New thermostat & CV joints

[ClareQuilty]

Dropped off my old Honda Civic the other day for installation of thermostat (it had been running without one for a few months), plus new CV joints (it was clicking on sharp turns). I also asked the mechanic to try to fix the automatic choke.

Got it back today - he managed the first two assignments but apparently not the choke, total price 4,150 baht, the bulk of which was the two CV joints. The engine's now running much warmer, right at the level it used to before the thermostat was removed, however, there doesn't seem to be any fast idle at warmup. I'm thinking that maybe the automatic choke won't be absolutely necessary with a warmer thermostat in the car.

Is there anything to watch out for after the thermostat replacement? In replacing a thermostat, is it necessary to drain and re-fill the cooling system?

[JAS21]

Another weekender CQ ... you do have some bad luck with your cars ... my heart almost bleeds for you

[giddyup]

Another weekender CQ ... you do have some bad luck with your cars ... my heart almost bleeds for you

You get what you pay for.

[ClareQuilty]

Another weekender CQ ... you do have some bad luck with your cars ... my heart almost bleeds for you

Not sure what you're talking about, Jas, the repair was only 4,000 baht. Wouldn't pay for ten days worth of new car ownership... Overall these old cars are huge money savers.

[giddyup]

Another weekender CQ ... you do have some bad luck with your cars ... my heart almost bleeds for you

Not sure what you're talking about, Jas, the repair was only 4,000 baht. Wouldn't pay for ten days worth of new car ownership... Overall these old cars are huge money savers.

If you don't mind the inconvenience of it spending half the time in a workshop and the risk of constant breakdowns.

[WarpSpeed]

^ For some that's not a problem, why is it such problem for you that it's not a problem for him? I don't get it? I'm with ya 100% Clare but I do most of work so it could get a bit frustrating and time consuming in your position at times..

Edited November 1, 2015 by WarpSpeed

[JAS21]

^ For some that's not a problem, why is it such problem for you that it's not a problem for him? I don't get it? I'm with ya 100% Clare but I do most of work so it could get a bit frustrating and time consuming in your position at times..

Warpee ... do you seriously believe all these CQ stories ... Fables to me and many others .... still it's an interest for some.

Actually my wife owns a 20 year old car ... she has had it from new ... doesn't have his problems though... a Mazda Lantis, a nice car in it's day. But it has been a money pit in the past. She just doesn't want to part with it.

Edited November 1, 2015 by JAS21

[giddyup]

^ For some that's not a problem, why is it such problem for you that it's not a problem for him? I don't get it? I'm with ya 100% Clare but I do most of work so it could get a bit frustrating and time consuming in your position at times..

It's not a problem for me, but I can't see how he can be lauding the benefits of an old car when he is constantly posting the problems he has with it.

[WarpSpeed]

^ For some that's not a problem, why is it such problem for you that it's not a problem for him? I don't get it? I'm with ya 100% Clare but I do most of work so it could get a bit frustrating and time consuming in your position at times..

Warpee ... do you seriously believe all these CQ stories ... Fables to me and many others .... still it's an interest for some.

Actually my wife owns a 20 year old car ... she has had it from new ... doesn't have his problems though... a Mazda Lantis, a nice car in it's day. But it has been a money pit in the past. She just doesn't want to part with it.

Well let's put it this way, if they're stories, it's damn creative and he's a genius and sorry Clare, nothing personal, but I just don't give him THAT much credit for his creativity, or his vehicle knowledge..

[WarpSpeed]

^ For some that's not a problem, why is it such problem for you that it's not a problem for him? I don't get it? I'm with ya 100% Clare but I do most of work so it could get a bit frustrating and time consuming in your position at times..

It's not a problem for me, but I can't see how he can be lauding the benefits of an old car when he is constantly posting the problems he has with it.

So even a new car has no maintenance issues, doesn't need to go to dealerships for expensive, time consuming, dealer only service or need new tires, warrantee repairs etc. etc.? He has several cars now so he's handling them as it comes up, I don't see how it's a whole lot more maintenance and is far less cost over all since he has little cash lay out initially, no payments and once he catches up a little on past lack of maintenance like he's doing, he'll have some mostly trouble free driving for a while without having lost 1/3 rd of his cars value once he drove it off the lot.

Edited November 1, 2015 by WarpSpeed

[giddyup]

^ For some that's not a problem, why is it such problem for you that it's not a problem for him? I don't get it? I'm with ya 100% Clare but I do most of work so it could get a bit frustrating and time consuming in your position at times..

It's not a problem for me, but I can't see how he can be lauding the benefits of an old car when he is constantly posting the problems he has with it.

So even a new car has no maintenance issues, doesn't need to go to dealerships for expensive, time consuming, dealer only service or need new tires, warrantee repairs etc. etc.? He has several cars now so he's handling them as it comes up, I don't see how it's a whole lot more maintenance and is far less cost over all since he has little cash lay out initially, no payments and once he catches up a little on past lack of maintenance like he's doing, he'll have some mostly trouble free driving for a while without having lost 1/3 rd of his cars value once he drove it off the lot.

I can only speak for the 3 new cars that I've owned, the only maintenance issues were an oil change and filter once a year, hardly a tribulation.

[ignis]

^ For some that's not a problem, why is it such problem for you that it's not a problem for him? I don't get it? I'm with ya 100% Clare but I do most of work so it could get a bit frustrating and time consuming in your position at times..

It's not a problem for me, but I can't see how he can be lauding the benefits of an old car when he is constantly posting the problems he has with it.

Think that should be them Not it... Look at the car, most are problems on different cars

maybe he has the largest collection of running 30,000 baht cars ? to keep them running you would expect there to be many repairs over the collection.

Has the Mazda Familia been added yet ?

[Lancashirelad]

The engine's now running much warmer, right at the level it used to before the thermostat was removed, however, there doesn't seem to be any fast idle at warmup. I'm thinking that maybe the automatic choke won't be absolutely necessary with a warmer thermostat in the car.

It should be slighty more fuel efficient now its running at the designed temperature.

The auto choke works from cold start, at this time the thermostat is closed. Most likely the choke will have been released well before 'stat opens.

In the uk it can be 5 minutes before the 'stat opens, so a bit less in LOS given the higher ambient temp.

Probably somewhere on the engine, maybe at the 'stat, there is a temperature sensor that tells the choke to operate. Perhaps the mechanic has not reconnected it. The lack of fast idle indicates that the choke was working before but is not now.

[ClareQuilty]

I can only speak for the 3 new cars that I've owned, the only maintenance issues were an oil change and filter once a year, hardly a tribulation.

No, of course new cars are trouble-free, the point was the cost. They cost a lot. a few thousand baht worth of repairs per annum is small potatoes compared to the cost of buying a 800,000 baht machine.

Lancashirelad, yes, the choke worked many months ago, but hasn't worked for a long time, dating from a previous head gasket repair by a previous mechanic. I asked this new mechanic to try to correct the choke problem this time, but he did not accomplish that task.

[Alration]

Choke prob could just be the temp sender thingy in the engine, this sends a temp message to what controls fuel supply. Same as an engine with a carb, carb engines have had two methods, small water hose passing water to a thing on the side of the carb to turn/rotate a flap in the carb and increase idle speed via a thermal coil which alters via temp. The other was electric, used a sender in the block/head to the thingy on the carb to move the flap.

The biggest liability on cars of this age is always the thingy, they were notorious for their unreliability and the difficulty in tracking them down.

[WarpSpeed]

^Most often find them located in the drivers seat though...