Tapping sounds from engine bay. Why report in engine details?

[Issac Brock]

Tore the engine completely apart. Replaced or repaired any part under min spec. Still says part not found for 2 instances. Why are these parts being described along with the engine problems when the have NOTHING to do with the engine.

So do I put the engine all back together to find out that I still have two engine parts that are bad or do I tear apart the whole front end suspension first and add twenty more parts to my already overloaded inventory?

If it's a suspension problem why not list it as such?

If I put the engine and transmission back together and get it on a test track is it going to show an engine problem that I've already inspected.

I'm putting this game down for awhile. It's more frustration than fun!

[Issac Brock]

Messaggio originale di dogwalker1:

Messaggio originale di Officer Payne:

Yes. Fuel pressure test tests fuel filters, pumps, injectors, fuel tank.

Small detail - not the fuel tank.

That's right. One of those 0/0 parts. Come to think about it I never took it out, not sure if i even gave it a close look. Thanks for the reminder.

[Issac Brock]

Finally went back and finished job. The rattle from engine bay was the steering rack. I also had an engine problem that would not show up. I'm guessing the reason the engine problem did not show up under initial instrument testing is the car would not start so It did not report the battery, once the engine was repaired and I was able to start the engine the multi meter test then revealed the battery.

I also made the mistake of thinking the rattle from the engine bay undiscovered part was the same undiscovered part (battery) listed under engine problems. They were two different parts entirely.

I'm posting this because everyone that responded was helpful and someone may get some benefit from my mistakes.

I really appreciate all the comments and I feel that this particular community group is pretty solid.

[Doctor West]

As a small tip, assuming you're not playing on expert you can usually tell if a part needs attention by looking (like, actually looking, not exam mode). If you can see rust, it's in the orange range and the customer will probably want it fixed or replaced. If it's one big solid mass of rust, it's probably red(under 15%, unrepairable)

In any case, when I can't identify an engine part even after running all my diagnostic tools and doing a visual check, 9 times out of 10 I find it's a rod cap or crankshaft bearing cap. Everything else I'm bound to notice while fixing the other stuff, so I've gotten into the habit of always taking a peek under the oil pan while I'm working beneath the car.

Not necessarily relevant to your problem, but once it drives to some degree (don't forget to change or top off fluids!) a test drive will shake down almost all non-engine issues, including bushings.

Disclaimer: I have no real world knowledge of cars, haven't played CMS2018, and I only briefly touched CMS2015 because it was on sale for dirt cheap before deciding to go for this one. I apologize if I'm stating the obvious at any point in this post.

[Officer Payne]

Messaggio originale di Doctor West:

As a small tip, assuming you're not playing on expert you can usually tell if a part needs attention by looking (like, actually looking, not exam mode). If you can see rust, it's in the orange range and the customer will probably want it fixed or replaced. If it's one big solid mass of rust, it's probably red(under 15%, unrepairable)

In any case, when I can't identify an engine part even after running all my diagnostic tools and doing a visual check, 9 times out of 10 I find it's a rod cap or crankshaft bearing cap. Everything else I'm bound to notice while fixing the other stuff, so I've gotten into the habit of always taking a peek under the oil pan while I'm working beneath the car.

Not necessarily relevant to your problem, but once it drives to some degree (don't forget to change or top off fluids!) a test drive will shake down almost all non-engine issues, including bushings.

Disclaimer: I have no real world knowledge of cars, haven't played CMS2018, and I only briefly touched CMS2015 because it was on sale for dirt cheap before deciding to go for this one. I apologize if I'm stating the obvious at any point in this post.

+1

[Issac Brock]

Messaggio originale di Doctor West:

As a small tip, assuming you're not playing on expert you can usually tell if a part needs attention by looking (like, actually looking, not exam mode). If you can see rust, it's in the orange range and the customer will probably want it fixed or replaced. If it's one big solid mass of rust, it's probably red(under 15%, unrepairable)

In any case, when I can't identify an engine part even after running all my diagnostic tools and doing a visual check, 9 times out of 10 I find it's a rod cap or crankshaft bearing cap. Everything else I'm bound to notice while fixing the other stuff, so I've gotten into the habit of always taking a peek under the oil pan while I'm working beneath the car.

Not necessarily relevant to your problem, but once it drives to some degree (don't forget to change or top off fluids!) a test drive will shake down almost all non-engine issues, including bushings.

Disclaimer: I have no real world knowledge of cars, haven't played CMS2018, and I only briefly touched CMS2015 because it was on sale for dirt cheap before deciding to go for this one. I apologize if I'm stating the obvious at any point in this post.

No apologies necessary. All help is welcome. Thanks for the tips.

[Issac Brock]

Messaggio originale di Officer Payne:

Messaggio originale di Doctor West:

As a small tip, assuming you're not playing on expert you can usually tell if a part needs attention by looking (like, actually looking, not exam mode). If you can see rust, it's in the orange range and the customer will probably want it fixed or replaced. If it's one big solid mass of rust, it's probably red(under 15%, unrepairable)

In any case, when I can't identify an engine part even after running all my diagnostic tools and doing a visual check, 9 times out of 10 I find it's a rod cap or crankshaft bearing cap. Everything else I'm bound to notice while fixing the other stuff, so I've gotten into the habit of always taking a peek under the oil pan while I'm working beneath the car.

Not necessarily relevant to your problem, but once it drives to some degree (don't forget to change or top off fluids!) a test drive will shake down almost all non-engine issues, including bushings.

Disclaimer: I have no real world knowledge of cars, haven't played CMS2018, and I only briefly touched CMS2015 because it was on sale for dirt cheap before deciding to go for this one. I apologize if I'm stating the obvious at any point in this post.

