#PistonSlap

TTAC Commentator Detroit-Iron writes:

I have an ’09 Subaru Legacy with 26.5k on the clock. I drive close to 600 miles a week, all on main road or highways at a steady 75 mph with few exceptions. It is pretty warm where I live now, but it is not dusty here in the mid Atlantic, way too much humidity, and my direction of travel means I rarely run into traffic. Recently I got a CEL, I took it to Advance auto but the guy couldn’t find the port. The next morning the CEL was gone, but after work it had come back. I tried filling the gas and re-tightening the gas cap to no avail. Ominously it also developed a rattle at 3k rpm. After I got home (120 mile trip with no cruise control) I went back out to the store that evening and the CEL was gone. The next day I took it to a dealer who didn’t have time to diagnose but said he would take if for a quick spin.

Dan writes:

My detailer suggests giving my year-old (but 20k mile) midnight-blue 911 Carrera 4S car a polish and a paint sealant. Although my detailer assures me it is safe, words like ‘mild abrasive’ and the industrial metal-clad dual-orbit application machine do not sit well with me. I trust that my detailer knows what he is doing, but won’t it eventually grind out my clear coat, with successive polishes? How many polishes does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll? And what does it mean to polish surfaces that have a clear bra application?

Thanks very much, TTAC helped me picking S vs 4S, and I don’t want my baby done wrong.

George writes:

Sajeev, the automatic transmission in my 1999 Honda Accord Coupe from a prior Piston Slap failed at 115k miles. Lost 4th gear (and reverse) on US-75 on Friday. Lower 3 forward gears work, but got a rental Saturday and kept the Accord parked at home. Have an estimate of $1850 from Plano Transmission to rebuild it with (tougher?) Raybestos clutches. Owner Jeff McLeod claims to have bought a 98 Accord from a customer, rebuilt the transmission, and drove the car to 200k miles. What is your opinion of rebuilding that transmission in a local shop vs. installing a factory rebuilt transmission? I like the idea of knowing exactly what was done to the transmission and where the core came from. What parts would you want inside the transmission if it was your car? My goal would be a

1. A car capable of running to 200k miles
2. A car reliable enough for getting to work and weekend trips for at least 2 years to 140k miles.

I test drove several cars this weekend and wasn’t excited with my replacement choices.

TTAC Commentator Scorched Earth writes:

Hi Sajeev, my buddy has a manual-transmission, non-turbo 7M-GE MKIII Supra with about 150,000 miles. Supposedly the previous owner had replaced the head gasket at least once. About a month ago it started smelling like burning oil, and the engine is known for being overly prone to blown head gaskets, so he decided to play it safe and take it off the road within 2 hours of the symptom appearing.

Draining the coolant reservoir revealed a sludgy black substance, which we assumed to be oil, within the coolant. Another strike. The spark plugs, too, were swimming in oil. The rest of the coolant, however, was fine. We could not find any coolant mixed in with the oil, either. Furthermore, there was no greyish/whitish substance around the radiator cap.

Still, we went through the arduous process of removing the head. When the moment of truth arrived, the head gasket was found to be undamaged. And at this point, we’re clueless.

The head gasket needs to be replaced regardless since we’ve taken off the head, which will cost about $500. If we can find out what the source of the issue is, that’s fine. But if not, it may make better financial sense to junk the poor car.

Any idea what problem could be posing as a blown head gasket?

TTAC Commentator superbadd75 writes:

My question is somewhat loaded, as I have a general plan of attack, but would like to hear from you and the B&B. My awesome wife just surprised me with the car I’ve been dreaming of for some time now. It’s a very basic 60,000 mile ’93 Miata with power NOTHING, and no A/C, so there’s very little to break. I plan to make the timing belt change top priority, and do the fluid changes, but are there any other Miata specific items that need attention? I appreciate any and all advice!

TTAC Commentator SexCpotatoes writes:

I lost a car this past weekend. No it wasn’t stolen…worse, it was totaled sitting outside my mechanic’s shop. Let this be a lesson to 18 year old kids everywhere: Don’t Text, or call & drive or you will lose control, spin around and wreck into a car with the passenger side of your early 90’s Dodge Caravan, losing your cell phone out the window. If you chose to leave the scene, the State Highway Patrol will track you down.

The only good thing is that he had valid insurance. My frame is bent because it pushed the bumper over, so I’m pretty sure the insurance company is going to write the car off. Which I had JUST (literally) had the shocks replaced with KYB G/2 Gas-A-Just shocks, two new front window motors put in, & the door lock actuators that had given up were on the list for being done early this week. So I guess I’ll never be getting throttle responsive LED strips put in the opera lights like I was thinking of doing if I ever got the money.

I’m writing Piston Slap to see if anyone has any tips for dealing with the kid’s insurance company. I maintained this car in top mechanical shape, even replaced the rear tail lamps with LED’s and installed a sequential turn signal kit. Sure it had about $500 or so worth of rust repair needed, but it was a great car. The insurance company is probably going to low-ball me. My mechanic said they should offer me about 3-4 G’s, but on a ’91 Grand Marquis with only 114,000 mi.? I’ve got other people at work telling me I’ll see $5-700 offered, max. There are only 3 cars within 300 miles of me for sale on AutoTrader. If I expand the search to 500 mi. & include ever car of this body style ’88-’91 the avg. price works out to $2900 regardless of mileage. EBay doesn’t have any ’91s for sale but their range of sold prices is $452-3988 (which makes the average $2225.) NADA & KBB wholesale numbers are not promising.

