Topics

  There was a post not long ago talking about this..I couldn't re-find it.

  I have a Ford Police Interceptor sedan..2016..Taurus type. Mine is a  *rated pursuit unit*, They are not all rated pursuit units. I don't know what the difference is. Need the vin go to then dealer.
Dealer says these have heavy duty suspension,heavy duty brakes. Like the regular pursuit units don't have heavy duty enough suspension and brakes?

   Anyway..EPAS system..speed sensitive. This is a very reactive car. What threw me was I was doing some Jeep stuff with it (has 4x4)((awd)).

   2.8.  Enough less than 3 turns lock to lock that you can see that this is no way 3 turns lock to lock.
   
    If you like yanking the wheel real quick back and forth at speed..you don't need no fancy gold chain car

 I still come here most days..VERY APPRECIATIVE! for the site..AND ALL the posts..

    Just seems to be..can't offer much to so many of the topics

     Keep up the good work!

I feel old I STILL have/keep a "booster" battery and some 30' long 1 gauge welding cable booster cables. Talk about OLD school. Have as in keep..in my trunk..in a battery box.
  "Having"/"keeping"..SEEMS to be the operative word here.
   One cannot keep a fully charged battery around left..in the un heated barn/shop/garage.outside..in the truck..trunk..
   any more..for any length of time really..
   I have bought 11 pretty good quality batteries for 8 vehicles over the last 12 years. From several different manufacturers. I can tell you which ones will still have life left in them after being left in my truck...or in my car trunk..in -30 weather for like 3 weeks.
  NONE OF THEM :evil:
  I did this FOREVER!!! like from the late 1960's to the mid 2000's. Kept batteries..booster batteries..around..I ALWAYSALWAYS had some..even one.
  Stored vehicles..over the winter..stored boats..came spring..charge up jack sh**..TURN KEY START.

  Them days all over :cry:
  I was remembering the good old days with a guy who runs an insanely busy 5 bay 5 mechanic garage and has a huge collection of stuff. He looked at me like I was on glue when I said I wanted to leave a "booster" battery fully charged in my trunk..just like I used to..for like..ANY length of time. 3 weeks came up. He said there was like almost NO chance that ANY battery would be ANY good after being left in my trunk for 3 weeks and it hit -30 and I needed a boost. He even cautioned me NOT to fall in to the trap of buying one of those $300-$400 batteries. He said these people are the WORST..he sees it all the time..for ranting that "their expensive battery" is dead..went dead.

  Off to the Interstate battery dealer I went.."You wanna do WHAT :?..ya..no..
  Then to a large farm equipment supplier..same answer.
  I ended up at a large HD truck place..they said MAYBE a new 1200 amp battery would have HALF of it's life..600 amps..if I left it in my trunk for 3 weeks,Hey..at least these places were HONEST

   That is what I did/purchased..I have not needed it/have not tested it..but it comes out often to be charged.

I did not Google this to see if it is old news already.
  I was talking with a couple of people at a large,reputable Ford dealer ( that fixes all kinds of vehicles) A few people at parts,service and a mechanic.

  "What we are seeing lately..2 in the last week..are control arms etc., that have been destroyed by the installation of very poor quality ball joints. These joints upon often a difficult installation..one that should not have been attempted with such low quality controlled parts ..have resulted in the hole in the control arms etc.,  for the ball joints being ruined..distorted..left oversized so that a good quality joint cannot be installed. We have seen this BECAUSE the customers have experienced problems since that installation and have come here for help"

Has anyone got Alldata/Chilton/Mitchell could help me out please. I have looked AND LOOKED online and CANNOT find this. I dunno why? The trail just seems to go cold at a certain point? Probably no big deal. 2015 Ford Police Interceptor Sedan the front caliper guide pin torque. I might guess it at 40-60. Rather not guess it Thanks. Thanks Very Much..

Years ago I came across an inductive spark tester that was just dirt simple. Clip on inductive pickup crank any engine. Spark/no spark was recorded. It was pretty pricey..hence I did not buy it. Now I cannot find it. Any ideas..Please and Thanks!

