claims
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Dec 1, 2018 14:13
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Resting Lich Face posted:Started my 2012 Mini Cooper up today to a very rough idle, revs bouncing around around 1k, check engine light, very rumbly sound but not in a good way. I think I might have an oil leak because I checked and it seems very low which is what the gently caress since it was done somewhat recently (3.5k ago - a bit under a year). There isn't a visible leak though so I'm unsure what's up. Got family getting me some oil to top it up. Should I dare fuckin' start it again after topping up the oil or would that be dangerously stupid? I'm really not a car person so I'm out of my depth here. The car can tell you a whole bunch of codes if you use an cheap obd2 reader and a free/cheap phone app- from there you can google around and find people with the same symptoms/codes on that model/engine and post em here too. I would definitely top up the oil properly before any kind of restart, but for the cheap cost of doing so I would want to see what codes the engine is throwing before turning the key just in case there's some really serious poo poo waiting.
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Apr 23, 2019 17:13
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Southern Heel posted:Thank you all - good shouts! Pool noodles 
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Apr 24, 2019 13:18
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Father Jack posted:OK, I'm just going to buy a new battery. The last time I was in this kind of situation I spent a lot of time and effort pissing about to end up replacing it anyway, so if it's likely toast I just want to get it done with the minimum hassle and cost. Go for a brand you recognise and go for the biggest CCA that will physically fit I used eurocarparts in the UK- there's almost always a "sale" or special offer on for a competitive price (don't buy anything not on offer otherwise), but the best thing is I bought a bosch one from them and each time I killed it within the 4 year warranty, I just had to roll up to a store with the battery and a printout of the receipt and I got a new battery off the shelf no questions asked- if I got it a quid or two cheaper at some online only store I can't imagine it working the same
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Jul 5, 2019 16:31
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Krakkles posted:What's the best way to find interior fasteners? Specifically, a body shop worked on my 2000 Ford Mustang and replaced one of the plastic plugs that holds a trim panel in place with an incorrect (too small, and looks way different) plug. I'd like to ideally find one that looks and fits like the OEM, but I don't know what the part is called or how to find it. I got a big bag of assorted fasteners from amazon cheaply (like less than a penny per) for when I did my window regulator
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Jul 12, 2019 19:54
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KakerMix posted:Link? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Fasteners-Universal-Fastener-Removal/dp/B07BR9LBRT Similar to this- seems there's a few variations of the types you can get
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Jul 12, 2019 22:08
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stump posted:Had my wife’s Peugeot 208 into the garage yesterday to get the air con recharged. They noted the coolant reservoir was empty and topped it up. I’d been out in the car the day before and the temp was bang on, and no warning lights. Although I’ve got a feeling Peugeot in their infinite wisdom may not have fitted a coolant level sensor. Can you slip a bit of cardboard under the car to catch the drips you are seeing so you can rule out the a/c? It probably is a/c but it's worth knowing. I recently had a coolant hose tear develop over a week or two and while it was going the rate of coolant loss was all over the place- probably worth triple checking your hoses, especially at bends or attachments
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Jul 31, 2019 15:12
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Audi A4 B6 I tore the plastic underside engine cover/skid plate/whatever off again, and this time the paracord and zipties failed and it got lost somewhere along a road, thankfully without damage to the rest of the car. Do I need a new one? a quick google said the consensus was largely no but I drive gravel tracks/farm fields regularly and it seems like that could pose problems
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Aug 20, 2019 10:35
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two_beer_bishes posted:Any other ideas? When you put the key in the ready to crank position do you hear the fuel pump priming?
