HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: c.oneill@trl.oz.au (Chris O'Neill)
Subject: Re: CV Joints.. (Sigh)
Organization: Telecom Australia Research Laboratories
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 04:16:37 GMT

In article <1992Dec5.011904.5741@netnews.synoptics.com> ericd@lanshark.com
(Eric Davis) writes:
>
>Recentally my CV joint(s) are starting to make the klunking sound that they
>make so well when they are on the way out. Here is my dellima..
>
>The dealer wants $250 to pull both axel's and repack them. This seems high.
>
>I have an extended warrenty to cover any problems to the joints IF THEY FAIL!
>They will not pay to pull the axel's out unless there is a complete mechanical

>failure! This means that I have to drive the car until I break down on the
side of the 
>road somewhere, call a toe truck, and get stranded for a couple of days.

Just goes to show you what extended warranties are worth :-).

Chris O'Neill
Telecom Australia Research Labs
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: rgolen@UMASSD.EDU
Subject: Re: VW problem..
Reply-To: rgolen@UMASSD.EDU
Organization: UMASS DARTMOUTH, NO. DARTMOUTH, MA.
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 23:25:08 GMT

In article <1gdmccINNh0n@aludra.usc.edu>, mferdows@aludra.usc.edu (Mehrzad Ferdows) writes:
>
>Hi, quick question.. just today my car started making the wiedest noise.
>I have a 16v GTI, and when my engine is running, the is a buzzing sound
>coming from under the car on the right mid-rear section (near the back
>right tire). when the car is off, and I turn the key to the on position
>(without cranking the engine), it buzzes for a second then stops
>is this the alternator? It used to make a little noise before when I
>turned hte key, but not, the buzzing is much louder.. anything I can do?
>thanx for help.
>
>


The problem sounds like its comming from the fuel pump which is
located just forward of the right rear wheel. Crawl under the
car and have someone turn on the ignition key.

Things to look for:
1. Have you changed your fuel filter lately?

2. There are 3 or 4 rubber fuel pump unit mounts about 3/4 thick and
about the diameter of a dime. Are they intact?

3. Is the fuel pump housing cracked, or are the fuel lines, or
anything else vibrating against the floor of your car?

4. If there is a noise comming directly from the fuel pump
(follow the wires and the fuel lines into the plastic
fuel pump housing, then I suspect your pump is roached.

Ric Golen
From: milo@dorm.rutgers.edu (Jim  mielo)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: Info on Rabbit GTI's
Date: 16 Dec 92 23:54:29 GMT
Followup-To: rec.autos.vw
Distribution: york
Organization: rutgers university

In article <1992Dec16.165823.27588@newshub.ariel.yorku.ca>,
cs911390@ariel.yorku.ca (MARCO S MARINI) wrote:
> I have decided to buy a Rabbit GTI ('83 - '84) ... are there any specific
> problems with this model or anything in particular I should be looking out
> for when I am looking at a potential purchase ??

   I'm not a rabbit owner but I assume you know the usual things to look
for in all used cars. THose general items still apply.besides, this letter
may set off some more responses.

       I would check  the car from top to bottom. Look for rust and signs
of repainting.
    Check around the rubber molding. Around the rear window, pry back the
rubber lip and look for a slight raised region of paint indicating it was
repainted ( try rubbing you finger nail over it.

  I would also take a small flash light with you and check the under
carriage and engine compartment. Check for anything that looks out of place
or like it needs to be replaced ( especially high rust items like the
exhaust and wheel wells). If it's a dealership you may get to responses.
The guy might panic and confess about all the problems he knows the car has
or he might start bumping the price down.
    
    check the oil. old sludge means the car may not have been taken care
of.
    check all moving parts ie doors hood trunk for problems
    check the rims and make sure all the little balance weights are there (
have the dealer rebalnce any out of balance wheels before you buy it)
    check everything that is rubber. after 8 yrs something must  be rotting
and need replacement.
    check the compression ( important) will tell you if anything is worn
    while your at it check the plugs for sludge/ carbon buildup ( you got
to yank one to check compression anyway.

    If the dealer says he won't let you do it tell you want to take it to a
mechanic and have it checked out.
     try and get an emissions test done. if it fails the catalytic
converter may be gone ( especially on a car 8 yrs old)
     make a day out of it. pack lunch and bring some friend and drive from
dealer to dealer

      finally, test drive time. Make sure you bring it to redline at least
once. If it doen't pull to redline, there's a problem. It it makes funny
noises there's another problem. listen for exhaust rattles ( dealer should
fix them) look for blue smoke,black smoke. smell for exhaust in the cabin.
        
