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Alternate title: A glimpse into automotive poverty In 2016, I wrecked my (green) $500 Integra.  I was cited for the accident, and was only carrying liability insurance, so it wasn't going to get repaired. This left me without 4-wheeled transport (except for occasionally borrowing my wife's car), and I had no money, so I offered it up on Craigslist for sale or trade. Almost immediately, I was contacted by a fellow just a few miles away, offering to trade a (green!) '99 Volvo XC70 that wouldn't rev past 3000rpm or drive over 25mph. I don't know anything about Volvos, but I figured that it was probably something, simple, so I accepted his offer. I drove the Integra to his place, swapped tags and titles, and limped the Volvo home. (I don't have any Volvo pics, sorry.) After some research and testing, I narrowed the issue down to the problematic Electronic Throttle Module. Replacing it with a new unit would be prohibitively expensive, and a used one would be a crapshoot. Replacement is a somewhat complex procedure, it was the dead of winter, I don't have a garage, and I was at a low point in my depression. I just didn't want to deal with it, so I sold the car. (The new owner texted me a few days later, declaring it fixed. Good on him.) With $400 in Volvo money in my pocket, I went back to scouring Craigslist. Despite looking for a car or truck, I somehow came across an ad for a 1984 Honda Shadow 700 for $200. The owner said that it had started running poorly 8 years prior, so he (thankfully) drained the fuel and parked it in his garage, where it had remained untouched since. I can't resist a cheap bike, and figured it would be an easy flip, so I bought it. I spent a little time and money getting it up to snuff, then threw it up on Craigslist, looking to trade. An offer came in the form of a 2000 Ford Ranger, which the owner had received as partial payment on a job. He really had no want or need for it, and desperately wanted a bike, so I was more than happy to unload the Shadow and get a small pickup. 2.5L, 5MT, RWD. Not a bad trade considering the ~$350 I had invested in the Shadow, right?  But beneath the not-too-bad exterior lies a deep, dark secret: RUST. The frame, especially at the rear, is a flaky, scaly mess. I've had to replace every single inch of brake piping.The left-rear upper shock absorber mount looks like Swiss cheese, and the right one tore completly off:  The differential cover already has a pinhole, and if I remove it (to replace the leaking axle seals), it'll probably crumble in my hands:  To top it all off, it's just plain unpleasant to drive. It's gutless, even by my admittedly low standards. The ride and handling are atrocious. The brakes are poor, due to the rears being coated in diff oil and the bleed nipples being broken (I tried bleeding them at the inlet fittings, to no avail). It's also a manual with no power options; I'm getting too old for this poo poo, I want an auto and power windows, dammit. I don't need a truck (I have a small trailer), so it needs to go. I had been driving the Ranger for about a year and a half, at almost zero operating cost, all the while saving up money from doing odd jobs and selling a bunch of poo poo I didn't need. Once again I hit Craigslist (and Facebook Marketplace), this time armed with a $1500 budget. I wanted an SUV, so I started out looking at XJ Cherokees, but examples in my price range came with rotted sills, excessive mileage, and tasteless, poorly-executed off-roading mods. 4Runners, Pathfinders, XTerras, and Rodeos all bore similarly slim pickings. Trailblazers/Envoys and Explorers would be too big, Rav4s and CR-Vs too small. Ford Escape? Some flavor of Mitsubishi? Uhh, no thanks. I briefly flirted with the idea of a minivan; my wife's Town and Country, while displaying legendary Chrysler build quality (peeling clearcoat and loose body cladding), has been a real trooper. Cargo capacity is amazing, and it pulls the trailer with aplomb. However, fuel economy with the 3.8 is...not good, and although it's not terrible to drive, I decided it just wasn't for me. In the midst of my search, I was at my wife's nephew's house, returning a tool I had borrowed. He was telling me about needing to get rid of some of the cars he had sitting around, including his wife's retired 2005 Chevy Equinox. Hmm. It had blown struts and a bad wheel bearing, but the drivetrain, body, and interior were all in good shape. I asked for a price, but he said he'd have to think about it. I pestered him for a week, but he couldn't make up his mind. Additionally, the title was in his now-estranged wife's name. Okay, nevermind. But the seed had been planted: what about a CUV? The cargo and towing capacity I wanted, but with carlike ride and handling, and slightly better fuel economy. I had the answer I was looking for. I returned to the classifieds, intent on finding another Equinox. I refreshed the Craigslist search page I already had open, and there it was, at the very top: a 2001 Aztek with 130K miles. $1200. And it was green. Perfect. I contacted the seller and arranged to see it. I gave it a very thorough inspection and a long test drive. It had a weeping water pump (easy fix), a bad upstream O2 sensor (less easy), and the interior was filthy, but I decided I had to have it. I paid the owner, took the title, and returned the next day with a temporary plate. The drive home was uneventful but...comfortable. It's not fun to drive, mind, but in comparison to the Ranger (or even the van), it was a loving revelation.  I'll give you all the ins and outs of my particular car in a later post, but for now, enjoy this RCR review (h/t spog): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ckJHvOk_30
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Dec 4, 2018 20:26
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This is the best thread. gently caress Ohio rust. Azteks are beyond hideous, but I'll be damned if there isn't something just... attracting... about them. I remember the first one I saw in person was on Woodward during Dream Cruise weekend and Pontiac had a couple stuck here-and-there just because. Everyone was talking about how terrible they looked, but the fact was that EVERYONE was talking about them.
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Dec 4, 2018 20:40
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EVERYWHERE 
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meatpimp posted:This is the best thread. I still love them. Would still buy one and drive it if the chance came up. Uggo cars best cars.
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Dec 4, 2018 21:07
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TRIGGER WARNING: As stated in the OP, the interior is loving filthy. Fret not, for I will clean it. Someday. Maybe. Also, holy poo poo are these some bad photos. If you watched the RCR video, you saw an Aztek GT, equipped with: -16" alloy wheels -Power sunroof -Leather upholstery -Dual-zone climate control -Head-up display -A portable cooler in the center console -A weird roll-out table thing, and of course -That loving tent. Mine is the base model, which has none of those things.  Large, round gauges are easy to read. There's a small LCD information screen at bottom--left:  The dash and controls are peak Pontiac, with an expanse of dark plastic punctuated by chunky grey knobs and switches:  The center of the dash pad has come loose, but can be reglued:  Included was an off-brand touchscreen head unit:  But for reasons the PO couldn't explain, the aftermarket stereo wouldn't work unless wired inline with the stock unit, which now resides under the front passenger seat:  The door panels share the exterior's quirky styling:  The accent fabric on the seats and door panels is a fun sort of cubist-floral design:  Cargo capacity is huge with the rear seats folded (they can also be removed completely):  The rear features two large cupholders and butt-reliefs on the tailgate, and remote stereo controls and a power port, suitable for pregame partying:   The large, flat rear windscreen has no wiper or washer. It's an ideal use case for RainX. There's also a fairly wide LED CHMSL:  Sorry, videogame nerds, but Mario and friends won't be staying:  The only visible rust, inside the right rear doorjamb:  15" steel wheels wear P215/70 tires and decidedly Pontiac-looking hubcaps:  The 3.4L, 60-degree V6 features sequential fuel injection and a leaky valve cover gasket:  The proboscis money shot:  There you have it, a quick look at my personal example of GM's ugliest FWD shitbox. Want to see something specific? Got questions? Let me know!
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Dec 4, 2018 22:49
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This is positively gross and perfectly in line with AI. I immediately browsed local classifieds to get an idea what they are trading for here and there is not one single Aztek to be found. $1200 is a hilariously cheap price to get this thing and totally worth the price of admission on novelty alone!
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Dec 4, 2018 23:46
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The rear stereo controls are kind of brilliant. I look forward to watching you make this Aztek suck a lot less.
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Dec 5, 2018 00:18
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that door card is like Peak 2000s GM what the gently caress is going on there anyway your car is cool
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Dec 5, 2018 00:40
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You’re probably going to hate what you find if you pull that rocker trim off. I’ve always sort of liked the Aztek’s interior. It’s just the awkwardness of the exterior that was always the problem.
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Dec 5, 2018 01:03
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Boaz MacPhereson posted:I look forward to watching you make this Aztek suck a lot less. Thanks, but I'm just going to fix it and drive it? (Unless that's your definition of "sucking less", which is fine.) Darchangel posted:You're probably going to hate what you find if you pull that rocker trim off. Oh I know, there's already a chunk visibly missing. Ordered a WP, thermostat, and O2 sensor from RockAuto. Forgot the wiper blades and blower motor resistor because I'm disorganized and never make lists. This weekend is supposed to be cold, but sunny. Reinstalled the Ranger's stock HU, and cleared out all my crap except the snow brush and jumper cables. I've hopefully driven it for the last time.
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Dec 5, 2018 01:46
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The Aztek really isn't that weird when you compare it to all of the other crossovers that came after it. It's kind of like the cro magnon cute ute. Plus now you have a conversation piece. You could bring it to cars and coffee and show off that sweet tailgate. Also, Jesus Christ that ranger needs to be junked. I've never seen a diff cover that rusted.
