The Mazda 3 has those crappy sway bar links that can be a bugger to remove. Make sure you soak them down with nutbuster or something similar a while before you do them. If the nut is rusted on they just spin and drive you nuts. Other than that it's an easy job, especially if you buy complete assembeled struts.
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I noticed a small tear on rear brake caliper dust cover while changing out the brake pads. The tear doesn't like it's been there for awhile and didn't notice anything much entered the piston area. I know it keeps moisture and dust out, but I don't feel like repairing it in the cold and wait until spring. Would you get a new caliper or rebuild/replace the rubber dust cover only? How difficult on 07 MDX?
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I think I already know the answer, but is there perhaps a modern day reason a year old SUV with 25K on it would need "caliper service" as part of a regular service?
I think I already know the answer, but is there perhaps a modern day reason a year old SUV with 25K on it would need "caliper service" as part of a regular service?
You bet. Something like that would mean re-lubricating the slides, removing any corrosion buildup between the pad ears and the caliper, basically making sure everything still moves freely and works like it's supposed too. I do it every 25-30k since it's so cheap/easy and gives you a good idea of how your brakes are looking.
^ did they tell you what the code number was? do you have the check engine light on again now?
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In the link above it does say something about service campaign in the comments, maybe the dealer will take care of it?
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Last edited by ricosuave; 11-30-2016 at 12:37 PM.
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Make sure your gas cap is tight. You may need to replace it if it isn't making a good seal.
They sound like 2 separate issues. If you can, tap the starter with a hammer while someone tries to start it. If it starts, then you probably need a starter.
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It's weird that it would cause the vehicle to not start for more than a minute or two if it's just an evap purge valve. It obviously needs one anyway (they're cheap) so I'd replace that just to rule it out, then if it still won't start you know it's a separate issue.
You said the battery is new but how is the alternator? Do accessories work or is the whole car dead? Just a single click usually means starter solenoid ( or whole starter motor)
It definitely sounds like a different issue than the evap purge.
Last edited by btimbit; 11-30-2016 at 12:40 PM.
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This is a bodywork thing rather than mechanical, but I figure this is a good place as any to ask.
We have a deep scratch on the hood of our new mini-van. Right down to the steel. Got a quote to repaint the hood for $500. That's money I'd rather not spend.
What's the risk of just leaving the scratch? I don't care about the aesthetics of the scratch as it stands, just worried about rust, peeling, etc. And do those pens they sell at dealerships do anything useful?
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About all I do with my own vehicles is change tires and change oil. That's my skill level. Is attempting the following two things a wise move? Basically, can I do it?
1. Rad flush
2. AC repair (one of those kits to add AC stuff)
It would be for an 09 Nissan Pathfinder.
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
About all I do with my own vehicles is change tires and change oil. That's my skill level. Is attempting the following two things a wise move? Basically, can I do it?
1. Rad flush
2. AC repair (one of those kits to add AC stuff)
It would be for an 09 Nissan Pathfinder.
Rad flush would be super easy, if you can change your oil you can flush your coolant. Just drain it, fill it with water, run the vehicle with the coolant cap off to purge air out and the heat on full to flush the heater core for about half an hour. Then drain out the water, fill with new coolant, run for half an hour once more, again with the coolant cap off and the heater on, then after half an hour double check your level, check for leaks, put the cap back on and you're good to go. Easy peasy.
AC stuff though is really advanced for a DIY. Its not impossible but AC has so many different factors in making it run that it's not exactly for the faint of heart.
The problems are twofold really, without an expensive AC manifold gauge set you don't know how much to add (those DIY kits sometimes include a low side gauge but not a high side gauge) if the system is completely empty you can't just add refrigerant, you need to suck down the system with a vacuum pump to remove any moisture in it.
