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First time ever wrenching. Replaced my rear struts with some Bilsteins.

>>28911144
Nice claw hammer. :)

>>28911144
Nice. Those rotors look well used. Maybe your next job will be brakes :-)

>>28911144
>ruated to fuck
>McDonald's strut
There was no point in fooling with any of that shit

>>28911360
You clearly have no idea what rust is

>>28911362
I'm looking at that caliper, the whole car is done dude just sell it know that you got your little chinkshit dampers installed

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>>28911370
I'm surprised that you're even able to breathe (which you are doing manually now btw) with your IQ.

How do you remove a stuck timing chain cover? I 100% removed all the side bolts and nuts and also removed the bolts going through the oil pan an this piece of shit won't budge. I managed to slide a box cutter knife between the cover and cylinder head but it didn't help.

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>>28911148
Hahaha fuuuuck
>>28911243
Rotors are calipers are on the list definitely.
>>28911360
McDonald struts? They're Bilstein B6. And the car has been undercoated every year since new, it's just surface rust. My local shop has actually mentioned how little rust is on the car without being prompted. The calipers do need some love though.

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I made a shitty drip tray to keep my VQ from pissing various fluids directly into my alternator.

>>28911766
>McDonald struts
It's a joke. He's making fun of your McPherson struts. Don't listen to him. You did gud.

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>>28911766
>McDonald struts? They're HECKING Bilstein B6!!!!

Did an oil service and replaced the cabin filter on my wife's Mk3 Focus today.
Then repaired the lawn mower.

>>28911360
shoo shoo, back to india you go

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>>28911360
Slowfaglet stancefaglet spiclet calicuck wrenchlet weedlet glocklet... and probably a closet homosexual

Changing oil for the first time on a new car, should I get an identical OEM filter or does it matter?

>>28912269
Get wix

>>28912463
You just gotta call em dawg. Are you doing delivery?

>>28911435
tap it to the sides with a mallet all around or wherever you have access

>>28912486
Did you have to pay the lift gate fee?

>bro enlists my help with a pad and rotor change for a guy's 201X mini from some forum or something
>all is well till we get to the last corner, the back right wheel
>caliper is in service mode but piston wont go back in any further
>try alternating between turning it clockwise and pushing it in
>still not enough room for the pads, wtf
>bro tries turning piston with some pliers although i already tried
>piston boot must've gotten caught because it tore and sprung a leak
fml. put it all back together and to my surprise it didn't spew fluid when the brake is used, but there was a slow drip.
didn't charge the guy but had to tell him that he needed to take it to a brake shop, he ended up getting it towed by insurance because he wanted to play it safe. bro told me afterwards that he told the guy before that he didn't really want to do this because of the electric parking brake and that we weren't professionals but he insisted.

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Hope this is worth it. $1000 just for front brakes.

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>Peugeot
>makes centerless rims for a decade in the early 2000s
>pain in the ass to balance
>refuses to elaborate

>>28913118
What about that wheel is "centerless"?

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mmmm nylon

>05 chevy silverado gets a code for a "P0059 Heater circuit resistance for heated oxygen sensor in bank 2 sensor 1 is out of range."
>cost of parts and tools seems to be 40-80$
>know a good mechanic that isn't too expensive and does good work, but tight on money nowadays.
I know fuck-all about cars. The replacement seems simple enough, but the more I'm worried about fucking something up and unknowingly damaging another part of the car from lack of expertise. Is there anything I should know/worry about before I try to replace it or should I just go to my mechanic?

>>28916988
Replacing an 02 sensor is ez. You got this. You're not going to break anything else in the process.

>>28912492
Nah, wd40 and his mom's vibrator.

>>28913960
No hole, unlike buddy's mom.

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I'm rebuilding my brake calipers and I can't get the piston seal on completely. Is there something I'm doing wrong, or is just this aftermarket part bad quality? It's an E46 and I bought Autofren kit, because the ATE one is no longer made.

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Good evening guys, hope u are all great. Sorry if bed england.
My dear shitbox ('03 Palio) started having clutch problems and the mechanix said it was around $400 to fix it. I have 0 money cause indian+jobless+retarded so i figured I could do it myself.
Well after some time I finally got around doing it, its my first big repair (the only thing I had done before was changing some brake discs) and so far I think it's going kind of good, tho I've run into a lot of problems.
Well today I finally managed to drop the transmission and I saw what the problem was, as u can see the clutch release bearing was completely fucked and it barely moved when the fork was pulled.
It was kind of cool actually seeing it cause it obviously made sense. The gears wouldn't catch even when I pushed the clutch all the way in, and when I forced them, you'd hear this awful grinding sound that was likely the pressure plate teeth breaking (some of the tips were pretty chipped). As someone who's doing this for the first time it was like 'duh'
I cleaned as much as I could and then I replaced the clutch. Here comes my question. The clutch plate was a bit loose between the pressure plate and the flywheel so when I tightened the screws it ended up being a little bit below from the center. I wanted to ask u guys if this is okay or should I unscrew the pressure plate and try to center the clutch disc as much as possible. Its just a tiny bit, but I guess it could make putting the transmission back on really difficult.
Also I don't have one of those clutch guides to insert there so do you guys have any tips for that? I'll be trying to put everything back together tomorrow. It'll probably be the hardest part of all this.
Thanks in advance if anyone can help. Also since I actually started this like a month ago I forgot how to install the other pieces back lol. I might have to come here to ask for help.