So I ask you, Sajeev and the Best & Brightest, any advice?

Chris writes:

Hi! I really enjoy TTAC and especially the Piston Slap feature. I have a 2005 Ford Mustang Convertible with the V-6/Automatic “poseur” package (super optioned out with a lame ass driveline). Despite the slushbox, I really enjoy this car. It’s been 100% problem free.

I work from home, so the car only has 23,400 miles on it. Most maintenance schedules are stated by mileage, but my car is driven so little, it has original brakes, tires, etc. To my credit, I have been religious about oil changes every 3 months (regardless of mileage).

Now that the car is nearing 6 years of age, do you have any recommendations on maintenance I should perform based on age as opposed to mileage? I’m getting ready to drive from Florida to California, so this seems like good timing to be pro-active to avoid any breakdowns.

TTAC Commentator geozinger writes:

Sajeev, if you could find more info on the SHOStang, I’m curious to see how it was done. And I’d think others would be too. Thanks.

Ron writes:

1991 Honda civic, built 7/90 in Japan: Been a great car. Occasionally, won’t start. You crank it, it almost seems to want to start, then you get the check engine light and you can crank it forever and no good. Wait 2 minutes, or longer, and it starts right up. Sometimes you have to wait an hour though. Then it will just start fine, like it never had a problem.

Does not seem to be:

– computer (but did replace it, shop diag said it was bad, problem went away for over a year … and came back)

– injectors (at least according to shop manual diag procedure)

– filter (replaced)

– fuel pump

– phase of moon (kidding)

TTAC Commentator celebrity208 writes:

Can we get a critique of the Ford Fiesta ad blitz that was going on during the American Idol finale? (are they effective? Are they unique? Etc.) One of those commercials showed the SYNC system in the Fiesta.

TTAC has discussed Ford’s SYNC and GM’s tie up with Google. A follow up question is: Might the domestics be positioning themselves to be in the lead regarding vehicle telematics? BMW has iDrive and Audi has something similar but do any of them have cooperation with leaders in the tech industry like Microsoft, Google, and (yet still single) Apple? This is assuming that these types of pair-ups produce lasting developments that can net both companies increased sales and or competitive advantage?

TTAC Commentator Jenneil624 writes:

I lease a 2008 Mazda3 2.3L with an automatic transmission and 30K miles. I have had the car for two years and have been very satisfied. I am strongly considering buying the car at lease end. Here is the problem. After one year of ownership, I got stuck in some snow and needed to aggressively rock the car free. It took so long to free the car that the transmission temporarily failed.

I put it in reverse and just revs – no power to the wheels. Then I put it in drive – same result. I assumed that I overheated the transmission fluid and let it rest for two hours. I went back to the vehicle after it cooled down and it worked perfectly. It has worked perfectly since, with no noticeable damage. I recently brought the car to the dealer for an unrelated warranty repair and the service advisor recommended a transmission fluid change. He said the fluid looked dark and needed to be changed. He knew nothing of my snow escapade. My question is – Has the transmission been damaged badly enough that purchasing this car would be a mistake? Would a transmission fluid change be enough to mitigate the damage I caused? Do I buy the car at lease end or turn it in and run away?

Sajeev Answers:

Cindy writes:

I have a 2009 Honda Pilot that I love very much. I was wondering how far I could drive once the gas light comes on. Highway or city. Thanks!

Sajeev Answers:

TTAC Commentator WaftableTorque writes:

I’m driving a 2002 Lexus LS430 with Ultra Luxury Package. It has OEM 17″ chrome rims, and one of the tires has an air leak. My mechanic diagnosed the problem as peeling chrome at the bead, causing an improper air seal. I asked to put a tube on it, but he refused because of the potential for overheating, and they weren’t designed for tubes anyway. He also commented during my seasonal rotation that the other 3 rims are doing the same thing, so they’ll all eventually develop leaks. He recommended getting 4 new rims.

Fortunately this car has a full-size spare, so I’m not in a hurry to replace the one rim. The chrome is peeling on a couple of the non-leaking ones near the lip where it’s been curbed by yours truly, but otherwise they look new.

I’m going to put my winter tires on aftermarket rims this fall, but want to keep the OEM rims for summer duty. My goal is tasteful understatement, so I want my car as close to stock as possible.

My question is: can a reputable wheel shop fix these rims?

TTAC Commentator shores4now writes:

I have 111,000 miles on my 2000 Volvo S40 and it does not leak any oil. Have always changed the oil around 5000 miles. have never used synthetic on it before. I have heard I have too many miles to change over to synthetic. That it could cause my seals to leak if I switch over at this point. Have heard the opposite that if I don’t have any leaks that it will be fine. What do you think, should I switch over to a synthetic or a synthetic blend, or stick with what I have been using?

TTAC Commentator Sinistermisterman writes:
I have a 1997 Ford Escort (Manual) with far too many miles on the clock. If I’m particularly harsh with the gear changes, I get a clunk every time the revs drop off. I’m guessing this may be the engine/transmission mounts wearing out. Now if they are wearing out, can I just be gentle from now on and not worry about it? Only I really don’t want to spend much on the car. The reason I ask is that when I used to live in the UK I had a 1996 European Ford Escort and the rather puny rear engine mount broke (after thrashing it mercilessly)… and the engine tried to twist its way out of the car in a rather spectacular fashion. Are the engine mounts on US Escorts equally as weak/rubbish as the European versions?