[jawhn]

That looks sick.

I got my xB back up and running today. Well, actually my buddy did. I bought a new battery, and after installing it, it wouldn't start up. My friend came over and took a look, he's my automobile guru, and he diagnosed that the aftermarket alarm system someone had installed (improperly) had come loose under the dash, and apparently resetting the battery made it flip out.

So we completely removed it. All better now, very happy.

 

[jawhn]

hang on.....lemme reflect on this

I mirror this remark.

 

[jawhn]

Oops I dipped it again.

Great. Now that song is stuck in my head.

I changed out my spark plugs the other day to the NGK Iridiuim BKR5EIX 6341 ones. Hoped to get rid of the engine stuttering/hesitation that's been plaguing it lately, but it only helped a little. Already changed the air filter, which was mega filthy as well. Been reading up on here for other possibilities. Frustrating. 175K miles, has had 8 owners before me, this box is a bit of a mess...

 

[jawhn]

I'm guessing you've already done an oil change? Running seafoam might help clean something out as well.

Yes and yes. It only started hesitating/stuttering after the oil change. And SeaFoam is the bomb, I've already ran some through the gas a few weeks ago and it made an improvement. I have a bottle in the car for the next fill-up, hopefully making it smoother.

BTW, it's a beater 2006 xB with a salvage title. It's had 8 owners before me, and it's pretty rough. I basically bought it as a "disposable car" because I needed something with A/C quickly to deal with the AZ heat. I'm still taking the best care of it that I can, but don't have my heart and soul in it, if that makes sense... I'm always keeping an eye out for another with much lower miles.

It's my third 2006 xB in a row in just a few years.

 

[jawhn]

Nothing as exciting as the cool pics in the past 2 posts, but I finally replaced my front sway arm bushings. HOLY MOLY what a difference!!! The microvan now steers and feels like it's on rails. It used to feel like I was drifting... ALL the time.

Took me way longer than it should have, but one of the original bolts was bent and scraped up so much that I had to grind it off. But now I'm extremely happy with the results.

 

[jawhn]

Chewwww-chewww

Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugg...



That looks painfully loud.

 

[jawhn]

Mine's bein a lil biotch. It was giving me OBD2 codes for P0121 and now P0123 for MAS / TPS stuff. So I cleaned the MAS and also bought and installed a new TPS.

Made it worse.

Just ordered a much better OBD2 scanner (Foxwell NT301) to see if I can get a bit more clarity on what's going wrong. But sh'e not happy, so for now she sits and I just drive my truck around until I figure this out.

 

[jawhn]

Got mine towed home last night.

In a horrible mood, I don't really wanna discuss, lol.

 

[jawhn]

Woo, I'm back to driving a silver 2006 xB!!! (My third one has been down since November) Just bought it yesterday.

I'd been looking for another one locally since then, as I figure I might as well collect the whole set, amirite?

This has been my 4th 2006 xB I've owned. It's got a large dent in the hatchback and the key doesn't fit in the door well, but I'm back inside a Gen1 Toaster with air conditioning... (A medical necessity here in AZ) So happy. It's an automatic transmission, but oh well. 233K miles.

Ah. Pics. I need to post some, don't I? Lemme log in with my phone and do so.

Oh. And I have a question... It's an early 06 that doesn't have the audio controls on the steering wheel, which is gonna drive me absolutely nuts. Does anyone know if the wiring harness is the same in both, and if I just need to add a steering wheel with the controls, or will I need to replace a/the harness as well?

 

[jawhn]

Some pics... You can kinda see the hatchback crinkle in the 2nd one. The 16" rims aren't bad, but I'm going to put my stock Scion 7 spoke alloys on, since I just recently put brand new tires on those. Also, all 4 tires on this were completely different brands... Who does that???

 

[jawhn]

Fixed the overheating issue on my current xB. Turned out to be a really easy fix, replaced radiator cap and a really short hose, and the hissing, gurgling, leaking mess is back to being troublefree just in time for the crazy Phoenix heat.

Lesson learned: Never again buy a used car from a junkyard.

 

[jawhn]

Spoke too soon. Coolant system started hissing yesterday on a short drive. Back to detective work on where it's leaking from...

Lesson learned: Don't jinx yourself by congratulating yourself too early into a repair.

 

[jawhn]

Today? Drove it to work after topping off the coolant. Still haven't figured out where I'm losing it. Not into my oil, luckily. It's been soooooooo long since I've even had to think about coolant issues in a vehicle.

Need to make some local gearhead friends I guess, haha.

 

[jawhn]

go to auto zone and borrow their coolant pressure tester
and you will have it figured out in about 3 minutes

Thank you for that, I didn't even know that was a thing. Hoping the head gasket isn't kaput.

 

[jawhn]

Still filling my radiator with small amounts of coolant and distilled water every day I drive it... No dripping, though. Checked oil, perfectly fine, no milkshake, nice color, and thickness is on point.

Checked auto transmission fluid level... Holy shite, extremely full and super watery. I'm in deep trouble. Unless there's a coolant fluid solution that would mix ok with transmission fluid and not be corrosive... (Audience laugh track plays)

Rides fine, but a lil online research tells me this thing will be due another transmission very soon.

Fark.

 

[jawhn]

Towed my 3rd xB to a repair shop a friend recommended. They told me on Saturday that it did not need a fuel pump replacement as indicated by that same friend. Ugh. Then they spent 2 hours of diagnosis labor to try and figure out what was going on... Nothing determined yet. I'm feeling extremely frustrated right now...

 

[jawhn]

I’m taking mine out for a nice waxing

Oh, man, we gotta see some pics, then!

 

[jawhn]

Awww hells yeah, another skater in the house! I always try and represent with a sticker or two on whatever vehicle I'm driving. Let's see if I can find one of my current running (but overheating) toaster... I made a translucent SC logo for the back window.

 

[jawhn]

YOU made it rain!