My car, and some stupid questions.
Discussion
Here's my car...Aaaaaaaaaahhh
She's bought me a month of joy already, and apart from one flat battery has given me no issues what so ever...yet...touch wood.
The problem is, is that I am the worst car owner there is...as in I have absolutly no idea about anything when it comes to engines, oil, tyre pressure etc. My knowledge on cars is on par with that middleclass housewife you see driving her husbands Mercedes...you know the one.
So I have some really dumb questions...really dumb...here go's:
1) Engine temperature stays at around 85...sometimes creeps up to 90 then back down again..is this the norm?
2) Oil temp...sticks at about halfway on the gauge...is this ok?
3) If I want to add antifreeze to my water...is it just a case of adding any old the stuff straight to the water, or do I need to take note of type, and how much Im adding? If there's stuff already in there do I need to drain it out first?
4) I'm going to check my oil tonight, which is basically and advanced operation for me, anything I need to know, Will any oil do?
5) What pressure should my tyres be..or does it depend all on the type of tyre you have...mine are 16s if it helps.
6) Is there anything I need to be checking on a weekly/fortnightly basis?
7) Where's the negative for my battery?
So any advice would be appreciated, or feel free to point and laugh at me.
Thanks in advance and Merry Xmas!
albear said:
1) Engine temperature stays at around 85...sometimes creeps up to 90 then back down again..is this the norm?
2) Oil temp...sticks at about halfway on the gauge...is this ok?
3) If I want to add antifreeze to my water...is it just a case of adding any old the stuff straight to the water, or do I need to take note of type, and how much Im adding? If there's stuff already in there do I need to drain it out first?
4) I'm going to check my oil tonight, which is basically and advanced operation for me, anything I need to know, Will any oil do?
5) What pressure should my tyres be..or does it depend all on the type of tyre you have...mine are 16s if it helps.
6) Is there anything I need to be checking on a weekly/fortnightly basis?
7) Where's the negative for my battery?
1) totally fine, the gauge is lying to you anyway, so ignore it unless it does something out of the ordinary.
2) Oil temp or oil pressure? if it's the gauge that is on the same dial as the water temp then that is your oil pressure. A search of the forum will bring back loads of people saying what it should be. Ignore them, as long as it is around the middle and doesn't do anything out of the ordinary then ignore it, the gauge is lying to you anyway.
3) Some people would say that you should only use the same type as what you already have etc... ignore them, just put in what you like, when you like, but not too much and not too little.
4) You should really use the same oil as the car already has in it, but 15-40w or 10-40w should be fine. Assuming it's a V8 then you need to check the dipstick when the engine is cold and the car is level. The dipstick will lie to you.
5) 26 psi all round, some people use other pressures, ignore them.
6) Your bank account.
7) Use the fuel rail on top of the engine.
Here's my car...Aaaaaaaaaahhh
The problem is, is that I am the worst car owner there is...as in I have absolutly no idea about anything when it comes to engines, oil, tyre pressure etc. My knowledge on cars is on par with that middleclass housewife you see driving her husbands Mercedes...you know the one.
HAVE YOU MET MY WIFE !!?
So I have some really dumb questions...really dumb...here go's:
1) Engine temperature stays at around 85...sometimes creeps up to 90 then back down again..is this the norm? FINE
2) Oil temp...sticks at about halfway on the gauge...is this ok? OI PRESSURE GAUGE ? NEED TO BE MORE SPECIFIC AT WHAT THE PRESSURE IS WHEN ENGINE COLD, WHEN AT HOT IDLE, WHEN UNDER LOAD ETC
3) If I want to add antifreeze to my water...is it just a case of adding any old the stuff straight to the water, or do I need to take note of type, and how much Im adding? If there's stuff already in there do I need to drain it out first? I ALWAYS TOP UP WITH A 50:50 MIX.
