Doing a Basic Tune-up on Your Car

It is important to occasionally do a tune-up on your car, especially if it's old. If it has never had one done, you will see very good results. You can expect horsepower and torque to come back along with some better fuel economy.

Every engine has basically the same parts that wear out and are critical to the operation of the engine. These include spark plugs, spark plug wires, and a distributor or distributor rotors and caps. Also included on this list are sensors. Depending on your car, one single sensor can make a huge difference. On an LS400, a Coolant Temperature Sensor that is bad will cause a loss of throttle response and a good 20-30hp! That's pretty extreme but other important sensors are the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS), Idle Air Control Valve (IACV), Crankshaft and Camshaft Position Sensors, and Oxygen Sensors (you should get a code if one of these goes bad). All of these send information to the ECU and so fixing bad ones will typically restore lost power, throttle response, fuel economy, and even shifting if your transmission is automatic.

I want to explain how to do these things aswell so you can actually do it on your car. If you use a mix of junkyard and store bought parts, you should be done for under $200.

Spark plugs should be changed every 100,000 miles or so. They develop carbon deposits, causing a bad spark. You will see this on old spark plugs as a layer of black carbon on the metal parts that create the spark.

Whatever your engine is, you will have to get to the point where you can unplug the spark plug wires so you can access the spark plugs. I would change them one at a time. This way, you can unplug one wire, change that spark plug out, plug the wire back in, and move on to the next. You won't lose track of which wire goes where this way. You should also lay them out in order so if you see something like oil on one, you know which cylinder it is (one of mine had oil on it but it didn't mean anything except that the old spark plug probably wasn't firing correctly).

There is a specific way to tighten the new spark plugs. You untighten them like anything else using a spark plug tool or a socket with a long extension. When you put the new one in, however, you want to tighten it to the following specifications:

Tightening Spark Plugs: Turn it until it's tight enough to where it first rests near the bottom of the thread. This is called "hand-tight" but that term can be misleading. Basically, you should feel it hit bottom - you will suddenly need significantly more force to turn it. It is at this point that you turn it HALF of a turn more. That is perfect tightness.

I do my wires separate mainly because it's easier to keep track of which is which. You should typically buy new ones but you can also get good ones from the junkyard. What I did was test the resistance of mine (5-12 ohms) and of the sets of junkyard wires I was looking at (1.1 ohms, all of them). That test at least let me know there is proper resistance and with the fact that they looked new, it was a good indication they were new. And they worked very well. This can save you $60-80.

When you take the wires, lay them out in order. Decide which cylinder is 1, 2, 3, etc. For my V8, passenger side bank was 1-4 starting from the firewall and the driver side bank was 5-8, again from the firewall. At the junkyard, I marked them with dots (4 dots for 4 or 8) and laid them out in two piles corresponding to the two banks. I used the clips that were there to clip them together aswell.

When you start changing them, just do it one at a time. Sometimes pulling the plugs that attach to the spark plugs can be a pain if they've been sitting for a long time. Just go side to side, don't pull TOO hard (although you are changing them...), and use a screwdriver to push the rubber boot off the cylinder while you pull if you have to. Doing the wires one at a time this way prevents you from mistaking wires. Take off one old wire, put on the corresponding new wire, go to the next.

One other thing you need to change while you're doing your spark plug wires is the coil pack. This is what feeds the appropriate amount of electricity to each wire. A bad coil pack will certainly make your motor run rough. The timing may be off along with power and throttle response.  I would recommend going to the junkyard for one and trying to find the newest looking one you can unless the coil pack is only $20-30 more new, in which case just get that. I believe I saved almost $100 by using one from the junkyard.

Just be careful not to get a really old one. Look for what effect the elements have had on it. If it looks new, it's probably relatively new. I know that comparing my old one to the one I got is a big difference. My old one was faded. Of course, this isn't a surefire way of knowing that the coil pack is good but it's a safe bet and it's still cheaper even to get a second one from the junkyard. I said this before but get a new one if it's only a little more.

Dirty EGR Valve.

One of the things you NEED to change if your temp gauge isn't working in your dashboard is either the Coolant Temperature Sensor or Engine Temperature Sender depending on your car. Some cars use the info from the former for the gauge while others (like my Lexus LS400) have a separate sender. They're right next to each other. I mention this because it is extremely important to be able to see your engine temperature because you can easily blow a head gasket if it overheats. Also, like I mentioned, the Coolant Temperature Sensor will bring back some power in most cars because it sends information to the ECU so if you have a bad sender aswell, change them both.

