- 2,235
- Norway
I had my daily state inspected and smogged today, a bi-annual requirement from the state. It passed with flying colors - it's a inline four Toyota after all, with only 125k miles on it. Here's some background reading on what I do for fun if it interests you and you got some time to spend (waste?)
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/eiriksmils-cars.245615/
Here comes the interesting notes; it hasn't seen the inside of a dealer in 60k miles. It's not that I'm cheap, when I decided I wanted no more dealer service I just wanted to save money where I could because I had learnt how to look out for simple stuff going bad. Many of the old beaters I've had have also been without dealer service and they have gone bad on different points; because most people seem to think that filling gas is maintenance and everything else isn't worth paying attention to because they can't fix it themselves.
Half of that mileage it's been on coilovers and 1/4 of the mileage it's had wide wheels. I'm not a bonafide "keep your cars stock and 100% in working order kind of guy". This is not a thread reminding you to check your tire pressure and rotate your tires, replace your bulbs and replacing your cracked windscreen - your uneven tire wear and mpg info doesn't interest me..
It's neither a thread of large amounts of theory, it's anecdotal experience from having had too many cars with too many flaws, seeing POs and buddies **** up. Sometimes myself too.. You can always learn more.. This is a thread to remind you of some simple things to avoid, that can turn into big $$$. A list of concequences and how to avoid em basically..
Before writing any more, some things shouls be noted. A car has many spinning things - keep em spinning.. Systems contain oil or another form of lubrication that's supposed to stay in there, leaks are bad. Also, some cars are maintenance nightmares. I don't consider full front suspension (B5 A4/Passat), chain guides and tensioners (some Benz V8, B6 S4, VR6 and some others) or low mileage cars blowing white smoke (some BMWs) regular maintenance, even though owners of said cars may.
Engine oil, three factors; quantity, quality and change intervals. The mineral vs synthetics debate is closely related to OCIs.. Syn. stays good longer.. Mineral, change more often. I change at between 7 and 9k on my daily (factory recommended), running syntethic. Oil gets worse after an amount of time - skipping OCIs can lead to a couple of interesting things. One is sludge, that can block oil paths inside the motor leading to bad friction.. Another is supposedly worn/dry valve seals, making the oil go straight through the valves, a so called issue of burning oil, which in turn can lead to oil starvation.
Which brings me onto quantity. Too little oil in the engine creates low oil pressure which in turn makes for bad friction, which takes a toll on bearings, shaft and other things. At the least you'll have to pull the motor, drop your oil pan and redo the con rod bearings. Worst case scenario you'll throw a rod or a piston through to block at wot high rpms. Checking your oil level is cheap and simple compared to pulling and replacing a motor..
Speaking of blowing engines, timing belts. Do em. I never did it on my old 8v VW (engine swap intention anyway), I pulled the timing belt cover off and it's loose enough to pull off with pretty good indications it won't last much more. On a non interference engine it's not a big deal (other than being stranded at the wrong place at the wrong time is a PITA), snap the belt on an interference engine you'll have a party of valves and pistons making love.. This is an intercourse you'd be without, looking at a valve and/or bottom end job. If you know the belt is getting old or worn, change it. Again easier than pulling a head or motor.
While we're on the subject of pulling heads.. Overheating is bad, especially on a alloy head. I see overheated cars all the time, and it's pretty easy to avoid. Three usual causes to engine overheating; broken fan switch, radiator/coolant issues and faulty water pump. I have two cars with broken fan switches, which really makes them unable to drive in traffic - at zero speed, it's just the coolant and fan doing the job. Radiator not cooling enough is traced down to a blocked or old rad; it can be pretty hard noticing this on a daily basis, but if you've had the car for a good while and you have an oldschool temp gauge (some cars give no indication what so ever before it's going on too late) that pops over working temps while you're in gridlock, take a look at it. The faulty water pump also usually hits people out of the blue like a 2am unexpected booty call. Usually it'll squeak or you'll have some coolant running out the weep hole, so while you're under the hood one day have a look at it to see it's dry.
Another cause of a not working water pump is the serpentine belt.. A snapped serpentine belt is like a snapped chain on a bike.. Not much going on then.. A non working water pump is a bigger issue than a non working alternator.. If your car overheats chances are you may blow the head gasket and warp the head or even worse, that and cracking it while you're at it. Again doing belts at the recommended time is easier than pulling heads..
