HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: eliot@chutney.rtp.dg.com (Topher Eliot)
Subject: Caravan wheel bearings rusty & dirty
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 00:22:11 GMT
Distribution: na
Reply-To: eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC

I just removed the rear brake drums on the '92 Dodge Grand Caravan that I 
bought used (with 26K miles, it was a rental).  This is 2-wheel (front) drive
without anti-lock brakes.

In one I find a bit of surface rust on the spindle between the inner and outer
bearing races; the bearing areas (as best I can see without really cleaning
anything) all look fine.

In the other, the grease is all crudded up with dirt and things like the
bearing cage and inside of the dust cap are rusted.  Foo.

I'm a little mystified as to how this happened; this should all be sealed up,
right?  I can take it all apart and clean it and put it back together, but
how do I prevent a repeat?  I guess I should replace the inner (rubber) seal
because it might have leaked.  There doesn't appear to *be* an outer seal --
just a metal cap.  The corresponding metal cap on my Honda has an O-ring; this
is just metal on metal.

Any advice other than 'clean it up and replace the rubber seal'?

Oh, BTW I now have the 92 Caravan Shop Manual, for the one or two of you that
had questions about it.  It's about 1.5" thick, and from my limited experience
so far I'd say it's fair.  I had to hunt around quite a bit to find the
correct torque for reinstalling the brake drums.

-- 
Topher Eliot             Data General DG/UX Systems Administration Development
(919) 248-6371                                             eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
Obviously, I speak for myself, not for DG.
misc.consumers.house archivist.  Send mail to house-archive@dg-rtp.dg.com
"I can understand Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I can't understand mutually
recursive inline functions."  --anon.
Xref: sparky rec.autos.tech:15566 rec.autos.antique:14
From: u1a70@keele.ac.uk (SD Bateson)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech,rec.autos.antique
Subject: Triumph Spitfire idle problem
Date: 18 Nov 92 01:02:49 GMT
Organization: Keele University, England


Hi everyone -

Over the past few months I've been sorting out various problems with the

latest old clunker that I saved from the scrapyard. The car is a Triumph

Spitfire MKIII, but has been converted to rally spec, then allowed to

degenerate somewhat. I've given the engine a tune-up, and after sorting

out various elusive gremlins, got her running smooth, except for the

idle.

      The engine is a 1300, probably running a stock cam etc, but

with HS4 carburettors (From 1500 MKV Spit) and a Triumphtune 4-2-1

manifold leading to a 2" straight through exhaust and silencer.

Although it idles ok at first (at about 850-950 rpm), after about 

ten seconds the idle starts to fall, and the engine stalls, unless I

rev it a bit. After another ten seconds of idling, the same happens.

     I'd really appreciate any help on this, as it's driving me mad,

and continuosly blipping the throttle at traffic lights is making 

me a target for boy racers and their traffic lights grand prix....

Thanks

Simon Bateson
Keele University
England
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: mart@csri.toronto.edu (Mart Molle)
Subject: Re: More on anti-lock brakes
Date: 21 Nov 92 02:51:37 GMT

> ilh@lcs.mit.edu (Lee Hetherington) writes:

>|>Maybe 3 and 4 circuit ABS systems are not necessarily better.  Let's
>|>say your front right tire starts slipping and ABS [pulses] the brake
>|>on it.  If ONLY that brake is [pulsed], wouldn't your car want to pull
>|>to left? 

rhaar@albert.cs.gmr.com (Bob Haar) writes:

>[Yes, but with ABS] you still get some braking effect. But if that
>wheel had been allowed to lock up completely (i.e. 100% slip),
>you get almost no braking effect. So in the one-wheel-on-ice
>situation, that one wheel actually gets more braking with ABS
>active than it would without ABS (assuming enough brake force
>to lock up the wheel).

>Second, the main goal of ABS is to maintain control. When a wheel
>comes under active ABS control, there is some portion of the
>available traction that is preserved for steering and cornering
>forces. Thus, even if you have uneven braking forces, you are
>beter able to compensate for it.

This brings up an interesting question about how ABS works when two
wheels share the same control channel, for example a rear-only truck
or van, or the rear wheels of a 4 wheel 3 channel system.

