Car problems never end

Synchros shot? Weird noises while shifting? Not sure what needs to be replaced?
noob5,000,000
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by noob5,000,000 »

FC #1
-Unidentified squeak from passenger side rear
-Brake pedal pressure is a bit on the low side, pedal needs to be pumped a bit before each drive
-No radio, looks like someone grabbed the radio harness and attacked it with a scalpel
-Most of the interior is out and I'm too lazy to take all the tools and parts out of the hatch to re-install said interior
-Hole in the floor under driver seat (therefore the seat is only held in by 3 bolts
-Passenger seat only kind of bolted in
-Gas leak from my ghetto-fabulous fuel line repair (the brass connector thing was a bit too small, so I cranked down on the hose clamps hoping it would be okay... it's not)
-I think my oil pan may be leaking, there's a small spot under the car from that area
-Diff fluid may also be leaking
-Shifter return spring is broken (doesn't return to center by itself)
-Rocker panels on both sides are swiss cheese
-Driver side quarter panel wheel arch is mostly bondo and foam
-A ton of rusted bolts broken off in their holes
-I accidentally ripped the connector off of the wire that the horn button connects to
-Cracked clock surround, center console surround is in pieces, various other interior plastics are broken
-Too lazy to put driver's side door panel back on
-No outside door handle on driver's side (need to reach into the hole and manually operate the rod that the door handle moves)
-Smokes alot coming down from redline
-Took front bumper off for some reason, haven't put it back on yet (driving around without it makes me feel like a BAMF :lol: )
-Primer spots all over the car
-Rear bumper sags in the middle
-Exhaust leak at y-pipe
-Big dent in roof somehow :x
-Broken headlight lens (looks like it was shot out with a BB gun :evil: )
I think that covers it... :?

FC #2
-Blown engine
-Various cracked/missing interior plastics
-Dirty
-Shifter bushing are shot
-It's 4-lug with the shittiest brakes FCs came with
-Looks like someone ran off the road into sand or something, the front end is pushed in a bit on the passenger side. I already took the front bumper off and pulled it back a little bit, but it's still a little misaligned. But taking the front end apart is a bitch and I don't feel like doing it.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by wannabe »

poor fcs :(
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by AHTOXA »

Strange shudder under acceleration. Happens when the clutch is almost fully engaged. Happens at launch and at times 1-2 shift. Also happens when the clutch is almost fully released. Annoying. Car's going into the dealer tomorrow so we shall see.

A few weeks ago all of the sudden my turn signal indicators on the dash would not turn off (both arrows are lit up), the dash backlight was not working. Every was fine. Went away by itself once car sat for few hours. Weird.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by 94Corolla5Speed »

Oh I forgot. My passenger side front window doesn't open. And I get pretty bad clutch chatter when I only use a small amount of gas on the launch when it's humid for some reason.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by Tinton »

rubi wrote:
theholycow wrote:rubi, it sounds like your thermostat may be failing. That's a common failure. If it's failing, that would cause increased engine temperature. It would also cause increased air temperature under the hood, and if your intake draws that hot air then that would explain the torque feeling a little bit lower.

Having the air conditioner on would not make the engine cooler. It makes you cooler but would make the engine hotter. Turn the heat on if you want to cool the engine.

Your description of shutting it off sounds like it's dieseling. Does it keep exhaling and shaking for a couple seconds after you expect it to stop? I don't know how to fix dieseling, but maybe at least I can put a name on the symptom for you.
Sounds right and I think it might be dieseling due to the fact it's running hot. About the AC though, the fan runs almost non-stop when the AC is on, and the car usually runs about 10 degrees cooler when the AC is on,maybe it depends on the design, therefore varies from car to car but I know for a fact the AC doesn't make it hotter, today it kept things at a normal level.

Thank you.
In most cars the radiator fan runs when the A/C switch is turned on. That means, when you're running your A/C, its keeping your fan on and helping to cool your engine better. Especially when you're sitting in traffic, the radiator needs airflow to properly dissipate heat. When you're cruising at a speed above 35 mph (about 56-60 kph?) having the radiator fan on is actually less efficient than normal airflow, so its best to keep that fan off when traveling at higher speeds. With my Fieros, the A/C only works in my '88 GT, so most of the year I just keep the A/C disconnected. That way, I can hit any of the A/C switches for my HVAC and that turns the radiator fan on without using the A/C compressor, so there's no load on the engine from that shit. Running A/C should put a noticeable strain on your engine, robbing performance and draining your gas tank pretty quickly. By disconnecting a connector on the condensor or w/e under the hood of my Fieros, I can run my fans manually, that's something you probably need but honestly, I don't know how I can help you there. Your car is probably very different from my Fieros, you'd have to figure that out for yourself.

So your car's usually at 100*C or more when its warmed up? I'm not exactly sure what that could be, it doesn't sound like a thermostat. If it were a stuck thermostat, the car would RAPIDLY overheat in traffic, regardless of the radiator fan running. The thermostat is designed to be closed when the engine's cold, that way coolant flow is stopped and the engine can warm up fast. Thermostats are rated by the temperature that they open at, yours is probably 90*C stock. Stock, my Fieros had 100* (212*F) thermostats, yes running an engine that hot isn't really that bad for it, but it can be easier to overheat. They also came with 112*C(235* F) fan switches, yes, according to the stock temp gauge that's 5*F off from overheating (red area) :shock: :shock:. My old '88 Fiero GT was mint (34,000 miles) and bone stock to everything but the battery and tires, it would typically get over 100*C pretty fast, then stay between 102-110*C (215-230*F) for normal operating temperature. The fan would RARELY come on on its own, usually only after sitting in traffic for a couple minutes. I'd always get scared about it getting that close to overheating, but it never did.

Having your engine go over 100*C shouldn't be that bad for it, unless that's it's max temp. Do you know your engine's max temp? If you want to lower it's normal temperature, you should look into getting an aftermarket thermostat and fan switch for it. The fan switch in my '86 Fiero is stock 112*C since I can just use the fan manually, but I got an aftermarket thermostat for the car after it overheated like f*ck a few years ago from a bad waterpump. Its nice, 80*C, it really does keep the engine cooler. Only times I really have to use the radiator fan are when I'm sitting in traffic or at a drive-thru. My '88 Fiero has a 70*C thermostat put in by the previous owners, I don't mind that but they also put in like a 70* fan switch. So the fan basically runs CONSTANTLY in that car :evil:. It also runs way too cold, according to the temp gauge the car never gets past about 65-70*C. Car ECMs are designed to run in open loop up until the engine reaches a certain temperature, usually about 70* C, so my '88 Fiero GT never gets out of open loop and it burns gas like fu*k :evil:. I'm going to change the fan switch eventually, but I'm too lazy :P. Closed loop means the engine actually goes by what the sensors read and it corrects any issues it might have. That also means much better fuel economy.

Cliffnotes: If I were you, I'd get a 70*C thermostat and a 90*C fan switch. That way your car will always be a cool 80-90*C, instead of 100+ :). BTW, as to the source of your excess heat, it sounds like the engine might be running a little lean. Is your O2 sensor good? I doubt it would diesel unless you have high compression, my '86 Fiero's 2.8V6 has 9.0:1 and it didn't diesel(knock) even when it got close to 150*C, lol.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by potownrob »

time to get a more reliable car, man. i think we can come up with some suggestions for you...
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by rubi »

Very interesting post Tinton, the funny thing though, there seems to be something wrong with my temp gauge, it goes up when i step on the gas :?

I had a small crash, cracked the radiator reservoir and there will be some work for the bumper and hood.

MY right front tire needs replacement too...

And yeah that's all for now :twisted:
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by rubi »

Ok, nothing wrong with the temp gas, except that I nearly toasted the battery, the alternator voltage regulator needed change, i really didn't notice the symptoms. we just added battery fluid and changed the voltage regulator and all is well for now. The thing is I completely forgot that a year ago the voltage regulator needed change, and we did it externally, to minimize the cost.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by wannabe »

added battery fluid? wtf? i'm confused....i didn't know you could do that........
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by theholycow »

You can. Batteries have a cap on top. Usually you just add distilled water if it's low. There are other things you could add.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by Tinton »

theholycow wrote:You can. Batteries have a cap on top. Usually you just add distilled water if it's low. There are other things you could add.
Only older batteries are like that, though? I can remember my Grandma having to add water to the battery in her '83 BMW 318 way back in the day. All the batteries I've seen in the past 10-15 years have been sealed.

BTW guys, I fixed my '86 Fiero a couple days ago :D. All it needed was a nut and washer from Ace Hardware, now my alternator doesn't move around anymore. The top mounting bolt for it stripped the threads of its bore, so tightening it wouldn't do anything. $0.50 in parts from Ace ftw :mrgreen:.

I also ordered the new select cable for my '88 Fiero, so it should be here in a week or 2. Then all 3 of my cars will work again, and maybe I can try and get camber kits for the MR2 :P.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by Tups »

theholycow wrote:You can. Batteries have a cap on top.
Except if you have a so-called service-free battery that doesn't require refilling during its lifetime. I checked both my own and my parents' car and couldn't locate the filler cap in either battery.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by theholycow »

Yeah, a lot of modern ones are "sealed" or "service-free" or whatever. I have one that I bought a few years ago that isn't, to which I recently added some battery additive.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by mtheis »

94Corolla5Speed wrote:And I get pretty bad clutch chatter when I only use a small amount of gas on the launch when it's humid for some reason.
+1
I get that too.
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Re: Car problems never end

Post by rubi »

There are 2 types of batteries, my battery is only a couple of years old, nowadays new cars are loaded with those sealed batteries that doesn't need frequent service and refilling when needed. Mine is only 2 years old came with the car, the thing is buying a sealed one costs the double, it eliminated some other trouble but many people find some other things worth that same amount of money. consider that L.E = $ and you'd have to pay at least 500 $ to get a dry battery while you can pay 250 $ to get one that needs constant maintenance for like 1 $ each month. (if you want them to check your alternator charging too) and you can always buy that battery water and check for yourself.
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