Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

xwesx said:

explorerx4 said:

Don't let the EPA find out about it.

Well, if they want to pay to replace all the unreliable parts over and over again, then they can have a say in what I do with my own car. As it is, I gave the world one of the cleanest-running ICE vehicles for 130,000 miles, and even now it still runs pretty darn clean when compared anything from last century.

Yes, delete kit just blocks off air routes between exhaust and intake and bypasses the coolant routing so that it continues to service the engine areas that need it. Previously, the EGR cooler was apparently corroded internally (I will pull it apart to inspect after I get the car running), so it was a very poor coolant pipe, and, when it was working, the only thing it did very well was quickly cake up the intake system on the vehicle to heavily constrict airflow.

————————————————
The first car I owned that had a catylitic converter was my ‘75 Grand Prix bought used in ‘77. It had the 400 CID V8 and was pretty quick but I thought it still felt a little constipated. Fortunately, GM built that catalytic converter with a drain plug on the bottom. When I removed that plug almost a gallon of multi-colored beads (brown, tan and almost black IIRC) fell out. Once drained, the car ran so much better.

Fast forward to when I bought my ‘80 Park Ave. used in ‘83. That car had the 350 CID V8 but it still had a catalytic converter. However, by then GM wised up to folks draining their first generation converters so they didn’t use a screwed in drain plug like on the Grand Prix. That cat had a heavy duty sheet metal plug that was pressed into the bottom of the cat housing. To get that beast out would have required chiseling/prying it out. I didn’t want to do that for fear of ruining the cat shell. So, I bought a catalytic converter “test pipe” from J. C. Whitney and lo and behold the test pipe proved that cat was also a terrible constipator to exhaust flow so I just drove it forever testing it.

Also, it was even easier to defeat the EGR valve. All that had to be done on GM V8’s was to remove the vacuum line to it and insert a machine screw or golf tee into the vacuum line. Wala, that problem was now solved too.

Sure was a lot easier to get a car running better back in those days.

jmonroe

The catalyst on my M6 fell off in the garage one Saturday morning. My only recourse was to replace it with a "track pipe"- for off road use only, of course.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

jmonroe1 said:

xwesx said:

explorerx4 said:

Don't let the EPA find out about it.

Well, if they want to pay to replace all the unreliable parts over and over again, then they can have a say in what I do with my own car. As it is, I gave the world one of the cleanest-running ICE vehicles for 130,000 miles, and even now it still runs pretty darn clean when compared anything from last century.

Yes, delete kit just blocks off air routes between exhaust and intake and bypasses the coolant routing so that it continues to service the engine areas that need it. Previously, the EGR cooler was apparently corroded internally (I will pull it apart to inspect after I get the car running), so it was a very poor coolant pipe, and, when it was working, the only thing it did very well was quickly cake up the intake system on the vehicle to heavily constrict airflow.

————————————————
The first car I owned that had a catylitic converter was my ‘75 Grand Prix bought used in ‘77. It had the 400 CID V8 and was pretty quick but I thought it still felt a little constipated. Fortunately, GM built that catalytic converter with a drain plug on the bottom. When I removed that plug almost a gallon of multi-colored beads (brown, tan and almost black IIRC) fell out. Once drained, the car ran so much better.

Fast forward to when I bought my ‘80 Park Ave. used in ‘83. That car had the 350 CID V8 but it still had a catalytic converter. However, by then GM wised up to folks draining their first generation converters so they didn’t use a screwed in drain plug like on the Grand Prix. That cat had a heavy duty sheet metal plug that was pressed into the bottom of the cat housing. To get that beast out would have required chiseling/prying it out. I didn’t want to do that for fear of ruining the cat shell. So, I bought a catalytic converter “test pipe” from J. C. Whitney and lo and behold the test pipe proved that cat was also a terrible constipator to exhaust flow so I just drove it forever testing it.

Also, it was even easier to defeat the EGR valve. All that had to be done on GM V8’s was to remove the vacuum line to it and insert a machine screw or golf tee into the vacuum line. Wala, that problem was now solved too.

Sure was a lot easier to get a car running better back in those days.

jmonroe

The catalyst on my M6 fell off in the garage one Saturday morning. My only recourse was to replace it with a "track pipe"- for off road use only, of course.

————————————————-
How is it that there are so many folks on this site that have performed almost illegal emissions servicing? Go figure.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

xwesx said:

explorerx4 said:

Don't let the EPA find out about it.

Well, if they want to pay to replace all the unreliable parts over and over again, then they can have a say in what I do with my own car. As it is, I gave the world one of the cleanest-running ICE vehicles for 130,000 miles, and even now it still runs pretty darn clean when compared anything from last century.

Yes, delete kit just blocks off air routes between exhaust and intake and bypasses the coolant routing so that it continues to service the engine areas that need it. Previously, the EGR cooler was apparently corroded internally (I will pull it apart to inspect after I get the car running), so it was a very poor coolant pipe, and, when it was working, the only thing it did very well was quickly cake up the intake system on the vehicle to heavily constrict airflow.

————————————————
The first car I owned that had a catylitic converter was my ‘75 Grand Prix bought used in ‘77. It had the 400 CID V8 and was pretty quick but I thought it still felt a little constipated. Fortunately, GM built that catalytic converter with a drain plug on the bottom. When I removed that plug almost a gallon of multi-colored beads (brown, tan and almost black IIRC) fell out. Once drained, the car ran so much better.

Fast forward to when I bought my ‘80 Park Ave. used in ‘83. That car had the 350 CID V8 but it still had a catalytic converter. However, by then GM wised up to folks draining their first generation converters so they didn’t use a screwed in drain plug like on the Grand Prix. That cat had a heavy duty sheet metal plug that was pressed into the bottom of the cat housing. To get that beast out would have required chiseling/prying it out. I didn’t want to do that for fear of ruining the cat shell. So, I bought a catalytic converter “test pipe” from J. C. Whitney and lo and behold the test pipe proved that cat was also a terrible constipator to exhaust flow so I just drove it forever testing it.

Also, it was even easier to defeat the EGR valve. All that had to be done on GM V8’s was to remove the vacuum line to it and insert a machine screw or golf tee into the vacuum line. Wala, that problem was now solved too.

Sure was a lot easier to get a car running better back in those days.

jmonroe

On my 1980 Omni, my mechanic rammed a steel bar through one end of the CAT to break up the plugged up ceramic matrix and the car ran fine afterwards. He told me to say I had had it repaired at someplace out of state if ever asked.

————————————————-
You otta be glad the EPA didn’t find out you destroyed, on purpose, an emmisions device. I was careful not to destroy mine. I just modified one and removed the other.

You better hope the EPA doesn’t monitor this site. There is no statute of limitations for doing what you had done. And good luck trying to blame someone else for doing it. The guy holding the bag is always the responsible party.

jmonroe

Both the guy who did it and I’m sure the car he did it to are dust by now.

Besides, with the anti- surveillance lifestyle I practice they’ll never be able to track me.🫥🫥🫥

28firefighter

Making some upgrades to the M240 over the next couple weeks - already did the gloss black grilles, but also adding ceramic tint (today), and ordered a set of used Gloss Black OEM M240 wheels.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

xwesx said:

explorerx4 said:

Don't let the EPA find out about it.

Well, if they want to pay to replace all the unreliable parts over and over again, then they can have a say in what I do with my own car. As it is, I gave the world one of the cleanest-running ICE vehicles for 130,000 miles, and even now it still runs pretty darn clean when compared anything from last century.

Yes, delete kit just blocks off air routes between exhaust and intake and bypasses the coolant routing so that it continues to service the engine areas that need it. Previously, the EGR cooler was apparently corroded internally (I will pull it apart to inspect after I get the car running), so it was a very poor coolant pipe, and, when it was working, the only thing it did very well was quickly cake up the intake system on the vehicle to heavily constrict airflow.

————————————————
The first car I owned that had a catylitic converter was my ‘75 Grand Prix bought used in ‘77. It had the 400 CID V8 and was pretty quick but I thought it still felt a little constipated. Fortunately, GM built that catalytic converter with a drain plug on the bottom. When I removed that plug almost a gallon of multi-colored beads (brown, tan and almost black IIRC) fell out. Once drained, the car ran so much better.

Fast forward to when I bought my ‘80 Park Ave. used in ‘83. That car had the 350 CID V8 but it still had a catalytic converter. However, by then GM wised up to folks draining their first generation converters so they didn’t use a screwed in drain plug like on the Grand Prix. That cat had a heavy duty sheet metal plug that was pressed into the bottom of the cat housing. To get that beast out would have required chiseling/prying it out. I didn’t want to do that for fear of ruining the cat shell. So, I bought a catalytic converter “test pipe” from J. C. Whitney and lo and behold the test pipe proved that cat was also a terrible constipator to exhaust flow so I just drove it forever testing it.

Also, it was even easier to defeat the EGR valve. All that had to be done on GM V8’s was to remove the vacuum line to it and insert a machine screw or golf tee into the vacuum line. Wala, that problem was now solved too.

Sure was a lot easier to get a car running better back in those days.

jmonroe

On my 1980 Omni, my mechanic rammed a steel bar through one end of the CAT to break up the plugged up ceramic matrix and the car ran fine afterwards. He told me to say I had had it repaired at someplace out of state if ever asked.

————————————————-
You otta be glad the EPA didn’t find out you destroyed, on purpose, an emmisions device. I was careful not to destroy mine. I just modified one and removed the other.

You better hope the EPA doesn’t monitor this site. There is no statute of limitations for doing what you had done. And good luck trying to blame someone else for doing it. The guy holding the bag is always the responsible party.

jmonroe

Both the guy who did it and I’m sure the car he did it to are dust by now.

Besides, with the anti- surveillance lifestyle I practice they’ll never be able to track me.🫥🫥🫥

————————————————
You’re right, I forgot about your lifestyle.

jmonroe

venture

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Not a CCBA punch, but a punch to the financial gut for a good cause. My son’s 1st semester tuition bill is due this coming Friday. He received a very nice academic scholarship from the school. My parents had some money in a 529. We got a little in the way of secured a d unsecured federal student loans. The bulk of the rest of the tuition is up to my wife & I. I started shopping for loans and couldn’t believe the interest rates nor could I believe how many companies rejected me. I have excellent credit and have literally never been turned down for a mortgage, car loan, lease, or credit card in my life. A big reason is that they the student apply for the loan (who has no credit) and ask for 1 co-signer. Usually I apply for big loans with my wife as a co-signer. They ask for SS#, how much your gross salary is, and what your mortgage payment is if you own a home. I ended up with a 9.5% fixed loan that I will start paying back as soon as it is dispersed.

Forgive me for being clueless as I never had student loans but aren’t they all distributed through the federal government now? Is Uncle Sam putting the screws to you like this? 9.5% seems usury.

BTW, I got my undergraduate at a fairly expensive (for the time) private college and my masters at a state school. Annual tuition for both was $3,000/year.

You probably had to sell your horse to pay for that.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Not a CCBA punch, but a punch to the financial gut for a good cause. My son’s 1st semester tuition bill is due this coming Friday. He received a very nice academic scholarship from the school. My parents had some money in a 529. We got a little in the way of secured a d unsecured federal student loans. The bulk of the rest of the tuition is up to my wife & I. I started shopping for loans and couldn’t believe the interest rates nor could I believe how many companies rejected me. I have excellent credit and have literally never been turned down for a mortgage, car loan, lease, or credit card in my life. A big reason is that they the student apply for the loan (who has no credit) and ask for 1 co-signer. Usually I apply for big loans with my wife as a co-signer. They ask for SS#, how much your gross salary is, and what your mortgage payment is if you own a home. I ended up with a 9.5% fixed loan that I will start paying back as soon as it is dispersed.

Forgive me for being clueless as I never had student loans but aren’t they all distributed through the federal government now? Is Uncle Sam putting the screws to you like this? 9.5% seems usury.

BTW, I got my undergraduate at a fairly expensive (for the time) private college and my masters at a state school. Annual tuition for both was $3,000/year.

You probably had to sell your horse to pay for that.

And a goat or two.😙

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

Making some upgrades to the M240 over the next couple weeks - already did the gloss black grilles, but also adding ceramic tint (today), and ordered a set of used Gloss Black OEM M240 wheels.

Your wheels are silver?

greg128

explorerx4 said:

In Lorain County Ohio property taxes are high but compared to CT, just about everything else is more reasonable.

Here on Long Island average taxes are between $10K and $15K per year and high end between $20K and $30K.

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

28firefighter said:

Making some upgrades to the M240 over the next couple weeks - already did the gloss black grilles, but also adding ceramic tint (today), and ordered a set of used Gloss Black OEM M240 wheels.

Your wheels are silver?

————————————————
The Lone Ranger surfaces again.

jmonroe

greg128

@oldfarmer50 said: Forgive me for being clueless as I never had student loans but aren’t they all distributed through the federal government now? Is Uncle Sam putting the screws to you like this? 9.5% seems usury. BTW, I got my undergraduate at a fairly expensive (for the time) private college and my masters at a state school. Annual tuition for both was $3,000/year.


I got my BS in Biology from SUNY Stony Brook and actually made money doing it. I had a full Regents Scholarship from NY state which I took advantage of after serving 4 years in the Navy. I then received I think around $500 per month from the GI Bill (which was good for the 1970's) so I think I netted around $15K even after having to buy books. Thank you Uncle Sam. Unfortunately I never used my degree although I did apply for a position at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Yes I aimed high) and was rejected. I subsequently got into the sign business which has had its ups and downs but in retrospect I have no regrets. (Of course almost everyone says that).

