Ask GTP About Your Car Problems/General Questions

[Philly]

There is some sort of a residue that accumulates on the windshield of the GTI where the wiper blades stop at their peak across the windshield. Anybody have any idea what this could be? I do use Rain-X, but I make sure to buff it all the way off when I apply it.

It's really annoying because there is always a spot on the windshield, and it even gets unsafe because it creates an area where the water doesn't get wiped away cleanly. And a film stays over the whole area that the wipers cover, so when I try to dry the windshield, it makes a squeaky noise and the towel doesn't pick any water up.

 

[Joey D]

Could be grease, oil or something similar on the wiper blades. You can either buy new blades, which can be expensive if you like decent ones like ICONS, or you can do what I do and take rubbing alcohol and wipe down the blades. I'm not sure the whole thought process behind it, but I've always been told rubbing alcohol restores the blades and it works for me throughout the winter when the salt damages the rubber.

 

[Philly]

That makes sense. I did give them a little rub and a lot of black stuff came off. I'll try that the next time it isn't raining and I wash the car. Thanks! 👍

 

[Philly]

In another chapter of the saga of the GTI ripping itself apart, I've got a nasty burning smell coming from the right rear of the car. It was an overwhelming smell when I dropped my friend off tonight (after some pretty hard acceleration on the freeway, but not too much hard braking), so I took the car out for a quick freeway spin to try and cool the brakes, then pulled over with minimal use of the brakes, and the smell was greatly reduced, but still there. And it still is there probably a half hour after, although you have to get right next to the wheel to smell it. And it's only the right rear.

I've left the car with the parking brake off for the night. I'm thinking the pad may be low, but it just seems strange that only one side would to that. Anybody think it could be anything else? And I didn't leave the e-brake on, seeing that it drove just fine, and the car yells at me (with dings and lights) if it is even one notch up.

 

[nobuffalo]

Use vaseline, lots of it.

 

[Philly]

I hear that'll help increase my corner entry speeds by a significant margin...

 

[Duke]

In another chapter of the saga of the GTI ripping itself apart, I've got a nasty burning smell coming from the right rear of the car.

How old is the car? How many miles? Could be the caliper is sticking and not letting the pad withdraw from the disc. Pull the wheel, look through the inspection port on the back of the caliper, and see if the pads are notably different thicknesses.

 

[bergauk]

I thought I'd bring this back from the dead.

So on Friday I was asked to move my car out of the driveway so my brother could work on his friends car. No problem. I started it up once and it keeled over shortly after. It is after all a really old car. I ended up pushing it out into the street and leaving it there till about yesterday. I tried to start it up. Heard the fuel pump go on and turned the key to start it and no starter motor. I got the battery charged up by my neighbor last night. I put it in tried again. Same thing. Is my starter dead?

 

[Perfect Balance]

Try smacking the starter with a hammer or similar object while someone tries to crank it over. Could be the starter sticking.

 

[bergauk]

Try smacking the starter with a hammer or similar object while someone tries to crank it over. Could be the starter sticking.

Thanks, I'll ask my dad for help when he gets home.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Let us know how it goes, that's very likely to be the problem.

You'd probably want to get a new starter if that's the case though, it could end up leaving you stranded somewhere.

 

[bergauk]

Will do. And it probably will be replaced soon. I plan to do a lot of reliability mods to it anyways. Almost everything in the engine bay is from 1965 so a lot of that stuff isn't as good as it used to be.

 

[nobuffalo]

Or you could just do like I did in my mr2 and push start it everywhere you go.

 

[bergauk]

Mmmmno... It's much heavier than an MR2.

 

[nk4e]

Anyone know how to take out tire locks? It seems to me that I didn't get the key from the previous and nor did he.

 

[niky]

Bolt cutter. Or, if you're patient, a saw.

 

[nk4e]

Somehow, we are not thinking the same tire locks. but I will try it!(lug locks)

 

[bergauk]

Couldn't you just put vice grips on it?

 

[niky]

Lug locks? If you can use some sort vice grip that will fit within the hole, that should do. Otherwise... weld a bar to the end of each lugnut and rotate them off. Will ruin them, but if you don't have the key, anymore... who cares?

 

[bergauk]

Lug locks? If you can use some sort vice grip that will fit within the hole, that should do. Otherwise... weld a bar to the end of each lugnut and rotate them off. Will ruin them, but if you don't have the key, anymore... who cares?

You could run with them on too!

 

[Duke]

They make a cone-shaped nut remover that will fit over the outside of the lug, and bite into the lip to spin it off. Any tire shop should have one - just have them spin off the 4 locked lugs. They probably won't even charge you (or at least they shouldn't).

 

[nk4e]

Sears charged me like 15 dollars per tire to remove them.

 

[bergauk]

Boy do I feel stupid... My dad just figured out the problem. Apparently when I pushed it out into the street the other day with my friend. I never put it back into park. I could swear I did though..

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Eh?

Near as anything with an auto will start in neutral.

 

[bergauk]

Apparently mine wont. When it got put back into park it started, anything else it sat there and didn't do a thing.

 

[Paulie]

Is the Evo X a direct injection motor? If it is, that'd show tuning direct injection can't be too difficult.👍

 

[niky]

Nope. It isn't.

I'd like to think direct injection re-tuning isn't so hard... but very few aftermarket companies are willing to tackle it... and I know at least one or two that have given up on direct injection platforms.

 

[Joey D]

This is not my car but a co-worker is having some issues with her 2000 Pontiac Sunfire. She had me take it for a drive this morning and it has a really rough idle with quite a bit of shaking throughout the car and is almost on the verge of stalling. When I accelerate the car spits and sputters and still shakes pretty good.

There are no lights on the dash so I can't get the code read. Any ideas? My guess is a vacuum leak somewhere. If it's something easy I told her I can probably fix it but if it's anything to involved I'm going to recommend she takes it to a service station.

 

[Giancarlo]

I was going to say there might be a problem with whatever sort of idle control sensor that car has (it's called an IAC on my RSX, i don't know if that's a universal name for that part but i'm guessing it is), but since you say the lights on the dash are acting up, it sounds like something more serious.

 

[Nicksfix]

This is not my car but a co-worker is having some issues with her 2000 Pontiac Sunfire. She had me take it for a drive this morning and it has a really rough idle with quite a bit of shaking throughout the car and is almost on the verge of stalling. When I accelerate the car spits and sputters and still shakes pretty good.

There are no lights on the dash so I can't get the code read. Any ideas? My guess is a vacuum leak somewhere. If it's something easy I told her I can probably fix it but if it's anything to involved I'm going to recommend she takes it to a service station.

When was the last time the fuel filter was changed ? With the quality of todays gasoline it's not uncommon for these to become restricted.Fuel filters can give many misleading troubles and not set a hard or a soft code.

A vacuum leak will usually but not always throw an O2 sensor code.Car pending,if there is a vacuum leak it can read out as a "lean" condition.Other cars,it can read out as a "rich" condition,the E.C.M. is trying to supply more fuel to compensate for the vacuum leak.