Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Vette Boss said:
Does anyone know the best product to restore black plastic trim on a VW? I'm going to try Mother's Back to Black, the reviews say it will need to be applied every few weeks, after rain and washing. Looking for an opinion on a more long-term alternative.
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Short of actually replacing the trim, try SEM Trim Paint.

mooglebunny said:
edit: Also all of this speak of Spark Plugs reminds me that mine are questionably old (I was going to have them replaced, but a certain relative who owned the car before me complained about how they can go on for 100k miles etc). Old as in they have probably been on the car for more than 5 years, and are probably why I only get about 13-16 mpg driving in the city amongst other things.
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Yeah, go with the manufacturer recommended plug change intervals. I don't recall your engine being one of the "don't touch it for 100K" models. Also, stick with the factory recommended plugs unless you have an actual physical issue with them.
 
Yup, that's the plan.

It was just the family member complaining about spending money on something that they thought "would work fine since that's what the internet says hurr durr". (Which isn't true, but they wouldn't listen to me and the one who owns the car tends to "believe" this particular family member over someone like my Dad whom would probably agree about changing them.)

(I actually don't own the manual since said family member loses everything they ever own. They lost a 15" computer monitor somehow. >.>)

I'm only guessing about the age, but I'm 100% sure they are older than at least 3 years (and have had a lot of use).
 
Your car's service manual can be found here: http://carpdf.net/mitsubishi-mirage-1999-service-manual-ebook.htm

Your spark plug change interval is every 30,000 miles. Your relative probably bought some platinum plugs that claimed to last 100K. Which they usually don't, and they usually actually make things worse in engines not designed for them.
 
Oh nice. Thanks for showing me that link I quite appreciate it. I've had a hard time finding a good source for the manual myself. I will definitely take a look at it tomorrow since I'll be on a proper computer to print out important parts tomorrow and look it over.

I had a feeling it was quite a lot less which is why I thought about that in the first place. I believe this car hasn't gone more than 30k in the last 5 years to be honest since about 140k of the 202k on the engine at the moment was put on during the first year or two of ownership (2000-2001). I honestly don't know if it had platinum ones (If I ask that relative about anything they have had done on the car, I get a... "UHHH I DUNNO I don't remember. Or, "I don't think I have ever changed such and such" with exception to the timing belt.") I seriously doubt it though since that relative is also quite cheap and probably went with the cheaper ones.

(Honestly I think they just looked at some forums or something that said that some spark plugs went to 100k just fine and assumed it meant that for any car.)
 
Emarline said:
http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/2466562579.html

I'm not sure why I like the look of this paint so much. Maybe because I look at it and go "oooh, shiny".
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To my eyes, it appears to have the large-flake paint from a bass boat... the kind favored by those who live way back in the woods, where half a town has the same last name...

PH16_4_069c.jpg


Edit: rickhamilton - if you have been running that Saturn around for a while like that, you may have killed your catalytic converter as well. Time to dump the chump car.
 
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Spectre said:
Edit: rickhamilton - if you have been running that Saturn around for a while like that, you may have killed your catalytic converter as well. Time to dump the chump car.
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Are-You-Fucking-Kidding-Me.jpg


In that case, the goal just got a lot more important..must sell car! I wonder what the demand will be for a car with mileage unknown...The 2 or 3 things that need fixing beyond that appear to be fairly simple for the do it yourselfer to accomplish so that's always a plus for ads and stuff.
 
rickhamilton620 said:
Are-You-Fucking-Kidding-Me.jpg
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Nope, too much unburned fuel (i.e., running rich) entering the cats can cause them to overheat and melt as the catalytic reaction goes into overdrive. Lots of carbon can also plug them. Often it's a bad misfire or burned valve causing it, but running too rich for too long will do it too.

See this (mostly correct) overview: http://www.aa1car.com/library/converter.htm

By the way, it's only going to get worse if you don't repair the rich-running cause. An overheated cat can actually start the car on fire.
 
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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/autoblog/~3/aIK7PYAl9mA/

Yay for 500, glad to see a lot of them are manual's too.

