gearbox

iTrader: (95)

I decided to make this thread because I realized alot of people don't really know how to work or operate a car correctly. These are just some general things that you should be doing and are not related to actual driving of the car for the most part.

-When you start the car, leave it in the ON position for a few seconds to build fuel pressure before cranking. If you sweep through all the clicks, it will crank longer and start poorly.

-If you have an auto, don't let off the gas when it's switching gears! Do you stop pedaling when changing gears on your 10-speed bike? NO

-Don't let the car idle for 10-15 mins for no reason. You're wasting gas and clogging up the engine with carbon deposits.

-After first starting the car, it's really bad to floor the gas without waiting for the engine to reach operating temp.

-If you ride your brakes, they will get ruined. Stop doing that!

-Turn your headlights on/off slowly. Parking light first, then a few secs later the driving lights. Halogen isn't an instant lighting technology.

-Don't slam the doors. They still close properly with a light push.

-Don't sit in the parking lot and rev the car until it reaches temp. Free rev is actually bad even when the car is warm. There is no load on the engine.

-If the A/C is on, don't rev the engine to high rpms. But more importantly, do not turn the a/c button on when rpm is higher that 3k. Also, don't even bother turning it on below 20 degrees F. the compressor will not work.

-It is important to run the a/c every couple weeks by driving at a constant rpm around 3k for at least 10 minutes with the dial set to max cold and highest fan speed. This circulates the lubricant which keeps everything working properly.

-When the check engine light comes on, turn off the car immediately! Something is wrong, so don't drive it!

-If you have HID, they need a few minutes power up/down time.

-When parking on an incline with auto, pull up the parking brake BEFORE releasing the brake pedal. When leaving, press brake pedal first and release brake once the car is in gear. This takes pressure off the tranny so you don't hear that loud clunk when putting in gear.

-All lug nuts MUST be torqued to 80 ft.lbs using a real torque wrench, and aluminum wheels must be re-torqued after 100 miles of driving. This prevents rotors from warping.

-Avoid braking to a stop at speeds above 40mph. This will greatly increase brake pad life and prevent warping of rotors. If you make a hi speed stop and are sitting at a light, do not keep the brake pedal depressed. It will cause a hot spot on the rotor. Let off the brake if the car is on a flat surface. for auto, shift to neutral.

-Do not turn your headlights on during a clear summer day. You can't outshine the sun. All you will do is substantially reduce the life of the bulbs.

-Don't press the brake pedal while starting an auto car. all it does is use battery power which the starter needs more than the brake lights.

-If you change headlight bulbs to a different brand or style, they must be reaimed (focal point variations always exist, sometimes within the same brand as well). use a philips screwdriver to turn the adjustment gear.

-Check under the hood frequently. You never know when you will find kinked or leaking hoses, mouse living in the intake, leaves in your drain holes, plastic bag on the header, intake filter fallen off the pipe. Its the most important part of your car so make sure it is in good condition.

Black03civic

iTrader: (1)

Good stuff, common sense is a lost art.

Akutenshi

iTrader: (4)

hah goodstuff.

the only one i dont really understand is "-If you have an auto, don't let off the gas when it's switching gears! Do you stop pedaling when changing gears on your 10-speed bike? NO" ...

for me, sometimes the damn thing wont change UNLESS i take my foot off the gas. otherwise it just keeps driving into high rpm.

as for the bike analogy, its been a LONG time since i road a bike, haha but.. wen ur pedaling, u dont pedal and change the gear otherwise it slips... doesnt it? i have no idea, i probably dont even remember how 2 ride a bike anymore

Logan3024

iTrader: (8)

if the engine isnt getting enough fuel it wont start, period. waiting for pressure to build is unnecessary

not really, this is why ignition timing is advanced 8 degrees until engine is full warmed up, more damage is caused from cold cranks.


service manual step to warming engine
1. start engine
2. hold 3000 rpm until radiator fan comes on

this applies to a clutch but not brakes, brakes are put on a car to stop it! brake pads dont last forever!

something is wrong but that doesnt mean to not drive it. if something major is wrong, the car wont start. If the MIL comes on due to a sensor, that sensor will go into the "fail safe mode"

(taken from service manual) when an abnormality occurs in the signal form the sensor, the ecu will ignore that signal and assumes a preprogrammed value for that sensor
page 11-13

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

Wow I got pnwed

Sickboy

iTrader: (3)

It IS bad to drive the car hard when it's cold because tolerances were designed at operating temperatures, plus it's running rich (choke). Rev it to 2000 rpm for about 30 seconds, then go. Take it easy for a bit after the temp gauge hits normal, because not everything is up to temp just yet. I really wish we had oil pressure gauges - end rant.

sp3cialk

those are some really good tips.