>>28920106
Clutch disc needs to be visibly centered or you will have a lot of trouble getting the transmission back on. Some people use a broom handle. Some people have 3d printed a clutch centering tool.

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God dammit
I'm gonna have to buy these from Ford S they'll be $140 for about 14 cents of plastic, aren't I?

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>>28920205
Only one bring clean off. The other only half separated. I don't think I scuffed the plastic enough to let the jb weld adhere to the surface, I was mostly going for total reinforcement at the fragile spot to just push in again and hopefully be just fine forever.

>>28920106
>>28920110
usually the clutch kit you buy will have a plastic alignment tool unless it's some bargain basement special that cut every cost they could

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This is so frustrating

>>28911370

>the whole car is done

Why are you even on a wrenching thread?

>>28920106
Youll need a clutch alignment tool. Not expensive, just a little plastic rod and cone that sticks through to align the clutch. When its on and tightened up you release it and bolt it on.

>>28920213
Ive had stronger repairs with plastic welding. Get some of the same style of plastic (usually abs or hdpe) as a filler rod and melt and mix it in with a shitty old sodding iron. Bonus if you melt in some window screen mesh for extra strength. Looks like shit but usually done on the backside of a plastic part.
The JB weld has a very hard time sticking to plastic and when it fails parts of it will pop off like it was never there. I think its higher stiffness compared to plastic is a problem.
Sometimes hot glue does surprisingly well on plastic for a nondestructive repair. It holds on to the plastic better than JB but once its set you can still pick and pull it off if you need to get back in.

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fixed the blown head gasket on my diesel jetta, the head was warped so I glued sand paper to a glass table and sanded it flat

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>>28920467
Fixed

>>28920467
>>28920469
damn what a difference. howd you go about dragging the head across the glass, did you just move it in a figure-8 pattern or circles etc. and how long did it take?

>>28920469
Very cool. Please update after some miles if the head gasket does or doesnt have follow up issues. I'm interested in this technique. Only ever seen it on smaller motorcycle heads.

So I'm eyeing that Volvo S40 which one guy is selling next to my place. Manufactured in 2007, gasoline 2.4 engine. Had a test drive and it was decent, the only problem I might have with it is the rear left swing arm. Any good anon could tell me anything more I could expect from that car? Those engines are pretty reliable and electronics are minimal, but as usual with 15+yo cars it's the suspension and frame that I am the most worried about...
If anyone has any special VIN checking soft or subscription I could post it too, it's better to know what was previously done to it.

>>28920628
>Those engines are pretty reliable and electronics are minimal
Anything but. It's an expensive european "premium" car trying to compete with BMW.

>>28920469
That is the dumbest V8 IJ've ever seen . The block is way too "fat", is this for a really big turbo car with a big turbo?

>>28920630
Hmm so you're saying it's not worth the effort? Sadly I don't get to be picky...

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>>28920445
>The JB weld has a very hard time sticking to plastic
I was in a rushed panic, not completely sure why. I think I had it in my mind an ultrasonic welding tool was needed and not a soldering iron. My plan was to finish the project this weekend so I wanted the epoxy to have time to fully cure in this colder weather. My second thought was to fill that cavity with hot glue, but I quickly remembered Texas heat in the summer would likely melt that anyway. Or is it once hot glue is heated and melted it has a much higher melting temp? I don't know, I just assume it'll get to 150 in the cab, I guess if hot glue melts at 200+ it couldn't hurt to try that too just to give it more mass at least.

Like you said, if it fails it should easily come off (famous last words) and I can try melting it and/or hot gluing. I don't have any idea where to get ABS filler rod so I may grab some garbage in the garage and melt it on. Any suggestions on donor plastic?

It does give me some misery loves company vibes of so many broken panels listed for sale on ebay.

>>28920110
>>28920422
thanks boys, I'll center the fuck of that disc, probably with a broom as anon suggested.
>>28920238
No, the damn thing didn't come in the kit haha, some third world shit. I even bought the 'expensive' option in one of the only 2 stores that sell Fiat parts in my city. Just the bearing, clutch and pressure plates.

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>>28920478
>howd you go about dragging the head across the glass
just a forward and backward motion about 1000 times, flipping it around every once in a while, probably not necessary to do that but can't hurt
took about 6 hours but I was using 220 grit, would have taken less than half that if I use 80 grit but finding wet/dry 80 grit is apparently really fucking hard
>>28920602
drove the car about 100 miles so far with no issues, the cylinders were cracked between the valves on every cylinder, after some reading this happens to every single 1.5/1.6 VW IDI engine and as long as you can't fit a dime into the crack they're good to go (allegedly)

>>28920903
>as long as you can't fit a dime into the crack they're good to go (allegedly)
Can you fill with jb weld?

>>28920650
JB weld, hot glue, plastic welding all work to some degree. Just sharing whats worked for me. Hopefully you dont need to do anything more.
Hate brittle plastics. I want a 3d scanner to remake interior panels. Theyre coming down to 500usd used for a good one.