Spectre said:
Nope, too much unburned fuel (i.e., running rich) entering the cats can cause them to overheat and melt as the catalytic reaction goes into overdrive. Lots of carbon can also plug them. Often it's a bad misfire or burned valve causing it, but running too rich for too long will do it too.

See this (mostly correct) overview: http://www.aa1car.com/library/converter.htm

By the way, it's only going to get worse if you don't repair the rich-running cause. An overheated cat can actually start the car on fire.
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Oh that's comforting, going to work only to have the car ignite isn't cool. :(
 
rickhamilton620 said:
Oh that's comforting, going to work only to have the car ignite isn't cool. :(
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Quite possibly while you're driving it, actually.

One of the signs on a Nissan Pathfinder that the catalytic converter has worn out and is overheating is the driver's side carpet starts smoldering and/or melting. (Guess where they put the cat.) Cats are actually wear items and they do eventually die after a long normal service life, but they're not cheap to replace in many cases. Running it rich for prolonged periods of time usually means your cat is dead or dying and you might get an unpleasant surprise soon.
 
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Or you can park it over something which can ignite too. Either way, fire = bad.

One time when I was a kid, we got a call from my brother who was stuck at the bottom of a hill. For some reason, his car had no power and couldn't make it up one of the hills near his house. We couldn't figure out what was wrong until I happened to notice a glow coming from under his car. (A 1977 Chevy Impala wagon, BTW.) It turns out that the cat was glowing orange because somehow some dog food was in the venturis of the carburetor and starving the engine of air. The unburned fuel was, as Spectre said, cooking the cat from the inside. Once we removed the dog food (And waited several minutes for the cat to cool down.), the car ran normally and made it home.
 
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Yup, strange glows coming from under your vehicle when you don't have forced induction and you don't remember installing underglow = baaaad.

But often darkly amusing when it's a pile of crap on fire and nobody/nothing of consequence is in it. Late-career YES CDs are not of consequence. :p
 
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phoenixsac said:
Or you can park it over something which can ignite too. Either way, fire = bad.

One time when I was a kid, we got a call from my brother who was stuck at the bottom of a hill. For some reason, his car had no power and couldn't make it up one of the hills near his house. We couldn't figure out what was wrong until I happened to notice a glow coming from under his car. (A 1977 Chevy Impala wagon, BTW.) It turns out that the cat was glowing orange because somehow some dog food was in the venturis of the carburetor and starving the engine of air. The unburned fuel was, as Spectre said, cooking the cat from the inside. Once we removed the dog food (And waited several minutes for the cat to cool down.), the car ran normally and made it home.
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When cat converters first became common more than a few police cars burned up in the long grass at the side of the road. Pulling off of the road to hide and leaving the engine running (with a very hot cat) combined with dry summer grass was a bad mixture
 
phoenixsac said:
Or you can park it over something which can ignite too. Either way, fire = bad.

One time when I was a kid, we got a call from my brother who was stuck at the bottom of a hill. For some reason, his car had no power and couldn't make it up one of the hills near his house. We couldn't figure out what was wrong until I happened to notice a glow coming from under his car. (A 1977 Chevy Impala wagon, BTW.) It turns out that the cat was glowing orange because somehow some dog food was in the venturis of the carburetor and starving the engine of air. The unburned fuel was, as Spectre said, cooking the cat from the inside. Once we removed the dog food (And waited several minutes for the cat to cool down.), the car ran normally and made it home.
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Dog food killed the cat. How fitting.
 
phoenixsac said:
It turns out that the cat was glowing orange because somehow some dog food was in the venturis of the carburetor and starving the engine of air.
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What? :confused:
 
:lol: Yeah. The best we could figure is, as it was fall, some squirrel decided that the carburetor of my brother's car was the best place to store his food for the winter.
 
Vette Boss said:
Does anyone know the best product to restore black plastic trim on a VW? I'm going to try Mother's Back to Black, the reviews say it will need to be applied every few weeks, after rain and washing. Looking for an opinion on a more long-term alternative.
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Time for paint.

Emarline said:
http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/2466562579.html

I'm not sure why I like the look of this paint so much. Maybe because I look at it and go "oooh, shiny".
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Highly overpriced.
 
Nah, I prefer Emarline's, definitely my favorite generation of Corvette (and I like them all). Something about that design clicks with me.
 
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