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Thanks for the reply.
I think the outer joints must be worn out, it makes noises when steering full-lock in both directions but only one side has significant movement in the wheel.
It doesn’t make any noise accelerating/decelerating or going over bumps. It has new end links on it too.
I thought I was the only person who checked out people’s tyres in car parks!
I have Uniroyal RainSport 3s. Not sure if you get them in the US but the RS3 is a soft compound tyre with a soft side wall and its awesome in the wet and decent in the dry.
Seeing as its always raining in the UK the RS3s make a good choice, and they made my car feel more comfortable because of the soft sidewall. We don’t really get a summer and winter so most people run the same tyres all year round.
I find myself judging people for using budget or mismatched tyres… its pretty bad.
The other tyre problem we have here in the UK is that a lot of quick change oil/tyre places will convince unsuspecting people that their car needs new tyres. Its normally people who have bought a new car and now the car is 3-4 years old and still on the factory Michelins/Continentals (whatever decent factory tyre it came with) and the places convince them that the tyres are worn out and they end up replacing two of the part worn “good” tyres for budget brands. I’ve seen this happen to a few relatives (mostly women unfortunately) and I’ve tried my best to educate them in judging when they need new tyres or get a second opinion (from me). I believe that a used “good” tyre is better than a new budget tyre.
Luckily we have yearly inspections for all cars and tyres are included. Tread less than 1.6mm, bulges in the sidewall or cracked rubber are an instant fail so most people have roadworthy tyres on their cars, even if they are budget brands.
I worked at a place that had a fleet of light vans that I would regularly drive, they’d use the cheapest tyres with odd names like Triangle, Pace, and Linglong which I found to be funny name for a tyre. During that time my dad owned the same model of van we had at work, only he had Michelins on it and whenever I drove my dads van it felt like a completely different model.
You might be able to tell I am also a tyre junkie… sorry for the long post about something that most people wouldn’t even care about but I love tyres, especially the look and smell of a new set!
Also, I wonder what people near by would’ve thought if they saw Eric repeatedly slamming on the brakes in that car park! 😆
[quote=”DrD” post=161911]Many times the extra mush/softness that you feel with the brakes is due to flexing of the firewall – they sell master cylinder braces for many cars to help prevent that. Could be the case here. (it’s a common modification on the Subaru WRX/STi)[/quote]
Actually, the master cylinder stopper is on my “to-do” list, although I don’t think it will make much difference, the firewall shouldn’t really be flexing and there isn’t any observable flex (on my car) when applying full brake pedal force whilst stationary.[quote=”Kazuo” post=161912]In lieu of a zip tie, wouldn’t it be possible to cut the old brake line in half, remove any clips that were used to secure it, cut a notch in those clips and slip them on the new brake line?
Other possible alternatives to zip ties would be like those “Command” Cable guides I’ve used for cable management before, if you could find one that could wrap around a typical diameter brake line and then drill a hole for a nut/bolt and secure it that way.[/quote]
Could do, I didn’t want to hack up my old lines in case I ever wanted to refit them, plus I believe the fittings are crimped on so not sure how that would turn out.[quote=”Massonic” post=161913]
If you want to reduce the braking distance it comes down to pad material and tire compound. [/quote]
Not sure if I agree with the rest of your post but the above is very true, which is why I added the steel lines after doing tyres and discs/pads.[quote=”ctmnismo” post=161914]
Also my kit did not come with new spring clips. My car is 5 years old with 23k miles, do I need new clips or can I reuse them?[/quote]
I reused the clips but the kit came with new bolts and washers.Very comprehensive video Eric, good job, I will be sure to employ the depressed brake pedal next time to prevent all the fluid from escaping.
I thought I’d share my experience from fitting steel lines, I did this around a year ago on my Yaris.
Like yourself, I wasn’t 100% happy after fitting them, mainly because I also lost one of the securing fittings for the front lines. I know it wasn’t too much of an issue on your Vigor because it has multiple securing points, but on my car, the original lines had a single moulded/crimped plate that bolts up to the strut. The new steel lines from HEL only had a rubber sleeve that wouldn’t clip into place or bolt down like the factory lines. Photo below shows that after a short test drive around the block the new line was making contact with its surroundings so I also opted to cable tie it into place (not ideal and perhaps not even passable for our yearly road worthiness inspection at a strict tester in the UK).
Whilst its secure, I do a regular inspection to make sure it doesn’t come loose – mostly for my own piece of mind/paranoia.
Secondly, the factory lines had a locating pin which prevented the banjo fitting from rotating on the caliper side, the HEL ones don’t have the pin as shown below.
So in two ways, I don’t feel like it was an upgrade, however being an older car I wanted to replace the lines anyway as I could hear them creaking if I pressed the pedal firmly whilst stopped.
In future I think I would just replace them with factory hoses on any older vehicle because I feel like the factory ones might be more durable, something I noticed on the Sentra you were working on, those steel lines had obviously been on that vehicle for some years and they didn’t look like they were holding up too well (installation may have had something to do with that or it might just be in my head).As far as pedal feel is concerned, I think my pedal definitely feels better but only under harsh braking, in normal driving I can’t tell the difference. If I had the time and space I would’ve liked to measure stopping distances before and after fitting them but I didn’t do this.
I’m not convinced that measuring the pedal travel on a stationary vehicle with the force of your hand is really an accurate indication of pedal feel. In my opinion “pedal feel” and “pedal travel” are two different variables that are closely related but I understand your point. There is also a psychological factor that makes most people believe there is a significant improvement which may be something that has affected me. I drive the car pretty hard and on occasion when I have gone to a track and had the opportunity to brake harshly over and over again, the pedal feels less spongy. Of course there are other factors, i.e. changing the lines also means fresh fluid is flushed through the entire system so that makes it difficult to measure the effects of just the lines as well.
Depends on how worn out they are, if you think the inside is worn too much then get new ones but if it is only slightly worn and you fix the alignment problem then it should be ok. If you can afford good new tyres then replace them.
Otherwise, definitely rebalance them with your alignment because abnormal wear will have affected the balance.
Make sure AC is off.
Assuming the wiring to the fan is good,
Test the fan relay, it may be stuck on.
Check the radiator fan sensor, its normally at the bottom of the radiator. When the coolant gets hot, it closes the circuit which sends power to the fan via the relay, a short at this sensor will cause it to stay on.Most likely the relay, or wiring problem, normally when the sensor goes bad it never turns on but worth checking it.
[quote=”no_common_sense” post=156673][quote=”Dizplay” post=156606]On my Yaris (and many other economy cars) there is a trailing arm set up in the rear, its a very simple design and I don’t think there are any adjustments in the rear. Do you think it is still worth paying extra for the 4-wheel alignment on vehicles like this? Is there anything that can be done if something is misaligned in that situation?[/quote]
On a car like that with a dead solid axle, there are sometimes shims available that correct rear toe and camber. It’s usually an upsell that would cost you extra money during the alignment. It’s worth it to spend the extra money if you know a rear tire has been having irregular wear problems or the car still pulls after a recent alignment. One thing to be leery of, is the potential that a hub & bearing is going to be seized to the axle. In my experience, not many models have this trouble aside from one or two specific vehicles. Dodge/Chrysler minivans have always been terrible like this and it’s almost always impossible to remove the bearing without just destroying it. That is likewise an added cost that usually deters a customer from buying a shim adjustment. Talk to your shop to find out what your options are to find out what’s best for your car.[/quote]
Yes, I have seen camber shims and I have also seen people using washers to produce similar effects.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=156632][quote=”Dizplay” post=156606]Great video as always Eric, very informative and detailed.
Interesting point about 4-wheel alignments. On my Yaris (and many other economy cars) there is a trailing arm set up in the rear, its a very simple design and I don’t think there are any adjustments in the rear. Do you think it is still worth paying extra for the 4-wheel alignment on vehicles like this? Is there anything that can be done if something is misaligned in that situation?
