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This is why I like this site so much. All the ideas bouncing around are things I probably wouldn't think of on my own.
It did pass inspection only a week ago. I was curious if the guy at the shop would say anything about the missing muffler/ ecomods I've done but apparently he was too busy to ask, or had seen so many strange things on peoples cars he just didn't care. The "cat still hanging in there" was probably my saving grace as it allowed me to pass emissions. (That phrase conjures up images of a haggard feline clinging desperately to the underside of my car. Ha)
BTW the whole midpipe is shot. So were looking at a new exhaust system but the catalytic converter is still good. As much as I like DIY, I am a 21 year old still in college so the welding/ metalworking/ garage thing is beyond my current ability (unfortunately).
As for the lean/rich debate, besides the steady and gradual improvement in my mpg over time no noticeable changes have occurred. A lean or rich burn would affect this one way or the other no? I will check the plugs tomorrow and see if that gives me anymore useful info.
Now as to why I am such a cheap SOB. This car is 14 years old and 171K miles. I know this is a baby car to many of you, but it also has several significant problems. About 3 weeks ago I came out to see my coolant all over the street where I park. Some bar's stop leak did the trick (for now). Oil is leaking presumably into the engine because I never see any on the ground, but it keeps needing more oil. The time between each necessary top off is diminishing. The transmission is doing weird stuff. Hard shifts between gears mostly (autotragic tranny I'm sad to admit). It occasionally stalls inexplicably (only happened twice many months ago but still curious). Brake lines look like they have seen much better days, suspension as well. And to top it all off, the rear window is separated from the shrunken vinyl top. I've tried every way to repair I can think of but its currently held on by gorilla tape with carpet tape underneath for added measure. So my theory with this car is that if it isn't safety related then let your problems accumulate and allow your car a dignified death. I spent money on repairing my first car foolishly and got burned big time.
Possibly the largest motivator to fix the muffler was my girlfriend who says the noise bothers her. Maybe I'll point her to the dollar store cotton balls ^_^
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