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Maintenance Tips On Cars. - Car Talk (509) - Nairaland

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Funny Things Written On Cars(buses) You've Seen? / Maintenance Tips For Honda Cars / AUTO MAINTENANCE TIPS (2) (3) (4)

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Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 12:32pm On Apr 30
codemaster2much:


you try oh, you mean you did all thesr despite not being a gazzuzz, never knew normal people could achieve this level of skills.

well done boss.

by the way how much did it cost ringing the engine. I once called one of the expert car repair guru here, the price they give me go make you first think about your life. please help me boss
The people whose job it is to work on your cars depend on it to feed their families. It is either you pay them what they are asking, or you do it yourself grin. I'm not here to spoil anybody's business. In my case, I was part of the work, and my very good friend who is a parts dealer, supplied all the parts. So you can't use me to judge.
About being a gazzuz or not, I don't think he is an alien, nor does he have two heads. To me, It's all about interest and basic understanding of how things work, learning from experience, and then common sense. But interest is VERY important. If you are really interested in cars, you will definitely learn one or two things. The Internet is always there for you.
All the things I listed I did on Betty sounds like a lot, but they cost me a fraction of whatever you imagine, because I did most of them myself. Apart from the actual engine ringing and gearbox overhaul, the rest was basically me doing it or telling the kazeem what to do for me. So the cost is much reduced. Also I'm lucky to have a friend that sells used Honda parts.
When I mentioned that p0011 dealt with me, it was a lot of back and forth. If I wasn't doing it myself, I would've spent 50-100k on that code alone.
Know you that it is always cheaper to say "change this part for me" than saying "I don't know what is wrong with this car".
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 12:35pm On Apr 30
dicksonadams:
wow I love your story so much, I wish I could see the photo of the lovely Betty, please if you see such deal again hala
I intentionally didn't post her picture, because I want to do "Betty was black and broke, but when Betty see money, Bettybleach" grin grin grin

2 Likes

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 12:39pm On Apr 30
ThePundit14:
Thanks for the response. So how did you get to keep P0420 away? So does this code affect fuel economy as this is the only code, I keep getting


I think I've said it severely that it doesn't affect fuel economy.
As for how to keep it away, some people use spacer on the secondary sensor, but spacer didn't work for me. It gave me another code for sensor slow response. So I decided to go digital on it. Soldered a capacitor and resistor to the wire of the secondary sensor and fear no gree the code come back again. If you want details watch the video below. But do it at your own risk. I hope you have soldering iron.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHD7T7EhuzI?si=P1vBX69nk5ETHA3H

1 Like

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 3:49pm On Apr 30
Macmilla:
THE STORY OF BETTY
...
Betty is my 2005 Honda Accord 4cyl.
I got her Nigerian used last year. When I got her, she was like a malnourished and physically abused woman.
-Her engine was smoking heavily and the old user deceived me by using very thick oil in addition to that evil thing called "stop smoking".
-There were crazy electrical abuse. like the engine could start no matter where the gear stick is.
-The transmission was misbehaving mostly in cold mornings.
-Of course, the cat was way gone, but then some evil human decided to cut the wires of the 2 O2 sensors for reasons I still don't understand.
-Fuel economy was flushed down in the toilet.
-All steering buttons were not working, but somehow the horn was working.
-AC was working but not very powerful.
-SRS and Seatbelt light on the dashboard were on.
-Power steering was whining.
- The thermostat was AWOL and the radiator fan was permanently on.
- The moon roof was opening sluggishly and could only open halfway.
...
With all these problems, the question now is why did I keep this car?
1. The price was good
2. This car was still good, first body and all. Engine looked neat. Abs was working fine. AC was working, though not optimal. So I told myself that the worst that could happen is a new engine and trans.
3. I wanted the challenge cos I love solving car problems.
...
So, first thing I did was to change engine oil and filter with 5w30. Omo! My car became a smoke machine. I had to add the "stop smoking" to avoid the embarrassment while I thought of what to do.

