--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00003 Date: 01/10/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 05:18pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Monza Diagnosis; Answer AM> The Monza seemed to be more cold natured in the morning recently. I AM> had already advanced the timing a little and richened the choke a AM> notch. This helped but it still feels a little sluggish. AM> It's a 1975 Monza with the 350 and a Holley carb on a Performer AM> intake. Other than that it is nearly stock, with single exhaust and AM> automatic transmission. No smoke, or noises present, and basic AM> engine condition is good. It has had spark plugs, rotor, and AM> filters changed in the last 10,000 miles. OK, everybody who responded to the above, or anybody who is just curious... The problem with the Monza was a little obscure, but I'm surprised someone didn't get closer to the answer. A cold natured vehicle automatically has one thinking of fuel, since they need more when cold. But the tip on being a little sluggish was what made me locate the problem. What makes an otherwise healthy, tuned vehicle sluggish, more than spark advance? So, I checked, and sure enough... The Vacuum Advance diaphragm on the distributor was blown. When the throttle plates open it leaks vacuum, (leaning the mixture) and doesn't advance the timing. That sure makes a difference, between them. It is especially satisfying to fix this for about $5 and have it feel peppy again! Thanks to all who responded... Next time I'll ask before I look for it! --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00004 Date: 01/10/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 05:28pm \/To: JOHN FAERBER (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation -=> Quoting John Faerber to Bill Mitchell <=- JF> Out here, one guy was on vacation for a lengthy period of time, his JF> car was stolen (unknown to him) car was parked in a no parking zone, JF> ticketed, never moved, and impounded. The city sent him proper JF> notification, he never responded within the alloted time, car went to JF> auction. They had auctioned off his car and were a couple past his, he JF> comes up in a taxi demanding his car. Never did get it back as the city JF> followed the law to the letter. BTW, he was arrested due to his conduct JF> at the auction. Reminds me of the movie where Vic Morrow exited the bar into Nazi Germany with a couple of officers demanding 'ze papers'. Talk about the 'Twilight Zone' and '1984' rolled into one! This article really got to me, so I knew responses would be interesting. I wouldn't mind if the required licensing would release the vehicle, but this zero tolerance stuff will eventually combine with the confiscation and even the best intentioned, typically law abiding citizen will end up having to hire legal council to get his property back. Most of us who drive older vehicles will just lose them because legal fees are higher than the book value of the car! ... A police state is great, so long as you're the police. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00005 Date: 01/10/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 05:38pm \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation -=> Quoting Roy J. Tellason to Bill Mitchell <=- BM> I've had them try, but not succeed, to collect sales tax on BM> vehicles I've owned for years when I registered them. RJT> Here they collect the sales tax when you get the _title_, not the RJT> registration. And they've put through some new regulations, RJT> it still comes from the state DOT, plates, and all sorts of other RJT> stuff) to determine what sales tax should be collected. If you say RJT> you bought this heap for $25 and the book value is $500, then RJT> they're supposed to collect the tax for $500. In CA when you buy a car, the purchaser is responsible for any lapse in registration. So if it missed a month you get a 40% penalty added onto the full year amount. Now get this... If you are buying the car they ADD THE 40% PENALTY TO THE FULL AMOUNT, INCLUDING THE TAX! So you get taxed on top of the tax of a vehicle that tax was collected on every time it is sold. Grrr... RJT> Not "you appear to be uninsured, please provide proof that you RJT> are", but "we've received notice that you're uninsured, so RJT> here's all this nasty stuff like suspensions and whatnot going RJT> into effect NOW and in the meantime try and prove that you're RJT> okay". Grr... Now we are assumed guilty until proven innocent. Our elite police forces and governing officials are a higher breed, a cut above the rest, and therefore beyond reproach. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00006 Date: 01/10/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 08:58pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Crash! PASSENGER VEHICLES - FATAL CRASHES By far the largest number of motor vehicle deaths are occupants of passenger vehicles including cars, the popular passenger vans often referred to as minivans, pickups, utility vehicles, and cargo/large passenger vans. The likelihood of crash death varies markedly among these vehicle types according to size. Small vehicles have less structure and size to absorb crash energy, so more injurious forces can reach their occupants in crashes. People in lighter vehicles are at a disadvantage in collisions with heavier vehicles. Pickups and utility vehicles are proportionally more likely than cars to be in fatal single-vehicle crashes, especially rollovers, in which the chances of occupant injury are greater than in crashes involving more than one vehicle. However, pickups and utility vehicles generally