--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300021 Date: 02/02/98 From: C.A. KLINGEL Time: 07:03pm \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Passat Exhaust? -=> Quoting ALAN MORRISON <=- AM> What a coincidence... the same price as a remanufactured SBC AM> longblock! You reckon that sumbitch'll fit?? ;-) I didn't know that Passat's had an anchor option. You learn something new everyday.... Keep those great posts coming Alan! Regards, Craig Klingel ... Don't give blondes coffee breaks, it takes too long to retrain them. --- Film At Eleven: VaporWare 3.0b * Origin: Winner's Circle (1:2410/351) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300022 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 07:52pm \/To: KENNY HENDERSON (Read 0 times) Subj: 1999 Cars -=> Quoting Kenny Henderson to Alan Morrison <=- AM>brochure for 1995. It shows the base engine was the 3.4 liter 160 HP, AM>and an optional 3.8 liter 200 HP V6 which was not available at the start AM>Now that my niece has had her Civic a while she regrets getting a 5 peed. AM>With the little 4 banger, an automatic is disappointing... Another plus AM>for the V6 Camaro. KH> I have not driven a 3.8 FBody, but my Dad's shop had a 3.4 in, quite KH> pokey but not 'that' bad. For a comparison that 200 HP V6 is only about 15 less than my '85 Z28 which weighs pretty close to the same. While it's no hot-rod, the price and mileage, compared with the decent power make it an attractive option to the little 4 cyl cars like Civics and Saturns. I'd much rather have a Z28 for a few thousand more, but for the wife or daughter, the V6 should give them a few smiles. :) I stopped and peeked under the hood of a '98 Z28 the other day. It looks pretty weird after being used to the old small block. It's tucked up under the cowl a lot, but the plugs still seem accessible. The eight individual coils above each plug is a nice feature, making the plug wires just a few inches long. They're not covered with a panel like on the Corvette. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300023 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 08:03pm \/To: MARC GERGES (Read 0 times) Subj: Active Handling -=> Quoting Marc Gerges to Alan Morrison <=- MG> [Catera - Omega] MG>> Do you have a Catera station wagon? AM> No, Cadillac doesn't have any wagons, just luxury sedans & coupes. MG> For the Omega the wagon sells better than the sedan. Here hatchbacks and wagons have largely been replaced with Minivans and SUVs. BTW, after telling you Cadillac only makes sedans & coupes, I saw an article yesterday that claims they are going to jump on the SUV bandwagon. I believe it is a first for them, but after Mercedes and Lexus making them, they must have decided to just go for it. The article claims that this market segment tripled in sales last year! AM> it's RWD. Other Caddies went FWD when it became prevalent, but the AM> other upscale luxury marks mostly drive the rear wheels. MG> Except for a sports car I absolutely don't see a point in making a car MG> RWD. Cadillac has proven that a V8 car can be FWD, so there is imho no MG> need to make it RWD. FWD has more interior room, more luggage room and MG> is far easier to handle especially in bad weather. Well beginning this year it is no longer one of the quickest luxury coupes being sold here. The Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus all got more power combined with a better weight bias. The nose-heavy Caddy understeers a fair amount when driven hard. If they want to keep a FWD platform for some models that's fine, but the Eldorado Sport Coupes should be RWD to compete in this market. While the packaging for FWD does open up more interior space as far as foot room where the driveshaft tunnel would be, a four passenger coupe can live without it. I disagree about the FWD being easier to handle, except in snow, unless you are just used to driving FWD cars. I hate the torque steer, and wheelspin on high-performance models. And they often feel like they plow through turns when you rush about. It is less of a problem when you have a small 4 cylinder up front, but even these usually have more than 65% of the weight on the nose. This makes the front tires handle all major forces of turning, braking, and acceleration, wearing the tires more quickly. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300024 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 08:40pm \/To: MARC GERGES (Read 0 times) Subj: 225 hp Neon? -=> Quoting Marc Gerges to All <=- MG> I have here the February issue of Car and Driver, and it has a lovely MG> concept car on the front page. MG> Now the text says this car has a 225 hp engine in it, and that the MG> engine is from a Chrysler Neon. Is there a 225 hp Neon in the US? No, they always tease us with concept cars with a lot of power and slick bodies. Then the crash testing causes the body to get changed, and the insurance charts cause management to reduce power by 25-40%. It will probably show up looking somewhat similar with 160 HP... was it a V6? MG> I'm just wondering, as we only get 133 hp Neons here, and they don't MG> sell at all. They are in the price range of an entry level (100 hp) MG> Audi A4, so I guess that's the reason. I see in the magazine you have MG> 150 hp and two door Neons, so could anybody please tell me about all MG> engines available for the car and their prices? You just covered them both... A 2.0 liter SOHC 16 valve 4 with 132 HP, and the optional 150 HP DOHC 16 valve version of the same. They really offer a good price/performance on these, but they are getting rumours of poor build quality. If it weren't for that issue I would recommend it over a Saturn or Toyota. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300025 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 08:49pm \/To: PETER KURZBACH (Read 0 times) Subj: buying imports -=> Quoting Peter Kurzbach to Alan Morrison <=- > mileage. While the huge Suburban 5.7 liter V8 gets 15/18 MPG the > Toyota Land Cruiser with a much smaller engine, only gets 13/15 MPG. PK> yes! my 1980 olds cutlass with 5.7 chevy v8 has better mileage as a PK> friends 1978 mercedes v8 with only 3.5 liter! Do you get Oldsmobiles there? While an '80 model may not the best representation from Olds, the 5.7 liter small-block is a saving grace for parts availability! PK> Origin: 8zylinder 8liter 800ps 8000dm kfzsteuer! (2:240/5701.2) Ah, welcome from Germany... What's 800ps? --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300026 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 08:53pm \/To: MARC GERGES (Read 0 times) Subj: Buying imports -=> Quoting Marc Gerges to Alan Morrison <=- AM> Harley-Davidson, has Japanese forks, carbs, and gauges. MG> And those die hard patriots still buy them? :) They became quite popular in Hollywood over the last decade or so, and this makes things HOT. You must pay premium prices and usually wait to get many models. These things are so well liked here, they don't depreciate. I bought one some years ago and drove it for 4 years, then sold it for $400 more than I paid. > Lebenskuenstler machen sich nichts aus Zahnluecken. Sie pfeifen drauf. AM> What? Mie translater program ist kaput... MG> Sorry, but I really cannot translate that, it only works in german. You sure you ain't cussin' me in German? ;^) --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300027 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 09:09pm \/To: JASON WEDEHASE (Read 0 times) Subj: castrol vs mobile 1 -=> Quoting Jason Wedehase to Tom Walker <=- TW> Surely You Jest. I have Never seen a report rating Valvoline higher TW> then Castrol. So, Tom is not one of the top mechanics who recommends Valvoline? JW> Actually, I'm serious. I have seen more than one report, too. JW> One of the reports I saw was in here, undoubtedly reported by Alan JW> Morrison, the man with more info than anyone can handle =). ROTFLMAO. Hey, I resemble that remark! ;^) I do go on... But you reminded me I had that file; I don't know that it rates it over Castrol, but shows them close in specs. I have seen wear ratings of Castrol 20w-50 that were a little better than Valvoline, but you can look on the package for the ILSAC GF2 rating... I'm sure somebody wants to know ILSAC means the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee, but I could be wrong! Here's most of the file to compare common weights. COMPARISON OF MOTOR OILS VISCOSITY INDEX is an empirical number indicating the rate of change in viscosity of an oil within a given temperature range. Higher numbers indicate a low change, lower numbers indicate a relatively large change. FLASH POINT is the temperature at which an oil gives off vapors that can be ignited with a flame held over the oil. The lower the flash point the greater tendency for the oil to suffer vaporization loss at high temps and to burn off on hot cylinder walls and pistons. (degrees F.) POUR POINT is 5 degrees F above the point at which a chilled oil shows no movement at the surface for 5 seconds when inclined. This measurement is especially important for oils used in the winter. The lower the pour point the better. (degrees F.) % SULFATED ASH is how much solid material is left when the oil burns. A high ash content will tend to form more sludge and deposits in the engine. Low ash content also seems to promote long valve life. Look for oils with a low ash content. % ZINC is the amount of zinc used as an extreme pressure, anti-wear additive. The zinc is only used when there is actual metal to metal contact in the engine. Hopefully the oil will do its job and this will rarely occur, but if it does, the zinc compounds react with the metal to prevent scuffing and wear. A level of .11% is enough to protect an automobile engine for the extended oil drain interval, under normal use. High zinc content can lead to deposit formation and plug fouling. The Data: Listed Alphabetically Brand VI Flash Pour %ash %zinc 20W-50 AMSOIL (new) 157 507 -44 --- --- Castrol GTX 122 440 -15 .85 .12 Exxon High Performance 119 419 -13 .70 .11 Havoline Formula 3 125 465 -30 1.0 --- Kendall GT-1 129 390 -25 1.0 .16 Pennzoil GT Perf. 120 460 -10 .9 --- Quaker State Dlx. 155 430 -25 .9 --- Red Line 150 503 -49 --- --- Shell Truck Guard 130 450 -15 1.0 .15 Spectro Golden 4 174 440 -35 --- .15 Spectro Golden M.G. 174 440 -35 --- .13 Unocal 121 432 -11 .74 .12 Valvoline All Climate 125 430 -10 1.0 .11 Valvoline Turbo 140 440 -10 .99 .13 Valvoline Race 140 425 -10 1.2 .20 Valvoline Synthetic 146 465 -40 <1.5 .12 10W-30 AMSOIL (new) 162 520 -76 --- --- Castrol GTX 140 415 -33 .85 .12 Chevron Supreme 150 401 -26 .96 .11 Exxon Superflo Hi Perf 135 392 -22 .70 .11 Exxon Superflo Supreme 133 400 -31 .85 .13 Havoline Formula 3 139 430 -30 1.0 --- Kendall GT-1 139 390 -25 1.0 .16 Mobil 1 160 450 -65 --- --- Pennzoil PLZ Turbo 140 410 -27 1.0 --- Quaker State 156 410 -30 .9 --- Red Line 139 475 -40 --- --- Shell Fire and Ice 155 410 -35 .9 .12 Shell Super 2000 155 410 -35 1.0 .13 Unocal Super 153 428 -33 .92 .12 Valvoline All Climate 130 410 -26 1.0 .11 Valvoline Turbo 135 410 -26 .99 .13 Valvoline Race 130 410 -26 1.2 .20 Valvoline Synthetic 140 450 -40 <1.5 .12 Partial extract of article by: Ed Hackett (edh@maxey.unr.edu) FROM: www.f-body.org/ftp/pub/docs/faq/html/tech/sect2.html#chooseoil --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300028 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 09:25pm \/To: RONNIE THOMPSON (Read 0 times) Subj: OX sensor -=> Quoting Ronnie Thompson to Ed Brown <=- EB> The dealer said they were good for 100,000 miles so I guess RT> Sorry, but I've never seen one go 100K. I routinely change mine RT> every 40K, as I have had two (one on each car) go bad, when many miles I've got over 100k on mine now Ronnie, but don't know if it might run any better with a new one. What did you notice most when changing one, and what were any problems that caused you to decide on replacement? --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300029 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 09:34pm \/To: GARY HALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Timing -=> Quoting Gary Hall to John Faerber <=- JE> Seems to me though, that if the chain is stretched and the chain drives JE> the cam shaft the cam shaft timing will be off in exact proportion to JE> the stretch in the chain. GH> domestic automobiles the distributor is camshaft driven, that is GH> where the problems are for every one degree of camshaft slop is GH> equal to two degrees of retarded ignition timeing. Since the distributor and camshaft turn at half crankshaft speed, the ignition timing should be the same as the cam unless there is slop in the cam/distributor gear. A worn chain would retard the cam and ignition timing equally wouldn't it? JF> Is this to say that on an older engine that the timing JF> light will show the correct timing when it may be off a few JF> degrees due to stretching? GH> No the timing marks are on the crankshaft the specs are for GH> piston position. The chain wont change it. And the light can show late ignition timing, until someone corrects it. To test for slop in the chain you can disable the advance mechanism and blip the throttle while watching the marks with the timing light. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F2300030 Date: 02/01/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 09:42pm \/To: TOM WALKER (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation -=> Quoting TOM WALKER to DEVIN DIMITRI <=- -> in his driveway getting ready to replace a headlight and he -> was ticketed for it. He didn't deserve it. It was an error -> that he was about to remedy. TW> Meaning HE HAD ben driving on the Public Road, AN ILLEGAL ACT, with a TW> burnt out headlight. And even though he was Changing the Light he got TW> a ticket anyhow. BUT in my mind SINCE HE DID drive with the burnt out TW> light. Even Though it was to go an BUY one he RATED a ticket. For TW> STUPIDITY if nothing else. I can see it on "Cops" now... The police car slides to a stop at the exit to the driveway, blocking the Perp's exit. He jumps out of the car, while pulling his sidearm and from behind his door yells for the driver to keep his hands in view and drop his keys out the window. After all it's highly likely that anyone who wouldn't notice a burnt out bulb is surely on drugs. He then yells to the driver to exit the vehicle and get on his face. While exiting the vehicle the officer sees the flash from the headlight reflector and pops off two rounds into the Perp before deciding it might not be a chrome 32 automatic after all. With the rollers still flashing about the neighborhood he immediately looks for any video cameras pointing from windows. Thinking quickly he runs to the Perp's unmoving body and lays a small sidearm near his hand. Then he picks up the headlight and returns to his vehicle to call in the incident. We're all saved from another menace by the diligent actions of highly trained peace officers. 8^O (it could happen;) --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627)