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Dec 5, 2018 02:21
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Huggable Bear King posted:The Aztek really isn't that weird when you compare it to all of the other crossovers that came after it. It's kind of like the cro magnon cute ute. Plus now you have a conversation piece. You could bring it to cars and coffee and show off that sweet tailgate. Look at mr money bags over here throwing out a perfectly good ranger, at least trade it for an aztek tent downpayment.
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Dec 5, 2018 03:35
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LS4 swap when?
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Dec 5, 2018 03:53
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Dagen H posted:Thanks, but I'm just going to fix it and drive it? (Unless that's your definition of "sucking less", which is fine.) That's exactly what I'm talking about, man. Get it reliable, get the dash sorted out, maintenance items handed, etc. Also, maybe that ^^^
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Dec 5, 2018 04:54
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NumbersMatching320 posted:LS4 swap when? Montecarlo ss bits... This is Yugo levels of odd and awesome as gently caress.
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Dec 6, 2018 04:08
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I came here, expecting to see a horrible, ugly car. But to be honest: compared to your previous rolling wrecks, it looks like a goddamn Aston Martin. meatpimp posted:Azteks are beyond hideous, but I'll be damned if there isn't something just... attracting... about them. I always give credit to designers to try to do something different from the bland norms, even if it doesn't work out.
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Dec 6, 2018 10:10
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Darchangel posted:I’ve always sort of liked the Aztek’s interior. It’s just the awkwardness of the exterior that was always the problem. Let's be honest, the styling is bizarre. But a) I think it's cohesive, and b) I don't find it offensive. spog posted:I always give credit to designers to try to do something different from the bland norms, even if it doesn't work out. I know it's trite, but I can't tell a new CR-V from a Sportage from a Forester.
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Dec 6, 2018 17:47
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Man I haven't seen rust like that since I last saw a 1970s Japanese car. Then again living in a dry country means body rot is hard to get unless you're really stupid, like leaving panels unpainted.
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Dec 6, 2018 22:44
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Dagen H posted:Let's be honest, the styling is bizarre. But a) I think it's cohesive, and b) I don't find it offensive. I thought the original Aztek concept was pretty neat, but then they forced it fit on the standard GM minivan platform, with it’s tiny wheels (relative to the concept) and much higher cowl. GM made another concept that basically had a Corvette under it, and that pretty much fixed all the awkwardness issues, with wheel openings moved up, and larger, with larger wheels. Also, V8 RWD. I can tell the difference between the CUVs you mention, but it’s a near thing.
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Dec 7, 2018 20:04
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cursedshitbox posted:Montecarlo ss bits... This.
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Dec 7, 2018 20:06
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I mean never mind the LS4, nobody's even swapped a 3800SC in one of these yet. Those things bolt straight into all the dogbone cars.
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Dec 7, 2018 22:24
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NumbersMatching320 posted:I mean never mind the LS4, nobody's even swapped a 3800SC in one of these yet. Incorrect! http://aztekfanclub.com/powertrainperformance-upgrades/another-3800-sc-in-an-aztek/
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Dec 8, 2018 18:03
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I've always had a thing for the Aztek. They were an idea ahead of its time, and mired in the usual GM fuckery. But they're neat and practical as hell.