are heavier than cars, so occupant deaths are less likely to occur in multiple-vehicle crashes. The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and R.L. Polk's National Vehicle Population Profile: 32,236 passenger vehicle occupants died in 1996, up 1 percent from 1995 and 5 percent more than in 1975. Passenger vehicle occupant deaths represented 77 percent of motor vehicle deaths in 1996. About 2 out of every 3 passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 1996 were drivers. Vehicle Types Since 1978, deaths per registered vehicle have declined in all kinds of passenger vehicles. Seventy-two percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 1996 were car occupants. However, the proportion of deaths involving pickup and utility vehicle occupants is growing as the popularity of these vehicles increases. Crash Types Frontal impacts accounted for 80 occupant deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in 1996 compared with 52 deaths per million in side impacts and 7 deaths per million in rear impacts. Multiple-vehicle crashes accounted for 86 occupant deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in 1996 compared with 81 deaths per million in single-vehicle crashes. In single-vehicle crashes, pickups had the highest number of deaths per registered vehicle (107 per million) in 1996. In multiple-vehicle crashes, cars had the highest number of deaths per registered vehicle (97 per million). Single-vehicle crashes involving rollover accounted for 47 occupant deaths per million registered passenger vehicles in 1996 compared with 9 deaths per million in multiple-vehicle crashes. Small utility vehicles are disproportionately involved in fatal rollover crashes. The single-vehicle rollover death rate in these vehicles in 1996 was more than 9 times as high as the rate in the largest cars (164 deaths per million registered vehicles compared with 18). Single-vehicle rollover crashes accounted for 53 percent of occupant deaths in utility vehicles in 1996 compared with 35 percent of deaths in pickups and 19 percent of deaths in cars. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00007 Date: 01/10/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 09:00pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Crash!! National Highway and Traffic Safety - Administration Crash Test Data In 1994, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Adminsitration (NHTSA) changed the way they rate crash test performances of the cars and trucks they run into a concrete barrier at 35 mph. Instead of the confusing numerical scale that had been in place for years, NHTSA decided to make the data more user-friendly for interested consumers by converting to a five star rating system, just like that used by the movie reviewer in your local paper. The scale is as follows: 1 Star Better than 45% chance of life-threatening injury 2 Stars A 35-45% chance of life-threatening injury 3 Stars A 20-35% chance of life-threatening injury 4 Stars A 10-20% chance of life-threatening injury 5 Stars Less than a 10% chance of life-threatening injury Listed below are the results from crash testing conducted since 1994. All test results are applicable to the 1997 equivalent of the listed model. In other words, the 1997 model is the same as the listed vehicle with regard to structure and safety equipment. Crash test data 1994: Chevrolet Camaro Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Chrysler LHS Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Dodge Intrepid Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Dodge Ram 1500 Drv: 5 Stars Pass: No Data Ford Aerostar Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Ford Thunderbird Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Honda Accord Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Infiniti J30 Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Lexus GS 300 Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Mazda 626 Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Mercedes C-Class Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Toyota Corolla Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Toyota Previa Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Toyota T100 Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Volvo 850 Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Crash test data 1995: Acura Integra Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Audi A6 Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars BMW 3-Series Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Buick Le Sabre Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Cadillac Eldorado Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Cadillac Seville Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Chevrolet Cavalier Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Chevrolet Lumina Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Chrysler Concorde Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Chrysler Sebring Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Dodge Avenger Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Dodge Intrepid Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Dodge Neon Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Eagle Vision Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Ford Explorer Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Ford Windstar Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Eagle Talon Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Geo Prizm Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Honda Odyssey Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Hyundai