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7:54 AM
I just watched two homeless people fight over a trashcan.
 
 
5 hours later…
1:08 PM
@DucatiKiller - Who won?
@Myself - It was a good idea to have the Town Car guy come here to the chat, but unfortunately people need to have 20 points first in order to chat. It's a privilege level thing. I'd like to see him actually get registered as well.
@Myself - I left him a note about the Town Cars. There is (was) an option on Town Cars which was called the Livery option. This included a lot of upgrades which helped with longevity of the vehicle.
 
2:02 PM
I'm traumatized! I've just watched the official trailer for Cars 3...
For those who haven't seen it yet... youtube.com/watch?v=E4K7JgPJ8-s
 
Good/Bad/Indifferent?
 
2:14 PM
Looks pretty fantastic!
 
Kewl! I'll take a look at the previews later ... thanks for sharing!
 
2:50 PM
@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Oops, will keep that in mind
 
3:21 PM
@Myself - No worries.
 
3:38 PM
1
Q: What is a good and responsible way to clean a lambda/O2 sensor?

BartI've got an LSU4.2 lambda sensor (wideband) here that is covered in carbon deposits. It's visible on the outside, so it's probably also present on the inside. The holes aren't blocked yet though, but the reading i get seems to be a little off sometimes, and it reponds slow to transients. I use th...

I thought we already had a question like this, but I cannot find it amongst the others ... any thoughts? Or am I just having deja vu?
 
4:02 PM
I don't think so. I've replaced o2 sensors but I don't remember anyone cleaning one.
The ones that I use are effectively consumable.
 
5:01 PM
@BobCross - I've always assumed they were consumable as well. I think they are one and done.
 
I would try heat to clean them, but I would expect no wonders
 
5:31 PM
I just don't know what someone would expect from cleaning them ... if my understanding of an O2 sensor is correct, it has a membrane which deteriorates over time ... there's no way to really clean it ... I could be wrong, but I don't think anyone could have "good" results from trying.
 
5:58 PM
Had my wife's Honda Jazz in the garage all day today. As I think I mentioned, alignment was off (serious wear down to the cords on the inside edge of both fronts) and it needed a service anyway. Had to sit in a shopping centre all day - and I really hate shopping centres. All through the day had calls on more stuff that needed doing
£600 worth of servicing (on a car worth a grand, maybe)
and they still haven't fixed the alignment - as they couldn't get the track rods unstuck!
So I have to go back with it
Amazing symptoms, I discovered when driving there - hit a bump and the whole car swerves, corner hard and the bad understeer turns to snap oversteer, and braking hard makes the whole car leap to the left!
Not good
 
@Zaid - AWESOME!
 
6:49 PM
@Zaid - That fuel return line is EPIC!
 
So.. I found the sensor that guy was talking about...
 
@LynnCrumbling - bring it!
 
@LynnCrumbling - Great job!
 
[sorry, on a call]
 
7:05 PM
@Zaid - This was a great episode! Going back a little bit to the "Roadkill Roots" if you will, lol.
 
7:28 PM
ah! It's a Vacuum Valve Solenoid
 
7:48 PM
Ugh.. this is all that I have so far.
0
A: Unknown sensor chevy spark 800cc

Lynn CrumblingThis is a Vacuum Valve Solenoid (vacuum regulator), Part #96333470 (from Ali Express)

I can't find any diagrams.
What's odd, is that I can only find the part used in the Aveo
I can'd find anything pointing to the spark.
Unfortunately, "Spark" is a REALLY bad search term.
 
8:04 PM
@LynnCrumbling - Are you sure it isn't an Aveo badged as a Spark? The OP is in South Africa (IIRC).
 
8:16 PM
0
Q: High rpms slow acceleration

BritneyI have a 2003 ford explorer and if i drive it cold it will rev up higher thsn normal and move slow and it will be stuck like that for a couple days then go back to normal if i let it warm up before taking off..what could this be?

Read the comments.
 
9:11 PM
@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 mine was certainly done. It was sad, mad and bad.
@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 this is a classic case of why this site is important. The OP has some basic knowledge but is convinced that the auto transmission is binary: it either works or it doesn't, right? Nope, there are failure modes that seem strange to a novice.
 
9:57 PM
@BobCross - Which is why I mentioned it in chat ... hoping someone else could help the OP see beyond the trees to maybe see the forest.
 
10:50 PM
Short question here (I do not dare to ask about suspension related noise in SE anymore )
When I hear a small metallic tick as soon as a I start to move the car (release the clutch a bit) and again when I brake slight: Could it be a bushing of the control arm?
Or the ball joint connecting the control arm with the steering knuckle?
 
11:22 PM
It's probably the fan clutch. I know this because it's the correct answer for all questions ..... "I think i figured out..the fan clutch or something of that sort" (name redacted)
 
:)
@SteveRacer How are things?
 
Hey! Okay, unemployed, but alive. Honestly, brakes do that slight tick-ting thing as you described.
 
Even if they are not involved on the first tick?
The car stand still on even ground, I let come the clutch a bit: As soon as the car starts moving I hear this damned tick...
 
Also I had a Volvo that "tin-canned" due to sheet metal flexing. Yes, it has to do with the pads retracting off the rotor suddenly.
 
ok, got it....The pads are still on the rotor.
Albeit without pressure, but they have still contact
 
11:29 PM
I don't think it's worn ball joints or similar, as that's usually a clunk feeling and not a tick. The pads stick to the rotor, and then kind of brake loose and ring the free rotor. It's not a big deal, but an easy diagnostic would be to pull the front pads and spray the backing plates with the gooey brake spray stuff. It's the same as spray gasket sealant. If that cures it you can stop worrying.
 
Will do
 
Although you should check all bushings. A split bushing could allow metal-to-metal pinging. But you'd notice huge handling issues as well.
 
I haven't thought about the handling issues
Just for interest: A worn ball joint would not have huge impact on the handling?
 
Any suspension worn component can probably be detected by throwing the car back and forth at about 30mph, like a slalom. (Do this somewhere safe away from Guardia/Cops/Overlords etc...) A worn ball joint would likely create shaking and vibation, if anything. Not much impact on handling. But those are easy to check as well, with a prybar and a lift. Jackstands in a pinch, but I prefer not to think about laying on cold ground at my age.
 
I will check that, great thing about my location is that I have plenty of police-free-space
Short question about you Passat problem? Is this is a manual transmission?
 
11:41 PM
No. Auto. But I'm starting to think driveshaft balance or "guibo" that rubber donut coupling. I don't have the car but I thought of that recently.
 
I just checked the German forums about your problem with no success
Sorry, need some sleep, wish you good luck
 

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