I was replacing a starter in a 2001 Ford Explorer (5.0, AWD) last weekend. It's a PA car and so all the parts underneath get pretty attached to each other and don't like to go their separate ways.
Wound up purchasing an air ratchet (I already had a compressor that can run simple air tools) and oh my god, why is this not something every driveway mechanic has. It makes everything so much easier.
Mostly it's the lack of a decent compressor. But air ratchets are awesome for working on a car. The speed difference on something like a tire change is amazing.
Wheels I have no issue taking off and putting on by hand, but something like the upper bolt on a starter in the explorer is just crazy to do without one. You can get a socket on there with a wrench, but there is no room to turn it at all. We tried every permutation of my extenders and u-joints and couldn't get enough torque on that bolt to get it loose.
The air ratchet takes up about as much space as a normal ratchet, but the difference is once you work it onto the bolt all you do it push the button and let it do all the work.
fshavlak on
0
ThomamelasOnly one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered Userregular
Absolutely nothing beats the Jaguar XF interior, not even the Rolls' or Maybachs'.
I never like wood finish on car interiors.
Also, are they driving through the Matrix?
Same here. It always looks like a silly anachronism to me.
It tends to depend on the car for me. In a low end car? It's silly because we know it's fake. On a super car it's silly because it is. On a Rolls or a Maybach, it's just right.
I was replacing a starter in a 2001 Ford Explorer (5.0, AWD) last weekend. It's a PA car and so all the parts underneath get pretty attached to each other and don't like to go their separate ways.
Wound up purchasing an air ratchet (I already had a compressor that can run simple air tools) and oh my god, why is this not something every driveway mechanic has. It makes everything so much easier.
Mostly it's the lack of a decent compressor. But air ratchets are awesome for working on a car. The speed difference on something like a tire change is amazing.
I used to Drift out at Oran Park with the crew from Initial Drift Australia before they flattened it and turned it into a bloody housing project (:x) and we used to bring a mate's panel van out with an air compressor in the back with a ratchet gun attached.
Seriously, you could go from your street wheels to bald-as-a-baby's-arse slicks in less than a minute if you had all your ducks in a row. I miss having a compressor.
Ralph Nader is Satan. He's not. Cars are safer because of him and the companies in Detroit made tons of terrible decisions on their own.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone argue this in reference to cars. Is this a common problem on car forums or something?
In other news one of my friends/coworkers is getting a Brammo Empulse (electric motorcycle) when they come out next year.
100 miles range with top speed of 100+mph, ~60 lb/ft of torque, 420lbs. I am excited to see / ride it.
Oh. My. God.
I immediately looked up prices.
Too bad it costs as much as a Monster.
Government subsidies + tax credits means you can get it for WAY cheaper.
Edit: I just looked it up and it looks like the few grand in savings is only in states like Colorado (where I live) and Oklahoma. As for federal savings you could shave about 10% off the price.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Absolutely nothing beats the Jaguar XF interior, not even the Rolls' or Maybachs'.
I never like wood finish on car interiors.
Also, are they driving through the Matrix?
Same here. It always looks like a silly anachronism to me.
It tends to depend on the car for me. In a low end car? It's silly because we know it's fake. On a super car it's silly because it is. On a Rolls or a Maybach, it's just right.
Yeah, I guess. I still think its an odd material to still be using in cars in the 21st century. I can see why it was around in early cars, as a reference back to pre automobile forms of transportation.
On an unrelated note, trying to get license plates off of a vehicle that hasn't had them removed in 15 years is a total pain in the ass.
Ralph Nader is Satan. He's not. Cars are safer because of him and the companies in Detroit made tons of terrible decisions on their own.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone argue this in reference to cars. Is this a common problem on car forums or something?
In other news one of my friends/coworkers is getting a Brammo Empulse (electric motorcycle) when they come out next year.
100 miles range with top speed of 100+mph, ~60 lb/ft of torque, 420lbs. I am excited to see / ride it.
Oh. My. God.
I immediately looked up prices.
Too bad it costs as much as a Monster.
Government subsidies + tax credits means you can get it for WAY cheaper.
Edit: I just looked it up and it looks like the few grand in savings is only in states like Colorado (where I live) and Oklahoma. As for federal savings you could shave about 10% off the price.
This post at TheCarElectric has a list of all subsidies by state for EV's. (edit: Unsure how updated the list is.)
Here in GA I could get a tax credit of 20%, plus unrestricted use of the HOV lanes. This makes it rather appealing, I must say. =O
On an unrelated note, trying to get license plates off of a vehicle that hasn't had them removed in 15 years is a total pain in the ass.
PB Blaster it is one of the greatest inventions for car work.
Unfortunately for the front plates, its not a rust issue, but an issue of the nut's being held in place by little plastic ridges on the inside of the bumper, which have worn away over time. So the damn things just spin.
Wow that is rather pretty but I always think cars look better if they have their wheels flush with the furthest part of the outside of the fender.
This is one of the things that has always bothered me about cars like miatas.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
What's the deal with the obssession over the production car speed record? Why is SSC trying to beat the Veyron SS top speed? Like, does it even matter? No one's ever going to buy one of these cars. No one's ever going to get to that speed. What's the obssession all about?
JustinSane07 on
0
ThomamelasOnly one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered Userregular
What's the deal with the obssession over the production car speed record? Why is SSC trying to beat the Veyron SS top speed? Like, does it even matter? No one's ever going to buy one of these cars. No one's ever going to get to that speed. What's the obssession all about?
Same reasons people climb mountains. Because they can. You're talking about the point of car design where the engineers are more then a bit mad.
And on that note, I got a request from a fellow who wishes to become a car guy. And he's looking for primers and places to start learning things. And on this I am stumped. Can anyone make any suggestions?
Thomamelas on
0
SarksusATTACK AND DETHRONE GODRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
It's me, and I wanted to be able to work on my own cars, understand how cars work, understand the terminology, etc. I'd like to be able to look at a car and form my own opinion on it rather than have someone else tell me what to think.
Well, first, learn how to use your side view mirrors: http://www.linquist.net/motorsports/tech/mirrors/. There's a better site somewhere, but I couldn't find another one without annoying click-through ads at the moment.
Unfortunately, that's about as far as my practical knowledge goes.
1- start doing your own maintenance (as much as you are comfortable with). If you don't own a car yet, buy one that has a reputation for being easy and cheap to work on (plenty of sports cars fit this, I'm more of a big sedan guy and wound up with a 1997 Lincoln Town Car).
2- read about cars on the internet. If you like cars (pre-req for being a car guy) you probably do this naturally. Most of my wasted time is spent on autoblog. if I hear about a car that I don't know about that piques my interest I hit google / wikipedia and find out about it.
3- go to car shows / races. Car guys love to talk about cars. Car shows or motor races have only one kind of person at them - car guys - and they will talk your ear off about interesting things if you stand still for more than a few seconds.
Really, if you are interested in cars, just start wasting time reading about them and you'll eventually turn into a car guy.
1- start doing your own maintenance (as much as you are comfortable with). If you don't own a car yet, buy one that has a reputation for being easy and cheap to work on (plenty of sports cars fit this, I'm more of a big sedan guy and wound up with a 1997 Lincoln Town Car).
2- read about cars on the internet. If you like cars (pre-req for being a car guy) you probably do this naturally. Most of my wasted time is spent on autoblog. if I hear about a car that I don't know about that piques my interest I hit google / wikipedia and find out about it.
3- go to car shows / races. Car guys love to talk about cars. Car shows or motor races have only one kind of person at them - car guys - and they will talk your ear off about interesting things if you stand still for more than a few seconds.
Really, if you are interested in cars, just start wasting time reading about them and you'll eventually turn into a car guy.
Really its pretty much 1 and 2. Also you should watch top gear. What really helped me was getting a secondary car that was my race/project car. Then I could do all my own mods without having to worry if the car would be running by Monday to get me to work. I had no fucking clue what I was doing when I did the roll bar, springs/shocks, or turbo on that car. I just grabbed the miata shop manual from a dealership (which was better than the haynes manual IMO) and some instructions I printed off from the webbernets. On a less hard-core scale you can do basic things like maintenance with fluids, belts(not the timing belt), and spark plugs. On some cars it is relatively easy to replace things like the power steering pump and water pump.
I'd like to be able to look at a car and form my own opinion on it rather than have someone else tell me what to think.
As for this part it is pretty much just a numbers game with hp, torque, weight, # of cylinders, and engine size for raw numbers and 0-60, skid pad Gs, 60-0 for application of power, cornering, and braking. Then you can go a little more obscure to lap times on places like Nürburgring to see overall performance of a vehicle. Then you should realize that if you bought a car you will rarely if ever use any of these numbers in practice unless you take it out racing. I love to ogle the super cars and even cars over 30-40k but I doubt I would ever buy one because I'm too frugal/practical. I've taken a 5k used miata and thrown another 5k in mods to make it the theoretical equivalent of mid 90s bmw m3s. However I'm just alright at racing in SCCA events and usually end up in the middle of my class. I do however take great joy when I would beat a viper* in my barely modified slushbox 165hp Subaru 2.5 rs (my daily driver).