Sonata Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Isuzu Trooper Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Mazda Millenia Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Mazda Protege Drv: 3 Stars Pass: No Data Mercury Cougar XR7 Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Mitsubishi Eclipse Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Nissan Maxima Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Oldsmobile 88 Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Pontiac Bonneville Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Pontiac Firebird Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Pontiac Sunfire Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Saab 900 Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Subaru Legacy Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Toyota Tercel Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Volkswagen Jetta Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Volkswagen Passat Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Crash Test Data 1996: Acura TL Series Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Audi A4 Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Chevrolet C/K P'kup Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Chrysler T & C LWB Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Dodge Grand Caravan Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Dodge Neon Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Ford Crown Victoria Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Ford Mustang Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Ford Taurus Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars GMC Sierra Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Honda Civic Coupe Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Honda Passport Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Hyundai Elantra Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Jeep Grand Cherokee Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Land Rover Discovery Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Lincoln Town Car Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Mazda Miata Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Mercury Grd. Marquis Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Mercury Sable Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Mitsubishi Mirage Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Nissan Altima Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Nissan Quest Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Nissan Sentra Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Nissan Truck Drv: 2 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Plymouth Neon Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Plymouth Grd. Voyager Drv: 3 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Subaru Impreza Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Toyota Tacoma Drv: 2 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Crash Test Data 1997: Cadillac DeVille Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Dodge Caravan Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Ford F-150 Pickup Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Ford Ranger Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Geo Metro Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Jeep Wrangler Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Mitsubishi Galant Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Oldsmobile Regency Drv: 5 Stars Pass: 3 Stars Plymouth Voyager: Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Pontiac Grand Am Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 5 Stars Pontiac Grand Prix Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars Toyota Paseo Drv: 4 Stars Pass: 4 Stars --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00008 Date: 01/11/98 From: SEAN DUNBAR Time: 08:37pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Bah. Well.. I did something really smart tonight. Wanted to check out a little Nissan parked on a corner that was for sale. This corner happened to be dirt.. turned into very thick mud/clay after a heavy rain. To top things off, it was on a hill. Combine that with a 4x2 pickup, and you can spell "Stuck" with a capital "S" real quick. Called a tow truck.. didn't show up. Someone in a 4x4 offered to pull me out; I accepted. They couldn't pull me forward, unfortunatly (they got stuck just trying to get into position to do that.. they had to rock their truck to get out). They got behind my truck and pulled me out that way. To top things up, this mud was VERY slick; my truck started sliding downhill.. right into a sign (took out the sign real fast), then sideways into a ditch. They kept pulling and yanked the truck out of the ditch (right side up thankfully), and got me back up on the road. Anyway... total damage to my truck from my little mud adventure: slightly bent rear bumper, bent passenger side mirror, and broken muffler. And lots of mud inside. About 15 minutes after I was back on the road, the tow truck driver calls me back on my cellular saying he couldn't find me... said he had pulled in to a gas station. I was at a gas station too... guess what? He knew what my truck looked like (had to describe it on the phone earlier). Turns out he had parked right in front of me, looks behind him, and sees me. I had to pay him to make the trip even though he didn't get me pulled out. Have a lot more respect for 97-98 Ford F-150 4x4's though (that's what got me out). ... 