4) I'm going to check my oil tonight, which is basically and advanced operation for me, anything I need to know, Will any oil do? SHOULD CHECK OIL EVERY 2 OR 3 TIMES YOU USE THE CAR. CHECK WHEN ENGINE IS COLD (ASSUME NOT A S6 ENG). MAKE SURE OIL LEVEL IS AT MAX AT ALL TIMES. SUGGEST YOU USE THE 15 40 MOBIL 1 (IE NOT NORMAL MOBIL 1) AVAIL AT HALFRAUDS.
5) What pressure should my tyres be..or does it depend all on the type of tyre you have...mine are 16s if it helps. HAVE YOU NOT GOT A MANUAL ?
6) Is there anything I need to be checking on a weekly/fortnightly basis? CHECK TYRES, WATER, OIL AT LEAST WEEKLY.
7) Where's the negative for my battery? IN SAME PLACE AS ALL BATTERIES (BUT DIFFICULT TO ACCESS) IF YOU WANT TO JUMP START THEN PUT THE BLACK CABLE ON THE TRIANGLE OF METAL NEAR THE AIR BOXES
So any advice would be appreciated, or feel free to point and laugh at me.
Thanks in advance and Merry Xmas!
[/quote]
Hi Albear, some answers to your questions;
1) Engine temperature stays at around 85...sometimes creeps up to 90 then back down again..is this the norm?
Yes this is fine, in traffic mine nudges 100, if it goes over 100+ and stays there then this is the time to woory,mine did this whenthe fans stopped working. Let the engine runand watch when the fans kick, in first one about 92 degrees and the second at about 95+ this will bring the temp down and then the whole cycle starts again.
2) Oil temp...sticks at about halfway on the gauge...is this ok?
Mine reads 60psi when cold and then drops to 35 to 45 when hot,its always done this. I found that using Mobil 1 15w-50 rather than Mobil1 0w-40 keeps the pressures slightly higher (because I think it is thicker ? or maybe its me !)
3) If I want to add antifreeze to my water...is it just a case of adding any old the stuff straight to the water, or do I need to take note of type, and how much Im adding? If there's stuff already in there do I need to drain it out first?
If you want to add antifreeze you can just pour new stuff straight in,no need to drain the old stuff first - if you regularly needto top up the water then investigate why, normally they don't need topping up that often.
4) I'm going to check my oil tonight, which is basically and advanced operation for me, anything I need to know, Will any oil do?
Again conflicting opionions on this, Ian at Middlewich told me check when cold on a level surface, top up with Mobil1 0w-40 if you can't get hold of 15w-50.
5) What pressure should my tyres be..or does it depend all on the type of tyre you have...mine are 16s if it helps.
In the handbook (have you got one ?) it gives the pressures 22psi for front and 24 psi for rear, if fully ladenor high spped increase to 25 and 28 psi respectively.
6) Is there anything I need to be checking on a weekly/fortnightly basis?
Oil, water, screenwash, power steering fluid (if fitted), must admit I'm lax at doing this - shame on me.
7) Where's the negative for my battery?
The negative is under the cover held on by an allen screw on each side.
Hope you enjoy the car I love mine to bits !!
1) Engine temperature stays at around 85...sometimes creeps up to 90 then back down again..is this the norm?
Yes this is fine, in traffic mine nudges 100, if it goes over 100+ and stays there then this is the time to woory,mine did this whenthe fans stopped working. Let the engine runand watch when the fans kick, in first one about 92 degrees and the second at about 95+ this will bring the temp down and then the whole cycle starts again.
2) Oil temp...sticks at about halfway on the gauge...is this ok?
Mine reads 60psi when cold and then drops to 35 to 45 when hot,its always done this. I found that using Mobil 1 15w-50 rather than Mobil1 0w-40 keeps the pressures slightly higher (because I think it is thicker ? or maybe its me !)
3) If I want to add antifreeze to my water...is it just a case of adding any old the stuff straight to the water, or do I need to take note of type, and how much Im adding? If there's stuff already in there do I need to drain it out first?
