Ask GTP About Your Car Problems/General Questions

[niky]

Talked to one of my buddies today & looks like he's got a few problems; car is a late model RSX Type-S.

First thing, he says the wheel starts to really vibrate at 65Mph. I've already come to conclusion that his front tires aren't balanced properly or the car's out of alignment. I don't know what else though.

Second thing, he's running 4 different tire manufacturers on each wheel. The fronts & rears match in size, but the tread is obviously worn more on 2 tires than the others. I thought it would be alright at first, but I don't think running 4 manufacturers is the smartest idea.

Change tires. That should solve it... and if it doesn't, then get the alignment checked. It's useless to do alignment or wheel balancing on a set-up like that.

Third, he's got a low pitch sound coming from the car whenever he hits 3,000-3,600RPM. It's not a squeak or whistle, but it is noticeable when you're quiet. When he shifts or stays out that range though, it's gone. Related issue, the gears grind in when shifting from 4th, and none others; kind of weird.

Gear oil? Easiest to change. If that doesn't fix it... he might... eep... need to have the box opened.

Fourth, he's got a bent sway bar, so I don't know if it's really affected him, but I've told him it could lead to an issue.

How bent?

Fifth, the previous owner was very cheap on his mods. It has an EBay exhaust & intake. However, there has to be a major issue with the intake. It's a short ram in which the filter is pointed towards the driver, & is "held up" by one of those stretchable cables used for transporting large equipment. It's like a small "bungee" cord.

The car was obviously bought used & has quite a few issues regarding the tint & more. If I remember, last we talked, he was going to have 1 new tire mounted on the front, something I advised against.

The previous owner should be shot, eviscerated and skinned... preferably in reverse order... a car like that doesn't deserve that kind of treatment.

Tell your friend that buying just one new tire will do nothing to solve the shimmy, and may just make it much worse. Buy two tires, at least, and put the two least messed up ones on the car on the back... actually, it'd be safer if they were on the front, but I'if they're not bald or worn through, put them on the back.

And even that might not help the shimmy if both tires you keep are shot, too.

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If the intake doesn't shake too horribly at idle, then let it be for the meantime, he's got bigger problems than that...

 

[McLaren]

Change tires. That should solve it... and if it doesn't, then get the alignment checked. It's useless to do alignment or wheel balancing on a set-up like that.

See, what doesn't make sense is that he said he had the wheels rotated not too long ago. I don't see how anyone could not have caught them not being aligned or balanced.

Gear oil? Easiest to change. If that doesn't fix it... he might... eep... need to have the box opened.

I'll have to ask about what's he done for the gear. He seems more worried about the sound that comes from the car, though. I've honestly, never heard anything like it happen for no reason either.

How bent?

It doesn't look like a solid bent, more like a smooth curve inwards? I need to look at it again.

The previous owner should be shot, eviscerated and skinned... preferably in reverse order... a car like that doesn't deserve that kind of treatment.

Tell your friend that buying just one new tire will do nothing to solve the shimmy, and may just make it much worse. Buy two tires, at least, and put the two least messed up ones on the car on the back... actually, it'd be safer if they were on the front, but I'if they're not bald or worn through, put them on the back.

And even that might not help the shimmy if both tires you keep are shot, too.

I'll rely that back to him, but I'm still pretty sure the car's not balanced. I'm really hoping for him it's not out of alignment. I can't imagine what the costs will be for him.

If the intake doesn't shake too horribly at idle, then let it be for the meantime, he's got bigger problems than that...

I'll have him pop the hood then to see. I don't know what it looks like when he starts it.

 

[niky]

If the bar is bent enough to be straining at the mounts, it should be replaced.

See, what doesn't make sense is that he said he had the wheels rotated not too long ago. I don't see how anyone could not have caught them not being aligned or balanced.

If he has four different brands of tires, it's a sure bet they're not balanced against each other, even if the wheels aren't imbalanced. Having a perfectly balanced wheel-tire combo that's 40 pounds on one side and 38 pounds on the other and two millimeters lower (even with identical sidewall markings, different tire models can be slightly different in size and vastly different in weight...) can cause the symptoms described.

And... I don't know about shops in your area, but wheel balancing isn't usually included with a simple rotation service here.

 

[Philly]

So I'm looking at cabin filters for the GTI. Does the brand really matter? It's either Bosch or whatever the local auto parts store carries. If the Bosch is better, then I'll definitely use that but yeah.