28firefighter

@nyccarguy said:
Your wheels are silver?

Yeah they’re the machined finish silver. Not my favorite on a white car. Excuse the filth.

kyfdx

I like those a lot

28firefighter

I love the style. Just want them black. And the cost to powder coat doesn’t make sense. I’ll probably keep them though in case I change my mind.

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

@nyccarguy said:

Your wheels are silver?

Yeah they’re the machined finish silver. Not my favorite on a white car. Excuse the filth.

————————————————-
Looks like a flat tire. That side wall at the bottom is mighty low. When @stickguy sees that he’s going to break into a cold sweat.

jmonroe

stickguy

I’m shaking already. Not with our potholes.

28firefighter

Definitely not even remotely low. Bad camera angle and low sidewalls.

explorerx4

@stickguy,
That's what the steering wheel is for.

pensfan83

Those look like the MDXs wheels.

stickguy

Fully inflated it looks like a flat tire is the problem. I can’t quite make out the size. 255/40? 225/40? My Elantra sport had 225/40. Too thin for comfort (literally and figuratively)

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

I love the style. Just want them black. And the cost to powder coat doesn’t make sense. I’ll probably keep them though in case I change my mind.

I never got the idea of black wheels. Bright wheels were suppose to make up for white walls falling out of favor I guess. Painting them black seems odd somehow. Having said that, a white car would be the best place for black wheels.

28firefighter

225/40R18 front, 245/35R18 Rear (staggered)

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

Definitely not even remotely low. Bad camera angle and low sidewalls.

————————————————
Even when I squint I can’t make that tire look right.

jmonroe

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

225/40R18 front, 245/35R18 Rear (staggered)

That's the size/profile on the GTI (not staggered). And, on the ZHP.

explorerx4

My last F-150 had 275/40-22's.

28firefighter

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Even when I squint I can’t make that tire look right.

jmonroe

All around is 37 PSI. You made me paranoid. That’s twice in a week.

stickguy

The 225/40 is one reason I hedged on a GTI. But I made it over a year on them with the Elantra! Paranoid the entire time.

My truck I think is 225/60. Nice and beefy. Acura 235/55 so almost the same sidewall.

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

@jmonroe1 said:

————————————————

Even when I squint I can’t make that tire look right.

jmonroe

All around is 37 PSI. You made me paranoid. That’s twice in a week.

————————————————
Aren’t you glad I’m still a dues paying card carrying member in here?

jmonroe

xwesx

28firefighter said:

Yeah they’re the machined finish silver. Not my favorite on a white car. Excuse the filth.

Wait, that is filth?! We gotta talk....

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

I never got the idea of black wheels. Bright wheels were suppose to make up for white walls falling out of favor I guess. Painting them black seems odd somehow. Having said that, a white car would be the best place for black wheels.

Today I parked next to a Ford SUV of some sort, I think maybe an Explorer. Black paint, black interior, and gloss black wheels. Just what you want on a sunny but muggy 90 degree day I guess. I hate the all-black look. At least this one was clean.

xwesx

Wohoo! It lives! Very happy to have it running healthily (I think) again. I'll pull an oil sample after a couple thousand miles and send it off just to check for any lingering contamination.

ronsteve

By the time I started driving in the late 80s they were wise to all your emission control shenanigans. Of course, in Indiana there were a few counties (all of them border counties) struggling to meet clean air standards, so they instituted corporate welfare for repair shops, I mean emissions testing. This was before OBD II, so they were using actual tailpipe sniffers.

My brother figured out the fine art of the "emissions tune-up" where he would lean it out and retard the timing as much as he could without getting run over accelerating from a cloverleaf ramp. Take it in for testing, which you almost always passed after that work, then put things back to where the car would run decent again.

nyccarguy

@xwesx said:
Seems kinda rich for a fifteen-year-old northeastern car with 130K on the ticker. Honestly, I might be more willing to give it the benefit of the doubt if it wasn't on a BHPH lot.

Noted. I feel like last year around this time, that same car would have had a $10K asking price on it.

Here’s one that’s cheaper, a year older, with more miles, & 2 more cylinders:

https://www.samsauto46.com/details/used-2008-subaru-outback/104425205

jmonroe1

ronsteve said:

By the time I started driving in the late 80s they were wise to all your emission control shenanigans. Of course, in Indiana there were a few counties (all of them border counties) struggling to meet clean air standards, so they instituted corporate welfare for repair shops, I mean emissions testing. This was before OBD II, so they were using actual tailpipe sniffers.