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Dec 8, 2018 18:55
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NumbersMatching320 posted:LS4 swap when? cursedshitbox posted:Montecarlo ss bits... NumbersMatching320 posted:I mean never mind the LS4, nobody's even swapped a 3800SC in one of these yet. I like you guys, but you're dreaming.  It's about 20F (-7C) outside, but I've got hot coffee and new parts, so let's ignore this frozen hellscape and get some poo poo done. Old water pump off:  It's obviously been weeping. Nice brown coolant, too. I'll flush it as soon as the weather allows. The replacement is a brand-new ACDelco unit with an OEM-style cast impeller. It was only a few bucks more than a reman with a cheap lovely stamped-steel impeller:  New pump installed:  There's an arrow cast into it to denote the top. I didn't see it, and tried all 5 positions before getting it clocked properly.  With the water pump done, I moved on to the thermostat. I've had a few thermostat failures in the past; one caused an overheat that blew a head gasket, and 2 others left me with no cabin heat in sub-freezing weather. I don't care to repeat those experiences, so I replace the thermostat as a measure of preventative maintenance whenever I buy a car. This one lives in the lower intake manifold, below the throttle body and behind the exhaust crossover pipe:  I started with the lower bolt, since it had the least access.The only way I could reach it was from the front or rear with a wrench. I linked 2 wrenches together for leverage:  I tried it from the front, but only managed to turn the bolt a couple of degrees before the wrench fouled on something. Tried it from the rear; same result. I spent about an hour fiddlefucking around, brainstorming and trying different tools, before I gave up. Not gonna happen. It's a bridge I'll have to cross if and when I reach it. Since the top of the engine is higher than the radiator, there are a pair of air bleeds; one behind the water pump, and another ahead of the thermostat:   I wedged a long funnel into the radiator filler neck (which required swinging the core support brace out of the way, which required moving the fusebox...), filled it to the top, then opened each bleeder until coolant dribbled out. Easy peasy. I started the engine, waited for the thermostat to open, then topped off the radiator and recovery tank. I put the cap on, let it run a bit longer to build pressure, then cracked each bleeder once more. Done. I need a new serpentine belt (it's not cracked or squealing, but looks glazed), an air filter, wiper blades, a blower motor resistor, and floormats. Then there's this:  I bought a replacement in hopes that it's just a bad sensor and not a deeper electrical problem.  There's absolutely no access from the top, so I'll check from underneath sometime when it doesn't require lying in the snow.Oh, and I adjusted the hilariously low tire pressures.
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Dec 8, 2018 22:53
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Generally GM likes to run a lot of stuff off of that circuit - I had a rodent get ahold of the wiring going to B1S1 on my old car, and it popped the "emissions" fuse. Which lead to about a dozen codes and a car that was undriveable (DBW - throttle body wasn't responding), plus a service vehicle soon message, reduced power message, low coolant message, and the inability to idle or drive (it would start, then die after about 10 seconds). Jiggling the harness was enough for me to limp it home with a pack of fuses. Fixed it semi-right a few days later (lots of liquid electrical tape and heat-shrink crimps, but the car ran fine for another year). tl;dr I'm guessing 90% odds on it being the sensor
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Dec 9, 2018 10:21
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Had to take a trip to town today, and noticed that the cabin heat was underwhelming. When I got home, I plugged in my scanner and let it sit and idle for about half an hour. The highest temperature recorded was 186.8F. It's supposed to be a 195 degree thermostat. Crap. Never heard the fans kick on, either.
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Dec 11, 2018 15:34
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How cold was it outside? Also, it's possible the PO put in a 185 degree thermostat to help keep it cooler in the summer. On some cars (like mine), GM makes pennies and nickles scream in agony when it comes to the radiator; mine will get up to 220ish in normal city traffic if the ac isn't running. Old one with the same engine did the same thing, and a rental Cobalt I had several years ago (also the same engine) did the same according to the DIC. GM doesn't like to kick on the fans until  is happening either. They don't kick on until nearly 220 on my car (old one was the same way), then kick back off around 190 (185 degree thermostat from the factory), unless the AC is running.If the compressor ever dies, I'm gonna have to figure out a way to turn on the fans manually - the temp gauge gets a bit over 1/2 when they kick on as it is, and I'm pretty sure the old car was in the process of eating its head gasket (mysterious slow coolant loss). I'm sure the ~30 degree temp swings between fan on/fan off didn't help. It should throw a code for thermostat performance pretty soon if the thermostat is sticking open. I had one stuck half open, which caused it to take a few minutes longer than usual to warm up (which tripped a code), and also caused it to run warm on warmer days that winter. 
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Dec 11, 2018 20:30
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:that door card is like Peak 2000s GM what the gently caress is going on there Could not have said it better myself. The Aztek really was conceptually The Right Product, but wrapped in so many layers of "WHAT THE gently caress GM" that it couldn't possibly succeed.
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Dec 11, 2018 22:04
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STR posted:How cold was it outside? Also, it's possible the PO put in a 185 degree thermostat to help keep it cooler in the summer. On some cars (like mine), GM makes pennies and nickles scream in agony when it comes to the radiator; mine will get up to 220ish in normal city traffic if the ac isn't running. Old one with the same engine did the same thing, and a rental Cobalt I had several years ago (also the same engine) did the same according to the DIC. wait, what? my a/c is beyond dead and has been for nearly the entire time i've had my cobalt... fans come on at 217f, i believe. i've always thought that was kind of high, personally. if i'm interpreting that correctly, if my a/c was functional i could cycle it to get the fans running at a lower temperature?
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Dec 11, 2018 23:49
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The stock radio performs some of the functions of a typical body control module I believe. I don't know what specifically but can be things like interior lights and turn signal sounds and stupid stuff like that. Somebody who knows more about GM can tell you.
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Dec 12, 2018 00:38
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Oh man, subscribed so hard. I love reading about terrible design choices. This is undoubtedly my kind of car project.
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Dec 12, 2018 03:04
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I don't hate the Aztek compared to the field of CUVs that currently exist. At least it was bold and novel, even if it was fairly terrible.
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Dec 12, 2018 16:11
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surivdaoreht posted:my a/c is beyond dead and has been for nearly the entire time i've had my cobalt... fans come on at 217f, i believe. i've always thought that was kind of high, personally. if i'm interpreting that correctly, if my a/c was functional i could cycle it to get the fans running at a lower temperature? Yup. The Cobalt uses a variable displacement compressor, so anytime the AC is on (assuming it's properly charged), the compressor is engaged constantly. And because of this, the fan stays on constantly. Same on all of the Delta platform cars (Cobalt/Ion/G5/HHR), and I assume most other compact GMs since then. Rant: the Ion is the only Delta that didn't have a driver info display, so the only way to get actual engine temp is via OBD2.  (the odometer can show "trunk", "gas cap", "coolant", "chk gage", "low fuel", "cruise", "chg oil", and probably a couple of others I'm forgetting, but you can't get temp, remaining oil life, etc out of it like you could on the other Delta platform cars)Charles posted:The stock radio performs some of the functions of a typical body control module I believe. I don't know what specifically but can be things like interior lights and turn signal sounds and stupid stuff like that. Somebody who knows more about GM can tell you. I was gonna say the turn signal sounds and chimes were still via their own speaker back then, but Crutchfield proved me wrong. A base model without OnStar or steering wheel controls required this to retain sounds. The stereo didn't control anything else on the base model. If you had the fancypants one. you have to pony up for this version instead (retains steering wheel controls, warning chimes, OnStar, rear seat entertainment, etc). Still doesn't really replicate a BCM outside of chimes/warning sounds though. I'm betting the factory stereo is spliced in just for the chimes; even if it has OnStar, the OnStar system is long abandoned by GM (an 01 would have run on analog cellular, which no longer exists in the US, and there's no upgrade path to CDMA or GSM for that year model - 04-05 got the next generation OnStar equipment that could do AMPS or digital). I'm kinda curious to see what exactly is spliced in from the factory radio. And how. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 08:00 on Dec 13, 2018 |
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Dec 13, 2018 07:44
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STR posted:cooling system STR posted:stereo Thank you for the input, much appreciated. I still don't trust the thermostat, I'm eventually going to replace it. Maybe I'll go scorched Earth, preemptively replace the LIM gaskets, and do the 'stat with the intake on the bench. STR posted:I'm kinda curious to see what exactly is spliced in from the factory radio. And how. As am I, since it was done by a  professional installerI'm leaning toward reinstalling the factory HU; I wonder how much an electronics-savvy goon would charge me to add an AUX port?
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Dec 13, 2018 15:38
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The front passenger seat fore/aft adjustment wasn't working, so I pulled the seat. Loose wire, which could be avoided by not awkwardly jamming the stereo under there:  I pulled it tight and crimped the ends down:  Good as new. Bonus ewww: 
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Dec 13, 2018 19:55
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Free "police brutality" D-cell Maglite though.
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Dec 13, 2018 22:16
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No, I had that in there. It did come free with another car, though.
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Dec 14, 2018 02:56
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Sold the Ranger to a young man desperate for work transport. He stopped and kicked the tires, then went home and got his stepdad to come check it out. I grabbed a tarp to lay on and a flashlight, and stepdad and I crawled over, under, around, and through it, and I pointed out Every. Tiny. loving. Thing. wrong with it. Kid really wanted it and stepdad approved, so my conscience is clear.
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Dec 15, 2018 19:28
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Went to the u-pull-it yard to find a trailer hitch. Struck out on that front, but scored a pair of front floormats and the cooler that snaps into the center console:
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Dec 17, 2018 19:39
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HVAC fan has developed a vibration, creating a very annoying buzz in the steering wheel and pedals, and adding another layer of fun to the lukewarm heat/single-speed fan situatin.
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Jan 10, 2019 18:48
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Dagen H posted:HVAC fan has developed a vibration, creating a very annoying buzz in the steering wheel and pedals, and adding another layer of fun to the lukewarm heat/single-speed fan situatin. Have you cleaned the hvac tract? Could have poo poo plugging it up causing lack of flow and imbalanced blower?
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Jan 10, 2019 18:50
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