Automotive Section

[Colonel_Reb]

Thrash, my old blue ovals haven't let me down lately, as usual, but I am in the process of diagnosing my 2000 Expedition. It started making a constant thumping sound under the front end when going above 15MPH. It is much louder at road speed. I'm going to jack it up and test out the front end parts with a pry bar to see what might be loose. The passenger side was completely rebuilt just under one year ago, before I bought it. I'm pretty sure one of those same components needs replacing on the driver side, possibly a lower ball joint. I hope to be able to take care of the fix myself, but we'll see. I have enough tools for most jobs, but I'm lacking when it comes to more specialized equipment. As mentioned earlier in this thread, most of my experience is in restoration and body work. I'm still learning on the mechanical side of things.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I knew that front end sounds often telegraph through vehicles and make you think the problem is coming from one place when it is really coming from somewhere else. Well, that is what happened with my Expy. I jacked up each front wheel and did the up and down test for movement. The problem was in the passenger side, where I had about an inch of movement each direction (a scary amount). I removed the dust cap and saw evidence of the problem right off. The inner and outer wheel bearings were shot and the nut was very loose, to the point of it eating into the cotter pin. I unbolted the caliper and removed the hub and then proceeded to clean and remove the old bearings and races (one race was in really bad shape, but they should always be changed with any new bearing installation). I was able to purchase the items needed to fix the problem for $40 (and I loaned a bearing race and seal driver kit from my local parts house) and now I once again have a smooth, quiet ride. No need to take it to the stealership and come home several hundred dollars poorer. It mainly just took a little effort in diagnosing the problem and part of an afternoon in my quiet basement to fix it. Just wanted to provide an update for y'all.

 

[BoxingSpecialist2]

Having an automotive section to this site would be fantastic, but I would suggest an aggregate "DIY" section which includes automotive, electrical, plumbing, and heating sections.

I have a University Degree in Business, but since moving out to Alberta I've been involved in the trades and have learned a hell of a lot regarding industrial and commercial pipe fitting. It is separate from say plumbing, gas fitting, or electrical but somewhat related. I've learned more in a year and a half in the trades then I did in 4 years of University at one of Canada best schools.

Without exaggerating, I work with guys in the trade who can make 1200$ a day doing pipe fitting or plumbing (keep in mind these guys have years of experience though, don't expect that right away). Hourly rate is about 40$/Hour in Calgary but these guys are paid by the job. That sort of cash exceeds what 95% of careers with a degree will yield.

There is something to be said for being able to work with your hands and as corporations become more and more PC there are less and less jobs available for males and they don't typically pay well. It's funny because here in Calgary I notice women seem to make up the vast majority of corporate jobs. Because women typically can't do trades work, there is a premium placed on physical work especially if it's skilled. Not to mention trades work is impossible to outsource or replace. You need people with particular skill sets to fill those jobs.

In my own case, I am on the way to have both a degree and a trade which is a very rare combination and increases your job prospects exponentially. I'd advise all young men to get into a trade. It is well paying work, and you don't have to deal with politically correct crap that you would in an office, business, or store. It's also physical work which I like because as a male I like to stay fit.

Finding a good job with my business degree was hard. I mean, I found work as store manager (the highest I was paid was 25/hour, but it typically paid 15-18 an hour). But it would take weeks, sometimes even months to find good work. And it's like you're always begging for a job. Now that I'm in the trades finding well paying work is relatively easy. I spent about a year with one company here in Calgary, and after leaving it took me less than a week to find a comparable job. So, I think you become infinitely more employable when you have a trade. Not to mention, when you're good enough you can do your own work and don't need an employer.

Moving out here and becoming involved in the trades is possibly one of the best decisions I've ever made!

I also have friends who have been extremely successful in the trades, much more so than those with a Degree.

Since working in the trades I'm now very familiar working with various tools and regularly take on various DIY projects. Some of the work I've done lately includes installing residential gas lines for friends (took me 2 to 3 hours to do an entire house, can charge 400$ or so for it), running separate gas lines for fireplaces or bbq's (takes 1.5 hours, its worth at least 200$)? installing and servicing reverse osmosis drinking water systems (300$ for 30 minutes of work, replacing filters), swapping dishwashers (250$ for 1 hour).

It really is fascinating how much money you can make doing small jobs for people (especially women) who have no clue about basics in their house.

If anyone has any questions regarding household piping, gas, or plumbing I could probably be of some help.

 

[Westside]

Having an automotive section to this site would be fantastic, but I would suggest an aggregate "DIY" section which includes automotive, electrical, plumbing, and heating sections.

