Forum Replies Created
-
Replies
-
I would bleed the brakes at all wheels. This will make sure all the air is out of the lines and you can also replace the fluid while doing this. Just don’t let the master cylinder go dry other wise you will have to start the bleeding process all over again. Also make sure you don’t set the parking brake or step on the brakes with the drums off other wise you will squirt hydraulic fluid all over the place. And after you replace your wheel cylinder and re-install your brake shoes, make sure you check the parking brake cable and re-adjust it accordingly otherwise your regular braking won’t be as effective.
I would go to the how to forum. There’s a free chilton’s manual on there in a thread. That may help you out.
In my experience, it’s hard to get a history from the dealer or a buyer even. In most cases, they either don’t know or they don’t want to tell the whole truth. The best thing to do is have the car inspected. You are your best advocate. Take the car for a test drive. Inspect the fluids, listen for noises, check the wheels, brake ines, etc, etc. You cand have an independent shop inspect it, but I found that doing it myself or having a good friend who knows about cars help you inspect the vehicle is the best thing.
Thanks for the tip. I raised the vehicle at the front end, blocked all the rear wheels,set the emergency brake and put the car in drive. I then inspected the wheels at both front ends. I couldn’t hear any noise. I couldn’t see anything rubbing together either. So I’m gonna chalk it up to tire noise.
I never had any problems with seafoam. I didn’t notice a difference either. I agree, I think it’s just for preventitive maintenance.
I’ve got the basics. screw drivers, sockets, torque wrench. I’d like to get an impact gun and compresser one day to make things a little easier. I did buy a vaccum pump the other day which makes bleeding my brakes so much easier.
I usually change the oil and filter every 5000 miles, but I would check the quality of the oil as well to be on the safe side
I never had problems with white smoke, but on my 1999 civic, it took them a while to figure it out. They changed the oil pan, and still had a leak, then they changed the rear main oil seal. I still noticed a leak. They said it was the transmission leaking and they changed the gasket. They did that one for free. It cost me a little over $1000 to have all that done. I learned that changing the rear main oil seal involves removing the transmission. I learned that it’s best to read and understand how things work before having them repaired because the dealers/auto shops sometimes don’t have your best interest at hand. I had my timing belt changed by the dealer at 90k miles. Shortly after my water pump went out. I had it repaired by a non dealter auto shop. They changed the timing belt, and water pump. Also I needed a timing belt changed on my 2002 honda odyssey. The dealter quoted a high price for timing belt only. I decided to take it a non dealter. They quoted me a lesser price and said they would change the water pump, timing belt and tensioner. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had good experiences at dealers, but it just goes to show that obtaining some knowledge through reading or elsewhere can go a long way.