Automotive Help

went ahead and merged. i wanted to make sure and leave it until it got noticed by all the necessary parties. good luck w/ the car.
 
odelay=orale I'm guessing? Lol, fucking esses. Hell yeah we can do that. Next month huh? I've got my beloved NY boys coming to visit (supposedly) but I'll see what's up. Evo time looks optimal.
 
HRD said:
Im far from a god. LOL!! All is forgiven. You can make it up to me at DEV by playing me a FT5 for braggin rights!! LOL

Ahhhh....Lexus. What complicated pieces of shit.

Anyway. You can rule the wheel bearing out. That would have more of a "howling" noise while driving constantly. I got my wife a 92 LS400 quite a few years ago, and have fix tons of suspension on those damn things.

If you hear a clunking noise while going over bumps. Id take a look at your upper/lower ball joints. The upper is a ball joint/control arm assembly thats fairly easy to replace. Lower ball joints require pressing at a machine shop (such as mine) and a big pain in the ass.

Im not positive bout your particular lexus but, most of the GS300 & LS400 have air ride suspension. Which means instead of a shock, it has a fancy air filled strut that adjusts as you drive (a strut is a really fancy shock). So if you decide to dabble and try to fix it your self be very careful and look out for air lines, sensors and other fragile electric shit.

mems86104_1.jpg
this is a example of a UPPER ball joint/control arm for a lexus. The blue dust cover is actually the ball joint.

140.jpg
this is the lower control arm. The ball joint is (for lack of a better term) the pointy thingy on the right.

You also have rubber bushings. 2 total in each arm. and obviously you have a upper and lower control arm on both sides.

dont worry.......almost over

and easy way to check your suspension:

get the front wheel of the ground, only raise it bout 4 or 5 inches off the ground. obviously make sure your e brake is on and the rear tires have wood behind them

take a big bar. pry bar, fence post something thats bout 3 to 4 feet long and pretty sturdy. Shove the pry bar UNDER the front wheel and lift up on the end of the bar. What you want is to look at the suspension and get it to move. almost simulating while driving.

You take a good look at the ball joints upper and lower. Look for popping movements, listen for noises. The suspension SHOULD be real smooth and stiff (easy lobo!!!) it should be fairly difficult to move it around.

If you locate popping movements, put ur hand there. have someone move the bar around. Youll feel the popping in your hand.

Then if you still dont really find anything. Get in front of the tire like your gonna take the tire off. Grab the front of the tire and the rear of the tire and shake it. You shouldnt have any play what so ever. If you do you have tie rod issues.

OR

go to a suspension shop and have them check it. Its usually free or something like $20 or so. I used to do it for free at my shop.

Feel free to go to a shop and get an estimate and run it by me. I used to own a suspension shop so I will tell you if they are full of shit or not!

sorry bout the long rant. I like to teach people how to fix cars rather than spend a ton of money for something thats actually quite simple if you have half a brain. Someday I wann be a high school auto shop teacher so this is good practice.

Dude it would be fuckin heaven for me if you did that shit. Ill put you up for a few days we'll kick back, wrench on cars, and play some fuckin SC!! I wouldnt even charge you, you buy the parts at my cost, and Ill put em in for you!!

and is MEXICAN......dumbass

HRD
Click to expand...

Damn, now I want to drive down there with my car and feel like I don't have half a brain. ;-;

Either way, I had taken it to Firestone and they said it was my my rear left spindle making all the noise. That's part of the reason I asked the question, though. They want to charge 425 for the part, plus 525 for the labor. But a little bit before I left the Army, I got the strut mount replaced and it sounds like the same noise that it was making when I did that. Because of that, that should be under warranty. I have some friends who can probably replace the part (once I find somewhere to order it from), but I want to make sure that it's actually what needs replacing first because a lot of stuff has come up (that makes OTHER people need to borrow money) and now all this ish is getting in the way of paying bills/going to SC tournaments! Speaking of such, what are the downsides to driving on it? I ask because I have some appointments to make, but can probably find a ride if it's too risky.