I have a University Degree in Business, but since moving out to Alberta I've been involved in the trades and have learned a hell of a lot regarding industrial and commercial pipe fitting. It is separate from say plumbing, gas fitting, or electrical but somewhat related. I've learned more in a year and a half in the trades then I did in 4 years of University at one of Canada best schools.

Without exaggerating, I work with guys in the trade who can make 1200$ a day doing pipe fitting or plumbing (keep in mind these guys have years of experience though, don't expect that right away). Hourly rate is about 40$/Hour in Calgary but these guys are paid by the job. That sort of cash exceeds what 95% of careers with a degree will yield.

There is something to be said for being able to work with your hands and as corporations become more and more PC there are less and less jobs available for males and they don't typically pay well. It's funny because here in Calgary I notice women seem to make up the vast majority of corporate jobs. Because women typically can't do trades work, there is a premium placed on physical work especially if it's skilled. Not to mention trades work is impossible to outsource or replace. You need people with particular skill sets to fill those jobs.

In my own case, I am on the way to have both a degree and a trade which is a very rare combination and increases your job prospects exponentially. I'd advise all young men to get into a trade. It is well paying work, and you don't have to deal with politically correct crap that you would in an office, business, or store. It's also physical work which I like because as a male I like to stay fit.

Finding a good job with my business degree was hard. I mean, I found work as store manager (the highest I was paid was 25/hour, but it typically paid 15-18 an hour). But it would take weeks, sometimes even months to find good work. And it's like you're always begging for a job. Now that I'm in the trades finding well paying work is relatively easy. I spent about a year with one company here in Calgary, and after leaving it took me less than a week to find a comparable job. So, I think you become infinitely more employable when you have a trade. Not to mention, when you're good enough you can do your own work and don't need an employer.

Moving out here and becoming involved in the trades is possibly one of the best decisions I've ever made!

I also have friends who have been extremely successful in the trades, much more so than those with a Degree.

Since working in the trades I'm now very familiar working with various tools and regularly take on various DIY projects. Some of the work I've done lately includes installing residential gas lines for friends (took me 2 to 3 hours to do an entire house, can charge 400$ or so for it), running separate gas lines for fireplaces or bbq's (takes 1.5 hours, its worth at least 200$)? installing and servicing reverse osmosis drinking water systems (300$ for 30 minutes of work, replacing filters), swapping dishwashers (250$ for 1 hour).

It really is fascinating how much money you can make doing small jobs for people (especially women) who have no clue about basics in their house.

If anyone has any questions regarding household piping, gas, or plumbing I could probably be of some help.

BS2 "University Educated" should always be your calling card when posting on CF. J/K LOL

 

[Thrashen]

Last week, my cousin called me because he had a dead battery at college (left his lights on), he didn’t have jumper cables, and there was nobody else around. I not only carry good cables, but I also one of those “battery jump packs,†but I’ve only used it on lawnmowers and tractors. It worked amazingly well. You hook the clamps to the battery (positive to positive, negative to negative) and turn the switch to “ON.†Literally 15-30 seconds later, you’re able to start the car. I’d highly recommend them to my friends at CF…

They work great for the dreaded “dead batter in winter†problem. Also, my alternator went on my daily driver (Ford Focus) 3 different times throughout the 300,000 miles I’ve driven the car and having that jump pack could’ve probably got me a few miles down the road on a fully charged battery.

The unit is re-charged by plugging into an 110v AC outlet. The only drawback is that you need to take them out of your car and charge them every few months, which most people probably will forget to do...

 

[Thrashen]

In my opinion, one of the primary reasons for the debt crisis in this country stems from the fact that around 84% of Americans who purchase a car require a loan/financing…with over 1/3 of those loans being sub-prime loans (a loan with a terrible interest rate similar to a credit card). Aside from a home, cars are, on average the most expensive item that people will spend money on in their lifetime. Financial guru, Dave Ramsey, constantly rants about this topic and I agree wholeheartedly with his sentiments…

[video=youtube;NvZJb_ydvUk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvZJb_ydvUk[/video]

As he mentions above, I see countless neighbors, friends, family, acquaintances, and co-workers essentially ruin their chance at financial independence because of their sense of entitlement and concurring with the Big Jew Lie that “I’ll always have a car payment.†As we all know, a brand new car is literally the worst investment one could ever make, given their unavoidable and immediate depreciation.

I know guys with a $600/month truck payment. I know housewives who lease (a principle even worse that financing) luxury cars for $500/month. I work with a guy that has a 10-year, $200/month boat payment. Heck, I even know someone with a lawnmower payment! Who could afford this?

