HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Need Help Diagnosing Soft Brake Pedal
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 15:13:47 -0500

 > I need help diagnosing a problem with my brakes.  The brakes
 > usually feel fine,
 > but sometimes the pedal feels soft and sinks to less than
 > 2 inches from the
 > floor before the brakes engage.  So far, I haven't had
 > any problem stopping.
 >
 > I tried bleeding the brakes but that didn't have any effect.
 >
 > Since they are self-adjusting brakes (1979 Honda), I tried
 > to adjust them by
 > backing up and firmly applying the brakes.  Immediately
 > after doing this the
 > brake pedal feels especially firm, but soon gets softer.
 >
 > It doesn't matter if the brakes are cold or have been driven
 > for a while in the
 > city.
 >
 > The problem comes and goes suddenly.  On one push the brake
 > pedal might be
 > firm, and the next time, even a second later, it feels
 > soft.  Then it might be
 > firm again.
 
the civic DID NOT have self adjusters in 79, I do not know about 
the accord.
Perhaps worn hold down springs/hardware??  how is the fluid level?? 
are the cylenders ok?? perhaps an internal leak in the master cylender??
From: dhepner@cup.hp.com (Dan Hepner)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Performance Truck Parts
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:31:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: cup.Bvv7Bp.6Ay
Distribution: na
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1scd1 PL4

From: mollett@lexmark.com (Vic Mollett)
>If anyone can point me in the direction of suppliers and/or
>publications that deal with the matter, I would be most appreciative!!

Check out your local newsstand.  They will likely have somewhere between 
one and four magazines which cover the topic, and carry a lot of ads for
parts and parts suppliers.

Dan Hepner
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: hilaryc@athena.mit.edu (Hilary A Coller)
Subject: help with 1978 vw rabbit (fuel injection)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 21:21:49 GMT

hi!

THE CAR
i have a '78 volkswagen rabbit.  it is a gasoline powered, 
fuel injected engine; manual transmission.

THE PROBLEM
engine races at idle when engine is warm.  that is to say, 
everything seems fine in the begining, when a cold 
engine is started.  adequate power, and all that.

BACKGROUND
i've had serious problems with the fuel injection system 
ont his one.  caused initially, i beleive, when the car was 
run almost to the last drop of gasoline in the tank.  shot 
my fuel pump.  so i installed a new pump, a "new" (used) 
fuel distributor (VW calls it the "air mixture unit" or 
something similar; these things are supposed to be 
"maintenance free") and injectors, and a new fuel filter.  
wabbit ran fine for a while, and, unfortunately, died 
again.  fuel distributor again.  all this was more than a 
year ago.  i really didn't need the car for a year, so i put 
the car in the garage and forgot about it.  finally, i got 
around to looking at it again last week, and obtained 
another used fuel distributor and filter, adjusted timing, 
etc.

the car now runs well and delivers plenty of power (i 
don't push it though), except for one peculiar problem.  
the engine races (really!  goes upto 3000-3500 rpm) 
when warm *and* when there is no load on it.  i.e., when 
it is in gear and supplying power to the wheels, 
everything is under control -- when i take my foot off the 
gas pedal, the revs *do* drop, and the car slows down.  
but he moment i press the clutch and disengage, the revs 
go up again.  happens repeatedly.

same thing happens when i come back from a test drive 
shut the engine off and restart the warm engine.  idles at 
about 300 rpm.

DIAGNOSTICS
figuring that the decel valve must be the culprit, i 
checked it, but it seems fine.  i haven't checked the cold 
start valve (or fifth injector) yet, having decided to seek 
advice for you folks before i spend any more time on it.  i 
did do a visual check of the vaccum lines though, and 
they seem ok.  (not great, but ok).

help!  any ideas?  and thanks in advance!


