98vtec

i have been noticing that many people post their problems in here and basically are asking us to jump through the internet and start working on your car.

here is a thread which shows you how to search for information:
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=2240225

WHEN YOU HAVE A QUESTION, FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES:

1) when you post a problem, give us DETAILS of what is going!

2) tell us what you HAVE DONE to the point of posting a thread
-- DO NOT LEAVE OUT DETAILS

3) what DOES NOT work!

A multimeter is a GREAT tool for finding out problems fast, efficient, and correctly. And being that mostly everything that runs the motor is based on electricity, its the perfect diagnostic tool....as long as you know how to read it. Also, if you want to work on your car and figure out the problems on your own BUY A SERVICE MANUAL!!! I cannot stress this enough. I bought my factory service manual used for 40 dollars and it has helped me figure out problems more than any online automotive forum could do.

If you are expecting us to figure out why your engine does not start by saying "the engine does not start, what is wrong?" then you are out of your mind. We are not mind readers. give us something to read and something to help you with. HELP US HELP YOU!!!!

if you cant give us an explanation of the situation and what measures you have taken to fix the problem then many people who have experience are not going to want to walk through the initial steps of figuring out any problem.

- Blake

98vtec

just as a note to others -

i dont know how many times I have seen a thread to where i could likely figure out the answer but the original poster just left out so many details requiring me to take alot more effort into figuring out the problem. And for that, i didnt even bother posting. and i know for a fact that i am not the only person who thinks this way.

Acidcrakker

Agreed, I vote 4 a sticky

ethereal2pt2

amen to that.

you forgot to mention that ppl should SEARCH for their solutions first, THEN ask for help when you can't figure it out. i've seen too many ppl on here posting new threads expecting other ppl to do all the work when they themselves haven't even bothered lifting a finger to find the solution. like the saying goes.. "help those who help themselves"

98vtec

no one should have a problem answering questions. If you have a problem with a post, simply go to the next thread. Don't post. If people didnt answer questions, honda-tech wouldnt be what it is. Eventually every topic is going to get covered, does the forum die?

no, when people who dont know how to get the best info the quickest, make a thread on a topic that has been covered multiple times. RESPECTFULLY guide them to the search and give them an answer in your own words or links to related topics. thats if you decide to post. And the people who only say search in their post know that i am on to fixing ******** without reason. Just look at their percentage...hehe

If everyone just searched all day, this place would just be a database not a forum lol.

Acidcrakker

None taken


Modified by Acidcrakker at 8:52 PM 1/9/2008

98vtec

your opinion doesnt really matter in this instance, no offense.

dictatorship ftw.

cb7tougeracer

i agree this should be a sticky

PirateMcFred

To be perfectly honest I avoid threads that have "help" in the title. I suppose it's pretty superficial but when I search through the threads on the first page and there's 5 or so and there's no information about their symptoms I find it a lot easier to just go a forum where people ask technical questions about their projects...

If a bunch of people post the usual questions to get more info and the OP answers them with a bit of intelligence then I'll make suggestions if I can. Post count can have something to do with it sometimes too. If it's their first post and it's obvious they did not check the FAQ I'll ignore their issues.

Sorry n00bs, chances are your questions have been answered dozens of times here and are covered extensively in the helm manual.

Pirate

Hawkze_2.3

I totally agree with all this, hopefully people will actually see this thread before they post.

Another thing that really turns me away from trying to help is when they type like it's a damn text message or something...."y is da vtech not kikin for? r u guys usin ne engine chips n wat is da best?"

The people who are able to write complete sentences and provide pictures and details almost always get a positive experience here.

ethereal2pt2

hawkze has a point. idno about you guys but when i see a thread where the op can't even construct a simple question or symptom in english, it makes me ask myself "why bother?" the first thing i look at when i browse thru the thread list is whether or not the thread has the camera icon next to it. there's something about adding pictures in addition to your information that really draws the eye's attention.

Acidcrakker

Its mostly from the new members with under 100 posts. The people that dont frequent fourms everyday, like some of us. They have an issue with the car, dont know what to do, or might like to try it themselves instead of paying a mechanic 500 bucks to do something like a timing belt. I say when join you should have screens come pop-up, on how to start a topic.

Dont forget now that some of these people coming in here, have less than a highschool diploma.

