Car Advice - For those that are either new to cars or may need some advice.

[c-no]

After having a PM conversation with @Bassomatic over some car problem I had, I thought of making this thread (unless it's too similar to the Post Cars thread @Ntwadumela made).

To try and start this off: be sure to check your temp gauge now and then while driving. I failed to do that a couple days ago and my engine started to make a bit of smoke as I neared the college I attend. Also, know the year and make of your car because certain radiator fluids works for certain vehicles (though I could just be too stupid to fall for marketing gimmicks).

 

[Bassomatic]

There is a reasoning for the rad fluid, some things use different coolants and the hoses might not play well with the other kind. Ask anyone who's filled a GM with out dexcool the fun they had.

It's all part of car companies trying to slowly drive the users insane, it works rather well. Also as I posted in the thread yes temp gauge keep an eye on here and there, for most cars it's also a "loose" gauge it shows you ok, cold, and we fucked now fam. The reason they do this, all those little error lights you have are called "idiot lights" because it used to be every gauge worked and you needed to just know to use a car safely. If you didn't know what it mean when your car's water was 190F well too bad, now it shows you with a light. Back to the temp gauge, the water temp of the car moves around a lot normally and safely, the needles would bounce around and bother/distract/confuse owners. So they loosened the tolerances of the gauges up to keep it just kinda chilling unless something goes wrong or it's far off.

Now oil temp gauges won't see in most commuter cars but trucks will have them those are normal reads and for good reason.

I want to state I'm not a professional mechanic just a back yard wrencher and I've been taught by some very talented people who literally built race cars for a living as well as other hobbiests. So please while I am happy to educate and share what I can, do always consult a real mechanic and I do struggle to diagnose with out being there in person but I'll do best I can.

 

[Lachlan Hunter McIntyre]

After having a PM conversation with @Bassomatic over some car problem I had, I thought of making this thread (unless it's too similar to the Post Cars thread @Ntwadumela made).

To try and start this off: be sure to check your temp gauge now and then while driving. I failed to do that a couple days ago and my engine started to make a bit of smoke as I neared the college I attend. Also, know the year and make of your car because certain radiator fluids works for certain vehicles (though I could just be too stupid to fall for marketing gimmicks).

Especially with cars with aluminium blocks with iron liners, or iron blocks with aluminium heads. Iron and aluminium expand and contract at different rates and different temperatures, so a lot of stress will be put on them if you overheat them. Especially with the liners, cause those bastards will slip and hello new engine block. For instance, the 3.9/4.0 litre versions of the Rover V8 is notorious for slipping liners if you overheat them for even a minute or two. Speaking from personal experience.

Thankfully with older cars, just water or generic green water/antifreeze mix will keep them from going supernova. That or buy something aircooled, never have to worry about overheating again.

 

[potatofarms]

Especially with cars with aluminium blocks with iron liners, or iron blocks with aluminium heads. Iron and aluminium expand and contract at different rates and different temperatures, so a lot of stress will be put on them if you overheat them. Especially with the liners, cause those bastards will slip and hello new engine block. For instance, the 3.9/4.0 litre versions of the Rover V8 is notorious for slipping liners if you overheat them for even a minute or two. Speaking from personal experience.

Thankfully with older cars, just water or generic green water/antifreeze mix will keep them from going supernova. That or buy something aircooled, never have to worry about overheating again.

feels. i just finished a full rebuild of the engine in my uaz 452 (volga block) after a blocked rad led to a failed head gasket and warped head. luckily it skimmed ok then i spent a week polishing the mating surfaces on an iron table with valve paste till it was as flat as i could measure on a dial gauge.
due to it sitting a few months with the fucked head, i had to put new cylinders, pistons, bearings, the whole lot. now its got a brand new rad, and starts on the button. took a lot of time and money but its my first full auto engine rebuild.
uaz are fucking unstoppable off road.

 

[WhatInTheActualFuck]

feels. i just finished a full rebuild of the engine in my uaz 452 (volga block) after a blocked rad led to a failed head gasket and warped head. luckily it skimmed ok then i spent a week polishing the mating surfaces on an iron table with valve paste till it was as flat as i could measure on a dial gauge.
due to it sitting a few months with the fucked head, i had to put new cylinders, pistons, bearings, the whole lot. now its got a brand new rad, and starts on the button. took a lot of time and money but its my first full auto engine rebuild.
uaz are fucking unstoppable off road.

That truck is awesome. Props for keeping it on the road!

 

[potatofarms]

That truck is awesome. Props for keeping it on the road!

shes a year older than me. i wish i could get MY engine rebuilt LOL.
i worked out that with the money i spent on her over the last 12 years i could have flown to moscow, bought a brand new on in the factory, and driven it home. yes they are still in production since the '50s.
but the knowlege i picked up along the path is worth gold. most of the old guys who did magic to the uaz are dying or dead. the new ones still have the same shell but fuel injected euro standard engines. no longer can you start on petrol then switch to paraffin or diesel. that was the best things about the old soviet trucks, good fuel was not always available so they were made to run on anything that burns.

i saw this ultimate engine swap btw

UAZ 452 with aircraft engine | Made in Russia

In this small van is equipment with total weight more than one ton. Airplanes have apart from major engines small ones as well. They provide operation of air conditioning, hydraulics...

www.madeinrussia.cz

 

[Kiwi Lime Pie]

I'll agree with what @c-no said about checking your temperature gauge while driving. If the temperature doesn't seem to rise even during a short drive, your thermostat could be bad.

When COVID restrictions were in full force last year, I only drove the 5-minute commute to my office and nowhere else. Eventually, my engine temperature never seemed to rise but I figured it was due to the short drive; ditto for my fuel efficiency decreasing by about 15%. During my first long drive after restrictions, eased, however, my engine light came on and the diagnostic code read by my scanner suggested it was the thermostat.

Sure enough, my thermostat was stuck open and needed to be replaced. Once that was fixed, my temperature and gas mileage returned to their usual levels. I have no idea how long it had been that way given my lack of longer commutes for nearly 11 months.
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To those that live where it snows, wash your car at some sort of regular interval throughout the year - especially after winter. I didn't do that with my current car and now I'm fighting a losing battle with rust that could have easily been kept in check better with the occasional car wash.

For anyone looking for videos on DIY auto repair, I'd recommend looking up Scotty Kilmer on Youtube. A fair number of his video are both informative and entertaining

 

[WhatInTheActualFuck]

Scotty Kilmer is hilariously terrible and boomer as hell. I actually like ChrisFix more for actual advice/DIY tips, though in most cases, I'm looking for more specific information than either provides.