r/mechanic Jul 16 '24

Announcement New Feature In r/mechanic

21 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

Just a quick post here to inform you all of a new feature that has been added to sub that may help cut down on unwanted comments in your own posts.

If you are the OP(original poster/creator of a post) and decide you want your entire post locked, you can simply comment on your post with just "!lock" (no quotes), and AutoMod will automatically lock your post. This will prevent any further comments on it including ones from yourself. Just a small warning, you cannot undo this yourself, you will need to send in a ModMail to request the post to be unlocked again.

Just a small update to the sub but, may be beneficial to some if you start getting flooded with comments.

Thanks,

Mods


r/mechanic 18h ago

General Seen on nursing sub (That's where my 10mm socket went)

Post image
92 Upvotes

r/mechanic 2h ago

Question Gonna change spark plugs in a '95 Toyota Camry 2.2l engine. First time.

3 Upvotes

What will I fuck up that I shouldn't fuck up? I'm looking for anything I need to be aware of that isn't completely obvious.


r/mechanic 6h ago

Question Tire question

Post image
6 Upvotes

Slight bulge and gap in the tire as in the photo. The tire is 3 years old, only 15k miles. Does it need to be replaced and is it safe to drive on? Thank you all!


r/mechanic 1h ago

Question Starter clicks once out of nowhere

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

So I have a 1999 Subaru Wrx Manual 2.0L Ej20g closed deck, I just did the clutch and while getting it back in had to wait until my new downpipe gasket arrived. I had to move another car in so I pulled it out and it started just fine, i now have the gasket. Drove the car into the garage totally fine (fine enough without a downpipe) put my exhaust back on without a top mount and it started like normal. Shut it off and now every time I try to start it it just clicks once and that’s it.

So far I’ve checked another battery that is for sure good… nothing. Hit it with a hammer, cleaned and checked my terminals and their tightness, took the starter off and put it back on. And hooked a multimeter up and it’s reading the right volts but it all leads back to nothing

I can spin the motor freely by hand so it’s not locked up too.

Any help here would be appreciated


r/mechanic 1h ago

Question Starter just clicks once out of nowhere

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

So I have a 1999 Subaru Wrx, I just did the clutch and while getting it back in had to wait until my new downpipe gasket arrived. I had to move another car in so I pulled it out and it started just fine, i now have the gasket. Drove the car into the garage totally fine (fine enough without a downpipe) put my exhaust back on without a top mount and it started like normal. Shut it off and now every time I try to start it it just clicks once and that’s it.

So far I’ve checked another battery that is for sure good… nothing. Hit it with a hammer, cleaned and checked my terminals and their tightness, took the starter off and put it back on. And hooked a multimeter up and it’s reading the right volts but it all leads back to nothing

I can spin the motor freely by hand so it’s not locked up too.

Any help here would be appreciated


r/mechanic 6h ago

Rant 08 Acura TSX, giving up trying to fix it myself.

2 Upvotes

Long time DIY-er who has worked as a mechanic assistant and has worked on their car multiple times as a hobby.

I’m giving up trying to figure out where this leak is for my AC. I bought the vacuum, refrigerant, Black light, etc and today, not sure if it was me being hungry, the water sprinklers turning on randomly and drenching my work space, or the southern heat, but decided to get it worked on by someone else.

After years of working on my car, replacing my AC over 3 times, I think I’m finally going to the mechanic. It’s a little embarrassing that I’ve given up, but I’m tired.

Totally relate to mechanics who just want a car that runs.


r/mechanic 3h ago

Question car making this odd noise

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

0 Upvotes

someone please help me identify this horrible noise coming from my car in the mornings mostly. still can hear it in the afternoon but this is getting worse. got a diag and 2 visuals inspections and they cannot find any thing. cv axle and sway bar links along with the basic stuff you would think is checked off. not sure what to do at this point


r/mechanic 3h ago

Question Is my leak down tester defective?

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

I have a 2007 Saturn Ion-2 2.2 that I replaced a water pump on and the sprocket holding tool became loose causing a DTC (p0016) to pop up. It drove fine for about a week but died while I was warming up the engine one day. Two additional codes (p0341 and p0520) popped up. Fast forward. 8 months later I'm trying to repair it. The chain didn't snap but a tiny piece of the small top guide had chipped off causing the chain to sag a little. Thank God the piece sat near a rocker arm. The other guides seem to be still intact.

Before I replace the chains, I want to do a leak down test to check the valves. I have removed several components like the valve cover, intake manifold, coolant reservoir and some hoses fuel rail, etc. I have a leak down tester that might be defective or maybe I'm just not using it correctly.