Example...my wife’s sister and her husband recently purchased two brand new, fully-loaded Subarus…which combined cost around $80,000. Both cars were financed with $0 down, which means they will likely eventually pay a total of $100,000 for two cars that’ll be worth $10,000 total before the term of the loan is up. At the time, I begged them not to do it and even offered to fix their current cars (which needed minor repairs, but were paid off) in my garage for little/no charge if they ever broke down. They headed off to the dealership.

Couple this sheer idiocy with the fact that most white Americans already have massive student loan and credit card debt, and it’s no wonder why everyone is “broke†and under the thumb of Jewish Bankers.

I’m surely no financial genius (I know nothing about investing and I'm not interested), but my wife and I have zero loans/debt, never bought anything we couldn’t pay cash for, and have always driven old, high-mileage “beater†cars with minimum insurance coverage. I do have a "Discover" credit card in case of emergencies, but have never used it once. The only loan I’ve ever taken in my life was for my house ($200,000 bi-level with 9 acres in rural PA, around $60,000 down payment at closing) that I just recently paid off after 5.5 years. The ONLY reason I was able to put so much money on my mortgage for so many years is because I had no car payments. Sure, I'd spend a couple hundred dollar in parts each year to maintain my "junkers," but probably the equivalent of a single monthly car payment for most.

 

[davidholly]

I'm selfish, let the idiots buy all the new cars they like. Just means it'll be cheaper for me to buy them secondhand.

 

[FootballDad]

I have four cars, my oldest son has two, all of them purchased used with cash. If I were to post every week about maintenance and repairs on my "fleet" it would fill this thread. Later today I'm going to rebuild the traction lock unit in my '95 Mustang, along with replacing the axle seals and bearings. Then I have to change spark plugs in my Taurus X which involves removing the entire upper intake assembly. Good times!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I don't plan on ever buying a new car (or even an almost new car), but I have some relatives who will only buy those kinds of vehicles. I just can't make sense of throwing that much money away, but I grew up relatively poor and my parents taught me better than to throw money away like that.

 

[Thrashen]

Between Christmas and New Years, I purchased a 2002 Oldsmobile Aurora (90,000 miles with a V6 engine) from my dad’s friend for $700. The car was in great shape, had 5,000-mile oil changes, and had some cool “luxury” features such as heated seats, sunroof, alloy wheels, power seats, cruise control, CD player, and a digital readout for gas mileage. The reason it was so cheap is because it had a bad alternator, bald tires, and a broken passenger side window that was covered in plastic. The car looks like this…

Given that the KBB value of such a car is around $2,500 and the guy was buying was a new car and they were only offering him $500 for the trade-in, he took my deal. To avoid having to pay for towing (due to bad alternator), I simply disconnected the alternator and installed a fully-charged 12-V marine battery to drive it back to my garage. Bought a “reconditioned” alternator for $60 and installed it. Got a new passenger side window from a junkyard for $35 and installed it. Bought some used tires with plenty of tread for $100. Changed the oil/filter for about $25. My wife cleaned up the interior and I washed the car at a carwash for under $5. With gas to travel, transfer costs, and parts, I had about $900 total in the car. Two weeks later, I’m looking to sell it for around $2,000 and everybody wins. If so, it’ll be one of my best “car flip” margins ever!

In my area of PA, I've found that luxury Buicks and Oldsmobiles (in the range of 10-15 years old) are selling on Craigslist for dirt cheap, but most are V-8's, which few people seem to want. If anyone here is interested in "car flipping," these brands (in V-6) seem have the best margins lately.

 

[Extra Point]

Well, my car broke down Saturday night. First I noticed a knocking sound. Then I noticed the heater wasn't working. Then it started stopping. I would have to wait awhile to start it up again. This happened three times. At this point I decided to drive it to and leave it at an automotive shop I frequent.

I didn't make it. It finally shuddered to a halt and I smelled a funny smell. I had it towed to the shop. I had had it stop on me before and I took it in but they couldn't find out what was wrong with it.

I'm not an expert on cars. Any advice on what could be wrong with it and how to deal with the shop would be appreciated.

 

[FootballDad]

Sounds catastrophic to me. Could just be a blown head gasket, but sounds to me like maybe a cracked block. I had this happen to me with an old Ford Escort that I had. The anti-freeze/water mix was too watery and we had -10 degree temps one night. Coolant froze and cracked the block. Did the EXACT same things you are reporting here. Needless to say, I had to replace the engine. It was a "fun" job.

 

[Extra Point]

Sounds catastrophic to me. Could just be a blown head gasket, but sounds to me like maybe a cracked block. I had this happen to me with an old Ford Escort that I had. The anti-freeze/water mix was too watery and we had -10 degree temps one night. Coolant froze and cracked the block. Did the EXACT same things you are reporting here. Needless to say, I had to replace the engine. It was a "fun" job.

Thanks for the reply. I hope it's the gasket and not the block.