					--madhu

ps:  email is fine.  once the problem is resolved, i will post a
summary of responses for everyone's benefit.
From: pwu@doctor-pepper.ai.mit.edu (Peng Wu)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Slick 50 transmission additives
Date: 16 Oct 92 16:37:01 GMT
In-reply-to: colombo@bronco.fnal.gov's message of 15 Oct 92 16:34:21 GMT

Has any one used slick 50 transmission additives to the auto transmissions on
tempo/topaz 84 or 85, the locking type which earned black spots on consumer
report?
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: welty@cabot.balltown.cma.COM (richard welty)
Subject: Re: oxygen sensor
Organization: New York State Institute for Sebastian Cabot Studies
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 00:32:22 GMT

to answer this posting directly (i've already followed up a followup to
this one.) ...

In article <BvvHJJ.9qK@ssesco.com> elmquist@pez.ssesco.com (Chris Elmquist) writes:
>So, there are only a couple different O2 sensor designs ?  Do they all
>exhibit the same O2 vs. Vout curve ?  I suspect that mine (in my '87
>Integra) may be failing and causing the rotten idle problem I've had
>for a couple years(!).  

it wouldn't be a suprise if this were the case.

>I'm wondering if I can disconnect the sensor and fake a nominal Vout
>using a battery and a couple resistors (or a pot)...  If they have a 0v
>to 1v range, can I feed .5v say, into the computer in place of the O2 sensor
>and see if the idle behaves differently (better maybe) ?  Or is the output
>of the O2 sensor much more dynamic and related to engine RPM such that a
>constant Vout (or Vin to the computer) would really dork up the idle...?

well, what you're talking about doing is taking a nice feedback system,
removing the downstream sensor, and putting fake data in the feedback
loop.  my recommendation of grounding the wire is a similar sort of
suggestion, but at least you take the motor to a safe, rich condition
that won't do any damage; you should get a reasonably smooth idle from
this trick.  sending in 0.5v which is intended to be 'mid range' will
set the fuel mixture to some arbitrary level which is not necessarily
relevant to what is going on inside the motor.  it probably won't hurt
for short periods, but isn't it just easier to ground the sucker?

>It would be nice to diagnosis the O2 sensor as bad before trying to pull 
>it out...

quite

richard
-- 
richard welty                            518-393-7228
welty@cabot.balltown.cma.com
  ``if you can read this, mario, you're too close''
    -- bumper sticker seen on a CART safety truck
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: brooks@mcnc.org (Ted Brooks)
Subject: Re: electronic rustproofing.
Organization: MCNC Center for Microelectronics, RTP, NC
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 20:59:58 GMT

In article <1b4vr3INN5gf@agate.berkeley.edu> avk@hafnium.cchem.berkeley.edu (Tony Konashenok) writes:
>Yes, this method - cathode protection - is absolutely safe, legal and convenient.
>It has been used in vessels (esp. tankers) for many years. In a car, the most
>practical way is to screw magnesium bolts into unused holes, like ones for a
>trailer hitch, or, if you don't have them, to put magnesium washers under bolts
>you can easily remove, like those holding the bumper brackets. Once in a while
>take the ohmmeter and check the resistance between magnesium and body; it should
>
I'm no chemist, so let's get this straight. All I have to do is find a couple
of magnesium bolts or washers, and make sure I have < 1 ohm resistance through
the body of my car to get this sacrificial cathode protection. What about
all this crap I've seen about putting a slight DC bias on the cathode which 
can easily be done with this nifty little box for a mere $149.95 or whatever?
 
Ted Brooks
 ______________________________________________________________________
| Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are my own, and do not reflect    |
| those of my employer. Advice is free, but you get what you pay for.  |
|                               ________                               |
|                         _____|  1955  |_______                       |
|                        /      Chevrolet      /                       |
|                       /______  BelAir  _____/                        |
|                              |________|                              |
|______________________________________________________________________|
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: q1hl@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Nameless CS Student)
Subject: Re: Shocks and Tires???
Organization: University of New Brunswick
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 01:11:45 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.230846.1202@wdl.loral.com> rst@spl1.spl.loral.com (Ray Tom) writes:
>How can you tell if you need new shocks or if the wheels out of
>alignment???

