haha, i was wondering how you didnt know what a test light was.

Does something that starts on two batteries like this have two ignition switches? I would think it would be one ignition switch that is just split to go to each solenoid. In that case, sounds like the wire may be shorted or bad.

Did you check the sensing wire at both solenoids?

2/4/2013 12:44:07 PM

That Audi diesel LeMans car...

Is it really THAT awesome or is it just have less restrictions/regulations/weight penalties on it?

2/12/2013 8:28:56 PM

it's really that awesome.... it has more restrictions/penalties then the rest.

2/12/2013 8:31:58 PM

what are some of the reasons why they're so awesome?

drivers? aero? torque?

first glance on youtube shows that they have 100kg ballast and only fill up to 60L instead of 65.

2/12/2013 9:39:24 PM

better fuel economy

nearly instant torque

really helps coming out of the hole when racing out of corners

2/12/2013 10:05:45 PM

Yeah, simply diesel fuel has a higher energy density and at wot the diesel cycle is more efficient then auto.

2/13/2013 12:22:32 AM

^ Otto

2/13/2013 12:50:54 AM

Lol thanks... Been drinkin

2/13/2013 7:21:51 AM

tchenku, you not getting worried about our race this summer - are you?

im amassing parts

2/13/2013 7:31:57 AM

Wait..... Whut ??? Where!!!!

2/13/2013 9:01:52 AM

hha, it's just chitchat - he harassed me on day, to the effect of "let me know when you hit xx mph" when i was posting my times. I've been on him since then


There's another Diesel Truck Jam on 3/16 at Piedmond Dragway, hoping to have my shit installed

2/13/2013 9:18:00 AM

Hrrmmm ill see what I can do to free up some time... Tho I don't think I'll have anything other than a 1999 f150 to drive down cause I don't have time to work on anything.

2/13/2013 9:54:15 AM

not really automotive but seems to be the type of thing you guys would know.

plus this thread has traffic.

if i go somewhere likes dicks sporting goods or whatever to buy a bicycle can i get one not already assembled by one of the retards that works there? IN A BOX.

2/13/2013 6:31:28 PM

probably not.... why not just 'tweak' a pre-assembled one? (if you've got to buy a bike from there)

2/13/2013 7:19:16 PM

have you seen the people that work there?

2/13/2013 7:21:51 PM

well, I have bought two bikes from dicks in my college career....

2/13/2013 7:24:56 PM

i would imagine if you want a disassembled bike they would sell it to you. call and ask.

2/13/2013 7:44:27 PM

If I were in the market for an "cheap" (<$8k) diesel medium-heavy truck, should I look into Ford 7.3L Power Stroke F250/F350?

I'd prefer a manual trans and 4x4... Please educate me in the "big boy truck world."

2/14/2013 5:42:49 AM

I dunno, you will sometimes find a decent one.... but that pricerange will only net you an OBS (old body style) ford from the mid-late 90's. The 99-01 7.3 powerstroke is an enigma, because everyone thinks those are the truck to have, so the normal asking price is way higher for a comparable year model of any other brand.

Sub $10k gets:
- wrecked duramaxes
- super-high mileage 99-up fords
- OBS fords, 4x4, 2wd, auto/manual high miles
- 94-01 dodges... but 4x4 and manual are hard to find without having 200k+ miles

if you're searching for one with the lowest miles, you'll find yourself limited to reg-cab trucks, and most probably 2wd.

2/14/2013 7:43:18 AM

i don't know how many miles are on it but there is a f250 at the car dealership on the corner of capital and wade i've had my eyes on for weeks but i can't get rid of my f150 since it was dad's and i don't need 2 trucks...

2/14/2013 9:00:46 AM

Will a 1996 Volvo 850 with a blown head gasket pass state inspection?

4/2/2013 10:50:10 AM

Yes

4/4/2013 11:05:34 PM

Thanks. Seems kinda ridiculous...but not surprising, lol.

