c/auto-gear-discussion

Why does nobody talk about shift cable stretch on older trucks?

Been messing with a 1987 F-150 for a buddy in Reno. New clutch, new master cylinder, still grinds third gear. Everyone blames synchros or the trans itself. But the shift cable had stretched maybe 3/4 of an inch over 30 years. Adjusted the cable end and it shifts clean now. Seen this on three older trucks in the last two years. Shop guys always jump to a rebuild first. That's a $1,500 mistake. Anyone else check cables before tearing into the gearbox?

1 comments

amy_martin•2d ago

My torque wrench lied to me on I-95 and I learned the hard way

Last month I was driving my old F-150 down I-95 near Richmond and heard this nasty clunk from the rear end. Pulled over, checked the lug nuts on the passenger side, and three of them were loose. Turns out my torque wrench was way off, it clicked like it was set right but it was really under by about 20 foot pounds. I had rotated the tires that morning in my driveway, maybe over torqued them too. So I drove 40 miles with wobbling wheels and luckily nothing snapped. Now I always do a recheck after 50 miles with a fresh wrench from AutoZone. Has anyone else trusted a torque wrench for too long and paid for it?

2 comments

the_sean•2d ago

Rant: The $200 'premium' bedliner kit that peeled off in 3 weeks

Truck bed looked great for about 10 days, then it started flaking like sunburn and now it's worse than bare metal. What cured liner actually holds up, or should I just pay a shop in Phoenix to spray it and stop cheaping out?

2 comments

holly709•4d ago

My buddy Sam from the shop made me rethink torque specs

I was wrenching on my '94 Miata last weekend and Sam came by. He said I was overthinking the torque wrench and that half the time factory specs are just suggestions for old hardware. He showed me his method using the 'German torque' approach on a control arm bolt and it held fine. Made me wonder how much of the spec sheet is actually useful vs just liability stuff.

2 comments

young.ryan•5d ago

Met a diesel mechanic at a rest stop who changed my mind on glow plugs

He was swapping a starter on a beat-up Ford 7.3 in the parking lot of a Love's in Nebraska. Told me he replaces glow plugs every 60k miles like clockwork, no questions asked. Anyone else ever had their mind changed by a random stranger on the road?

2 comments

theajohnson•5d ago

Buddy told me to go with a cheaper torque wrench for my engine rebuild

My friend Mark swore his $40 Harbor Freight torque wrench was fine for my 302 Ford rebuild. I used it to torque the main caps and when I double checked with a borrowed Snap-on, everything was off by 8 to 12 ft-lbs. I ended up pulling the crank back out and retorquing every bearing. Anyone else have a cheap tool almost toast a project?

3 comments

smith.elliot•6d ago

Just realized people are forgetting how to check their transmission fluid on newer cars

I was helping a buddy swap out a radiator on his 2018 Civic last weekend and he asked me where the transmission dipstick was. Told him Honda doesn't even put one on those anymore, it's a sealed unit you have to take to a shop for. Seems like every car after 2015 is going this route and nobody is talking about how much more expensive it makes basic maintenance. Has anyone else run into this with newer models?

3 comments

the_viola•6d ago

Ran into a guy at O'Reilly's who challenged my whole approach to differential fluid

I was grabbing some gear oil last Tuesday and this older mechanic just starts talking to me about how I'm overthinking it. He said something like "you don't need that fancy synthetic stuff for a daily driver, just get the cheap dino oil and change it twice as often." At first I wanted to argue but then he showed me his truck with 280k miles on it using plain old 80w90 from the bargain shelf. He explained how modern synthetics can actually make seals brittle if the car was built for conventional oil... and he had this whole system where he drains and refills every 15k miles instead of 30k. It kind of clicked for me because I've been spending $40 a quart on the premium stuff when maybe I'm just paying for marketing. Has anyone else had an old timer change how you think about basic maintenance like this?

2 comments

emma_wells83•6d ago

Blew a head gasket on my '04 Forester last week, then found a trick online that saved my engine

I was getting white smoke and overheating bad, figured I needed a full rebuild which would have cost me $2000 minimum. Someone in a Subaru forum said to try a bottle of K-Seal in the coolant first as a temporary fix. Has anyone else used a chemical sealer long term or is this just buying time before the real repair?

2 comments

sammartinez•7d ago

Changed my mind about synthetic gear oil after a talk with an old fleet mechanic in Bakersfield

He showed me the internals of a 2002 F-250 with 300k miles on synthetic and the bearings looked factory new, so I dumped the conventional out of my truck that same weekend.

2 comments

johnson.river•11d ago

Stumbled on a vintage gear shop in Portland that changed how I look at old transmissions

I was driving through Portland last weekend and saw a sign for 'Rose City Gear Works' tucked behind a hardware store. Walked in and the owner spent 20 minutes showing me a 1968 Muncie M22 rock crusher he had on display. He let me spin the input shaft by hand and you could feel the straight-cut gears clunking with every rotation. Has anyone else run into a shop that had a piece of history just sitting on a shelf like that?

2 comments

samrodriguez•11d ago

Had a talk with a mechanic in Tucson that changed how I think about oil weights

I've always run 5W-30 in my old Ford F-150 because that's what the manual says. But a guy at a shop in Tucson told me these desert engines do better with 10W-40 because of the heat. He showed me a bearing he pulled from a truck that ran 5W-30 for 150k miles - it was toast. I switched two months ago and my oil pressure is way steadier on hot days. Has anyone else here had good luck running heavier oil in a hot climate?

2 comments

ivan_harris•12d ago

Blew $200 on a 'premium' backup camera that lasted 3 months

I bought this fancy wireless backup camera off Amazon back in April for $190. Figured spending more meant it would hold up better in the Texas heat. By the end of July the screen started flickering and now it won't even power on. Tried their customer support and they wanted a video of the issue plus the serial number and proof of purchase - sent all that and they ghosted me. The wiring harness also got brittle and cracked after maybe 6 weeks. Anyone else had cheap electronics fail way faster than they should for the price?

3 comments

jordan_henderson13•13d ago

Swapped my automatic transmission fluid myself for the first time

I used to always take my 2005 Tacoma to the shop for transmission service. Cost me about $250 each time. Last month I finally bought a fluid pump from Amazon for $25 and did it in my driveway. The whole job took maybe 45 minutes and 4 quarts of fluid. Anyone else tried doing their own transmission fluid changes instead of paying a shop?

3 comments

quinnm77•14d ago

Just realized how much clutch feel has changed since the 90s

I hopped into my buddy's new Civic last week and the clutch pedal felt like a light switch, nothing like the heavy, progressive feel I remember from my old 1995 Miata. Something about hydraulic vs cable actuation and all the electronic nannies they add now that smooths everything out. Anyone else miss the old days when you actually had to feel the bite point through the pedal?

3 comments

thea602•15d ago

Read someone's post about 'modular packing' for road trips and it bugged me

Saw a guy in a camping group bragging about his 3 bag modular system for a 5 day trip. Like each cube had a specific job and color code. I just toss my gear in the trunk and go. Took me 2 extra minutes to find my rain jacket on the last trip. But his system probably took him an hour to pack. Am I missing something or is this just overthinking a car trip?

2 comments

ruby659•15d ago

Rant: Picked a CVT over a traditional automatic and now I regret it every day

Honestly, I bought a 2022 Nissan Altima last year because the fuel economy numbers looked great on paper. It had the CVT transmission, and I figured it couldn't be that bad after all the updates they made. Six months in, and the drone at highway speeds drives me crazy, plus it feels like it's slipping when I try to merge. My buddy has a 2019 Mazda 6 with the regular 6-speed auto, and his car feels way more responsive even though it gets worse mpg. Ngl, I'm thinking about trading it in before the warranty runs out. Has anyone else dealt with CVT regret and switched back to a traditional automatic?

2 comments

williamhenderson•15d ago

Drove my buddy's '23 Mustang GT and my GTI felt faster around town

Everyone I know swears by the V8 Mustang for daily driving. I swapped cars with my neighbor Dave last Saturday for a few errands. His car has 450 horsepower and makes all the right noises, but I kept wanting more torque below 3000 RPM in normal traffic. My 2019 GTI with the DSG gets to 60 in under 6 seconds on a regular street, and I can actually use that power without breaking the law. The Mustang feels like it's waiting for a track day, while the GTI feels alive doing 35 mph. Has anyone else found a slower on paper car that actually feels quicker in real driving?

2 comments

tessa_carr•15d ago

Been watching people argue over heated vs unheated garage for tool storage and I'm stuck

Found a post from an engineer saying temp swings below 50 cause micrometer drift, but a mechanic with 30 years says he's never had an issue. Which side feels right to you based on your own gear?

2 comments

ray_sullivan•17d ago

My new axle shaft came with the wrong spline count

Ordered a Yukon axle for my TJ and it was 27 spline when I needed 30, wasted a whole Saturday installing it before I noticed. Anyone else run into parts being mislabeled from the big brands?

3 comments

blair_chen81•18d ago

Question about transmission rebuild costs: dealer vs independent shop

My 2005 Silverado's transmission went out on I-75 near Atlanta last Tuesday, and after getting quotes of $4,200 from the dealer and $2,800 from a local shop called Jim's Transmissions, I went with Jim's but the shift is rough now between 2nd and 3rd gear - has anyone else had problems after choosing the cheaper rebuild option?

3 comments

williamw75•20d ago

Showerthought: My manual transmission felt like an old friend until I drove a rental CVT last week

I spent 3 years daily driving a 5-speed Honda, then got a Nissan Versa loaner when my car was in the shop. The whole time I was shifting with my left foot on the floor and it just felt wrong, made me realize how much I take clutch feel for granted. Anybody else get thrown off by a different transmission after years of one style?

2 comments

walker.julia•21d ago

I keep seeing people on here recommending synthetic gear oil for old manual transmissions that were designed for 80w90, but is that really a good idea?

My '89 Toyota pickup with 240k miles started grinding 3rd gear after I switched to synthetic GL-4 like everyone suggested, and when I drained it after 2k miles the old brass syncros looked more worn than any dino oil change I've done over 15 years, so should we be sticking with the old stuff for high-mileage boxes or are these just isolated failures?

3 comments

walker.julia•22d ago

Switched to synthetic transmission fluid in my 2015 Accord and the difference was immediate

I put 80,000 miles on conventional fluid and the shifts always felt sluggish, especially in cold weather. Changed to Royal Purple synthetic last week and the car shifts smooth at 30 degrees now. Did anyone else see a real change after switching fluid types?

3 comments

henryt18•22d ago

Debate: Was it worth spending $200 on a fancy shift knob or should I have stuck with stock?

So I dropped $200 on this billet aluminum shift knob for my Civic last month... thought it would make shifting feel amazing. First week it felt great, then I noticed it gets burning hot in the sun and freezing cold in the winter. Now I'm wondering if I should have just kept the stock rubber one that worked fine. What's your take - is upgrading these things actually worth the money, or am I just chasing a look?

3 comments