I get Error code: SSL_ERROR_UNSAFE_NEGOTIATION Qualys also detects that this is disabled. I would like to see the page as I like older cars.
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A few things to know before stealing my 914
271–280 of 428 posts
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#272Great article! Makes me wonder if in 40 years people will write about how to (not) get an old Tesla Roadster or BMW i3 going again? Although, rather than pumping the acceleration 4 times to get enough gas into the engine so it will start, that will probably begin with hacking the car's system so it allows you to start it...
I've been saying for a while now, there will be no more 'classic cars' starting after the mid-1990's because of the failure of electronic parts that will not be able to be replaced. The best that will happen is people using the shells to 'restomod' them into new cars that look old. Even today, it's much easier for a beginner to buy a broken 1970's car and get it running than a broken 1990's car.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#273Earlier quoted context omitted.
The state of Washington is an interesting case. They had annual inspections and then somebody ran the numbers and found that so few cars were being flagged, that it was an enormous waste of resources. They got rid of their inspection requirement. More programs should be run like that. Set a goal, create a program, then periodically evaluate if the goal is still the same and if the program is effective.
Many states barely even check anything anyway. Out of six states I've had a vehicle inspection in, only one (Maryland) did more than check lights, wipers, brakes, and horn. Inspections seem to be more a revenue stream than anything else.
I think most states will fail a car with the "check engine" light on. For cars in the northeast, keeping the CEL off gets more and more expensive every winter. I had a truck that was getting a new oxygen sensor (there were 6 on the car) every year from age 8 to 12. The truck drove fine with them malfunctioning, but it couldn't pass inspection. My current Jeep, I assume is going to need about $2K every year in maintenance to get it to pass inspection. And the only reason to do the maintenance is the inspection, because it also drives fine.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#274My first car was a 68 Mustang, which was a gorgeous heap of junk. At one point, the clutch just completely gave up and wedged itself in the “engaged” position. To get the car moving, I had to kill the engine, put it in 1st gear, and turn the key to run the starter. This pulled the whole car into enough motion to get the engine going, then I could synchro shift all I wanted until it came time to stop again. For that c…
I had a car where the shifter broke to the automatic transmission - it was simple enough to bypass the neutral safety switch and then I could just leave it in Drive all the time. Just had to make sure if parking to park on an incline if I wanted to be able to roll back out of the parking space. Eventually I cut a hole in the floor and welded a shifter direct to the transmission.
Related to this, one of my stories about turning a car off.... I was a misguided youth rebuilding a Subaru that sat in a field for a long time. It had many problems, but overhauling the engine solved all of them (or so I had naively planned). I remember the first drive I took with it after getting plates on it. Right after filling the tank for the first time, I went to Taco Bell, bought a victory taco, and went to a parking lot to look over my city and eat. When I tried to shift into park, the cable snapped. Dejectedly, I sat and ate the taco with my foot on the brake, warming the ATF while I figured out what to do. Several factors stacked against me, including that I lived on a hill, didn't have a garage, the e-brake was rusted, and it was January in one of the snowiest areas in Michigan (3-4ft snow banks in most places). I knew the next time I flipped the car off would really count, because I would have to hot wire the NSS or fix the cable to get rolling again. Parking in the winter is a huge problem too: you will get towed or fined for getting in the way of snow removal. I ended up precariously "parking" the car in drive near my house with a combination of gravity and a snow bank. I set the ramps up, crossing my fingers that they were spaced correctly and that I would succeed in getting on them on the first try. It all worked out, and when I finally turned the car off, I felt pretty intellectually victorious.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#275I am rather glad that modern cars late 90's are so depressingly reliable and lacking in "character" and just works when I turn the key and all they needs is fuel, oil change, filters and fluids at intervals. I would choose an Audi/BMW if I wanted that sort trepidation in my life.
I would say for the most part, that's how all cars were up until the 90s. Post 2000 everything is computerized and there's not a ton a shade tree mechanic can do beyond swapping out parts.
At least if you know how to use a code scanner, newer cars are so much better at telling you what is wrong with them. Though it does take some skill and experience to know the difference between what code(s) tripped and what is actually wrong, as often a code that trips is well downstream of what part has failed. But it's amazing the amount of data you can pull out of a car using an Autel reader or similar.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#276> Do not become emboldened by your progress
I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to stick this into docs or a tutorial someday. What a brilliant line that really captures that thrill of a newcomer to a problem feeling like they've accomplished something only to find the worst is yet to come.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#277All I could think about was how I should write something similar about my belovedly-wretched 1979 MGB. Lucas, the manufacturer of many MG parts, colloquially known as ‘the Prince of Darkness’ because of a tendency for the lights to suddenly stop working. The tell-tale crimp in many trunk lids, caused by attempting to shut it without disengaging the little rod that kept it open. Don’t bother locking the doors if you d…
You forgot the points based fuel pump that needs a bang or two with a mallet occasionally to keep running. Not that I will ever admit to owning an MG (or four) since I'm a Triumph guy at heart.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#278Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not always the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog. I knew a guy that was an incredible mountain biker, won all the races he entered etc. He used to show up with crappy bikes probably 10lbs heavier than everyone else... he'd still win. Sometimes you either have it or you don't, and all the equipment in the world won't help you.
In this case a 914 is close to the perfect car for autocross. They are super light, so they change direction like a fly. The mid engine layout means they have excellent balance. Autocross is a low speed event, so the lack of power isn't the penalty it would be on a larger circuit. With modern tires a 914 should do extremely well.
Sounds a bit like my Lotus Elise. I never tried autocross but that car loved tight not too high speed tracks.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#279Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re not kidding! I first learned to drive stick in a deuce-and-a-half that my dad bought cheap at a surplus auction. I accidentally shifted from 1st straight into 5th quite a few times. The darn thing had so much torque that it wouldn’t even stall when you did that!
Fun fact: the torque converter was invented a few years before the automatic transmission - and some cars were sold with a manual transmission and a torque converter. With only two or three forward gears, they found most of the customers would leave the car in the top gear and just accelerate slowly ...
The Buick Dynaflow was almost entirely reliant on a multiple-element torque converter, in front of a 2-speed manual similar to the Powerglide. Slow and inefficient, but very smooth.
Re: A few things to know before stealing my 914
#280Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the flip side, I know a ton about cars and actually own a german sports car of roughly this vintage and this rings incredibly true (and also hilarious). My car can't be locked due to fear of it never opening again, starting the engine requires a delicate balance of the right amount of throttle and prayers the battery has enough charge, and selecting first is a preposterous mixture of a delicate ballet and sledgeha…
On the actual flip side, there are plenty of people who properly maintain vintage sports cars instead of just talking about how much they know about them. I get that door handles and lock cylinders are often made of easily-broken pot metal, but most owner communities have figured out solutions, or just live a little and recognize that a locksmith can easily get you into almost any vintage car if necessary. The starti…
From the end of the article ..
Norman Garrett was the Concept Engineer for the original Miata back in his days at Mazda’s Southern California Design Studio. He currently teaches automotive engineering classes at UNC-C’s Motorsports Engineering Department in Charlotte, North Carolina and curates his small collection of dysfunctional automobiles and motorcycles.
I'm fairly certain that he knows how to 'fix stuff'