I decided to try restoring the engine since it doesn't look bad from outside. When the engine was opened, the mechanic was amazed that the engine was completely in shape inside. The cylinder lining was perfect. Crank shaft, metals, pistons, all were in good shape. The top was also intact. The only thing that needed work was the rings. In two days, the engine was back together and running with 5w30 oil and no single smoke.
Then came the VTEC problem which was solved by replacing the filter screen in the VTEC solenoid.
Then came the VTC problem and that persky p0011 that dealt with me. After replacing VTC solenoid twice, the problem went away.
Then the transmission. After replacing the ATF twice without much improvement, I decided to rebuild it. Why would I throw something away without first trying to fix it? That is not me. Call me cheap, I don't care. After putting the tranny back in the car and filling with oil, first start, tranny no gree shift. Second start, car no gree enter drive. I was already sweating from my nyash. Infact, almost the whole day, tranny was severely acting up. But by some magic, after several tests, tranny started behaving. Now, 3mths later, tranny is still as smooth as butter. Victory!
Power steering pump was replaced with a tokunbo part and steering became smooth with absolutely no whine or vibration when turning.

About the electrical abuse, there was a strange wire running from the under dash fuse box all the way to the starter in the engine. I knew that wire was not put there by Honda, so I tore it out. As expected, car was no longer able to start. But I noticed the car will start occasionally after pressing the brake pedal randomly. So I looked at the brake pedal and noticed that the small plastic that presses on the brake switch was missing and a piece of paper was in place. It was pressing the switch enough to turn off the brake light but not enough to allow the car start. I removed the paper and constructed a good plastic in its place and care has started every single time since then.
- As for the cats, I had to change both O2 sensors. I didn't replace the cat. I simply bypassed it and removed the cat error code for good.
- So the steering wheel buttons. I told my electrician to bring out the steering flex reel and of course one of the two flex reel inside is completely cut. Someone diverted the horn signal through one of the intact cables. Once again, I decided to go the cheap route. I decided to solder the broken cables together. I didn't think this would work. My electrician told me I was wasting my time. But I gave him back the cable reel to install and 5mth later, all steering wheel buttons are still working.
- AC just needed gas and is still going 5mths later
-SRS and Seatbelt light was due to the driver's seatbelt buckle that was spoilt. Just changed it and all light went off.
Car is 100% functional now
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
I filled my tank up and recet my trip counter. When the fuel light came on, I had 382mils on the trip counter. Car continued till 410miles when I decided to go buy fuel (car didn't stop, meaning it still had fuel). I filled it up with 57litres (14.98gal). After calculations, I got 27mpg of pure city driving. That is veeery good for a rebuilt engine. Very few cars here can boast of this mileage.
...
So next I want to change the side mirrors to txs side mirrors with signal light and if money enter, I'll upgrade the wheels, upgrade the bumper to DC bumper, and give it a good paint job.

I'M PROUD OF BETTY. grin

I missed the story about the radiator and the moon roof. Will talk about it in an update.
UPDATE!
The thermostat.
Of course, the thermostat was gone. Our kazeems no de waste time to yank it out. And her fan was on all the time. So I went to my parts dealer and requested for a thermostat. My dealer and everyone around were looking at me like I'm crazy. But I didn't care. I insisted he sells one to me and he eventually did. Note that the thermostat comes together with the housing and is not supposed to be separable. I was offered the whole housing with the thermostat but cheap me refused. How will I buy the whole thermostat housing when my own housing is intact. So cheap me collected a thermostat removed from another car. I went home, tested it inside hot water to confirm it works well while checking the temperature with my thermometer. Then, I coupled it back to the housing (this was not easy but it has to be done as cheap as possible grin). After installation, car was happy but...
The fan was still on permanently.
A code was on about the ECT sensor. So I traced the ECT sensor and noticed the wire was dangling behind the radiator. I located the ECT sensor and tried to plug the connector back, but for some reason, the plug couldn't enter. I was able to look at the sensor on the radiator and realized the socket and the plug are completely different. Omo! I begin to scratch my head. What is going on? A few pages of googling, I got to learn that 2003 - 04 accord use different radiator from 2005. The only difference actually is that 2003 04 use "fan switch" while Honda switched to Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor from 2005.
The fan switch (03 and 04) just switches on the radiator fan when the coolant is hot enough (off and on switch), while the ECT sensor senses the temperature of the coolant and sends the information to the brain box. The brain box uses the information to know when to switch on and off the radiator fan.
Note that these two items, fan switch and ECT sensor, are completely different in both size and function. One can not replace the other. This in turn makes the radiator for 03-04 not compatible with 05. You can not simply remove the fan switch and replace it with ECT sensor, cos the thread size is not the same. ECT sensor is smaller. I learnt this after buying an ECT sensor to install but couldn't fit it into the hole as it was smaller.
For all of you using this car, if you want to replace your radiator, make sure you are buying the correct one for your car
Some kazeem, in his infinite wisdom, installed a radiator for 03-04 on my 05 accord. And because the connector doesn't fit, he just left it dangling and made the fan permanent.
Since the only difference is the the thread hole, I can't just throw away a fully functional radiator just because of thread size. So I found a thread reducer. This wasn't easy as I couldn't find the perfect reducer that can convert the 18 thread of the fan switch to the 12 thread of the ECT sensor. I had to order something close from AliExpress and gave it to a metal works guy to make it work. Eventually, my ECT fit into the hole and no leaks. But the fan was still permanently on. A little rummaging in the under hood fuse box revealed the problem. The fan relay was bridged. Removing this bridge and everything worked according to design. Finally! Praise God!
The whole higihaga above took me more than a month to figure all out and find solution to all. But it was fun.
...
The moonroof was even more challenging.
I started by adding more lubrication to the rails and cable but that didn't help. My kazeem noticed the moonroof motor gets hot and said the motor needs to be replaced. I strongly doubted this cos I know that the only reason a motor gets hot is if there's resistance to its movement. So I suspected that it was the stuck moonroof that is making the motor work too hard and therefore gets hot. But since I was out of ideas, I decided to go with it. But of course, two motors later and same issue persisted. I also noticed a lot of maneuver has been done to the moonroof in the past. The rail even has an injury at a point like something hit it. So I was already giving up on the moonroof when I stumbled on a car being parted out. The moonroof seemed intact and the owner told me to bring 10k and take the whole moonroof assembly. That is because nigerians don't give much f++k about moonroof. Omo! Na speed I use collect am o.
But ironically, after installation, the moonroof still refused to move properly
After a lot of head scratches, the body work guy that helped me install it gave me the usual kazeem talk "just start using it like that, it will free up with time". But I knew that was bullshit. So when I got home, my brain just couldn't rest. So I went back on my own to bring down the roof liner and removed the moonroof assembly. This was the most difficult task I've ever tried on my own. Omo! I sweat die sotee I asked myself "who send you". But after reinstalling it same problem continued. The holy spirit then whispered to me to try something.
I removed the motor, pushed the moonroof glass all the way back, made sure the two sides of the glass hit a stopper, then I reinstalled the motor and voila! That was it. The glass closed and open very smoothly. I felt like I won the world cup. It happened that the kazeem body work dude, while removing the moonroof assembly from the other car, removed the motor and moved the glass. This put the glass and it's cables out of alignment, therefore increasing resistance. I even returned all the new moonroof motors I bought and reused the only one in the car.
....
So finally all is done. Little money, but plenty stress.
Betty was now happy. Engine has not overheated till today. Moonroof still works smoothly till today.
...
And did I mention I gave Betty a factory booth spoiler? Yes I did and she was happy. I love spoilers. grin
...
Recently, the devil decided to tempt Betty. A heavy wind blew on the 14th of this month. This evil wind uprooted a solar panel from somewhere I don't know, carried it all the way, and landed it on Betty. Betty's front passenger window shattered, the side mirror was destroyed, and the door was injured seriously. I cried for Betty that day because she didn't deserve that. Betty is still recovering.
I'm using the opportunity to give her the TSX side mirrors I've always wanted. After that, I'll repaint her.

10 Likes

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Sankabson(m): 7:16pm On Apr 30
Good morning House,

I am driving a 010 Toyota Camry. But have been noticing some issue as regards the Gear. Whenever put the Gear on D ( Drive ) it delays few 10 - 15seconds before responding or shifting to drive. But respond swiftly to other Gear levels. PRN ..

But I do noticed it respond a little bit we'll in the morning, when I'm just moving. After a while it starts again.



- I have changed the Gear Fluid to make sure it's up to gauge. Still having the same issue.

- I have asked few technicians here in Ibadan, some are saying it's electrical problems and issues like that. I went to be sure before engaging anyone to avoid any error, as Gear is expensive now.

I'll appreciate your help Sires)Mas. Thanks in advance

Modify:

I scan the Transmission, here's the code.

P0741
P2757
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by lyort: 8:42am On May 02
samsard:
Maybe your idle RPM is too low?