*yes I know a viper is not made for AutoX but I still find it amusing anyway. DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE!
Edit #12: If you do take an interest in racing realize that driver skill is way way waaayyyy more important than the car you are driving. Thus money would be better spent on driving schools than car parts.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Hey a car thread, what do you guys think of Honda Preludes?
VTEC was a cool technology back in the day but is becoming slightly more common. My friend had one and it was pretty nice but not a ton of room in the back seat. *shrug*
Edit: It is a ok car. Nothing spectacular I can think of and nothing horrible. What are you looking for in a car? Price range?
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Hey a car thread, what do you guys think of Honda Preludes?
VTEC was a cool technology back in the day but is becoming slightly more common. My friend had one and it was pretty nice but not a ton of room in the back seat. *shrug*
Edit: It is a ok car. Nothing spectacular I can think of and nothing horrible. What are you looking for in a car? Price range?
I currently drive a piece of shit 2002 Ford Escort. Not saying the car is bad but mine was a lemon. As a student I don't really have the stable income to get an auto loan so I'm looking for something that is cheap but a good platform to have some fun tinkering with. I liked the look of the prelude and it seemed like a better starting point than a civic or something from around the same time.
Hey a car thread, what do you guys think of Honda Preludes?
VTEC was a cool technology back in the day but is becoming slightly more common. My friend had one and it was pretty nice but not a ton of room in the back seat. *shrug*
Edit: It is a ok car. Nothing spectacular I can think of and nothing horrible. What are you looking for in a car? Price range?
I currently drive a piece of shit 2002 Ford Escort. Not saying the car is bad but mine was a lemon. As a student I don't really have the stable income to get an auto loan so I'm looking for something that is cheap but a good platform to have some fun tinkering with. I liked the look of the prelude and it seemed like a better starting point than a civic or something from around the same time.
Define cheap and how old you would be fine buying. Is RWD fine in your area (ie no snow)?
Other possible tinker toys
Subaru 2.5rs ~2800lbs 165hp decent torque AWD*,
Integra ~140-170hp and ~2600lbs FWD,
miata ~130hp and 2,300lbs RWD,
late 90s nissan 240sx 155hp and ~2800-2900lbs RWD,
mid to late 90s bmw 3 series (will cost more with upkeep) RWD,
etc
*Not a great platform for turbo if you want to do that later on. The engine apparently doesn't like boost and likes to detonate. On the other hand it handles pretty damn well with just the addition of a larger sway bar which can usually be yoinked from wrx owners who get rid of theirs. (Stock 13mm. WRX 17mm). Also the auto version has weird torque split from front/rear but the manual version is 50/50 all the time.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
I live in Southern California so RWD is fine. I want something I can mess with, not something I'll have to. Also I'm definitely staying away from old beamers and the like since parts are god awful expensive. Basically I just don't really know what 10 year old cars have aged better than others.
I think that the internet has been for years on the path to creating what is essentially an electronic Necronomicon: A collection of blasphemous unrealities so perverse that to even glimpse at its contents, if but for a moment, is to irrevocably forfeit a portion of your sanity.
Xbox - PearlBlueS0ul, Steam
If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
Edit: oops the 3rd one is supposed to be for the integra not the rsx but it looks about the same with more half red circles and some minor issues with rough shifting.
Edit 2: I suck that first one is supposed to be the subaru sedan not the wagon which has less blakc half circles and more average ratings with only two issues on the '00 year being minor tranny and exhaust.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
A friend had one and I quite liked it, I thought it was an entertaining car to drive.
Of course, it has about zero practicality aside from being fairly easy to park (but everything that's not a full size truck is easy to park when your driver is a town car).
My cousin had an '81 Prelude for awhile (until both front struts broke at the same time, ruining both front brakes and puncturing both front tires- it was amazing). It was a fun car.
Tinkering with your primary transportation is a great way to end up riding the bus to work. If you really want to learn engines, buy a cheap old motorcycle (and the appropriate manuals and tools). Old Yamahas and Suzukis are still reasonably common on Craigslist in the $1000-$1500 range.
Something like this would be perfect. I might buy it if it's still on the market after my house closes...
Two frontrunners right now seem to be a 02-08 model Mazda 6 (Atenza) Diesel Wagon 6sp Manual OR some variety of Subaru Outback or Liberty (Legacy) wagon. Manual, mid 00's again.
Anyone have any experience / advice on either of these cars? Or can recommended another wagon that comes in manual and is decent on fuel? She's looking at getting something a little unique as well though, not a commodore / falcon kinda lady.
