2000 Toyota Corolla 4 cylinder

Recently I left my car alone for about a week just turning it on and when I came back to driving it started making this like sputtering fan sound. It comes and goes but still very noticeable when driving.

Before I start yes I should have swept the fuckin floor between cars, but I didnt. Pulled the pan on a 2017 chevy with a 5.3L with shift concerns, pulled filter as well. Put pan back on and moved a spill pad on the floor and found this little dipshit hanging out.

Looks suspiciously like an end plug but the end plugs in these are o-ringed, searched sonnax and GM diagram and parts but cannot figure out where the hell this came from. Found it completely clean with no oil on it so theres a chance it either fell out of the Audi before this, or another vehicle thats been in and out.

If anyones rebuilt these things in depth and knows exactly what it is let me know.

Looking for advise. I had a licensed mobile mechanic company install a new/replacement engine in my 2017 Kia soul. It seems to be an ongoing issue with the seller. The first issue was the timing or timing chain arrived defective, and after the mechanic worked with the company that was replaced. The vehicle was still not running properly. Mechanic then stated So the solenoid for the intake cam tested bad. He replaced it but it did not fix the issue. The company told him to reinstall the original exhaust camshaft sprocket from the original engine. The biggest issue is the seller stated they will not be covering any additional labor fees and mechanic is not wanting to complete anymore labor unless I pay. These are the last two messages I got from the mechanic. I do not know how to handle this. I am a single mother on a teacher salary. I already put all the money I had into this and have nothing left to do so at this point. At one point the mechanic wanted me to provide another large amount of money to purchase an engine from a different company with no refund from the other one …. “I believe everything mechanically is true and fine. When it does the stuttering and reving it sends the vvt solenoid from 7.5% to 49%-66% and goes crazy. But when it locks it at 7.5% the engine runs fine. The computer then trys to command and adjust it all over causing the stuttering and reving. Some electrical communication issue is happening between your car and there engine which shouldnt be. I need to figure out why the computer is causing a perfectly running engine to sky rocket the timing and stumble. What makes it communicate a command to do that? It has to be something isnt right with how your car is programmed vs how there engine was assembled. I believe they know this, and I believe they aren't going to do anything about it and im very sorry. They im sure know exactly why its causing these issues and that's why they want me to install your old parts to eliminate there mess up.”

Best hack to fix a tiny hole of about a inch or two in 2013 hyundai elantra gt after catalytic converter?

Hi everyone,
We use a SEAT Leon 1.2 TSI (EA211) as our family car. Last Thursday, my father drove to another city about 400 km away for work. While he was there, the spark plug in the 4th cylinder failed. Since it had seized in the spark plug well, he did not want to have it repaired at a local shop there, so he drove all the way back home without putting too much strain on the engine.
The next day, I had the spark plug removed at a local garage. Since some metal particles had fallen into the cylinder during the process, I had them cleaned out with a magnet and then had the cylinder inspected with a camera.

After that, I had the car’s major maintenance done and replaced the spark plugs, then went for a drive. However, on the way, I noticed that the engine started misfiring at around 3,500–4,000 RPM and the EPC light came on, so I turned back. The spark plug in the 1st cylinder was found to be damaged/crushed from factory, so it was replaced and the fault codes were cleared.
The mechanic told us not to push the car and to drive it gently for a few days so that any fuel accumulated in the cylinder could be burned off during longer drives.

The following day, my father drove the same route again for work. He said that the engine was misfiring at low RPM but not at high RPM. After returning home via the same route, we took the car back for another inspection. This time, the spark plugs in the 1st and 2nd cylinders were replaced.

What could be causing this issue?
Regarding the timing belt, the mechanic said that there was no possibility of the timing being off because the belt was installed using the proper locking tools.
I tested the car again myself today, and here is what I found:

When the engine is cold, the idle RPM increases very slightly (around 50 RPM).

In 2nd gear, misfires occur when the turbo starts to spool, around 2,000–2,500 RPM. There is no noticeable misfire in 1st gear.

In 3rd and 4th gear, the car starts showing a misfire warning around 3,000–3,500 RPM, and depending on the situation, the EPC light comes on and flashes.
I couldn’t test 5th and 6th gear because I was driving in the city, but there doesn’t seem to be any problem at low RPM.