       Everything mentioned are expenses that should be deducted from
cost(or maybe already have been) Also, any minor tuning deals like rattles
vibrations and balancing problems the dealer will probably do for free if
you point them out.

     keep an eye on the board for more articles on rabbit problems

     good luck
 
James Mielo
Rutgers College of Pharmacy '94
milo@dorm.rutgers.edu

 owner of a now fixed 1990 GTi 8v
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: koziarz@halibut.nosc.mil (Walter A. Koziarz)
Subject: Re: SLICK 50 etal. Tested and declared useless.
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 23:03:30 GMT

In article <921218.180058.amiller@almaden.ibm.com> amiller@almaden.ibm.com (Alex Miller) writes:
>Josh, I think the "50" in SLICK-50 is because it was advertised
>as a 50,000 mile treatment.  I don't recall any warning about
>only using it once.

hmmmmm, not really...  'Slick-50' was called 'Slick-50' back in the 'dim-times'
when it was advertised as an eternal treatment...  I think it was the company's
fiftieth attempt at a slick product they could dupe the public into buying...
kinda like Mobil-1 (success on the first attempt) with its intial pipe-dream
and fantasy 25000-or-so mile drain/refil interval advertisements.

before anyone feels the need to attack my well-known opinion of Mobil-1,
consider the fact that there is probably only one onehundredth of one percent
of the motoring population that will *actually* benefit by use of any synthetic
and I strongly doubt that anyone in that small sample is reading this anyway,
the rest of the world can just use *real* oil and realistic drain/refill
intervals and be real $$$ ahead...

Walt K.
From: hhtra@usho72.hou281.chevron.com (T.M.Haddock)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: RADAR DETECTOR
Date: 17 Dec 92 17:05:55 GMT
Organization: Chevron

In article <1992Dec17.143851.16534@nosc.mil>, koziarz@halibut.nosc.mil (Walter A. Koziarz) writes:
|> In article <1992Dec15.105619@usho72.hou281.chevron.com> hhtra@usho72.hou281.chevron.com (T.M.Haddock) writes:
|> 
|> >  Just another frequency band for radar to use.  The X and K bands 
|> >  are vary narrow while the Ka is very wide making it harder to for
|> >  a detector to scan the entire frequency range accurately and with
|> >  few false alarms.  Photo-radar is NOT the only radar gun to use
|> >  the Ka bandwidth.
|> 
|> umm, you need a little clarification here...  X-Band includes the frequencies
|> from 8-16 GHz and K-Band is approximately 18.6-26.5 GHz.  Neither of these are
|> bands are very narrow... 8 GHz is quite wide, in fact...  Now the portion of
|> the band authorized for traffic-RADAR-use may be narrow... but that wasn't what
|> was stated.

 That IS exactly what was stated!  The first sentence "Just another frequency 
 band for radar to use" sets the limiting conditions - "FOR RADAR TO USE".  

 Now, if I had wanted to take time to review and edit an essay answer, I may
 have clarified it better, but then, I didn't know I was going to be graded 
 on my english composition! ):(

 Unless you want someone to start dumping on YOUR bad use of english demostrated
 by "Neither of these are bands are very narrow"!  ):(

 TRAVIS
From: ah190@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Stuart Pearl)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Need '93 Sable Comments
Date: 13 Dec 1992 18:08:41 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc4.ins.cwru.edu


I'm considering buying a '93 Mercury Sable wagon to replace my dog
of a Celebrity wagon (see flames of earlier post) and would like to
hear of anyone's experiences.

Also, the Sable offers to V6 engines - a 3.0 liter rated at 140HP and
a 3.8 liter model also rated at 140HP.  Why do they have the same
horsepower ratings?  Thanks in advance.

-stu
-- 
                   ---===<<< Stuart Pearl >>>===---
                           Cleveland, Ohio
                      ah190@cleveland.freenet.edu
                         --------------------
Xref: sparky rec.autos:29980 rec.autos.tech:16764
From: david@elwood.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (David Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Do SPOILERS Really Work???
Date: 16 Dec 92 17:11:36 GMT
Followup-To: rec.autos

I made a typo in my previous post.  It should have said that
there is a 0.03 difference in the coefficient of drag between
the Nissan 240SX SE with/without the spoiler.  The lesser
value is with the spoiler.

