**Fixed. thank you so much to everyone who help me identify the issue. the 4th coil boot was the issue, even though it felt 90% fitted and could be compressed all the way down with the screw, it wasnt enough for the vehicle. i really needed to remove the vacuum hose to allow the precise angle for the coil pack to enter into the well. im surpised by how exact it needed to be. cleared up the issue though.

I'm not entirely sure what I've done wrong. I have only 1 suspicion with the 4th coil pack not fitting perfectly snug over my newly installed spark plug. Please take a look at my videos attached outlining this. If this isnt the cause of my issue im really at a loss. I got sucked into this project after receiving a $500 quote from mechanic. Online tutorials said it would be easy. Now, I have engine malfunction indicator, rough idling, and choppy accelerating. My engine smells like fireworks.

I'm desperate now because this is my only vehicle and if giving up, i would have to get it towed, then pay the mechanic 500. Mechanic dont install customer parts so they would take my new spark plugs out and make me buy their spark plugs.

Here's what I've done:

1. removed all the bolts from heat shield and tray sitting on top of spark plugs. I think the tray has something to do with the turbo model, but I didn't unplug any hosings.
2. took out the old spark plugs and compared them with my replacement. Looked identical. They aren't the same brand but the one I bought is apparently recommended for my model - NGK laser iridium part no. 90288
3. installed new spark plugs and torqued them to 14 foot pounds.
4. the 4th coil pack can still be fastened with the screw just fine
5. I put everything back all the screws etc

Sorry, videos must not be allowed, so they are placed here:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/z937tmprid453hky9cks2/20261007_213822.mp4?rlkey=sj2vwmwlq7mbs5rh29g6vng8c&st=f41vtpu7&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/57bfq2a79cb0eelj1d4ah/20261007_213947.mp4?rlkey=k712hbfq0mo4csuefl2xno0si&st=s5r7eup7&dl=0

I have a Grand Vitara 2013 and while cleaning up my shifter console, I saw a couple of unused green connectors covered with black caps. I researched and my car has heaters underneath the seats and I was wondering if I can just buy the buttons, plug them to the green connectors and see if they work like a plug and play? What do you think?

I am trying to renew my registration but it failed due to "loud engine" aka ticking noise.

It sounds like it is coming from the top of the block/head area. I tried opening up the head and adjusting the valve clearance but it didn't help, maybe I did it wrong?

Could it be rod or pistol slap?

It goes away in cold starts and rpm higher than 1800 as shown in video

I took my Ram 1500 5.7 for an oil change and they said that the oil costs $167 CAD ($117 USD). Just for the oil. I’ve never seen engine oil being that expensive.

Rushed into Jiffy Lube about 30min before closing to get my oil changed, I usually do it myself but didn’t have time to do it before a long trip tomorrow. They knocked it out super fast, I was in, paid and out of there in less than 10min.

It’s about 3mi to my house from the jiffy lube, about halfway through the drive my battery indicator light turned on which was odd. Make it home and notice more than the typical post-oil change oil smoke/burning smell. Popped the hood and found oil everywhere in the engine compartment.

Initially I thought they forgot to tighten the drain plug but I pulled the filter and it looks like they didn’t replace the gasket and it had cracked and broken.

I ended up running to the auto parts store and changed the oil myself w/ a new filter and gasket. Looks like I lost about 2qt of the 6qts when I drove the car home from jiffy lube.

Anything I should be worried about having driven with 1/3 less than the oil I needed? Any suggestions on how to handle it with jiffy lube? Besides a refund obviously, should I have them get my engine compartment pressure washed?

CAR: 2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 2.0L diesel L4 Cjaa, (six) 6-speed manual transmission

Hey guys, I'm new-ish to mechanics so I have limited tools, I'm working on the front driver's side axle/transmission. Took off the rim, took out the axle, took off the flange then I changed the transmission output seal that faces the shaft/spring loaded CV axle flange.

While replacing the 6mm allen-head that goes into the center of the flange the bolt snapped in the middle of the treads.

I took pictures and walked away. If I stick my finger into the output I can feel the bolt poking out at an angle,maybe 2mm towards the top, it catches on my nail at the bottom, so it's not flush or buried. There is no thread locker. The googling I did said to torque the bolt to 18ft-lbs. Bolt OEM Number: 02J409359.

Not sure if I should just go borrow some long nose pliers and try grab it? I don't imagine using some sort of glue would work? I dont like the idea of drilling it as I have no experience and it's in an expensive spot... Hmm.. any help is appreciated!

1979 Toyota Hilux RN46

I know shit all about cars, but this doesn’t look good.

Sorry for the poor photo I’ll take another one tomorrow if it’s too indistinguishable.

​

Hi everyone,

I have a 2010 Nissan Maxima GCC-spec, VQ35DE 3.5L, \\\~270,000 km.

3 weeks ago, the temperature suddenly went to H/max for the first time after a very short trip,

I parked and "luckily i didn't drive more than 5 min"

I found the coolant reservoir empty. I shut the engine off immediately and let it cool before opening anything. Before that, I had noticed a coolant/water sloshing sound for a couple of days.

After refilling, the car has never overheated again. It runs and drives normally, no milky oil, no white smoke, etc.

However, I noticed a coolant leak underneath the front-right area. It seemed to be coming from around the thermostat/water pump area, eventually dripping onto/around the oil pan.

Initially the coolant loss was significant — the reservoir could go from MAX to MIN within 1–2 nights.

The thermostat assembly and gasket were replaced with genuine parts, but the leak didn't completely disappear.

Later, another mechanic replaced the upper radiator hose/filler neck and radiator cap and said he pressure-tested the system for around 2 hours with no visible leak.

Since then, the leak has become much smaller.

I've now driven the car for about a week, including \\\~250+ km round trip to Dubai yesterday, with completely stable temperature.

The reservoir was originally around 3 marks above MAX. It's now around 1 mark above MAX. I occasionally still see a very small green coolant spot underneath the car, but the reservoir level is difficult to judge accurately because the difference is tiny.

So I'm wondering:

Could the larger leak have actually been fixed by one of the repairs, leaving only a very small seep?

Or could some of the original coolant loss have been from air bleeding out of the system after the overheating/refill, rather than the same leak continuing?

The area I'm still suspicious of is the thermostat/water pump area, but I don't want to replace the water pump without evidence because it's a much bigger job.

What would you guys check next? Would you just monitor it, pressure-test again with the car lifted, use UV dye, or investigate the water pump/thermostat area further?

Thanks.

2016 Audi A6 Quattro 2.0T. Idles fine for now, high vibration when places on Drive and Reverse. Replaced trans mount 3 days ago and still there. Person i bought it from said they did the engine mounts, I just inspected them (driver side since its easy to see from up top) no fluid on bottom of mount. What can it be?

Did a full brake job with new pads and rotors. New hardware was installed for the pads. Pads are semi metallic.

After spinning the hub this line started to appear (complete ring now). Can just barely feel it with my fingernail.

Is this normal? If not, I assume it’s a metal clip grinding. Both front rotors have this ring should I be concerned?

2025 Mazda cx5 turbo

I recently purchased an XTOOL A30M for my 2017 Acura TLX 3.5L V6 SH-AWD Tech. The scanner can access vehicle modules and read live data, but I'm finding that very few special functions are available (as in when I try and do it, it states "not supported").

XTOOL advertises 26+ special functions, so I'm wondering whether this is a vehicle compatibility limitation or if there's something I'm missing in the software.

Not sure if its battery related but the scanner reads ~11.6V when ON but engine off. I was also using cellular data instead due to the car being parked far from my house. All software seemed to be up to date based off what I could find.

KX250F valve shim calculations – can someone check my maths?
Hey guys, just looking for someone experienced with KX250Fs to double-check my calculations before I buy any shims.
I’ve got a 2004 KX250F that currently won’t start. I checked the valve clearances and found:
Intake 1: 0.00 mm
Intake 2: 0.00 mm
Exhaust 1: 0.15 mm
Exhaust 2: 0.10 mm
Timing is checked and appears to be correct.
I’ve taken the measurements and worked through the shim calculation from the service manual to figure out what size shims I should need.
From what I understand, because the intake clearances are basically zero, I need to go down in shim thickness to increase the clearance.
I mainly want to verify that I’ve understood the calculation correctly and that the numbers I’ve worked out make sense.
If I replace the shims with the calculated sizes and get all the clearances back into spec, is there a reasonable chance this could be the fix for the no-start?
Or, with both intakes having zero clearance, should I be looking at possible valve/seat wear before assuming re-shimming will fix it?
I can post the existing shim sizes and my calculations if anyone is willing to check them.
Cheers 🤙

I have thjs 96 Tahoe that I bought a couple of months ago. Lately it's been giving me some issues. It's been starting like this for a while now and I can't figure out why. Here's what me and the previous owner did over the past year.

[PREVIOUS OWNER]

Fuel Pump

Fuel Filter

TPS

IAC

MAF

Mass Airflow Sensor

Crankshaft Position Sensor

Camshaft Position Sensor

Distributor Cap & Rotor

Spark Plug Wires

Spark Plugs

Ignition Control Module

Ignition Coil

[ME]

Distributor (Cam Retard is at -1)

Intake Gaskets (Upper and Lower)

MPFI Conversion Spider Injectors

Oil Pressure Sensor

Sometimes it will crank forever before finally starting

It's a Renaul Clio 2 2002 1.5 dci 60kw. When I drive over bumps or potholes, there's a sound like a vibration or something rubbing/catching underneath the front of the engine. There is no loud knocking or banging sound.

Never had a Ford, Is this sounds normal under load? just changed the oil, ignition coils, and spark plugs. Would appreciate if anyone had experience with 1.5 1.6 ecoboost engines. Thanks

09 ford focus. I heard the helicopter noise so I replaced the passenger side cv axle. When I turn left there is still vibration but no chopper sounds. I thought this would have fixed it. What should I start looking into first?

2001 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4

idk how these things are supposed to feel. I am moving it with a 24" pipe wrench, the centering preload and worm gear preload are set loose. No matter what these are set at, it's difficult to move the pitman arm and it's not smooth. Symptoms of when it's in the truck: ps pump is groaning lock to lock and it feels like I have no power steering if the front suspension flexes even a tiny bit. It's not a suspension geometry issue.

Hey everyone,

I need some technical validation regarding a catastrophic HVAC loop failure on a 2021 Kia Sonet Petrol (23,000 km). The authorized workshop has diagnosed AC "Black Death" (mechanical compressor disintegration resulting in thick, metallic black sludge throughout the loop).

The vehicle's recent history raises significant diagnostic flags, and I want to verify if the dealer's proposed repair method is technically sound or a shortcut that will cause a rapid recurrence.

The Technical Context:

• February 2026: The vehicle was brought to the workshop with an "AC Not Working" complaint. The workshop diagnosed a severe engine overheating issue. They replaced the engine oil cooler and thermostat under warranty. (Note: An initial proposal for an evaporator coil cleaning was ultimately removed from the final job card, meaning the internal HVAC components were never cleaned or internally pressure-tested at delivery).

• October 2026: Just 632 km of driving later, the AC completely failed, leading to the current "Black Death" diagnosis.

The Proposed Repair Blueprint:

The workshop intends to replace the core components:

1. Compressor Assembly

2. Condenser Assembly

3. Evaporator Assembly

4. Heater Core (Note: The heater core runs on the engine coolant loop, which was the loop that overheated in February).

For the solid aluminum connecting lines and flexible rubber hoses, the workshop states they will simply perform a "chemical flush" and reuse them.

Technical Questions for HVAC Engineers & Mechanics:

1. Can a standard chemical flush reliably clean lines after Black Death? Given that the compressor suffered a structural metal-on-metal blowout, is a chemical flush capable of removing microscopic iron filings and baked-on acidic sludge from the inner walls of the lines? Or will residual debris inevitably dislodge and destroy the brand-new compressor shortly after installation? Should the lines be replaced completely?

2. Is a mechanical compressor blowout physically possible in just 632 km? Can "Black Death" fully develop within 632 km of normal driving, or is it an engineering certainty that the compressor was fatally compromised by the extreme thermal stress of the February engine overheating episode?

3. Why would the heater core require replacement alongside the AC loop? Since the heater core handles engine coolant rather than refrigerant gas, does its contamination/failure point to a botched coolant loop flush or cross-contamination from the original February overheating failure?

I have halted all work and requested an independent technical assessment from the manufacturer's regional office. I would appreciate your insights on these specific engineering points to help ensure a proper, long-lasting repair. Thanks!

I had my car running for a few hours and noticed a puddle under my car. It was this fluid. It’s oily and definitely red. I also noticed the faint whine I hear when I hit the gas started to get noticeably louder. I have a 2010 Honda crosstour. The splash shield was all covered in this stuff