The Failtima

Here's a shocker: 2001 Merc and ALL power stuff works flawlessly (except it incorrectly reporting dead taillight bulbs if it rains too much, but that's not really power anything, now is it? :p)
 
Oddly, the electrical bits are one of the few things that haven't really failed, unless you count the ridonkulously expensive O2 sensor in the engine that went out a few months ago. :mad: Why on earth would my parents drop a bunch of money on a new oxygen sensor and NOT fix the exhaust leak (that already existed then) that could re-break said expensive sensor?!

The squishy brakes, however...ugh. Can I have the brakes off equi's Miata? :p Okay, so maaaaaaaybe there's been just a little bit of peril abuse, but "this is squishier than I'd like them to be" has turned into "OH MY GOSH WHY AREN'T I STOPPING?!"
 
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ninjacoco said:
The squishy brakes, however...ugh. Can I have the brakes off equi's Miata? :p Okay, so maaaaaaaybe there's been just a little bit of peril abuse, but "this is squishier than I'd like them to be" has turned into "OH MY GOSH WHY AREN'T I STOPPING?!"
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Are you sure it's not that they seem worse after driving the "sneeze on the brake pedal for full lockup" Miata?

If the last brake fluid flush was before you got the car, it might be time for a change. Brake fluid will absorb water from the air, and that reduces its boiling point. If you get your brakes hot enough to boil the brake fluid, this will get air into the brake lines. Air can be compressed, so this will result in a squishier pedal feel. While street driving rarely boils brake fluid, even old brake fluid (unless in the mountains), the more aggressive driving you've been doing recently can boil old fluid. Autocross and gymkhanas aren't real hard on brakes, but if your fluid's old enough, the boiling point could have come down significantly.

Or air may have been introduced into the line in some other way.

Or it could be something else, but flushing the fluid is a relatively easy first step... :)
 
ninjacoco said:
Oddly, the electrical bits are one of the few things that haven't really failed, unless you count the ridonkulously expensive O2 sensor in the engine that went out a few months ago. :mad: Why on earth would my parents drop a bunch of money on a new oxygen sensor and NOT fix the exhaust leak (that already existed then) that could re-break said expensive sensor?!
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So where on the exhaust system is said leak? There's a pretty damn good chance you can fix it with hose clamps and a soup can.
 
EyeMWing said:
So where on the exhaust system is said leak? There's a pretty damn good chance you can fix it with hose clamps and a soup can.
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Isn't there special tape for that?

EDIT: Let alone:
holts-gun-gum-paste-hi.jpg
 
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We never found it. Coco mentioned the problem to Bo (the fixes-things-creatively guy at the track). He listened to the car, said, "That's no problem, it'll run forever like that!" and went off to find something else to break fix.

I vote don't worry about it unless it won't pass inspection and needs an inspection before you ditch it.
 
Haha, the brakes have been bothering me for months. They replaced the back brake pads last time I complained about it, but left the fronts alone, which made it feel like the back was stopping before the front for a while (...which was quite bizarre). Now everything just feels squishy again, though. Blecch.

My parents want to look at the Failtima's myriad problems this weekend, so I'm going to intentionally leave everything as broken as possible this week to prove that I'm not crazy and that the things I complain about DO exist!

I know there's been a leaking exhaust seal for a very long time, but people telling me that the manifold itself is broken somewhere/"this wouldn't pass inspection" is a new one. Maybe they're full of crap and trying to sell me parts I don't need, or maybe I misunderstood them and they're talking about that dumb seal. (Hence the "Bo! Help! Find?!") I like EyeMWing's fix, though--that's clever. :)

Right now, though, the squishy brakes bother me more than the exhaust leak. The leak seems to be more of a nuisance and unlikely to kill me, whereas a lack of brakes will. I would be forced to come back and HAUNT EVERYTHING if I died in that stupid Altima.


List of mechanical grievances as of 9/20:
1. Squishy brakes (still).
2. Exhaust leak.
3. Eats oil. I don't see any leaks under where I park, so I don't know exactly where it's going. I just know that if I don't check it and stick a couple quarts in about mid-way between oil changes, it'll start making LOTS OF NOISE and I'll pull out a dry dipstick. Not good.
4. Eats gas. Fill-ups used to last ~400 mi.; now that's more like ~300. OUCH.
5. Transmission is still stupid (but it's always been this way). That's an expensive fix, so I'm probably not going to get much from saying that it's thudding violently and often not shifting into where it should be aside from a rant from my mother on how much she hates my driving.

...anything else I'm missing?
 
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Transmission thudding violently when placed into gear could be the motor/trans mounts, FYI - common fail wheel drive problem.

Eating gas is probably a O2, CHTS or MAF sensor problem, assuming nothing else is wrong.
 
Ever done a transmission flush? Costs just around $100 and sometimes works miracles (such as in my case).

Also, if you can actually feel your rear brakes stopping better than the front ones, that means your front ones are really bad. I recently changed the rear pads on my car, not because they were too worn, but because I felt like it. I didn't feel any difference after that. You are not supposed to feel your rear brakes stopping better than the front ones.
 
Can you somehow convince your mom to let you trade it due to the moneypit nature of it? D:
I mean god, my car gives me less trouble after sitting for 3 years, nearly being totaled and then 5 years of excessive whee. Your transmission seems significantly worse despite me shifting mine into park when the car was still moving.
 
Nugget said:
I'm patient. I can wait years. But if this thread doesn't end with an all-girl, finalgear, Failtima-driving LeMons team I'm going to be bitterly disappointed with the universe.
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2qbtzx.jpg


?

This reminds me...one of the cars that did fairly well at LeMons in Houston was an Infiniti with a slushbox...

There's hope for a "Team Polished Turd/Coco's Revenge" entry yet! :lol: (...just not for a long time.)
 
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{ sigh }

That red 944. :wub:

Want.
 
Der Stig said:
I'm just here to play "Tempt the Failtima Owner," don't mind me.
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THAT'S NOT HELPING!



...can you tell 'em to hold it for four months? :lol:

argatoga said:
Coco, have you thought about a Miata. :p
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Haha, I actually started to look at beater Miatas when I thought the Failtima had finally crapped out for good.
 
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argatoga said:
Coco, have you thought about a Miata. :p
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You had to ASK? With Spicy and me nearby?! I'm insulted!

Miata would have issues transporting everything Coco needs to transport securely. While I'm all about Miatas with trailers, securing the trailer can be a real challenge. I've spent many nights with my race tires in my hotel so they wouldn't roll away overnight...

Needs "normal" sized trunk (as in not-Miata-sized) that can be secured. Needs to be reliable and durable without needing fiddling - coco (like me) has neither the knowledge nor the tools to keep a fiddly car as a daily. Needs to be able to handle large amounts of freeway miles and be fun to drive and decent -> good at autocross.

Does that seem like a fair description of your needs, Coco? :)
 
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