Got a Quick, Technical Question?

aalba

I am replacing the struts on a honda accord but I cant remomve the wishbone backet from under the Strut? do I need to remove the wheel axel drive.

hpmctorque

I have a '99 Acura TL with 104,000 miles. The maintenance schedule calls for replacing the timing belt (and water pump) at 105,000. This is a interference engine, so if the timing belt should break, major engine damage would result. Question: How much risk would be involved in deferring replacing the timing belt until 125,000 miles. My thinking is that Honda most likely engineered at least a 25% safety factor into its 105,000 mile replacement recommendation, which would mean that the belt will typically go 131,250 miles, or more, before the belt breaks. Or maybe not. I converted to Mobil 1 at 50,000 miles, and I drive sensibly, meaning I very rarely red line it.

I know each car is different, and that there are many variables, meaning some belts may last less than 105,000 and some more, perhaps considerably more. Deferring replacement of the belt may mean that I may only have to replace it once instead of twice before the car wears out. I'm willing to take some risk, say, a 10% risk that the belt will snap between 105,000 and 125,000 miles (20,000 additional miles is 19%, so I would assume that Honda engineered at least that much margin into its schedule), but if the chances are greater than 10%, rather than less, that the belt would fail, I'd opt to change the belt at 105,000.

I know this is not an exact science, and there are no guarantees, but I would be interested in hearing from anyone with knowledge or experience on this matter.

crankshaft

I would not take the chance,replace the belt.Some makes suggest replacing the belt at 60-90k and those are non-interference engines.Many belts fail before 100k.

deborahlrichar

I bought my Infinity J-30 Sedan (6 cylinder ~ Automatic ~ 110K ~ Oil disappeared ~ Haven't had any engine problems...but brakes, windows, etc...)in 2000 when it was 4 yrs old. I've read the messages posted and have had some of those same issues. It has over 100,000 but still runs great until this last deal. My current problem is a mystery to my mechanic and any other men in my life. On Monday, my husband checked the oil and it was fine. By Friday on my way to work I heard a "tapping" and freaked. I went straight to my mechanic and he checked the oil and it was bone dry. He put in 3 qts and I drove on to work, about 20 miles. I was on a busy exit in Dallas and suddenly, the car died. It was completely gone. No oil. The water in the radiator was a slight brown, but not what it would be if the oil were in there, according to the mechanic. Prior to this, there was no oil on the driveway, no black exhaust coming out of the back, and so forth. Where did the oil go? I had it towed to my mechanic and he's baffled. He says if we can solve this mystery, he can rebuild the engine if there's one good head. (whatever that is...LOL) In the meantime, I'm carless. Please help! Thanks.

qbrozen

Do you also drive around without insurance? I mean, after all, there is a less than 10% chance you will get into an accident.

qbrozen

Ok, well, first off, if it was "bone dry," 3 qts would not have been enough to fill it.

As for the case of the disappearing oil, it can't just disappear, of course. It had to have gone somewhere. To leak out in that time, it would have to be a major leak and I'm sure noticeable. To lose that much through a blown head gasket would have resulted in the car running VERY poorly ... again, because of the speed at which it dissapated. SO to me, that only leaves burning it off. I still think you should have had some running problems, though. I mean, to have THAT much blowby would mean, I believe, extremely low compression in 1 or more cylinders.

Your mechanic still can check the compression, by the way. the car does not have to run, it just needs to turn over with the starter. That would be my first place to look.

hpmctorque

Thanks for your inputs. I'm just gathering opinions at this time, to determine whether my hypothesis that Honda's replacement schedule for timing belts may be more conservative than an individual owner needs to be, since the value of product liability and brand image is extremely high, whereas the market value of my car is ~$7,000, and a used engine is even less. In other words, the odds are different for the manufacturer and the dealers than for the car owner, in part also because Honda and its dealers profit from belt replacements, whereas it's an expense for car owners.

