SkinnedAussie

I learnt as an apprentice, started back in 1979. The latest technology was still a fantasy back then. 4 years, 3 of which involved a class room situation for a few weeks a year.

However, I was more of a Diesel Mechanic (or, as they are known today, a Technician) then a petrol engine mechanic, but you can't 'learn' about diesels until you know about engines in general.

It could very well be FI, but all the symptoms point to a carby related problem.

kubstix, I'm assuming you have the carby version of the engine, so swap the carb for the one on the old engine.

If the engine revs in neutral, but no power under load, that, to me, indicates no fuel from the power side of the carby. It may be something as simple as a blocked jet (tends to happen if engines sit for some time), so swap the carbs and see what happens.

Surely, as a Service Adviser at a dealership, you'd be dipping into every pot. You get a % of the labour charge, a % of the parts mark-up, a % of any vehicle sales (the buyer would have to deal through you come service time), etc, etc,.

I bet your weekly pay is on a par, if not more, than the best paid technician, and you get to go home clean.

Which explains one of the reasons I gave up the tools. The pay wasn't worth the bull**** we went through from the suits upstairs. And yet, the suits also got a portion of the labour charges. Go figure!

- Most of them (if not all now) only pay $80 per hour for labor. We charge $89.32 per hour for labor at my shop, most other shops in my area are much higher. The remainder gets passed on to the customer.

How much of that goes to the trained technician doing the hands-on work? You know, the one who is actually getting dirty?

a/. Approx 60%

b/. Approx 70%

c/. Approx 50%

d/. less than 40%.

Fair go guys, I was taking the piss, you know, being sarcastic.

Yeah, but a Jeep dealer uses genuine Jeep diff fluid, whereas a regular mechanic uses the cheap and nasty stuff.

For anyone interested, Roy Jones Jnr got torn a new one by Danny Green.

122 seconds is all it took.

As that link suggests, is it smoke or steam coming from the exhaust?

Place a clean, preferably white, rag over the exhaust with the engine running. If it's steam, it should leave a wet circle; if it's smoke, there should be traces of oil.

Then again, it's a diesel, so the exhaust won't be clean anyway.

Suggested @ Warning #4 seems to be the easiest way to answer your question.

My only other suggestion would be to see if you can borrow a cooling system pressure tester. That will help you find any external leak, but the white smoke is a worry.

twa, check the colour of your engine oil. If it's a strange colour, and there are no visible signs of a coolant leak, that sounds very much like a blown head gasket.

With the engine running, remove the filler cap and with the radiator topped up, see if there are any bubbles. This would indicate exhaust gas is entering the cooling system.

I certainly hope I am wrong with this diagnosis, but the white smoke usually is the give-away.

Yes. And if you dont turn the key the whole way sometimes you will hear it start to turn over.

I got in her car and it sounds like it wants to start and then it just spins. I don't know the proper terminology. It doesn't turnover and rev up. It just makes the sound like a horse neighing, Not like a motor running.

Sounds like the starter motor is not fully engaging. This has been discussed earlier in the thread.

However, check the contact at the positive battery terminal first. If it is loose, tighten it; if it is covered in a fine powdery substance, take it to a Brokebacks players house! Nah, seriously, if it is the 2nd, remove the terminal from the battery post and clean both. Replace ensuring a tight connection.

If that doesn't fix it, it could be the solenoid (where the other end of the positive cable runs to), or the starter motor itself.

182K miles is nothing for a Honda. motor will do 300 easy.

That's generally the rule, but only if the engine has been well maintained over the duration.

Mick, final thought after reading the past few pages.

I'd really just add coolant as you need to until you can get the radiator replaced.

What, no support for the egg and/or pepper solution?

182k (miles you damn metric user ) bought the car in August so I'm not sure how long since the last service...

You've had the vehicle since August, and already it's dying in the arse? At 182k, it could be getting close to the end of it's natural life.

Theoretically, you should have had a service done when you bought it. Did you have a mechanic check it out before handing over the $$$?

Hmm, the timing may have slipped, but it definitely isn't a slipping clutch as that would cause the engine to over-rev.

How many miles on the clock? When was the last service?

Alright I've got a question...

My 93ish Honda Civic Manual is laboring going up hills, and bucks and hesitates sometimes in any gear to where I can't accelerate other than maybe 1mph/sec... And then once it gets above about 2k RPMs it feels like it catches and will go with no symptoms...

Spark plug? Distributor cap? Clutch Slipping? Broken Motor Mount?

I've got no idea...

Carby or fuel injection?

If a carburettor engine, sounds like it could be blocked low speed jet in the carby.

I'm thinking about buying a used car, do I have to pay a mechanic to come with me to inspect the car?

:helmet:

If you have a mate who also happens to be a mechanic, take him with you. Otherwise, if you want to take a mechanic with you, surely you would offer to pay for his time away from work!

Alternatively, whan you take a vehicle for a test drive, advise the salesperson that you will be stopping off at your our mechanic for an inspection, and see what reaction you get. If they hesitate, you know that there is something wrong with the vehicle. A reputable car yard will allow you to do this if they know the vehicle is sound.

The cost of said inspection is at your expense.

Ethanol can be dangerous to use. Not so much as in volatility (although it does ignite quite easily), but moreso in that it burns with an invisible flame.

You won't find ethanol at any of those places. Here, only a fuel distributor (not a regular gas station) can sell it, and you have to prove why you want it.

A friend of mine told me that if you put an equal mixture of a typical Fuel Additive with Ethyl Alcohol (might have been ethanol, unless they're the same thing) that it would double your gas mileage. You know anything about that ?

Did you believe him?

From my experience, a fuel additive slightly increases the octane rating, and ethanol is commonly used in high horsepower racing engines.

The only way to improve your gas mileage is to shave some weight off your right foot!

Automatic-starter is not working either.

With that and the other problems, it sounds more like electrical. What does the positive cable from the battery to the starter look like? What does the positive terminal on the battery look like? Is it covered with a powdery like substance?

I hesitated, because I know that putting food in your gas tank, can cause a bit of a problem, so my immediate reaction to putting food in a radiator was somewhat questionable.

Not so much as putting food IN your gas tank, but if you get a small leak in your gas tank, regular chewing gum makes for an excellent long term fix. That's another of the 'I didn't believe it until I saw it' emergency fixes.

I would skip the egg or pepper,but they are good short term emergency fixes

I was beginning to think that nobody believed me!

And throw in a scrambled egg for additional protection, like Aussie said ?

No, not scrambled, a raw egg.