If you have weak throttle response, meaning your engine is slow to respond when you push the gas pedal, you might want to look at the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). If yours is old, replacing this part should make your car more responsive.

The EGR Pipe recycles exhaust gas and sends it back to the engine. If yours is cracked or the valve is stuck, your car will get bad fuel economy and probably run bad aswell. If it's just the valve (pray), you can take it off the car and clean all the deposits with a carb/throttle body cleaner. If your car is old, it's good to clean this anyway so that you don't have problems in the future.

Another important component that you can clean is the Idle Air Control Valve or IACV. When this one goes bad or doesn't function properly, your car will have a rough idle and maybe even stall out.

You need to check the slack on your throttle cable. One reason a car develops bad throttle response is a sagging throttle cable. It has to be taut but not slack and not tight either. If you can move it up and down significantly with your finger, it needs to be tightened. You should be able to press it down a little. I think all cars actually have specifications on how tight the cable should really be but if you tightened it like I said, it will be fine. Push on it gently.

To tighten the cable, most cars have a setup where you can adjust it by turning two nuts. The nuts sit next to each other, tightened against one another, usually with some sort of thin metal in between. What you do to adjust the cable is loosen the nuts by using two wrenches; you will be holding one in place while you turn the other one to loosen it with your other hand. Usually as soon as you loosen it, you should be able to twist both nuts either way with your fingers. If the throttle cable is on the left, you need to turn the nuts towards the left, moving the contraption to the right and tighening the cable as it moves. It is actually quite self-explanatory when you look at it. The contraption has a thread that these nuts sit on and allow you to tighten it at any point. When you get it where you want it, bring both nuts to the metal part that sits between them and tighten them together with your fingers first and finish with the wrenches.

I shouldn't have to mention this but you should check your fluids. Change your oil if it's extremely dark and make sure you have proper coolant. There's something in particular that reminded me of this - my roommate's Mustang. The coolant in that thing, if you can call it that, is orange because it's just water with a whole lot of rust. Kids, get the coolant specified for your car by its maker. It's important not to let anything that has to do with your engine rust and your radiator will be able to cool the engine better.

If your transmission fluid doesn't smell burnt, you should be okay. Maybe think about changing it at 200-250k miles as it's supposed to be a lifetime thing but it does go bad eventually.

Dirty engine bay.

I recommend you take the time to clean your engine if you're taking off a lot of covers or parts and can get to the hard-to-reach places. It just looks better and might help keeping it cool, even, although that's if your engine is covered in oil... Also, if your engine is completely clean and you get a leak, then it is much easier to find because you should be able to see whatever it is that's leaking without confusing it for all the other liquids that have accumulated. 

Clean engine bay. (Mine will be like this next year...)

One of the last things I can think of is obvious: your brakes. Check that the car doesn't pull to one side when you brake hard (that's a sticking caliper) and make sure your brakes and tires are good.

If I missed something, please leave a comment and get to wrenching!

Turning a Bad Interior to Respectable for About $100

When I bought my LS400, the interior was really bad. Among a bunch of small things like panels popping out, the seats were torn to crap. I always say it looks like a dog owned it. So many rips!

It was time to re-do the interior and not spend too much money on it. I wish I had a picture but the original interior had brown floormatts, a woodgrain and brown center console, and torn seats. The actual back of the back seat wasn't torn much, thankfully, allowing me to do some creative use of seat covers. The center console was ripped up along with the majority of the seats.

As you can see, my car now rocks a brown and black interior. It looks much better in my opinion. This seat cover actually covers the top but I had the great idea to tuck it because the top part is horrible. It constantly comes off and you can neither lower the center armrest nor put your seatbelts on without taking off a part of the cover.

I used the following things to re-do the interior:
1. Vinyl Paint - $15
2. Seat Covers - $50
3. Flat Black Wrap - $25
4. Steering Wheel Cover - $20
5. Leather for Shifter - $0 (taken from trashed couch)
6. Two New Woodgrain Front Window Button Panels - $25

I used the wrap to change the look of the center console. The clear layer on the woodgrain was starting to fade and wasn't looking too good so I turned it flat black and it made a huge difference in how the car feels. I decided to leave the center ashtray original because I replaced the other woodgrain panels.

I actually used the cloth from a sweater to reupholster the part that opens because that gave it cushion. I really love the way it feels. It was supposed to be a test and ended up working out great.

There's a tutorial on this website but I essentially unscrewed the plastic piece that attaches to it to tuck the new fabric in. I left the old leather but it was torn up too. I had to do this because I had never seen such a ripped up interior! In the future, I plan on just getting new seats but I do want to customize some things - the door and dash come to mind. Suede anyone? But that will run you more than the $100 we have planned.