A bit off topic..I need to seal a galvanized open (water tank). About 6'long 3' high 2' wide. The tank is 4 years old and was originally sealed at the seams with what looks like melted butyl rubber. There is no rust on it. My better half phoned the manufacturer and they INSTANTLY told her they could not help her and to call the retailer.   That kinda stuff tells me with antenna up that there is of course a problem. Of course the retailer does not have a clue..(but pretends to ).
 I need something that will stick to the rubber and to galvanized. I ask some people whom I am sure WILL KNOW..shouldda come here first  They have NO idea
 I tried some new aerosol rubber. Did not work. Tried Permatex Automotive Ultra Black..that stuff sticks and seals pretty much everything. Ditto.
 I just do not know what to try next? Now whatever I try has to stick to the galvanized,the original rubber,the spray on aerosol rubber and the Ultra Black.

  Any help is greatly appreciated..as usual. The tank is used for water for  my better half's horses and is $500.

I remember when there were really no metric sockets(tools). No need. It wasn`t that long before I realized that WHEN I lost broke them it was cheaper if I waited until I was missing a few to just wait until they went on sale again and bought another set. I THINK that there are a few in  the lake where I parked my boats. I bought good stuff,lifetime warranty etc. I bought a LOT!! :oops:   of socket sets. Every now and again I would combine the odd ones into ANOTHER set. I have lots of socket sets everywhere

  Doing yet another clean up..I figured which sockets I would need to make up some more sets and replace lost ones.

  Sale time..went and bought another set. 3 8 drive..sae and metric. Nice case.

  Actually took a while to sink in :oops: metric 10-20mm sae..SAE  :evil: NO 3 8,7 16,1 2,9 16 sockets. There was a 5 8,11 16,3 4 sae.

  I never even bothered to look..or at the case..BEFORE I bought them.. Just WHAT :evil: kind of socket set would not have the above.

Yeah..that's the one 2019 Silverado Options: Yenko 800HP. $49,000 U.S. (Canadian price)

New one..made by Booster Pac. The small one..about the size of a pack of smokes.

  Someone who has/runs a very busy shop..literally picked this up..and it started to swell up in his hands??? WTF? Then it started smoking..ok..this is not good he thought..so he put it down..more smoke. Someone grabbed a phone and video'd it as it burst into flames..pretty good flames :!:  I just saw the video.

  Maybe keep these things in fireproof containers.

I am lost. I bought a booster pack about 10 years ago..my first. To try it. It was cheap and on sale. I was confused about this "Peak" amps..thing..which seemed waaaay too high (in this case 1400) but! the crank amps I understood ..at 700.

I have had 1000 amp "booster" batteries around me forever! Just basically batteries that I use for boosting..keep charged..buy a new one every few years.

This booster pack had sort of thin cables..(my head is in the 1 gauge..type of booster cables . I tried it..OMG :!: NO 1000amp battery had even REMOTELY the power of this thing. Cheap..on sale..like..$60 or something. I never used a battery to boost again.
Hmmm..700 crank amps beats 1000.

Now..after using this thing like a zillion times..over 10 years..it is about done. Time for a new one.
Few newer ones have 700 crank amps..if they do they are seriously expensive. Good..to high quality ones are around 300 amps..you start paying big time when they get up over 400 amps. Seems the cheaper booster packs have about 1/2 the cranking amps compared to the peak amps while the better ones have less cranking amps. Expensive booster packs have about 1/4 the cranking amps to peak amps??

I have been told by a few suppliers that sell these that a good quality 300-400 amp cranking booster pack has about TWICE the power of a cheaper 700 cranking amp booster pack. HUNH
:?:

 Then there are those booster packs that are the size of a cigarette pack. HOW do they work? I have asked people who I THOUGHT would know. They don't know. The most knowledgeable guy said when he could not get his COMBINE started his kid used one to fire it right up

Thanks

From about 1/2 hr ago. I took some worn snow tires on 13 y/o factory steel wheels to get the tires removed and keep the rims..(rims looked great! Considering all the years in the road salt,brine,beet juice.molases capital of the world )
  Large,respected tire/rim dealer..new/used.

  "We are seeing the TIRES on some cheap rim/tire combos outlast the rims due to rust/rot"

Someone in the RCMP up here has advised to take note of footwear in regards to suspicious activities  

Was just chatting..picking the brains at a very busy 5 bay local garage I deal with. Long life anti-freeze is lasting about 2 years before the silica in it starts coming out. They do not see problems at the 2 year point..but AFTER that..the silica is loose in the system. Lots of problems and lots of $ at about the 4 year point. If the mnfr. has called for it to be changed during warranty..and it has not been done=no warranty help there. Aftermarket warranty companies are starting to want to see that it has been done. They find it in lots of vehicles when doing anything with the cooling system. Sensors get it in them..particularly diesel engines..egr coolers..tubes get plugged up..

I have run into this a few times recently. Metric bolts around 15-20mm bolt head size(socket size). No..the heads were not rusted/rotted(been there done that) and the fit was just too sloppy to use metric sockets..had to use sae sockets.
 Years ago I laid out my sockets,wrenches so that they are in order of actual size..I just used whatever fits best. But a few times lately something has caught my eye and I said..hey wait a minute..metric bolts and the head size is waay off.

They started using beet juice about 2 years ago as a stickier carrier for the road salt in southern Ontario. This stuff is just plain ugly. Obviously gets into areas where it is next to impossible to get out. Hey..sticks to the road better :evil: Just does not break down and get flushed out easier COMPARED to just plain old road salt..(we got brine after road salt..so brine is kinda old school

   I heard about a month or so ago that they wanted something STICKIER as a carrier for the road salt.
   Sticks a lot better

   MOLLASES..

   Yessiree..Mollasses and road salt mix.
   Coming to southern Ontario Simcoe County

    :cry:

Got cooling problems :evil: Ya..well this will fix that Need a bigger rad  I dunno if they come any bigger than this:roll:

 I bought this years ago when I was TOLD by an ex buddies buddies garage that the rad was leaking. At the time I was just too busy to even look at it :oops: SOooo I bought a new rad. 1994 Chev 1 ton extended van,"extra" HD. Trans AND oil cooler in it. AND WAS going to put it in.

The rad wasn't leaking :evil: and I ended up keeping this thing..still in it's box! I can't imagine ever needing it.

THEN I THOUGHT :!:  I could sell it. I USED to sell ALL kinds of stuff..car parts etc.
Beat myself up :oops: advertising it..Ebay., Kijiji etc. Can't even get $40 for it :cry:

Do I really have to throw it in the scrap pile :cry:

I am about 1 1/2 hrs North of Toronto.

PLEASE find a home for this

Not from my mouth   but from a local independant garage I..and a LOT! of others use. 5 bays 5 full time mechanics..cars waiting outside..or being worked on..outside the doors..just a ridiculously busy mad house. I love going there! They often say on the phone.."We fix anything"..They do. The sheer variety of stuff there at any one time is mind blowing really..

"Change your oil EVERY 5000 km..doesn't matter what oil..what vehicle" Again..not from my mouth
(They have a framed letter on the wall there from Ford..taking one of their vehicles to 1,000,000)((btw that one was done on cheap bulk oil but changed every 5k))
 
 Garages don't make any money on oil changes.

 Environmentally..right near one of the great lakes..huge temperature swings..-30C winter to + 30C summer. Humidity from damp to dry.

 I get them to do some stuff on my vehicles and get to pick all the guys brains while I am there.

 If it has to do with dirty oil..sludge..or ALL it's related problems..they deal with it daily.
 Wouldn't be so bad to HEAR IT..but when coincidentally I am ACTUALLY there and get to hear it right from the customers mouth. Used this did that manufacturers recommendations other garages dealers blah blah..get to see  and talk to mechanics dealing with bad oil problems.

 Lately they have been changing a LOT! of engines..AND TIMING CHAINS. Timing chains WTF? I THOUGHT timing chain bs was finished..which became timing BELT bs..Up here anyway..chains have very little tolerance for oil change intervals beyond about 5k. There are a bazillion of those Ecoboost 3.5's up here. Go with the manufacturer or oil company..THEN you get this code..yep..the chain has stretched..that costs $..keep driving it with the cel on and you get this code too..more$ Ford 5.4 3v..cam phasers..there are plenty of other examples..generally..anything with a timing chain,cam phasers(pretty much everything now),turbo (again..lots of those)

  Sure is an eye opener to talk to people who have been there done that.
  I have been a cheap oil every 6000 km or so for a long time now.

  Rant over.

GM..rear heater..06 Uplander
  Dripping from underneath pretty sure it is coming from the joint itself..right where the hose clamp is.
  Working from the heater core to the front of the vehicle from underneath. LOOK like 2 conventional heater hoses..I doubt that. With 2 oem hose clamps. Not 100% sure exactly what they go over?? There is a small gap and what APPEAR to be 2 more heater hoses..I doubt that too?? Those hoses go about 1 foot and simply look like they have been slid over the metal pipe that comes from the front. There are no clamps on these hoses..near the joint..or 1' up where they look like they have been just slid over the pipe. Un hunh. Somein' don't seem right. Looks all original and oem. Looks like the metal pipe from the front just slides into the heater hose and is clamped. AND they have covered the metal pipe from the front with this piece of heater hose to protect it.

