Your car knows you...

[Three50won]

You drive your car quite often and never have any problems with it. It doesn't stall out, stutter, shake or anything...or does it? Point of this thread...sometimes we are soo used to our cars that we subconsciously do things to prevent it from stalling out or driving funny. It may be something minuscule that we don't even notice...something we're not even aware we're doing. So it's always funny when someone else drives your car and 20 seconds later it stalls out on them. Or when someone is driving your car and you have to tell them exactly what to do and when to do it. Or you drop your car off to a shop and you have to leave detailed instructions of how to start it, when to put it in gear, when to hit the gas, etc...haha!! It's like your car has an attitude that only you know how to deal with. And only you know how to keep her temper from flaring up. So maybe she knows you and knows when you or someone else is driving, haha. You ever get that feeling?

 

[Noobz347]

I have an IAC that occationally sticks. As a result, when I'm decelerating to a stop after having been hard on the accelerator, I coast down to a very low speed while still in gear. It keeps the car from stalling. lol

It doesn't do it often but it's definitely one of the conditions you talk about where you compensate without really thinking about it.

Pretty embarrasing when you just handed someone their ass but have to RESTART your car at teh stop light. hehehe

 

[99FiveOh]

I totally agree. Every single 94/95 I've owned did the "stalling for 30 seconds after warm start" thing and nothing short of a dyno tune could fix it. It's just one of those things these cars are plagued with. It's all second nature to me but I recall that when I'm without a 'stang for a while and get back into one, I have to develop these subtle habits all over again!

 

[Noobz347]

What's more (and this causes my children to look at me like I'm destined for the rubber room), your car(s) TALK to you.

Doesn't matter if it's my Burban or the Stang or whatever... When there's a noise that your car doesn't normally make... it's talking to you. That talking starts an investigation, and that investigation almost always leads to some part that is failing.

There's been at least a dozen times where I've yelled, "SHHHHHHHHHHH!" in while driving. They all look at me then each other and invariably whisper, "What?!?"

"The air conditioner bearings are going bad". A month later and new compressor after it fails, and Dad looks like the car whisperer. LOL

 

[Three50won]

Noobz347...I know exactly what you're talking about. It's because we're not just driving our cars obliviously. We're ALWAYS listening to and feeling our cars, even when they're running perfectly. My cars have all made a funny noise. Sometimes it happens once and never again, sometimes it's intermittent, and sometimes it's continuous. And like you said it's always indicative of a new problem or issue. In the back of my mind I know EVERY single last strange sound my car has made since I got it. Sometimes I'm driving and I hear something and I'm like "oh wow that noise is back, I haven't heard that since May 08"...haha!! Or I'll drop my car off at a shop and they'll call me and say "we can't get your car running"...so you show up there and start it in less than 5 seconds.

 

[BlackVert]

heh, i look at it the other way ...

to me, the car is the stupid, fussy thing and i have to know its quirks to drive it ok. when other people drive it, the stupid thing does the same crap, but they haven't learned how to deal with it.

luckily, over time, i have been able to get mine so it is not fussy at all, starts right up, idles fine and doesn't want to die at stop lights. now even my wife can drive it without much drama. and if you knew my wife, you would agree that that is an accomplishment. she still complains that is is too loud and about the gas mileage, but she can't complain about anything else anymore.

the only issue left is that when the tranny is cold, the first time i come to a stop, it acts like it is in neutral for a few seconds before first gear engages.

 

[ProKiller]

I moved Paul's (KillerCanary) stang at carlisle for pictures and my god does that car have some quirks. That clutch release is just nuts. the engagement point is practically at the top. i kept thinking i was going to stall it. to him, it's normal(although since he got that vette he complains constantly about the stang); but to me it was very difficult. i didn't stall it which surprised him a lot.

it is kind of nice to have someone else who knows mustangs drive your car every once in a while just to point out things you might not even realize is a problem or issue.

 

[revhead347]

I've definitely had cars like that before. Aside from having a hard clutch and hard brakes, this car drives just like a normal car for some reason. It starts every time, never stalls, doesn't do anything funny, doesn't make any funny noises and drives nice and smooth. It still has the same chip from the old engine too, no particular tuning magic whatsoever. Don't ask me to explain it, buy I have been super lucky so far.

Kurt

 

[ProKiller]

you realize now that you posted that, something is bound to go wrong Kurt....

 

[revhead347]

you realize now that you posted that, something is bound to go wrong Kurt....

Not for awhile. I haven't had an opportunity to drive the car, so there is no opportunity for something to go wrong. It's getting to cold to drive a car around with no appreciable heat in it.

Kurt

 

[Flossy]

I have a very strong bond with my firebird like that... If a girl asks if she can drive, I am not lying, the CEL comes on... The one time I let a girl drive it, the tranny took a dump 25 miles later... Thats why it is about to become a garage queen/weekend warrior, and the 5.0 is going to be my new DD. I love my firebird, but seems like I work on it just as much as I drive it.

 

[Three50won]

Flossy, maybe the Firebird was jealous and mad that you had another girl there...like you're cheating on her or something, haha!! BTW, good to see a person who has a Fox Mustang AND a 3rd gen F-body. I started out with a 87 Z28 (305 carbed H engine auto). I've had several of those cars (88 Formula, 87 IROC-Z, 86 Z, 84 Z, 95 Z, 96 V-6) and I still love them...!!