A not "S" related thread

[4U2NV]

Hey Repiv, I have a couple of questions that you may be able to help with.

1. The keyed lock on my gas lid for my tacoma is really sticking bad. It is getting very difficult to turn and unlock the lid during fillups. What is the best way to clean and lubricate the lock mechanism?

2. I need to install an accessory into my mother-in-laws Accord. Do you know if there is an open spade in the fuse box that I can use? Do you know where I can find a photo/diagram for the fuse box?

Thanks! Your help is greatly appreciated.

[repiv]

Am I actually allowed to post non-S2000 answers here? .......................................... :moon: :rofl:

1. Unscrew the gas cap. If it's a tethered affair, do the best you can at the side of the car, but don't blow yourself up with a nearby open flame source.
Spray WD-40 into the key hole and shake out the excess. This will clean out the lock. Since it's flammable, no big deal if some gets into the gas. It's not much anyway. Use some compressed air and blow out the key hole. This will accelerate the drying. Get some graphite powder. This is what locksmiths use to lubricate lock tumblers. Hold the cap with the key hole facing to the sky and squeeze a bunch of graphite into the lock. Squeeze a little onto both sides of the key, too. Insert key and work the graphite into the lock mechanism (ie, turn it a bunch of times). This should smooth things out quite well. If not, repeat. Wipe the top of the cap and key off with a tissue so you don't stain things it touches.

2. I don't know how the Accord fuse panel is set up. It would be easy enough to check it out with a flashlight to see if it has the 3 empty spade connectors like the S2000. If they are present, you can check each one using a lighted continuity probe. It's like a pointed screwdriver with a fuse and a light in the handle and a wire clip on one end to clip to a ground bolt. Decide if you need it hot all the time or hot with ignition.
Failing this, the easiest way to hook up an accessory is to use an "add a fuse". Find a fuse on the panel that is of an adequate amperage and that is hot all the time or hot with ignition. The legend on the kick panel should tell you what each fuse is for and the amperage. Pick one that is suitable for the accessory. Typically, the one for the stock accessory plug is a good one the choose and you already know if it's keyed to ignition. The "add a fuse" goes in place of the fuse you pull out and branches off to another fuse slot for the accessory. It'll have one wire coming off it that goes to the hot side of the accessory. The accessory should have a ground wire which you attach to a ground bolt or you can get a "T" tap and splice into an existing ground wire.

[griffon]

The keyed lock on my gas lid for my tacoma is really sticking bad. It is getting very difficult to turn and unlock the lid during fillups. What is the best way to clean and lubricate the lock mechanism?


Try using a propane torch to remove the cap. :flames: :flames: :flames: :flames: :flames: Then you will be Rocky the Flaming Squirell

I hope you are smart enough to realize that I am yanking your chain. If not, please do not come here to try this.

[repiv]

Try using a propane torch to remove the cap. :flames: :flames: :flames: :flames: :flames: Then you will be Rocky the Flaming Squirell

I hope you are smart enough to realize that I am yanking your chain. If not, please do not come here to try this.
I find myself having to give these warnings whenever flammables are involved, even though it's such an obvious situation. A little background ...............................
When I was young and stupid, I was checking the anti-freeze under the radiator cap. It was dark in my garage and the overhead light bulb didn't shine directly into the rad filler neck. I just happened to have matches in the garage and figured, "Why not?" Struck the match, had my face over the rad opening and put the match close so the light would shine down the hole. Suddenly, there was this little puufffff. Lost all the lashes and eyebrow hairs on my right eye. Luckily, I managed to blink in time. Combustible stuff under a rad cap? Who knew?
About the same period of time, one of my friends ran out of gas, so he called another friend to come by and siphon a bit of gas out of his car. The siphon hose wouldn't go very far down the hole, so we guessed that there may be something blocking the filler pipe part way down. It was so dark down that pipe, we couldn't see. So, one of these guys pulls out a book of matches thinking he'd shine some light on the situation. Just as he struck the match, the other friend knocks the match out of his hand and said, "Are you fracking NUTS?" (Real word used was somewhat more colorful. ;) )
I've never taken anything for granted since. :freak:

[griffon]

I had a go kart when I was a kid and while running it it just stopped. I had just refueled it but my uncle was certain it was out of gas. As it was getting dark he reached out with his cigarette lighter to the tank behind me and my dad almost took his arm off before he could spark that lighter.
I think I may have lost more than eyebrows if dad hadn't been so quick.

[lacochino]

YIKES. There will be NONE of that, thank you. :)

We are putting a GPS beacon in my mother's car today (hence the request on the Accord). We don't want her going out to get groceries one day, and ending up in Montana or something. Nothing like someone with "Mild Cognitive Impairment" going somewhere in the car.... I don't think she will be driving much longer, but for now we would rather be safe than sorry.

[repiv]

YIKES. There will be NONE of that, thank you. :)

We are putting a GPS beacon in my mother's car today (hence the request on the Accord). We don't want her going out to get groceries one day, and ending up in Montana or something. Nothing like someone with "Mild Cognitive Impairment" going somewhere in the car.... I don't think she will be driving much longer, but for now we would rather be safe than sorry.
Good. Make sure he doesn't blow himself up. With a GPS, best to find a "hot with ignition" fuse tap. I'm assuming that you plot the way home on her GPS and she can always navigate back? A useful hint I found on this forum a while ago was to NOT use her own address but perhaps one that is close enough that she can get home from there. This is in case someone steals the GPS or car and find out where she lives. I used to have my actual home as the "home" on my GPS. Now, I've got "home" as the neighbourhood Dairy Queen.

[4U2NV]

Good. Make sure he doesn't blow himself up. With a GPS, best to find a "hot with ignition" fuse tap. I'm assuming that you plot the way home on her GPS and she can always navigate back? A useful hint I found on this forum a while ago was to NOT use her own address but perhaps one that is close enough that she can get home from there. This is in case someone steals the GPS or car and find out where she lives. I used to have my actual home as the "home" on my GPS. Now, I've got "home" as the neighbourhood Dairy Queen.

This is a little different device than that. This is a beacon that we can use to pinpoint her location from our computer at home. This way if she gets lost or is missing for some unknown reason, we can go to a computer and reach out to find her.

I think I will stop and get an "add-a-fuse" on the way home from work. I can always return it if it is not required.

Thanks for the tips!

[lacochino]

My bad. This is what we are putting in the car:

http://www.zoombak.com/products/auto/

[repiv]

This is a little different device than that. This is a beacon that we can use to pinpoint her location from our computer at home. This way if she gets lost or is missing for some unknown reason, we can go to a computer and reach out to find her.

I think I will stop and get an "add-a-fuse" on the way home from work. I can always return it if it is not required.

Thanks for the tips!
Gotcha! In this case, you might want to use a "constant hot" fuse tap but the disadvantage to this is that even when she's got the car parked, it will draw power and this might drain the battery so she can't start it the next time she needs it. If you use the "hot with ignition", then you must rely upon her having the car on when you need to see where she is. It's a tough choice.
You should look for one of these:
"add a fuse" ....................................
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21wAMu2jHsL._SL500_AA250_.jpg

[repiv]

My bad. This is what we are putting in the car:

http://www.zoombak.com/products/auto/
If it's a cellular based device, the power draw should be minimal so if the battery is in good shape, it should be fine parked for a couple of weeks. The device's instructions should indicate what kind of power it needs.

[thereur]

2. I need to install an accessory into my mother-in-laws Accord. Do you know if there is an open spade in the fuse box that I can use? Do you know where I can find a photo/diagram for the fuse box?


Have you already googled for service manuals? On my '91 I didn't have a moon roof, so that was 1 available spade. I seem to recall there were 2 others. Manual was nice for finding ground points.

[griffon]

YIKES. There will be NONE of that, thank you. :)

We are putting a GPS beacon in my mother's car today (hence the request on the Accord). We don't want her going out to get groceries one day, and ending up in Montana or something. Nothing like someone with "Mild Cognitive Impairment" going somewhere in the car.... I don't think she will be driving much longer, but for now we would rather be safe than sorry.

Aww, come on. Just make him back it away from the house first.

And get the video camera ready!

[lacochino]

SWEEEEEET. As far as I know - the life insurance is paid up...... :flames: