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I personally have never heard of a dealer updating software or anything for that matter for free unless it was under warranty or an actual recall.
I would like to at least do some troubleshooting to try and narrow down the problem before taking it to a dealer.
What cables have you replaced already? Before replacing any parts you should have done some voltage drop tests to make sure all cables and grounds were good. I think Eric has a video on voltage drop, otherwise there are some on youtube. Drop test all the cables from the battery to the starter, including ALL grounds from battery to frame to engine, etc. This would have been one of my first steps. This is where the load pro test leads can come in really handy. It puts a load on while you do a drop test. If there is a lot of corrosion you may still have 12.xx volts but once you apply a load that can change.
What cables have you replaced already? Before replacing any parts you should have done some voltage drop tests to make sure all cables and grounds were good. I think Eric has a video on voltage drop, otherwise there are some on youtube. Drop test all the cables from the battery to the starter, including ALL grounds from battery to frame to engine, etc. This would have been one of my first steps. This is where the load pro test leads can come in really handy. It puts a load on while you do a drop test. If there is a lot of corrosion you may still have 12.xx volts but once you apply a load that can change.
I agree with Eric. I had a car that I thought the wheel bearing was bad on, it was making a growling noise and was more noticeable when turning one direction and would go away when turning the other direction. I thought for sure wheel bearing so took it in under warranty and they said rotors were bad. I replaced rotors and noise was still there. I kept driving it hoping it would get worse so I could tell for sure. Never really got worse. Time came for new tires so we got 4 new tires and noise was gone. Not sure what exactly in the tire causes this?
I agree with Eric. I had a car that I thought the wheel bearing was bad on, it was making a growling noise and was more noticeable when turning one direction and would go away when turning the other direction. I thought for sure wheel bearing so took it in under warranty and they said rotors were bad. I replaced rotors and noise was still there. I kept driving it hoping it would get worse so I could tell for sure. Never really got worse. Time came for new tires so we got 4 new tires and noise was gone. Not sure what exactly in the tire causes this?
[quote=”cosborne” post=55484]I def. need to get me a block tester, is it normal to smell gasoline when I take oil cap off?
Also, when I remove head bolts, and then re-torque them, is it a must to buy new head bolts?[/quote]Lots of videos on youtube on block testers or combustion leak testers.
I’m not sure about an 88 civic but if the bolts are torque to yeild bolts then yes they must be replaced. I would suggest getting a factory repair manual. Can usually find used books or CD on ebay fairly cheap.
[quote=”cosborne” post=55484]I def. need to get me a block tester, is it normal to smell gasoline when I take oil cap off?
Also, when I remove head bolts, and then re-torque them, is it a must to buy new head bolts?[/quote]Lots of videos on youtube on block testers or combustion leak testers.
I’m not sure about an 88 civic but if the bolts are torque to yeild bolts then yes they must be replaced. I would suggest getting a factory repair manual. Can usually find used books or CD on ebay fairly cheap.
If you think you have a head gasket issue. I bought one of these a couple years back and have used it a handful of times now. It’s nice to have in the garage for those times when you think you might have a blown head gasket and is a good starting point. http://www.amazon.com/UVIEW-560000-Combustion-Leak-Tester/dp/B000NPDL76/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1365103354&sr=8-3&keywords=block+tester or http://www.tooltopia.com/uview-560000.aspx. For some reason the one on amazon the picture wasn’t working but has reviews. I like the double chambers to prevent contamination and get better results but lisle makes one also for less money, http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-75500-Combustion-Leak-Detector/dp/B0007ZDRUI/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1365104251&sr=1-2&keywords=block+tester. For 30 bucks it’s worth it to have around to test whenever you think you may have a blown head gasket issue. To me you can never have enough diagnostic tools. But I’m still leaning towards vacuum leak.
If you think you have a head gasket issue. I bought one of these a couple years back and have used it a handful of times now. It’s nice to have in the garage for those times when you think you might have a blown head gasket and is a good starting point. http://www.amazon.com/UVIEW-560000-Combustion-Leak-Tester/dp/B000NPDL76/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1365103354&sr=8-3&keywords=block+tester or http://www.tooltopia.com/uview-560000.aspx. For some reason the one on amazon the picture wasn’t working but has reviews. I like the double chambers to prevent contamination and get better results but lisle makes one also for less money, http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-75500-Combustion-Leak-Detector/dp/B0007ZDRUI/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1365104251&sr=1-2&keywords=block+tester. For 30 bucks it’s worth it to have around to test whenever you think you may have a blown head gasket issue. To me you can never have enough diagnostic tools. But I’m still leaning towards vacuum leak.
I was doing some searching on this last night also because I have what I believe is a vacuum leak. The videos I saw the fog machine has a 1/8″ pipe fitting on the end of it so the guys just used a short pipe nipple to come out of the machine and then some rubber hose. Some added a tee fitting and a small amount of compressed air, under 20 PSI to help the fog flow better. I’ve been meaning to build one for a while now and just never did and see the cheap fog machines have gone up about 10 bucks in price.
Here’s a good thread on making one and some videos, http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91216&highlight=smoke+machine.
I was doing some searching on this last night also because I have what I believe is a vacuum leak. The videos I saw the fog machine has a 1/8″ pipe fitting on the end of it so the guys just used a short pipe nipple to come out of the machine and then some rubber hose. Some added a tee fitting and a small amount of compressed air, under 20 PSI to help the fog flow better. I’ve been meaning to build one for a while now and just never did and see the cheap fog machines have gone up about 10 bucks in price.
Here’s a good thread on making one and some videos, http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91216&highlight=smoke+machine.