Ask GTP About Your Car Problems/General Questions

Yeah, out of ideas, bulbs didn't work, new headlight switch didn't help. I had current to the parking lights, and everywhere but the headlights themselves. Checked and rechecked the fuses. Off to someone with more know how in the wiring department than I have.

It really sucks, I tried everything I could, just out of my realm I guess... Thanks for the help though guys. It's much appreciated.
 
No prob. Sorry if my initial post seemed a little harsh...I was trying to emulate Tom & Ray Magliozzi...
 
LSX
Yeah, out of ideas, bulbs didn't work, new headlight switch didn't help. I had current to the parking lights, and everywhere but the headlights themselves. Checked and rechecked the fuses. Off to someone with more know how in the wiring department than I have.

It really sucks, I tried everything I could, just out of my realm I guess... Thanks for the help though guys. It's much appreciated.
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I suggest then checking out a Cavalier board like either j-body.org or gmscf.com where guys know the ins and outs. Misnblu heads the latter board. ;)
 
Sorry Jetboy, I only had one notification, and it said " JimPrower replied to:" My mistake, blackberry screen is so small I didn't even bother to check.

So just to amend that...

Thanks Jetboy, will do. 👍 :D
 
Danoff
Sun damage on my car's window sill. How do I fix this?

img2952small.jpg
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Danoff
What about this stuff?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00029XD62/?tag=gtplanet-20

BTW - I'm selling this car.
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The tape worked like a charm btw. Given that I'm selling the car, it does the job. I do wish I could contact whoever ends up buying it and ask how the tape held up over a few years. Because if it lasts even 2 years it's worth it.
 
First time I saw this thread.

Last ride with my Pontiac Fiero, started well, during driving some issues with first and second gear, difficult to get them in.
But the problem got worse, to the point when I came home, the clutch would not fully disengage the gears anymore. Stop engine, put in reverse, start engine, let gear slip, etc...

I checked the fluid in the clutch, seemed OK. The whole hydrolic system was replaced 4 years ago, since it leaked, but this seems a different issue.

Main questions:
* could it be temporary, e.g. due to cold weather?
* what is the safest way to get it going correctly again.
- I was thinking of getting an appointment with the guy that fixed it last time and driving it there (lots of motorway, so should avoid over exposing my clutch to wear).
- Having it picked up on a truck and moved to a garage is probably going to triple the price.

Edit: Did a mix of:
* Opened and closed the circuit serveral times
* Pumped the clutch about 100 times
* Filled up and removed excess in the hydrolic circuit
=> Works again like a charm!
 
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So I did the whole quote thing on Geico's site for insurance on the Miata, $41 a month if I give my dads address (bad idea i'm sure) or $50 using my current St. Louis address liability of course. Does this sound cheap? It did to me. I'm nearly 23, male, no accidents, one ticket in Nov of 06 (bullsh...), going on 7 years of driving. Umm, only have a High school's education.

What do you guys think? It may be hard to judge but once again it just sounded cheap to me. I even continued the forms a bit to see if they would up the price when I got to putting in my payment info and they sure didn't. I'll check some other places.
 
Anybody have any tips on removing carbon build up from the exhaust on a diffuser?

I've tried washing and wax & grease remover(which is great at removing most contaminants on paint) to no luck. Polish/cutting compound of any sort is not an option as the diffuser is painted or powdercoated but the paint has a rough texture to it.
 
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Dang, half the time I make a post the next one comes and sends it away never to be seen again... :)

Seafoam maybe? If that stuff even works the way they say it does that should do the trick. Just the first thing that popped up in my head.
 
J-PaP
Anybody have any tips on removing carbon build up from the exhaust on a diffuser?
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I never did this cleaning, job. But petrol sometimes helps where nothing else is effective, stinky, not good for health, but gets the things clean.

Sorry no advise on insurance in the US, the market is not that global yet.
 