In particular, what happens when you try a hard stop on a "split mu"
surface (e.g., one wheel on dry pavement and the other on ice)?  Does
ABS control kick in when the wheel with HIGH or LOW traction starts
to lock up? My guess is that they're trying for maximum braking with
at least one wheel still rolling.  Does anybody know for sure?

Mart L. Molle
Computer Systems Research Institute
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada M5S 1A4
(416)978-4928
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: Ken Wilkens <wilkens%nmr@venus.ycc.yale.edu>
Subject: Re:Octane rating in fuels
Organization: Yale University
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1a2
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 12:28:37 GMT

Well on older cars you should only use as high of an octane that is
needed to prevent detination, most newer cars have a 'knock' sensor that
listens for engine knock and retards the timing when it is heard. So
using higher octane fuel in a newer car you MIGHT see an increase in
performance and/or mileage but not that much.
  So if your car dosen't knok with the fuel you are using now it is
probably good enough!

Ken
From: peercy@crhc.uiuc.edu (Mike Peercy)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Glove box unlocking problem
Summary: Here's a fun one
Keywords: glove box lock
Date: 18 Nov 92 08:52:27 GMT
Article-I.D.: cairo.1eeaebINNh2
Organization: Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
NNTP-Posting-Host: cairo.crhc.uiuc.edu

Well, my '90 Mustang's glove box is having problems.

The (plastic) lock cylinder had previously parted company with the rest
of the mechanism, but it worked if you inserted it and turned it.  Now,
however, the lock cylinder still turns, but will not release the lock.

I have taken out the bolts which support the bottom, but the box is
constructed so that, when locked, it cannot be removed that way.  Also,
while the facade is plastic, it seems the actual box is entirely metal.
Very clever, actually.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Mike Peercy
peercy@crhc.uiuc.edu
From: vbreault@rinhp750.gmr.com (Val Breault)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Carb Identification...
Date: 19 Nov 92 18:16:46 GMT
Organization: General Motors Research Labs
In-reply-to: woodstock!scatlin@mcnc.org's message of 19 Nov 92 14:45:38 GMT

In article <1992Nov19.144538.2682@brtph560.bnr.ca> woodstock!scatlin@mcnc.org (Scot Catlin) writes:

	   I have a 1976 Chevy Malibu SW that needs a carb rebuild.  I
   have the Chilton manual, and have tried to determine from the pictures
   in the manual which carb I have. (The manual covers all Chevy midsize
   from 1964-1988!!)  It says that the carb should be labeled, but I
   can't find a label or number anywhere on the #@$& thing!  From what
   the manual says I think it's either a Rochester 2GV (2-bbl) or a 
   Rochester M4MC (4-bbl)

	   My question:  Is there a simple way to tell which one of there
   carbs it is?  Can you tell if a carb is a 4-bbl just by looking?  If
   anyone out there has this car, or a 1976 Chevy vehicle with the 350
   V8, can you tell me the difference, or what yours has, and what it
   looks like?

Looking down from above, the two bbl carb has two large openings, one
along side the other.  The four bbl has four, two large openings side
by side and another pair of smaller openings in front of them.

                    front |     
       two->  OO     of   |   four->  OO
                    car   V           oo

The BEST way to find out which carburetor you have is to look for
its identification number.  You can often find it without removing
the carburetor but you'll probably need to clean off a few years 
worth of gunk from the outside first.  I use an old toothbrush and
a can of carburetor cleaner.  The number is usually stamped into the
main casting.  A mirror may help you find it.

I don't mean to flame you Scot, but if you are having trouble with
something as basic as this, then perhaps rebuilding your own carburetor
is beyond your present skill level.  If you are determined to go
forward with this plan then I strongly suggest that you enlist the
aid of someone who has done this kind of work before.

--
-val-

Val Breault - GM Research - vbreault@gmr.com - N8OEF            \      /|
Instrumentation dept., 30500 Mound Rd., Warren, MI 48090-9055    \    / |
The opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect   \  /__|
those of GMR or those of the General Motors Corporation.           \/   |___
 

Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: jh6u@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Jay  Hirsh)
Subject: Saab 900S oil->mayonnaise
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 01:14:32 GMT

Draining showed only a few ml's of emulsion, and changing the oil got 
rid of it.  In the end, I only correlate the problem with having taken 
the car through a power car wash, something I rarely do.  The only 
place I could figure water might enter is through the air intake, 
which points upward in this engine.