 

[McLaren]

If he has four different brands of tires, it's a sure bet they're not balanced against each other, even if the wheels aren't imbalanced. Having a perfectly balanced wheel-tire combo that's 40 pounds on one side and 38 pounds on the other and two millimeters lower (even with identical sidewall markings, different tire models can be slightly different in size and vastly different in weight...) can cause the symptoms described.

And... I don't know about shops in your area, but wheel balancing isn't usually included with a simple rotation service here.

An update on this. He didn't have the tires balanced & the car is out of alignment, but, they replaced a missing part by the right rear tire (they called it an elbow?), and it has gotten rid of the steering vibration at 65Mph. All the tires are also now the same brand, however, he was still advised not to do anywhere over 65Mph with the alignment & such as it is.

As for the intake, it doesn't shake at idle, but I now know it is not a short ram. Actually now being given a chance to see it for more than 2 seconds up close, it is actually a cold air intake that someone has ghetto-rigged to the car. 👎

 

[Perfect Balance]

Just for reference, an alignment wouldn't cause a vibration, although it may cause abnormal tire wear, which could lead to a vibration.

 

[niky]

It may have caused enough wear to ruin the tires.

That's not too bad (the intake)... just as long as the cord doesn't fail... still better if it's braced, though. From my ricer years, I can tell you it's no fun trying to recover a cone filter wedged between the transmission and the body while the engine block is still searing hot.

 

[Adamgp]

My '97 Grand Prix has had an issue for a while now and it seems to be getting worse. I will be checking it out this weekend, just want ideas on what to look for.

My car has a front end vibration under braking. Can be felt through the brake pedal and the steering wheel. My first thought was warped rotors (which pissed me off because they were pratically new) but then realized it doesn't vibrate every time under braking and it's less likely to do it when its cooler out. Happens alot when its 80°+.

There is vibration/clunking noise when going over bumps also, like something in the front end is loose. The car also seems to lean more in turns, and be a little wallowy at high speeds.

I checked for loose wheels, springs and shocks are ok, tie rods looked fine. The alignment is good and the steering wheel is still centered though. Steering is fine.

I'm thinking broken sway bar/worn out end links. Possibly ball joints, or all 3. I'll be under the car doing an oil change this weekend. Any more ideas on what it can be and what I should check?

 

[Perfect Balance]

I'm still going to say rotors. Very unlikely to be anything else. Check sway bar bushing.

 

[Adamgp]

It started raining earlier than expected so I wasn't able to check today.

Not convinced that it's rotors, although that might be part of it.

Folks on the Grand Prix forum say broken sway bar/endlinks or worn bushings from the symptoms I described.

 

[slidesquad#1]

Calling that a cold air intake is a bit of a joke. Wonder how cold the air is at the back of the engine bay after it's been running for a while? I can pretty much guarantee the stock airbox would be far better as far as effectiveness goes. Put hey, pod=power, right?

 

[McLaren]

Calling that a cold air intake is a bit of a joke. Wonder how cold the air is at the back of the engine bay after it's been running for a while? I can pretty much guarantee the stock airbox would be far better as far as effectiveness goes. Put hey, pod=power, right?

Well, it's certainly not a short ram. But nearly every single intake for the RSX, whatever the type, pretty much seems to have the filter in that location.

 

[slidesquad#1]

I meant more the cold part than anything else. I don't understand the point of having a pod filter just for the sake of it. Most of the aftermarket intakes have the filter in that location because (I'm guessing) that's where the factory filter would be? Those usually have some ducting leading to them. Most of the aftermarket ones will end up simply sucking in hot air.

 

[Giancarlo]

Well, it's certainly not a short ram. But nearly every single intake for the RSX, whatever the type, pretty much seems to have the filter in that location.

I meant more the cold part than anything else. I don't understand the point of having a pod filter just for the sake of it. Most of the aftermarket intakes have the filter in that location because (I'm guessing) that's where the factory filter would be? Those usually have some ducting leading to them. Most of the aftermarket ones will end up simply sucking in hot air.

It is a short ram, what part of it doesn't make it so?

Having this sort of setup is still many times better than the stock air box. No, the RSX does not have special ducting on it. In fact, it gets its air the exact same way that the SRI does. But instead of just sucking air in, the air entering the air box has to go through what is basically a labyrinth in order to keep noise levels down. I'm pretty sure most cars are exactly the same.

Besides, i'm fairly sure a good amount of air comes up from beneath the front driver's side tire. There's a pretty open space where the massive air box originally goes. So i don't think heat soak is all that serious. It beats the possibility of hydrolock, that's for sure.

 

[Perfect Balance]

I'd call it a short ram as well.


I'd also say the stock airbox was better though. Honda generally does a great job of designing intakes, as proven by the fact that the stock S2000 airbox is difficult to improve much, and Spoon Sports recommends retaining the stock unit on the B-Series engines. Others might improve top end power, but in terms of engine response and overall smoothness, stock is frequently the way to go unless you've got some kind of other mods which would be more effective with an aftermarket intake.

 

[Giancarlo]

I've had both on my RSX and since we're talking about an RSX here, i can tell you there's a huge difference.

BTW as long as that cable holding the filter up doesn't break and it's not rubbing against any of the parts behind it, that SRI should be fine. The cable seems to be attached to the frame, so it probably won't put any unnecessary stress on any engine parts (i put my first DIY intake attached to the A/C tubing that runs parallel, bad idea).

Obviously it's not a pretty setup, but it shouldn't be the biggest worry on the car. Get that gearbox checked out first. When's the last time he changed the tranny fluid?

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Is a voltage of 12.05 low enough to not make a car start?

 

[Perfect Balance]

Without any amps behind it, yes.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Yep, it was dead. That previous howling noise just turned out to be the belt.

 

[Philly]

So on the Volvo there is some kind of mechanical whine coming from somewhere. The pitch is related to road speed and volume is pretty related to throttle input. But it boils down to it making noise when I'm using the gas pedal and it doesn't when I'm not.

Could it be something in the transmission or a differential or something?

 

[mazdaman]

Ok having a turbo problem i have a 1994 rx7 single turbo.It's around 700hp its running on c85.Im starting to see lots of white smoke from the turbo based on what i know it can be a leak.My question is how can i repair that without buying a new turbo??

 

[mafia_boy]

It must be the month of whines, but I think I top you all.....not really a good thing either.

On my 1JZ, on start-up there is a bad screeching from the motor. I originally thought it was the belts, etc......BUT I think it's something that's a little more serious like I have blown a turbo on it. The white smoke from the exhaust yesterday and the lack of compression makes it very likely too, aswell as some oil spitting out of the exhaust too. This only happened in the past 24hrs too.

So my question is this: Is there ANY turbo that will bolt up to that flange or will I have to rip the whole thing off and change manifold & turbos??

Help me out boys and girls as I don't want to make this a $3k-$4k replacement!!

 

[mazdaman]

Imma be honest with you you can bolt one up but may run into the problem again.The best thing to do is replace it.

 

[mafia_boy]

Imma be honest with you you can bolt one up but may run into the problem again.The best thing to do is replace it.

That made absolutely no sense and here's why:

1. My car is TWIN TURBO. Only bolting one turbo up would leave a big hole where the 2nd turbo would suppose to be at the flange.

2. IT'S BLOWN. IT NEEDS REPLACING REGARDLESS!!

Give me a decent answer or next time, shut it, think before you hit 'post reply'. I want a proper answer, not gibberish.

 

[ND4SPD]

So I'm contemplating on getting a Ford 5.0 swapped Mazda RX-7. The owner is telling me that the clutch is slipping bad and will need a replacement. How much do you guys reckon that will cost to do?

 

[mafia_boy]

Clutches are usually fairly cheapish ND4SPD but that's mainly for stock items. It also depends on whether you want to replace it with a bigger single plate, twin plate, amount of clamping pressure, popularity of the engine, etc. The more you want or the harder it is to acquire the more you will pay.

I'm not exactly sure how your prices are (I know they are heaps less than us here in Oz) but I'd factor in somewhere around the $500USD mark, just to be on the safe side.

 

[ND4SPD]

Clutches are usually fairly cheapish ND4SPD but that's mainly for stock items. It also depends on whether you want to replace it with a bigger single plate, twin plate, amount of clamping pressure, popularity of the engine, etc. The more you want or the harder it is to acquire the more you will pay.

I'm not exactly sure how your prices are (I know they are heaps less than us here in Oz) but I'd factor in somewhere around the $500USD mark, just to be on the safe side.

I'd just like to replace it with a stock 5.0 clutch. $500 would be pushing it though. I wonder if I can talk the owner into getting the clutch replaced if I do get it.

 

[mafia_boy]

If it's just a stockie, then 1/2 the price I originally suggested. 👍 I've got quite a few different models replaced here (mostly smaller motors) in Oz for less than $400AUD, including labour and the clutch.

 

[ND4SPD]

Well my friend is a mechanic working in a local shop so I wonder if he can get me a good deal on a clutch replacement.

 

[mafia_boy]

A case of *insert your beer here* would be the best sweetener as an incentive to a mechanic.

Now, back to my problem.......anyone got a suggestion??