Also is this the 'howling' noise:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5IA_O3jWIw

Because, yeah, it definitely doesn't sound like that.

It sounds more like this when driving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNjGQChgSlg&feature=related

But, yeah, they claim it's not the strut mount and that it's the spindle.
 
Fuck firestone. never take your car to a coperate owned place. Midas, firestone places like that are big companies and instruct thier service writers (the guys you actually talk to) to try to get every fuckin penny they can out of you. I will 99% certain that they are going to the dealer for the spindle. It is against the law to charge you over list price from the dealer. List price is the price YOU would pay if you were to walk into the dealer yourself and purchase the part. So I would call the dealer to see how much that part is.

There is NOTHING on the spindle itself that will make noises. The spindle is nothing but a big hunk of metal that just has shit attatched to it. There are a couple of control arms in the back with some rubber bushings and thats about it. Replacing the spindle will not solve any problems.

The noise youre descrbing, very could be the strut mount. Depending on how long ago you got it replaced would determine if its under warrenty still. Typically labor is warrentied for 90 days and most parts are warrentied for life. Strut mounts definetly make that type of noise. Along with rubber bushings and such. Like I was saying before. On SOME higher end (usually european, and some japanese) there are bushings that actually press into the spindle, but those are replacable, you dont need to replace the whole spindle for that.

Something defintly sounds wrong. I wouldnt pay that much for that. Even if that included an alignment, thats still way to much money for something that just sounds wrong.

Rear suspension is not as complicated as front suspension. There are tie rod ends and bushings in the rear of your car, but replacing a spindle for the purpose of making a noise go away just sounds retarded.

As far as you driving the thing. I dont think its an emergency. Just dont go racing, jumping, rally cross driving, hitting small children or flipping off old ladies. Its more of a noisey inconvience than something you really need to worry bout. Did you only have 1 strut mount replaced. if so, maybe its the other one.

I would try to look in the phone book for a shop that is a specific brake and alignment shop. Take your estimate from firestone to them. Tell them you think that is bullshit and you want a second opinion.

Most specialty brake and alignment shops have a single business owner that is struglling in this wretched economy. What will happen is he will try to prove firestone wrong and get the sale. Its what I did whenever I got a phone call in that situation. 9 out of 10 times I found something that was actually much cheaper and much easier. I didnt make a ton of money on that sale....BUT I had a new loyal customer for life.

MESSAGE TO ALL DRIVERS: Stay the fuck away from ANY cooperate owned automotive repair shops. No firestones, Midas, express tires or anything that has chain stores. Coperate offices train thier service writers to gouge, lie, cheat and steal to pay for the massive overhead that all those companies have. Trust me, I have tons of personal experience in that. Stick with the sole propriators that are just mom and pop type places and help out the small businesses of america!! Not only will you get better prices, but better service and better work!!

HRD
 
i knew this isn't really your forte, but i FINALLY got my bronco running...new engine, new clutch, new interior. now i don't think i can bring myself to sell it as i'd planned all along. it was mine through high school, than my pop's, now mine again and i've grown too attached. i think i'm gonna make it once again my primary vehicle and trade in the 4runner i recently got lol.

<3 this bronco sooooooo much.

anyway i'm having clear coat issues. it was painted about 6 years ago and left untouched, unstarted, and unkept in the sun for the 5 years since then. i'm lucky my pops was such a gifted painter because all in all the body is in excellent condition, except for this:

263947_2139303172138_1532918851_2303292_6978414_n.jpg


any tips for me to restore it? the clear coat is bubbling right off. i'm assuming it is because it was unwashed and unwaxed for so many years. i'm hoping it is something i can do in the shop at home as i'm pretty capable and certainly have any tools i would need. i just don't know what to do lol.
 
uhhhhh, I dunno that looks pretty bad. You can try some Claymagic, ya know that bar of clay stuff and some rubbing compund. And a buffer lol.

You might get it to look better than that but there will prolly always be a spot there that looks different tho.

And I dig those things. I have somewhat fond memories in my brothers 86 k5 blazer rolling down the dunes at Glamis. Took 10 geys to flips it back over. But it fuckin fired right up!!

HRD
 
I'd just respray it if I were you Lobo, shouldn't take more than a few hours, depending on how thorough you are. :)
Ordinarily I'd say just get a touch up stick from your local car dealer, but considering the age of the car I doubt it would finish evenly - respraying it is probably your best option. :/
 
Youd have to respray the whole truck to get it to look right. at least all the blue. That would mean hours of sanding, masking, spraying, drying then wet sanding....I got a head aches just thinking bout it. Like I said, you can prolly get it to look better than what it is, but there will prolly always be a faded spot there. Unless you can "clay" the thing into a fresh layer of clear. I dunno, start rubbin asshole. (no no no, not rub YOUR asshole or mine for that matter. I meant you ARE and asshole.....you know what NM)

Ive ALWAYS HATED body & paint work. Its such and fucking pain in the ass, tedious fuckin shit that I hate. I can do it but.....Id rather pay someone else to to my shit!

Leave the technical stuff to me you crumpet boy.....LOL

crumpets are gross BTW

HRD
 
welp...i tried the clay bar...BAD IDEA lol. it took that blue right off. luckily i only did it in one tiny place. here is what i ended up doing:

i took an air compressor and blew off all the chips and very carefully washed it. i then masked it and sprayed the whole thing with a clear coat i got from the ford dealer. luckily i had an older 3 HP compressor laying around.

anyway i hit the whole area and about a 3 inch overlap with clear and spent this morning wet sanding it flush. luckily the color still matched perfectly. i'm gonna buff it out this evening and i suspect the only trace of this nonsense will be a paper thin line where the old clear coat ended. i'll post pics tonight. shit is coming along very nicely though. i'm definitely keeping this beast.
 
lobo said:
welp...i tried the clay bar...BAD IDEA lol. it took that blue right off. luckily i only did it in one tiny place. here is what i ended up doing:

i took an air compressor and blew off all the chips and very carefully washed it. i then masked it and sprayed the whole thing with a clear coat i got from the ford dealer. luckily i had an older 3 HP compressor laying around.

anyway i hit the whole area and about a 3 inch overlap with clear and spent this morning wet sanding it flush. luckily the color still matched perfectly. i'm gonna buff it out this evening and i suspect the only trace of this nonsense will be a paper thin line where the old clear coat ended. i'll post pics tonight. shit is coming along very nicely though. i'm definitely keeping this beast.
Click to expand...

hey man...babe ruth struck out a few times IIRC.....LOL

Thats cool tho. Im gonna call you my little auto protege!! I assumed that there might have been a layer or 2 of clear left which is why i suggested the clay!

Proud of you homes....good job!!

HRD
 
the finished product:

260016_2144294656922_1532918851_2310176_6650928_n.jpg


you can see a hairline thin greyish line where the old clear coat ended but it is completely flush and the color/texture turned out pretty flawless except for one black spot where i touched the drying acrylic like a noob. i'm REALLY glad that my dad sat me down as a child and taught me to use compressed air paint sprayers. i did it all outdoors because i'm lazy and don't want to move the rolls of old carpet occupying my car bay, plus the temp outside (~97 F) is pretty ideal for painting with no wind. yeah...it is almost complete.

the pic is before i can apply carnauba wax so it will actually look a little bit better tomorrow. i'll throw a pic of the whole finished ride when i'm done. i'm quite proud of it as my first ever attempt at paint restoration. it is starting to rain on me so i gotta call it quits, plus it is a bit warmer right now than i am comfortable with waxing a car.

here's some quick interior shots:

270512_2144303177135_1532918851_2310185_4431784_n.jpg


270407_2144303737149_1532918851_2310186_4797089_n.jpg


new upholstery, new gauges, restored dash, new carpet, new engine, new fuel system from the tank up and purring like a kitten. all 100% original of course. ;)

not bad for a 23 year old truck with over 350k miles on it. thing's been in my family since it was brand new and i drove it for years in high school before turning it over to my pops and recently getting it back after 6 years of having not even been started and falling apart.

i'd say my first solo restoration project is a success! pops would be proud.

i'd forgotten how awesome these memphis 6x9s i put in in high school sound. too bad this 12x4 or whatever the fuck factory stereo can't make them growl for me. now i just need to go get a new deck and throw it in this bad boy and i'm golden!
 