2400 baud makes you want to get out and push. --- Telegard v3.09.g1/mL * Origin: tos * 972-818-0339 - dallas texas (1:124/6630) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00009 Date: 01/11/98 From: SEAN DUNBAR Time: 02:36am \/To: RUBEN LOPEZ (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: Oil pump? RL> Would you recomend running Diesel oil in gasoline motors? Chevy 350s RL> for example? I can't really see the point of it unless you're looking for something heavier than 10W30 but lighter than 20W50. Your 350 is in a 96 pickup, right? I would run synthetics on it myself, long as there's no leaks (and there better NOT be any leaks on a truck that new!) --- Telegard v3.09.g1/mL * Origin: tos * 972-818-0339 - dallas texas (1:124/6630) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00010 Date: 01/11/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:25pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation Alan Morrison wrote in a message to John Faerber: -=> Quoting John Faerber to Bill Mitchell <=- JF> Out here, one guy was on vacation for a lengthy period of time, his JF> car was stolen (unknown to him) car was parked in a no parking zone, JF> ticketed, never moved, and impounded. The city sent him proper JF> notification, he never responded within the alloted time, car went to JF> auction. They had auctioned off his car and were a couple past his, he JF> comes up in a taxi demanding his car. Never did get it back as the city JF> followed the law to the letter. BTW, he was arrested due to his conduct JF> at the auction. AM> Reminds me of the movie where Vic Morrow exited the bar into AM> Nazi Germany with a couple of officers demanding 'ze AM> papers'. Talk about the 'Twilight Zone' and '1984' rolled AM> into one! AM> This article really got to me, so I knew responses would be AM> interesting. I wouldn't mind if the required licensing would AM> release the vehicle, but this zero tolerance stuff will AM> eventually combine with the confiscation and even the best AM> intentioned, typically law abiding citizen will end up AM> having to hire legal council to get his property back. Most AM> of us who drive older vehicles will just lose them because AM> legal fees are higher than the book value of the car! Not to mention that we won't be able to engage in any legal battles, because they'll have confiscated the rest of our property too, under the heading of "Forfeiture", thanks to the war on drugs. So the end result is that we all end up a whole lot poorer, as well as being a whole lot less mobile. And eventually (probably won't take all that long) a whole lot less free... :-( AM> ... A police state is great, so long as you're the police. Hah. email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00011 Date: 01/11/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:27pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation Alan Morrison wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: -=> Quoting Roy J. Tellason to Bill Mitchell <=- BM> I've had them try, but not succeed, to collect sales tax on BM> vehicles I've owned for years when I registered them. RJT> Here they collect the sales tax when you get the _title_, not the RJT> registration. And they've put through some new regulations, RJT> it still comes from the state DOT, plates, and all sorts of other RJT> stuff) to determine what sales tax should be collected. If you say RJT> you bought this heap for $25 and the book value is $500, then RJT> they're supposed to collect the tax for $500. AM> In CA when you buy a car, the purchaser is responsible for any AM> lapse in registration. In _registration_?! AM> So if it missed a month you get a 40% penalty added onto the AM> full year amount. Now get this... If you are buying the car AM> they ADD THE 40% PENALTY TO THE FULL AMOUNT, INCLUDING THE TAX! AM> So you get taxed on top of the tax of a vehicle that tax was AM> collected on every time it is sold. Grrr... Grrr is right! I have this truck I'm building, been working on it quite a while, now and then as time and finances permit, and I see no point whatsoever, since it has no engine in it at the present time and half the body apart in the bed, of registering it just for the privilege of me also having to pay insurance on it. What's the point? So yeah, I have the title to the truck, but it sure as hell isn't registered. Neither is the one sitting outside here that I want to sell one of these days. RJT> Not "you appear to be uninsured, please provide proof that you RJT> are", but "we've received notice that you're uninsured, so RJT> here's all this nasty stuff like suspensions and whatnot going RJT> into effect NOW and in the meantime try and prove that you're RJT> okay". Grr... AM> Now we are assumed guilty until proven innocent. Our elite AM> police forces and governing officials are a higher breed, a cut AM> above the rest, and therefore beyond reproach. %$#@! bureaucrats! email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1G00012 Date: 01/08/98 From: KENNY HENDERSON Time: 11:18pm \/To: DEVIN DIMITRI (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: American Sports Car DD> DD> Hmmm, actually, i think if you're gonna put any type of blower on DD> DD> that snake, you'd better put on a turbocharger. You don't need/want DD> DD> any more torque in the low range. Turbo lag would probably be a DD> DD> good thing in this car, IMHO. DD> KH> Nothing some 12 inch wide slicks couldn't handle:) DD> Ummm, don't quote me, but aren't the regular tires like 10-11 nches DD> wide anyhoo? If they are 315 they are over 12 inches wide, but they aren't slicks :) --- * OLX 2.1 TD * There, Princess...Observe your life forms NOW. --Corg. --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: Fresh Start BBS * Edison NJ * (732) 248-1678 * (1:107/310.0)