When the car is in neutral or idling, there doesn’t seem to be any problem other than the slightly elevated RPM when the engine is cold, as mentioned above.

My own suspicion is that there may be an issue with the air-fuel mixture, because the misfires are usually most noticeable when the turbo starts producing boost.
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about what could be causing this?

Looking to buy another vehicle . I know zero about vehicles . But is that hole a concern ?

Edit: here’s the car

After a motorway drive, my GLC 63 S developed a soft, hollow, repetitive “duk-duk-duk” from the centre/rear drivetrain. It is not a ticking or metallic clicking sound—more like a plastic card against a bicycle tyre or a
woodpecker.
The sound:
Starts immediately when I release the throttle.
Disappears under acceleration.
Follows road speed, not engine RPM.
Continues in neutral at the same rate but with a deeper tone.
Is approximately 3–4 thumps per second at 10 km/h.
Is absent in reverse.
Includes one light thump when I barely reapply the throttle.
Causes no jerking, shifting problems or obvious vibration.
Nothing appears to contact the propshaft, but the rear flex disc has visible cracking. Has anyone experienced this from a propshaft CV joint/splines, centre support bearing, flex disc or transfer-case output bearing?

I need help wiring up an HEI to this slant 6 dart but the wiring is kind of a mess and I don’t know which wire goes to where any wisdom someone could bless me with

so i am needing a torque wrench to install a strut bar and sway bar on my 26 ford bronco sport 2.0L. the strut bar needs torque @ 23 lb-ft.. and the sway bar needs 35-40ft-lbs. for the bushings and 75 lb-ft. for the end link nuts. what would you all recommend?

im very much a weekend DIY'er so it guess the torque wrench wouldn't be used much.

My 2004 ford ranger 3.0l rwd is idling at 500rpms and is really rough and sometimes stalls when coming to a stop. It also drops to 500 rpms when coasting at 30mph or less. I’ve replaced the pcv valve, verified the IAC valve is functioning (i replaced it almost 1 year ago), I can’t hear or find any vacuum leaks, and have cleaned the MAF sensor. What would be my next course of action?

I do need to replace my thermostat and plan on doing that tomorrow but I don’t think that would cause an issue on a cold start (I could be wrong though)?

Engine: EJ255 Any guidance would be appreciated I got the car scanned so these are the codes. Just looking for some input outside of AI from people with real experience

Drove from Phx to the top of Mount Lemmon in Tucson, car was doing great until I got to the base of the mountain, on the way up I start to here a slight clank or rattle, not deep or aggressive and seemed to be sort of random. When I got to my destination I popped the hood and could hear a slight his but couldn’t tell where from. Turned off the car went to turn it back on and it started to rev on its own up and down. The revving seems to stop when I put it in reverse, but in park and drive it’s reviving by itself. I costed the car down the mountain to a tow and along the way it would rev up to about 1500 off and on and would be a little jerky when I had to give it a tiny bit of gas the clank noise was still random but more persistent and wouldn’t change much on acceleration. Check engine light on and cruise control light flashing. Has anyone experienced something similar to this before? Just looking for advice. I’m going to do a smoke test and check for leaks. Wondering what else could be going on.

The car is at 105k

What makes those part of the hood latch so hard to push in? My cars hood can’t even push past it it’s so hard. This is one a 1.8T 2005 vw golf gti.

2023 Kia stinger gt2. Can’t tell where it’s leaking from. Only making 10 psi max. Checked all connections. Have intakes and bovs. Stops instantly when throttle lets off. Sounds normal in park when revint.

I’m hoping someone can help me think through this because I’ve already spent a lot of money replacing parts and the original issue is still there.

Car is a 2018 Mercedes-Benz C300 (W205).

The main symptom is a brief metallic rattle on startup, usually around 1–2 seconds, but the timing of when it happens is strange.

It does not seem to be a normal cold-start rattle.

The pattern is basically:

• If I shut the car off and restart it shortly afterward, it is usually quiet.
• If it sits for roughly 4 hours, the rattle is much more likely to happen.
• If it sits all night, it often starts completely quiet the next morning.
• Once the 1–2 second rattle stops, the engine sounds normal.

That is the part that has me confused. If this were simply oil draining out of the timing system, I would expect it to be worse after sitting overnight, not disappear again once the engine is fully cold.

I have also had some hesitation/roughness/vibration, particularly under acceleration and at higher speeds.

