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Retired old Gearhead

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Everything posted by Retired old Gearhead

  1. Retired old Gearhead
    Bobby, The drag on the electrical is very low and with the Spark being small..you want to be seen. Most people, when deciding to pass on a single lane highway look for lights coming at them as all cars have them and you could easily be missed in the quick scan of approaching cars and if the resulting accident ever comes to court...well you get my drift...
  2. Retired old Gearhead
    The colder the ambient outdoor temp...the lower your gas mileage.
  3. Retired old Gearhead
    Nice looking car. Judging by the tires..looks like about 30-40Kmi on it? Also looks like time for a tire rotation. I have close to 150Kmi on my 2013 4Sp-Auto tranny...I drive it hard and no issues at all. I use synthetic oil and sometimes go 1.5 yrs between changes..I only change the oil when the oil life % reading is at 10%. Burns no noticeable oil between changes. Still get the same gas mileage when it was new...So..you will probably enjoy this car for some years to come.
  4. Retired old Gearhead
    Try turning the steering wheel to the right after the key is out.
  5. Retired old Gearhead
    Have them check the gas peddle control module.
  6. Retired old Gearhead
    Your dipstick level shows 3/4 of a quart down from full. This is not unusual in a new car engine break-in period of 5Kmi. Keep an eye on your level because once the rings/valves are properly seated during break-in there should be not more than 1/4 qt. used.
  7. Retired old Gearhead
    It is entirely normal for your model. Most buyers would test drive the car and test out, or at least ask about the features and options. The 3rd party email with ON-STAR was probably for sales people to demonstrate this feature to people who asked about the features of that model. You have a good car without the CVT problems if you have the manual tranny. As Tozzi said...spend some time with the nicely illustrated manual for your new Spark....
  8. Retired old Gearhead
    Normal temps for the 1.2L engine is between 80°C-102°C and the 1.4L engine is just slightly lower. Temps properly top out at 220°F max.
  9. Retired old Gearhead
    I let my gas level go down to almost at the "almost empty" pump shaped light and made some quick turns and long slow turns. Sputtered a bit and almost stalled at the longer sharp turns only...Short sharp turns were uneventful ..guess the pump/lines still had some gas in it during the short turn period...
  10. Retired old Gearhead
    When you make a sharp turn the gas moves to one side of the tank and the fuel pump is in the center of the tank, so it could be sucking air on the turns with less than 1/4 tank of gas. Try keeping the fuel at 1/2 or higher and see if that solves the problem. This normally does not happen, but a weak or partially blocked fuel pump or fuel line filter may contribute to this issue. I have had this happen on a previous car with a big V8 that had a high fuel demand and it would shudder or stall on sharp or long turns when the fuel was under 1/8 or less remaining in the tank...so try a full tank and
  11. Retired old Gearhead
    After 600mi change the oil to synthetic. This gets rid of factory & break-in crap in the oil. That's a really good 'mod' for the long term of your engine and gas mileage. Keep tires at 37psi for good handling and gas mileage. Go to walmart and buy the cheap green tire shine spray and after doing the tires spray and wipe down the engine when cool..keeps it a shiny silver color..try to avoid hoses so they don't collect dust.
  12. Retired old Gearhead
    Yup..Bobby correct on all counts. Both cars I do the 7,500mi or 1.5yrs with synthetic and at 7.5Kmi the oil is still fairly clear and the engines cannot be heard running from outside or inside the cars..My mechanic says I can go 2yrs without issue as long as some trips are long enough to burn off condensed water. An easy way to check for gas or water in the oil is to place a single blotter white sheet and let one drop of oil from the dipstick fall on it. Gas in the oil will form and light brown ring around the oil spot and water a outer light yellow ring. Depending on the width of the rings yo
  13. Retired old Gearhead
    That sounds correct Tozzi...I was going by the 2013 Spark...and you're right about those tires eating the outer tread area...I now have 201/15/50 and find them a bit smoother ride and still handles well without the outer tread wear. I keep them at 40psi..5psi above recommended.
  14. Retired old Gearhead
    Old or not, the tire pressure should be 40psi min. & not 37psi on the 185/15/55 tires. Don't expect Tozzi to bail you out of this one...
  15. Retired old Gearhead
    Oh ya! Way too much frontal surface area for 100hp at higher speed, not to mention a cross wind...
  16. Retired old Gearhead
    Thanx Tozzi..I think we are saying the same thing..I just added some 'old guy' humor to my post.
  17. Retired old Gearhead
    Just curious, but what is the advantage over the stock rims? Is it for a wider tire?
  18. Retired old Gearhead
    Ha Bobby! You, once again, are 100% correct. the CVT control does not have AI (Artificial Intelligence)..I think your mind is slowly making adjustments to your driving habits..so on and so forth and the CVT remains as is....We just don't notice it so much when we get older.....
  19. Retired old Gearhead
    Ya..Shocks, struts etc are held in place by fasteners. Only way they can move is by impact like a collision. As Bobby said..99% of the time it is alignment or most likely balance.
  20. Retired old Gearhead
    Yup..all good then?
  21. Retired old Gearhead
    All scan guage units become the 'endpoint' when connected. Some newer models designed to be connected all the time have a pass on connection to the ECM etc..
  22. Retired old Gearhead
    Ya..have them resolve it the way you described..works generally well...Shaking sounds like wheel balance..all minor stuff...
  23. Retired old Gearhead
    Almost everyone with the CVT is have one issue or another. 2014 CVT seems to be the most problematic..fix or replace under warranty.
  24. Retired old Gearhead
    Wise choice with the manual tranny Fraser! You avoided all the CVT issues..I test drove both the 2017 CVT and manual..Night and day. Also very surprized how quiet it is. Stiffer body and tons of features. I'm keeping the 2013 4sp. auto tranny now that I have well over 150Kmi on it with no issues. Recently I bought my brother a 2017 manual and he loves it..had to do it because he was looking at a used all wheel drive car..overpriced and all wheel drive is costly to have fixed if the all wheel drive goes bad. He's very stubborn, but after I took him for a drive to the dealer he loved all the fea
  25. Retired old Gearhead
    Most all Scan-guages will always do a bypass...Data goes to scan device and is not sent forward..never drive with that connected unless it is a data gather unit sometimes used by insurance companies or employers to monitor speed, braking etc.
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