So, all was well until several days ago when I noticed the same 
symptoms.  About a week ago we drove in some very heavy rain, so there 
is a pattern here.  Has anyone ever heard of such??  If this is a 
generic Saab problem, I can't imagine that it hasn't been seen before.  
Or am I missing something?  

The only test I can think of is to go through the car wash again while 
my oil is contaminated, and see if the problem gets worse, checking 
for a wet spot in the engine compartment that would give a clue as to 
the entry point.


jay hirsh
university of virginia
From: shadow@pro-haven.cts.com (Blaine Hufnagle)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: No-start on '84 Camry
Date: 20 Nov 1992 04:28:08 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 00:55:01 CST
From: shadow@pro-haven.cts.com (Blaine Hufnagle)
Subject: Re: Help on NO START!!!
To: out!rec-autos-tech
Message-Id: <1992Nov18.005501.6699@pro-haven.cts.com>
Organization: ProLine [pro-haven] - Pariahs' Haven BBS, 409/693-8262, 9600-300

In <wf2FNKy00iUzE1qX5G@andrew.cmu.edu>
Kung-Jen Tu <kt1a+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

% Hopefully, I can gether your thought to identify the cause of NO START
% of my car - an 84 Toyota Camry.
% Supposely, the first switch of key (before igniting the engine) should
% lighten all the signs, such as check engine, battery, door, fasten
% seatbelt, etc.  If the 'check engine' is not lit, I know I won't be able
% to start the car.  This is the only symptom that I found.

If the check engine light doesn't come on, you have a lack of current to the
ECM.  Since the ECM power lead is connected directly to the battery, suspect
the battery.  See below.

% The way I dealt with it is to open the hood and close it heavily (trying
% to shake the car body).  The 'check engine' sign normally came back
% after a few try, and I can run the car again.  I have been using this
% low-tech method to deal with my car in the past few months.

What has probably happened is that your battery's positive post has
liquefied.  Yep, that's right _LIQUEFIED._  To check for this, simply grab
the positive cable and give it a fairly solid yank and/or twist.  Chances are
that it will come off in your hand.  

I know this happens because it happened to my truck about 5 years ago.  I
went out one morning to start it, and I didn't even get the "brake" light.
(no check engine light... the truck is 15 years old...)  We got it to the
shop and the positive battery cable/post came off in the mechanics hand.  We
looked closer, and what was supposed to be the positive post was nothing but
a pasty substance that we couldn't identify.

The only fix is to plunk down the cash for a new battery.


-blaine

          a.k.a. The Midnight Shadow    |  1979 Chevy Urban Assault Vehicle
Texas Aggie Bus Driver and proud of it! |  1982 Thomas Transit Liner bus
Another Bodybuilder from HELL!!         |  1982 Yamaha Vision   DoD #7192
        "Mine is not to wonder why, Mine is but to look and cry....."

Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: tami@seanews.akita.com (Tami Myers)
Subject: Need advice on valve job
Organization: SEANEWS - Seattle Public Access News + Mail
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 06:02:08 GMT

Im replacing the valves on my 1980 Toyota Celica, a job Ive never done 
before.  Ive completely disassembled the head, except for removing the 
valve guides, which I also plan to replace.  The exhaust valves are in 
rough shape.  The intake valves are okay but since Im doing the work 
already I decided to replace them all.  I plan to have the seats refaced 
by a machinist.
 
My dilemma is: how difficult is it to replace the valve guides?  Id like 
to do it myself to save money, but is it worth it?  I think I can get the 
old guides out and the new ones in, and the head doesnt have to be 
heated.  But am I risking damaging the head?  And, if I do put the new 
guides in myself, do I need to ream them to ensure proper clearance with 
the new valves?  Would this be a risky operation?
 