-- 
David Johnson
XLNT Designs, Inc. (XDI)
david@xlnt.com
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: essbaum@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Alexander Essbaum)
Subject: Re: Car bras
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 18:13:01 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Rochester

In article <1992Dec18.162355.7673@ncar.ucar.edu>, cbh@windsurf.scd.ucar.edu (Cris Hannu) writes:
|> In article <4844@ceylon.gte.com>, hhd0@newshost.gte.com (Horace Dediu) writes:
|> > I'm considering purchasing a car bra.  Now, I've heard the pros and cons, but
|> > still cannot decide.  I'm considering it because I've already had paint
|> > damage from stones thrown by cars on the freeway.  It's a crying shame.
|> > On the other hand, they look tacky and are expensive and of questionable 
|> > durability and may damage the paint (by trapping moisture.)
|> > 
|> > So, what is the consensus?  Are they worth it?  Is there an alternative?  I
|> 
|> Not in my experience. The alternative, grit your teeth and bear it :{.
|> 
|> > don't want to have to repair my hood every few weeks.  All the construction
|> > on the freeways is increasing the probability of damage.  I need a solution.
|> > 
|> 
|> -- 
|> Cris Hannu                       |  Windsurfing the high country.
|> Cray Research, Inc.              |
|> @NCAR - Boulder, CO              |         ^           ^
|> cbh@windsurf.scd.ucar.edu        |        / \ ___)___ / \ 

maybe i'm missing something.  doesn't a bra cover the paint it protects?
i'd say a car with chips in the paint looks better than a car with a bra
unless the bra is not very visible (black bra on black car?).  

"uh, why'd you put a black bra on your red BMW?"
"to protect the paint"
"but now you can't see the paint"
"yeah, but at least it's not scratched"
"uh... ok, whatever"

axel
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: adamsd@crash.cts.com (Adams Douglas)
Subject: Re: HUMVEE
Organization: CTS Network Services (crash, ctsnet), El Cajon, CA
Date: 13 Dec 92 05:38:21 GMT

In <1992Dec8.144859.20452@schbbs.mot.com> ACUS05@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Paul Anderson) writes:
	[much pricing info deleted]
>The operative word here is base.  The base 1993 does not even match the
>the Limited Edition in equipment.  The typical unit is $55,000-$60,000.

So what did an actual military Humvee cost the US Govt.?
-- 
=====================================================================
Adams Douglas   | Always tell the truth, | You can die like the rest,
adamsd@         | then you make it the   | or be one of the best.
crash.cts.com   | other bloke's problem! | - Cyndi n'ha June, 1992
Chula Vista, CA | - Sean Connery, 1971   |
   
 
 
Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech
From: yongje@hardy.u.washington.edu (Yong Je Lim)
Subject: Re: Do SPOILERS Really Work???
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 01:19:06 GMT

In article <1992Dec13.225328.14446@nntp.hut.fi>, k33074s@kaira.hut.fi (Micke Bergman) writes:
> 
> Allmost true. On the 911 Carrera (old model) Aerodynamic aids (Whale tail,
> and air dam) decrease lift significantly.
> For the interrested I have the numbers here.
> 100 mph :
  How many times can we speed up to 100mph?  How about daily driving with
normally <40mph?  Do spoilers still work?

From: leonglaw@hpsgm2.sgp.hp.com (Lawrence LEONG)
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 00:44:17 GMT
Subject: Re: Flying speed traps (was: Re: CHP can't use radar?)
Organization: HP Singapore
Newsgroups: rec.autos

In rec.autos, tedebear@leland.Stanford.EDU (Theodore Chen) writes:

| In article <1992Dec8.201106.19755@microware.com> troyf@microware.com (Troy Frericks) writes:
| >In article <1g02kuINN7qo@seven-up.East.Sun.COM> jfox@hooksett.East.Sun.COM writes:
| >>The next step will be when they start bar-coding VIN's along the rocker
| >                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| >>panels, and guardrail-mounted lasers pick up time elapsed between points,
| >>thus calculating speed in the same manner w/o aircraft.
| >>A couple days later you get a ticket in the mail.... :-(
| >Or, how about a camara to take a picture of the license plate?
| >It's being done now, but rather than with a laser, they are using
| >Ka band radar.
|
| no, that's going in the wrong direction.  let's get more automated.
| how about instead of sending you a ticket in the mail, they
| just debit your bank account immediately and electronically?
|
| -teddy

No, that will still require too much work.  How about having a profile (yes,
the p-word) of how much an average motorist chalks up in fines, then do an
annual deduction across the board.

or, if we don't want a one-size-fits-all, have different profiles based on the
driving record, car etc, and then debit your account the appropriate figure.