Cheers for the answers. I don't know if I can get seafoam here but I'm sure there is a similar product I can use. Will also try out petrol as it is less harsh than the next option which is nail polish remover/acetone. That is probably the harshest chemical I think you can get away with trying on a cured surface (Though it does need to be washed off fairly quickly after)
 
Hey guys, our car has 18 inch alloys on and when we bought it, it came with low profile tyres, my Dad has been asking me recently if he could change the low profile tyres to standard profile ones whilst still keeping the 18 inch alloys. I'm pretty certain he can't but I want to check seeming I'm not exactly a expert when it comes to engineering aspects of cars.
 
Speedster502
Hey guys, our car has 18 inch alloys on and when we bought it, it came with low profile tyres, my Dad has been asking me recently if he could change the low profile tyres to standard profile ones whilst still keeping the 18 inch alloys. I'm pretty certain he can't but I want to check seeming I'm not exactly a expert when it comes to engineering aspects of cars.
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If they fit in the wheel wells you should be ok but just remember changing the overall size of the wheel and tire combo is going to mess with you speed read out, odometer, and gearing.

Miata.net has a handy calculator to see how much everything will be off.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
 
Basically you shouldn't do it. It will cause the following problems:
Inaccurate speedo
Inaccurate odometer
Excessive forces on drivetrain (which can eventually lead to component failure)

If you want to fit higher profile tyres then get smaller rims.
 
So I'm shipping the car from Washington to Michigan on an open truck. I'm looking for ways to protect it. Any suggestions? The dealers won't be able to get me any of those white body panel stickers that they use for new cars and taping it up sounds like a lot of work.

Maybe covering it in something else then taping that down?
 
I don't know if I'd trust a car cover to not leave any scratches. It'll be blowing in the wind a lot and doing a bunch of rubbing. Blue painters tape FTW. :lol:
 
I have a car cover but it will be blowing around a lot, so maybe not the best option. The shippers said that it would probably do more harm than good.
 
Get bungee cords and use them on the car cover? I seen people use Tarps with bungee cords to transport their vehicle's on a trailer.
 
Should I get a roll bar for the Miata? I've read good and bad about them and can't decide. Obviously getting rear ended and slamming the back of your head off one wouldn't feel too good, but neither would scraping your face and scalp against asphalt. I've read it's pointless to get one if you continue to use the stock seatbelts as they provide too much slack and youre head's gonna come in contact with the pavement/ground anyway in the case of a roll. It's obviously not pointless, but I don't know. The best bet would be a proper seat to protect the back the back of your head along with a harness and roll bar.

Possibly the biggest thing I should consider is what's more likely to happen, and what is the purpose of the car. I still haven't figured that one out yet, guess I won't know till I get it. Flying down Wed the 24th.

Just interested in what you guys think. Here's a few videos.

 
Get one. Getting hurt in a roll is better than dying in a roll. Also, it doesn't hit you in the head unless you've got some gangster lean going on or you're really tall.
 
If it's going to spend more time being daily driven than tracked, I wouldn't recommend it, personally. Could become more of a pain to have than ever be used as a safety feature.
 
Real men wear roll-bars. :P

With a chassis as soft as the Miatas, you do want all the help you can get... so a rollbar won't just be a track-safety modification, but also a performance modification.

No AC and you're still not sure you're going to track it? :lol:
 
Gangsta lean is, I take it, leaning the seat right back? I have my seat set up purely for sports driving, but I do have to slump a very little in the chair if I want to have a helmet on inside the car :guilty:. I think it actually improves my sports intended driving position though.:crazy: I want to get proper bucket seats with actual support that are lower than my factory seats (essentially impossible with most normal aftermarket seats because they need a seat rail adaptor which they then sit on. My only options are custome made seat rail or have my factory seats modified. Do you think auto upholsterers would weld extra framework to the seat base before applying all new cushioning? Would extra framework (for side bolstering) be legal?
 

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