I'll fill it out with more info later, regarding transmissions and brakes.. Hope this may help some.. All the things listed are things we all can do, but end up like things usually regarded as bigger jobs. If anyone wants to contribute, feel free..
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/eiriksmils-cars.245615/
Here comes the interesting notes; it hasn't seen the inside of a dealer in 60k miles. It's not that I'm cheap, when I decided I wanted no more dealer service I just wanted to save money where I could because I had learnt how to look out for simple stuff going bad. Many of the old beaters I've had have also been without dealer service and they have gone bad on different points; because most people seem to think that filling gas is maintenance and everything else isn't worth paying attention to because they can't fix it themselves.
Half of that mileage it's been on coilovers and 1/4 of the mileage it's had wide wheels. I'm not a bonafide "keep your cars stock and 100% in working order kind of guy". This is not a thread reminding you to check your tire pressure and rotate your tires, replace your bulbs and replacing your cracked windscreen - your uneven tire wear and mpg info doesn't interest me..
It's neither a thread of large amounts of theory, it's anecdotal experience from having had too many cars with too many flaws, seeing POs and buddies **** up. Sometimes myself too.. You can always learn more.. This is a thread to remind you of some simple things to avoid, that can turn into big $$$. A list of concequences and how to avoid em basically.. Before writing any more, some things shouls be noted. A car has many spinning things - keep em spinning..
Systems contain oil or another form of lubrication that's supposed to stay in there, leaks are bad. Also, some cars are maintenance nightmares. I don't consider full front suspension (B5 A4/Passat), chain guides and tensioners (some Benz V8, B6 S4, VR6 and some others) or low mileage cars blowing white smoke (some BMWs) regular maintenance, even though owners of said cars may.Engine oil, three factors; quantity, quality and change intervals. The mineral vs synthetics debate is closely related to OCIs.. Syn. stays good longer.. Mineral, change more often. I change at between 7 and 9k on my daily (factory recommended), running syntethic. Oil gets worse after an amount of time - skipping OCIs can lead to a couple of interesting things. One is sludge, that can block oil paths inside the motor leading to bad friction.. Another is supposedly worn/dry valve seals, making the oil go straight through the valves, a so called issue of burning oil, which in turn can lead to oil starvation.
Which brings me onto quantity. Too little oil in the engine creates low oil pressure which in turn makes for bad friction, which takes a toll on bearings, shaft and other things. At the least you'll have to pull the motor, drop your oil pan and redo the con rod bearings. Worst case scenario you'll throw a rod or a piston through to block at wot high rpms. Checking your oil level is cheap and simple compared to pulling and replacing a motor..
Speaking of blowing engines, timing belts. Do em. I never did it on my old 8v VW (engine swap intention anyway), I pulled the timing belt cover off and it's loose enough to pull off with pretty good indications it won't last much more. On a non interference engine it's not a big deal (other than being stranded at the wrong place at the wrong time is a PITA), snap the belt on an interference engine you'll have a party of valves and pistons making love.. This is an intercourse you'd be without, looking at a valve and/or bottom end job. If you know the belt is getting old or worn, change it. Again easier than pulling a head or motor.
While we're on the subject of pulling heads.. Overheating is bad, especially on a alloy head. I see overheated cars all the time, and it's pretty easy to avoid. Three usual causes to engine overheating; broken fan switch, radiator/coolant issues and faulty water pump. I have two cars with broken fan switches, which really makes them unable to drive in traffic - at zero speed, it's just the coolant and fan doing the job. Radiator not cooling enough is traced down to a blocked or old rad; it can be pretty hard noticing this on a daily basis, but if you've had the car for a good while and you have an oldschool temp gauge (some cars give no indication what so ever before it's going on too late) that pops over working temps while you're in gridlock, take a look at it. The faulty water pump also usually hits people out of the blue like a 2am unexpected booty call. Usually it'll squeak or you'll have some coolant running out the weep hole, so while you're under the hood one day have a look at it to see it's dry.
Another cause of a not working water pump is the serpentine belt.. A snapped serpentine belt is like a snapped chain on a bike.. Not much going on then.. A non working water pump is a bigger issue than a non working alternator.. If your car overheats chances are you may blow the head gasket and warp the head or even worse, that and cracking it while you're at it. Again doing belts at the recommended time is easier than pulling heads..
I'll fill it out with more info later, regarding transmissions and brakes.. Hope this may help some..
All the things listed are things we all can do, but end up like things usually regarded as bigger jobs. If anyone wants to contribute, feel free.. 