Can someone please ELI5 how to use it? A few things: air seeps from two places. 1 is a hole under the air adjustment knobs hex bolt. Maybe it's a bleeder hole? The other is from the hose that connects to the hose that screws into the spark plug hole. Another thing is the right side gauges needle goes way to the right, past 0 clockwise to 100 on the other side. For example, the needle is naturally at 100 (redzone) when nothing is hooked to the tester, or the compressor is hooked up but the air isn't being let through. When I adjust the knob to let air through, as the psi on the left gauge goes up, the needle on the right side gradually goes from 100 past the yellow zone, past the green zone, past the second yellow zone, past 0 all the way back to the 100 mark. This is one way clockwise and with the psi on the left barely reaching 40-60 psi

Can someone give me some advice on this or does it seem like the tester is bad?

Note: Air seeps frim those places when a certain amount of air is let in

Thanks


r/mechanic 7h ago

General Ford F-150 XLT 2010 4.6l v8

2 Upvotes

Was driving down the interstate going 60 when I heard loud noise and truck started shaking violently, pulled it into a hotel parking lot and am waiting for a tow, where do I go from here?

Edit: I mean is it worth fixing


r/mechanic 3h ago

Question My AC is having issues and I’m 99% my dealership has no idea what they’re doing and are a scam

0 Upvotes

Look, I understand the knowledgeable ones hate dealerships, but I am not knowledgeable and and have finally decided enough is enough. This freaking place takes so long and charges so much and doesn’t resolve issues

Anyway, like two weeks ago I took in my 2013 Tacoma to the Toyota dealership bc I was only getting cold ac from the left driver vent. They said this was probably bc of a leak and they’d need to run some fuel test. Supposedly they found the leak and I paid like $300 for it to be fixed.

When I got the car back the leg ac vents still didn’t blow cold but the rest did, and this isn’t the first time the dealership doesn’t fully resolve a problem but I was so irritated I didn’t immediately go back.

It’s been 2 weeks and now the original issue is back again, only cold air in the far left vent.

What should I do 😭 should I go to a smaller parts store? Watch a YouTube video? Please and thank you.


r/mechanic 4h ago

Question Mazda 6 2009 3.7l gt/s where is canister purge valve area

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

Hi I have been looking for the canister purge valve for a while and so far I was told it’s under the brake reservoir area and it requires me to remove the battery here’s the thing the brake reservoir is on my passenger side and my battery is on my driver side 🤦‍♂️ I found a video showing where the tube leading to it is but unfortunately I can’t distinguish where the valve is I also cannot distinguish how I would go about putting a new one in so now I’m forced to either find someone smart enough to find it and I’m unsure if my photos will help in any way due to the fact everyone on the matter is talking about the 3.0l and not the 3.7l unfortunately it appears it’s below the dash tucked below the firewall metal portion their is one video of the guy finding the tube but he doesn’t at any point show how you access the purge control valve so far the most I’ve been able to do is find the tube that leads to it, I can stick an endoscope in and to my surprise it’s under that metal firewall tucked in their but I can’t for the life of me find it. Unfortunately everyone who’s a subject master in this subject doesn’t know either this appears to be the sort of job you have to take apart the entire undercarriage just to install this $20 part and asking ai doesn’t work ai doesn’t appear to know either because it’s going off the more popular 3.0 model


r/mechanic 1d ago

General Couldn't get this lucky if I was Gambling

Post image
153 Upvotes

Doing the rear main seal on my 1997 7.3 f350 and broke a bolt, had to get a bolt extractor kit but luckily all it was the reverse drill bit to get it out.


r/mechanic 4h ago

Question 2009 Lexus GX 470 P0420 code cats or O2

Post image
1 Upvotes

I have a 2009 Lexus GX 470 with 212k miles and recently got a P0420 code. A shop told me I need a new catalytic converter and said I would probably fail emissions when the time comes.
I went and got my emissions test today and passed. My numbers were:
HC: 0.0651 g/mi, limit 0.6000
CO: 1.0579 g/mi, limit 15.0000
NOx: 0.1019 g/mi, limit 1.5000
So I was well under the limit on everything.
My question is, does how far under the emissions limit you are tell you anything about how healthy or worn out the catalytic converter is?
Basically, can a catalytic converter be partially degraded enough to trigger P0420 but still produce numbers this good and pass emissions?
The cats are original, so I’m trying to figure out if I should actually replace the Bank 1 catalytic converter or have the O2/A/F sensors and catalyst efficiency properly diagnosed first.
Anyone with experience with GX 470s or Toyota/Lexus emissions diagnostics have any thoughts?


r/mechanic 4h ago

Question Cylinder 3 Misfire - 2017 Audi Q3

1 Upvotes

Howdy y'all,
I've had some struggles this year on this vehicle. Oil consumption (a little more than 1qt/1000mi), and a reoccurring cylinder 3 misfire. We replaced sparkplugs and ignition coils after the first round of misfires, which fixed it for a few months, had cylinder 3 fail again, swapped the new coil for one of the old ones and I am having issues with the same cylinder again.

I don't know if this is a plug/ignition coil issue, or if I'm trying to fix the wrong part of the problem.

We're at about 101,000mi, I got it at 82,000 and do regular oil changes.

I'm about to swap the coil again to see if that will tide it over, but what else should I be looking into on this now?


r/mechanic 9h ago

Question What’s creating this noise?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

2 Upvotes

My girl has a 2011 Chevy Malibu LT (2.4 L) and she sent me this video with the car making this noise


r/mechanic 5h ago

Question RPMs dropped to 0 out of nowhere need help

1 Upvotes

2001 Lexus Es300. I was driving home and I was stopped at a red light when the RPMs kept bouncing up and down from 0. It did it a couple times and then it did it a lot faster, then the battery and oil pressure light popped on and I shut the car off. Turned it back on and now its running fine but im worried to drive it. No codes. What could be the issue?


r/mechanic 5h ago

General My first time ever doing my transmission fluid, filter, and CV Axel

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

Two years ago, I didn’t even know how to do an oil change. 😭


r/mechanic 6h ago

Question 2014 350z 6 speed

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

would this amount of play be concerning. all gears go in smoothly but noticed the input shaft has a little bit of play, i’m also being pretty firm to get this play. also was no fluid in the trans at the time of this recording. let me know if there’s anything i should be concerned with before throwing it in. thank you.


r/mechanic 6h ago

Question WTF is this noise 2019 civic SI 1.5t

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

Filmed the best i could while’s keeping my eyes on the road, hear this noise on decel ( especially while braking ) on my passenger side only with my window open. Anythint will help thanks


r/mechanic 7h ago

Question What can cause high crank case pressure when compression tests good

1 Upvotes

I have a 05 Toyota matrix 1zz-fe.
There is a fair amount of cranks case pressure (you can feel it really puffing if you take the oil cap off)
I’ve replaced the pvc valve and tested compression. Factory compression was 210psi and a minimum if 145psi I believe. My lowest was 190 with most at 200.

What else can cause it or what else could I check here?


r/mechanic 15h ago

Question Ford f150 2005 5.4l, anyone know why the mechanic did this “relay bypass”? When i disconnect the car does not start. Thanks!

Post image
2 Upvotes

r/mechanic 8h ago

Question Megane mk3 1.5 dCi (110 HP) Throttle Issue: No response at full throttle from standstill, jerky RPM drop

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice regarding a frustrating issue with my 2009 Renault Megane III 1.5 dCi (110 HP, Siemens/Continental fuel system). No warning lights or "Check Injection" messages on the dashboard.

The Symptoms:

  • Total loss of throttle from a stop: When trying to accelerate from a standstill, if I press the gas pedal to the floor, absolutely nothing happens. The RPM stays around idle, and the engine feels like it's bogging down.
  • Releasing the pedal helps: The car only starts moving and responding if I partially release the gas pedal.
  • Jerky RPM drop: When I rev the engine and let off the gas, the RPM doesn't drop smoothly to idle; it drops in a jerky, stuttering way.
  • Delay: There is a noticeable 2-3 second delay in throttle response when accelerating.

(Note: I just had the clutch and dual-mass flywheel replaced 2 weeks ago, but this throttle issue started exactly 1 day BEFORE the clutch replacement, so it's likely unrelated).

What I've done/checked so far:

  • EGR Valve: I removed the EGR valve and the metal conduit. It was completely clogged with thick, hard carbon. I cleaned it thoroughly, it's mechanically spotless and moves freely now. However, I haven't done a software adaptation/relearn yet. Is it possible the electronic part of the EGR got fried from struggling with the carbon?
  • Vacuum Solenoid: Replaced the turbo boost control valve (vacuum solenoid) – no change.
  • Brake Switch: I tried pulling the brake pedal up with my foot while accelerating to rule out the brake override system – didn't help.

Could this be a faulty fuel pressure regulator (IMV valve) on the high-pressure pump? Or maybe the anti-shudder valve (throttle body) is broken? Has anyone experienced these exact symptoms?

Any ideas or suggestions for what to check on live diagnostics would be greatly appreciated!


r/mechanic 13h ago

Question 2021 Mazda Cx-5 88k miles - unknown noise HELP

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

2 Upvotes

What is this noise??

I have taken my car to 3 different mechanics and no one can seem to tell me what this noise is or they don’t hear it on test drives. It most frequently happens when driving 35 to 55 mph and when coasting. Noise goes away when braking. Seems to appear most often on bumpy roads/speed bumps. Just put new guide pins in, pads and rotors are all less than 6 months old, and michelin tires only have 30k miles on them and are wearing evenly. Tires have been balanced and alignment is good. I appreciate any ideas or thoughts. TYIA

ETA: I believe it’s a 2.5L turbo


r/mechanic 9h ago

Question 2005 Honda Accord overheating

1 Upvotes

I have a 2005 Honda accord that is overheating already replaced the radiator,fans, water pump, and thermostat and is still overheating what else could it be?