Questions that don't deserve their own thread.Rat Fink editionPrevious thread: >>28956628
>>28979147Why doesn't anyone like George Russell in F1?
I just got my brakes replaced by a shop. I nearly drove out into traffic when I pulled out of their driveway because the brake pedal's travel distance has vastly increased. I used to just touch the brake and I'd stop, now I have to push it most of the way to the floor.Is this how brakes are supposed to be, or should I go back and ask them to do something to change it?Also, my dashcam is behaving weirdly now -- it keeps restarting while I'm driving (it plays a jingle every time it powers up). I think the power is cutting out intermittently to it. Is this something that they might have damaged while fixing the brakes??!?
>>28979172He constantly whines to the stewards about imaginary infractions by other drivers. Hasn't matured after several years in the sport. British press and commentary teams always suck him off.
>>289791721. he has come across as whiny and privileged, which is fine if you have off the track rizz (Norris) or are actually winning lots of races on track (Lewis)2. his on track conduct has also earned him the nickname “osama bin russell” since he generally overdrives his car which causes on track incidents. he has always lived in the shadow of another driver (Lewis/Kimi) despite perceiving himself as the mercedes #13. he races for mercedes, who is the least liked team on the gridHe could probably do a lot of good going to another team, he would be a good replacement for Verstappen at RB of Verstappen ever leaves.
>>28979177Without knowing what kind of car you have I’m going to assume this is a hydraulically boosted system and not a newer eboost system. how hard you push the pedal is what generates your overall deceleration in a hydro boost system. But the torque that the caliper/pad/rotor is able to provide is a function of two things1. friction material state2. air in the caliper1 can be broken up into 2 parts.A. if they did not burnish the brakes then you are still driving around in the break in period which will eventually settle. Find a gravel road and do 5-10 hard brake applies to finish the burnish.B. They used shitty pads and rotors, which you’ll just have to live withIf there is air in the calipers (2) then the caliper will not evenly apply the pad to the rotor reducing the overall torque. This can be fixed with a brake bleed, which should typically be the last step of a brake job. Idk about the dashcam, that seems unrelated. Check its wiring, I doubt it’s caused by the shop.
>>28979147Anyone still doing VIN checks?
>>28979147Should I change my rotors? I dont know if i should change my rotors, I'm guessing they have never been changed, car is 10 years old.
>>28979177>Is this how brakes are supposed to beno, they are supposed to be firm as fuckshould I go back and ask them to do something to change it?yes
>>28979255No>>28979354Probably
>>28979354unless you are trying to cheapmaxx you should change your rotors every time you change your pads. you can get away with not changing the rotors and refinishing them, but new rotors are less than $100 a piece anyway
>>28979512>you should change your rotors every time you change your padslmao get the fuck out of herenot everybody has €€€€ to splash on cars anoni'm self wrenching this shit, it means im poor
>>28979177sounds like they didn't properly bleed the system
Gonna be attending my first track day soon and I also need new tyres.Friends are urging me to get semi slicks but I feel like its really not needed for a newbie shitter. I'm gonna be fine on regular performance tyres right?
>>28979839being your first day you're probably not gonna go balls to the wall full send. it's better to get the hang of things with what you already have. also, that way when you do push it a little too far past the limit it's done at a lower speed than what semi-slicks would let you do, so you have more room to recover, or the crash won't be as severe.
This is the cylinder on my scooter. As you can see the cooling fins don't wrap around because the cam chain valley is in the way. I'm curious as to how that one side stays cool because I assume that side will be botter than the rest and the piston doesn't expand funny and seize. Do the fins pull more heat than I think? Is the lopsided heating taken into account in machining the piston?
What's causing this oil all over my valve covers, seemingly somewhat fresh as it's glistening? I spilled a tiny bit of oil on the front of my engine cover a couple years back, but I can't imagine how it got on the outside or rear of the valve covers, or why it would still be wet. It wasn't that much anyway. No evidence of spray on the hood lining or engine bay, no missing oil evident on the dipstick over the last 2 years, no blue smoke.I ask because a few months ago I started having misfires. Back then I pulled and cleaned cylinder 1 spark plug and the surrounding area it went away. But now it's back intermittently.