My brother figured out the fine art of the "emissions tune-up" where he would lean it out and retard the timing as much as he could without getting run over accelerating from a cloverleaf ramp. Take it in for testing, which you almost always passed after that work, then put things back to where the car would run decent again.

————————————————
I would have done that if the cars I tinkered with failed the emissions test but for whatever reason they passed with the mods. More than likely just a worthless test for cars that ran fine without smoke spewing from the tailpipe.

jmonroe

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

@xwesx said:

Seems kinda rich for a fifteen-year-old northeastern car with 130K on the ticker. Honestly, I might be more willing to give it the benefit of the doubt if it wasn't on a BHPH lot.

Noted. I feel like last year around this time, that same car would have had a $10K asking price on it.

Here’s one that’s cheaper, a year older, with more miles, & 2 more cylinders:

https://www.samsauto46.com/details/used-2008-subaru-outback/104425205

------------------------------------------

You're not wrong on that, but I still think it was a $5K car then, too!


Overall condition of the 3.0 car looks significantly better, IMO. However, it also has floor mats/paper covers down, so can't really see that well. Complete lack of mechanical photos is possibly concerning (learned that lesson looking at cars for my son!), so well worth getting a close up look at the rear subframe and engine bay. Concerns with that 3.0L H6 primarily relate to oil leakage and fuel mileage (much lower than the NA 2.5L - similar to an STi, but without the ponies). 5-speed auto is a fantastic transmission - I'd want to make sure it wasn't still running on original oil at that mileage. Unlike a lot of modern manufacturer maintenance sheets, these did call for refill intervals, but it also has a dipstick, so easy to check.

All in all, definitely worth the look if your son is okay with 20 mpg.

suydam

I’ve really been enjoying driving the Blazer EV around town. Plenty of power, handles beautifully. Still learning some of the tech, but I’m getting there. Google Assistant is great. The big screen is very nice for the Nav. map. We will take it out next weekend for a short trip (80 miles) to visit friends. Planning a longer trip mid-September to see what it’s like to charge on the road.
We will be driving cross-country mid-October to help out when our daughter has baby #2. Jury still out whether we will opt for the Kia or the Blazer. They are both good road trip vehicles and the dog will be happy in either.

Michaell

Are you ready for a new Capri?

explorerx4

Ready for a new Capri? Not that one.

suydam

We had a Mercury Capri back in the day. I would not want a repeat of that one!

ab348

Funny to read that price gap between that E-Capri and the Mach-E is only £295. I saw an ad from the local Ford dealer today offering $20K in incentives on new Mach-E models in stock. That hasn’t worked out the way Ford has hoped.

Michaell

ab348 said:

Funny to read that price gap between that E-Capri and the Mach-E is only £295. I saw an ad from the local Ford dealer today offering $20K in incentives on new Mach-E models in stock. That hasn’t worked out the way Ford has hoped.

Pretty big discounts on almost all EVs, these days. Demand is now lagging behind supply.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Are you ready for a new Capri?

When I was looking for cheap convertibles I almost bought an early 90s Mazda based Mercury Capri. Fear of parts availability stopped me. An EV Capri might be interesting.

corvette

I'm trying to scout out an oil change for the Maverick while on my upcoming road trip. Nearly every Ford dealer advertises "The Works" package as a special on their website, but it won't tell you the price. One dealer website even says it's comparable to Jiffy Lube's signature oil change at $55.99, but still doesn't tell you what the dealer charges.

roadburner

The new Capri as a EV CUV? Nope. The last Capri I really liked was the European coupe.

stickguy

That’s nice.

suydam

My Dad gave us his ‘72 Mercury Capri MT when we had our second child (1982) so we could have a second car. It had no working heater (we lived in Ohio), and pretty much every part needed replacing. AND it was a coupe at a time we were wrestling with car seats. But we were very happy to have it! I think it just stopped running one day. Different times!
I think by then we had saved enough money to buy a Mazda 323 MT. That was a great little car!

ronsteve

My dad had a 1973 Capri in the late '70s/early '80s... with the V6 and 4-speed MT it could get up and move compared to others of the day. Unfortunately electrical problems were its demise.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

The new Capri as a EV CUV? Nope. The last Capri I really liked was the European coupe.

I liked those as a kid.

https://youtu.be/uj8H4WHkRD8?si=hPmud1yEogt8VdUT

stickguy

We bought a 1986 Mazda 323 after we got married. Loved that car. Very fun to drive, great seats, and a huge trunk. Manual of course.

kyfdx

Bought a used ‘88 323 GTX in 1994. That was a hoot!