Ask a stupid automotive question

[fredtoast]

(06-09-2015, 02:47 PM)Wyche Wrote: In the old days, yes.....but with all of the electronic gadgetry of today's rides, you'll wind up frying something....possibly even the CPU.

There is, however, chance that you may not fry something if you disconnect the power and ground from your battery and then wire the chassis to the battery and produce a nice jolt.......120V hooked to the chassis after a disconnect would work the best.....but they'll see the chord.....maybe.

Unhooking the battery ruins everything.

Just get a second battery to place in your trunk.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

(06-09-2015, 07:02 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Unhooking the battery ruins everything.

Just get a second battery to place in your trunk.

Yeah, cars these days suck big time.

Old cars, if my battery was dead after driving the car or the headlights started to become dim, I knew I needed a new Altenator. To check and make sure, I would get the car started and unhook the battery, if the car stalled, the Altenator was bad and needed to be replaced. If it stayed running, I had to find the problem in the electrical system.

Now, if you unhook the battery while the car is running, you can do all kinds of bad things to your car. Things like fry the computer or burn out your Altenator, lol. I know these things are supposed to be better for the car and stuff but man, it was so much easier long ago.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-09-2015, 07:02 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Unhooking the battery ruins everything.

Just get a second battery to place in your trunk.

If you leave power to the vehicle, and you put voltage to the chassis, you're gonna cook something.  VW is one of the only cars I know of that will need a "reset" if you leave the battery disconnected too (although I am sure there are others, especially on the high end)......but even they have a way around that if you know what you're doing.....it's all in the security system, typically.....

http://www.vwvortex.com

(06-09-2015, 07:10 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Yeah, cars these days suck big time.

Old cars, if my battery was dead after driving the car or the headlights started to become dim, I knew I needed a new Altenator. To check and make sure, I would get the car started and unhook the battery, if the car stalled, the Altenator was bad and needed to be replaced. If it stayed running, I had to find the problem in the electrical system.

Now, if you unhook the battery while the car is running, you can do all kinds of bad things to your car. Things like fry the computer or burn out your Altenator, lol. I know these things are supposed to be better for the car and stuff but man, it was so much easier long ago.

You can still check them.....use a voltmeter.  If you're pulling less than 12 volts with the vehicle running, chances are your alternator is shot (bad voltage regulator)......especially if you have 12 volts with the car off, and less than 12 while running......

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

.....whuch reminds me....I need to get that damn alternator replaced in my CRX! Sweet procrastination......

[fredtoast]

(06-09-2015, 11:13 PM)Wyche Wrote: If you leave power to the vehicle, and you put voltage to the chassis, you're gonna cook something. 

Now that I think about it you are correct.

The chassis is the ground.

[fredtoast]

Not an automotive story, but it kind of fits in this thread.

My parents always ran an electric fence around their garden. As most of you know an electric fence has the voltage stepped down considerably so that if you touch it you get a shock, but it is nowhere near lethal. One year the varmints were still getting into the garden so my dad just ran a direct 110 volt line straight out of a plug onto the fence. This is extremely dangerous because if a human (or someones pet) touched it it could kill them. Of course they only plugged it in at night and they tied their own dog to keep it from getting shocked. Every morning there would be dead groundhogs, possums on the fence. Most of the time they would be biting it with the wire in their mouth. One time there was a dead dog, but they don't know where it came from.

Very effective, but very very dangerous,

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-10-2015, 01:29 AM)fredtoast Wrote: The chassis is the ground.

Yup.....

[*wildcats forever*]

(06-09-2015, 06:19 PM)Wyche Wrote: Here's a DIY on your blend door.....doesn't look like too hateful of a job, but they'll want an arm and a leg because of the time the book will call for....

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EEWuJuhCtmc

.....it's only a 30 dollar part.....


Here are some suggestions for your "possessed" wipers....

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1295456-wipers-wont-turn-off-sometimes.html


....these automotive forums are the shit......save me A LOT of money.  

Wow, leave it to Ford to **** up something as simple as wipers!   WTF?!  No hard wire on the switch....goes through a network?

Anyway, as you read through that thread, you'll find that most of the members' problems were the same culprit:  the wiper switch.....which is apparently rather cheap.

You are so correct here. Whether they are the manufacturer's sponsored site, or an owner's forum, I have have saved myself thousands pf dollars over the years using them. Repair methods, quality parts sources (especially important for classics), specialty tool sources, and even reviews on the best classic insurance companies and restoration services (such as chrome plating) and on and on ..... 

Whether it's a classic car, or your daily driver, using these is a win for you!

[fredtoast]

(06-10-2015, 12:36 PM)wildcats forever Wrote: You are so correct here. Whether they are the manufacturer's sponsored site, or an owner's forum, I have have saved myself thousands pf dollars over the years using them. Repair methods, quality parts sources (especially important for classics), specialty tool sources, and even reviews on the best classic insurance companies and restoration services (such as chrome plating) and on and on ..... 

Whether it's a classic car, or your daily driver, using these is a win for you!

I spent a ton of time on Hondtech when I had a modified Integra.

The amount of info on those sights is ridiculous.  So many cars have specific little quirks that you never even know about until you get onto these message boards.  And a lot of guys on those boards are experts.  You just need to figure out which ones to trust.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-10-2015, 12:36 PM)wildcats forever Wrote: You are so correct here. Whether they are the manufacturer's sponsored site, or an owner's forum, I have have saved myself thousands pf dollars over the years using them. Repair methods, quality parts sources (especially important for classics), specialty tool sources, and even reviews on the best classic insurance companies and restoration services (such as chrome plating) and on and on ..... 

Whether it's a classic car, or your daily driver, using these is a win for you!

(06-10-2015, 12:45 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I spent a ton of time on Hondtech when I had a modified Integra.

The amount of info on those sights is ridiculous.  So many cars have specific little quirks that you never even know about until you get onto these message boards.  And a lot of guys on those boards are experts.  You just need to figure out which ones to trust.

Indeed gentlemen, and a lot of them are techs fred, like you say, just gotta figure out who is who.....

If you are even the least bit mechanically inclined, and have the tools, you can save some serious coin!  I can imagine they're a big help on the classics, but they are also a HUGE help on Euro cars, a Godsend.  Everyone is scared to work on them, and they have their quirks and specialty tools, but they are not as bad as they seem, once you get 'em cracked open.  In fact, they do some ingenious things I wish other manufacturers would take note of.  I saved THOUSANDS on my VWs.  Simple, cheap fixes would often call for ridiculous labor......but once you learn the little nuances, you can do it yourself for literally pennies on the dollar.


VWvortex has stickies of DIYs on every forum for just about every facet of every make for anything Volkswagen.....even the Bugatti Veyron....

[xxlt]

I do not need to remove and replace my headliner, however there is a small patch near a window that has fallen. It is probably 8 inches by three inches. I looked at some reviews of adhesives and couldn't find any adhesives recommended - just a bunch of people who said what they tried sucked and it looked like crap and/or the repair failed. Anyone want to suggest an adhesive for this repair?

[EatonFan]

First issue in the OP seems to me to be related to the (now I'm going to get technical) "little squirty thing" that you hit that causes your wiper to squirt fluid onto the windshield. I would guess that it senses that you've hit that switch and causes the wipers to wipe. I'd say it's the switch which is too sensitive due to a defect. Swapping it out would be the easiest solution.

[*wildcats forever*]

(06-11-2015, 05:34 PM)xxlt Wrote: I do not need to remove and replace my headliner, however there is a small patch near a window that has fallen. It is probably 8 inches by three inches. I looked at some reviews of adhesives and couldn't find any adhesives recommended - just a bunch of people who said what they tried sucked and it looked like crap and/or the repair failed. Anyone want to suggest an adhesive for this repair?

Permatex All Purpose spray adhesive. It is a 10.5 ounce can, and did the job for me on a headliner in one of my cars. I just cut about a one inch long slit in the liner, positioned the nozzle in the slit opening and sprayed a complete 360 degree pattern to the roof and the roof side of the liner. Then I rolled out all bubbles/roughness with a 2" paint roller, and it came out perfect, with the exception of the 1" seam where I created the slit, and you have to be looking for it to really see it. 

Just go slow and imagine your work before you actually do it.

[BengalHawk62]

(06-12-2015, 09:41 AM)wildcats forever Wrote: Permatex All Purpose spray adhesive. It is a 10.5 ounce can, and did the job for me on a headliner in one of my cars. I just cut about a one inch long slit in the liner, positioned the nozzle in the slit opening and sprayed a complete 360 degree pattern to the roof and the roof side of the liner. Then I rolled out all bubbles/roughness with a 2" paint roller, and it came out perfect, with the exception of the 1" seam where I created the slit, and you have to be looking for it to really see it. 

Just go slow and imagine your work before you actually do it.

Is that found at any automotive store?  I have the same problem in my pickup and have been trying to figure out the best way to fix the headliner.

[Hoofhearted]

(06-09-2015, 07:10 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Yeah, cars these days suck big time.

Old cars, if my battery was dead after driving the car or the headlights started to become dim, I knew I needed a new Altenator. To check and make sure, I would get the car started and unhook the battery, if the car stalled, the Altenator was bad and needed to be replaced. If it stayed running, I had to find the problem in the electrical system.

Now, if you unhook the battery while the car is running, you can do all kinds of bad things to your car. Things like fry the computer or burn out your Altenator, lol. I know these things are supposed to be better for the car and stuff but man, it was so much easier long ago.

Much easier to test the battery with a volt meter. If your getting around 14 volts, you're alternator is good so would likely need a battery.

[*wildcats forever*]

(06-12-2015, 12:52 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Is that found at any automotive store?  I have the same problem in my pickup and have been trying to figure out the best way to fix the headliner.

It's been awhile since I bought it, but fairly sure it was at Advanced Auto.

[Edge]

(06-11-2015, 05:34 PM)xxlt Wrote: I do not need to remove and replace my headliner, however there is a small patch near a window that has fallen. It is probably 8 inches by three inches. I looked at some reviews of adhesives and couldn't find any adhesives recommended - just a bunch of people who said what they tried sucked and it looked like crap and/or the repair failed. Anyone want to suggest an adhesive for this repair?

Wait....wiper problems, cabin temp problems, now headliner sagging, there's a pattern developing here ....is there anything NOT wrong with this vehicle?

I feel for you tho. I have a 2K Merc Mountaineer with it's own set of quirks.  Wait til the cheap outside door handles to break, and the door locks only unlock when the time/temp/mood is just right, wiper motors and relays routinely go bad......but, doggonnit if that beast doesn't run through any mud/stream/snow pile with ease!!