New shocks: the accepted test is to rock the bumpers up and down
(as much as possible) with your foot, and count how many up-down
cycles the car makes after you stop pushing.  More than 2 or 3
indicates weak shocks.

Alignment: Uneven wear on the front tires, where the wear is
concentrated on one side of the tire or the other.  (Most other
uneven wear problems indicate over- or under-inflated tires.)
From: pascal@CAM.ORG (Pascal Gosselin)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: ACURA LEGEND performance parts (help!).
Keywords: Acura Legend
Date: 11 Oct 92 05:54:33 GMT
Organization: Communications Accessibles Montreal, Quebec Canada

To make a long story short:  While my parents were on vacation for 3 weeks,
I was asked to take my father's Acura Legend Coupe L ('88) to our usual
garage to fix a few minor problems. The problem is that the car was
stolen while in the garage's possession.

The car was retrieved a day later, stripped of its mag wheels and with
a broken ignition (hot-wired).  The police were not kind to the vehicule
when they found it, they somehow winched the car onto a flatbed WITHOUT
ANY WHEELS ON THE CAR.  This is stupid, as I could have brought them the
winter wheels to avoid the damage.

End result: The undercarriage(sp?) of the car is destroyed.

Since a lot of stuff is going to be needing to be changed, I figured that
high-performance replacement parts would be a good idea (they probably
don't cost more that standard 'genuine' parts anyway).

The problem is locating the parts.  Our local Jackson Racing reseller went
under a few months ago.  I can't find anyone else in the Montreal area
with Legend parts.  Looks like I'll have to go mailorder.

I need information (make, model, where to buy, price, your impression...)
on the following items:

-Mag wheels (I have a preference for Momo stars)
-Tires (as wide as possible, weather is rainy and cool here) 
-Suspension Parts (I already have springs to lower the car by an inch)
-Brake components (like cross-drilled rotors)
-Exhaust systems (headers, Cat, pipes, muffler)


Replies by email if possible (I gotta move fast)

- 
-- 
+--------------------------+-------------------------------------------------+
    Pascal Gosselin        |     Communications Accessibles Montreal  
    pascal@CAM.ORG         |  A non-profit corporation.  Newsfeeds & More.   
  Apple Support Specialist |  For info: info@CAM.ORG or Voice (514) 923-2102
From: greeven@clipper.ingr.com (John Greeven)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Radials on '60s era cars?
Date: 7 Oct 92 21:44:40 GMT
Organization: Intergraph Advanced Processor Division - Palo Alto, CA

I have a '66 Buick with Bias Ply tires which are all but worn out.  
Replacements are available though quite expensive due to their
increasing rarity.  I'm considering putting on radial tires but
am concerned of potential incompatibility.  Although I've seen
many '60s era cars with radials I've also heard that the suspensions
were not designed for radials and the combination can be bad or
even dangerous.  At the very least I would only consider putting on 
4 new radials and not mixing radial and bias ply tires, right?

A second factor is that the old bias ply tires had relatively low tread
wear.  I'm not sure whether this is more due to the tire type (probably)
than to the weight of the car (4000+ lbs).  

Any thoughts or personal experience with this would be greatly 
appreciated.


John
greeven@clipper.ingr.com
Xref: sparky rec.autos.tech:14035 rec.autos.vw:5705
From: hacker@cco.caltech.edu (Jonathan Bruce Hacker)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech,rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: over charging battery
Date: 14 Oct 1992 22:46:46 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: punisher.caltech.edu

Brian.E.Hannon@dartmouth.edu (Brian E. Hannon) writes:

>In article <1992Oct12.062637.14627@nmr-z.mgh.harvard.edu>
>shinh@nmr-z.mgh.harvard.edu (Shinjiro Hirose) writes:

>> So, does anyone know
>> if my voltage regulator can be stuck in the "on" position?
>> The one time I've dealt with voltage regulators, they didn't
>> let enough charge through.  Can they fail in the opposite manner?

>Well, it is not really an on/off thing.  A voltage regulator simply
>dissipates power stemming from voltage over a specified limit.  It
>limits the voltage all the time exactly the same, and the battery
>charges up to this voltage, unless the regulator has failed.

A voltage regulator regulates the alternator voltage by controlling
the alternator field current.  It is a feedback control system and
dissipates nothing.  Old mechanical regulators actually were on/off
devices and varied the output voltage by changing the duty cycle of
the on/off pulses of field current created by mechanical contact
points.  Newer electronic regulators control the field current
linearly by using a power transistor.






-- 
Jon Hacker
Caltech, Pasadena CA
hacker@tumbler-ridge.caltech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Rear Decklid on 93 Crown Victorias
From: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams) 
Date: 10 Oct 92 06:39:00 GMT
Reply-To: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams) 
Distribution: world
Organization: The Courts of Chaos * 501-985-0059 * Public Access Usenet


->    Did anyone notice the change that Ford made on their 93 trunklids.
-> The back where the trunk meets the rear fender has a reflective strip
-> on it, whereas the 92's had plain trunk and no reflector. i think it
-> looks kind of goofy, but i immagine it's safe.

 No, it's not safe.  Any feeb zonked enough to not notice a full size
car like a Crown Victoria probably won't notice a reflector strip
either.

 It's sort of like the strobe lights mounted on school busses around
here.  The busses are TEN FEET TALL, fifty or more feet long, and
painted screaming yellow.  So people "don't see" them and slam into them
with monotonous regularity.  The strobes haven't helped, by the way.
From: harling@miki.pictel.com (Dan Harling)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Threshold braking
Date: 8 Oct 92 16:53:45 GMT
Organization: PictureTel Corporation

In article <1992Sep26.194407.23351@sci.ccny.cuny.edu> sukenick@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (SYG) writes:
[I wrote:]
>>Remember, braking earlier and lighter also increase the *time* during
>>which your forward motion is converted into heat.  The peak temperature
>>on your drums and/or discs will be correspondingly higher, even on the
>>street.  Thus drum brakes fade, and discs warp.
>
>That doesn't sound right.
>When you brake, are converting the energy of movement of your car to heat.
>If you brake fast, the amount of energy is being converted  at a faster
>rate, and peak temperatures should be higher on the rotors/drums.

Yes; I got the first half backwards.  Braking *later and heavier*
produces higher peak temperatures, which can result in fading and
warping.

I guess that's what I get for trying to say too much too briefly.
____________________________________________________________________________
Daniel A. Harling                        (harling@pictel.com)
PictureTel Corp.             Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of
Peabody, MA  01960                 PictureTel, but they ought to be!
From: jtembulk@thor.Prime.COM
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Volvo 245 maintainence manuals wanted.....
Date: 12 Oct 92 20:20:49 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Computervision, Bedford, MA.


I happened to buy the Haynes version of the Volvo 245 manual,
but do nit find it explicit enough, as it tries to cover a very
wide range of engine types, and years.  My car is a '85 DL
( 245 ).  If anybody has manuals for this vintage car ( or of
approximately the same vintage ) that they want to sell, I would
be interested in purchasing them.

Thanks,


Jawa


jtembulk@thor.Prime.COM
From: st1q9@rosie.uh.edu (Devine, Della M)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: chevy truck front clip swap
Date: 16 Oct 92 14:17:00 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Houston
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41


   I just changed the front clip of my 1976 blazer with that of
a 1981 chevy half ton.  The swap went great except i'm having
two problems.  

    1) I can't get the hood to line up correctly.
    2) I can't find windshield wipers with that 1.5" extension.

I'm probably going to end up changing the wiper gears with those from a
newew pickup if i cannot find windshield wipers that have a 1.5" extension
that will go down into the cowl hole to the short wiper splines.
I checked on those from an oldsmobile cutlass and they have a .75" extension
but it is still not long enough to reach my splines.

  Does any company make extensions for windshield wiper splines?

The hood part is not too bad looking. The hood just sits .25" above
the fenders!!!!!  It seems to me that the hood springs are just too
strong and keep forcing the rear of the hood up.
Any suggestions?

                            thanx
                            william c devine ii
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
reply to: Devine@pvhep.pvamu.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Inexpensive engine pre-oilers
From: stubbs@hawk.cs.ukans.edu (Jerry Stubbs)
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 21:38:05 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Kansas Computer Science Dept

I think a good pre-start heating system would be good. Instead of cranking
the engine, plug your car in at night. At a pre-determined time in the 
morning the engine block heater, the window de-icers, the seat-warmers
and the battery heater would all come on. You could get in, start your
car without worrying about oil gelling, and reduce your idling warm-up,
saving you gas, plugs, etc.  And it would add to your comfort and 
convenience, not detract.

From: Frank.Mallory@f417.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Frank Mallory)
Sender: Uucp@blkcat.UUCP
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Spark plug specs and old cars
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 20:44:48 -0500

 WS> A typical sparkplug (Champion) goes something like RN12YC.
 WS> The R is for resistor, the C for copper.
 WS> Can anyone explain the other parameters?

"N" gives the plug form (14 mm, 3/4" reach), "14" the heat range (14 is very
"hot"), and "Y" says it's and extended-reach plug (i.e., the nose of the
insulator extends out of the plug body).

 WS> My car lists an N14Y plug (65 Dodge, slant-6).
 WS> 
 WS> Can someone explain why resistor plugs are used now, and how the
 WS> added resistance (I measured the resistance of RN12YC to be 30k)
 WS> effects the whole ignition system? (a 25 year old ignition system)

There's another messge here dealing with that. Essentially, resistor plugs last
somewhat longer due to decreased current across the electrodes, and they reduce
ignition noise in the radio.

 WS> Could I use an N11YC plug?  What is the best available match today for
 WS> an N14Y plug?

If your engine is in good shape (not burning oil) and you don't do a lot of
stop-and-go city driving, you should be able to use the N11Yc. The best match in
a Champion plug for an N14Y is an N14YC.



Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: wesf@boi.hp.com (Wes Fujii)
Subject: Re: What is the air pump used for?
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 18:27:08 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard / Boise, Idaho
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.4 PL6]

: I wonder why it is a bad idea to run the engine on the lean side?  

Running an engine lean will increase the CO level, running the engine
rich will increase the Hydrocarbon level.  The middle range is where
you want to be...

Wes Fujii

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Wes Fujii               *           JAPANESE BUSINESS MOTTO           *
* Boise, Idaho            *        You can buy anything you want        *
* wesf@hpdmm12.boi.hp.com *             with a lot of money             *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Isuzu (Mitshibushi?) 2.0/4 startup noise?
From: stubbs@hawk.cs.ukans.edu (Jerry Stubbs)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 18:03:08 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Kansas Computer Science Dept


I bought an '84 pickup with the 2 liter four. I think it might be made by
Mitshibushi.  When I start it cold the oil light is on for 10 - 30 seconds,
depending on how recently it has been driven.  I have tried different oils,
and currently use Mobil 1 10-30. It is still noisy on start up.  Supposedly
this vehicle only has ~90k miles.  I have noticed there is some weird thing
at the bottom of the sump where the dipstick goes.  Is this characteristic
of this engine, or are the bearings shot,  or maybe the previous owner used
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: btwomey@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (william.tw0mey)
Subject: Re: oxygen sensor
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 19:01:52 GMT


So do you remove your O2 sensor when the engine is hot or cold?
Or if its really stuck, do you try heating the sensor with a
torch when the engine is cold?

I had that carb problem a while ago, now I have excessive
hydrocarbon emissions.  I am going to check to O2 sensor, among
other things.  I suspect that the O2 sensor might have gotten
fouled or even killed, because of overcompensating with the throttle
when the engine lacked power (when mixture control solenoid wasn't
working)

Bill
-- 
bt@violin.att.com
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech