OMG, a car problem so simple it eluded me!
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Thursday, January 29, 2009 19:37
VIEWED: 3384
PAGE 3 of 5
Quote:
...the only two cars right now in common use I think are decently engineered are Honda and Volkswagen, and the older ones are far better designed cause they're not needlessly overcomplicated.
Gotta *kind of* agree, although I'm not too keen on the VWs of the last 12 years or so. They did indeed get over-complicated (German over-engineering, we call it). I've got some friends who are VW freaks, and we have a good time knocking each other's cars. "Hey, at least I don't have to pull the damned engine to change the plugs!" "Oh yeah? At least VW makes the front clip easy to remove so you CAN pull the engine quickly!" "Yeah, but that's 'cause they EXPECT you to have to pull it and replace it at regular intervals!" And so on, and so on...
I used to gripe that Honda went cheapo on the suspension parts with the '92-and-later models. Prior to that, they used cast suspension members, which looked (and in fact WERE) quite beefy and very tough. With the '92 Civic and '94 Accord, they switched to stamped pieces, which look and feel... cheap.
Then I hit a curb with my '88 Civic Si. Blew two tires, bent the rims, and TWISTED THE CHASSIS! The suspension bits were fine, of course, being cast iron pieces - but they were bolted to a stamped-steel chassis, so all of the impact was transmitted through the chassis. I put it on stands set at equal heights, and you could rock the thing diagonally about 2 inches. The doors and hatch never closed right after that. So now I see why they use the simpler stamped pieces - you'll mangle the suspension if you hit a curb hard enough, but you won't mangle the chassis - and the suspension bits can be replaced!
I do rather enjoy the simple-but-effective ECU of the older Hondas, too. They're easy enough to hack and re-chip, so you can drop in performance chips that give you more aggressive fuel maps, you can do an electronic "drag launch" feature that will let you hold the gas pedal floored when you have the launch control activated, but will hold the revs at a pre-set RPM (say, 4000rpm), so you push the button, floor the gas, and sidestep the clutch for a good launch with minimal wheelspin while NOT having to feather the clutch and throttle to get off the line without a huge burnout or lugging the engine. And being that it's a pretty simple code (or so I'm told by the guy who wrote the program for it) that's only evident when it's being used, it does absolutely nothing to mess with your emissions come inspection time. :)
The Smart Car scares me, for the same reasons the Mini scares me: German over-engineering. Smart is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and (of all people) Swatch, the Swiss watchmaker. But seeing as Benz is responsible for the vast majority of it, it tends to be way too complicated, as well as too heavy. And it doesn't even get good mileage, really.
I say the Mini scares me as well, and here's why: BMW. They own it, they designed it (the new one, not the original Alec Issoginis design that set the blueprint for front-engined front-wheel-drive cars that's still followed today), and when you have to get it worked on (which is, like, FREQUENTLY), they charge you BMW mechanic rates for it. It's cute, it's ENORMOUSLY entertaining to fling around, but it sure as hell ain't cheap, in any sense of the word.
Mike
"It is complete now; the hands of time are neatly tied."
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Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
I've been driving for 2 winters now with no real heat available, except what gets pushed into the cab at high speeds, or what dribble the fan allotted to me at the odd moment, and while searching sites for how to install a new blower, I came across this
http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?s=36a02dd6c4f100014957
9ab7e5274da3&t=61281
where it suggested you test switches & power supplies.
The gorram connection to the blower was loose is all.What a moron I've been, it took a piece of PAPER jammed behind the plastic plug to push it into a good connection, that's IT!!!!!
Heat, glorious heat.
In USAF, we used to work on jet aircraft with a HAMMER.
We used portable jet engines as power generators. One mechanic parked it under the wing of a supersonic F111, and melted the wing off.
Faking the electrical checks of the nuke weapons system was our speciality (while breathing deadly exhaust fumes).
Now when I install an electric fan in a house window, I forget to open the window.
Does that make you feel any better?
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Just going to throw this out there. Cheapest electric would be to buy a prius and mod it, add some batteries. I'd like to put a luggage rack on top, load it with solar cells, so it's recharging, esp. when parked. The mods are pretty easy I hear.
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2xpost
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Well, I had a 1987 VW Fox I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Gol
(bottom of page)
You could literally remove any part of that thing in a couple minutes if you had to - my only complaints were that the hot lead from the alternator was of a wire gauge too thin and would burn through, something we learned replacing the second alternator at the parts store when some smart guy thought to check it before replacement.
And the other was the eight freakin sensors for various minor gigs which all did the same thing, shut off the fuel pump - and they would fail so regularly that since it was a CIS instead of regulated flow, I just ran a hot lead on an override switch to the damn fuel pump and ignore em thereafter.
As for Honda, good stuff, but one of their best bits of engineering EVER wasn't even a car, it was the Honda NQ50 Spree Scooter.
I swear they're more indestructible than VW beetles, and that's sayin something - had one that wound up with bits of metal all in the trans and a hosed cylinder from some nitwit at a "professional" shop installing the piston backwards, and that wasn't all that was wrong with it, alas...