4/4/2013 11:27:43 PM

^^^probably gonna depend on how bad the leak is an if it is getting into other cylinders

and in that case, the engine probably won't last much longer after it gets inspected if its still driven

4/5/2013 10:30:27 AM

It was a friend's 850. Turns out it wasn't the head gasket. (I had suggested head gasket, as he said the oil looked "filmy" and the car was consuming oil and coolant.) Whatever mechanic he took it to charged him $450 and said it was something thermostat related (he was very vague repeating the work order to me).

4/5/2013 11:19:21 AM

Famous for oil consumption, as they don't have a conventional PCV valve setup. It's a breather box and the intake has to come off to replace it. And a clogged one is damn near impossible to clean and will send oil consumption through the roof.

Coolant leaks happen pretty frequently on a car of this age in various places, and as it's an all aluminum engine, any place parts meet is a great corrosion point if the coolant is old and worn out.

I'm learning a lot about these cars, as I've got a '95 850 Turbo. Love the B52X4 engines, though they definitely have their quirks.

4/5/2013 1:16:33 PM

Thanks Dan!

4/5/2013 2:37:57 PM

Any recommendations on auto interior upholstery repair? Specifically a falling headliner.

5/2/2013 1:09:52 PM

Hmm, I have 2 quotes so far. One is twice the amount of the other; and labor time is also twice...

5/2/2013 3:56:19 PM

I have a 2002 Toyota Solara SE V6. The rear valve cover gasket is leaking. The shop says that it will cost $350 to fix. The guy also said that the timing mechanism needs to be removed to replace the gasket. He also said that since that has to be done you might as well replace the timing belt which is due now. He quoted me $900 for the whole job.

I did did some research online, looks like the rear intake manifold needs to be removed, but not the timing belt. I can wait a bit for the timing belt cos I don't want to pay $900 now.

Does anyone know if the timing mechanism needs to be removed for this job?

5/3/2013 12:30:00 PM

I mis-understood what the guy said, he just suggested while the car is in the shop I get the timing belt done as well..

5/3/2013 1:15:28 PM

^not a bad idea.

I do water pump with timing belt/etc. on civic for that reason.

5/3/2013 1:52:57 PM

Any way to bleed a cars brakes by yourself if your bleeder valves aren't air tight when loosened to bleed? I know usually you can just put the hose in some brake fluid and it will suck fluid back into the system but I'm affraid mine will just suck air from around the threads. I tried using Teflon tape to seal better but no dice and I don't know what else to trust in brake fluid.

5/6/2013 1:12:44 PM

Anyway to just turn them a cunt hair to bleed them.

5/6/2013 4:09:54 PM

Wickerman, what kind of mileage do you have on the Solora?

5/6/2013 4:18:53 PM

^^^I had the same exact issues a week ago doing my wife's horunner. I ended up putting some anaerobic pipe dope from work (Loctite 567? - basically a liquid gel version of the teflon tape) on the threads and let them congeal for a little bit, otherwise if I put any vacuum on the bleeder nipple it would just suck air whether it was closed completely or not.

Just a personal opinion, but I've always been of the mind that valve cover gaskets were a nuisance item moreso than a big issue waiting to happen. So long as the oil isn't literally dripping out from the gasket which would just cause cause you to keep an eye on the oil level, I never have thought it could be a problem other than getting the engine a little (more) greasy.

My question: I know compression testers are fairly common, but I stumbled upon leakdown testers recently and read up on them since I always thought they were the same thing. Having some spare time at work I made my own for the hell of it out of some nice spare gauges/fittings we had around and making the orifice. Do any of you use them and if so has it really helped you? I understand how it can help narrow down the individual compression components or trains in each cylinder instead of just a one-variable test using compression, but without a known reference engine does the leakdown % and test in general really help in any other way?

5/6/2013 11:42:06 PM

I have a 2007 Chevy Colorado with 228,xxx miles (2WD, extended-cab). I drive it about every weekend and normally <50 miles/weekend. Is there anything I should be doing since it doesn't get driven much? What about oil changes (obviously it takes a long time to hit normal mileage intervals)? It doesn't get driven hard when I drive it.

1/19/2014 12:05:34 PM

You can probably make a good case for synthetic oil if you're not running it already. It's more resistant to breaking down due to age than dyno oils. I'd still do a yearly oil change instead of waiting for 5k miles at ~50 miles/week though.

[Edited on January 19, 2014 at 12:24 PM. Reason : l]

1/19/2014 12:20:29 PM

My sister just got that 2000 Toyota Solara that was advertised in the classifieds, 205k miles.

I'm going to change the oil soon and do some brake work, what else? Flush the cooling system, or just drain and refill? The tranny fluid is a mostly red with a little brown on a paper towel, change that stuff or leave it? Any other fluids I should mess with?

1/19/2014 4:31:41 PM

when i buy a used vehicle, i like to go through and do just about any regular preventative maintenance i can, unless the previous owner was a bit of a car guy and can tell me about how long it's been on those things or if they have good service records.

1/19/2014 9:48:57 PM

2004 jeep grand cherokee. Just got new tires, now when I accelerate the jeep shifts slightly to the left, it seems like the body only as there is no tug on the steering wheel. When I stop accelerating (for instance canceling cruise on the highway, not braking) it shifts back to the right. Alignment issue?

1/21/2014 12:22:24 AM

and it didn't do this before getting the new tires? are you sure you just didn't happen to notice it before the tires? sometimes something like a new set of tires will make you pay more attention to your vehicle and you notice problems that were really there before.

1/21/2014 6:36:46 AM

I'm pretty sure it wasn't happening before the new tires. It's really noticeable, no noise or anything though. Also not sure if it happened as soon as the new tires were on. It only happens at speed though, not from a stop, only about 25mph+

1/22/2014 7:20:48 PM

^My Integra does something very similar. When I accelerate it pulls to the right. When I coast (in gear) or lightly brake it pulls to the left. Additionally when I first apply the brakes the steering wheel jerks left a little bit (quite obviously) When I brake firmly the car doesn't pull either way, just straight. Also tracks straight if I coast in neutral. And I have no uneven wear on my tires. It's been doing this for years and I'm completely clueless. Any ideas?

Unrelated to that, I have two questions about my Integra (after doing some minor work last night).

1) I have an antifreeze leak, and I don't know what is causing it. Radiator and hoses are fine, and when under the car last night (while it was idling in neutral) I discovered that the antifreeze is dripping from the car on the backside of the transmission (behind the shift linkage). Any Honda expert know what's up with that?

2) When the Integra was jacked up last night (passenger front corner only) the wheel started spinning when the engine was idling in neutral. Fast enough for it to hurt if I tried stopping it with my hands. Was only able to stop it from spinning by pushing against the bottom of the tire (against the sidewall) with my boot. (manual transmission and open diff, btw) What's going on there?!

[Edited on January 24, 2014 at 8:39 AM. Reason : d]

1/24/2014 8:39:06 AM

maybe a strut is going so the camber difference between sides causes it to pull (one direction as front lifts under acceleration, other direction as it falls under breaking)? Or maybe tie rod or control arm bushings causing something similar?

1/24/2014 9:25:22 AM

Quote :

"2) When the Integra was jacked up last night (passenger front corner only) the wheel started spinning when the engine was idling in neutral. Fast enough for it to hurt if I tried stopping it with my hands. Was only able to stop it from spinning by pushing against the bottom of the tire (against the sidewall) with my boot. (manual transmission and open diff, btw) What's going on there?!"

viscous behavior in trans fluid?? I know autos will do it if the bands aren't adjusted appropriately.

1/24/2014 10:39:38 AM

^^hmm, interesting thought. The shocks are Koni Yellows, installed by me 150k miles ago. Also all the suspension bushings are still original

^Maybe I should replace the tranny fluid and see if it goes away? I was concerned that maybe it was something related to the clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, etc.

1/24/2014 11:17:25 AM

^oh, well, yeah - I assumed that. clutch is engaged anyway-

[Edited on January 24, 2014 at 11:19 AM. Reason : -]

1/24/2014 11:19:14 AM

huh?

1/24/2014 1:28:14 PM

don't you sas me

if it's idling in neutral, then the clutch is engaged, which means the input is spinning. Unless you have someone holding the clutch disengaged, with the trans in neutral

1/24/2014 1:34:07 PM