Incidentally, in what may seem like an inconsistency, I follow the recommended maintenance schedule for my car, but am just questioning this item.

qbrozen

well, just remember, Honda did not manufacture the belt. So you may put your trust in them to overengineer the mechanical parts, it might not be so wise to trust that their supplier of timing belts is as rigorous in the manufacturing specs.

deborahlrichar

Maybe bone dry is a bit extreme. He did check the dipstick after adding the 3 qts and the tapping noise didn't totally go away. He said if that didn't stop in the next few minutes we had a problem. But it got faint then it stopped.

It wasn't running up to par, but I thought all it needed was a tune up. It still would haul b_____, just not like it did.

I appreciate the suggestions and am calling him momentarily to tell him your thinking. If it were you, would you continue with the car (rebuilt engine) or let it go? I'm looking at $2500 for the rebuilt.

Thanks so much for your help!

qbrozen

Well, a '96 J30 just isn't worth that much, I'm afraid. But what it comes down to is what your other choices are. If the car is great otherwise and you may get 1-2 years out of it, $2500 isn't alot to spend. I mean, at this point, you may only get $2500 for it private sale if it was running well. BUT, what else could you get yourself for $2500? Not much.

If it were me, yeah, I'd probably NOT rebuild it and put that $2500 towards something else ... but i'm a chronic car buyer, so you shouldn't listen to me.

cinbob

what is the use of the canisters of oil called shakers bolted to the fenders of my bird i'm replacing the fenders should i replace these

pete957

I have a 1998 Dodge 2500 pickup 318 engine automatic trans. for some reason it won't idle at all ....it stalls out if I don't keep pressure on the gas peddle while I'm driving or sitting at a red light . It seems to happen after it warms up for 5 minutes or so . And it also is hard starting after it warms up . I do have a new starter in it , so I know it has nothing to do with the starter . Please ...any advice would be appreciated !!!!!

bolivar

Canisters of oil????

Wow. Never heard of anything like this.

I hope someone replys that knows what you are talking about!

0patience

Could you possibly mean the canister of charcoal?
I've had 67 & 68 Camaros and don't recall anything like that on them.

user777

random ideas: possibly an idle air control valve gone bad, a vacuum hose slipped off its connection or has a crack the in vacinity of throttle valve.

did you recently replace the battery? possibly the engine has some idle re-learn procedure you must go through.

cinbob

they are very heavy was told something for handling

m103278

4 cyl. Mileage: 214K and counting. I noticed the brake lights were on and no one
was in the car. I got in the car and pushed on the brake pedal and there was no change.
Remained on. I unhooked the battery cable. Could the switch fail in the on mode ? Easy to replace ?

kiawah

Try pulling up on the brake pedal to make it go off, not pushing down on the brake pedal.

Get under the dash and look for where the switch is, and determine yourself whether it is within your technical capabilities. All depends on what you are comfortable doing.

0patience

Hmm, not sure what that would be.
Sure would like to see a picture of it though.

The only thing I can think of is that it is some kind of accumulator. Does it have any hoses going to it?

Can you get a pic of it? I sure would like to see it.

Is there any markings, like a name or numbers on it?

fangio2

The engine light on my wife's car came on saying "service engine soon".She had it checked and was told it needed a new oxygen sensor.How can I tell if it's the forward sensor(before the cat) or the rear(after the cat)sensor?Also since there are 2 on each side how can I tell which one(or ones)are bad?What tools are necessary to replace?
Thanks

kiawah

When the error code is pulled, the error code will tell you whether it is bank1 (in a V8/V6 engine it is the bank with cylinder 1 in it) or bank2; and the error code will tell you sensor 1 (before the catalytic converter) or sensor 2 (after the catalytic converter).

fangio2

Thanks

avolvos70

Any Volvo giys out there? I have a 200 S-70 I am doing the timing belt on this week. The problem I have is there are no Tech manuals avalible becuase Volvo wil not release the information. I have done many time belts but htis is my first Volvo. Are there any tricks with this one? Anything ot watch out for? Timing marks?