Next step - cleaning the inside of my windows. I would like to hear any ideas when it comes to customizing your interior. There's a couple things I want to do, as I mentioned, but you will have to wait.

Tip: If you do this to a car you're trying to flip, it will surely raise the value if the interior is bad.

Rally and Autocross on a Budget

One of the best activities that I ever involved myself in was rallycross and autocross, the first of which was my focus. Out of the two, it's probably a little more expensive as far as wear and tear on your car but also more fun in my opinion. So what are these events?

Well, it's a racing event. It is set up in time-attack style where everyone runs their lap solo. Based on the event and how many drivers show up, you should be able to run about 6-8 laps, more or less. The drivers are competing with everyone else there so the lineup can be varied enough to feature a modded STi, an old Ford Thunderbird, and a BMW 325iX - on a dirt course. Rallycross takes place on dirt while autocross takes place on asphalt. The two are very different.

Autocross seems to be the more popular one. The maintenance on your car ends up being cheaper because you're not racing on harsh dirt roads. The cars that people race in these events differ. For example, light all-wheel drive or front wheel drive cars are preferred for rally. In autocross, anything goes but of course you can actually get enough traction to compete with rear wheel drive cars.

As I mentioned, you get a varied field. You can bring whatever car you want as long as it passes a simple safety inspection so you will typically see some cars that are much faster than others but the thing is - you do this for fun. While some events may pay out a small amount of cash for a "podium" (there is no podium) finish, usually you only get a trophy. People at these events just want to test themselves and their car or just have fun so everyone is very nice to each other.

You need to make sure your car is in good condition before you do either event. If something is on its way out, it WILL go out when you race the car. Make sure your suspension is good, your battery is secured, your liquids are full, and the maintenance is up to date. If you get a solid car, it's not hard to rally and/or rallycross a car pretty cheap. The main thing you will be going through is tires but things will also occasionally break although I didn't have many problems because I made sure the car was in good running condition.

For rallycross, great starting cars include Dodge Neons (they actually do very well on dirt), Mitsubishi Eclipse GSXs (you can find the first gen cheap sometimes and it's all wheel drive/turbo), Mitsubishi Lancers or older Evos. You can be competitive with these cars and bring home trophies. Look for cheap AWD or FWD cars that have cheap parts preferrably. Remember, you will probably be beating this car up so you can strip it for weight reduction. Get rid of the flooring, back seats, etc. You can even resell some of this stuff.

For autocross, you may be able to use your rallycross car. I had good luck going out on asphalt with a 1989 BMW 325iX (AWD) where I was beating new Mini Coopers. But if this is your choice and you are looking to buy a cheap car to do it with, I would try to find an older Mustang GT, a Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX (they're really fast with higher boost and weight reduction), a Miata, an MR2, or maybe even a 3000GT if it was in very good condition although those cars are very heavy.

Preparing your car is pretty straightforward. If it can make a trip across the US without any problems and nothing breaks when you floor it, then it should be fine to race. That's a good gauge to go by. Unfortunately, things WILL eventually break but that is part of this hobby. To give you an idea, if you're willing to be patient, this is how cheap I was able to get in.

After looking for a couple months for a good deal, I saw this BMW 325iX a couple towns away. The guy wanted $2,000 which was out of my budget but he was moving and he had to get rid of the car so I told him I would give him $900 if he hasn't sold it and wants to do that. Sure enough, I got a call a week later to pick it up.

This car was definitely maintained which was a big plus. It can suck $400 out of your wallet just doing a good tune up and bringing the car up to date with maintenance. I actually had nothing break for about five or six races. Granted, I was lucky because something should have probably broke. Expect to spend maybe $500 for six races. I had to buy dirt tires aswell which was the only other cost other than gas.

Similarly, I bought a two door Dodge Neon with the DOHC engine and raced that a few times with very good results. The 160hp is quite good in that light car. It doesn't do well on asphalt at all but for rally, it's a sound investment.

When you're ready, there's places online for whatever area you're in dedicated to letting you know where the races are so Google that. When you get to a race, you pay an entry fee ($25-50 usually) and your car has to pass a safety inspection. All they do is make sure your tires aren't bald and that your battery is secured in place. That's a big one. If your battery is moving around, find a way to secure it well.

Rallying and asphalt racing is an adrenaline filled, fun sport that is gaining more popularity - slowly albeit. Drifting has also grown to be huge, helping to spread the word of rally/autocross. If you have the resources, I recommend you do it. Don't worry, you won't get hurt (by the way, you need a helmet). Your car might...