Poidem

I agree with what is said in the topic, im not experienced in working on this car, posted a topic on another forum, late at night before i really got a huge chance to take it apart and look at it, but i did it for safety, problems with braking systems when me and my wife share a car worry me, seeing as i crashed a cutlass when my brakes failed... i got crucified for it in a way, some people told me i should sell my lude

now i search, downloaded a manual and even bought one from borders... eh mechanics rip you off, friends might not know what theyre doing, so trust yourself and your fellow forum readers?

ethereal2pt2

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Poidem &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I agree with what is said in the topic, im not experienced in working on this car, posted a topic on another forum, late at night before i really got a huge chance to take it apart and look at it, but i did it for safety, problems with braking systems when me and my wife share a car worry me, seeing as i crashed a cutlass when my brakes failed... i got crucified for it in a way, some people told me i should sell my lude

now i search, downloaded a manual and even bought one from borders... eh mechanics rip you off, friends might not know what theyre doing, so trust yourself and your fellow forum readers?</TD></TR></TABLE>

well in your case it should have been fine because you weren't necessarily demanding solutions from others rather asking for help while tryiing to fix it yourself. and if it was for safety reasons no one w/should bash you for that.

mgags7

I also suggest not posting while high off crack.

It wont me Rhonda. How could I be asleep if I was high on crack? Chinese riddle for ya.

For real though, Blake is right. If you have a problem, you're going to have to do at least a little background learning first so that you can accurately describe it. I don't care how non-mechanically inclined you are....

axlline

I deffently agree with this.<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mgags7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For real though, Blake is right. If you have a problem, you're going to have to do at least a little background learning first so that you can accurately describe it. I don't care how non-mechanically inclined you are....</TD></TR></TABLE>
Blake you are going to sticky this, right?

98vtec

its fine for right now, i'll stick it in the faq later......but i mean its not like anyone goes to the faq anyway right?

NirVTEC

I think some people just post for the hell of it.....
a 30sec search can net alot of results....PIC request? Like a Google search won't get you 90% of what you want for images.....theres some messed up stuff in there! Scary!
And yes, reading posts typed like a text message completely turns me away. I understand that NOT everyone here speaks english as a 1st language, but C'mon people. Im willing to be that the GUILTY are middle class suburban kids with full command of the english language.
1) More precise posts---with more details
2) Better typed---take some time to proof read it lazy kids
3) Spend some time by clicking through more than 1 page of the Prelude forum

Crispy8034

Great post, hopefully more people read it. Just to add some input, there is something not to be taken seriously about someone who "bumps" their thread every hour or so due to no response. I could maybe understand, say, once every two days with no response if the problem is thoroughly stumping you.

I hope this message gets through to more people. As someone who reads much, much more than posting, I rely on input from the more experienced and obviously knowledgeable users who have been around for a few years. Just my 2c.

mgags7

New thread = Win

Acidcrakker

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mgags7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">New thread = Win</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 5SpdH22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That makes a lot of sense. I just joined about an hour ago. I read the rules too.

But, one question:
Say you have something to ask that sort of fits in a very old thread but the thread doesn't exactly answer your specific problem. Would it be best to just bring that thread back from the dead and ask about the problem you're having instead of making a new one for your specific problem?

Hope that makes sense to everyone.</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you have a question dont be scared to ask. Just remember that your question you have has been awnsered at one point or another in H-T history. And all that history is stored in that little tiny search button. I dont know how they do it, but you can find anything on there. Sometimes its easier to just ask an outright question, than it is to sort through pages of threads that may not apply.

PirateMcFred

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Acidcrakker &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> All that history is stored in that little tiny search button. I dont know how they do it, but you can find anything on there.</TD></TR></TABLE>

While the search is not that bad I find it damn annoying that you can't search by url. If I save an image off some thread a million years ago I can't look for the exact file name and have it redirect me to the post I got it from.

H-T's search is okay, but it's far from ideal IMO.

Acidcrakker

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PirateMcFred &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

While the search is not that bad I find it damn annoying that you can't search by url. If I save an image off some thread a million years ago I can't look for the exact file name and have it redirect me to the post I got it from.

H-T's search is okay, but it's far from ideal IMO. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Ahh yes but that is where the internet comes in. You can actually search google and it will pull up H-T files. And google is far more advanced than the All mighty Search button.

PirateMcFred

True

BlackCatt

Imo, these guidelines make a lot of sense, good writeup . As for owning a service manual, i think it is a must if you intend to have any chance at diagnosis and treatment of problems regarding your Lude (especially if you have little mechanical experience). This forum is a great resource for help but i think members need to do their best first regarding research and diagnostics.