Also, what are your thoughts on DIY alignments with string/tape?[/quote]
Everyone seems to question the 4 wheel alignment. I stand firm here. Even if there isn’t an adjustment, there could be sagging springs, worn bushings, or bent parts causing the rear to be out of line. You won’t know until you check it. Since the rear needs to line up with the front, there really aren’t any short cuts here.
4 wheel alignments are best. Always.
As for DIY. I’ve never done one. Never had to. Using the right equipment is so much better. That said, I was thinking about trying something DIY alignment wise when I finish the Fairmont. Not in stone yet, just a consideration.[/quote]
I see what you mean about sagging components. I will be getting new tyres in a few months so I will definitely get a 4-wheel alignment along with that.
It would be interesting to see you do a DIY alignment on the Fairmont and then take it to the laser alignment shop and see if they need to make any adjustments. Could make for an interesting video.
Great video as always Eric, very informative and detailed.
Interesting point about 4-wheel alignments. On my Yaris (and many other economy cars) there is a trailing arm set up in the rear, its a very simple design and I don’t think there are any adjustments in the rear. Do you think it is still worth paying extra for the 4-wheel alignment on vehicles like this? Is there anything that can be done if something is misaligned in that situation?
Also, what are your thoughts on DIY alignments with string/tape?
I have attached the TSB.
I replicated the test that would be done using the diagnostic tools by supplying 12v to the oil control valve manually.
I guess it looks like I have to replace the camshaft gear. Seems like a big job, do you have any advice?
I reckon newer cars are “better”. They are more reliable, comfortable, economical and they don’t rust as much. I feel like a lot of people forget about the rust thing… newer cars don’t seem to rust as much. Another thing people like to complain about is how newer cars are difficult to work on – times have changed, so have the tools you need to repair cars. Gone are the days where old Dave from down the road was fixing 1960s Fords with a hammer and a few bent screwdrivers.
To me, anything that came standard with fuel injection and ABS is a modern car. I was born in 1994 and drive a 2000 year car.
What about the guys who just fit tyres or change oil? Can you consider them to be technicians or mechanics? Where do you draw the line? Petrol pump attendants?
This video captures my views so well!
I’m a computer science student who works on my own car and cars in the family. My dad is an electronic engineer who has rebuilt a few classics and also worked on cars when he was younger.Since studying computer science in a formal manner at college and university, I no longer care about whatever the new fad is in hardware, as long as it can fulfil my needs quickly and reliably it can be whatever. My main computer runs loudly, with extra cooling fans, and the case has no side panel. But it runs 4 displays, runs all the development environments I need and its reliable.
Similarly, my daily driver is a Yaris that I bought with no MOT certificate (yearly inspection where they check tyres, suspension, brakes, emissions, seatbelts, windscreen, wipers, headlight alignment, tail lights, bodywork etc), panel damage and a leaky exhaust. I bought it because it had full service history despite the current condition.
Its got high miles but it gets really good MPG and is reliable touch wood!
I didn’t bother fixing the panel damage, I just do service and maintenance stuff and whatever was required for it to pass the yearly inspection which was a couple of suspension and exhaust bits. Would I want a 2014 Yaris? Hell no!This video captures my views so well!
I’m a computer science student who works on my own car and cars in the family. My dad is an electronic engineer who has rebuilt a few classics and also worked on cars when he was younger.Since studying computer science in a formal manner at college and university, I no longer care about whatever the new fad is in hardware, as long as it can fulfil my needs quickly and reliably it can be whatever. My main computer runs loudly, with extra cooling fans, and the case has no side panel. But it runs 4 displays, runs all the development environments I need and its reliable.
Similarly, my daily driver is a Yaris that I bought with no MOT certificate (yearly inspection where they check tyres, suspension, brakes, emissions, seatbelts, windscreen, wipers, headlight alignment, tail lights, bodywork etc), panel damage and a leaky exhaust. I bought it because it had full service history despite the current condition.
Its got high miles but it gets really good MPG and is reliable touch wood!
I didn’t bother fixing the panel damage, I just do service and maintenance stuff and whatever was required for it to pass the yearly inspection which was a couple of suspension and exhaust bits. Would I want a 2014 Yaris? Hell no!