  Where the clamp is..it just looks like the heater hose goes over this pipe and is clamped right there.

   This is very clearly one of those do not touch it UNLESS you have whatever right there to fix it.

   I get the sneaking suspicion that the metal pipe from the front goes INTO this heater hose and has some sort of adapter in it that goes into the other heater hose that goes to the core.

   Anyone know?

  Thanks

I have a matching # unit off a 1970. For sale. A guy looks at it like it has the kooties..because it has a by-pass on it. Uhh if you don't want the by-pass UNHH..just unthread it and put the plug back in He says the by-pass is not oem. I doubt whether I would have kept it a lifetime ago if it was not oem. I am pretty sure some apps had by-passes on them? Yes/no? Anyone know? Thanks

I have purchased a few vehicles in the last few years that only had 1 key. Off to the dealer to get spare keys made. Couple hundred per vehicle per key. I lose my spare key to 1 vehicle the other day. I ask at the local garage who can fix anything. Ya..as above he says. In his parking lot I see the CAA guy..If anyone knows it should be these guys. As above. I go to our local car box store. Canadian Tire..as above. I go to a local locksmith. As above. And another. Ok I guess that is that. I did not Google this.

I happen by our small hardware store looking for something else. They have some rinky dink small kiosky thingy that advertises to stick your key in here and see if we can make a spare. Ya I'll be right on that
 
The guy there asks if I need a key cut. Ya..just this chip key. Sure..info key etc and they will see if they have that blank. Yes..they have the blank..takes a minute or so..right now..guaranteed $40. He says the car WILL run for 15 minutes. Then MAY quit. That is so re-assuring No worries..then it will start right up again. USE THIS KEY NOW FOR 15 MINUTES! He starts the car no problem I use the key. Problem solved for $40.

Excuse me but I know nothing about this kind of stuff. I paid for "re-programming" at the dealers..leave the car,ownership.blah,blah,blah. I think now it was bendoverbendover.

Are ALL the people I mentioned that far out of the loop :?:

Aside from the reaming..somein' just does not sound right?

The hardware says they can do 90% of all vehicles made up to 2013.

Shopping for another 1/2" ratchet. Regular length handle. MUST be able to take a pretty good heavy hammer beating. (Light sledge). The one I have been using is not broken yet. YET. I sure don't trust it anymore. No kidding. It is no longer made.
It is a round head. Not sure if the round heads are stronger? Probably only in the sense that most of the cheap ratchets are round heads.
 I think I will put away the one I am using now..IN CASE I need it..and use the new one I am buying from now on.

 There is a bolt I am now and again faced in dealing with. Room to get a socket on and ratchet on the socket. Barely enough room to get my hand on the ratchet handle. Certainly not enough to loosen it. No room for any sort of longer ratchet,pipe on the handle etc. Just enough room to beat it down with my heavy hammer..or light sledge. Not enough room for anything larger than a ratchet head. T handle,flex head are too big.

 I am kinda leaning towards a Husky pear head..I have never had any issues with Husky tools..really like them actually. PLUS the Home Depot is not far..beat it break it they have lots more. Warranty..however if someone here says they will break in a second I won't bother. The Husky is pretty big..heavy..beefy. Only $27. Our box store..Canadian Tire..Maximum..about $60..warranty..I doubt it if they see hammer marks on the handle. I think ditto for Snap On or Gray. I can't imagine the Stanley Professional taking even 1 hammer blow. I dunno though. $27 lots of them..seem really flimsy. I asked at the local auto parts place I deal with. "You hit it with a hammer no warranty" I did buy a really,really nice PT (Professional Tool) 1/2" long handle ratchet from them.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Might be in Hollanders..maybe an old version if someone has one can take a peek for me..greatly appreciated
Looks to me like a wreckers marker..797D..or close. Will be off Olds. 455. 1969-1971. Either a 1970 W30,1969 Toronado W34,1971 442, Flexplate. Thanks Again

Fine when cold. UGLY :!: when warm..as in check this out NOW BEFORE driving it again. Came on fairly suddenly..as in WTF IS THAT? Rear rotor on my truck. Pulled both rotors..looked ok..put it back together..same. Pulled them again..flat..even touched them up with a grinder. Put it back together. Same. Got me thinking maybe a caliper grabbing when hot..(been there) plus something else loose. I dunno. About the only option left was to put it up and drag the brake..either someone else..or load the pedal a bit..then looksee for runout when warm. Seemed easier/quicker dirtier to just "throw parts at it". In this case a rotor.
I threw a rotor at it and lucked out. Both rotors looked the same..I just had to guess. Problem solved. I still..looking at the rotor can't believe that it was so good cold..and just so ugly when warm..not even hot. Just as soon as it warmed up.