Anyone had experience with 02-08 model Saabs? The 9-3 wagon looks interesting.
Here in 'Merica we don't have no wagons with decent fuel mileage or any of them fancy "diesel".
There are lots of outbacks and legacys around here and they seem to pretty decent cars but at least the gasoline version doesn't get spectacular gas mileage. 19-23 city and 25-29 mpg highway.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Posts
Wheels I have no issue taking off and putting on by hand, but something like the upper bolt on a starter in the explorer is just crazy to do without one. You can get a socket on there with a wrench, but there is no room to turn it at all. We tried every permutation of my extenders and u-joints and couldn't get enough torque on that bolt to get it loose.
The air ratchet takes up about as much space as a normal ratchet, but the difference is once you work it onto the bolt all you do it push the button and let it do all the work.
It tends to depend on the car for me. In a low end car? It's silly because we know it's fake. On a super car it's silly because it is. On a Rolls or a Maybach, it's just right.
I used to Drift out at Oran Park with the crew from Initial Drift Australia before they flattened it and turned it into a bloody housing project (:x) and we used to bring a mate's panel van out with an air compressor in the back with a ratchet gun attached.
Seriously, you could go from your street wheels to bald-as-a-baby's-arse slicks in less than a minute if you had all your ducks in a row. I miss having a compressor.
STEAM | XBL | PSN
Government subsidies + tax credits means you can get it for WAY cheaper.
Edit: I just looked it up and it looks like the few grand in savings is only in states like Colorado (where I live) and Oklahoma. As for federal savings you could shave about 10% off the price.
Yeah, I guess. I still think its an odd material to still be using in cars in the 21st century. I can see why it was around in early cars, as a reference back to pre automobile forms of transportation.
On an unrelated note, trying to get license plates off of a vehicle that hasn't had them removed in 15 years is a total pain in the ass.
PB Blaster it is one of the greatest inventions for car work.
This post at TheCarElectric has a list of all subsidies by state for EV's. (edit: Unsure how updated the list is.)
Here in GA I could get a tax credit of 20%, plus unrestricted use of the HOV lanes. This makes it rather appealing, I must say. =O
(rassa frassa Colorado and their 85% credit)
STEAM | XBL | PSN
Unfortunately for the front plates, its not a rust issue, but an issue of the nut's being held in place by little plastic ridges on the inside of the bumper, which have worn away over time. So the damn things just spin.
Now imagine how much you would have to make to get the whole Tesla tax credit.
: o
This is one of the things that has always bothered me about cars like miatas.
Same reasons people climb mountains. Because they can. You're talking about the point of car design where the engineers are more then a bit mad.
And on that note, I got a request from a fellow who wishes to become a car guy. And he's looking for primers and places to start learning things. And on this I am stumped. Can anyone make any suggestions?
Unfortunately, that's about as far as my practical knowledge goes.
Everyone should actually do this.
1- start doing your own maintenance (as much as you are comfortable with). If you don't own a car yet, buy one that has a reputation for being easy and cheap to work on (plenty of sports cars fit this, I'm more of a big sedan guy and wound up with a 1997 Lincoln Town Car).
2- read about cars on the internet. If you like cars (pre-req for being a car guy) you probably do this naturally. Most of my wasted time is spent on autoblog. if I hear about a car that I don't know about that piques my interest I hit google / wikipedia and find out about it.
3- go to car shows / races. Car guys love to talk about cars. Car shows or motor races have only one kind of person at them - car guys - and they will talk your ear off about interesting things if you stand still for more than a few seconds.
Really, if you are interested in cars, just start wasting time reading about them and you'll eventually turn into a car guy.
Really its pretty much 1 and 2. Also you should watch top gear. What really helped me was getting a secondary car that was my race/project car. Then I could do all my own mods without having to worry if the car would be running by Monday to get me to work. I had no fucking clue what I was doing when I did the roll bar, springs/shocks, or turbo on that car. I just grabbed the miata shop manual from a dealership (which was better than the haynes manual IMO) and some instructions I printed off from the webbernets. On a less hard-core scale you can do basic things like maintenance with fluids, belts(not the timing belt), and spark plugs. On some cars it is relatively easy to replace things like the power steering pump and water pump.