So the guy who wanted it fixed for his kid, goes back to his salvage yard and brings back two more wrecked up Sprees, and asks me if I could mix n match a runner for the kid - bear in mind I have a hefty rep for downright miracle works in the 50cc community so this wasn't an unusual request.
He comes back three days later, and there she is, solid full compression well tuned and ready to rumble, good as new.
He asks me what I want for the work and I walk over to one of the other 'wrecks' and start it up.
"How bout this one, then ?"
Three wrecks, two running Sprees, just that easy.
Or course, Motobecane or Peugot 50cc's - you'll be pulling your hair out screaming in frustration just trying to TUNE one, much less fix it since all the bolts are oddball sizes and some have bizarre threading cause they're french and gotta be *different*....
And they're cars ain't no better in my experience.
Oh, and the reason the US model SmartCar gets such shitty mileage, is because the original ones had a six speed bump shifter, and the US model has a three speed.
They had any sense they woulda gone with a damn torque converter instead.
-Frem
It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it
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Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
Any reasonably-priced electric cars on the horizon? she asked wistfully.
http://venturebeat.com/2008/01/10/27-electric-cars-companies-ready-to-
take-over-the-road/
Here's a list of 30. Some seem like pretty solid companies and some - not so much.
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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Ok, so I bought a 99 Mustang at a steal..
48,000 miles for 5 grand.
Not too shabby considering all it needed at the time was a new paint job.
Fast forward 2 years...the paint REALLY needs to be done, the rear tire is shot, and I have to replace the battery.
Im also smelling a strange burnt rubber scent from the back right rear tire wall.
Other than that. no problems.
As to Hondas:
I have an 04 Accord. The radio is a piece of sh*t. Honda knew this, and stopped shipping cars with them. The v6 transmission completely blew. (I had it replaced at no cost). The brakes wear out pretty damn fast, and the fit and finish is falling apart.
But other than that, its been pretty good.
I miss my 94 Toyota Corrola station wagon tho. THAT thing was all but bullet proof.
Now, Im wondering, are there any cars out there that are worth the money? Im still a Toyota fan, and I do like Hondas... Im thinki9ng even the Mazda 3. But its a toss up.
I like the fuel economy of a 4 cyl. but want the power of a 6.
Any suggestions?
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Mazda 3: Good car. No, scratch that. GREAT car. Lots of my old "Honda buddies" are moving on, simply because they want something newer, and they aren't finding what they want in Honda showrooms. Several have moved on to the Subaru WRX/STi, and a few have gone the route of the Mazda3. The Mazda owners are happier with their cars, because they cost so damn little to keep running.
If you want more power than the 3 offers, go for the MazdaSpeed3, with 260hp out of the turbocharged 4-banger. They're hellacious. Not great for gas mileage, though.
I've never quite trusted Honda's 6-cylinder engines, with one exception: the Acura NSX. It's the same basic V6 that several other Hondas and Acuras use, but something went RIGHT with it, because those cars are damn near bulletproof. Seeing as you can pick up a '90-'91 NSX (look it up if you're not sure which car I'm talking about; it was designed to go up against Ferrari's 348 and the Porsche 911) in great shape for about $25k, and it's been selling for that same $25k for about 8 years now, it seems a pretty safe investment.
By the way, if you think I'm confusing Acura and Honda, I'm not. Acura only exists in North America; everywhere else in the world, their cars have been sold as Honda NSX, Honda Integra, Honda Legend, etc. Hell, the Acura TL is nothing but a Euro-market Accord with a new grille! Well, that and the European version gets a turbocharger...
Mike
"It is complete now; the hands of time are neatly tied."
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Ha ha! You needlessly went with out heat in your car for 2 years !!
I once had a Oldsmobuick,err.... a Delta 88. It was dad's old company car I got when he got a new one. Sadly, the AC compressor died. That wasn't a big deal as I left it in and just disconnected the hookup. Later on, I noticed a loud rattle/ knocking in the engine develop. It was older car at this time, and as I wasn't of financial means to get a new(er) ride, I ignored the noise. Time went on, the rattle remained. Finally, I took it in to one garage, and the " mechanic " said the drive shaft bearings were worn, or some such, and I'd need a whole new engine. Cost = more than the car was worth. No thanks. I left , wondering when the engine would freeze up on me. Fast Forward , and I took the car into another garage, and THIS guy found the problem. That useless AC compressor ? It rested on a metal bracket, and there was a large bolt, holding nothing of value what so ever in its place, which was loose. We removed the bolt and the car drove as smooth and quiet as it did out of the dealership. I was THRILLED, it was like I had a brand new car, for the cost of NOTHING. Well, I did tip the mechanic. 
It is not those who use the term "Islamo-Fascism" who are sullying the name of Islam; it is the Islamo-Fascists. - Dennis Prager
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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my ride...
Triumph Rocket III Touring (stock photo)
not so much about ambient heat, as layers of clothing...
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