"Why are cars so technical" (anything about cars)

[Boston&Maine]

The amount of electrical crap in cars today is overwhelming and very aggrivating... It seems that some sensor is always breaking or wires are fraying :mad:

And it is no fun because the wires coming out of my VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor) must be frayed so they short out when water gets up to them... Nothing better than going 0MPH on the highway :ohwell:

I need to fix that when the weather gets better, LOL...

Well, I finally got this fixed this moring... Once again a 30 minute job took half of the day... I took the old VSS out and electrical taped the heck out of it, hoping that the places where the wire was exposed were not too corroded to hold up... After doing that I put it back in and took it for a drive, no speedo... So I backed down my driveway and took the VSS out again, only to see that one of the wires had broken like I feared... That wire was exposed right where it enters the plastic sensor housing, and it is such a tight fit that the wire broke off when trying to screw the VSS back in... I was pissed by this point, but I had to drive down to Autozone and buy the new VSS... Luckily my mother was home and I was able to borrow her car... Now $40 later my speedometer works, yay I guess :o

Do not forget that in order to reach the VSS in my Contour the car needs to be jacked up... That was a pain to have to do a few times because I only have a bottle jack... Needless to say it does not fit under the car, so I need to use the spare tire jack to partially lift the car :thumbsdown:

So now I am all pooped out, time to play some NHL 08 on my Xbox 360 :D

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Oh yea, an I4! I have a mean 130 horses here! I really need a new air filter :hah:

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/gallery/files/1/9/0/engine1.jpg

[TEXAZC6]

The amount of electrical crap in cars today is overwhelming and very aggrivating... It seems that some sensor is always breaking or wires are fraying :mad:



Well, I finally got this fixed this moring... Once again a 30 minute job took half of the day... I took the old VSS out and electrical taped the heck out of it, hoping that the places where the wire was exposed were not too corroded to hold up... After doing that I put it back in and took it for a drive, no speedo... So I backed down my driveway and took the VSS out again, only to see that one of the wires had broken like I feared... That wire was exposed right where it enters the plastic sensor housing, and it is such a tight fit that the wire broke off when trying to screw the VSS back in... I was pissed by this point, but I had to drive down to Autozone and buy the new VSS... Luckily my mother was home and I was able to borrow her car... Now $40 later my speedometer works, yay I guess :o

Do not forget that in order to reach the VSS in my Contour the car needs to be jacked up... That was a pain to have to do a few times because I only have a bottle jack... Needless to say it does not fit under the car, so I need to use the spare tire jack to partially lift the car :thumbsdown:

So now I am all pooped out, time to play some NHL 08 on my Xbox 360 :D

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[CENTER]Oh yea, an I4! I have a mean 130 horses here! I really need a new air filter :hah:



I have problems getting a jack under the vette so I just park whatever corner needs lifting on a piece of 2x4 and I get the clearance I need to get it off the ground. Also, maybe try some of the cheapo ramps at Autozone, usually like $20 and no more jacking unless you need to change a tire.

[Lownen]

If they were easy to work on, like when I was a teenager, they wouldn't make as much money on parts and service. Give me an old Chevy Nova, Ford Falcon, or Dodge Dart any day!

[Boston&Maine]

That is a good idea Texas, I will have to try it next time I have to go under my car... It will definatly be faster that having to use that piece of junk spare tire jack :cool:

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Most definatly Lownen, the stealerships are always out to get you, it is rediculous... I try my best to do whatever I can... Most things I can not fix myself normally require tools that I do not have, LOL...

[Boston&Maine]

Now it sounds like my bloody power steering pump is going, and I just changed the fluid a little over a month ago :mad:

lgHNkCqHSt0

[alfalfa]

You should be like me and just walk or take a bus or bike.

Or you could just get an old classic car with a ton of room under the hood. Maybe the cost of gas will go down some day. lol

[train4myboys]

Oh yea, an I4! I have a mean 130 horses here! I really need a new air filter :hah:

I have a V8 - with a whopping 100hp!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/beerbuddyphoto/100_1182.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/beerbuddyphoto/100_1179.jpg

When I wanna work on a car, that's the one I play with, well, that or my 88 Jeep:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/beerbuddyphoto/100_1195.jpg

I don't touch my 04 Ford Diesel - I'm sure I'd be causing more trouble than I already have!

[Boston&Maine]

You have some cool cars there... Is your Jeep as clean as it looks? I have always liked that design (call me crazy), but all the ones I see are completely rusted out... It looks like you have a gem there :D

[train4myboys]

You have some cool cars there... Is your Jeep as clean as it looks? I have always liked that design (call me crazy), but all the ones I see are completely rusted out... It looks like you have a gem there :D

The jeep is super clean. The clear coat is peeling on the hood and roof, but it's been an Arizona/New Mexico car its whole life, so absolutely zero rust. One of the best things about living in the desert!

If you're ever interested in them, www.IFSJA.org is the full size jeep association, lots of great information there, and a bunch of folks in your neck of the woods as well. Cheap to get into, but they'll nickle and dime you to death if you try to use them as a daily driver, especially with fuel prices as they are now. I get about 8 mpg with the big tires I have on there now!

[Boston&Maine]

If you're ever interested in them, www.IFSJA.org is the full size jeep association, lots of great information there, and a bunch of folks in your neck of the woods as well. Cheap to get into, but they'll nickle and dime you to death if you try to use them as a daily driver, especially with fuel prices as they are now. I get about 8 mpg with the big tires I have on there now!

Thanks for the info... LOL, these things even look like they would suck up gas... This would be something that I would wait to get "settled" first before taking it on though, sort of like my dirt bike dreams :D

[train4myboys]

Thanks for the info... LOL, these things even look like they would suck up gas... This would be something that I would wait to get "settled" first before taking it on though, sort of like my dirt bike dreams :D


Funny, that's what I said in undergrad too, I'm turning 40 this year, and finally gave up on being settled before getting toys! I'm definately not settled yet. Keep yourself out of debt, buy a house when you can, then go for it!

[Boston&Maine]

I am changing my MTX fluid tomorrow because I was sick of all the hard shifting... It will get 2.7 quarts of fresh Royal Purple Synchromax... Everything is all drained out already, but I am letting it sit overnight to get as much as I can out :)

More bad news though... While I was working under there I discovered this... Here is my post from my Contour Enthusiast Group forum...

I was under my car today and when getting out from underneath I noticed some dirt stuck behind my drivers side wheel spash guard and fender... I unbolted the bottom fender bolt and pulled out the lowest snap pin on the wheel spash guard and a bunch of dirt and debris fell out! There was about one handfull stuck behind there... So I went over to the passenger side and did the same thing... This time though two handfulls of debris fell out! :mad:

What does dirt do best? Hold water... The debris I took out was moist and it has not rained for a few days around here... Then of course water and oxygen causes metal to rust... Luckily for me there did not appear to be any rust on the drivers side, but it was very apparent on the passenger side...

I will need to figure a way out to clean up the metal and spray some Rustoleum car primer back there to help stop the spread of rust... I really do not want to take the fender off, but I may have too :o

[train4myboys]

I am changing my MTX fluid tomorrow because I was sick of all the hard shifting... It will get 2.7 quarts of fresh Royal Purple Synchromax... Everything is all drained out already, but I am letting it sit overnight to get as much as I can out :)

More bad news though... While I was working under there I discovered this... Here is my post from my Contour Enthusiast Group forum...

POR-15. It'll stop rust in it's tracks. I took the seats of out my 50 this weekend, scraped off a bunch of old carpet and insulation, and found that I'm not so lucky:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/beerbuddyphoto/100_3020.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/beerbuddyphoto/100_3030.jpg

[Boston&Maine]

POR-15. It'll stop rust in it's tracks. I took the seats of out my 50 this weekend, scraped off a bunch of old carpet and insulation, and found that I'm not so lucky:

POR-15, thank you, I will look into that... Can you get it at places like Auto Zone, or is it online only?

Ugg, rusted floor boards... My father had a 60's Impala, baby blue, convertable... The floor boards were rusted on that too, the only thing holding them together was the carpeting... I wish he had kept that car, I so would have wanted it :(

[train4myboys]

I feel like Fred Flintstone driving this thing! I'm not sure if they have it in local stores, I'm sure a body/paint store would.

Eastwood has a similar product as well: http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemType=CATEGORY&itemID=372

[Boston&Maine]

Here is my beautiful '95 Ford Contour... Look how clean it looks, no? I have not washed the car since the end of winter, LOL :laugh:

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/gallery/files/1/9/0/contour.jpg

[T-Man]

[QUOTE=TEXAZC6;2089]I have problems getting a jack under the vette so I just park whatever corner needs lifting on a piece of 2x4 and I get the clearance I need to get it off the ground.

I"ve have always carried a small hydraulic jack. Ideal for the DIY kinda guy.Don't forget the wheel blocks.:)
FYI I heard Maine has the highest ratio of truck owners for registered vehicles.
When my VW died I ended up with all Fords.

[Boston&Maine]

When my VW died I ended up with all Fords.

Oh yea T-Man, Ford is the way to go :D

Like the letters say, "first on race day," and every day is race day when I am driving, LOL... On the other hand you could also see it as "driver returns on foot," but I have been lucky so far :ohwell:

[Boston&Maine]

I came home today to a nice suprise... Apparently my uncle had some extra jack-stands, so he gave four of them to me... Now I do not need to be ghetto and use cinder blocks to keep my car in the air :smokin:

[Boston&Maine]

This is my dream right here, maybe that is why I like racing games so much... That is a Ferrari F50 GT on the wide open Manhattan Bridge, and it is snowing out... How are my in-game photography skills? :D

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/blackdog007/Ferrari_F50GT-1.jpg

[train4myboys]

This is my dream right here, maybe that is why I like racing games so much... That is a Ferrari F50 GT on the wide open Manhattan Bridge, and it is snowing out... How are my in-game photography skills? :D

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/blackdog007/Ferrari_F50GT-1.jpg


Nice pic. Project Gotham? I love racing games, too bad I don't have much time to play anymore.

[T-Man]

My ten year old, wins all the time.:ohwell:

[T-Man]

I guess the Japanese respect their cars. This one didn't get hit. Go Figure.

[Boston&Maine]

Nice pic. Project Gotham? I love racing games, too bad I don't have much time to play anymore.

Oh yea, that right there is Project Gotham Racing 4... I am sure you can find a few minutes to play if you really tried ;)

My ten year old, wins all the time.:ohwell:

Meh, I think that is just the way it is supposed to be, I used to beat my father all the time when we played Gran Turismo 1, LOL :)

I guess the Japanese respect their cars. This one didn't get hit. Go Figure.

I assume you are talking about the spammer... This thread will probably get hit one day since they are from China, LOL... Look at it this way, then the thread will get a five star rating :laugh:

[T-Man]

We are still on playstation 1. I despise the night course on Grand Tourismo:mad:We got everything used a garage sales and Gamestop when they use to stock them.Eventually we will find a PS 2
:loser: That's me!

[train4myboys]

We are still on playstation 1. I despise the night course on Grand Tourismo:mad:We got everything used a garage sales and Gamestop when they use to stock them.Eventually we will find a PS 2

I may be becoming an old man, but I refuse to let my games get out of date - well, at least the TV based ones. 360, PS2 (I like my games too much to upgrade to the PS3 just yet), PSP. At least I can play lego star wars while I'm waiting for a plane. Now in my office . . . I still have an old school pinball machine, just so I can keep my foot in my youth! :rolleyes:

[train4myboys]

Oh yea, that right there is Project Gotham Racing 4... I am sure you can find a few minutes to play if you really tried ;)


I get in every once in a while after the kids go to bed, although after the second set of twins are born in October I don't think "the kids" will ever go to bed again.

I've been playing mostly Forza lately. Gran Tourismo lost me after GT4, they just made it WAY too hard at the higher levels. I simply can't drive perfectly, and that's what you've got to do. I beat every one before 4, but can't even come close on that one.

[Boston&Maine]

I am sorry, but I just need to post this PhotoShop here... I simply can not stop laughing at this, it just seems like a perfect fit for the Aztec :laugh:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e100/bmckee0505/Aztekcopy.jpg

[Boston&Maine]

Thank goodness, my car just passed inspection :)

[train4myboys]

Thank goodness, my car just passed inspection :)


I'm just glad we don't have inspections around here! No safety issues, I'm always catious about that, but as for smog equipment . . .

[T-Man]

I got two vehicles due next month.I spent a couple of days getting them ready.

[Boston&Maine]

Good luck :thumbsup:

LOL, I looked through the official New Hampshire laws on what you can be failed for... I am pretty sure they could have added "the vehicle shall be rejected if it has been driven off the lot" at the top of the page and called it a day :laugh:

Good thing no one is that strict :rolleyes:

[Boston&Maine]

Ugh, somehow I managed to pick up a nail in my rear-driver's side tire sometime within the past few days; I noticed the tire getting a little low yesterday... It is right in the center of the tire and it looks pluggable... I am pretty sure that is the tire least likely to pick up a nail too, go figure :rolleyes:

[Southern]

Ugh,...... I am pretty sure that is the tire least likely to pick up a nail too, go figure :rolleyes:

Rear tires get nailed and scewed more than the front. I have repaired coutless tires in my life. Scews and nails lay on there side. The front tire runs over the harmless nail. this makes the nail jump up and go in the rear tire. pionty end first. Plugs work great for round holes like nails.

[Boston&Maine]

Scews and nails lay on there side. The front tire runs over the harmless nail. this makes the nail jump up and go in the rear tire. pionty end first.

That is a very good point, I never thought about that...

[Boston&Maine]

Guess what? My rear driver's side tire picked up another nail today! Well, technically a screw... Un-be-liev-a-ble :mad:

[Southern]

yep. i do.