>>28916988
All you need is liquid wrench/pblaster, and maybe the special wrench or socket that fits over the sensor.

>>28917694
Did you grease it? I would use a flat piece of wood to smack it on. It's supposed to be snug.

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>>28920908
suppose its just best to leave it alone and let it chill, if the engine decides to give any problems I'll just put one of my ALH from the 99-03 VWs in it, I have like 10 of those laying around and can make a stand alone harness in a few hours

>>28920940
When the EMPs start going off, you're going to be laughing at everyone else.

>>28920921
can hot glue re-melt in a hot car?

>>28920990
Didn't for me or my car on the backside of the gearshift surround but I suppose yeah in theory.

>>28920990
No.

>>28921086
>>28921095
I'm gonna skip it. As I said before, I was in a rushed panic and I'm going to do the super glue and baking soda trick IF the JB weld doesn't work. The speakers aren't terribly heavy and the panel has a 7mm screw at the bottom. The issue is getting those clips back into the slots.

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Replaced these worn bump stops (pic) on my Z4.

I'm a poor who recently moved to a place where I have a garage of my own. When I replaced the oil pan (cus stripped threads on old one, should've just re-threaded but ah well) on my 99 prizm, one of the bolts snapped in half (half a pinkie fingernail deep in the hole). I tried a left-hand bit to get it out but couldn't get a good angle and didn't wanna ruin the threads on block side. So I filled the hole (that has part of a bolt in it still) with my rtv and it stayed dry for a few months. But now it's very very slow leaking. Anything a poor with next to zero specialized tools can do?

Feel like the correct solution is somehow welding a thinner bolt to the existing stuck bolt part then screwing that out and screwing in a new bolt. But IDK shit about welding and I'd have to get my car up pretty damn high for that to be remotely possible.

Should you use copper grease between the hub and brake disk?

>>28921262
No problem with doing it. In rusty climates it can seize in place, same as the disc to the wheel itself but it's sort of rare. Probably takes many years to develop. Some think most of the seizing happens close to the center of the hub so focus the antiseize there.

>>28921258
The bolt broke deep within the block? Thats kind of rare. If theres still a couple of turns of threads on the block visible I would try cutting a new bolt shorter or just stacking washers until you can tighten it snug, and just be careful to not overtorque and pull out what few threads are left in the block.
You can also just live with the oil leak.

>>28921353
oh shit wow, I had a mega retard moment, duh shorter bolt might do the trick! Can't remember exactly how deep it goes it might've still been in pan thread instead of block thread but if it isn't then I'm one lucky son of a bitch! It is livable so far but this is my only leak free car and I really wanna keep it that way, it's parked out on the nice driveway.

2002 Avalon idles rough and runs like shit on deceleration. At idle, the tach hunts between 500 and 1000. Cleaned the throttle body twice. Replaced IACV, replaced crankshaft position sensor, bypassed MAF, bypassed EGR solenoid, cleaned camshaft position sensor. Drained and filled tranny fluid. Codes P0300, 302, 304, 306. Cannot find a vacuum leak.

Gonna do the VVT and replace camshaft sensor properly, see if that fixes it. If it doesn't, I'll do plugs and coils next. Don't really know what I'm doing, just googling shit and playing with it

Fucking shifter pin on my 300td is stuck so fucking bad I gave up working on it for like six weeks fmnl

>>28921467
Here's your (You), but I think you can do better if you apply yourself.

>>28921522
Not trolling, I found this board yesterday and was looking for advice if anyone has any. Juat want my car to run right and to say I fixed it DIY. In what world am I posting bait?

>>28921467
the bank with cylinder 2, 4, and 6 is fucking up. i doubt coils or plugs will help, but I think you're on to something with cam sensors. from a quick google those cylinders are all on the front bank of the engine. your other bank is fine, so I wouldn't mess with it if you can avoid it.

>>28920322
>1st gen taurus

let me guess, you bought one and it was too short

>>28921750
Your car is telling you exactly what is wrong with the four codes while you list off dozens of random unrelated things you replaced that didn't fix it. This is classic shotgun mechanic baitposting.

>>2892134
I opened with "I don't really know what I'm doing."

To your point, three spark plugs are coding, yes. I just find it a little sus that all three plugs and coils in the same bank are throwing codes at the very same time. What are the odds that all three plugs pooted put simultaneously. That logic led me to believe it was something electrical/sensor/vacuum related, not the plugs/coils themselves. Open to corrections about that because, for the third time, I don't know what I'm doing. It's why I'm here.

>>28922098
Sounds like you're following my train of thought a bit better, thank you for validating

>>28922109
No, I'm frustrated that if I want to buy both control arms, they're in different warehouses, so I'd have to pay for shipping twice.

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>>28922146
Short story up front: it ended up being the bank 2 VVT solenoid.

>>28922134
I will admit, you got into my head a little bit, because if anything, the one suggesting a shotgun here is you. I don’t work on cars a lot, but I do work on machines for a living, and I'm not retarded.

