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FOR MY CAR!!!!
My car's engine management system has an error that makes it incorrectly pick up misfire codes. Imagine how I felt when my fairly new car was showing 0300 - misfire, multiple cylinders.
Problem is, the car doesn't have a floppy drive, so I have to go to the dealer and pay em $79.00 for the upgrade.
Not covered under warranty? The computer usually has a longer warranty than the base engine.
Nope, almost 80,000 miles on an '02 model. They couldn't have found this issue during 2002...no, that would be too easy.Quote:
Originally Posted by hudsonsmith
Have you checked the plug wires for excessive resistance, Were the spark plugs replaced
I drove on 02 Focus that would occasionaly hiccup, the engine would cut out, They replaced the plugs and eventully replaced the plugwires which solved the problem
Could be that your plugs are foulded causing the multiple missfire error wit the ECM
If you need the firmware upgrade, Check with your local performance shop and see if there is a performance flash upgrade for your car, This would give you more power
But you will have to go to the dealer for the upgrade since they have the equipment to plug into your car, Email the maker of your car and see if they would cover it under a recall or TSB
Alternatly for 24.95 you can sign up onto the alldata.com website and get all the info on your car including recalls and TSBs , One of them may cover the issue your having
People often ask me why I drive around in a 29 year old car.. bought for a couple of hundred pounds over 20 years ago.
I might well use this post to explain!
It might be old but it starts, goes and stops as it should and being made of glass fibre will never rust out. It's only broken down twice in all these years, once when a wire fell off the coil and a second time when a core plug blew out.
The only electronic bit is the radio!
Basically I can usually fix most things on it with just a hammer, an adjustable spanner and a swiss army knife.....
And now of course it rates as a "classic" which means cheap insurance, (£75 per year with a 5000 mile limit (ample for me)) and it is now worth far more than I origiinally paid for it.
I really do not need anything flash, no power steering / brakes, central locking, electric windows and so on.
As it's now old and rare it does attract a lot of attention wherever I go, probably helped by the colour, which is far more vivid than in the picture!!
It also averages around 55mpg (UK gallons) so really is cheap transport!!
http://www.atodini.co.uk/John/Kitten.jpg
John
I'd like to have an old cheap car, but here in the US, most old cars are in the 15 mpg and below range. My '74 El Camino was great (now a basket case waiting on restoration) but the best I ever saw was 12.5 mpg driving nothing but highways.
Plugs and wires are about 2 weeks old. I also did a thorough intake system cleaning. I'm waiting for the distrubutor rotor to come in, then I'm replacing it and the cap. I hope that'll get the slightly rough idle to smooth out. Its not storing codes any more, but I think I'll go ahead and do the upgrade next week. There may be other 'bugfixes' as well.:D
So Atodini, what exactly is that car?
It's a 1975 Reliant Kitten DL. Reliant were famous for making the "Del-Boy" three wheelers but always also made a few 4-wheeled versions. Along with the Scimitar range of executive sports cars.... I really want one of these but they are gas guzzlers so I cannot really justify getting one at this time....
Total production figures between '75 and '81 were around 4000 only. Build quality was abysmal, so few have survived, around 400 left on the road according to the owners' club.
I don't know if he still has it, but Outcoded had a truck version...
It has similar running gear to the three-wheeled Robin. Just a slightly more powerful engine. It is 850cc producing around 52 brake horsepower, not a lot admittedly but with a kerb weight of under 8 hundredweight it still is a nippy car, easily able to keep up with and occasionally beat most moderns in traffic. It's a brilliant town car as it has a turning circle of 21 feet, better than a London Cab.
This particular one is one of the earliest produced and with the exception of one or two commonsense type modifications, is completely standard throughout. It's as yet unrestored and was voted best original at a classic show a couple of years ago.
The fun part is the handling & roadholding. Being very light and rear-wheel drive it's extremely nimble, much better than any Mini in this area. The front end is pure Lotus, unequal length wishbones, coil-overs and a stout anti-roll bar. Add to this a quick rack and it's impossible to drive it for even a short journey without ending up with a silly grin on your face!! It's just like a street-legal go-Kart!
Top speed is in the 80-90mph area but you'd need to be very brave to try as the steering really is too quick for these speeds, plus the typical '70's aerodynamics, or lack of, which means it gets blown off course very easily in even moderate wind conditions. Keep it in the 60-70 range and its fine though!
Acceleration is quite brisk by the standards of the time, 0-60 in around 12 seconds.
These days it's less a car, more a member of the family.
John
Wow:thumbs: sounds like a snazzy oldie do you have a pic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Atodini
72 Torino every day for 10 years (big joke was my car will in Y2K). Mostly to the train, couple months of city. Got progressivly worse till engine blew. Still have it......
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lost
look at the picture (brilghtly painted car) ,,,,about 4 posts above yours ,,
Oops! Sorry didn't see the pic up there before :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Lost
ok ,Quote:
Originally Posted by Lost
here is a brief history of reliant ,,, http://www.warks1-noggin.co.uk/history.htm CAUTION ,there is annoying sound,
for people in the uk ,,reliant also make/made the metrocab , and did the fibreglass for the famous escort rs200 rally car
I shouldn't abandon my own threads.Quote:
Originally Posted by machineman
Wow, wasn't that the monster with the sideways transmission and front drive?
You might check the web to see if there was a recall on that particular problem. I used to know of a good site for checking recalls (i know all about this stuff, I drive a dodge truck :p), but I forgot it what it was. But here's one.Quote:
Originally Posted by FatalException0E
Olds Toronado and Cad Eldorado back at that time :thumbs:Quote:
Originally Posted by FatalException0E
Alldata DIY has TSBs and recalls. There was a TSB for the issue, but no recall. Seems it isn't a serious enough issue to warrant a recall. (in other words, it still works when the problem is occuring)Quote:
Originally Posted by WebHead
Ah yes, the Toro, that's right.Quote:
Originally Posted by GrandDad