Thanks.

qbrozen

you can find the procedure online at places like volvospeed or swedespeed.

It is a fairly easy job. I don't remember all of the details, though.

avolvos70

Thank you. this should be a big help.

jipster

My Valvoline Instant Oil Change has been telling me for the past 2 years I need a new serpintene belt on my 99 Buick Regal LS. I've owned the car for 3 1/2 years. They keep saying, "cracks... cracks... cracks". My understanding is that small cracks between belt gaps is normal. That the bigger cracks across the length of belt are the ones that require replacing. I replaced the serpentine belt about 3 years ago. Any thoughts?

kiawah

These belts are pretty cheap and easy to replace, not sure why you'd risk a breakdown somewhere/someplace......to get an extra year out of a belt with cracks on it.

I guess if you are the one driving it and it's all local, then a reasonable risk. If it broke on my daughter and then overheated the engine.....not a risk worth taking.

It would take you what, 10 minutes to replace?

imidazol97

This is a nice review of what cracks are meaningless. Mine has had cracks on ribs or years, but no cracks down deep in the belt layer.

When to replace belt

oregonboy

I have generally taken the "ounce of prevention" attitude towards belts. I also keep an old, but still intact belt in the vehicle with my tool kit for a "just in case" backup. (I've never needed it, but it's comforting to know that it is there).

james

jipster

Thanks for the comments and links guys. It's not that I'm to cheap to replace the belt, but I sure don't want to replace it if it's not necessary. Last time I had it replaced it was around $89 I believe.
According to the link the superfical rib cracks are normal. I believe the cracking is consistent throughout the entire belt though. The link stated if cracks are within an 1/8 inch all the way around belt may need replacing. So, I'll take another look at it. I still have the old belt from when it was replaced 3 years ago in my trunk, so not really concerned with break downs... mostly local driving. Still you would think you would get more than 3 years out of a serpintene belt.

layne1

It's rear drive only, has 125K miles, rough transmission, failing brakes, a badly cracked windshield multiple chips and dings and who knows what else. We'll pay cash for a new or gently used 4x4 truck, so value isn't that important. Too much trouble to fix and sell, so we think trading it in makes the most sense, but my husband thinks we'll have to fix it before we trade it in. What is the general rule about this - fix first or no fix? Thanks!

qbrozen

Frankly, depending on what you are trading it on, it will be worthless to a dealer fixed or not. Miles are decent enough, but a 14-year-old Ranger just isn't getting people to beat down the door. I think it might be a $500 vehicle in any condition. And that's probably an overallowance with that busted windshield. If you can get the windshield and brakes fixed cheaply enough, you could probably get $1k-$1500 private party.

ray80

For the windshied, do you have glass coverage on your insurance?

jfeisthamel

1994 Infiniti G20
4 cyclinder
standard
130k

Trying to install clutch cable- need directions can't figure out how to hook up :confuse:

crankshaft

When my belts begin to crack I replace them.They are cheap and atleast I will not clog the highway because of a stupid belt failure.

fangio2

Today my wife's car just dropped in the rear.The ride contol message came on.What are some things I could look for.I hate taking it into the dealer completely clueless.
Thanks

kiawah

I don't know about a lincoln, but I have a Suburban with air assist. There are sensors on each wheel, which determine how compressed the car is on the suspension. Those sensors feed back to a computer control, which turns on an air pump and a set of solenoids to pump up the correct shock (or let air out of a shock). There are little air tubes which take the air from the solenoids to each shock. Of course the whole thing is fused.

So you could have blown a fuse, air pump could be bad, computer control bad, a solenoid could be bad, an air tube could have broken or come loose, the suspension position sensor could have gone bad or become loose, or the shock could have gone bad.

jipster

According to the experts, superficial cracks are normal.
I'm not a DIY'er on belts, so they're really not that cheap to replace.

crankshaft

They are around the cost of a tow charge.Anyway,cracking is the begining of eventual failure of the belt(in my oppinion).Read up on them,they are not that difficult to change.I manage even with my ham hocks.

fangio2

Thanks.I checked with strut masters about installing a conversion kit(non-air).Will this give the car an acceptable ride.The price is right-$219.Also,is this something that I can install myself.
Thanks Again

edouble1

1994 Lexus ES300 - 265k miles.

Thought it was a squeaking belt, but got worse when the A/C was turned on(especially when engine is cool). Overall performance of the car is fine, and the A/C works fine, also. Can you change just the pulley on the compressor, or do you have to replace the whole thing? What is the difference between one with, or without a clutch? When I looked up the part on AutoZone, Kragen, etc., they offered both. Which one is better, and will they both work?

Thanks in advance.

kiawah

Well the Compressor needs a clutch to work, so the question is whether you want to replace/reuse the old clutch. Requires you taking if off the old compressor and putting on the new. This is in lieu of just replacing the whole combined compressor/clutch unit.

Let's say you hit a curb and bent your wheel. You can buy a new wheel and mount your old tire on it. Or you can just buy a new wheel/tire unit and just replace the whole thing.

edouble1

So, because of the increase of sound when the A/C is used, would you say it's probably the compressor? I'm sure they eventually go bad like everything else, right? Again, 265,000 miles.

Thanks again.

fangio2

I have one more question---will it cause any damage if I drive the car about 5 miles?
Thanks

kiawah

Oh, I thought you had already diagnosed the problem and knew your compressor was bad.

I went back and read your original post. If the problem is a noise, then you need to figure out what it is that is causing the noise. It could be the compressor, but it could just as likely be any of the other accessories or pulleys. The easiest way I've found to do that, is to take off the serpentine belt, and start the engine just to make sure that the noise is gone. You do that by finding the tensioner, taking the pressure off the belt, and then sliding the belt off. If the noise is still there, then it is something internal to your engine and you need to get it to a shop.

Assuming however that the noise is gone, then turn off your engine. Slowly turn each of the accessories one by one, to feel if it turns smoothly and there is not any play in the bearing (either side to side, or in and out). You can usually find the problem device fairly easy this way. Look closely at the tensioner and tensioner pulley, which is the device that puts the pressure on the belt.

If the problem is indeed the AC compressor, unless you've done freon systems before I'd recommend taking it to an AC shop. They'll have to evacuate the system before replacing the compressor, and then fill with the correct amount of freon pressure.

kiawah

You can bounce the car up and down correct? It's just sitting a little low, and you don't have any broken suspension parts hanging down or making weird noises, right?

fangio2

The car is sitting all the way down and no bounce.When I cut the engine off I could hear the compressor(?)running as the car lowered.I tried flipping the power switch in the truck and it came on briefly but no movement.
Thanks

hpmctorque

"If the problem is indeed the AC compressor, unless you've done freon systems before I'd recommend taking it to an AC shop. They'll have to evacuate the system before replacing the compressor, and then fill with the correct amount of freon pressure."

By "freon", do you mean the old R-12 refrigerant, or are you using the word freon as a generic term from "refrigerant?" The reason I ask is that I'm virtually certain the '94 Lexus ES used the R-34, which is the new refrigerant used in all A/C equipped cars today. R-12, or freon, was the term for the old refrigerant.

kiawah

Yes, used freon as the generic term for refrigerant.

fangio2

Just wanted to thank you again.After crawling around under the car for a few hours,I was ready to give up.My son came by poped the hood to check the compressor(I was looking under the car in the rear?)he heard a hiss and found a leak in the air line caused by rubbing against the pulley.He fixed it temporarily with a nylon tie over the hole.
So now all I have to do is get him to run a new air line.Feels good to be off the ground.