Go to an event and just spectate. See if you would like to try it out. Once you see a huge plume of dust following a racing-spec Evo 9 that is screaming, hauling ass past you, I think you will make your decision then.

My One Year Plus Experience with the LS400 - It's Been Amazing

As some of you may know, I bought this car crashed with about 220k miles on it. My acquaintance had driven it into something at a slow speed, damaging the grill, radiator, and hood. I gave him $250 for it planning on getting it running and flipping it.

It was no longer until I got it home - five minutes away - that I had fallen in love with the car and decided I was going to keep it. It was rear wheel drive, definitely had enough power for me, and was a beautiful luxury sedan - my personal choice of car.

To give you an idea of the condition it was in, let me put it this way. A month ago, I was driving and lost 85% power. I limped the car home and ended up finding out that the spark plugs were original. Remember, that's 220,000 miles on the same set of spark plugs. It's things like these that make me realize just how reliable this car is if it's been taken care of.

Mine definitely wasn't and I need to change the timing belt and water pump. I did a full tune-up after this last incident - new spark plugs, wires, and distributor rotor caps. The sound of the engine actually changed after this from a quiet V8 to one with a nice rumble! It was so drastic that I wondered at first if something is wrong. Maybe my exhaust? No, that's just how the engine is supposed to sound!

I had to change the original fuel filter aswell. That was actually the cause of my last problem. The engine was starving of fuel. If I gave it medium or more throttle, it would just bog down and barely accelerate. I had to baby it to get enough fuel to the engine.

The point I want to make with this article is just how durable this car is and how reliable it is. I also want to say that some people would think I'm stupid. I have easily spent another $2,000 on all of the parts I replaced since I've had this car. I changed out a good fifteen different things myself except the power steering pump which I paid someone else to install.

As far as I can remember, the following is a list of things I have done to bring life back to the car. This car was going to be junked and now it's being restored completely. It drives better than when I first got it and I am completely in love with it.

I did a lot to the interior aswell which I will show you later in this post.

The List:
-Power Steering Pump
-ACV Delete
-Changed out dry-rotted hoses
-Coolant Temp Sensor
-Engine Temp Sender (sends info to gauge)
-Hood; have to change hood hinge which I have
-Radiator; have to change out the radiator support which I have aswell
-Alternator
-Headlights
-All fluid change except transmission
-Front brake pads; also fixed a sticking caliper - rotors were new
-Rear brake pads and rotors
-Spark Plugs
-Spark Plug Wires; have distributor cap

The car is running good but it is way overdue for a timing belt change which I expect to be able to do soon. The passenger side hood hinge also needs to be changed. This is why the hood sits weird. Tie your hood down if it doesn't latch and you're going to drive! I thought I would be fine driving in the neighborhood just to test the car after I did something to it and a gust of wind caught the hood, sending it flying open to crack my windshield on my side and bend the hinge on the other side. Oh well, you live and you learn. It still makes me mad to this day - if not for a dumb mistake, the car would look okay! The average person looks at it and the first thing they thing is "Oh that car is f***ed up." I digress.

As far as my interior goes, I have it to where I really like it but it's far from what I want. When I first got the car, however, it looked extremely bad. Every seat was torn, the center console was torn, and it was just in bad condition.

The first thing I had to do was buy some seat covers. I went with black which goes real well with the tan interior. Next, I wrapped the original shifter in leather and stitched it myself. There is a tutorial for that on this website.

Next, I used vinyl paint to paint the floor matts black and I used an actual wrap to change the woodgrain in the center to a flat black. It was fading and didn't look right. I left the pop-out in the middle the same and replaced my old, breaking woodgrain panels that hold the power window buttons with new ones. I hung a pair of dice on the mirror with a cross aswell... Have to have the dice.

In today's money, the LS400 would cost $90,000 if it was new. You know the $3000 or so that I've spent on this car? What is that compared to $90k? The way I see this car is a little different from how people look at cars.

To most, a new car is a new car and an old car is on its way out and is probably not reliable. The reliability depends on the vehicle and the maintenance done to it but as far as the car being on its way out...

I'll put it this way. This is the car that I want. If the LS400 was $10k, I would still be working towards it. The fact that I got it so cheap just makes me feel really lucky.

Let me wrap that thought up. I bought a $90,000 car for $250, put another $2-3000 into it, and I'm a couple grand away from how I want it. And the best part? Most if not all of the components that have to be maintained or changed out, will be. This is as close as you can get to a new LS400.

