[OT:] Car repair parts microspam

defunct hardware chain for those who are too young to know the name). Corvette wouldn't start, alarm going. Looked under dash, needed Phillips screwdriver. Into Channel, got screwdriver (lights flashing and horn honking and

Into Channel for flashlight. This went on for a while--finding another fastener type to remove and going into Channel for a tool that fit it. Finally found the alarm module and pulled it--silence, but no start. A good hour

lights flashing and the siren sirening on one of the most stole cars in America, and _nobody_ even walked up and kibitzed, let alone the cops arriving. (Yeah--I shoulda pulled the battery connector--was suffering from target

short together to get it to start (this was in the days before the alarm system was microprocessor controlled, it was just a dumb relay system) and drove home.

Senior son wanted to know why his 710 ran fine for me but gave him no end of problems. I told him that it knew what would happen if it didn't! Gerry :-)} London, Canada

when I replaced it, instead of selling it, I hauled my oxy/acetylene rig out in the driveway and cut the damned thing up into little pieces. I found that very therapeutic.

no problems with it!

Had an El Camino that would have benefited from your 'gas treatment'. I bought a 'model badge' from the dealer and rearranged the letters using a band saw and Sharpie marker.

For a couple years, the car identified itself as a Chevrolet 'El Lemono'.

:)

--Winston

Two was quite enough for me.

--Winston

one per cylinder Gerry :-)} London, Canada

when I replaced it, instead of selling it, I hauled my oxy/acetylene rig out in the driveway and cut the damned thing up into little pieces. I found that very therapeutic.

no problems with it!

Ever see a Ford TEMPOrary Gerry :-)} London, Canada

(...)

Is that like a Dodge 'Startus'?

--Winston

(...)

Indeed.

--Winston

Yah, but, straight water will freeze in the radiator at -60 F. ! ;>)) Not many people have been to FF, even Canadians! heh heh ... My friend and I made a motorcycle trip there four years ago and all the way there and all the way back all we heard when asked where did we go was "FF? Why! Are you crazy? Are you nuts? Nobody goes to FF!! " Even heard that from a RCMP on the way back and at the border at International Falls! Quite the place, a town built on rock, nothing but rock. The water and sewer lines are above ground in a two foot square manifold with a steam line included that is connected to the smelter to keep the water and sewer thawed in the winter. whuh! phil

LMAO....

Jon

...but you still pump the pedal a couple times first, right?

I actually did that once many years ago when I graduated from carbureted to FI. I chuckled to myself and didn't repeat it.

--Winston

Actually pumping the pedal does have an effect on some FI engines. Many of them see it as a "clear flooded engine" signal.

On Toyotas it's a good idea, allows you to make sure the pedal isn't stuck....

I was an auto mechanic for over 15 years during The Carbureted Period. To this day, I catch myself pumping the pedal on EFI vehicles. When I do, I grin, too. That was a hard-stuffed habit.

Speaking of throttles, I took the Tundra to the dealer today and had them do their thing. The service manager said that they hadn't had one single case of throttle problems with any vehicles they sold or which had come through their shop yet. I thought maybe I'd get a free wash job out of it but didn't. ;)

-- We're all here because we're not all there.

(...)

Don't tell SWMBO, but it took her months to stop doing that.

While I don't want to beat on the 'stuck accelerator' horse, the reports struck me as fishy. I tried to envision myself dialing '911' on my cell phone because I was driving an out - of - control car. Somehow the image never materialized.

--Winston

I had some problems similar this last winter (2000 Blazer 4.3 V6). The stepper motor that runs the throttle was "sticking" and wouldn't close properly, leaving the motor running sometimes over 1500 RPM.

When I had the plugs, cap and wires changed (140k) my mechanic exercised the stepper motor manually with his diagnostic unit.

All works properly now. Was it a problem with the motor? Linkage? Bearings? Who knows?

But no, I'd never ever thought of calling 911 :)

The nice thing about it is that it does no harm whatsoever. I always hit the throttle before I stuck the key in and put on my seatbelt, so it didn't even talk to the black box.

Like the woman who talked on the phone for several minutes both to her husband and 911 operators while her car was out of control? Yeah, I believed that about as much as the line "We're from the Government, and we're here to help you."

The service manager said that they'd had NASA engineers look at all their code and they couldn't find anything, either. BUT, they added a line or three of code installing further safety measures. If you tap the brakes, the throttle circuit goes to idle -harder- now.

Me? I have a strong hunch it was an Obama Motors setup on Toyota to bring customers back to GM^H^HOM.

-- We're all here because we're not all there.

Yours doesn't have the 'Hang meat' setting? ;-)

(...)

If given the option of surrendering my car to a Toyota service department or gouging my left eyeball out with a rusty spoon, I'd ask how rusty the spoon is.

--Winston