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I was thinking I would pull that caliper apart and reset everything, add some anti-squeal, check for damage. I'm sure there was a lot of torque on that thing while it was literally being drug 200' down the drive, but at least it was on packed snow/ice (yes, we still have plenty of that here!), so the friction coefficient was relatively low (Potenza RE92 for the win!). :surprise:
I was scratching my head for an hour wondering why it took her that long to decide something was "definitely" wrong. :P
Would something like that cause any damage to the front open differential?
The funny thing is how most people try to drive off with one tire in mid air, with open differentials spinning that single tire. They act surprised that they can't get unstuck. :surprise:
Last winter (05/06), I went over to my friend's house for Saturday night games, and had two passengers. His house is a 3-story on a steep hillside, so three sides are exposed on the south side and two on the north (it is about 30' from N to S). There is a drive that runs directly across the bottom, about 40' wide with a STEEP drop on the south side, and another drive that is about 15' wide directly across the upper (north) side. These two are connected by a tight turn on the east end, accompanied by a steep drop across the lower portion of the turn.
Anyway, I was driving up that turn in about 2" of powdery snow, to park on the upper side of the drive next to the main door. About 3/4 the way up the turn the car lost traction and just could not make it the rest of the way around. So, I backed down, but was close to the outer (drop off) side due to some spin out when it slipped, and I could not get it to grip and go forward at all. I slowly backed it down, but when the right front tire got close to the edge, the drive crumbled underneath it! So, here we are, with one tire hanging off the edge, nothing but sky to be seen out that side of the car, and we still had a way to go to get back down! I gave them the option to get out while I finished up the maneuver, but they were both to scared to move. But, the rear axle still had plenty of weight on it (it was a steep turn!), so it gripped enough to drag the front tire back up onto the drive as we finished up the recovery. I went ahead and parked on the south side that night..... *whew*
Second one was many years ago, with wife driving. We had stopped at an "overlook" for lunch and were preparing to leave. She backed up.... and backed up..... and finally I said "STOP!" as I knew there was a deep ditch coming up behind us. No sooner did she apply the brakes then the car goes *THUNK* as the rear axle dropped into the ditch. The car was literally balancing on the undercarriage, just behind the B pillar. The front end was up high enough that the front tires had no grip. It took a couple tries to find a competent tow vehicle to get us out, but finally a fella in an old Suburban pulled us out. I still laugh about that one and she turns bright red any time I mention it. :P
My driveway has claimed a 626, an Acura Legend, and a BMW M3. I should get stamps for each car it has defeated.
I am thinking that I will just trade in this battery for a new one - bought it at Autozone - should be able to get a fair amount on this one pro-rated since it is only 6 months old. Maybe get a high end Duralast.
You guys didn't say where you were. Cold temps will drop battery voltage. (Couple that with lowered vaporization of cold fuel, thicker oil, and you'll understand why starting on a cold morning can be a pain.)
The battery chemically decomposes to provide current -- one way. To recharge, current has to flow across the battery poles the other way, and at a greater potential than the battery resistance.
In normal temps, the battery cells can provide about 12.8 Volts. To recharge, the alternator/generator has to provide at least 13.8 to 14 volts.
Your car is claimed to run on "12 volts". In actual practice, it's circuits are designed with the alternator voltage in mind.
Granted, the addition of all the full-time digital crap does produce a daily drain.
Another cold-weather phenomenon is the fan belts. They *expand* in colder weather, allowing for slippage. On extremely cold days, that's why you may hear a belt squeal, which soon goes away, as the belts heat up and contract, restoring the orignal tension(s). Check their tension before going too much farther into your respective wallets.
Gaucho
I pulled the radio fuse per the car manual and have it still die once since then. I was not aware that more one fuse was involved. Pulling the radio fuse - turns off the radio and the dash clock. What is the illumination fuse? Is it all the dashboard lights.
I bought a radio shack multimeter for $20 and have been trying to see what the draw is when the car is off. I know less than nothing about electricity and currents but saw this on the i-club forum:
<<Best way to check for parasitic drain with the engine off is to disconnect one of the battery terminals and connect a milliameter in series between the battery post and cable terminal. Make sure the car is in full "standby" mode- key out, all doors and trunk closed, interior light off. You should see well under 100ma drain, probably closer to 10ma if all is well. If it's much above that, in the hundreds of ma or more, there is an excessive drain someplace. Find it by disconnecting suspected circuits/devices one at a time until the drain drops back down to normal.
While the meter is connected, do not turn the key on or attempt to start the car, this may destroy the meter (or at least pop its internal fuse). In fact don't put the key in at all until you complete the test and reconnect the battery terminal.
To verify the battery is charging, measuring the voltage across the battery is usually sufficient. However you also want to be sure the battery is in good condition, so it should meet the following conditions- at least 12.5 V on the battery with the engine off and after sitting for a while, water levels in cells full and equal (if applicable), hydrometer test of cells shows all w/good and equal charge levels (again if applicable). If the battery is sealed it should be tested with a load or conductance tester (conductance test is preferred as it is non-destructive).
With the known good battery, there should be 13.5-14.5 V across it with the engine running. For a more thorough charging system test, a shop can put a scope on it to check for alternator function. Some problems such as bad diodes can only be ID'd with a scope.>>
I assume I should disconnect the positive post (leave negative intact?) - switch meter to DCA mode and place red lead on post; black lead on cable? Sounds like I should see a value of less than 100 on the draw or ....maybe I'll just fry the meter - Is DCA the correct mode????
I have a 05 Outback XT and just this past week the turbo went out while my daughter was driving home from school
Still waiting at the dealers for the replacement. I had another outback years back with recurrent gasket problems.....fool me once I guess. So much for the 1st time
will let you know what happens.....
-mike
We have an '07 Forester Premium version that's supposed to have 120 watts of sound. It sounds to me like about 5 or 10. The radio/CD unit says model "6 CD Changer C-123." Does anybody else have the same impression as me? Did we get the correct model of stereo?
Thanks.
Beats me. Reminds me of a friend years ago who was so excited that he got a huge speaker system and proved it to me by playing the sound of a freight train !! Hey, cool!
-mike
The first step would be to replace the speakers-- big gains can be hard for $75-100 per speaker location (start with the front doors, of course) and then if that's still not enough you can replace the source unit and add amplifiers.
But I think that quality speakers will probably make you happy. If not we can discuss it in more detail in Modifications.. I have a few thousand invested in my Evo's stereo and have been an audiophile for a long time.
~Colin
-mike
..."and the result is that the factory radio runs out of oomph to power the new speakers."
to avoid that, select speakers that require least to be driven.
I had the OEM 6 CD HU drive a set of Kenwood KFC-X170 and KFC-X138 for a while before getting aftermarket HU, which only requires a minimum of 5 watts to drive. The sound is a big improvement from the "Upgrade Speakers" I'd had. As to volume and sound, it is crisp and clear up till volume level 23 [I think that's the level] but by or before then it would be considered really loud for most of us.
As for the 120 watts, I guess that's the newer models. My '03 WRX, the HU is 80 watts peak[20 watts/channel] and the powered sub is 120 watts.
-Dave
:surprise: I should say! Haha, the loudest I have had my '07 (stock system) is 10, and I think that is "really loud." I only put it that high if I am on gravel and trying to listen to a talk show/voices that tend to fade rapidly with road noise. Otherwise, 6 to 8 does me well. My wife prefers 4. I should note that I put the bass setting on 4 of 8, with treble and tweeters on 8. At "0" across the board, it seems very muffled.
~Colin
-mike
Bill (at the beach)
Though, I tend to call the extreme loud music or bass thumpers "loudiphiles" lol
-Brian
Thanks for your help!
Pat
-mike
Bolt that holds the timing belt tensioner pulley 'sheared' off on my 99 Forester (155,000 miles) -- severe valve damage when the belt released. Shop is working w/ the car now. I am the original owner and all maint had been done.
Orig timing belt replaced at 85,000. I had never seen this issue reported before .. curious if anyone else had?
Did they replace the tensioner at 85K, usually it's a good idea to replace the tensioner when they put in a new timing belt.
-mike
-mike
-mike
No twisting or anything - just appeared to shear off right where it went into the block. Yes, it could have been over tightened or have worked loose and gotten 'stressed'.
Shop has ordered new valves and parts to re-assemble .. probably looking at 2100 - 2500 in repairs. Machine shop says no damage other than the bent valves.
Plan to keep the car for a couple more years - with the way I had cared for the car and really liked the handling and all - just a little discouraging to not get more miles before major engine problems.
Seems to run smooth and power is good.
Couple of things .. Air bag light is on (was not on prior to repair)-shop was unable to retrieve code and suggested taking it to the dealer (which I will do) - also -cruise control will not set using the 'set' lever on steering column. Wondering if these are related = common connector, etc? Cannot find anything 'loose' under dash.
Anyone have any ideas? Will be taking it back to the shop for 'head retorque' and valve adjust in 1000M so will have it checked then ...