If you want to add antifreeze you can just pour new stuff straight in,no need to drain the old stuff first - if you regularly needto top up the water then investigate why, normally they don't need topping up that often.
4) I'm going to check my oil tonight, which is basically and advanced operation for me, anything I need to know, Will any oil do?
Again conflicting opionions on this, Ian at Middlewich told me check when cold on a level surface, top up with Mobil1 0w-40 if you can't get hold of 15w-50.
5) What pressure should my tyres be..or does it depend all on the type of tyre you have...mine are 16s if it helps.
In the handbook (have you got one ?) it gives the pressures 22psi for front and 24 psi for rear, if fully ladenor high spped increase to 25 and 28 psi respectively.
6) Is there anything I need to be checking on a weekly/fortnightly basis?
Oil, water, screenwash, power steering fluid (if fitted), must admit I'm lax at doing this - shame on me.
7) Where's the negative for my battery?
The negative is under the cover held on by an allen screw on each side.
Hope you enjoy the car I love mine to bits !!
How do I know you all not lieing to me? Brilliant advice though, so thank you so much. Buying the cerb with no prior knowledge of cars is a risky thing to do, but I geuss I'll pick it up as I go along.
I did get the owners manual, but really wanted advice from people who actually drive the car.
...and what a car it is!
Do any of you let your partners/friends drive your car? My GF is constantly hassling me to have a spin, but if Im honest, she aint the safest driver in the world.
You know that person who drives 3 foot off your bumper at 60 in the wet...that's her that is!
albear said:
Do any of you let your partners/friends drive your car?
i would probably let my GF drive, but don't think she's very confident, plus blind as a bat, (prob why she is with me then).
the thought of her ridding the clutch and pushing the pedal down, thus ending up somewhere we shouldn't be.
Find a huge carpark/airfield, then 'here you go love; you can park it.'
albear said:
Do any of you let your partners/friends drive your car? My GF is constantly hassling me to have a spin, but if Im honest, she aint the safest driver in the world.
Not a good combination then. SGirl quite likes to drive the Cerb, but only if it's dry (the road, not the inside of the Cerb. Though the two often coincide).
Does depend on her/your height difference. We needed Leven pedals on the Car before she felt comfortable (though it did have the advantage that she could only give 1/2 throttle
) Finally, make sure her clutchwork is up to it. Clutches on Cerbs wear almost as quickly as on Lambos, and are nearly as expensive..
albear said:
Thats probably not a bad idea!
Another stupid question, why does this Forum sometimes start with the newest post at the top, and othertimes with it at the bottom?
Go up to MY INFO, then down to PREFERENCES and then click Ascending or Descending _ I have mine the latter so the new posts appear at the top ... make perfect sense - most have it the other way round I think.
albear said:
Thats probably not a bad idea!
Another stupid question, why does this Forum sometimes start with the newest post at the top, and othertimes with it at the bottom?
Go up to MY INFO, then down to PREFERENCES and then click Ascending or Descending _ I have mine the latter so the new posts appear at the top ... make perfect sense - most have it the other way round I think.
albear said:
Thats probably not a bad idea!
Another stupid question, why does this Forum sometimes start with the newest post at the top, and othertimes with it at the bottom?
also depends whether you're logged in or not. i have newest post first at the start, but if i delete my cookies or log out, the oldest post is first.
albear said:
Do any of you let your partners/friends drive your car? My GF is constantly hassling me to have a spin, but if Im honest, she aint the safest driver in the world.
I sometimes let my husband drive the car
I think the cerb needs to be treated with some respect and if your g/f wants to jump in and take it for a spin, then that's probably what she'll end up doing, if you want her to drive it then I would suggest booking up for a trackday so she can get used to the car in safety,IMO but then maybe I'm over cautious. This is what I did when we first bought the car, especially after hearing how unpredictable and fast it was.
And a word of warning, if you do let her drive and she likes it, you are going to find it hard to get her out of the driving seat, just ask my husband
What!! you've been looking at my wife, whilst she's been driving the Cerb. 
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