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Oct 13, 2019 13:48
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Is there a good place for tyre reviews? Most of the places I'm looking at, the bad reviews are mixed in with a lot of "tyre fitter was late/rude/foreign so I'm giving one star" rather than how the tyre was. On the off chance someone can recommend some, I'm looking for 235/45 r17, previously had kumho ecsta le sport and they lasted about 25K and I kinda liked em but want to see what else is around
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Nov 22, 2019 12:53
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I have no idea if mustie1 uses best practices etc but his videos are really relaxing to have on in the background and he works on a wide variety of poo poo I'm a big fan of the "no lovely long intros, overuse of dubstep, fake drama or clickbaity titles, just someone doing poo poo and talking about it" genre- I like mcm's content but the packaging can really grate my nerves
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Feb 29, 2020 09:24
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simplefish posted:Is there a good starting place for (old style) VW Bug restoration? Yeah, mustie1 on youtube- he does lots of vw air-cooled stuff, I have been watching that as background a lot to the point where I feel I could probably start loving around with one myself and know where things are/what to expect
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May 7, 2020 11:13
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Testicular Torque Wrench posted:Hey I have a used Volkswagen bought 2nd-hand. The battery died during the winter and now the radio displays SAFE and I wish it didn't. It wants the radio security code input, so hopefully somewhere in the manual folder thing there's a leaflet telling you the code and how to input it
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Jun 15, 2020 16:49
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MOT fail size for a chip/crack is, afaik, over 1cm in drivers area of vision, 4cm outside that Been rolling with a .8cm myself for the last 7 years
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Jul 29, 2020 15:46
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You probably will break/damage some clips even with a tool- If you can figure out what kind of clips it uses then buying a cheap bag of them for replacements in advance will make it a lot more stress free
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Jan 6, 2021 16:19
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Rexxed posted:I have a 2003 VW Jetta with a 1.8t motor. I'm trying to figure out a fuel issue hey 1.8t buddy Getting the hang of these hoses isnt too hard and that's good, because if bits haven't been replaced then they are gonna start failing due to age/heatcycles/volkswagen automotive group You can possibly/probably clean and reattach the hose but if that's failed there it's probably ready to fail other places too so give it a good look over- hose clamps are fine but the cheap ones I used are prone to a bit of rust Exploded parts diagrams can be helpful in figuring out where stuff should be, but that's no guarantee it was left like that by whoever was in there last (or even that it left the factory like that), and you have to be careful you have the appropriate diagram to your car because lots of changes got made over time What gave me fuel pump like issues (until the fuel pump actually went) was the crankcase breather valve which is a cheap and reasonably simple fix I'm off to buy more coil packs, which is an adventure you too can have some day
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May 20, 2021 07:57
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Toebone posted:Any reason I shouldn't run a bead of clear silicone caulk along the entire length? Is there a product that would be better suited to the task? Might not look pretty but sikaflex or equivalent- you want something that remains slightly flexible, silicone will tend to go hard and crack/shrink/let stuff past due to everything else vibrating/flexing in travel
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Jun 6, 2021 16:44
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Okay, noticed some belt noise on the alternator and then noticed the long black coolant pipe above it is leaking in two places  So I need to replace or bodge repair this pipe, which means taking it off Questions- How much coolant should I expect in the pipe? I was gonna cover the alternator in a towel or whatever and have a container handy to catch liquid but I kinda want to know what to expect first Can leaks on pipes like this be bodge-repaired with any efficiency?
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Jun 15, 2021 13:17
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VelociBacon posted:Are you at the side of the road right now? You need to outright replace that hose. If you're stuck somewhere I guess you could just wrap it in whatever tape you might have and keep topping off coolant. I'm at home and will be for a day or two, will order a replacement pipe So given the engine will be flat cold when I do the job, do you know if I can expect a pipe full of coolant or just some dribbles?
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Jun 15, 2021 14:00
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Rick posted:Any thoughts? That coolant went somewhere, and maybe pissed all over a sensor which could possibly mess with the traction control light Traction control light could also be something unrelated Buying a cheap bluetooth OBD2 scanner and reading codes using your phone would probably be handy and let you rule some things out at least Sometimes coolant is only going to noticeably leak once the engine is up to temp properly Entirely dry on coolant can mean really bad things for the engine If you need to move it make sure that coolant is topped right the gently caress up
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Jun 18, 2021 09:11
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Okay so I have been learning and fighting me some coolant hoses off the coolant pipe and I have all of em but one beat, a rounded out hex surrendered easily with an impact and a shimmy of electrical tape and I was thinking I would be done today behold, the bastard That sticky out bit on the pipe- I can't get the hose clamps over it, and I can't retreat them far enough the other way because there's an obstruction preventing me from sliding the hose clamp down far enough I tried sticking vice grips on the clamp to hold it open but then I don't have enough room to sneak something down between the hose and the pipe to break the seal Cut the fucker off with a hacksaw or is there a trick? Cut the clamp or cut the sticky out bit? I tried wiggling that little poo poo every way and I can't figure out how it went on in the first place
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Jul 1, 2021 17:51
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Motronic posted:
I can get pliers to the clamp lever arm things well enough to squeeze them right in till they hit each other, it's not big enough- unless this somehow makes them go further?
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Jul 1, 2021 18:06
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Motronic posted:Can you squeeze the clamp AND have access to get a pick, small flat head, etc to slip inside the hose to break it free and then, with the hose clamp all the way open still be able to push the hose off? Because that's what I use those for on hoses that are two swollen to move the clamp. In a lot of cases without those you're fighting around whatever you're holding the clamp open with to do those other things. I can get the clamp seemingly as far open as it goes, hands free with some vice grips but couldn't manage to wiggle in something between the pipe and the hose deep enough to get around the end of the pipe given the constriction of the clamp at the top- there's a lot of pipe inside the hose- I guess I will try and hunt out some better shims and give it another go in the morning, thanks
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Jul 1, 2021 18:24
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ryanrs posted:Can you nip the spring clamp with cutters? I know my knipex cobolt would do it, but normal cutters might not like the spring steel. I only have cheap cutters around, I'm gonna try and wiggle it free first, but if that fails I'm currently leaning towards taking a hacksaw to the pin/stud/sticky out bit, the metal on the pipe is probably going to be a lot less work than going through the spring steel Least it's nice and sunny for it
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Jul 2, 2021 08:25
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