The Car Maintenance and Repair Thread

[The Latinist]

Are you sure that's gas vapor coming out and not vacuum pressure releasing?  You will still smell a an odor of gas when you unscrew your cap regardless.

[Desert Fox]

On my '94 Honda Civic there is an audible 'hiss" when you unscrew the gas cap.  That's the way it's always been since I bought it new. While the whole EEC system is pretty passive it can cause a check engine light if something is not working as expected. but if it's the "hiss" that you hear, that you have concerns about? That's normal on my car, I just open the cap slow, stop when it hisses and then open it the rest of the way when it stops one sec later.

My 2001 Mustang threw codes for this and found out that the gas fill line rusted out.
Did not out what the problem until I had to replace the fuel pump.

[HighPockets]

Are you sure that's gas vapor coming out and not vacuum pressure releasing?  You will still smell a an odor of gas when you unscrew your cap regardless.

That's a good point. The only time I unscrew the cap is at a gas station, so there's always a slight smell of gasoline in the air. 

[stands2reason]

1996 Honda Civic Hatchback Brought Back to Life (https://honda-tech.com/articles/civic-hatchback-brought-back-life/)

[Alex Simmons]

The remote door lock no longer unlocks my front driver side door. It locks OK but doesn't unlock with the key remote. It unlocks OK using the key in the door. I've watched videos on this repair but it's beyond me, so my trusty service centre will get one last job to do.

I say one last job as it's time to move on. I love this old Golf but it's just no longer suitable for our needs and it's time for updating to a bit of luxury.

So I'll be shopping for a (near) new car soon. It'll be an SUV as we are located rural now, I bought the Golf when I was living in the city. Next car will be 4WD to cope with towing a trailer up our steeper section of gravel drive. SUV because the wife is learning to drive and she prefers to be sitting a bit higher up from the ground, so I'm compromising a little. Else I'd get a nice performance wagon.

Been testing various cars and so far the Mercedes Benz GLC250 is my current fave.

The Golf I hope can go to a good home. It's a great car and runs really well.

[drwfishesman]

If your brakelights stay on after you turn off the car, remove the proper fuse, then inspect under steering column to make sure the brake switch is not loose. The spring loaded push button of the brake switch should sit in a recess on the brake pedal arm. When the brakes are pushed the button releases and turns on the brake lights, when your foot is off the brake the plate should press the button and turn off the brake lights. Easy fix for a common problem.

That is all.

[superdave]

so do those little caps on the tire valve actually do anything?  I noticed mine was missing and the tire pressure in that tire was low.

[xenu]

so do those little caps on the tire valve actually do anything?  I noticed mine was missing and the tire pressure in that tire was low.

I think you answered your question in the second sentence.

[Alex Simmons]

so do those little caps on the tire valve actually do anything?  I noticed mine was missing and the tire pressure in that tire was low.

I think you answered your question in the second sentence.

A valve cap's job is to keep dust/dirt/grime out of the valve end so that when you are inflating the tyre you don't blow that crud inside the tyre and foul the inside of the valve mechanism (which can then result in the valve not sealing properly and leaking). Else they make no difference to whether a tyre maintains air pressure.

[superdave]

so do those little caps on the tire valve actually do anything?  I noticed mine was missing and the tire pressure in that tire was low.

I think you answered your question in the second sentence.

I cannot disconfirm the role of the cap in losing air pressure but the nail the mechanic found probably played a larger role.

[The Latinist]

so do those little caps on the tire valve actually do anything?  I noticed mine was missing and the tire pressure in that tire was low.

I think you answered your question in the second sentence.

Those caps do not keep air in the tire; their purpose is to protect the valve and perhaps to prevent accidentally pressing it and releasing air.

[xenu]

so do those little caps on the tire valve actually do anything?  I noticed mine was missing and the tire pressure in that tire was low.

I think you answered your question in the second sentence.

Those caps do not keep air in the tire; their purpose is to protect the valve and perhaps to prevent accidentally pressing it and releasing air.

If there is a rubber lining in the cap it should keep the air in. I was taking the tire pressure on a 767 and took the cap off and the tire started leaking from the stem. The valve core had backed out and just needed to be screwed back in. If the cap wasn't there the tire would have been really low.

[stands2reason]

[HighPockets]

If your brakelights stay on after you turn off the car, remove the proper fuse, then inspect under steering column to make sure the brake switch is not loose. The spring loaded push button of the brake switch should sit in a recess on the brake pedal arm. When the brakes are pushed the button releases and turns on the brake lights, when your foot is off the brake the plate should press the button and turn off the brake lights. Easy fix for a common problem.

That is all.

This happened to me yesterday afternoon, except it wasn't the switch that was loose, but the little plastic insert in the brake arm has finally given up the ghost and cracked and fallen out, leaving a hole in the break arm just big enough for the switch to fit through, hence leaving the lights on. it's a quick fix, just go get a new little plastic thing and pop it back in the hole.

What I don't get is why was it engendered that way? why not put something more substantial in the hole or not have a hole at all?

I think the same thing happened to the safety for the clutch a couple months back, even with the clutch engaged it wouldn't start. it ended up in the shop for two days while they tried to figure that one out. couldn't they have been proactive enough to replace the one on the brake at the same time? getting under the dashboard in the foot well is no easy task for a man of my stature.

[Alex Simmons]

Large crack in windscreen the other week, so had the mobile car window service come and replace it. Then a day or so later when driving in the rain I noticed one of the windscreen wiper blades was not returning to its proper resting position, it was sitting up too high. Normally it tucks in down below the bonnet. I completed my customer survey form and mentioned the problem and the company rang me pretty soon to discuss - they are sending someone out to sort it when they next come through my town.

Need to get two new tyres. Better call the tyre place today for that, as I have a lot of highway miles to do next week (might be shopping for my next car on that trip if a duck or two falls into line by then).

And the automatic door lock mechanism is failing on the driver's door. That's a pain. It still works fine when you put the key in the door lock but ugh, who does that anymore?! Still need to work out if it's worth fixing. If I ever want to sell the thing, it most likely will be.