As for this part it is pretty much just a numbers game with hp, torque, weight, # of cylinders, and engine size for raw numbers and 0-60, skid pad Gs, 60-0 for application of power, cornering, and braking. Then you can go a little more obscure to lap times on places like Nürburgring to see overall performance of a vehicle. Then you should realize that if you bought a car you will rarely if ever use any of these numbers in practice unless you take it out racing. I love to ogle the super cars and even cars over 30-40k but I doubt I would ever buy one because I'm too frugal/practical. I've taken a 5k used miata and thrown another 5k in mods to make it the theoretical equivalent of mid 90s bmw m3s. However I'm just alright at racing in SCCA events and usually end up in the middle of my class. I do however take great joy when I would beat a viper* in my barely modified slushbox 165hp Subaru 2.5 rs (my daily driver).
*yes I know a viper is not made for AutoX but I still find it amusing anyway. DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE!
Edit #12: If you do take an interest in racing realize that driver skill is way way waaayyyy more important than the car you are driving. Thus money would be better spent on driving schools than car parts.
VTEC was a cool technology back in the day but is becoming slightly more common. My friend had one and it was pretty nice but not a ton of room in the back seat. *shrug*
Edit: It is a ok car. Nothing spectacular I can think of and nothing horrible. What are you looking for in a car? Price range?
Hrrrgh. So tempting - I miss my S13 from back home and this'd be a fun project, but I don't have a garage at the moment. Stupid apartment building.
STEAM | XBL | PSN
Drives with the wrong set of wheels. Occasionally people realize this and fix them.
Wha?
I currently drive a piece of shit 2002 Ford Escort. Not saying the car is bad but mine was a lemon. As a student I don't really have the stable income to get an auto loan so I'm looking for something that is cheap but a good platform to have some fun tinkering with. I liked the look of the prelude and it seemed like a better starting point than a civic or something from around the same time.
Define cheap and how old you would be fine buying. Is RWD fine in your area (ie no snow)?
Other possible tinker toys
Subaru 2.5rs ~2800lbs 165hp decent torque AWD*,
Integra ~140-170hp and ~2600lbs FWD,
miata ~130hp and 2,300lbs RWD,
late 90s nissan 240sx 155hp and ~2800-2900lbs RWD,
mid to late 90s bmw 3 series (will cost more with upkeep) RWD,
etc
*Not a great platform for turbo if you want to do that later on. The engine apparently doesn't like boost and likes to detonate. On the other hand it handles pretty damn well with just the addition of a larger sway bar which can usually be yoinked from wrx owners who get rid of theirs. (Stock 13mm. WRX 17mm). Also the auto version has weird torque split from front/rear but the manual version is 50/50 all the time.
I currently drive a 2007 Scion TC.
Same color but mine has lowered springs.
But for the 2011 model, they completely redesigned it.
Yeah concept picture but that's exactly what the production model came out looking like.
They also upped the horsepower and torque from 161/162 to 180/174 and it has a 6 speed automatic transmission.
I'm not sure how I feel about the looks and I wonder if the curb weight went up at all. It's currently 2970.
It should be running with a new-ish JDM engine and T3/T4-46 trim turbo by Thursday.
I don't believe in FWD or AT and don't like most domestics, so I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to replace it.
If you ever need to talk to someone, feel free to message me. Yes, that includes you.
Edit: oops the 3rd one is supposed to be for the integra not the rsx but it looks about the same with more half red circles and some minor issues with rough shifting.
Edit 2: I suck that first one is supposed to be the subaru sedan not the wagon which has less blakc half circles and more average ratings with only two issues on the '00 year being minor tranny and exhaust.
http://s963.photobucket.com/albums/ae115/glorprell/
A friend had one and I quite liked it, I thought it was an entertaining car to drive.
Of course, it has about zero practicality aside from being fairly easy to park (but everything that's not a full size truck is easy to park when your driver is a town car).
Tinkering with your primary transportation is a great way to end up riding the bus to work. If you really want to learn engines, buy a cheap old motorcycle (and the appropriate manuals and tools). Old Yamahas and Suzukis are still reasonably common on Craigslist in the $1000-$1500 range.
Something like this would be perfect. I might buy it if it's still on the market after my house closes...
Two frontrunners right now seem to be a 02-08 model Mazda 6 (Atenza) Diesel Wagon 6sp Manual OR some variety of Subaru Outback or Liberty (Legacy) wagon. Manual, mid 00's again.
Anyone have any experience / advice on either of these cars? Or can recommended another wagon that comes in manual and is decent on fuel? She's looking at getting something a little unique as well though, not a commodore / falcon kinda lady.
Anyone had experience with 02-08 model Saabs? The 9-3 wagon looks interesting.
There are lots of outbacks and legacys around here and they seem to pretty decent cars but at least the gasoline version doesn't get spectacular gas mileage. 19-23 city and 25-29 mpg highway.
What a pretty little 500hp engine. Why mister 500hp engine, what car do you go in?
OH SHIT!