Moving to LA - what do I need to know?

[poleclimber63]

I hope you've changed to TB/WP at some point, as you're way past the maintenance cycle... Even though I don't live in LA, I have driven in and around LA many times. Summers can be very hot... sitting in traffic with the AC on, this is hard on the cooling system! If I was in your position, I'd do the TB/WP if you havent, and replace the rad. If that rad is original, the top is probably turning yellow/brown, a sign the plastic is degrading. As these rads do fail from time to time--- luckily its not an auto, as you dont have to worry about the "pink milkshake" ... Of all the generations, I think its generally accepted the 3rd gens are the most reliable! You do not have alot of mileage on yours, I've seen 3rd gens going strong at 300-400K. I myself have 335k, and I do all the maintanance--- I wouldn't hesitate to go on a 500mile road trip tomorrow. Maybe the std shift may get a little tiresome after a while. All the later gens get much worse gas mileage...

Good luck!

 

[Bad Luck]

I hope you've changed to TB/WP at some point, as you're way past the maintenance cycle... Even though I don't live in LA, I have driven in and around LA many times. Summers can be very hot... sitting in traffic with the AC on, this is hard on the cooling system! If I was in your position, I'd do the TB/WP if you havent, and replace the rad. If that rad is original, the top is probably turning yellow/brown, a sign the plastic is degrading. As these rads do fail from time to time--- luckily its not an auto, as you dont have to worry about the "pink milkshake" ... Of all the generations, I think its generally accepted the 3rd gens are the most reliable! You do not have alot of mileage on yours, I've seen 3rd gens going strong at 300-400K. I myself have 335k, and I do all the maintanance--- I wouldn't hesitate to go on a 500mile road trip tomorrow. Maybe the std shift may get a little tiresome after a while. All the later gens get much worse gas mileage...

Good luck!

He has a 4 cyl so timing chains. I’m not sure about the water pump if it’s chain driven or not. Im not very familiar with the 3rz.

 

[Skulking]

I don’t think they even start without the fuel pump operating. I don’t think the fuel system keeps enough pressure in the lines for the engine to start. I haven’t confirmed that though.

When changing my fuel filter, I unplugged power for the fuel pump and then cranked the car to depressurize the lines. With the pump power disconnected I couldn't even get the engine to fire on the initial crank, so a fuel pump kill switch is very effective at keeping the car from starting.

 

[octanejunkie]

When changing my fuel filter, I unplugged power for the fuel pump and then cranked the car to depressurize the lines. With the pump power disconnected I couldn't even get the engine to fire on the initial crank, so a fuel pump kill switch is very effective at keeping the car from starting.

Where is the best place to intercept the fuel pump power for a kill switch?

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[repo]

Yeah, you have to drop the tank. Not really too bad unless you have a full tank.

The full tank scenario is mostly what I'm wondering about. Do you carry one of those offroad floorjacks and a piece of 2x12 or what's the plan? I suppose ratchet straps, a board and the bottle jack might work?

 

[IBallEngineer]

Where is the best place to intercept the fuel pump power for a kill switch?

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If you just want to shut off power to the fuel pump, you will need to do so in the driver's side section between the kick panel and the rear seat. This is accessible under the rocker trim and the carpet under the back seat. Otherwise the Fuel Pump shares the power source(EFI Fuse) with ECM, CO relay, MAF, 02 sensors blah blah blah.

 

[IBallEngineer]

Have you been in those homeless camps? They might be homeless but lots of them have smart phones. I bet they watch my videos because I'm a great entertainer. :clap2:

I forgot about the traffic. Yeah, that's another huge bonus. Stop and go gridlock and rude aggressive drivers. Yeah, you can get use to anything. How about painful hemorrhoids? You live with it, but is it enjoyable? Not really. Another treat for the Rural Coloradoan.

But yeah, the dude is in for rude awakening. He's going to see and experience things that he didn't in rural Colorado and it's not good things. Like Dorothy said when she landed in Oz, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

I have lived almost 60 years here in the LA area, although the last 35 in a suburb. I work in LA, grew up in LA and I am among it's harshest critics. That said I have been to the bay area and it has horrible traffic, rude drivers and homeless people. AND everything costs way more than it does here. LA proper is over 500 square miles, it can give you any experience possible, pretty much impossible to describe accurately in any brief dialogue. The same could be said about the Bay Area. I know the NorCal/SoCal rivalry is alive and well, not necessarily a bad thing, but we all have to be honest in our criticisms.
There are good things here, awesome cultures everywhere, food, cars, people, music etc. I bet some might say the same about the city by the bay. Personally it is way too cold there for me, but I loved(Past Tense) riding my Ducati through Marin county, over to Sonoma, Napa, up to Mendocino. I also love that I can be in the desert in 2 hours from here, in the San Bernardino Mountains in 2 and 1/2, just not on Friday afternoon LOL.
Welcome to LA, hope you find a good life here!

 

[mtbtim]

I have lived almost 60 years here in the LA area, although the last 35 in a suburb. I work in LA, grew up in LA and I am among it's harshest critics. That said I have been to the bay area and it has horrible traffic, rude drivers and homeless people. AND everything costs way more than it does here. LA proper is over 500 square miles, it can give you any experience possible, pretty much impossible to describe accurately in any brief dialogue. The same could be said about the Bay Area. I know the NorCal/SoCal rivalry is alive and well, not necessarily a bad thing, but we all have to be honest in our criticisms.
There are good things here, awesome cultures everywhere, food, cars, people, music etc. I bet some might say the same about the city by the bay. Personally it is way too cold there for me, but I loved(Past Tense) riding my Ducati through Marin county, over to Sonoma, Napa, up to Mendocino. I also love that I can be in the desert in 2 hours from here, in the San Bernardino Mountains in 2 and 1/2, just not on Friday afternoon LOL.
Welcome to LA, hope you find a good life here!

I agree, the Bay Area has turned into a shithole as well. It's the reason why my wife and I are getting out soon. My comment wasn't based on a NorCal / SoCal rivalry. It's more of a comment about certain areas of the state and what their policies have done to screw things up for those that live there.

Yeah, it's not all bad but I've lived in California my whole life and the recent changes with how bad the homeless problems have gotten and the increase in crime with nothing being done by the cities and counties governing those areas really sucks. I love the California weather and topography and that's where my love ends. The politics sucks. The cost of living sucks. The emissions laws suck. There's too much suck and not enough good anymore.

Santa Clara County where I live just lifted mask mandates for Covid. I thought we were in the Covid Nazi stronghold but I've heard from friends the Los Angeles area is even worse. You couldn't enter a restaurant without showing a freaking vaccination card. What a joke, because vaccination doesn't stop virus transmission.

I thought I'd never leave California but it's time. It's not the state it use to be. More people and businesses are leaving than coming. That says something. It will always be a nice state to visit to do outdoor activities in, but it's not a great state to live in anymore.

 

[3bears]

I agree, the Bay Area has turned into a shithole as well. It's the reason why my wife and I are getting out soon. My comment wasn't based on a NorCal / SoCal rivalry. It's more of a comment about certain areas of the state and what their policies have done to screw things up for those that live there.

Yeah, it's not all bad but I've lived in California my whole life and the recent changes with how bad the homeless problems have gotten and the increase in crime with nothing being done by the cities and counties governing those areas really sucks. I love the California weather and topography and that's where my love ends. The politics sucks. The cost of living sucks. The emissions laws suck. There's too much suck and not enough good anymore.

Santa Clara County where I live just lifted mask mandates for Covid. I thought we were in the Covid Nazi stronghold but I've heard from friends the Los Angeles area is even worse. You couldn't enter a restaurant without showing a freaking vaccination card. What a joke, because vaccination doesn't stop virus transmission.

I thought I'd never leave California but it's time. It's not the state it use to be. More people and businesses are leaving than coming. That says something. It will always be a nice state to visit to do outdoor activities in, but it's not a great state to live in anymore.

wow Tim, that sounds bad. Dont know what state your gonna head to...but hope its one full of fun back roads and adventures.
Oregon is still beautiful....but getting crazy....spent most of my life there....but as my kids grew older and they saw the changes....they and thier families ended up in Alaska....when I retired as a park ranger in central Oregon ( hoodoo, sisters, mckenzie bridge, and lastly head ranger of clear lake) ..i moved up to be near family. Even those remote Oregon places were getting nuts....with lots of cali transplants and prices going nuts. Seems like drugs, crime and homeless followed them.
choose wisely

 

[HappyHooligan]

Where in LA are you moving? Is it for work? Will have to drive to and from? I lived there for almost 20 years and really loved it. It just depends how much you have to drive? I didn't drive that far so it was fine. I'd avoid the freeways if you can and take surface as it's quicker for the most part. A stick shift will get annoying after a while, especially if your clutch is heavy or you're enjoying a delicious Burrito, A drink, and taking a selfie.

 

[IBallEngineer]

wow Tim, that sounds bad. Dont know what state your gonna head to...but hope its one full of fun back roads and adventures.
Oregon is still beautiful....but getting crazy....spent most of my life there....but as my kids grew older and they saw the changes....they and thier families ended up in Alaska....when I retired as a park ranger in central Oregon ( hoodoo, sisters, mckenzie bridge, and lastly head ranger of clear lake) ..i moved up to be near family. Even those remote Oregon places were getting nuts....with lots of cali transplants and prices going nuts. Seems like drugs, crime and homeless followed them.
choose wisely

Well don't believe everything you hear, just not true. Yes CA has had a net loss of people in the last few years, long overdue to be honest. We've been overwhelmed by people since the 80's. I don't mind people leaving, not one bit. CA still has a huge economy, I like where I live. Not perfect, I've seen a lot of the country and I don't think anywhere is perfect. Good luck wherever you you end up!

 

[mtbtim]

Well don't believe everything you hear, just not true. Yes CA has had a net loss of people in the last few years, long overdue to be honest. We've been overwhelmed by people since the 80's. I don't mind people leaving, not one bit. CA still has a huge economy, I like where I live. Not perfect, I've seen a lot of the country and I don't think anywhere is perfect. Good luck wherever you you end up!

You and I must live in different realities. I'm a firefighter and calls for service due to the homeless have gone up probably 300-500% over the last 2 years. I go to tons of homeless camp fires that get out of control, overdoses, physical altercations, medical calls, etc. I've seen the pictures of the homeless camps in L.A. so I know it's bad there too. I've got homeless camps all around where I live. They make camps along the beautiful Los Gatos Creek where there's lots of wildlife and they pollute if with their trash and human waste. It sucks!

A net loss of people is a very telling stat. It means this state has lost a lot of it's allure. You might not want to admit that, but that's your prerogative. I agree, no area is perfect but lots of people have decided somewhere else is better than California and for good reason.

I might not be going far, maybe into Southern Oregon or Nevada. They're not perfect, but my money will go further and I'll be surrounded by less filth.

 

[mtbtim]

wow Tim, that sounds bad. Dont know what state your gonna head to...but hope its one full of fun back roads and adventures.
Oregon is still beautiful....but getting crazy....spent most of my life there....but as my kids grew older and they saw the changes....they and thier families ended up in Alaska....when I retired as a park ranger in central Oregon ( hoodoo, sisters, mckenzie bridge, and lastly head ranger of clear lake) ..i moved up to be near family. Even those remote Oregon places were getting nuts....with lots of cali transplants and prices going nuts. Seems like drugs, crime and homeless followed them.
choose wisely

You were in an awesome area in Oregon. I love it that area for the mountain biking. Alaska must be nice but I don't know if I'm ready for that radical of a change. I like Central and Southern Oregon. I couldn't do the West Coast of Oregon for the same reasons I'm escaping the Bay Area.

 

[octanejunkie]

I'm a firefighter and calls for service due to the homeless have gone up probably 300-500% over the last 2 years.

Thank you for your service, I can't imagine that's an easy job and is only made more challenging and dangerous by the homeless/mentally ill. Appreciate you, bud.

A net loss of people is a very telling stat. It means this state has lost a lot of it's allure. You might not want to admit that, but that's your prerogative. I agree, no area is perfect but lots of people have decided somewhere else is better than California and for good reason.

Agree to disagree; the only people California's lost its allure to is SOME Californians. Now, to be fair, the urban areas are overpopulated, traffic is obnoxious, taxes are ridiculous and it's a politically confused climate. People are leaving, and others are coming, the tide is turning, change is inevitable. California's weather and natural beauty is not going away anytime soon, that much is for certain, but 3 years of drought takes its toll, too.

I might not be going far, maybe into Southern Oregon or Nevada. They're not perfect, but my money will go further and I'll be surrounded by less filth.

I looked at Oregon and Nevada (northern Nevada) and those areas are prime for ex-pat Californians, and will likely become little-Los Angeles in less than 10 years. I've set my sights slightly further east and north, personally, but time will tell.



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[Endlessblockades]

As a 408 native and 30+ year 415er, the 805 has some attractive features. I don't want to retire too far from the ocean. I'm also an MTBer who likes a lot about Oregon except the polarized political bullshit.

 

[DenverAirport]

A net loss of people is a very telling stat. It means this state has lost a lot of its allure. You might not want to admit that, but that's your prerogative. I agree, no area is perfect but lots of people have decided somewhere else is better than California and for good reason.

To be honest if California was cheaper and still had a significant homeless problem people would still be moving there in droves -- it's just a beautiful state and has a lot to offer. The biggest reason people have moved are due to cost and COVID (people left most major cities - with remote working capabilities).

During covid I've driven across most of the country twice and gone to around 10 major cities. Every city I've been to has had the exact same problems (including growing crime, homelessness, and increased drug use) and many of these cities didn't have the issues at scale pre-covid / inflation. The worst changes I personally saw were in Austin and Portland. Portland makes San Francisco look like Copenhagen lol

 

[repo]

Man this thread got kind of dark but is interesting to read. Not sure if us flyover country dwellers are invited to this little cali-bashing party but I've been a gun owner long enough to know to avoid anything to do with "Commiefornia" for the last 20 years and seen all this predicted even back then. The talk of crime... it will only get worse. Between an OSINT hobby and a gore video hobby I know enough about what CJNG will be up to after they secure those border plazas. Californians are going to become familiar with the letters CJNG over the next 10-20 years.

For a single guy I can see California being a fun place to be. Not a place I'd want to raise a family and anyone leaving is doing the right thing IMO. Austin and Chattanooga are nice. Don't come to Nebraska unless you own at least 12 guns please.

Anyway have fun, good luck and keep your head on a swivel like others have said.

 

[mtbtim]

To be honest if California was cheaper and still had a significant homeless problem people would still be moving there in droves -- it's just a beautiful state and has a lot to offer. The biggest reason people have moved are due to cost and COVID (people left most major cities - with remote working capabilities).

During covid I've driven across most of the country twice and gone to around 10 major cities. Every city I've been to has had the exact same problems (including growing crime, homelessness, and increased drug use) and many of these cities didn't have the issues at scale pre-covid / inflation. The worst changes I personally saw were in Austin and Portland. Portland makes San Francisco look like Copenhagen lol

Maybe there is no Shangri-La to move to. I thought about just moving to a better part of the state, like in the Sierra foothills, maybe the Nevada City area, but you're still encumbered with the higher taxes that go with it. Nevada ranks in the top 7 best places to live tax wise so that's why I was considering the Northern Nevada area. Plus, Nevada borders California so it's a quick jump over the border to do the outdoor activities that it offers like mtn biking, hiking, backpacking, 4wheeling, and fishing.

So much has changed in a very short time. California has been on a gradual decline for a long time but the last 2 years have been very dramatic. But, maybe the decline is happening everywhere. Our world has changed an enormous amount over the last 2 years, and from my viewpoint, it's not positive change.

Sorry that the thread got detoured into a bit*h-fest. Maybe I've just become an angry old codger.

 

[repo]

I can tell you it isn't happening everywhere. Omaha had a half assed mask mandate which everyone simply ignored even the cops who got it trouble for not wearing masks themselves. Don't think my county even had a mandate. Absolutely nobody in my area gives an F about covid, critical race theory or climate change or any other cryptocommumist totalitarian BS.

Zero crime outside a few blocks of North Omaha. 2.2% unemployment rate. Construction boom going on, my is going up $14k a month (which I don't consider a good thing) with all the people flooding in looking for houses. The downside is a complete lack of public outdoor space unless you drive hours to the western side of the state. It's actually really beautiful there, not many people know about it and the Sandhills are intereresting. We do have some really good hiking and singletrack mtb trails along the river bluffs at least. But not comparable in the slightest to California for the outdoors obviously, besided hunting.

My property tax is $8000 a year though on my totally average newer-suburb house and the appraisal hasn't even adjusted for this increase yet. Absolutely brutal. The state constitution requires them to run a balanced budget. It's one of the most, if not the #1 fiscally secure states. Omaha has the highest concentration of millionaires per capita in the country or something like that too.

 

[Endlessblockades]

Just to set the record straight. You can have guns in CA - lots and lots if you feel you feel the need to 'defend' yourself from whatever the current boogeyman is.....