The cruise control stopped working, then I found out why. There was tape wrapped around the clutch pedal instead of the rubber bumper thingie which was supposed to hit the switch. The tape had a hole.
I didn't want to shell out the $5, so I fixed it like this:
New budget (added the penny):
$1047.72
New "real" (including tools and drinks and such) budget
$1165.12
I still don't see how drinks and tools figure into it. 1) you would be thirsty if you weren't working on it. 2) Tools are an investment in fixing more things in the future.
I agree with including tools in the budget....vigorously.
In reply to Junkyard_Dog:
Investment or not, I would not need to get them if I had bought s different car. From a family budget perspective, it counts. If I buy an iced tea for me and my buds while retrieving or transporting the thing, that counts too. I haven't actually had a beer or anything while working on it if that's what you're thinking.
Jed agrees too! That means a lot.
You can never have too many tools-and yes I believed that before I actually sold tools for a living.
In reply to Junkyard_Dog:
True! That does not, however, make them free.
Everyone's budget realities are personal and I'm hugely in favor of people setting their own rules.
In reply to tuna55:
The outer tie rods are usually easy to spot, busted boot and visibly wobbly. The inners are more subtle. You can push and pull on the wheel, but I like to watch the tie rods while a helper slowly turns the wheel back and forth. You might even hear a click-clack as the steering is turned back and forth.
Of course, the steering rack could be shot.
In reply to tester:
Good call. I suppose the front end would have to have weight on it too.
Know any good helpers, you know, in the area, maybe an old colleague? Maybe an old racing buddy? Anyone like that?
I took a day trip to Atlanta again, leaving Catywampus in the airport lot overnight.
I get back and within a mile during acceleration it missed a few times and I got a high idle and an EGR CEL. Yay! GRRR. The EGR was cleaned, and checked by me recently. The other stuff checks out OK. The high idle is part of the PCM trying to keep things happy, but I can't clear the code like before.
Also, the E-brake light is on all of the time and the switch is fine. I'm going to take that back. It went out a few times on my drive (and I took advantage of the occasion by ensuring that the emergency brake turned on the light - it does) and it came back on, seemingly without reason or symptom.
Wire to the switch is chafed and is grounding out. The switch is just aground ccircuit interrupter.
Dusterbd13 wrote: Wire to the switch is chafed and is grounding out. The switch is just aground ccircuit interrupter.
I have no center console so I can see the moving part of the wire and the switch and it all looks fine.
I don't know hondas very well, but on my 92 dodge stealth (aka mitsu), the brake light meant either the ebrake was on OR that the brake fluid was low. could be worth checking the circuit for a fluid level switch.
Forgot about that. Good catch.
bluej wrote: I don't know hondas very well, but on my 92 dodge stealth (aka mitsu), the brake light meant either the ebrake was on OR that the brake fluid was low. could be worth checking the circuit for a fluid level switch.
Nailed it!
Did some diagnosing and some breaking last night (Why did Honda use the red wire to mean negative and the black/yellow to mean positive?), but the EGR problem seems to be the EGR solenoid or the CVC valve. Now to source them.
Pff. Who needs brakes? We've driven dozens of laps in our LeMons cars with the strict driver instructions, "Don't use the brakes".
volvoclearinghouse wrote: Pff. Who needs brakes? We've driven dozens of laps in our LeMons cars with the strict driver instructions, "Don't use the brakes".
Very true!
Sometimes without any suspension bushings at all!
Sometimes without either one!
I was chatting with a buddy who did some Spec E30 racing, but not very much and not terribly well. We were comparing experience. Essentially, I told him that I had never had a clear enough track to really learn the finer points of driving in terms of eeking out the best laptime, but I was consistently among the fastest laps for the team, and I often had to drive cars with such fatal flaws that, under most circumstances, would have to be parked until repaired.
So yeah, I don't think I've ever driven a properly set up car, but I can make a crappy one do neat things!
(So can you, VCH - I miss our lap time comparos)
So was it bad switch or fluid level in the master?
Dusterbd13 wrote: So was it bad switch or fluid level in the master?
Fluid level. I will schedule some time with Tunawife for a full brake bleed session because the existing fluid was nasty.
Where did it go?
Tuna- Two words: Speed Bleeders. I just bought a set for the LeMons car. One-person brake bleeding. $10 for two. Swap them around to the wheel/s you want to bleed.
tuna55 wrote:volvoclearinghouse wrote: Pff. Who needs brakes? We've driven dozens of laps in our LeMons cars with the strict driver instructions, "Don't use the brakes".Very true! Sometimes without any suspension bushings at all! Sometimes without either one! I was chatting with a buddy who did some Spec E30 racing, but not very much and not terribly well. We were comparing experience. Essentially, I told him that I had never had a clear enough track to really learn the finer points of driving in terms of eeking out the best laptime, but I was consistently among the fastest laps for the team, and I often had to drive cars with such fatal flaws that, under most circumstances, would have to be parked until repaired. So yeah, I don't think I've ever driven a properly set up car, but I can make a crappy one do neat things! (So can you, VCH - I miss our lap time comparos)
Yeah, those were always fun. 
I think I was slightly faster in the 122, and you in the LTD, or was it the other way 'round? Either way, I think Matt/ Stephen were usually the fastest.
Speaking of no clear track, there's something like 118 teams registered for the upcoming race at CMP. That's got to be a record for CMP. It's going to be like a video game out there. I love it. 
volvoclearinghouse wrote:tuna55 wrote:Yeah, those were always fun.volvoclearinghouse wrote: Pff. Who needs brakes? We've driven dozens of laps in our LeMons cars with the strict driver instructions, "Don't use the brakes".Very true! Sometimes without any suspension bushings at all! Sometimes without either one! I was chatting with a buddy who did some Spec E30 racing, but not very much and not terribly well. We were comparing experience. Essentially, I told him that I had never had a clear enough track to really learn the finer points of driving in terms of eeking out the best laptime, but I was consistently among the fastest laps for the team, and I often had to drive cars with such fatal flaws that, under most circumstances, would have to be parked until repaired. So yeah, I don't think I've ever driven a properly set up car, but I can make a crappy one do neat things! (So can you, VCH - I miss our lap time comparos)
I think you, Matt and I went back and forth with the best lap, regardless of car but we were all within a few tenths of each other usually. It probably had a lot more to do with traffic and vehicle condition. I did have the fastest with the LTD the last time, but that car was rocking for the first stint.
In reply to tuna55:
I hope it's going to be rocking the whole time this time. The engine sounds really healthy- even better than the supposed "high compression" engine we got out of that Continental. Compression's kindof over-rated, anyway. We're down about 2 points, at least on paper, from that other engine, but that's probably only 10% in terms of power. And that's assuming that other engine had perfect compression, which it didn't. At least this one has new gaskets- and also about a 3% bump in displacement due to it being 60 over.
I can't wait to mash the gas down the straight between Turn 9 and the Kink.
Sorry for the threadjack.
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