Metallica454

iTrader: (1)

AggressiveAdam

iTrader: (4)

Dont your first two points sort of contradict themselves? If you live somewhere cold, say canada, and have remote start I warm up the car for about 8-10 minutes (car auto shuts off after 12), also if im running in for a slice of pizza or just to drop something off at someones house I leave the car idleing in remote start (w/o the key ofcourse) because in cold weather its horrible juts shut off your car and start it again.

and the check engine light isnt dire, go to your mechanic asap but dont pull over on the side of the highway and wait for a tow truck. Perhaps if your Oil light came on, or your temp gets high thats when you pull over right away.


other then that EXCELLLENT tips

cubanmike26

iTrader: (9)

I'm glad I stay in Miami!! LOL!! Sunny weather all year long!!

Cocky

iTrader: (6)

the only thing on the list i won't do, is turn the car off if the MIL comes on.. i want the engine to blow up.. can we say k20?

nickm748

what does MIL stand for

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

malfunction indicator lamp (same as check engine light cel)

cubanmike26

iTrader: (9)

^^^LOL!!!!!!!!....I feel you man!!

VTEC01EX

iTrader: (6)

Riding your brakes will ruin them. Unless you want to be buying pads every 10K miles, it's bad. It's also annoying for the driver behind you.

teamPR0

****. didnt know about the first one. i better stop doing that... i always turn the key fast

orso

iTrader: (1)

you said it!!!!!!!!!!

AggressiveAdam

iTrader: (4)

well if you drive an automatic in a city with as much bumper to bumper traffic as toronto, you pretty much just brake the way the guy infront of you brakes.


I always try to avoid riding them but breaks are there to be worn, thankfully there not that expensive, I pay around $220 for a set of pads installed.

DieselDrummer

As far as the head lights go, turning the switch on or off slowly doesn't do anything. It is a digital switch, just like a light switch at home, if it takes you 5min to move a light switch from off to on, it is the same damn thing and turning it on as fast as possible, because as far as the bulb is concerned, it is off untill the circuit is complete, and thats when it turns on. Sure turning them on and off rapidly is bad for bulb life, but moving the switch fast or slow doesn't do anything.

There are no degrees of "on" or "off" just one or other other.Sure there might be a split second voltage drop when the lights turn on, but if you do parking lights, then headlights instead of all at once, you will have two of those small voltage drops which would be worse on everything than just having one small drop when everything turns on at once.

Mr_Plenty

iTrader: (3)

...i only have a problem with the fourth onenot true...as per honda

beadebaserr

iTrader: (7)

i'm really **** about taking off RIGHT after starting a car. my girlfriend cranks her car over then takes off immediately like it's a nascar, and it bugs me. i dont care what the manual says, i think driving aggressively before it's at operating temp is bad for your engine. i also click my key over slowly into the on position, wait for the fuel pump to stop buzzing, then start. i like to prime the pump. and i've had bad luck with keys getting stuck in ignitions and breaking ignition switches in the past, just like one time i broke the whole entire ignition assembly in my old blazer, key was stuck forward, car would run and headlights would come on, but NOTHING else, and I had to drive home in the worst storm ever with no wipers. let's just say i got a little wet.

and as for the CEL, ****...i'm done driving my car forever. my CEL is on every single day, ever hour i drive my car. stupid EVAP and k20 swap. haha.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the manual says you dont need to warm up your car by letting it idle, and its true. driving a car hard before it reaches operating temp is completely different and very bad for the engine. the vtec cam will not even engage until coolant temp reaches normal, to prevent engine damage.

as for the headlights, i agree turning them on the switch speed doesnt matter, but when turning off ive noticed that if you turn them off too fast they will go out completely right away, but if you leave the park light on for a few secs, you can see the light slowly fade down. idk if that makes sense but yea, theres a difference when turning them off suddenly or waiting a few secs with park light on. maybe it doesnt matter for anything. the main reason i put it there was so that the car doesnt get shocked by all the stuff turning on at once. the parking lights = one 55w headlight as far as power use.

beadebaserr

iTrader: (7)

i do so many things to baby my car that are probably just psychological anyway. i'm ocd about everything.

two things that drive me nuts:
1. when people touch my windows, INSIDE especially.
2. when people shut the door by the black trim on the back of the door, and it gets fingerprinted up and looks bad. i always shut my door by the actual painted surface. haha.
okay there's 3...when people dont kick their shoes off and bring a ton of grass into my car.

now everyone is scared to ride with me.

speedricerx

iTrader: (5)

for the turning on the headlights diy, u should mention that turning on the headlights at night will drastically improve road vision.

^for dumbasses who don't turn on their headlights at night.

ArjoonKumar

^ my friend sometimes turns off his headlights at night and calls it "stealth mode" he does it mostly to mess with ppl tho

beadebaserr

iTrader: (7)

well i call it "idiot douche bag mode" if he's doing it to mess with people.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

haha yea i see too many people who love to drive with drl and parking lights on. i guess they think they can get away with looking like the lights are on with the extra glare, but they dont get to see anything on the ground. and the people who drive with one headlight burnt because theyre too lazy to spend 5 minutes and $8 to change it.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

learn somethign new everyday. i didnt know the first one.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

updated first post with more stuff

civic-driver

iTrader: (4)

hey i actually knew all of these and do them wow.... i just thought i was wierd