ETCG Answers Questions Live #82 (AMA) 2/15/2017

[EricTheCarGuy]

It’s another Wednesday where I’ll be answering your questions in this live AMA show. The show starts at 7pm EST, -5GMT. The earlier you post, the more likely it is I’ll answer your question. I’ll do my best to answer as many questions as I can during the hour long show.

Once the show concludes I’ll post the video here and close the thread until the next live show in 2 weeks.

Thanks for posting!

Topic

[Reginald]

Hello Eric,

I’ve got a 1984 Honda Accord that’s running rich. Idles too low once warmed up (200-300 RPM) and shakes the car unless I put it in Neutral or Park, which raises the RPM to 800-1000 RPM. Carburetor has been rebuilt, distributor, wires, plugs and rotor replaced, air and pcv filters replaced – pretty much everything. The only thing I haven’t replaced related to the issue is the EVAP canister. Could this be the problem or is it something else?

[Johnathan]

Ok, big smokey burnout parts list:
Loud V8
Line-lock
colored smoke tires
custom side exit exhaust so it dumps in front of the tires, about a 1 foot away, to blow the smoke back (like on the old muscle cars)
Am i missing anything?
im entering a burnout contest and i need to top what i did last year in my stock 95 ram 1500 360ci auto doesn’t feel right just scraping it and i can’t sell the old brute. KBB says it has no value thanks to all the rust and what not.

Thanks for the videos they really help me when i get that itch to turn a wrench that i don’t have. Stay dirty!

if your interested ill post a video for you to watch
im the blue, silver and duct tape truck 0:40 sec in

[Ioan-Marius Muntianu]

Hi Eric,

I have a more general automotive question:
How do you know when a car has become a money pit?

My 2006 Ford Mondeo mk3 2.0 TDCI had quite a few issues. It has 300.000 kilometers and in the past 2 years I had to replace the exhaust, all the suspension components and now the AC is gone. Also it still has some performance issues I am trying to figure out. Not sure if it is becoming a money pit or I have that feeling just because spare parts are expensive here in Denmark.

Many thanks for all the time you spend teaching us how to fix our cars.

[Guillaune Feral]

Hi Eric,
First, you’ve pronounced my online moniker perfectly so far, congratulations. 😉
Quick update: I did the tune/mods I alluded to in my previous question, and the stock intercooler is holding the 24psi it wasn’t built for just fine. I might buy/build a bigger one later, when I have the time and money for it.
Question: I’ve noticed that my (other) car guy, while happy to see my car gaining huge amounts of power as I throw performance parts and tuned ECUs at it, seemed a bit nonplussed by my approach to performance gain. He’s a real technician and I guess he likes to work more “hands on” with engine parts, fiddling with carburetors, pistons and all those fascinating internal components I couldn’t dream of working on, while it just looks like I’m throwing random stuff in the engine bay and come out with 70+ more whp. I was wondering what was your opinion of car mods like I’m doing, and guys like me. I guess I’ve done my homework (like years of gathering data on my specific car, and the mods that I’m doing, and what I should be wary of, etc…), but at the end of the day, I’m just a car enthusiast with no real experience working on cars – except for this one – so I’d like to have your opinion as a technician with years of experience, and in the context of your recent (and on going) work on the Fairmount.
Thanks again for the endless goldmine of knowledge, and stay dirty!

PS : For reference, the mods on the 1995 Saab 9000 Aero involved= 3.0″ complete exhaust, race cat, perf. wastegate, perf. blow off valve, high-flow air filter, bigger injectors, 3.0bar MAP sensor, more accurate boost control valve, E85 conversion, perf. fuel pump, perf. clutch friction plate, custom ECU tune. The car has been maintained meticulously ever since I bought it (because I love the damn thing).

[Jason Guiry]

Hi Eric,

What’s your view on engine oil flushing?

[Wes]

Hey eric. I missed the last show but I wanted to say thank you for your advice about the brake fluid boiling in my accent. I took care of it and the brakes have been working fine since. In fact thanks to your help the car would be in just about perfect order if I hadn’t snapped off a wheel stud. But you know what happens. Anyway my AMA question for you is what if any kind of music do you listen to when not on camera to help motivate you to work especially on the stubborn cars that seem to not want to be fixed?

[Sam]

Hi eric just wanted to let you know I replaced the intake gasket in my 98 saturn and all went well took about 20 min. What would be a repair that you dont like doing. Besides Barbra’s Van.

[Seth]

Hello Eric, first off thanks for creating all the automotive content you do. It has allowed me to save money and become more secure in my daily transportation.

I own a 1999 Jaguar XJ8 with 85,000k miles
My next car I wanted to buy a new (sick of fixing old cars) 4 door compact passenger car. Definitely will not buy another Jaguar!! I want a car that will last up to 200k with proper maintenance. What make is good for reliability, durability, and NOT SUPER EXPENSIVE TO FIX?

I’ve been looking at the new 2017 Mazda 3 Hatchbacks and are like the body styling/engine/features/price. What are your thoughts of that car and Mazda as a brand? I know Mazda was partnered by Ford and during that time wasn’t making anything special. What make do you recommend?
Thanks a lot!!

[Nate Thibodeau]

I noticed something on a lot of older Audi’s and Volvo’s…..HEADLIGHT WIPERs!

Are they really so useful…..or just a gimmick?

[Dave Tidman]

Eric,

First, long time viewer, thanks for your videos. They have given me the courage (and knowledge) to tackle repairs I probably would not have attempted previously.

For AMA, whose YouTube videos do you watch when you have time?

thanks!

[Guillaune Feral]

[quote=”speedingcheetah” post=183901]I noticed something on a lot of older Audi’s and Volvo’s…..HEADLIGHT WIPERs!

Are they really so useful…..or just a gimmick?[/quote]

I had headlight wipers on my SAAB. Took them off. They’re useful if it snows a lot where you live, otherwise they’re pretty much useless… and prone to malfunction. Although on a Merc (I’ve seen some of those on Mercedes’s) I suppose they’d work reliably. Because, you know, 80’s/90’s Mercedes. I think they’ve been gradually replaced with those high pressure-ish water jets on more recent cars.

[Jeff Sacksteder]

I am helping a friend look for a car. A Honda Odyssey or Element seems like a good lifestyle choice.

Aside from the hood latch issues, do you have any concerns regarding specific years or features? The Internet says the Odyssey had a run of bad years for transmissions and the more recent ones have a very noisy interior due to cheap plastics.

Which Honda is best Honda?

[Connor Kemp]

After a certain point is it worth it to keep a vehicle if you’ve sunk a lot of money into it i.e. Repairs? I’ve had a tranny rebuilt on my 03 civic at 150,000 miles and a lot of brake hardware replaced already. However, I feel like if I decide to sell it, it won’t make a difference on what price people are gonna ask for since blue book already has a price for it regardless if the guts and hardware are new or not. It being an older car I know it’s gonna need repairs but is it justifiable if I can’t get some of that cost back by selling it or trading it in at the dealer? Tranny is under warranty for 36,000 miles. Or should I just let it go before other things are needed and buy into a brand new car which will probably be a 2017 civic.

[Jason Villagran]

Hey Eric I have a question that has been confusing me every since I got my car. I have a 2000 Toyota corolla with 97k original miles, I bought it with 79k miles. Ever since I got the car, if it’s too cold outside the car will idle roughly, you can hear the engine struggle to idle and if I throw it into drive it would nearly stall. On several occasions it has stalled on me in fact. The car never threw up any engine codes and every mechanic I took it too can’t figure it out. What do you think the issue is?

[Kenneth Moi]

Hi Eric,

Love your channel and it has help me perform basic maintenance on my car!! Keep the video coming!

I have a 2010 Acura MDX with only 45K on it. The owner manual suggest timing belt replacement @ 105K or 7 years whichever come first. In your experience should I go ahead and replace the timing belt @ 7 years or can it wait? It’s going to cost over $1,000 for the job.

Thanks for your help!

[Author]

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