--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500049 Date: 01/03/98 From: MARC GERGES Time: 09:37pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Forced Induction Salut Alan! MG> Please don't take it personally, but I just find it amusing to imagine MG> you sitting in your car (V8, I guess, and with really big tires) MG> accelerating like a fool over that quarter mile, then throwing the MG> anchor, come to a standstill and let the wheels spin to accelerate MG> again... AM> Imagine him coming up behind the more expensive Eclipse on a AM> mountain road, The Eclipse is _more_ _expensive_ than the Firebird in the US? OK, that puts it in a new perspective. AM> and passing him when you can see far enough ahead. AM> The acceleration test is just one part of a test procedure that is AM> standardized and fair regardless of the size of the car. A slalom AM> may favor the lighter car but not represent how it would compare on AM> a road course. You need to test all the performance AM> characteristics, to know how they will perform in a given AM> situation. That's why I prefer test times taken at a road course instead of just measuring various values you can't really put into relation. MG> As said, I don't want to attack you, but is acceleration really all MG> that is about a car? Such an Eclipse is a lovely car to dart around MG> small mountain roads. It has enough power, a decent suspension and not MG> too much weight, so it is big fun as soon as the road bends, and if MG> it's still capable to stay in sight of the big V8 car, there seem to MG> me a lot of reasons to prefer it... AM> If it costs more, why prefer it when it can't stay ahead of the V8 AM> car on a twisty road? Not all V8 cars are huge beasts with 600 AM> pound engines. A typical F-body has a V8 with aluminum heads, and AM> weighs about the same as a Turbocharged AWD Eclipse. But when the Eclipse is AWD (not sold here) and the F-body has a live rear axle... mmmh... :) AM> BTW, the newer F-bodies and Corvettes are all-aluminum as are many AM> other V8's such as the Cadillac Northstar and Oldsmobile Aurora. The Northstar is known as quite a good engine here. The Oldsmobile isn't sold here. The Corvette's engine is appreciated here as being nice but old-fashioned. The typical euro V8 is an expensive engine, but with 4 valve heads, 4 cam shafts etc. AM> Most day-to-day driving in the US is on boulevards and expressways. Boah... how boring :-) Although I mostly do high way driving right now, I'm looking forward to every time I can blast through those small country roads with bends, hills etc... I just love it. AM> Even on the secondary roads near here (there are some mountains AM> here), I prefer a V8 sporty car for any lengthy driving. It is AM> safer and has power to pass on two-lane highways. Mmmmh... my 90 hp normally are way enough to pass on two-lane roads. And when they aren't, the other car is driving fast enough I don't need to pass it. ) AM> If all my driving was a couple blocks to the store, or short romps AM> through twisties, a small engined car would suffice. Sure, for city driving etc. small is better. I chose the stronger (90 hp) turbo diesel instead of the weaker (65 hp) diesel as I mostly drive high way and country roads... and I am using the additional power :) cu .\\arc ...Wenn Einstein albert, kruemmt sich der Raum. --- * Origin: sympathy for the debil (2:270/47) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500050 Date: 01/03/98 From: MARC GERGES Time: 09:48pm \/To: MARK LOGSDON (Read 0 times) Subj: Forced Induction Salut Mark! MG> CAK> Go make a few passes and then come back and tell us what MG> CAK> you think of drag racing. :) MG> Mmmmh... I don't think I'd find a drag strip anywhere in a 500 mile MG> radius here :-) ML> Marc, do you mind if I ask where you live? I'm in Indiana. I'm in Luxembourg, a tiny country squished between Belgium, France and Germany. A part of the world where drag racing is largely unknown... cu .\\arc ...Fund (give cash) amentalism (without brains) --- * Origin: sympathy for the debil (2:270/47) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500051 Date: 01/04/98 From: ROY WITT Time: 07:51pm \/To: JEREMY LOWREY (Read 0 times) Subj: Transmission? On, 04 Jan 98 at 06:42, Jeremy Lowrey was overheard shouting over the engine noise, saying something to Roy Witt about "Re: Transmission?",: JL> .. Quoting [Roy Witt] From A Msg To [Jeremy Lowrey] .. JL> RW>> The 700R4 doesn't use the cable in the same sense and needs to be RW>> carefully adjusted, or you'll lose the tranny in short order... JL> JL> In what ways does it need to be adjusted? Following the adjustment procedure in any manual which includes the 700R4 will net you this info. It will apply to a converted car as well as the original... But, simply, there is a cable lock which must be depressed while the throttle is held wide open and then relocked. When a conversion (from TH350/400) has taken place, the original TV cable bracket has to be replaced by a bracket which will place the cable for the 700R4 the proper distance from the throttle... ... Oh Deer, It's an Impala.. --- * Origin: (1:202/909.13) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500052 Date: 01/04/98 From: ROY WITT Time: 07:58pm \/To: GARY HALL (Read 0 times) Subj: 1994 Ply Battery Drain On, 27 Dec 97 at 12:27, Gary Hall was overheard shouting over the engine noise, saying something to Ronnie Thompson about "1994 Ply Battery Drain",: GH> -=>> Quoting Ronnie Thompson to Jay Emrie <=- GH> GH> RT>> Jay, I might be shooting in the wind here, but I remember a couple RT>> years ago, hearing of a bunch of Chrysler vehicles, in which RT>> Chrysler had actually put in security systems, but had not RT>> activiated them GH> GH> Oh yea, Automobile Companies dont make wireing harnesses for each GH> vehicle. There is a one fits all practice anoung all of them. Not true...GM made two different harnesses for 85-87 TPI vs Carburated Camaros and 88-92 TPI vs TBI Camaros. Those are just the ones that I know of...Computers are different too. ... My 6th Chevy: 1957 210 Tudor, in Blue. 1970) --- * Origin: (1:202/909.13) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500053 Date: 12/28/97 From: JACK NELSON Time: 03:26am \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: Battery sizes RW> If you clean those connectors where they've been soldered and RW> then coat with something like nail polish, they won't oxidize RW> as fast as if they were left uncleaned and left to the elements. JN> Even better would be to coat them with grease or an electronics JN> contact cleaner/protectant because their surface won't break JN> and let in air, and they can be applied to the battery posts JN> and terminals before assembly. RJT> No! RJT> You wanna apply that stuff, or any other anticorrosion stuff, RJT> *AFTER* you make the connection. You don't want grease or RJT> whatever in between two surfaces that are supposed to be making RJT> a connection to each other, you want a nice clean RJT> metal-to-metal connection there... The grease film is pierced when the connector is tightened, and the result is direct metal-to-metal contact, with resistance no higher than that for bare metal. Grease is also applied this way to some sliding switches during manufacture. But if you still aren't comfortable the grease coating, clean off the terminals completely with degreaser spray and use the purple or red soft terminal spray put out by Permatex or Exide. --- AdeptXBBS v1.07g (Registered) * Origin: Tempe, AZ USA (602)491-5285 (1:114/20) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500054 Date: 12/28/97 From: CURIOUS GEORGE MEHNER Time: 08:30am \/To: MARK LOGSDON (Read 0 times) Subj: Antifreeze CGM> Except for most GM cars, the 30,000-mile antifreeze put in at CGM> the factory (and the 60,000-mile antifreeze Toyota puts in) CGM> *is* regular antifreeze, only car makers stretch the change CGM> interval too much (It should be changed every year or 12,000 CGM> miles). ML> Don't you think that antifreeze is good for about two years? Probably, but Texaco says the silicate breaks down in eighteen months even at room temperature, and the buffers added for the nitrates don't last long either. OTOH 100,000-mile antifreeze is still in good shape at the end of 100,000 miles. --- AdeptXBBS v1.07g (Registered) * Origin: Tempe, AZ USA (602)491-5285 (1:114/20) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500055 Date: 12/28/97 From: CURIOUS GEORGE MEHNER Time: 08:30am \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 0 times) Subj: Battery Terminals CGM> Why do cars now have battery cable ends made of steel instead CGM> of lead, as in the old days (I'm referring to top terminals) RJT> What vehicle are you talking about here? My car is a 1987 Chevy Corolla with steel cable ends. RJT> Most of what I saw out there when I ran that battery store was RJT> lead, excepting the import stuff which were plated copper, for RJT> the post-type terminals. I've noticed that all replacement cables have lead ends. --- AdeptXBBS v1.07g (Registered) * Origin: Tempe, AZ USA (602)491-5285 (1:114/20) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500056 Date: 12/28/97 From: JAMES ARNOLD Time: 05:38pm \/To: ROY WITT (Read 0 times) Subj: Antifreeze JE> the warranty period - They say the original coo lant is supposed to > last 30000 miles or 3 years. RW> Only if you use that same kind of antifreeze to top it off when > it gets low. If you use the ordinary antifreeze, you'll lose the > longevity and maybe even change your freeze protection... Ford is talking about leaving ordinary antifreeze in there that long. Most car makers give the same recommendation. When Dex-Cool (5 year, 100,000 mile antifreeze) first came out, I asked my Ford dealer if they had anything like it. They said no, but their regular antifreeze was $14.95. GM dealers charged that for Dex-Cool. --- AdeptXBBS v1.07g (Registered) * Origin: Tempe, AZ USA (602)491-5285 (1:114/20) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500057 Date: 12/29/97 From: DON LEWIS Time: 02:46pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Battery FAQ AM> I looked today and all the Wal-Mart batteries here had AM> "Distributed by Johnson Controls" on the plastic labels. AM> They had octagonal caps GC> Out west, they are almost all Delco now. It has been that way GC> about two months here now. AM> Just yesterday I was there again and they had a premium battery AM> in a grey case that was probably a Delco. It was the 84 month AM> 950/750 CA/CCA, version for about $59.99. I decided it was a AM> Delco when I noticed it had the Delco Eye, even though it still AM> had "Distributed by Johnson Controls" on a label. GC> The ones I have seen look like the standard Delco caps. AM> These had the same octagonal caps as the others. For those reasons, that Wal-mart battery had to be made by Johnson Controls, and the Wal-mart battery I bought a few weeks ago was labelled "Made by Delco." The manufacturer matters because Johnson Controls batteries have to be charged like regular or low-maintenance batteries, at a slightly lower voltage than for truly maintenance-free batteries. Otherwise they'll eventually get damaged from overcharging since half the plates in a JC battery (either the positives or negatives, I don't remember which) are made of lead-antimony instead of lead-calcium. --- AdeptXBBS v1.07g (Registered) * Origin: Tempe, AZ USA (602)491-5285 (1:114/20) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1500058 Date: 12/29/97 From: DON LEWIS Time: 02:47pm \/To: SEAN DUNBAR (Read 0 times) Subj: Oil pump? SD> Worried about my oil pump... a couple of days ago, it started SD> taking quite awhile to build up any pressure whatsoever when it's SD> been parked over night; so long, in fact, that the lifters start SD> rattling for a couple of seconds. The oil pressure also seems SD> quite low when it's cold compared to how it used to be. It took SD> almost 10 seconds this morning for the oil pressure guage to show SD> any movement. SD> Oddly, when the engine is warmed up fully, the pressure is a bit SD> higher than it used to be; it seems like it's always around 60 SD> PSI anytime it's above 1500 RPM. Unless your Ford truck has a VW engine in it, get away from 40 weight because it's too thick, even in the middle of a 115 degree day, as American brand gasoline engines just aren't designed for anything that thick. Stay with 10W-40 or 20W-50 when the temperature remains above 10F. That's a Japanese recommendation; American car makers usually prefer thinner oil in such weather. SD> I did switch oil brands recently.... could that have anything to SD> do with it? I'm just buying the cheapest 40 weight oil I can find SD> (SA rated... I figure it leaks out so fast that the additives SD> aren't going to do a bit of good. Bad, bad idea. Always use oil rated SH or SJ; it's that much better and is usually available with a rebate for under $.39 to $.69 a quart, or much less than the price of garbage SA oil. I've heard that 20% of every quart of quality motor oil consists of additives for viscosity improvement and protection against rust, scuffing, and extreme pressure. Even store brand SH or SJ oil is good (usually Valvoline or Quaker State). --- AdeptXBBS v1.07g (Registered) * Origin: Tempe, AZ USA (602)491-5285 (1:114/20)