I am keeping this car until I die if I can. I actually want my name engraved into the frame. It's actually a rebuilt title, bringing the value down more, so it's pointless for me to sell it anyway.

Guys and gals, if you have a dream car that sounds like this, set yourself a goal to get it.

One thing I have to talk about is that it was no cake-walk getting the car to this point. The reason was that it became my daily driver almost immediately and until recently, my wife was the only one working.

Intermittently, things would break and we would have to somehow come up with the money while living paycheck to paycheck in a hotel. There was a good 4-5 times that the car was dead (things like alternator, something had gotten in my throttle butterfly one time, etc.) and we would be forced to try to survive in a city where you need a car until we got it fixed. I was able to get it back on the road in less than a week every time.

Every time I had a problem, it was something minor (if you consider an alternator minor - I do, it's cheap to change yourself). There are no serious problems with either the motor or transmission and I'm hoping I get many more miles out of both. I think I will.

The plans for the future make me very excited. I am almost at "stage 1" of repairing the car. I gave myself goals which you should if you buy a car like this.

I want to get it to stage 1 of my build before I move on. What I wanted to do before stage 2, which includes modifying the looks to my tastes, is get the car running completely well. Like I said, it's almost there. Soon I will have the timing belt and water pump changed out and by that time, any other little sensors or anything that I may need to change out, I will.

I've been planning on fixing the hood hinge for months but other things kept popping up (no pun intended). I'm going to do it VERY soon and install hood pins which I think look badass.

A nice example of a VIP-style car, originating in Japan from the Yakuza who liked the big sedans because they were fast and comfortable.

VIP cars are my inspiration for this build. Those are lowered as much as possible and rock nice rims, possibly stanced. The interior looks like something that the CEO of Coca-Cola would hop into. This includes curtains on the windows and tables with cupholders for the passengers. The tables are kind of like the ones you get to use in airplanes.

I want to eventually have my interior black and the color? You will just have to wait and see.

This car will be show car status but daily driven. A new exhaust is in the books and I'm trying to get my hands on a few different things to customize the look aswell. Follow along if you are interested. When I get to stage 2, I will be giving you guys a breakdown of what I'm spending and definitely more tutorials.

I am in a much better position in life now so I am able to afford this stuff. I've also been very busy so I apologize for the late article.

If anyone wants a tutorial on changing the fuel filter on a 1995+ LS400, let me know. The ones I found are for 1990-94 which have the filter in a different position. It is located in front of the rear differential instead of above the splash guard. You need ramps or a good lift for this. Thanks for reading.

Tutorial on Spark Plugs plus LS400 Update

This is a simple procedure but I figured I would post a write-up for anyone that may not know how to do this or be doing it wrong.

I also wanted to update my readers on my car, The Chariot. Recently I ran into some trouble but, again, was able to sort it out quickly. I was driving along just fine when all of a sudden, the car lost what seemed like 85% of its power (causing me to have to limp it home) and also didn't really want to respond to the gas pedal if I went past about half. It would respond but it would take a second for it to actually start accelerating faster so that was weird. See if you can guess what it was.

Everything here applies to all cars that have spark plugs. You need to buy a spark plug tool which is a hollow socket with a magnet inside of it to pull the spark plug out. I had lost the one I bought so I used one without a magnet and came up with a very simple way to fish the old spark plugs out, which can be a pain if they're deep like on this LS400. The trick is simple. I simply grabbed a vacuum hose that I had lying around and tested to see if it would slide onto an old spark plug. In fact, the hole was perfect - big enough but small enough to where the hose is able to hold the spark plug in once you slip the hose on the tip. It's time consuming but just go slow and have patience. Look down into the engine to see where the plug is sitting and do your best to aim the hose hole onto the plug. Press down whenever you feel like you're close. You will probably miss a bunch of times but you should feel your hose slip onto the plug when you get the angle right. Then you can just pull it out.

The first thing you have to do is remove the covers to get access to the spark plug wires. When you disconnect the spark plug wires from each spark plug, you will have access to the spark plug itself.

It is important how hard you tighten the spark plugs when you put them back in. More on that later.

These are the covers on the LS400. It's time consuming if it's your first time but it's not hard. You have to take the air intake and ducting off to get access to the spark plug covers. You also have to take the distributor covers off as well which are the triangular covers. Everything is held on by 10mm bolts and comes out in order from the ram air intake, then the round air intake itself, followed by the MAF sensor and elbow, and then the large ducting which goes to the throttle as well as to some other hoses. How many depends on if you deleted your ACV yet or not (there is a tutorial on this site).