(solution:  don't have a bank account -- watch the film "Brazil")

lawrence

Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: morton@gaul.csd.uwo.ca (Brent Morton)
Subject: Re: Four wheel drive Autos
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Canada
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 02:00:42 GMT

In article <1glm9nINN681@uwm.edu> qazi@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Aamir Hafeez Qazi) writes:
>In article <62853@mimsy.umd.edu> hagger@cs.umd.edu (Paul Hagger) writes:
>>In article <1992Dec15.040950.23327@julian.uwo.ca> morton@gaul.csd.uwo.ca (Brent Morton) writes:
>>>In article <1gj56rINNkm0@uwm.edu> qazi@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Aamir Hafeez Qazi) writes:
>>>>In article <92349.151334CJOHNSON@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> <CJOHNSON@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> writes:
>>>>>We are thinking of selling our 4 x 4 truck, and Prelude Honda auto. And buying
>>>>>a full time Four wheel Drive auto,some thing that is sporty and rides nice
>>>>>but has four wheel drive. What we want to know is who makes such a car. I think
>>>>>Audi does who else.
>>
>>4 door, the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 (4 dr. version of the Eclipse.  Nice std. features)
>
>--Unfortunately, the Galant VR-4 is no longer imported into the U.S.  One
>  might be able to find a new '92 lying around somewhere, and for a hell of
>  a price too!!
>
>  It's so unfortunate that high-performance, all-wheel drive versions of
>  ordinary family cars don't sell well here, and that the manufacturer
>  then withdraws the car from the lineup, such as what happened to the
>  Mazda 323 GTX.  I`m sure the Celica All-Trac won't be reintroduced when
>  the new generation arrives.
>

How true -- the 323 GTX only sold just over 1100 examples in the US, and you
can add the Subaru SVX to the list of cars not being sold anymore in the 
States. It's been withdrawn (perhaps only temporarily) because of -- you guessed
it -- slow sales.

But then again, how many of those missed sales were due to the windows?

-- Brent
morton@artifis.gaul.csd.uwo.ca

Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: koziarz@halibut.nosc.mil (Walter A. Koziarz)
Subject: Re: RADAR DETECTOR
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 14:38:51 GMT

In article <1992Dec15.105619@usho72.hou281.chevron.com> hhtra@usho72.hou281.chevron.com (T.M.Haddock) writes:

>  Just another frequency band for radar to use.  The X and K bands 
>  are vary narrow while the Ka is very wide making it harder to for
>  a detector to scan the entire frequency range accurately and with
>  few false alarms.  Photo-radar is NOT the only radar gun to use
>  the Ka bandwidth.

umm, you need a little clarification here...  X-Band includes the frequencies
from 8-16 GHz and K-Band is approximately 18.6-26.5 GHz.  Neither of these are
bands are very narrow... 8 GHz is quite wide, in fact...  Now the portion of
the band authorized for traffic-RADAR-use may be narrow... but that wasn't what
was stated.

Walt K.
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: cottle@b11.b11.ingr.com (Tim Cottle)
Subject: Stolen Cars (once: Re: THE CLUB???? (Re: 48Hours (12/9)))
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, AL
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 13:56:55 GMT

brad@buck.viewlogic.com (Bradford Kellogg) writes:


>If I recall correctly, the VW Jetta has been one of the most often
>stolen cars in the past few years. This may still be true. Maybe
>your club is more effcetive than you realize...

The local paper had a story in its Sunday edition from Mobile, AL, regarding
an informal study done by a Mobile police officer who worked a lot of stolen
car cases.  Most of the cars stolen in Mobile are stolen by teenagers, and are
primarily used for joy riding; occasionally as get-away cars.  This officer
began interviewing the young car theves to find out more about their habits.
The two interesting bits the story reported were that they usually steal 4
door cars and that they prefer GM products.  Once the car is stolen, the takers
liked to go joy riding.  You can get more of your friends in a 4 door car, and
if you get rousted the cops, it's easier to bail out of a 4 door.  No one gets
trapped in the back seat.  Why GM?  "More dependable," the teenage car theves
reported.  


