/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>71541
I put water in my gas tank to clean the carbon deposits, now it wont start? was I supposed to use quality water?

where do i buy basic mechanical components such as gears, pulleys, bearings, shafts?

How would I troubleshoot a speedometer cable?

Car mechanic?

Does the "Super Unleaded" gas at the pump really differ from the other cheaper stuff?

Would I see an amount of performance difference that would justify the extra cash?

>>71550
No, you should have used polystyrene, it makes your car go fastah

>>71558

1) yes

2) no

>>71558
>Does the "Super Unleaded" gas at the pump really differ from the other cheaper stuff?
Yes

>Would I see an amount of performance difference that would justify the extra cash?
Unless you run a sportscar or change your timing, no

How do you feel about boxers?

suspension is shot and my rear main seal leaks, should I fix it or just try and get a newer car?

>>71572
You mean boxster, you daft cunt?

my horn stopped working any quick fixes you can suggest?

>>71591
He's probably talking about boxer engines, you dumb shit.

>>71550
oh my no, dihydrogen monoxide and internal combustion don't mix.

>>71558
yes. the octane rating is basically the burn speed, which allows a high compression or boosted engine to run more advanced ignition timing without pinging or predetonation. long story short if your carmaker doesn't recommend it you don't need it. save your pennies.

>>71559
take one end off the transmission and spin it up with a drill. if the needle moves the problems in the trans. if it doesn't pull the cable off at the speedo head. if it spins there its the speedo head, if it doesn't spin the cable is broken.

>>71572
second best engine configuration behind inline six.

>>71582
depends on the car. is it going to break down next week? is it even worth trading in? is the newer car going to have similar issues? rear main is a huge diy project without a lift or engine hoist it can get hairy.

>>71604
check fuse, honk the horn with a jumper wire to check operation, hook up a new switch somewhere if you have to

>>71591
>>71610
a porsche is fine too.

my car eats through oil like it is going out of style, have to put 2 quarts in every month. There are never any signs of a leak on my driveway, what is up?

It is a v8 if that would somehow matter

>>71671

why is the inline six so good?

also whats a good starting car that has good performance and is not too expensive (like under 10k)

Octane is a measurement of resistance to auto-ignition under compression. A higher octane fuel will be less likely to spontaneously ignite under the same compression as a lower octane fuel. The spontaneous ignition is called "knock".

The advantage of a higher octane fuel is that you can increase the compression ratio of the car and that will increase the efficiency of the car. Compression ratios are not easily modified, however, and putting a higher octane rating fuel in a car than what is recommended is of no advantage to you.


TL;DR : Putting jet fuel in your car won't make it any better off than the 87 octane.

>>71671
> dihydrogen monoxide

It's just hydrogen oxide. You know, like salt is sodium chloride instead of monosodium monochloride.

No a mechanic but I'm, fairly knowledgeable.

>>71726

Check your radiator fluid. If theres oil in it you have a problem. Most likely your car is simple burning it, which is also a problem (leaky seals/gaskets). Check its tail pipe for blueish exhaust or get it smogged. If you put a lot of miles on it every month the leak might be small enough that you don't see it in the exhaust without a smog test. You might be able to smell it though. Check for it when you first start he vehicle AND after its been running for awhile. Before and after the morning commute are good times.

>>72074

Its also known as water. Water does not compress and it can seriously destroy your engine. Crack a block, throw a rod or crack a cylinder type damage.

>>71726
most likely glazed cylinder walls or sticking oil rings causing it to be burned slowly without the telltale blue smoke. some engines eat oil, esp at high mileage. if you had a new VW doing that the dealer would tell you it was normal. just keep adding, $5 in oil a month is cheaper than a rebuild.

>>71745
they're naturally balanced and nearly unbreakable, compact design, simple to work on, have high power potential and they make the best noises.

best entry level sports cars under 10k are a miata, e36 m3 or a bugeye impreza wrx. might be able to find an rx8 or 350z at that price too. basically look for something rear wheel drive with an aluminum engine and you can't go wrong.

>>72066
>>72074
yes yes.

>>72091
def check oil mixing with coolant, especially if there's an oil cooler somewhere.
hydrolocking occurs when water is inducted through the intake. water in the fuel system will just rust your pump / injectors and quench combustion to the point it runs poorly or doesn't start. diesels on the other hand will not run at all with any amount of water in the fuel, so the filters have a water seperator.