On top of that, there's the question of why do you need to add? If it leaked out you need to address that first. Sadly you can't just accept the leak and top the system off every few months to keep it working because that's letting moisture in and would lead to more and more problems. And again without knowing exactly how much to add you run the risk of adding to much, which could cause the system to run even worse than when it was low, or even start breaking components of the pressure is too high.
And then with AC work you can never rule out an electrical problem. That's a whole new bag of worms
Last edited by btimbit; 08-11-2018 at 09:13 AM.
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This is a bodywork thing rather than mechanical, but I figure this is a good place as any to ask.
We have a deep scratch on the hood of our new mini-van. Right down to the steel. Got a quote to repaint the hood for $500. That's money I'd rather not spend.
What's the risk of just leaving the scratch? I don't care about the aesthetics of the scratch as it stands, just worried about rust, peeling, etc. And do those pens they sell at dealerships do anything useful?
If you're going the touch up route (Rather than repainting). I'd get a paint touchup kit from ChipFixx. They're a bit more pricey than the pens, but infinitely better. The pens (even dealership ones) basically leave you with a glob of paint on the surface. This kit is great because you end up with a level surface, and its pretty easy to do. I've sworn off the pens, they're rubbish.
Rad flush would be super easy, if you can change your oil you can flush your coolant. Just drain it, fill it with water, run the vehicle with the coolant cap off to purge air out and the heat on full to flush the heater core for about half an hour. Then drain out the water, fill with new coolant, run for half an hour once more, again with the coolant cap off and the heater on, then after half an hour double check your level, check for leaks, put the cap back on and you're good to go. Easy peasy.
AC stuff though is really advanced for a DIY. Its not impossible but AC has so many different factors in making it run that it's not exactly for the faint of heart.
The problems are twofold really, without an expensive AC manifold gauge set you don't know how much to add (those DIY kits sometimes include a low side gauge but not a high side gauge) if the system is completely empty you can't just add refrigerant, you need to suck down the system with a vacuum pump to remove any moisture in it.
On top of that, there's the question of why do you need to add? If it leaked out you need to address that first. Sadly you can't just accept the leak and top the system off every few months to keep it working because that's letting moisture in and would lead to more and more problems. And again without knowing exactly how much to add you run the risk of adding to much, which could cause the system to run even worse than when it was low, or even start breaking components of the pressure is too high.
And then with AC work you can never rule out an electrical problem. That's a whole new bag of worms
I don't think there's an AC leak it has just got to the point where it's low and not as cool as it used to be. Does that change things to make it easier?
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
I don't think there's an AC leak it has just got to the point where it's low and not as cool as it used to be. Does that change things to make it easier?
The problem is it's a closed system, it should never lose refrigerant unless it's leaked out, so if it's low then it went somewhere.
Does it run fine but just isn't that cold? Or does it constantly kick on and off?
Yeah runs just fine but isn't super cold anymore. And actually, the AC issue is with my 07 Nissan Sentra, but the Pathfinder. I just didn't mention that to keep it simpler here.
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
Before getting into anything crazy there's a few things you could check. If you can see the AC Condenser, check to see if it's got a lot of leaves and bugs on it blocking the airflow. If it does clean it out and see if that improves anything. If your car has a cabin air filter check that as well and replace if necessary.
If that doesn't help you then you can check the pressure's to see if it is indeed low. You'll need an AC manifold gauge set to check both the high and low side pressures. They cost anywhere from $100 to $300 usually, but I'd caution against the super cheap ones. $150 ish would get you a decent one suitable for DIY use. Just make sure you get one for R134a systems and not an older R12 one, although some these days come with fittings for both.
Connect your gauge set and compare your readings to what they should be at for the ambient temperature. Check your service manual, it might include the pressures for your car. If not here's some generic ones.
If your pressures are indeed low, then you can try to add refrigerant. Rather than type out a long post on how to do this properly I'll just let the expert explain.
If you do just add refrigerant keep in mind that there's a reason you lost refrigerant in the first place. If next summer you find it's not running again it's time to check for leaks. Hope this helps!