Tim

Xref: sparky rec.autos:29928 rec.autos.tech:16737
From: david@elwood.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (David Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Do SPOILERS Really Work???
Date: 16 Dec 92 01:51:51 GMT
Followup-To: rec.autos

I remember when the Nissan 240SX SE came out the San Diego Union
had an article on it.  I do not remember what the coefficient of
drag was but I distinctly remember that the SE with spoiler
was 0.3 lower than the SE without a spoiler.

I have also read that some cars' spoilers serve no function
other than cosmetic.  These do not decrease lift nor do they
decrease drag.  In fact, they increase drag.
-- 
David Johnson
XLNT Designs, Inc. (XDI)
david@xlnt.com
From: underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Civic LX, Saturn SL1.. what else should I consider...
Keywords: pl. suggest choices...
Date: 12 Dec 92 00:40:32 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Miners for a Heart of Gold

In article <1992Dec11.232520.18845@tandem.com> norcott_bill@tandem.com
(Bill Norcott) writes:
>In article <1992Dec11.010613.12778@leland.Stanford.EDU>,
>underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
>> In that price range, the Honda Civic is the finest car available for that
>> price, and on top of that, it is made in America.  Honda Civics and Accords
>> are a symbol of American excellence in engineering and manufacturing.
>By the same logic, a McDonald's Big Mac is a symbol of Japanese
>excellence in cuisine because I can fly over to Tokyo and get one that
>is made there.

Ah.  Mr. Norcott is a comedian.

The two comparisons aren't comparable.  I won't explain why; that is an
exercise left to the reader.  Hint:  What sort of skills does it take
to cook dead meat over a frying pan and what sort of skills does it
take to do an engine diagnostic?

In any event, I will say that Japanese Big Macs are preferable to 
American Big Macs if one does not count the price.  The Big Mac is now
a commodity product, which is basically the same in both countries.
The difference is the service and sale after the purchase.  Trust me.
The service is much better in Tokyo than in, ugh, San Francisco.
In Tokyo, one can order a "smile" (literally) for 0 yen, but one can't
even purchase that in San Francisco, let alone a redneck town.

------------------------------------------------------------------+------------
Jinsei no imi wa nan desu ka.                Sister, can you      |   \|  |`
Shitte itara oshiete kuremasen ka.           spare a coin?        |    | -+-
                                                                  |   /| / \
Copyright 1992.  Disclaimer:  1 + 1 = 3                           |
------------------------------------------------------------------+------------
Newsgroups: rec.autos
From: colombo@bronco.fnal.gov
Subject: Re: Ford 4x4 Opinions Sought
Organization: Fermilab Computing Division
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 05:29:31 GMT

In article <1992Dec18.145601.11276@nosc.mil>, koziarz@halibut.nosc.mil (Walter A. Koziarz) writes:
> In article <8kn20m-@rpi.edu> jkurien@rdrc.rpi.edu (James Kurien) writes:
> 
> Well, I have an opinion, a negative one, on Ford 4x4s less than the F-350.
> These lesser-vehicles use what Ford calls 'Twin-Traction-Beam' (TTB) frontends.
> These are extremely difficult to perform routine service on.  Drain and refill
> of the lubricant requires removal of the axle shafts since the swing-arm that
> forms on of the suspension-members also functions as the differential cover.
> The entire differential case must be removed from the suspension-member to
> drain it, and in order to remove it, the axles and driveshaft must first be

Well with all this Ford bashing (by Mopar no less), let me point out
(to the IFS impaired) that to drain the front diff on the Bronco takes
a simple/cheap ($16) hand-held 12V oil pump.  Now don't you feel silly
if you removed the axles. :-)

> removed.  Also, the Bronco-II has a wimpy aluminum front differential housing
> and the stock V-6 engine is more than capable of providing sufficient torque to
> take teeth off the ring and pinion and shatter the case.  If you intend to do
> any *S*E*R*I*O*U*S* off-roading, only Dodge offers a suitable running-gear
> combination in all its 4x4s (except the Dakota, but that's only an

Are you saying that Chrysler diff's are better than Dana's ????
I'll leave the flames to those more capable than I.

> "almost-truck").  For serious off-roading, stay away, far away from independent
> front suspensions as these decrease ground clearance as they travel.  Only a
> solid axle is suitable for extreme duty, the IFS-setups are for cruising
> boulevards.

Agreed, if I where Baja-ing it across the peninsula for money, I wouldn't
have a truck with IFS.

 ___________________________________________________________________________
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