>>71591

>being an elitist fag
>not even knowing that a boxter runs off of a boxer engine
>not even knowing a boxer engine is the heart of bmw motorrads and vw beetles
>not even knowing the first internal combustion engine was a boxer

>>72180
>compact design

ahahahahahahahahaha

tell that to my v8

>>71572
How do you guys know he wasn't talking about underwear? I mean hell i like my boxers more than whitey tighties... Anyways so mr. mechanic how much would you charge to rebuild my 400m with all new internals and rebuild mt C-6 auto tranny with all new internals? It has a rear main leak i'm pretty sure and i have a choice of just rebuilding the whole fucker or trying to fix the seals....

I recently replaced head, LIM, UIM, and exhaust manifold gaskets and got my heads resurfaced.
For awhile the car was misfiring at idol (throwing a P0300) and assuming it was a vacuum leak went hunting. I didn't find anything and it seems to have worked itself out.

Now for the question.
The car still misfires, again a P0300, but only when accelerating heavily, at about 4k rpms right before it shifts gears (Auto).
When the car is parked and I open the throttle no problem, when car is moving it misfires.
What would you recommend I.. do?

>>72990
a modified 300 straight six can have more power/torque than a stock v8. It would take money and time but it's possible, and those fuckers are bulletproof

>>73001
Check your plugs and wires, and your coil for dirty posts or damaged plugs. I replaced the plugs in my 78 bronco and had one break in half without me knowing. Almost spent the money on a new carb

>>73004
Should have mentioned i replaced the plugs and wires as well. The coil packs don't seem to be having a problem, I've swapped them around and still produced the same result.
My car is fuel injected btw, 99 pontiac grand am gt

>>73007
Ok next check your fuel injectors, either replace them or run some Lucas injector cleaner. It would have to do with spark fuel or timing to cause a misfire. i don't know too much about EFI cause my bronco is carbbed but those are basic things to check

>>73007
Will do.
Thank you anon

OP, I want to learn basic mechanics(not cars). Where should I start?

Gas doesn't seem to be burning cleanly because I can smell it in exhaust. I've used those fuel injector cleaner liquids for two full tanks now and no use.

wat do?

Anyone can answer this.


in an engine does the spark plug provide ignition on each combustion. I don't understand how else it would work.

Noob here

Unless you're dieseling

>>73049
Yes. This is what your timing system is for. So it fires properly in each cycle.

>>72990
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqmnEFAI7jk#t=16s

>>73000
$400 for the engine rebuild kit through summit and $150 for the trans rebuild kit (ebay). labor of at least 30 hours, plus machine shop costs.

>>73001
misfiring under a load is typically ignition related, as the higher firing voltages make it so the spark starts leaking to ground. mist some tap water over the wires / coils and run a screwdriver near them while listening and watching for arcs. i rev the engine a bit with my hand on the distributor cap and if i get zapped there's a problem, also check for a lean fuel condition like clogged fuel filter or low pressure at the pump as that will cause a lean miss under load.

>>73002
yeah but modify the v8 and it'll blow the i6 out of the water. and an LS1 v8 is both shorter and lighter than any iron block aluminum head i6, so there's that. different strokes for different folks. a land yacht needs a huge torquey engine, a flyweight roadster works better with a small high strung one. that being said, small car huge engine is always an awesome combination.

>>73007
if it's got the quad 4 engine sell it immediately and run for your life.

>>73030
carpentry. metalworking. build up some calluses. get a simple tool kit, some old broken appliances and take them apart then try to reassemble. read "how it works" books. it's what i did before i started fixing my cars and going to trade school.

>>73038
running too rich and/or your cat converters have stopped calalytically converting the hydrocarbons effectively. take it to a shop and expect a few hundred dollars in repairs.

>>73049
yes, the distributor or ignition module tells the coil when to spark for each combustion event.

I'm a machinist with access to a 4-axis CNC (knowledgeable on how to program, setup and operate)

I want to build a miniature turbo diesel engine for demonstration proposes, (and grant money) for my local vocational school where might I start?

CAPTCHA: x-direction 4chanmachinist?

>>73250

not OP but you should probably get your hands on some machine blueprints with exact specifications, youre going to have a shitty engine if its not exact

>>73257
I can maintain a tolerance of +-.0001in, I need a minature design to follow

My transmission is shot. It's going to be $2100 to fix.

Should I just go in for a newer car, fix the one I have (as it's about 15 years old with a ton of miles on it), or get a used car?

>>73273
>$2100 to have your transmission replaced
If you pull a transmission from a salvage yard and replace it yourself, it would most likely cost less than $500. This is /diy/, after all.

>>73279

>If you pull a transmission from a salvage yard and replace it yourself, it would most likely cost less than $500. This is /diy/, after all.

Man I wish.

It's currently stuck in a city 500+ miles from where I live. Even if I could get it home, I have no space to do safe work (I have to park in the street), and I have none of the tools necessary for it.

>>73285
There are some diy garage rental services. Haven't used one myself but you could look into it. I guess you would have to be 100% sure about the timeframe or it could end up costing more.

are Michelin tires best tires for regular city drive?
i have to change mine and Michelin are most expensive ones

>>73298

Need more info. Size of tire? Vehicle its going on (make, model, year)? Driving conditions, both weather and roads? Also, what kind of driving are you doing?

Ford 302V8 fuel injected having a blowback problem. PCV valve replaced and still have oil in the air filter and one of the plugs keeps getting fouled with burned oil. 300K miles. How bad do you think the rings are?

>>73250
i'd find a small but sturdy sub 50cc gasoline engine and make a custom diesel head for it. some chainsaws have little turbos if you can scavange one it'd be an appropriate size. good luck, it's quite a project.

>>73273
my rule is if the repairs it needs costs twice as much as its worth its time to scrap trade or sell it. but my labor is free so i've had the same car for a while. put it on craigslist as a mechanics special and find something that isn't broken.

>>73293
it's called hands-on garage where i've lived

>>73298
they're the quietest and last longer but very expensive. i don't like them because they're overpriced. kumho makes some badass and cheap summer tires but you'll replace them every three seasons or so. for winters i've been running the same 4 studded winterforce's for the last six years and they're still at 50-75% tread with good studs. just don't wear them down on dry pavement much. for all seasons i'd just get the chinese ones they sell at sears because they're they're round and black and don't cost much. notice how many michelin advertisements you see? yeah that's why they cost more.

>>73816
sounds pretty bad. you could do a compression and leakdown test to find out exactly how much bad they are. since it still runs i'd install an oil catch can with a breather filter to keep your air filter clean and run it till it breaks. used 302's aren't hard to find in a junkyard.


time to make the potatoes.

I want to make this mechanism how would it work.

where can i get a water pump for my 63 bug?
(vw if that helps.

>>74083
Why do I find this gif hilarious?

>>74090
because it looks absurd.

>>74093
You know what it reminds me of? In the The Sound of Music, when they're doing the So Long, Farewell song at the party, and it comes to the part where they sing about the cuckoo clock; they line up behind each other and poke their heads out from the behind the person at the front and say 'cuckoo'.

>>74085
pretty sure there are some internet sites that sell that sort of thing preassembled but i'm not about to google it.

>>74087
don't need one. the washer fluid tank is hooked up to the spare tire for pressure. nice try tho.

>>74090
i like to imagine it continuously makes a noise like a rusty see saw. eee-eerrh, eee-eerrh, eee-eerrh


best loaded baked potato casserole evar.

>>74087
rockauto.com
amazing selection, lowest process anywhere. check car forums for a promo code too.

I'm making an Indian pudding for dessert tonight. When I added the cornmeal, it all lumped together. What do I do now? Is thanksgiving ruined?

>>74140
nah, it'll be fine. you can add a little more milk if it's too dry.

>>74147
just wanted you to know, the Indian pudding came out fine.

>>74147

>>71541
How can I make mechanical logic gates? Or at least, a NOT, AND, and an OR gate. Mechanical as in not electronic, best if it's small, with the inputs rods where a push = 1, not push/pull = 0. this is for a mechanical computer I'm building.

>>74348
Not op, but you can do it with fluid. Valves that are in certain positions based on the fluid pressure being applied.

>>74348
Protip: if you can make a NAND gate, you get all the others.

>>74348

Lever = not, two pushrods + spring in wired-or like arrangement + lever = nor. Build everything else from nor gates.

On the other hand, if even the basic gates are too difficult to you... Maybe you should consider something simpler first?

>>73147

>>73007 here
It's got the V6
I would sell it/trade it but its kinda become my baby. When I got it it wouldnt even start.

My engine doesn't have a Distributor but I'll certainly try everything you've suggested. Thanks a lot.

Hello. I have a 93 rx7 which i am installing a 3" wrapped downpipe. Can I keep the stock main cat on which is 2.5" to keep boost creep under control? Which size flange gasket should I use 2.5 or 3"?

What are better Boost Gauges mechanical or electrical?

>>74124
fuck yeah Deltic

>>73268
What if this gif from broski?
Looks like an interesting video.

whoa, still alive

>>74344
dude, sweet.

>>75536
np

>>75544
if it were my car i'd swap in a high flow 3" cat eventually but 2.5" isn't exactly small. whichever gasket fits i guess, the 3" will probably flow more.

electric, less of a hassle to install but costs a bit more.