+1

Appreciate you pitching in on this discussion. Thanks.

[Doctor West]

One more point about repair jobs I feel I should mention because it's a little counter-intuitive. The repair threshold is not necessarily the point at which a part is flagged as needing attention: It;s just the condition that the flagged parts need to be in to count as fixed. Customers will generally only care about parts that are orange or red when you got them (some story jobs are exceptions) so you should compare with the checklist under car status frequently or you'll end up wasting money fixing things that didn't need it.

For an example of what I'm talking about, let's say you've got a repair job where the repair threshold is 60%. One of the brake calipers is at 57% (yellow), another is at 16% (orange).
In this case, all you need to do is repair the orange caliper until it's over 60% again. The one that was at 57% can be ignored.
What you want to watch out for, however, is putting these parts back in the wrong place. If, for example, the yellow caliper was on the front right tire and the orange one was on the rear right tire, but you put the yellow one back on the right rear, it won't count as fixed because as far as the game is concerned you replaced the damaged part with one that was under the threshold. Even if you fixed the orange caliper to 100%, it won't matter if you put it back in the wrong slot. Thus I recommend taking a minute to mark all the interchangeable parts like brake components and bushings when reassembling the car.,


While I'm rambling, there seem to be two 'fail states' when it comes to the engine not starting. The worse case is when it doesn't even rev up when you start it. In this state, you can't do a fuel or compression test which can interfere with finding deeper problems. It seems to always be caused by electrical issues, so I recommend quickly replacing anything the flagged by the OBD and multimeter and then putting the engine back together for more tests. Spark plugs, ignition coils, the starter and alternator, battery and fuses are all common culprits.

The second variant is where it revs up but doesn't turn over. In this case your handheld diagnostic tools all work but you can't drive it or run it through the test path or dyno. I'm less certain as to which parts specifically can cause this, but it isn't ALL engine parts. The fuel system is definitely a common reason, but sometimes it's as simple as needing a fluid change. In some cases, getting in the car and trying to drive it somewhere will offer more insight than attempting a path test. Make sure you check the fuel tank and pump, they're easy to forget on account of not being part of the engine.

I may have spent too much time analyzing this stuff. Seems like everyone transitions to flipping junk cars as soon as they have some seed money to do it with, but I enjoy doing repairs. Shaking out the problems and fixing only what needs fixing engages me more than ripping out and fixing or replacing the entire guts of the car for max profit :)

[Issac Brock]

Messaggio originale di Doctor West:

One more point about repair jobs I feel I should mention because it's a little counter-intuitive. The repair threshold is not necessarily the point at which a part is flagged as needing attention: It;s just the condition that the flagged parts need to be in to count as fixed. Customers will generally only care about parts that are orange or red when you got them (some story jobs are exceptions) so you should compare with the checklist under car status frequently or you'll end up wasting money fixing things that didn't need it.

For an example of what I'm talking about, let's say you've got a repair job where the repair threshold is 60%. One of the brake calipers is at 57% (yellow), another is at 16% (orange).
In this case, all you need to do is repair the orange caliper until it's over 60% again. The one that was at 57% can be ignored.
What you want to watch out for, however, is putting these parts back in the wrong place. If, for example, the yellow caliper was on the front right tire and the orange one was on the rear right tire, but you put the yellow one back on the right rear, it won't count as fixed because as far as the game is concerned you replaced the damaged part with one that was under the threshold. Even if you fixed the orange caliper to 100%, it won't matter if you put it back in the wrong slot. Thus I recommend taking a minute to mark all the interchangeable parts like brake components and bushings when reassembling the car.,


While I'm rambling, there seem to be two 'fail states' when it comes to the engine not starting. The worse case is when it doesn't even rev up when you start it. In this state, you can't do a fuel or compression test which can interfere with finding deeper problems. It seems to always be caused by electrical issues, so I recommend quickly replacing anything the flagged by the OBD and multimeter and then putting the engine back together for more tests. Spark plugs, ignition coils, the starter and alternator, battery and fuses are all common culprits.

The second variant is where it revs up but doesn't turn over. In this case your handheld diagnostic tools all work but you can't drive it or run it through the test path or dyno. I'm less certain as to which parts specifically can cause this, but it isn't ALL engine parts. The fuel system is definitely a common reason, but sometimes it's as simple as needing a fluid change. In some cases, getting in the car and trying to drive it somewhere will offer more insight than attempting a path test. Make sure you check the fuel tank and pump, they're easy to forget on account of not being part of the engine.

I may have spent too much time analyzing this stuff. Seems like everyone transitions to flipping junk cars as soon as they have some seed money to do it with, but I enjoy doing repairs. Shaking out the problems and fixing only what needs fixing engages me more than ripping out and fixing or replacing the entire guts of the car for max profit :)

All good points, especially early game. Relays and fuses can also cause no-starts.

As for repair threshold I do repairs to any part that is less than the threshold. For example the threshold is 41%, if the part is 40% I repair it and if the part is 41% I leave it alone. As for the orange red replacement replacement order I don't seem to run into that problem but it's probably because there are some things that I do keep track of using paper and pen. For example which Coil was bad, what cam, crank or rod cap bearing is bad and which piston-connecting-rod and rings set is bad.

Thanks for contributing some good ideas to this discussion.

I mention early game because once I have lots of cash, I will often spend up to 100 CR to avoid worrying about where to place replacement parts. For example, after hand tool diagnostics or brake and shock diagnostics the repair sheet mentions two brake calipers or two plugs. My repair skills are okay to pretty good so I'll just repair all the calipers and cylinders to 100%. Plugs are cheap so I replace them all. Brake discs I just throw through the grinder anyway.