Idle speed has no effect
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by lyort: 8:49am On May 02
Tiztonio:
I have this toyota camry 2011 with venza engine 4 plug. Im having issues with the adjuster. My engine produces this particular rattling sound especially when I engage the car on drive/reverse and gets worse when I turn on the Ac. I was advised to change the adjuster(pulleys) which I did. Unfortunately, it changed nothing. I still hear the sounds. Any advise??

if you've replaced adjuster with no improvement, replace the belt. Belt is probably slack and the adjuster is not having a tight tension on it
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by samsard(m): 9:06am On May 02
lyort:


Idle speed has no effect
Low idle speed can lead to vibrating car. Anyway, it's probably some other issue.

1 Like

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by lyort: 9:08am On May 02
Sankabson:
Good morning House,

I am driving a 010 Toyota Camry. But have been noticing some issue as regards the Gear. Whenever put the Gear on D ( Drive ) it delays few 10 - 15seconds before responding or shifting to drive. But respond swiftly to other Gear levels. PRN ..

But I do noticed it respond a little bit we'll in the morning, when I'm just moving. After a while it starts again.



- I have changed the Gear Fluid to make sure it's up to gauge. Still having the same issue.

- I have asked few technicians here in Ibadan, some are saying it's electrical problems and issues like that. I went to be sure before engaging anyone to avoid any error, as Gear is expensive now.

I'll appreciate your help Sires)Mas. Thanks in advance

Modify:

I scan the Transmission, here's the code.

P0741
P2757

All the gear need is comprehensive servicing of the valve body and probably replacing some shift solenoids
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Lawalemi(m): 12:07pm On May 02
What can I do to my gear?

Corolla 2009.
The gear was fixed but each time I drive on a 50KM journey, its revs without propelling the engine until I switch to Gear 3 or 2 which is tiring for a long journey.

I've engaged the mecho on getting new gear but he feels this can be fixed. He opined that all is fine including reverse issue that he fixed recently.

Please what would you advise.

I'm in Lagos
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 12:49pm On May 02
Tiztonio:
I have this toyota camry 2011 with venza engine 4 plug. Im having issues with the adjuster. My engine produces this particular rattling sound especially when I engage the car on drive/reverse and gets worse when I turn on the Ac. I was advised to change the adjuster(pulleys) which I did. Unfortunately, it changed nothing. I still hear the sounds. Any advise??
I don't know much about Toyotas, but I have common sense. Why do you keep accusing your adjuster when you have replaced it and the sound didn't change? Shouldn't you take your attention to something else?
I'll advise you to make a short video so people can hear for themselves and advise you accordingly.
Having said that, anything driven by your accessory belt can be the culprit.
Not long ago, I had a rattling noise from that belt side on my Honda that ended up coming from my timing chain. So keep an open mind while tracing the sound.

2 Likes

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by lyort: 3:45pm On May 02
samsard:
Low idle speed can lead to vibrating car. Anyway, it's probably some other issue.

That's right, low idle can cause excessive vibrations but not rattling noises
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Sankabson(m): 8:09am On May 03
lyort:


All the gear need is comprehensive servicing of the valve body and probably replacing some shift solenoids


I serviced the valve body yesterday, still having the issue. Well! Shift solenoids isn’t replaced. Sir, could recommend anywhere I get this done. Ibadan would be much preferable. I can as well go to Lagos.
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by 2shure: 10:23am On May 03
Hi,my mazda 3 sports I just realised I'm having some black smoke. Took it to a panel beater and he told me there's abt 3cm gap o. The flex net where air is escaping and hence has some effect t on my fuel. Pls can it be patched. The tokunbor flex net short is 14k and I cannot afford to waste money buying another one when there's just a small leak.can it be patched.i got the toks flex net last year for 6k and now the price has trippled to 14k over 102% gain.
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 1:38pm On May 03
My Toyota Matrix 06: Seahorse 20w50 wants to damage my engine. I normally serviced at every 2500miles. I opened my valve cover to change a damaged vave cover seal. I almost cried seeing how sludge has over taken my engine. After changing d seal, i bought engine flush, poured it & idled d car for 5mins, drained d oil, opened d sump & brought out d engine screen (filter) i bought fuel & all were thoroughly cleaned together with d valve cover. Coupled back, bought external filter & serviced with total quartz 5000 20w50. This engine strong aswear, it still runs & responds fine with AC.
Pls how do i clean this mess to ensure my engine is clean again? I will be changing this oil again in june (2months). Attached is d opened engine top, d valve cover & d engine bottom.

@gazzuzz
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 1:39pm On May 03
Engine top

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 1:39pm On May 03
Valve cove

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 1:40pm On May 03
Engine bottom after removing oil sump

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 1:42pm On May 03
Serviced with total quartz 5000 20w50, filter & engine flush

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 1:44pm On May 03
Kindly recommend oil that can help clean up d sludge with regular service interval
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by GAZZUZZ(m): 2:02pm On May 03
Dez10:
Kindly recommend oil that can help clean up d sludge with regular service interval

Change oil every 1000 miles.

1 Like

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 7:06pm On May 03
Thanks sir.

Can i still use d engine flush one more time & repeat d cleaning process? This time i will be opening only d bottom plate
GAZZUZZ:


Change oil every 1000 miles.
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Grupo(m): 7:31pm On May 03
Dez10:
My Toyota Matrix 06: Seahorse 20w50 wants to damage my engine. I normally serviced at every 2500miles. I opened my valve cover to change a damaged vave cover seal. I almost cried seeing how sludge has over taken my engine. After changing d seal, i bought engine flush, poured it & idled d car for 5mins, drained d oil, opened d sump & brought out d engine screen (filter) i bought fuel & all were thoroughly cleaned together with d valve cover. Coupled back, bought external filter & serviced with total quartz 5000 20w50. This engine strong aswear, it still runs & responds fine with AC.
Pls how do i clean this mess to ensure my engine is clean again? I will be changing this oil again in june (2months). Attached is d opened engine top, d valve cover & d engine bottom.

@gazzuzz

Did you buy the car as tokunbo?

Does the car still have the thermostat intact?

If I were you, I wouldn't bother removing this level of sludge.
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Nafizzey(m): 10:02pm On May 03
GAZZUZZ:


Change oil every 1000 miles.
please is this recommendation for all Cars, and what if Oil turns black before reaching 1000 miles?
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by GAZZUZZ(m): 10:19pm On May 03
Dez10:
Thanks sir.

Can i still use d engine flush one more time & repeat d cleaning process? This time i will be opening only d bottom plate

It is not advisable to remove sludge quickly, as you might clog the pickup strainer at the bottom of the engine .

Oil changes of 1000 miles done 5 times will do remarkable work if your thermostat is functional.

1 Like

Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 12:30am On May 04
Dez10:
My Toyota Matrix 06: Seahorse 20w50 wants to damage my engine. I normally serviced at every 2500miles. I opened my valve cover to change a damaged vave cover seal. I almost cried seeing how sludge has over taken my engine. After changing d seal, i bought engine flush, poured it & idled d car for 5mins, drained d oil, opened d sump & brought out d engine screen (filter) i bought fuel & all were thoroughly cleaned together with d valve cover. Coupled back, bought external filter & serviced with total quartz 5000 20w50. This engine strong aswear, it still runs & responds fine with AC.
Pls how do i clean this mess to ensure my engine is clean again? I will be changing this oil again in june (2months). Attached is d opened engine top, d valve cover & d engine bottom.

@gazzuzz
There lies your problem. Is that the recommended oil?
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 12:33am On May 04
GAZZUZZ:


It is not advisable to remove sludge quickly, as you might clog the pickup strainer at the bottom of the engine .

Oil changes of 1000 miles done 5 times will do remarkable work if your thermostat is functional.
I can bet my balls that car has no thermostat.
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by lawmanlala(m): 5:27am On May 04
cardoctor:


Is this car a V6 or 4 cylinder?
4 plugs
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by GAZZUZZ(m): 8:13am On May 04
Macmilla:

There lies your problem. Is that the recommended oil?

Recommended oil is no longer an option


A gallon of mobil1 will cause this engine to throw a rod in less than 500miles
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Macmilla(m): 8:24am On May 04
GAZZUZZ:


Recommended oil is no longer an option


A gallon of mobil1 will cause this engine to throw a rod in less than 500miles
Chai!
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by oladele239(m): 8:53pm On May 04
I need a new genuine upstream 02 sensor for accord 04 4 plugs .

Please quote me if u have with price thanks
Re: Maintenance Tips On Cars. by Dez10(m): 9:37pm On May 04
I bought it Nigerian used, No thermostat. What would you rather do sir, if have suck level of sludge in ur engine?
Grupo:


Did you buy the car as tokunbo?

Does the car still have the thermostat intact?

If I were you, I wouldn't bother removing this level of sludge.

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