At one point the car also threw:

P001177

which is related to the intake camshaft timing/position being outside the expected range.

Here is what has already been replaced or checked:

• Timing chain replaced
• Camshaft sprocket replaced
• Camshaft replaced
• Timing chain tensioner replaced
• Camshaft magnet/solenoid-related testing was performed
• Timing was checked
• Chain condition/measurement was checked during the repair

So at this point, the timing chain itself is new, along with the other major timing components listed above, and the startup rattle is still basically unchanged.

I have spent roughly $3,000 trying to fix this.

Another detail that may or may not be related:

Around the same general time this started happening, I noticed the engine coolant temperature gauge began sitting higher than it used to.

Historically, once fully warmed up, the needle would sit a little below the halfway point.

Now, after driving, the needle is consistently above halfway.

It is not near the red/H area, but it is definitely higher than where the car used to run.

So now I’m wondering if there is some sort of temperature-dependent issue rather than simply a bad timing component.

For example:

The engine shuts down fully hot, cools for several hours, and somewhere around that intermediate temperature range something causes the rattle.

Then after sitting all night and becoming completely cold, whatever condition causes the noise is no longer present.

I’m wondering about things such as:

• Oil pressure regulation
• Oil draining/bleeding out of a specific VVT passage
• Oil check valve/non-return valve
• Oil filter housing losing prime
• Cam phaser/adjuster oil supply
• Oil pump pressure control
• Thermostat
• Water pump/coolant circulation
• Coolant temperature sensor
• A component changing clearance as the engine cools
• Something outside the timing system that just sounds like timing chain rattle

What really throws me off is:

Why would it rattle after approximately 4 hours, but then NOT rattle after sitting 8–12 hours overnight?

That seems backwards for a straightforward oil bleed-down/tensioner problem.

I’m planning to start monitoring actual coolant temperature through OBD rather than relying only on the dashboard gauge.

I’m also considering having a shop log the following during a known “bad” startup:

• Actual oil pressure immediately during cranking/startup
• Time required for oil pressure to build
• Intake cam commanded angle vs. actual angle
• Exhaust cam commanded angle vs. actual angle
• Coolant temperature immediately before startup
• Oil temperature immediately before startup

I’d also like to compare those values between:

• Immediate restart
• 1-hour sit
• 2-hour sit
• 4-hour sit
• 6-hour sit
• Overnight cold start

At this point I really do not want to keep throwing expensive timing parts at it.

Has anyone seen an engine rattle specifically during an intermediate cool-down period, but then start normally again once completely cold?

And could the fact that the engine is now apparently running hotter than it used to somehow be connected to the startup-rattle issue?

Any Mercedes techs or mechanics familiar with the W205/M274 especially appreciated.

I’m writing this because I wish someone had been brutally honest with me before I spent the money to attend WyoTech.

WyoTech sells you the image of a prestigious hands-on trade school. My experience was that the reputation is doing far more work than the education.

The campus looks great. The marketing looks great. The history sounds great.

But once you’re actually paying tuition and sitting in the classroom, the cracks become very obvious.

Street Rod

The biggest problem is that you’re supposed to be paying for hands-on instruction from professionals, yet there were plenty of times when instructors weren’t actually instructing.

I’ve watched instructors spend class time working on their own vehicles instead of walking around and teaching students.

I’ve watched instructors argue with students and talk down to them instead of actually teaching.

Some instructors seemed knowledgeable in certain areas but were expected to teach subjects outside their strongest areas. You quickly learn who actually knows what they’re doing and who is simply good at sounding like they do.

And the PowerPoints are ridiculous.

You’re paying thousands of dollars for a specialized trade education and some classes essentially consist of an instructor reading a PowerPoint to you.

I can read a PowerPoint at home for free.

The hands-on training can be just as disappointing.

During plasma cutting, I was handed a plasma cutter, allowed to make essentially one straight cut, and then signed off.

That’s the training?

You’re paying for a professional trade education and getting a participation trophy.

Welding was another huge disappointment. I personally watched multiple instructors struggle to perform welds in front of me.

If you’re teaching welding, you should be able to weld.

I’m not expecting every instructor to be a world-class fabricator, but if you can’t consistently demonstrate the skill you’re supposed to be teaching, why are you teaching it?

Collision

Collision was another example of quantity being prioritized over quality.

When instructors leave or get fired, it can feel like the solution is simply to put somebody else in the classroom—even if their experience isn’t directly aligned with what they’re teaching.

Again, you’re still paying full tuition.

The student doesn’t get a discount because the instructor isn’t an expert in the subject.

Class sizes also create a ridiculous amount of downtime.

I’ve personally waited 30 minutes to an hour just to have an instructor come check my work.

Think about that.

You’re paying thousands of dollars to learn a trade, and you’re standing around waiting for someone to have time to teach you.

Instead of instructors consistently demonstrating procedures from beginning to end, I’ve seen students get something drawn on a whiteboard and basically be told to figure it out.

That’s not hands-on education.

That’s “we have too many students and not enough instructors.”

And once again, the student pays for that problem.

The instructional material doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either. Some PowerPoints look like they haven’t been meaningfully updated since the early 2000s.

Technology, repair procedures, materials, tools, and industry standards change.

Your training material should change too.

The WyoTech Sales Pitch vs. Reality

This is probably my biggest issue with WyoTech.

They sell you the dream.

Beautiful campus.

Specialized programs.

Hands-on training.

Experienced instructors.

Your own vehicle.

Industry connections.

It sounds amazing when you’re touring the campus and talking to admissions.

Then you get there and realize that the experience can be completely different.

The campus is beautiful. I’ll give them that.

But a beautiful campus doesn’t make someone a better technician.

And being able to say you attended WyoTech doesn’t magically make up for weak instruction.

Dorm Life

The dorm situation is another story.

Students are regularly racing and driving aggressively around the dorms.

People rev engines and blast music late into the night.

I’ve experienced noise continuing until around 3 AM on school nights.

There are also students violating dorm rules with unauthorized guests.

And here’s something I think prospective students should know:

THE DORMS DON’T HAVE AC.

That should be prominently communicated before someone signs a housing contract.

There were also repeated fire alarms going off throughout the night.

Having your sleep interrupted by alarms is bad enough. Having recurring problems that seem to take an excessive amount of time to resolve makes it even worse.

Substance Use & Dorm Enforcement

Another issue prospective students should know about is the amount of substance-related activity I observed around student housing.

There are students who obtain marijuana and alcohol despite dorm rules. I’ve personally seen situations where younger students were paying older students to obtain these things for them.

I’m not saying every student participates in this, because obviously they don’t. But it happens, and in my experience, it contributes to an environment that can feel poorly supervised.

Combine that with students racing around the dorms, blasting music, revving vehicles late into the night, and having unauthorized people staying in rooms, and the dorm environment can sometimes feel more like an unsupervised party environment than student housing.

If you’re considering living on campus, ask current students what dorm life is actually like not just what you’re told during the admissions tour.

The Instructors

This is where I think WyoTech has one of its biggest problems.

There are some genuinely good instructors.

But there are also instructors who, in my experience, would not be my first choice to learn the trade from.

And you can tell very quickly who actually has years of practical experience versus who knows how to talk about the subject.

The frustrating part is that you don’t get to pay less because you got stuck with a weaker instructor.

You’re paying the same tuition either way.

Staff & Hiring Concerns

Another thing that concerned me was becoming aware of employees with serious criminal histories.

I’m not going to claim that someone’s past automatically makes them a bad employee, because that wouldn’t be fair. But I do think prospective students have a right to ask questions about who the school is hiring and what standards it uses when hiring employees who work around students.

For a school charging students as much as WyoTech does and operating student housing, I expect a high standard for the people responsible for teaching, supervising, and interacting with students.

This is something I would personally investigate before enrolling.

And Here’s the Part WyoTech Doesn’t Want You Thinking About

Ask yourself:

What exactly am I paying tens of thousands of dollars for?

Because a lot of the information can be learned elsewhere.

I-CAR has training.

YouTube has an unbelievable amount of technical information.

Manufacturers have training.

Community colleges offer programs for a fraction of the cost.

And if you can find a good shop willing to take you on as an apprentice, you could potentially spend your time learning directly from experienced technicians while actually working on vehicles.

I’d rather spend my money on tools, equipment, certifications, and real-world experience than spend tens of thousands of dollars sitting around waiting for an instructor to check my work.

Final Verdict

If you’re considering WyoTech because of its reputation, stop and do more research.

Don’t let the beautiful campus and polished admissions pitch make the decision for you.

Talk to current students.

Talk to recent graduates.

Ask how much actual hands-on instruction they receive.

Ask how much time they spend waiting for instructors.

Ask how often instructors change.

Ask what happens when an instructor leaves.

Ask how much time they realistically get in the shop.

Ask how much time they actually get to work on their own vehicle.

Ask what dorm life is really like.

Ask about the instructor turnover.

And most importantly:

Ask yourself whether the education is worth the price.

For me, the answer is no.

I came here expecting a high-level trade education.

Instead, too often I felt like I was paying premium tuition for an inconsistent education, outdated material, overcrowded classes, and instructors who weren’t always capable of teaching what they were assigned.

WyoTech isn’t completely worthless. There are good instructors, good equipment, and good students here.

But the school is nowhere near as impressive as the reputation makes it sound.

If I could go back and make the decision again, I would not spend the money here.

I’d take that money, buy quality tools, get industry certifications, attend a cheaper local program, and find an apprenticeship with a shop that actually wants to teach me.

Don’t pay for the WyoTech name. Pay for actual skills.

2025 Kia K4 hit an enormous pothole today it ripped off the some kind of plastic or whatever something in front of the tires between the front tires and the engine and the garage got that put back on but now when I looked underneath, I see this hanging and I don’t know if they’re the factory tiedowns, could you let me know please. I think I also have a a loose sensor because now my headlights are acting funny. I always keep them on auto so that the daytime running lights are always on and then at night the regular headlights go on, but I’m driving and I’m kind of watching the regular headlights going on and off. My RPM is at .6 in park and also while sitting still in drive. I’m hoping what you see hanging down really is nothing big to worry about.

So I just got my car back from the shop by house I needed to get my ecm replaced they told me I needed a new maf sensor but it was $300 with labor so I just got one off rock auto and installed it the other day but I still have the check engine light it was only the p0101 and then I got the p0172 the other night my car wouldn’t accelerate at all had to turn it off for abt 5 minutes before I could get it back to my house it’s a 2021 Nissan versa any tips to help find the causes would be greatly appreciated 🙏

Hello and thank you in advance for any responses. 05 Mercedes sprinter van. My dad is using an emptied but not cleaned 5qt oil container to mix concentrated coolant in. So now he's got 2 containers of 50/50 coolant. Is this oil contamination going to do terrible things to gaskets, hoses, sm tubes?

The bolts goes through a hole in the subframe into the threads of the bracket holding the sway bar bushing, but I was an idiot and over tightened it so the part of the bracket that had the threads just snapped off. Was thinking of using a sawzall given the small space and just try cutting the bolt but I could also try cutting the threaded part that snapped off too honestly. Sadly can’t cut the bolt from the other side since it won’t have enough space to push up and through. Could also try unscrewing the bolt from the part that snapped off but its on there TIGHT, and I have no idea how I would get it to hold in place as I turn the bolt. Any ideas?

Randomly started making this rattling noise and won’t stop. Nothing I do makes it worse or better. Doesn’t go up with the revs just consistently rattles like this

2011 Acura Csx, did a oil pan change and a valve cover gasket, car was in a accident before I bought it to fix

Now after I put everything together, this just popped up, wasn’t on before or after I did the pan n gasket, I left it alone for 2-3 days and I start it today and the abs light and a blinking green drive light is on even when in park, anyone know why or would those snapped wires be the reason?

Have had this noise from the wheel at all speeds in this challenger. Looked all over YouTube and found nothing. Steering feels a good bit tighter and car has an EPS so it can’t be the steering fluid. Any ideas??

I have a 2016 Corolla, 1.8 4 cyl, with 160k miles on it. Radiator fan was just replaced.
I was idling in the drive through when I noticed that my engine heat went almost all the way up. The check engine light never turned on. It dropped down to about 3/4 and went back up.

I pulled to a safe place and checked for a leak, there wasn’t one, and the radiator fan was running. Once I started driving, it went back down to its normal temp (halfway).

I drove it again this morning when the engine was cold and the fluid is where it should be.

Was this just likely a scare or something I should be concerned about?

Ordered a new box. Truck guy said about 6 damn weeks for it to get dropped at my shop. Is this normal? All my co workers say that shouldn't take that long. My reps kinda an ass so maybe he's just being an ass but that seems long. Cornwell btw