help on car maintainance?

[danielson]

So i notice when i brake i get a slight grinding/rubbing noise as I apply brakes...I haven't noticed any discernable difference in braking time, and when i slam the brakes the wheels still lock up and skid (no ABS) think it takes slightlyu longer to brake now, but does this mean the brake shoes/pads might have worn down? the brake pedal still engages before its maximum length of travel

also, when i change gears I notice the gears sort of 'clunk' into place, sometimes with a audible noise. All the other cars I have driven are far newer than this, so is this just due to age or is it a sign of anything else?

and finally a soft whirring noise at slightly higher revs is probably just the drive shaft making noise, right?

 

[Scotsman]

So i notice when i brake i get a slight grinding/rubbing noise as I apply brakes...I haven't noticed any discernable difference in braking time, and when i slam the brakes the wheels still lock up and skid (no ABS) think it takes slightlyu longer to brake now, but does this mean the brake shoes/pads might have worn down? the brake pedal still engages before its maximum length of travel

also, when i change gears I notice the gears sort of 'clunk' into place, sometimes with a audible noise. All the other cars I have driven are far newer than this, so is this just due to age or is it a sign of anything else?

and finally a soft whirring noise at slightly higher revs is probably just the drive shaft making noise, right?

For the brakes you are probably down to the wear bars and need new pads.

Get your tranny serviced. May need to get a full flush and refill. If that doesn't help then you may have some damage.

The whirring could be anything from a leak in the vacuum chamber ot exhaust line. Or something rubbing somewhere in the shaft. Can also be caused if you have a plugged up airfilter and it is sucking air through the case instead of the intake.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[Roid Pimp]

Check the muffler bearings....

likely they are worn..

 

[swole]

Check the muffler bearings....

likely they are worn..

Check the blinker fluid while you're at it too...

On a serious note, it sounds like your pads are digging into your rotors. If you can see the rotors without taking off your wheels, check for deep gashes. The rotors should otherwise be smooth. They might also be warped.

The whirling sound could be a variety of things...bad wheel bearings included. My car made the same noise; I replaced the wheel bearings and everything was fine after that.

Ditto on the tranny flush.

 

[Scotsman]

Check the blinker fluid while you're at it too...

On a serious note, it sounds like your pads are digging into your rotors. If you can see the rotors without taking off your wheels, check for deep gashes. The rotors should otherwise be smooth. They might also be warped.

The whirling sound could be a variety of things...bad wheel bearings included. My car made the same noise; I replaced the wheel bearings and everything was fine after that.

Ditto on the tranny flush.

We got a guy to go into Checker for blinker fluid so he could change the color of his turn signals. Fucking priceless.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[Devastation]

new brake pads fo sho

 

[Buddy_Christ]

Auto or manual trans? If it's manual and giving you some issues, the syncros could be going bad. Or....is there anything under your clutch pedal? I've had it happen before where the floormat bunched up underneath the clutch pedal just enough to give me some issues. I've driven some stick shifts with a shitload of problems and sliding it into neutral before picking a gear just avoided the problem.

Hard clunking could also be U joints, but that's only going to really apply to a RWD automatic.

Trans flush if it's an automatic is in order, definetly. We're having issues with my gf's trans again and I know a good flush should clear it up for a while. Going to get some trans shit this time too to run before I do the flush, help clean it out.

Brakes - hope it hasn't worn down through the pads yet. I had that happen once on a car I didn't give a shit about and the rotors were fuct. I didn't even bother with the 1/4" grooved rotors, just replaced the pads The rotors and drums could be getting a nice coat of rust while the car sits and some grinding could be heard when it's being rubbed off, but that's usually only if it's sat for at least a day in humid enough weather and it goes away quickly.

The noise...can't diagnose from here.

 

[danielson]

thanks guys

yeah its madfe that noise for a month now....its my first car but its about 6yrs old....FWD manual, but everyones been assuring me it doesnt need new brakes. still I'll take it to a brake shop soon

As for blinker fluid.....help?!? what the hell is that...I dont wanna get fleeced to bad when I take it to the mechanic, from the engine and age of the car its gonna be fairly evident to them its my first one, lol

 

[Buddy_Christ]

It's not hard at all to check the brakes yourself to see how much pad is left. Jack it up, take off the front tires, look at the pads and rotors. For the rear, jack it up, take off the tires and drums, check the pads and drums (or rotors if it's 4 wheel disc).

 

[KillzwithPillz]

Check the muffler bearings...

get the chrome ones the last twice as long and they look coolio

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

As for blinker fluid.....help?!? what the hell is that...I dont wanna get fleeced to bad when I take it to the mechanic, from the engine and age of the car its gonna be fairly evident to them its my first one, lol

I think they were being facetious.

 

[danielson]

I think they were being facetious.

thank fucking god,i was thinking what fucking hydraulic system I had missed in a cars working, lol

thanks guys I'll hit u all up

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Make sure you do have the flux capacitor checked though, as once that goes, it's all over.

 

[Scotsman]

thank fucking god,i was thinking what fucking hydraulic system I had missed in a cars working, lol

thanks guys I'll hit u all up

Here is a list of things not to ask about

Blinker fluid
Muffler bearings
Oil coolant
Defroster fluid

Any of these will cause a mechanic to double the service charge as they know you don't know jack about cars.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[danielson]

Here is a list of things not to ask about

Blinker fluid
Muffler bearings
Oil coolant
Defroster fluid

Any of these will cause a mechanic to double the service charge as they know you don't know jack about cars.

Cheers,
Scotsman

lol yeah buggers, I know what anti-freeze is as its what frenchies make wine from

bollocks if i had heard of muffler bearings though...I found a franchised place which doies free brake checks so I'll probably take it there after i have a looksie

 

[Spartacus]

Here is a list of things not to ask about

Blinker fluid
Muffler bearings
Oil coolant
Defroster fluid

Any of these will cause a mechanic to double the service charge as they know you don't know jack about cars.

Cheers,
Scotsman

heh

 

[tuc biscuit]

your car has full blown aids