93 replies to this topic

[pwr_crx]

also when your abs stops working you have NO BRAKES had that happen 2 times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not true, you must have had some oother brake problems. When ABS quits working only the ABS stops working. You still have full power braking the wheels will just lock up if pushed to the limit.

[3gencivic]

well not to aruge bu the abs did go and i endedup hitting my grage wiht a did brake peddel move the retaining wall 2 inches. and my mom had it go (her car) while she was stopping at a stop sign. took it to the shop and the abs was bad.
mind you it was a cavalier so what really is good about it.

[gkiing]

Hey who here can actually lock up their rear wheels with the handbrake?

I tried the other day and they didn't lock up with it maxed, although my drums are at the 181mm service limit but I have brand new shoes.

Edited by gkiing, 02 December 2005 - 07:55 PM.

[3gencivic]

i only can get one to and that is on a turn and tha tis new drums shoes and ajsuted cables

[CRXdan]

if your car is too slow turn up the boost if u have no boost get some

[deadpool7372]

#1 Nitrogen in your tires insted of air will make last longer, larger molicules so they don't leek out as fast, disapate heat faster, doesn't rot the rubber from the inside, and it doesn't exspand and contract with hot and cold as much so your tires don't go flat in the winter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would this be unsafe in a wreck?
How the heck do you get Nitrogen in a tire?

-I found this interesting...

[1stGenRex]

#1 Nitrogen in your tires insted of air will make last longer, larger molicules so they don't leek out as fast, disapate heat faster, doesn't rot the rubber from the inside, and it doesn't exspand and contract with hot and cold as much so your tires don't go flat in the winter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would this be unsafe in a wreck?
How the heck do you get Nitrogen in a tire?

-I found this interesting...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

its perfectly safe...i know f1 uses this because the tire pressure doesnt fluctuate, and there is also no moisture like in compressed air. good race shops should have a way of doing this

[DarkHand]

#1 Nitrogen in your tires insted of air will make last longer, larger molicules so they don't leek out as fast, disapate heat faster, doesn't rot the rubber from the inside, and it doesn't exspand and contract with hot and cold as much so your tires don't go flat in the winter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Would this be unsafe in a wreck?
How the heck do you get Nitrogen in a tire?

-I found this interesting...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

its perfectly safe...i know f1 uses this because the tire pressure doesnt fluctuate, and there is also no moisture like in compressed air. good race shops should have a way of doing this

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Air is mostly nitrogen anyway, I don't see how it could be dangerous.

It's similar to the idea I had to adapt a paintball CO2 canister to a tire valve while playing paintball a few weeks ago... Instant tire pressure adjustments at an autocross for just a few pounds weight, and in a small package. I had already thought about different expansion rates, but not about how it would react with the rubber. I'll have to check that out.

If not, I'm sure you can get nitrogen canisters just as easily as CO2 though.

Edited by DarkHand, 02 December 2005 - 10:51 PM.

[JayK]

Hey who here can actually lock up their rear wheels with the handbrake?

I tried the other day and they didn't lock up with it maxed, although my drums are at the 181mm service limit but I have brand new shoes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can easily. My handbrake only takes 4 max to get to full lock.

[boise_schizo]

in some cases, you can make gaskets out of a cardboard or an aluminum can.

They don't last long, but they can get you throught a few days in case of holiday or weekend when you can't get parts.

wouldn't recommend torque-ing too hard if using aluminum bolts

[MakDiesel]

QUOTE:

Just wondering, why would the extra gas be wasted??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I couldn't find my original source but I did find a second confirmation that "topping off" is not worth it. Here goes their explaination, from Auto Repair for Dummies, page 15.

"Never 'top off' a tank by adding fuel after the pump has shut off automatically. If you overfill your tank, the fuel may overflow the fill hole or leak out onto the road through an overflow outlet. This is not just a waste of money; spilled gasoline ruins asphalt, pollutes the air, and is a fire hazard. This kind of leakage is especially prone to happen if it's a hot day and the gasoline in your tank expands."

The flip side to this is you also don't want a tank that is always riding on empty either. On page 269 it states that an empty tank has more air inside, and on cold mornings this turns to water vapor. The water collects on the sides and rusts the tank from the inside out. After a while, this rust settles at the bottom of a tank, and is fine so long as the pickup doesn't scrape the bottom and pick up these "coffee sediments", which can occur when the level of gas is very low. Some in-tank fuel filters can prevent the problems associated w/ floating rust, but even these filters will eventually become clogged and cause problems.

I know this for a fact. My '81 280zx apparently had tank rust issues because one day I went to go to work only to have the car stall soon after it started. Several tries later, I called into work and said I would be late. Turns out that car sat for almost a month all the while I tried to fix the problem. I bought a new fuel filter, rubber lines, pressure regulator, etc but nothing would get the damn car to even turn over. Finally, as a last ditch effort before I was going to have it towed, I pulled off the line that runs from the tank to the pump. I could see a big (size of a peanut M&M) piece of rust wedged in the inlet so I took a golf tee and put it in the opening, then punched it. I hooked everything back up, turned the key, BAM!, sputter, sputter, back to life! After that I always kept the tank above 1/8-1/4 never had another problem. Sorry for the novel. Mak

[jay_blu1983]

We use dry nitrogen in aircraft tiers with no problems (for same expansion reasons) you can get a small bottle of gaseous nitrogen from a welding shop. The bottle's and regulators are expensive but the nitrogen isn't too bad.

Edited by jay_blu1983, 03 December 2005 - 09:54 AM.

[cbstdscott]

Someone touched on this earlier, but it is worth repeating:

Always use distilled water in your radiator (along with the correct amount of coolant). Tap water has mineral deposits that cake up in your coolant system. Distilled water is just H2O.

Always use a torque wrench when tightening your lug nuts. the Honda service manual calls for 80 lbs of torque onn the lugs. 80 lbs sounds like a lot, but I guarantee that you will think it is not tight enough. Resist the urge to put more twist on the lugs or *God Forbid* use an air wrench. Strange as it may seem, you can actually bend the disk rotors with too much torque on the lugs. 99% of the time when someone has a "warped rotor" it is because some jerk used an air wrench to tighten the lug nuts.

If you have some sort of radiator failure and need to limp to a repair station or if your car is over heating, turn on the heater. Your heater is actually a small radiator that adds some cooling capacity to your cooling system.

The fastest car is the one with the straightest wheels.
Brake in a straight line.
Low is good, too low is not good.

Scott

[Disco Stu]

Back onto the ABS issue, my brother's 94 Impala SS has ABS, and he hated them, so oops he lost the fuse and has been using regular brakes ever since. It just gets annoying with the dash light on.


ALWAYS hit up your brake rotors and drums with some brake cleaner and wipe off with a clean rag/towel before installing. Some come with anti rust crap on them that should be cleaned off.

NEVER TRY TO JUMP A LINCOLN WITH A CRX! Even if you have an Optima Yellow. I tried, and ended up blowing not only the 55amp main fuse (which resulted in a bright blue lightning strike under my hood that scared the hoo-haas offa me) but also blew out my headlights since they were on at the time.

By now, don't even bother using the stock jack points for holding the car up. I almost flattened myself when a little extra weight on the car caused the jack point to CRRRUNCH.

[boise_schizo]

By now, don't even bother using the stock jack points for holding the car up. I almost flattened myself when a little extra weight on the car caused the jack point to CRRRUNCH.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

sounds like you might have some rust issues. I have no problem using my stock jack points, even with someone sitting in the car.