Obviously, Im concerned about getting the proper clearance between 
valves and guides.  The parts people Ive talked to have all implied that 
the valve guides would need to be reamed.  Why is this the case?  It 
seems that the proper clearance would be a manufactured characteristic of 
the valves and guides, ie, they would be made to fit each other properly 
upon installation.  Would this be any more likely if I were to buy guides 
manufactured by the same company as the valves?
 
If I do end up doing this myself, what tools should I have for the job?  
Do I need a special tool for driving the guides in, or could I make 
something out of the tools I already have?
 
If I were to buy the 8mm reamer that the shop manual says should be used 
for reaming the guides, could I do a quality job without having any 
experience?
 
Finally, a question about lapping the valves.  I have tools for lapping.  
Is this tricky, and could I damage my newly machined seats, or will I be 
alright as long as I exercise some caution?
 
Thanks!
 
Tami
 
tami@seanews.akita.com

--
[] SEANEWS [] Seattle Public Access Usenet News + Mail [] +1 206 747 NEWS []
tami@seanews.akita.com
From: hung@informix.com (Ying Hung)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Snow tires (vs all season) FAQ list?
Date: 19 Nov 92 02:09:19 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.
Originator: hung@godzilla

Is there a FAQ list for info on snow tires, comparision of brands,
why one should get snow tires over all season tires, etc?
I would appreciate email on how to access such a list if it exists.

A friend has moved to Evergreen, CO. and is trying to determine the 
necessity for snow tires.

Thanks in advance.

 
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: Skinny Puppy <htunca@ncsa.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Oxygen Sensor - how to clean?
X-Xxdate: Wed, 18 Nov 92 19:17:51 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11
Organization: ncsa
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 19:17:14 GMT
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A72FF2FF6B011647@tbird.ncsa.uiuc.edu>

I seem to remember a recent discussion on this, but I forgot
to save the messages.  How does one clean the oxygen sensor?
When should it be done?  I know how to remove the sensors,
I'm just curious in what to do from there.

Thanks in advance!

____________________         __           ____________________
\_____________      \       /_ \         /      _____________/ 
 \_____________      \_______/  \_______/      _____________/
  \_________________________      _________________________/ 
                           /______\
   Han Tunca
   National Center for Supercomputing Applications
   htunca@ncsa.uiuc.edu
From: jskean@unlinfo.unl.edu (jonathan skean)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: BLOCK LEARN?
Date: 17 Nov 1992 22:33:47 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln	
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: unlinfo.unl.edu

>-> How is the "block learn value" generated?
>-> How is it used by the ECM?

Previous posters answered this beautifully.  I'll add that a car with
these adaptive systems may run quite poorly for some time after the
battery power is interrupted.  So if your battery is disconnected,
be sure to wait for 100 miles or so before deciding that things aren't
quite right.  
--
Jonathan Skean                     usenet: JSKEAN@UNL.EDU
502 Hamilton Hall                  bitnet: JSKEAN%UNL.EDU@UNLVAX1
University of Nebraska              voice: (402)472-2684
Lincoln, NE 68588-0304   USA          fax: (402)472-9402
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: awds_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Clarkkent)
Subject: Different synthetic oil Brands!!!
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 04:54:58 GMT

What's the difference between commercial type synthetic oils 
like Mobil 1, Castrol syntech, etc. and Amsoil?  I happened
by that mall store 'As Seen on TV' yesterday, the manager tried
to sell me Duralube.  I stumped him when I asked if I could
mix it with my synthetic, so after calling the company,
he said 'ok with any synthetic except Amsoil' 
Any thoughts?

Adam
awds_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
From: Michel_Denber.WBST147@xerox.com
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Stalling problem.
Date: 17 Nov 1992 09:31:49 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

	"Does this TBI have a seperate injector for cold starts? Has anyone got
any ideas?"

No and yes.  There's a very good chance the symptoms you describe (stalling on
drive-away warm or cold) can be accounted for by an erratic throttle position
sensor, especially in an older car.  GM uses this ultra-cheesy TPS that seems
to be designed to wear itself out.  The maximum wear happens where the pot
wipers spend most of their time - at idle.  Over the rest of the range, you
still have enough resistance material to get a signal out of the thing, so no
driveability problems while under way.  This won't necessarily set an ECM fault
code either.  To test the TPS, disconnect it and hook up an ohmmeter between
the center pin and either end.  You should see some resistance in the low
thousands.  Then lightly tap the sensor housing and watch the meter (an analog
VOM works best here).  If the needle jumps erratically in response to the
tapping, replace the TPS, even if it's not completely shorted or open.  That
fixed the problem in my wife's 84 Skyhawk with the 1.8 TBI.  The TPS there is a
total pain in the butt - you have to remove the EGR valve to reach the bolts
that hold in on, and it took a crow's foot wrench to get the flippin' EGR off.
Good luck.

			- Michel

denber.wbst147@xerox.com
From: smennitt@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Stuart Mennitt)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Whats a totalled '87 Honda LXi worth?
Date: 17 Nov 92 13:59:14 GMT
Reply-To: smennitt@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Stuart Mennitt)
Organization: NavSurfWarCen, CarderockDiv (ex-"Taylor Model Basin")

In rec.autos.tech, thompson@cactus.org (Charles Thompson) writes:
>My wife totalled her '87 Honda Accord LXi last
>week (week of Friday 13th).  It got crunched
>in the front but still rolls ok.  It has new
>tires, fuel injection etc.  It also has high mileage ..130K.
>
>The insurance company will no doubt try to chisel us
>down on replacement value due to the 130K mileage.
>
>If you've ever bought Honda parts you know how EXPENSIVE
>they are.  I figure the alloy wheels, new tires, and fuel
>injection computer (not to mention the transmision) are
>worth about $1000. (Have you ever priced a fuel injection
>computer???....check your pacemaker before doing so).
>
>Does anybody know how the salvage yards price 'totalled' cars?
>
    I assume you have collision...
    In my experience with this type of thing (3 friends destroying vehicles)
the insurance company will decide whether or not to "total out" the
car.  They will first estimate the cost of repair.  If this cost is
over 75% of the Blue Book value, they will consider the car "totaled"
and give you Blue Book value, minus your collision deductible.
    Blue Book value takes mileage into consideration (as well as make,
model, year, major options).  It does *not* take general condition into
account, so if your car was in clean beautiful shape, you loose some,
and if the car was a rusted beater, you come out ahead.
    If you think you can sell the wreck for more than its Blue Book
value, you don't need to deal with the insurance company at all.
    I imagine the insurance company sells its customers' totaled cars
to junkyards for a small fraction of their undamaged Blue Book value.
--____________________________________________________
]      Stu Mennitt      smennitt@oasys.dt.navy.mil    [
]  NavSurfWarCen, CarderockDiv     Bethesda, Maryland [
]         was: David Taylor Research Center           [
]     was: David Taylor Naval Ship R&D Center         [
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: dilmore@cray.com (Robert J. Dilmore)
Subject: Re: Jag auto trans
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: 18 Nov 92 07:17:41 CST

In article <RRUSK.92Nov17124229@rcx1.ssd.csd.harris.com> rrusk@ssd.csd.harris.com writes:
>On 16 Nov 92 08:31:47 CST, dilmore@cray.com (Robert J. Dilmore) wrote:
>
>>    Is there any other type of transmission that operates like this?
>>I mean the part about keeping it in first and leaving it there.
>
>The owner's manual for my '92 Dodge Grand Caravan claims that putting it
>in first and leaving it there will result in it always being in the lowest
>possible gear for a given vehicle speed.  It will only upshift to prevent
>engine damage.  (Of course, my 3.3L Mopar V6 is nothing like that Jag V12!
>The day I picked up the van, I got to drive a BMW 750ii -- kinda reduced
>the thrill of driving the new van.)


  The reason I ask is my preferred mode of transportation is a Vw. I have
found that keeping the selector in "1" only causes the engine to go to 
redline and then the rev limiter kicks in and thats where she stays. I
guess what made me try keeping it in "1" on the Jag is the "d" position
shifts at that low 3500-4000 point. When is Jag going to replace that
shifter that feels like a tooth-brush handle with something a little
more meaty?

Permagrin slowly resideing, waiting for Thanksgiving for the family
gettogether. Theres a abandoned 6 lane highway up there that is excellent!

Robert
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech