The Automotive Thread

What are your plans for the car?

I owned one and sold it a year and a half ago. The thing about the S2ks are that they're unlike many other cars. You've got to rev the piss out of them to get the most out of them. I had friends who went from SRT-4's to S2Ks that hated the cars because the insta-torque wasn't there. They do make a very good track car with a few basic suspension mods especially if you add the hard top.

If you've got specific uses in mind shoot me a PM and I'll share my experiences and can even hook you up with the guy that helped me build mine.

 

My wife and I are going to be purchasing a new car, probably this coming weekend. We've narrowed the vehicles down to 4, but we're open to suggestions. This is going to be my wife's daily driver, and she commutes approximately 50 miles per day roundtrip for work. We're essentially looking for something reliable, decent gas mileage, but that's safe. Most of her driving is on the interstates in and around Denver, and people drive like assholes around here.
Our picks are the Nissan Altima or Rogue, or the Mazda 6 or CX7. I'm partial to SUVs, so the crossovers are attractive to me. I also like the idea of my wife having AWD, but I'm aware that for the most part, the FWD sedans are going to be good enough for her purposes. I'm not too concerned about the difference in gas mileage as she's been driving a Mazda Tribute and the gas hasn't broken us yet.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any knowledge of these vehicles, and if we should eliminate any of them from consideration. I've looked at the typical resources (Car and Driver, Consumer Reports, etc.) and really only the CX7 doesn't get the greatest reviews, but it seems like that is mostly due to road noise issues, which doesn't concern me too much. Should it though, for more than just annoyance concerns? Are there any other vehicles in the $18K - $24K range we should consider?
I've gotten great advice from here before, back on the old board I was given really good advice on towing a trailer behind my Jeep, so I figured I'd check out the thoughts on here so I got all of the information that I could. Thank you very much in advance.

 

Get yourself something fun and AWD that's decent on gas... Mazdaspeed 6. You can find them used with low miles for around $17k.

 

Just want a DD I can take to the track as well. Probably going to build a Mazdaspeed Miata, 290whp with bolt-ons, a slightly bigger turbo and stock reliability. I can only afford an AP1 S2000, which have stupid oversteer issues and fragile rear ends. I drove an AP2 for a week and absolutely loved it though.

 

I think there are a few insurance types on here so here it goes...

Does anyone know of a document/place I can look up the salvage qualifications for a given state? I believe that there are different criteria for each but I'm not sure.

More specifically I'm looking at "salvaged" vehicles in CA, TN, and TX if that helps at all. Thanks

 

I have a 1996 Isuzu Rodeo that is burning blower fuses. This is new and I am not aware of any other electrical problems. Where should I start looking for problems? What can I test to pinpoint the issue? Does this mean having to pull out the dashboard?

 

I'll be going to see The Sultan of Michigan hear at the end of March. Can't wait, just an awesome car collection of muscle cars and exotics. Here's a video of a tour a couple years ago, apparently the collection is doubled now:



I'll bring back pictures and hopefully some HD video

 

If it's burning blower fuses, your blower motor is probably toast. You can check the wiring going to it to make sure it's not shorted out or anything, and check the blower motor resistor, but it probably needs to be replaced. The blower motor doesn't require the dash to be removed or anything, it usually mounts to the passenger side firewall, in the engine bay. You just have to disconnect the wires going to it, undo the cooling tube going to the motor, remove a few bolts/screws, and pull it out. Reverse that to install the new one. It's a pretty easy do-it-yourself job, and much, much cheaper than having a shop do it.

Go to an auto parts store, and pick up a Haynes or Chilton service manual for your Rodeo, it will show you step by step what to do, usually with pictures. That manual will tell you how to do just about everything to fix things yourself. Most places like Autozone should be able to test the blower motor for you as well.

Here's a generic picture, should give you an idea what you're looking for:

 

Thanks for the help. Is there any way to test the resistor at the same time? Is it advisable to replace the motor and resistor at once?

 

If the resistor is bad, it will cause the fan to either only work on slow speeds, and stop working on high speeds, or the opposite, where it will only work if you have it on high. I haven't personally heard of a bad resistor causing fuses to blow.

The new motor probably includes a new resistor as well though.

 

Hey guys, sure many of you are Mustang guys, so I hope you can help me out here.

I have an electrical problem with my '89 LX convertible. The headlights work fine, the CD player works too, and the lighter works. The problem is, the blinkers and the A/C don't always work. Lately, it's been incredibly rare for it to work. Back in the summer, it was hit and miss. Now, I have to keep my window down to signal. I'm freezing my ass off and people don't pay attention to the hand signals, so I need to take care of this. I don't know what gets it to work, but I've only noticed one time what could have triggered it. After starting it up for the first time in months recently, when I opened the passenger door and knelt on the seat, it kicked on instantly. Also, sometimes when bringing the car into high RPM's very quickly, the vents will blow for a second and the blinkers will start working before cutting back out (Noticed this when I was turning). I recently replaced the fuel pump relay when that stopped working, and that was all corroded and shitty. It's located near the passenger seat, so I figure either me opening the door or shifting my weight on that side of the car might have done something. Then again, I'm not a mechanic, so it might be a coincidence. I don't know if those details are important but it's the best I can do. Any idea?

 

I looked at all of the wiring diagrams for your car and did not see any thing that would cause both of these problems. Most likely since the one relay that you replaced was corroded the others are as well. Since both your AC and wipers are controlled by relay or a timing device it would be a good idea to start with replacing them. Intermittent electrical problems are often caused by bad relays.
You can test a relay with a 9 volt battery. The relay should be labeled with a input positive and negative. Attach the 9V battery to these terminals and you should hear a click. If it does not click it is bad.

 

Tested the circut. 0 ohms on the ground at the fuse. Blower motor was bad. Replaced it. Everything works. The blower came with adhesive foam strips that are supposed to serve as the gasket between the new blower and the housing. The strips are pieces of shit and they don't go around the entire hole. I installed the blower without them. I assume they're to seal the housing and the blower. I'd doubt that anything horrible will happen with them not there. Correct?

 

Might lose some airflow from the blower motor out to the engine bay, but it shouldn't be a problem as long as it's tightened down against the firewall. It might also transmit some fan noise into the firewall that the strips would otherwise absorb. In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't be a problem. If for some reason it does cause a problem, just get some self-adhesive weatherstripping from Home Depot and slap it on there.

 

I have a 1993 Toyota Camry that has gotten worse mileage over the last 500 miles than I have ever gotten in it before. Usually around town I get between 21-25 mpg. The last two fill-ups I have gotten around 16 mpg. I need new rear tires, I know that. I replaced the air filter. What else could it be? I did the breaks about 4 months ago, and it just started within the past month, so I don't think they are rubbing or anything.

Also for some reason I never lose oil around town, but once I hit the highway I lose a bunch. Apparently there is some valve that can stick? Maybe this has something to do with it, maybe not. Any information much appreciated.

 

It COULD be either your Mass Air Flow sensor (my guess) or your o2 sensors. Either one malfunctioning could cause your car to run rich and burn all that extra fuel. It could also be a stuck brake caliper.

 

A MAF or O2 would probably cause a check engine light to come on. I'd check your spark plugs and wires first. A gummed plug or lose plug wire can cause a weak spark that would cause you to need more throttle to drive your normal speeds.

A stuck caliper could be a possibility but you can tell that pretty easy as the car will pull to the side like it's out of alignment and you'll smell burning brakes.

If you're mechanically inclined I'd change out the spark plugs, check the wires on a volt meter, and then pop off the valve cover and see if the valves are gummed up. If there's residue in the valves let us know and I'll give you a break down on the correct way to clean them without gumming up the rest of your motor.

Good luck.