Take your time with the ducting.

Be careful and go slowly when you take the main piece off. You should have the clips for the big connecting hose off. You have to take your time wiggling this large plastic piece off of the throttle and also the big hose. Take your time! Move it side to side and pull. Eventually you can pull upward to take it off the throttle opening. As for the big hose, turn it back and forth as you pull the two pieces apart. Carefully. You should have already disconnected any other hoses there.

Once you get the covers off, you're ready to change the spark plugs one by one. This way you won't get the wires mixed up which is important for the timing on the engine.

Start from the left and go right on the passenger side and right to left on the driver's side. Take the spark plug wires off one at a time. They're held in by little clips so take the wire you're working on out of the plastic clip(s). They just hold the wires in place. When you take the boot off, go slowly because you don't want to damage it if it's dry rotted at all. Depending on how long it's been, its pretty easy to take out each boot or plug of each wire.

Use your hands and not pliers or something. Hold on to the rubber boot at the base, start applying even pressure by starting to pull on it (don't just rip it out - apply strong but not too strong, even force) and attempt to start moving it side to side a little bit. My spark plugs hadn't been touched in 220,000 miles (incredible) and they were pretty easy to take off. They're somewhat stuck so you will feel it when they're free and they should pop out with a little extra pull.

You now have access to the spark plug. Go ahead and take it out. Remember, you're doing one at a time and you should line them up as you do so. The reason is so that if you find one with a serious problem, you know which cylinder it came from. One of the spark plugs I took out had fresh oil on it and even though a little is normal if they haven't been changed in a long time, it was good to know which cylinder it was in.

The type of socket I used to loosen and tighten my spark plugs. This one isn't magnetic.

Putting the new spark plug in is simple but like I mentioned above, there is a proper way to do it so please do it like this.

Go ahead and start tightening it knowing there's a certain point that you have to stop at that you will be able to feel so pay close attention. After you do a few, you will know the exact feeling. They tell you to "hand-tighten" it before you turn the socket a half-turn or 180 degrees. I don't like that term because it implies that once you can't turn it with your hand is when you do it but that's wrong. When the spark plug hits the bottom as you are tightening it, you will feel it. The force needed to turn the socket anymore will increase two or three times. It is at this point that you turn your socket 180 degrees or a half turn. At this point, it should be in good. But you have to stop because over tightening spark plugs can range from being kinda bad to really bad.

Onto the update with my car. Initially I thought that the catalytic converter was clogged simply because of how much power and response the car lost. After a back pressure test and some diagnostics, I was told that my car still has the original timing belt and water pump.

That wasn't the only original parts I found in there. This 220,000 mile supercar was still running on carbon-deposit-and-oil caked original Denso spark plugs.

At that point, neither I nor the mechanic knew what exactly the problem was but eventually a check engine light came on. That's what was messing with me initially - there wasn't even a code!

What happened was that the car regained enough power from the spark plug change to be drivable and the code for a bad oxygen sensor in bank 1 (sensor 1) only comes up if the car senses a bad O2 sensor for a certain continuos amount of time, which is what happened.

Today I got the sensor changed out at Muffler Man, a shop I have come to love. The people are honest and one of the main guys that run it was nice enough to show me their project car and talk to me about cool s*** for a while. Here's a sneak peak. You can expect a small article on this 600 horsepower 1988 Camaro and the shop. They put a lot of work into it and it shows.

Amongst all of this, something happened that I have never experienced, heard of, or even thought was possible. When I changed the old spark plugs out for Denso Iridium ones, the engine sound changed.

It makes sense now that the O2 sensor has been changed out, the ECU is able to set the proper fuel ratios and all of that good stuff, and the engine sounds smooth. However when I first changed the spark plugs and the engine was running weird, I literally thought I had a different problem because the engine note changed from a smooth V8 to a mean V8.

It's such a huge difference that I couldn't believe it wasn't being caused by some issue. The noise, that is. The car sounded like a truck before I fixed the O2 sensor. It just turns out the LS400 sounds mean as hell stock if it's well maintained.

I believe my O2 sensor got clogged by carbon deposits from Seafoaming the car. I'm not saying anything bad about the product because it works well on the right engine but even though it was probably because it wasn't able to burn up fully due to the old spark plugs, the fact is I believe carbon deposits got sent downstream and killed it. That's not to say it wasn't on its way out anyway.

I am saving money to change the timing belt and waterpump as soon as possible. Unfortunately I have to drive it because there isn't even busses where I moved and the wife and I need to work. I believe the timing belt will hold up for another few weeks if its done 200k+ already.

I know some people would say I'm stupid but when I get that done, I think I will have put three grand into this car when a running one costs a thousand.

But here's the thing. Most of the mechanic work I did myself so this vehicle will be completely up to date on anything that would need to be changed. From the top of my head, I already did...

I fixed a few leaks but you can probably see the residue I need to clean.

The power steering pump, ACV delete, radiator, alternator, vacuum hoses, coolant temp sensor, engine temp sender, spark plugs, complete fluid change using Mobil 1 synthetic, front brake pads, rear brake pads and rotors, and upholstery work on the inside. I've been dealing with mechanical things but I do have the hood hinge I need to fix the way my hood sits. I also have the radiator support which is the last casualty, if you will, of the minor accident the car was originally in.

So I've paid three grand and I would pay that much more. Of course, I would be mad as hell if it was right after this. But the car is very special to me. I bought it so I would get better working on cars and I did. At the same time, I always liked LS400s but after driving this car, I knew I was going to keep it. Initially I planned on getting it running and flipping it but it turned out to be the best car I've ever had.

In a way, I'm glad I was able to fix all of this stuff right away. But I have to tell you - it was pretty bad breaking down every couple of months! Luckily me and my wife are getting through it and the Chariot is surviving and getting stronger. Thanks for reading, everybody.

Turbobricks: The Volvo 740 - Speed on a Budget

My first car was a '97 Volvo 850 and I've been a fan of Volvos ever since. I've owned an S40 which had the turbo 4-cylinder aswell. Both were stock and slow compared to what you can do with the turbo motors relatively cheap. The car in question is the older Volvo 740. Even better would be the 240 or 242 but those are rare and will cost you more.

This should be your goal. 

The 740 was made from 1984 to 1992 so you have a wide range of choices. The motor you want is the 2.0-2.3l turbo that is an in line (or slant) 4 cylinder. That engine is what makes the car special. Volvo is known for making reliable cars (at least in the past - I honestly don't know how they are nowadays but I assume they're okay) that would last up to 4-500k miles. The 5-cylinder in the 850 is very reliable aswell but that car is front wheel drive. It, too, has a fast turbo version that I have written about in the past.

But getting back to the 740, that motor, which is called a 'redblock,' can take up to 30 psi of boost on stock components. Yes, you read that right. It can actually support that load. I believe the 2.0l version is better able to handle that boost.

You can buy the car in relatively good condition for a little over a thousand dollars right now but you will need to make sure that everything is up to date and maintained. Make sure the basics like timing belt are done but also look for a car that hasn't been abused too much if you're gonna go high in boost. Remember, it's an old car so you will have to do everything you can to get it in the best condition possible.

Again I say, anything above 16psi or so is going to be rough for the motor and this motor is the one to handle it but it has to be running right.

Once you get it to that point, though, you will have a mean drag machine AND it can cut corners. I never mentioned that the 200s and 740s are rear-wheel drive. You can have 250hp easily on stock components with a do-it-yourself boost controller. You can decide where you want to go from there. A reinforced block, pistons, etc would be best. Anything to make the motor tougher so you can pull more horsepower out of it. Those types of upgrades will also prevent you from blowing your engine.

The stock transmission can handle about 300hp before you have to upgrade it but that number is not bad at all from a 4-cylinder.

I used to be obsessed with this car but somewhere along the way, I got a Lexus. Which is gonna be parked for a couple weeks because I just found out that neither of the two previous owners have ever maintained it besides changing the oil, I guess. This car has about 220,000 miles and it has the original timing belt. Can you believe that? You should change it way before 150k! And I wouldn't be surprised if the spark plugs are originals. I have to basically do the works - water pump too, distributor, wires, etc. That IS a testament to the reliability of the Lexus LS400 however. Before I suddenly lost 90% horsepower, it was driving like new. I'll get it back on the road.

Motivational: Ford GT40 and SIN Cars

I often stop and check out people's cars if I see something really cool and the owner doesn't seem bothered. A few days ago, I saw a completely restored GT40. What the owner told me is what I want to tell you. The owner's name is Turbo (of course) and he builds custom boats in the Central Florida area if anyone needs a one-off boat. Anyway...

I was coming home and this thing was parked at the entrance by the dock. I was bringing my wife home from work and I usually don't stop because she's tired but I said sorry and put the car in park. She wasn't disappointed either.

This man Turbo - who has stories for days if you have time - is quite a character. Never been to school, like me. Restored a GT40, UNLIKE me.

My friend said he was stupid for daily driving a three million dollar car (this isn't a Ford GT if you haven't realized yet). I told him he was stupid for saying that. Although it should probably be in a museum, I'm glad it's on the road.

Next time I'll get a start-up and rev video, if I can.

After explaining what the name of the car was (Vehicular Viagra) and how it got it, he surprised me by opening the door and telling me to hop in. I dropped in because when I went to sit, my butt fell like two feet onto the seat that is 2 inches above the actual ground. You're sitting about 4 inches off the ground, making it very hard to even see over the steering wheel. Time stops as I try to orient myself. There's three pedals all the way on the right... I don't know HOW you drive this thing without your full attention. As for a speedometer or anything like that, forget it. There IS however a bunch of gauges for things like oil and fuel pressure.

This car is actually a 1969 so I guess that's where he got the number... Right...

What I'm trying to say is this. And Turbo said the same thing. Enjoy what you have but keep making it better. That is the secret to life. He started working on cars just like most of us. Messing around at his dad's house. Now he's living the dream, truly. It inspired me. I think there was about 300 Ford GT40s built so Lord knows how he got parts.

Check out that carburator...

All I know is that this is the rarest and most beautiful car I have seen to date. My wife remarked how much it looks like a muscle car. However, ever since finding a place to live a few weeks ago, I've also ran into a Skyline at the gas station and a set of a Formula One car with a SIN car. What is a SIN? It's a Bulgarian GT car that uses an LS motor from the Corvette.

I'm enjoying life much more nowadays because in the past I might appreciate the car but I would not have stopped to look closely. I made friends with Jon, the owner of this car and also the Team Owner of Racer's Edge, a Grand Touring team running this car. I wouldn't get these great experiences simply driving past. After all, when you're old, it's not gonna be your problems that you remember but the interesting things. Those things that are a passion to you. Make them a part of your life. Hell, build your life around it as I am trying right now.

The SIN car was amazing, quality top notch. I imagine it's a great bang for your buck if you're looking for a pure race car considering the fact that it runs an LS motor (I didn't ask if it was an LS1 but I assumed it was). Makes just as much power as its competitors.

The amount of carbon fiber inside was mind-blowing. Everywhere I looked, there it was. This car is a complete 180 from the Ford GT40. The GT40 is raw, powerful. It commands all of your attention. The SIN is elegant and powerful. It's modern and a lot less intimidating to drive. The clutch is where it's supposed to be and you have good visibility. Still wouldn't take it over the GT40, however, but being modern, I guarantee you it's faster - at least on a track.

In place of the passenger seat was a box with switches for oil, fuel, and anything you can imagine. The steering wheel was covered in buttons and the car uses paddle shifters. Overall, a beautiful and fast supercar. I think this company produces road legal cars aswell, with two seats.

The car regularly competes and seems to have just gotten their social media accounts running. Their Instagram page is @racers_edge_motorsports. Give them a follow if you like.

The last vehicle I want to mention right now is also up there in terms of legend. The Nissan Skyline. If I'm not mistaken, this was an R32. Again I was on my way home when I had to pull over for gas and ran into this sight (thankfully not literally with my car).

The R32 had just blown a head gasket. Surprisingly though, I think I was sadder for that than the owner was. It was evident that that wasn't his first or last time. He just looked bored waiting for a flatbed.

If you're wondering, yes it is right-hand drive and is tuned to the teeth. I'm not sure if that's real gold wrap but I wouldn't doubt it.

He said he liked my LS400. Thanks buddy... JDM for life?

I don't know these motors but I suppose the intake is on the right leading to the turbo on the left? Please correct me. The car was boosting 10 PSI at the time it blew the head gasket. I forgot what the man said but I could've sworn something about probably not topping off a fluid... Damn.

So what's the one thing all of these cars have in common? Of course they're all fast as hell but they're also unique. And all of the cars have had a load of effort put in. You are probably seeing more R32s now because they're old enough to import now. This ain't a budget car though, that's for sure. Maybe you can buy just the engine and play with it.

What is my point? Go out and meet people instead of being bored at home. Continue bettering yourself, your situation, and your car. Last but definitely not least, enjoy life because that is the common thread between these three owners.

Everybody starts at the bottom. Just like my LS400 is the car of my life right now, you may have one too and I encourage you to make it the best vehicle it can be. Listen - my car is probably only worth $2,000 but it's priceless to me and still puts a sh**-eating grin on my face whenever I hit the gas. The reason for this is because I literally brought it back to life and really made it my own.

If you have been thinking of getting a project car, I encourage you to do it and take the time to do all the work yourself. It will pay off big time.