>car starts doing weird shit on decel
>feels like it’s about to stall
>idle is rough
>decel = load change, maybe trans?
>check trans fluid, sad and brown.
>drain and fill.
>no change
>rough idle = maybe air?
>clean throttle body
>when taking it off, notice this little valve just...open.
>car is off and it’s still open
>that doesn’t seem right,
>google it
>it’s called an IACV
>order one because they're cheap
>no fix, but old one was clearly bad.
>maybe it’s reading air wrong?
>unplug MAF
>car immediately runs worse
>alright, MAF is fine
>what about fuel
>fuel pump?
>nah, it would run bad all the time
>stick with air
>see vacuum diagram under hood
>start bypassing stuff one by one
>nothing changes
>cool, not vacuum
>remember I’ve got a cheap scanner somewhere
>misfires on 2, 4, 6
>entire bank? Three plugs at once?
>yeah I don’t buy that.
>they’ve got power, they’re grounded.
>this is something shared
>start looking at sensors
>find cam position sensors
>lower one is filthy
>doesn’t stick to metal
>replace it for $20
>still not fixed
>but again, clearly bad part gone
>keep googling
>see people talking about VVT issues causing rough idle.
>VVT is like $15 on Amazon
>worst case, I return it
>swap it out
>start car
>smooth as butter
>drive it
>no more weird decel
>idle steady
>check codes again
>misfires gone
>damn, this only cost me like $100 and two afternoons.
>car runs like it should

Glad I didn't:

>Have Autozone scan it
>shotgun plugs and coils at it for $200 like a dumbass.

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>>28920106
Hey guys its me again. Pls help me. I may have fucked up the whole car.
I just put everything back together and tested the car last night. It struggled to start but it wasnt anything crazy, the fuel pump sounded fine, the start was a bit weak so I gave it a bit of gas and I heard a slight crunching noise, so I turned it off to avoid damaging it. After that, it wouldn’t start again.
When I turn the key, the lights come on so to me it seemed the battery was fine, but the dashboard flickers, no fuel pump sound, and there’s an intermittent clicking sound coming from this little green box. I charged the battery last night, and today the fuel pump kicked in for a second, but then it shut off again and the clicking/pulsing sound came back from that green box.
Any idea what could be going on? Could I have burned or broken something?
If i turn the key to the starting position the starter sounds fine but it the car itself wont start. So hopefully Its only an electronics issue and i didnt blow the transmission or the engine or w/e

>>28923167
>clicking/pulsing sound
Check the battery to see if its just low on voltage/amperage, then check fuses and relays.

>>28923187
I charged it fully last night. On our other car it works np.
I'll check the fuses. Hopefully it wont be a big thing. No clue how to check the relays tho.
Thanks for the reply too

>>28923189
>No clue how to check the relays tho.
I don't know of a diagnostic test, maybe someone else here does? Perhaps just using a new relay for $10 and swapping it out to test? Relays can and do go bad with age and under certain circumstances, sorry I can't help you point in a more specific direction.

>>28923203
Spent my last few $ on the transmission fluid haha. Still thanks. Fuses are all fine. Grok says this likely happened because i didn't ground the battery correctly which is weird cause i connected it right where i pulled it from.
I'll also try the fuel pump by itself, i feel like it is as you said tho, probably just a relay

>>28922500
>I changed the transmission fluid and replaced the IAC valve hoping to resolve my misfire codes
>but you're the retard for suggesting I troubleshoot the codes instead
Okay.

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It’s over

>>28923218
Couldn't hurt to clean the terminals really well, and even re-seat the grounding cables. Bad grounds will cause all kinds of gremlins.

>>28923272
Mein nigger you are a fucking genius. I unironically asked grok and claude cause i had no idea what else to do. Was literally just about to give up. Then they suggested the same as you, it might be because of the ground. When reassembling the thing i forgot where one of the 2 negative cable ends was supposed to go (the other one was connected to the chassis and i thought that was enough to ground it) so i also put that other end to another random bolt.
Claude said it should go onto the transmission or engine and after checking some videos I managed to find where.
It starts! Thank you my boys.
Now i have another problem, which might be actually even worse. The wheels are spinning.... in neutral. Fuck me man. I hope its just the gear selector in the wrong position and not something crazy like the clutch plate was attached wrong. Wish me luck friends.

>>28923394
They stop spinning when I press the clutch, btw. Could it be that the clutch cable needs more tension?

>>28923394
>I hope its just the gear selector in the wrong position and not something crazy like the clutch plate was attached wrong.
To toot my own horn, I didn't look that up or ask AI, I just know electrical shit is a gigantic pain in the balls to deal with on older cars. But a decent trick is to use a wire brush, scrape both metal surfaces to get rid of the oxidation, clean it well, and bolt it down snug, wiggle the contacting metals again and torque the bolt down.
The other nonsense on older cars is where a tiny bit of wire insulation is missing on 2 wires causing an intermittent short.

As far as the wheels spinning if you can easily confirm it should be in neutral is you fucked up the clutch stack and/or pressure plates and may have to start over. I'm probably using the wrong words but apparently its a common rookie mistake of installing a new clutch. It looks right, but just isn't. You should also check the pressure release arm; some cars have janky setups where it'll rock back and forth but you're not on the right pivot point (or its simply worn down) simulating the clutch pedal always being 'out'.

Good luck dude, proud of you for working on your old car getting it going again!

>>28923410
I posted before this refreshed; something may be wrong with your linkage from the shifter to the transmission if the clutch pedal is pressed and the clutch disengages. That tells me its between the physical lever inside the cab and the transmission itself. Either linkage rods/cables, or worn arms on the exterior.

>>28923224

Go ahead and try to save face, parts swapper.

The tranny fluid was due anyway. I did troubleshoot the codes, just reasoned put that an entire bank of coils probably didnt all die at once.

If I did it your way, I'd have wasted an extra 200 bucks and still would've had to replace a bad IACV, done a drain and fill, and eventually land on the VVT.

Newsflash, engines need metered fuel, air, and oil. They also need to know where the camshaft is. I found issues with all those things, and now my engine getting the right air, oil, and info. On what planet would it have been smarter to just throw some plugs and coils at it for it not to work?

This is exactly why I dont hang out with "cay guise."

>>28923415
Thank u fren
>>28923418
Hmm You could be right but the gears go in fine when the cars is running, when the clutch is pressed (it's still lifted) I tensioned the cable but the spinning is still there on neutral.
Although I may not like it, maybe the clutch arm thingy wasn't in the right position when i installed it. Or maybe since I didn't have an alignment tool something shifted inside.
Grok says I may have installed the disc backwards haha, but no way because i checked the mark on the disc to the flywheel. It also says maybe I didn't screw one of the pressure plate bolts enough.
I'm very tempted to just lower the car and see if the spinning is too noticeable and if isn't
The only good thing about this is that now I atleast know what shit has to come off and what does not. Last time I took off a bunch of stuff that wasn't necessary.
Anyways, thank u all for the replies. Is a lot more fun and helpful having u guys guide me here. <3

>>28923461
>Or maybe since I didn't have an alignment tool something shifted inside.
The clutch didn't come with a plastic alignment tool? It fuckin should have and if not go buy one (or print one). You've done it once, disassemble it all and do it again going a little slower now that you know what you're doing. Also look for scuff/scrape marks indicating something rubbing due to incorrect installation.

>>28923189
>find a relay that works, but is non-essential, like for your horn or headlights. Does your horn honk? Then that's a good relay. Swap that good relay with your sus relay. If the problem goes away, then sus relay was bad.

Bonus: with the sus relay plugged in where the hirn relay was, does the horn still work? Of yes, sus relay isnt bad.

>>28923449
You are a parts shotgun mechanic if you think troubleshooting misfire codes means replacing plugs and coils with new ones.

>>28923486
No just replace them all just in case. Don't bother trying to figure out if that's actually the problem. They're old anyway.
t. mechanic pro

>>28923856
Yeah, that's why I didn't do that, found three actual problems and addressed them instead. My car is fixed, and as expected by reading the codes, plugs and coils weren't the problem. You're a salty retard, end of.

2000 Camry I4 (5sfe)
Last June I started having a misfire problem, and took several months to learn up on how it could be fixed.
Replaced the ignition coils (and plugs & wires) in February, which solved the misfire, but now the car wasn't increasing it's idle properly when I shifted in gear or turned the cabin air blower on.
Someone on a different forum suggested that it might be a stuck IAC valve, so over the past few days I tried spraying carb cleaner down the slot to where the valve is.
Seems to have done nothing, though; car still won't idle up.

I'm at a loss for what the issue is.
I'm kind of doubting it's the IAC valve, since it was working fine pre-misfire. I wouldn't expect anything to totally fail just from sitting for a few months.

>>28924959
Have you checked the MAF by chance?

Also, if the IACV is stuck closed instead of open, spraying carb cleaner up the vent won't do anything conclusive. You may want to take it off and look at it on a bench.

On my Yoder, there are coolant lines that run through the IAC housing so you'll want some hose clamps or a catch pan underneath

>>28925121
>Have you checked the MAF by chance?
No. Not even aware of how one checks that.

>Also, if the IACV is stuck closed instead of open, spraying carb cleaner up the vent won't do anything conclusive. You may want to take it off and look at it on a bench.
>On my Yoder, there are coolant lines that run through the IAC housing so you'll want some hose clamps or a catch pan underneath
I can't really take it off with any ease.

The two screws holding on the electromagnet portion are seized (impact screwdriver made zero difference) and stripped to hell (stripped it slightly with Phillips not knowing about JIS, and then any further attempts to unscrew those just stripped it worse, even with JIS tips).
The four screws holding the IACV to the throttle body are also seized, and I can't get an impact screwdriver in there (let alone a hammer to hit it with).
I also can't easily take the whole throttle body out of the engine, because the coolant hoses are stuck to the point where they'd have to be destroyed to get them off the fittings, and I fear what I'd have to go through just to replace those...

>>28925185
Oof, that’s rough. Not trying to talk down to you, but at that point I’d seriously consider finding a shop or someone older who’s dealt with seized screws and stuck hoses before. That stuff can turn into a mess quick if you force it.

If you do decide to fight it yourself, heat + penetrating oil and letting it sit can sometimes help with seized screws, but you’re already pretty deep into stripped territory, so just be careful.

I’d definitely try to rule out the IACV before moving on though, since your symptoms line up really well with it not opening under load.

Does the engine need to be completely cold (needle on blue) to drain the coolant? Mine takes forever to cool down.

>>28925556
The hotter it is, the more pressure is built up. It has to be cool enough that the pressure will not blow out and burn you when you take the cap off.

Open your overflow tank fist.

Take a thick towel, put it over your radiator cap and turn it SLOW. Be ready to let go at any time. After the cap is off, pressure is gone, and you're good to go.

I'm flushing the coolant in an E46, and the internet said, pour the distilled water/new coolant with engine off, heating on and bleed valve open. I did so, and barely any water got in and the low coolant light was on. I figured I have to do it with the engine on, so that it can suck in the water and suddenly, the old coolant that didn't drain, started vomiting from the bleed valve, am I doing something wrong? I poured the rest of distilled water because it actually started getting sucked from the expansion tank, turned off the engine, topped off the water, closed both the cap and bleed valve and there was no coolant light, engine got up to the temperature, didn't overheat, warm air was blowing.

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>1.5 months ago, replace transmission filter
>2 weeks ago notice a small transmission leak crawl under my car and see it's coming from the drain plug
>5 days ago finally crawl back under put gasket sealer around the drain plug, clean the entire area with break cleaner and top off my fluids
>everything is good no leaks
>except engine oil is low and it's about time for a change
>loaned my oil filter wrench to my dad
>meh ill take it to Walmart can't beat a $20 oil change
>yesterday am take it to Walmart
>talk to the kid and ask him to tell me if transmission is still leaking
>oil change everything is good kid says no leaks now I don't have to worry about my car for a while
>last night roommate says car is leaking
>go outside and it looks like a gallon of transmission fluid dumped
>jack it up and it it spewing fluid from seal around my transmission pan
>absolutely diffrent plance than it was leaking before
>some of the bolts are super loose
>tighten them quickly but leak don't stop
>this am
>call walmart and ask what the fuck, did you accidentally loosen the wrong bolts?!!?
>tell me to bring it to them
>cancel Saturday plans
>take itbback to walmart they say yeah I don't know why it's leaking, but it wasn't us lol
>tech takes me out and shows me loose bolts
>why didn't you use a torque wrench when you put your pan on?
>I use locktite i don't have a torque wrench
>well this is obviously your problem kick rocks
.
.
I'm so pissed how the fuck did it magically start leaking from a new place
Immediately after getting a oil change?!?
I gotta change my gasket for sure
It's 2 bolts to change the filter again, should I just go ahead and do that too?

>>28925733
sounds like when you first started filling it, there was air trapped in the lines that hadn’t made its way out through the bleed screw yet. Because of that, the system wouldn’t take much coolant, since the air was basically blocking it.
Then when you started the engine, the water pump ran, and that trapped air got pushed out through the bleed screw. As the air burped out, it created space for the coolant to finally move in and fill the system properly.

Once it cools off completely, I’d double-check the coolant level, but it sounds like you’re probably in the clear.

>>28925819
You seem to be correct, as after the second drain, more water came in (still it was about 3 liters at most) and there was no coolant light.

>>28925602
I don't have a radiator cap (BMW), just the expansion cap tank and I decided that an hour is good enough, after 1.5 hours the needle still wasn't touching blue.

>>28925779
>taking your car to wal-fucking-mart
>taking your car back to wal-fucking-mart after they fucked it up the first time
buy a torque wrench

I'm retarded, and after flushing the cooling system with distilled water, I realized I bought ready-mix coolant instead of concentrate to make a 50/50 mix, like it's recommended by BMW. I can't exactly drain the entire system, so is it okay to mix the distilled water + ready mix coolant and top it off over the next few days with concentrate while the air is still coming out?

>>28926032
You'll be slightly below spec on corrosion inhibitors and your water will freeze closer to 32/0 than it is supposed to but you won't damage anything.

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How do I diagnose where a coolant leak is coming from?

>>28927545
There is a special dye that when used with a UV light and some goggles you can see were its coming from. This doesn't work if you have a head gasket issue.

>>28927545
U can also clean it a bit and then run it and look for coolant steaming out. Sometimes the radiator itself leaks causing stains like that, sometimes its spraying from elsewhere. If it's a shitbox or work truck you can try "bars leaks" but many people hate it because it could block coolant passages.

>>28927545
Go to AutoZone and rent the pressure tester

>>28925521
>I’d definitely try to rule out the IACV before moving on though, since your symptoms line up really well with it not opening under load.

>>28924959 (Me)
>The four screws holding the IACV to the throttle body are also seized, and I can't get an impact screwdriver in there (let alone a hammer to hit it with).

By some miraculous combination of sheer brute force, vice grips, and possibly WD-40, I managed to get all four of those screws off.
And what do you know? The IACV *was* kinda stuck.
Sprayed carb cleaner, brushed & wiped off what I could, then used a flathead screwdriver to press the wall of the valve until it moved. Sprayed more carb cleaner and tried to wipe out the innards with a pipe cleaner. Will check it again on Wednesday, but hopefully that freed it up.
(Also need to get replacement hex bolts for those four JIS screws; one of the four tried to strip on me, even with a JIS tip...)

The nice bonus in all this is that I got to clean a shitload of carbon off the throttle plate & tube, so now my gas pedal shouldn't have moments where it sticks anymore.


>>28925121
On my Yoder, there are coolant lines that run through the IAC housing so you'll want some hose clamps or a catch pan underneath

Yeah, I *totally* didn't kinda forget to do this and let a bunch of coolant drain out the bottom of the engine bay...totally....
Relatedly, is it bad to leave a big void/air-bubble in the coolant lines, or do I need to pour a bit into the hoses? (To put it another way: do bubbles in the coolant find their way out as the engine cranks & runs?)
Also also, the coolant was like a yellow/green color, and I feel like I've heard that Japanese cars should actually use red coolant instead? But maybe I'm thinking of ATF, or that the color is the other-way around.

>>28928467
Your water pump is going to push out the bubbles. Run it for like 15 minutes with your overflow cap off, then check your levels.

Dont forget to make sure the little gasket is still there when you put the IAC back on

>>28928467
Asian formula is usually red, yeah

>>28929552
Do I need to replace all my coolant immediately then, or is it not that big of a deal?

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I replaced the purge valve for the second time. The RS is notorious for blowing them, but I'm just swapping parts since I don't have access to an evap machine. I replaced everything they recommend so i'm stumped after this.

>fuel hose + cap, (broken).
>evap canister
>purge valve

Throwing some very small evap leak code. Might try buying an evap machine or taking it to the stealership.

Also bought brake pads, began taking them off. But don't have the ratchet tool to push all 4 cylinders back in at the same time. Used to cheaper brakes. So put them back on since they still had like 20% left.

>had constant battery drain issues with my Subaru legacy, would have to jump start it every morning
>turns out it was from a retarded design decision where the dcm module would constantly try to connect to a defunct 3g network, even when the car was off
>dealership said it was under warranty over the phone, then said it wasn't when I drove there
>instead of fixing it they just pulled the fuse for it, which stops the battery drain because it disabled the module BUT also kills my front speakers
>whatever, they didn't charge me and car runs, that's all I care about
>another, smaller shop I go to said he can do some sort of circuitry work to stop the dcm module and still give me my speakers back for ~$350, but I never bothered to get that repair done
Aside from the slight hassle is there anything wrong with me just inserting the fuse when I drive and pulling it whenever I park? Just want to make sure that such a practice won't cause any more issues.

>>28929611
Immediately? Nah. Before winter comes around again maybe

>>28929897
What happens if you just unplug the DCM? Not the fuse, but the connector where power enters that module. If you dont lose anything you actually use by doing that, thats what I would do.

If you want to fix it and still have the module powered on, locate an ignition power wire, run a fuse off ot it to POWER IN on the module. I bet thats the $350 fix that the dealership would do.

>>28930165
>What happens if you just unplug the DCM?
No fucking clue where that is or how to reach it. I only know the fuse box because it's easy to get too. I didn't think that was an option because neither the dealership or the small shop listed exclusively disconnecting the dcm as an option.

>>28929931
Oh, I'm Florida.
Winter isn't really a thing here.
February only had a single hard freeze, and it was the first one we've had in a few years.

>>28930170
Quick search shows it behind the middle dash panel right underneath your screen.

There is a wire harness that you can plug in whete the DCM is plugged in now. If you google "Suburu DCM bypass harness" there's lots of $40 solutions.

https://youtu.be/h-fS1BwIk8g?si=9j0ngIymZK2FrQaR

>>28930244
I would do it on the next 90 days then

>>28930250
Huh that's very helpful, thanks. Just need to make sure that I find one for Legacy specifically.

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chinkshit sales coming

>>28930851
I was going to point out you can get basically the same thing at Harbor Freight for a few bucks less but noticed the euro symbol. derp, its early here.

Does the euro zone have a harbor freight equivalent?

>>28930996
>Does the euro zone have a harbor freight equivalent?
No, but they probably sell the same product, like exact same chinkshit product in generic autoparts stores for 80 bucks

>>28931004
I'm sure they do. Likely made in the same factory that just changes out molds, plastic colors, or sometimes just a different stick on label.

I hope that anon realizes they're not accurate and just gets you in the ballpark for torque and shouldn't be used for anything other than "good enough". Even the older style mechanical torque wrenches are superior despite their low price.

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>>28931005
>Even the older style mechanical torque wrenches are superior despite their low price.
deflection torque wrenches are indeed superior
>dont need to keep them in a bulky special snowflake case
>don't need batteries or to be kept away from oil
>can drop them, use them in reverse
>calibration? just bend the needle back to zero lol
>shit is like $12, not $120

a digital is more precise when it's accurate, you wouldn't want to use these on inch-lbs stuff for example but for most important parts of a car this ol bastard is all you need.

>>28931005
torque test channel got the cheapest digital adapter on amazog, and it had some 1-3 % accuracy

>>28931110
Yeah, and the $15 mechanical torque wrenches at harbor freight have good accuracy too. For the average /o/ wrencher, I'd wager the traditional mechanical ones are simply easier to use that try to read that digital screen and oops 'it can't fit there' sorta shit. Thats mostly why I don't think shade tree mechanics shouldn't be getting the in-line ones.

>>28931086
>you wouldn't want to use these on inch-lbs stuff for example
I have a 1/4" drive one that does inch pounds. You can totally use a small one for small things

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New fuel pump in
While I'm back here I'm pulling the fuel sending unit to throw a multimeter on it, it's been reading 2 gallons lower than it should for years but is getting closer to 3-4 gallons off now.

Can /o/ help me troubleshoot a weird noise coming out of my v8 chally?
When I push the clutch in and shift from 1st to second it has a very faint grinding noise, like what you'd hear if you didn't use the clutch at all but like a tenth of the sound. It doesn't make a sound when I'm at a stop at all. The second I release the clutch the sound stops.
There's also a faint screech sound when I'm backing up slowly, not fully releasing the clutch.
I know it's transmission related but not sure if it's the synchros or the clutch.
I just recently had it looked at for another reason and they said the fluid looked good and it was topped off so I don't think it's low on fluid either.

>>28931527
Throwout bearing?
Driveshaft center support bearing is also a difficult diagnosis usually but idk if challenger has one of those

>>28931531
they do have one but the throwout bearing sounds more apt. thanks anon.

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got a low mileage 2003 ford focus back up and running after a ton of work to it. im trying to find these two brackets, but can't find a part number anywhere. it is just two simple brackets. the first (which can still mostly be seen) is a bracket connected to the bottom of the block and the second (which is 95% gone) holds the bottom of the cat and connects to the first bracket.

My AC appears to be acting up. Do you guys do your own AC recharges? I am pretty mechanically inclined, but would need to buy the hoses and stuff. As opposed to just taking it to a shop, paying some money and getting it charged.

I tried those refill bottles, but those didn't work for me.

>>28923394
These are the guys getting hired to do pretty much everything in the west now btw lads, enjoy the decline.

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Bought a 2009 street triple yesterday for 2500 then rode it home 80 miles, and today fixed most things wrong with it, which wasn't much.
The throttle was sticking which was from the throttle assembly just being too close to the end of the handlebars so the bar ends were clamping down on it. While I did that I also adjusted the throttle play to tighten it up a bit.
The brake fluid looked like dark caramel so I did the front and back brakes
The brake light switch for the front brakes wasn't working cause a connector was snapped off for some reason, ordered another one that'll be here tuesday.
Next on the list is new tires cause these are ten years old even if they look new, and some new turn signals cause these are held on by electrical tape but they work so I'm putting it off.

>>28934834
That is a very cool bike for 2500. I remember wanting a daytona 675 for a while. Is there any unusual bullshit about those bikes mechanically? Like ducati desmo valves that need adjustment every 5 miles, or BMW driveshaft splines that eat themselves?

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Friendly reminder to consider using dielectric grease on the boot of the coils or things will get stuck when you need to remove them to replace spark plugs and coils.
Also didn't help that the dealership I took my bike in for service 15k miles ago replaced my spark plug but reused the coils that originally came with the bike.
Hell of a time to get the center metal terminal, that connects to the spark plug, out so I can use my air compressor to eject the torn off boot.

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gay muffler

>>28935131
>ONE 1 I
>TWO 2 II
>THREE 3 III
>FOUR 4 IIII
Kek it's the rosetta stone of coils

>>28935550
Kek, I just didn’t want to mix them up and my hand writing is atrocious and being frustrated with the torn boots I expected to be confused which coil and spark plugs were paired together when I finally got them out.

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It’s never been more over than it currently is bros…

Are there engine specific manuals that have advanced service/repair instructions and torquings or is this some bullshit that I need to sift through fuddlore Facebook posts and decade old forums to figure out?

>>28935700
I don't think torque specs will unfuck your engine. I think you have a coolant leak into the oil.

>have to change fuel pump
Job's already going shitty. One of the carpet tie-down screws was stripped from the PO being a retarded faggot. No longer sold by OEM (or out of stock?) Used are $20 and still look like shit. I'll find a similar length bolt and slap a washer on top of it I guess...Then half of the screws for the gasoline tank cover plate are missing. Oh great, this job has been done before and it was probably botched. I really hope they used an oem-like pump and didn't buy something third party and crimp on connectors.
>Then I need to replace master brake cylinder grommets
I could replace the whole thing but I'm trying to avoid bleeding the brakes. I'm lazy.

>>28935709
Yeah big dog, gotta take that bitch apart in order to stop that from happening. But when it’s time to put it together I’d like to do it properly so I don’t have to do it a second time.

>>28935732
Oh you're gonna try to fix it altogether. Uhh, Haynes Manuals or Chilton Manuals are probably your best bet. Otherwise, maybe try asking a few AIs to get that info for you, it'll trawl the old forum posts for you.

>>28935750
Cheers, will prolly blog post about the ordeal this weekend

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>>28935754
Good luck, fren. Sometimes the best projects are "I have no fucking idea what i'm doing" then by the end of it, you're a boomer sage telling some sperg exactly how to do it step by step.

>>28935094
not that I know of. I looked into the street triples, gixxers, and cbrs. I know the street triple had a stator recall but that's it.