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Burns, OR Car Consumer Discussions

Re: 2001 Jetta 2.0L Oil Consumption [jodar96]

by Mr_Shiftright on Tue Nov 18 07:18:25 PST 2008

You are either burning it or leaking it, there's no other way, so there is probably blue smoke that you can't see. You might want to have a cylinder leakdown test done to see what the problem is. If it's valve guides you may wish to consider getting that fixed. At a quart every 700 miles, you are starting to put stress on your catalytic converter. There's nothing in a can that cuts oil burning for more than ten minutes. You can gunk it up in there but that does more harm than good. If you are in a mild climate you can switch to a heavier oil, sure, like a 10W-40 or 20W-50, and see if that matters. I kinda doubt it but you never know. Or you could even run a straight weight oil if you can find one that meets your engine's specifications. But that could be hell in winter. Anyway, get a cylinder leakdown test done and then at least you can end the speculation about where exactly the problem is, in the engine.

2002 TC Front Blower

by dbasra on Mon Nov 17 18:50:16 PST 2008

I have a 2002 TC and the front blower quit working on all speeds. When I took off the glove box to check it out I could see that where the blower wires connect it was melted/burned. Any suggestion on what I should do/replace?

Re: tell me how stupid this would be [lemmer]

by texases on Mon Nov 17 14:22:32 PST 2008

"I'd probably get a Lexus SC300/400 instead and at least have some reliability. " Here's an idea - get an SC300 and somehow retrofit the Supra Turbo gear - that would be a 'sleeper'! (You did say you have money to burn, right ;) )

Miata as shelter

by indycmgs on Mon Nov 17 13:12:55 PST 2008

I bought my wife a 99 Miata for our 20th anniversary. I knew I had done the right thing when I noticed that she had waxed it within the first week we had it. Anyway.... We took a two week driving trip to Utah with the kids. The Miata was in the garage the whole time which was opened by the neighbors to feed the cat. When we got back I took the Miata out early the next morning to get a Sunday paper. Car ran fine. Later I started it up to take my son to Church. The engine was skipping badly so I turned around and came home and took another car. After we returned I decided to check under the hood to see if I could tell what was wrong. I noticed pieces of dog food lined up neatly along the cylinder head which seemed odd. Then I saw a pair of beady eyes near the brake master cylinder that clearly told me that I had intruded on someone's personal space. A rat had moved into the engine compartment and was storing dog food for the coming winter. He scampered away and I went to the autoparts store for new spark plug wires. The engine started right up and ran smoothly. I then took the car to the self-serve car wash to clean out the engine compartment. Apparently I did not get all of the dog food because the car had a distinct odor of burnt toast when the engine reached operating temperature. This went away in a few weeks after the dog food in the exhaust manifold burned away. My mechanic says he hears such stories all the time. We have since disposed of the intruder and I shiver when I think of my trip to the store to get the newspaper with the rat holding on in the engine compartment for dear life. I was relieved that he did not crawl into the heating vents and appear at my feet while I was driving! Who knew that the Miata was so attractive as a home for the winter?

no title

by iamz on Mon Nov 17 12:26:03 PST 2008

When the timing is off, the valves will open and close at the wrong time which can mess with the fuel/air ratio and the compression of that mixture at the time of ignition. If it's off, the mixture won't burn completely or at all and fouled plugs will result. Have it towed in for repair. Don't attempt to start the vehicle again. Good luck.

Re: 1995 GMC Safari RWD [vernon1978]

by safarifan on Mon Nov 17 09:59:05 PST 2008

Hello Vernon...I had a 1995 Safari, the EGR Valve and the Radiator gave me problems. I had the radiator repaired, but couldn't afford the EGR valve, so I was told to have the engine cleaned, which I did. After that, it began to blow white smoke, but a friend at work, who also owned a 1995, told me to invest in a tank of High Test gas, to clean the engine of residue from the cleaner that was used. Once I burned a tank of the highest grade fuel, the white smoke disappeard and it ran like a champ! Perhaps your van is only asking for a Steak, instead of the hot dogs we normally put in there, in the form of cheap gas, which doesn't burn the deposits off the plugs and fouls the engines faster. I know, "gas is gas" but a good mechanic told me once, to use 2/1 ration....two tanks of regular to one tank of High grade, if I want it to keep running better. Good luck, I hope that helps.