Shit man, that shits really clean! And damn thats the 5 speed you were talkin bout. Thats a pretty rare option to have on that truck, unless its a 4.9 L6, IIRC its a 351w right?

I think you didt great my friend. That shit looks really really good. A shit load better than what I could do.

You seem really proud of your truck (and yourself for that matter) as you should be. Pops is smiling at you!!

So as for my ride. Ill have the motor finished here next week for my 55 buick. Ill snap some pics and throw em up.
__________________________________________________________________________________

POP QUIZ FOR THE DAY:

Good morning class....*good morning Mr. Carr* Lobo put that gum in the trash, SL quit trying to get into partisans dress....

All right, for extra credit..............

Who can tell me the 4 functions of a piston, what they do and in what order they happen. (4 stroke engine)

Prizes will be givien out at the end of class.

HRD
 
suck, smash, blast, blow

is how i learned them as a kid working on dirt bikes. couldn't tell ya what that means though...i'm guessing pulling fuel, compressing it, lighting it and then dumping gas.

and no the bronco is an inline 6. i'd have sold it years ago if it had that dumpy 351. the high torque 6 is a fucking amazing motor though. it is on its second one, with just under 5000 miles on it. my dad put the new identical engine in just before he stopped driving it, which was actually my motivation to restore it. i can't bear to think of selling it for less than he spent on that motor alone.
 
lobo said:
suck, smash, blast, blow

is how i learned them as a kid working on dirt bikes. couldn't tell ya what that means though...i'm guessing pulling fuel, compressing it, lighting it and then dumping gas.

and no the bronco is an inline 6. i'd have sold it years ago if it had that dumpy 351. the high torque 6 is a fucking amazing motor though. it is on its second one, with just under 5000 miles on it. my dad put the new identical engine in just before he stopped driving it, which was actually my motivation to restore it. i can't bear to think of selling it for less than he spent on that motor alone.
Click to expand...

*looks up to the balcony* "judges?" "we'll take that answer"

To be pro about it. Its Intake, Compression, Power, Exhaust!!

INTAKE: Intake valve opens letting fuel/air get into the combustion chamber (piston is in the down postion)

COMPRESSION: Intake valve shuts, piston comes to the up position, compressing the air and fuel into a vapor

POWER: This is when the spark plug lights off causing an explosion FORCING the piston back to the down positon

EXHAUST: after any explosion there is a concentration of gases that need to be gotten rid of. As the piston comes up the exhaust valve in the head is opened letting out the newly burned fuel

take notes on this kids cause there will be a quizz at the end of the week!!

HRD
 
2003 Hyundai Sonata
102k miles
Interior/exterior intact (Excluding the cup holders, the lid won't open properly!)
All for a little under 6K USDs

Do any vehicle competent users on this site think something's wrong/right here?
I will be getting mechanic's opinion tomorrow, but I want to know what you guys think.
 
ArcticKomodo said:
2003 Hyundai Sonata
102k miles
Interior/exterior intact (Excluding the cup holders, the lid won't open properly!)
All for a little under 6K USDs

Do any vehicle competent users on this site think something's wrong/right here?
I will be getting mechanic's opinion tomorrow, but I want to know what you guys think.
Click to expand...

that doesnt sound bad. Hyundai's are pretty reliable cars. Koreans did that one right. Your prolly not gonna get laid while driving it but its a good reliable car.

price might be a tad high. Id try to talk it down around $5000. Tell him youll give him $4200 and work your way up!

HRD
 
HRD is sooo dreamy!

Ok, so my girl's cousin checked out and said it is the spindle but that something about a bushle or some ish. Either way, how much am I looking at to get it fixed?
 
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