>>28979988Do the spark plug holes go through the valve cover? Iirc some some valve covers have a little gasket around the spark plug. Maybe it is leaking and causing the misfire. What engine is it?
>>28979992No they're in the header, the valve covers are to either side creating that godawful canyon I can't easily get in to clean. The spark plug bay is basically a bowl, but the oil is on TOP of the valve covers and on the outsides. I'm especially confused by the little wet spots by the exhaust manifolds, no way my spill got there. 2JZGE.
>>28979988my old 7mge had a similar problem despite fresh valve cover gaskets and the spark plug valley gasket. i'd see the dirt stuck to the oil residue around the seam, and just chalked it up to the aluminium covers being slightly warped due to overheating at one point in its life.i suppose if you were bothered enough, you could take your covers off and use a straight edge on the sealing/mating surfaces to measure for flatness.
>>28980020I can't even be assed to properly clean the spark plug bay lol. Getting to all 6 plugs requires taking off the intake manifold and nah. I wish I could spray something in there and flush it out but it would just be a 1 gallon pool of liquid.
>>28979988If it ain't to a drip don't worry about it.
>>28979994They absolutely can go through the valve cover in lots of engines. There are designs where the valve covers are made of two pieces and there are lots of designs where the valve cover is one piece and there are spark plug wells that go down onto the head of the engine. For example look up the 7AFE in google images, that's got a big single piece valve cover and the spark plugs go right through it.
Which is better as a large vehicle jumper cable:1 gauge 30' CCA (copper clad aluminum)OR2 gauge 20' OFC (pure copper)Related:trying to jump a 7.3l Ford diesel with a 4.2l Ford gas, would it be easier to get the batteries charged at a parts store instead?
>>28979981>that side will be botterThe fins are objectively massive, the mass of the casting for the valley wicks enough heat to those side fins to compensate
>>28980099pure copper. cca can't handle as many amps as ofc.
>wash engine>Due to shape, water pools around spark plugsWhy do they make it like that?
How do I explain to somebody that has never owned a car before that a Jaguar F-type R is a bad choice for a first car
hi, i have a stupid question. i am not a car guy by any means. my windshield wipers wont move. at first i thought the motors were broke, but the screws for them still rotate. the arms are still functionally capable of moving as well. i recently replaces the blades because they needed to be replaced anyway. what's the next thing i should do?
>>28980290sometimes in life you have to learn a lesson for yourself. tell him "have fun"
>>28979512I never change my rotors to minimize rotating/unsprung weight.
Is it all right to store tires on my porch for a week? I figure they're outside on the damn car why is Google's dumbass AI saying they will immediately be ruined if they're kept on the ground uncovered. I just put a trash bag over the top to make sure birds and stuff don't build a nest in there.
>>28980371Have you ever stored your car outside? I think they'll be fine.
>>28980432Exactly my point. My car lives outside why the fuck would keeping the tires outside make a difference.Google AI is retarded.
>>28980433Yes, yes it is. Buying a nice tarp is good to keep the sun off though.
I need to top off my AC system, car uses R134a.Every R134a on scamazon is labeled as a "replacement"OReillys sells Murray brand R134a, its labeled as Freon/HFCWhich one should I use?
>>28980371I would put a sheet of cardboard down so you don’t scuff them but otherwise yes its fine for a week or soif you leave them there for several months they can start to rot, especially if they’re not mounted to a wheel
>>28980288Because they don't expect someone to wash the engine? Pretty sure there's warning in most owner's manuals telling you to avoid doing exactly that.
I have an extremely high milage car and it seems to have lifter tick (hydraulic valves, diesel engine)It is intermittent and really only on low revs and when the engine is coldTossed in a can of pic related first, but what should I be consider next if it doenst go away?Also, the previous owners used thicc as fuck 15w40 instead of the recommended 5w30, probably to make the ticking go away but I don't want to run molasses
How outdated is the first car infographic in the sticky thread? It looks like it hasn't been updated in a decade
>>28980290Easiest would be to look up what commonly goes wrong with them and what that costs to repair and if he's still not deterred then you did your best and be happy that he's happy.Oh and don't be that bitter prick with the "I told you so" if/when it breaks down. Keep that shit to yourself.
>>28979147Rat fink is so fucking ugly I hate boomers
>>28980696Seconding this, it could use a refresh at least
>>28979147Why does the entire world torture me how is this possible with it not being a simulation
>>28980696>>28980728See a need, fill it. Knock yourselves out.t. seen that shitshow more than once
If I buy a used Miata, will I destroy the transmission/clutch trying to teach myself how to drive a manual?
I don't have a garage and my surroundings have lots of woods. How do I go about a final solution towards keeping the billion spiders off my truck without damaging the paint. I'm getting real tired of having to swat away at least two or three big ass orb weavers or worse widows off my doors or hood seals every time I open the doors, or else they immediately start trying to bolt inside
>>28981092No, as long as you don't do anything retarded like aggressively downshift into gears the car doesn't want you to go into, or poor shifting with already worn/ broken synchros. Manual transmissions are very obvious about what they don't want you to do once you get the car moving, and Stalling the car will not break it. If you have a quiet neighborhood to learn in then do it.
>2021 gaymanchevy yukon xl>6.2 v8 with 10 speed auto>With denali package for all the fancy pants and gadgets and gizmos >Clean one owner no accidents carfax with over two dozen service records at the original dealership >99965 miles>$42000 at a reputable dealerIs this something worth considering? I'm sure the reason it's so cheap is that 100,000 miles which scares normal people away, but I've been wrenching for over 15 years now so repairs and maintenance arent a concern to me. Plus it's also had a price drop recently, so I figure I can probably at least get it down to 40k in addition to my trade in. And yes a fuckoff huge SUV like this would actually be practical for me, I have one kid, two dogs and a pregnant wife so all that space would be great for road trips and camping.
>>28981472on the plus side if the engine was going to go it wouldve alreadyon the bad side it was probably a cab/livery vehicle to do 100k miles in 6 years. would unironically look at used navigators/expeditions too
>>28981477Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking, survivorship bias.I mean it was a 70 something thousand dollar vehicle originally, I figured more it was some boomers road trip vehicle that he got rid of right before it hit 100k. It was also registered for personal use, so that would be quite the well off uber driver.
help assuage my fear /o/New Miata fag. Used floor jack & jack stands and crawled under a car for the first time in my life. Parking brake engaged, car in gear, blocks behind rear wheels. Gave it the hip bump and it's sturdy.Previous owner over tightened oil drain plug. Pulling hard on the wrench makes me nervous that I'm going to move the car and crush myself. Tell me this is a retarded fear?
>>28981498Unless your jacks are old soda cans there's no chance a car as light as a Miata breaks them even if it was dropped from your ceiling
>>28981501Less worried about the jack stands breaking than I am tipping them over or upsetting the car in some way. The stands are all new and have safety pins.
>>28981510Maybe I should have read your post twice, mb. No, they aren't going to slide sideways off the stands. You can get ramps and chucks if you're really worried about it. And anyways if you can put enough power in the wrench to not shear the drain plug off while also flipping the car off the stands onto your body without breaking your bones or popping nerves in your arm and hands, the plug is likely made of indestructimum and you're too strong for me senpai
>>28981472>42k for a 100k mile vehicle > with a GM v8 known for killing itself the truck market is seriously fucking retarded. like the other anon said this is probably one of the good 6.2s, and if its that high mileage its probably all highway. but damn you could get a new explorer or durango for not much more.
>>28981358peppermint oil in all the crevices. wheel wells, mirrors, doorjambs, body panel gaps. shit’s messy though
>>28980696that’s because it hasn’t
>>28981358Collect them in a dedicated room and make a gold silk suit
How do you drive an automatic in a traffic jam? Is it better to lock it in 2nd gear to avoid unnecessary gear changes?
>>28981564>the truck market is seriously fucking retardedYeah fucking tell me about it. I don't even want a new car right now, but some dumb fucking cunt totaled my old truck in a parking lot so now I don't have much of a choice. >Explorer V6 only, no thanks.>DurangoI'd much rather take my chances with gm than stalantis
>>28981600No, just drive. The transmission knows what it's doing.
>>28981525kek, thanks anon
>>28981761It'll help loosen the bolt if you get the tool on it and pretension it on the bolt in the direction of loosening then use the heel of your hand to smack the tool to loosen the bolt.If that doesn't get it then it's time to rig for a cheater bar of some sort
>>28981600>How do you drive an automatic in a traffic jam?You're supposed to pull up right on the car in front and then stand on the brake the entire time while also creeping forward a foot or so intermittently even though no one else has moved. Except for the intermittent creeping forward for no reason, of course.>Is it better to lock it in 2nd gear2nd will likely be too high. IME most automatic cars will idle forward about 10mph and that's too fast for the traffic jams I've been in so even holding it back in 1st would move too fast in most instances. Something around 5mph (with occasional bursts up to 45-55 and then shut it right back down) is closer to what I've seen actually happening in traffic jams.
How do I learn to drive if I'm a broke 28 year old who's never been in the driver seat before? I'm tired of bicycling everywhere
>>28982082Driving school.
>>28981917If the bolt is metal, an induction heater can help too. Heat it up, let it cool, etc. Especially good at breaking debris off.
>>28981600if you have a transmission that likes to hunt (like the ford 10r) then it can make sense to force it to hold a gear. what i will do is > very slow launch in 1st > leave a big gap> get to about 10> shift to 2nd> creep at about 14 mph or as fast as i can without touching the brake stop and go sucks and mathematically if you’re accelerating to 25 just to brake to 0 its the same as creeping at 12.5 mph anyway. semi drivers will typically do the same thing
>>28979147I'm looking to buy a jeep soon, how do I politely or indirectly tell people not to give me ducks?
I have a pending P0420 code on a car I recently bought, how do I know whether it's the o2 sensor or the catalytic converter? so far I've done:>revved the car in neutral, smooth both up and down>walked around it while idling, no strong smell >live voltage graph of upstream and downstream o2 sensorsthe graphs had the downstream sensor at a constant .45 volts and the upstream sensor varying slightly from .4-.5 volts. I didn't measure the temperature at the inlet/outlet but that's probably my next step. any tips on where to look next or what the problem might be?
Are all Americans work vans pretty much comparable in terms of quality reliability and these things? Or is one brand a standout? I'm looking to buy a used van to convert into a small camper
>first get car, tyre is dead flat>Fill it up, as expected, it's dead flat again after a few days>Fill it up again>It has now been totally fine for a whole monthHow
>>28982574> someone hands you duck> pull out lighter> melt duckProblem solved
my plan:>acquire used subframe parts: lower suspension arms and wishbones that haven't corroded away>sand off and clear away any rust>spray rust converter>spray coat of black paint designed for rust inhibition on these parts>install them in carany flaws with this plan? something i'm missing?it'd be much much cheaper than buying new and I have experience with rust removal/spraying.
>>28982648Did you miss the part where I said "politely"?
>>28979147What car is this?
>>28982615you need an emissions sniffer to do a real diagnosis, but P0420 is almost never the o2 sensor. the cat is shot. time to add a spark plug non fouler.
>>28982710Nevermind I found another image of the same car.It crashed into a group of 14 childeren/teachers in my neighborhood and killed 3 right there and then, a 4th died in the hospital.
>>28982710>>28982728>old beamer in NL crashedwas it a brown driver?
>>28981092Children learn to drive manual in about an hour in vehicles that have never had and never will have a clutch job so you should be fine unless you're retarded.
What’s a site I can upload a temporary video of my motorcycle to to post here and ask if it’s running normal?
>>28983012ibb.co has an autodelete
What's it like to drive for Uber/Lyft?
>>28983012If it's under 1gig, you can use https://litterbox.catbox.moe
>>28982628ram is easily the worst of the four because they are rebadged fiats and also FWD. adequate as a cheap van for business but won’t be good offroad.next I’d rank the GMs. the express/savana are indestructible but ancient. like, seven segment LED display and optional cruise control ancient. they are awful cars to buy of your own accord and you can’t stand up straight in the back. if they weren’t reliable and cheap they would easily be last. second I’d go with the transit. improves on the old van design in basically every way, RWD with optional AWD, enough room in the rear to stand up, but good luck finding one, prices are very inflatedfirst, the mercedes sprinter is the best. but they are also the most expensive and don’t have a strong commercial presence in America unlike Europe, so parts are harder to get transit is probably the one you want.
>>28982574You put signs in the windows that say "Duck Off!" of course
>>28982615>P0420 code on a car I recently boughtI had the same and decided to ignore the code as I wasn't in an emission inspection area. After a few months of driving on the freeway for 30 minutes each way the code cleared itself.Since a senior woman owned the car before me my theory is she didn't drive the vehicle hard enough to get the cat truly up to temp. It took months to clear itself as it takes something over 100 drive cycles without the conditions for the code existing and my commute probably wasn't hitting all the conditions required to be considered a drive cycle.tl;dr clear the code and only worry if it comes back
>>28983080Worse, the Ram Promasters are Fiat Ducatos they crammed the Pentastar v6 into as an afterthought with zero space left to work on it. They'd probably be less dogshit if they left the physically smaller Fiat 4 banger powertrains in it they were originally designed for so you could actually work on the damn thing.
>>28979147what's everyone's opinions on a first project car with limited wrenching experience?>get an econobox to learn and fuck up on>say fuck it and get one of your dream cars
>>28983209miatayou could get a 1.0l FWD shitbox but actually those transverse engines in a tiny as shit engine bay aren't fun to work on let alone learn to wrench
>>28983209This >>28983210Despite being a meme, they're simple, cheap, easy to work on, and incredibly well documented. The aftermarket is also gargantuan, so you've plenty of routes and "upgrades" to choose from.
I got a rusty hear shield on my engine. Makes the car look clapped. How to I treat the rust?
>>28983209Get something with a strong aftermarket and without rust or you'll regret it. You do not need to train on a car you don't care about. Mechanics is knowledge based, not skill based.
>>28983362wire brush and rust convertor
>>28979147i wondercan brake fluid remove undercoat of cars like it does to paint?im cleaning underbody of my car and its pain in the ass to remove it via wirebrush head for an angle grinder so im looking for somple yet easier solutions
>>28983209get your fucking dream car.How much fucking up do you think you can possible do to a car? The answer is none. You cant do anything to a car that cant be undone, except maybe totalling it. How much learning do you think wrenching takes? Its a brainlet activity. There are tons of videos on youtube on how to do it. Videos you dont even really need because you can just fucking look at how to dismentle stuff and just fucking remember how to put iy back.
>car's only a year old>under 10k miles >juicy warranty>random urge to tunehow do I stop myself from being retarded
Baby boomers across the street is obsessively hitting his car alarm/lock while I'm outside spray bombing my beater. Is he trying to communicate? I'm nowhere near him they no iverspray can get near his truck he's a house down and cross the street. Got a truck in my driveway worth more than his annual so it's not like I'm willing to be careless.
>>28979147What small, interior accessories have improved your driving? Picrel is mine.
>>28982711>>28983161It seems to have cleared itself. I was doing some unrelated work and when I put it back together and started it it was clear
>>28983694just use paint stripper, it'll work much better and is cheaper. they make a gel kind that you can apply, let it sit a few hours then scrape off with a plastic scraper.
>>28984312your cat is probably marginal, it will happen again and keep getting more frequent until it's eventually on 24/7
>>28983996literally who cares? if he's not man enough to come talk to you it doesn't matter what his opinion is.
>turn on A/C>don't hear that activation noise>air blows either room temp or warm>all fan speeds work>a/c light on dash still glowswhat is broke?
>>28984523ac has no more refrigerant
>plug horn relay all the way inDoesnt work>Have it sitting out slightly>Horn blares as soon as I connect the batteryRelay is just fucked right?
>>28984791probably corrosion on the terminals. if the relay pins look clean, it's probably the female terminals in the socket. hopefully you can de-pin the terminals easily, but if it's in a fuse box that looks like it'd be an adventure to remove, probably better to just get some razor thin screwdriver or something to scrape the terminals clean.alternatively, push and pull the relay in and out of the socket several times, that might clean it up a bit as well.
>>28984791oh wait are you saying the horn just blares non-stop the moment you connect the battery to the rest of the car? if so then the relay probably is fucked lol.although it doesn't explain why when you plug the relay all the way in, it doesn't work. This sounds obvious but, you're honking the horn normally when you do this right?
>>28984806When the relay is slightly pulled out it blared the moment I connect the negative terminal on the battery. No honking required.When its pushed in it doesn't work at all, regardless of whether or not I press the horn button.I took it to an auto electrician and he said it was just that the physical horns needed replacing, I've done that but its still not working right.
>>28984838Lol that dude is an idiot. Try to clean the terminals that the relay connects to and swap the shit relay with a known good one and see if it works.
>expensive body kit>1 inch from the groundHow the fuck do people drive with these? Be careful you don't drive up a slight incline ever?
>>28984850Alternatively, remove the relay, turn the car on, and directly send 12v to the main terminals by jumping #30 and #87 with a paperclip. Then you can confirm that the horns are working and that the fusebox/relay terminal is working, and so the only culprit can be the relay itself (assuming your switch circuit from the steering wheel to the #85 and #86 terminals in the fusebox/relay tray is working).
>>28984868The phrase used is "all show no go">how do people drive thesethey don't
how high can you jack a vehicle on one side? I'm always scared it's going to tip over
>>28985005You will probably run out of jack before it flips.
>>28985005Unless you have one of those massive high lift Farm Jacks, I very much doubt you'll tip your car over, even at fully height.
>>28984523your AC is made up of numerous components, any one of which could cause it to not work. you will have to learn to troubleshoot the system yourself or pay someone who can. search youtube for troubleshoot car air conditioning.
I don't get the point of car meets
>>28981600>How do you drive an automatic in a traffic jamTry to leave enough of a gap that you don't have to brake and generally just suffer like everyone else. Same as a manual really.
>>28985415>get out of the house>see cool cars>meet like minded individualswhat's not to get?
>>28984523Need a new compressor
>>28985415I go to car meets to steal cigarette lighters.
>>28979147How much could i expect to get for a non running 78 super beetle convertible? It died while running and i suspect the engine is seized after since troubleshooting. It's been sitting for a year now because i don't have the time or desire to rebuild it and a crate engine swap would be like 5 or 6 grand which doesn't seem worth it to me. It's in good shape otherwise the interior is excellent the body and pan have no rust and i replaced the drum brakes with discs.
Just need an id on these cars:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMwgdgOjJj0Is the 1:10 comment true? I see one is clearly a Porsche but I don't know if the forward-moving car is, looks like it could be Tesla or anything to me
>>28985489the>meet peoplepart
>>28980670Gasoline. Couple glugs.
>>28982574Use the duck to jack off and aim your dick towards the person that gave you the duck, so when you cum you hit them square in the face, Silence of the Lambs-style. Do this while maintaining eye contact and they'll get the message.
>>28982826A polack, supposedly.