Maybe mount up some digital runout mic. with a tone feature on it and drive it

Mine felt like it was just "disengaging" very rarely..as in maybe every several months.. ONLY AFTER coming to a stop. Then zero forward drive for a split second..then BANG..engagement..Not good. I really,really baby this thing..always have. Noone else drives it.Good thing there was very little throttle applied on take off..always.
In a 2006 Uplander awd. 150k. Serviced regularly.fluid,filter. Never overheated. Never codes.
I never really paid much attention to it cause it happened so rarely.
The trans operates absolutely perfect in every other way..I can put the cruise on in very hilly areas and this just shifts up/down..very little throttle..just flawless..really impressive actually.
Yesterday it did it again..then a few times..I noticed that it was after moderate braking..I baby the brakes on this thing too.
I deliberately braked heavier and it did it a few more times.When accelerating up a pretty steep hill from a stop where the trans cannot shift into second..I braked harder and harder to a stop..and more and more throttle..not abusing it..but I could not get it to do it.Haven't tried that on flat ground yet.
This needs to be fixed. The last trans I fixed/rebuilt were a lifetime ago. The local garage I deal with a fair bit does not know ANY good trans guys/shops in the area. He deals with trans problems by doing some of the basics..some rebuilding..not much..just basically putting in good used oem's. Generally if he comes across rebuilt's he just throws them out.
I did a quick google.."put in some Lucas..change the fluid,filter(hasn't been that long..fluid does look and smell ok). I also saw where someone said to try manually downshifting into low as you are stopping as this doubles the line pressure. ? I dunno. Haven't tried that yet. Quite a few said pressure solenoid..(that looks like you pretty much have to take the trans out to do that)
A few said tps.

Please and Thanks for ANY help.

If it has to come out..I am sort of leaning toward finding a good used one..rebuilding it myself. How hard are these to rebuild? Expensive to rebuild? Something I can do? How much does one weigh?

As in MAYBE too cheap
Used to be you got what you paid for..not no more. I find lots of cheap stuff that is great..much more expensive/competitively whatever priced stuff that is just garbage

Michelin LTX MS 10 ply tires for my truck are close to $300 here. That is just what they cost
SOoo.. I happen to be in Wally..my eyes sort of bug out when I see ONE. It is $50 installed It is NOT a Michelin. I look pretty close..even the finer details are pretty much the same. Sure was heavy! Either this thing was made by Michelin..OR there was patent licence to make it the same..OR there was patent violation. I doubt that at Wally.
I bring in my own Michelin LTX MS..the tire guy and I agree they are the same tire. I even tape measured the circumference
Comes with full warranty! Pretty good too! I have bought tires at Wally before and been happy.
There were 2 so I bought them.

I dunno..I have bought cheap tires at Wally..and snow tires for cars..NOT a HD 10 ply truck tire (ya..E load 80psi tires)

I did a quick Google..Autoguard. I think this is a badged different Michelin or Michelin makes them for Walmart. I cannot see an outfit like Walmart messing around with something like a tire like this.

I dunno..it is 1/6 the price of a Michelin! Somein' aint adding up. I gotta trust this thing on my 6700lb EMPTY truck??

Any thoughts?
Thanks.

I have seen these advertised. Anyone have any experience with them? They can't be any worse At least they have the market pretty much saturated with junk now  Thanks

What does not go bad :evil:
My scanner has id F.L.,then R.L., then R.L again(defective bearing) then F.R., then F.R again (another bad bearing ) then F.R again.
Hey wait a minute..enough already of the F.R bearing wheel speed sensor. Time for ANOTHER scanner. NOW shows F.L. Hey sure WHY should THAT NEW bearing NOT be bad too   Ya ya..different bearing manufacturer(Yes ALL is good..alignment etc.)
MY scanner STILL shows F.R..another shows F.L. Tried my scanner about 500(maybe more ) times. Time to try yet ANOTHER scanner. Ding ding..we have a winner My scanner still shows F.R..the other 2 show F.L.
Time to change the F.L bearing again

End of that problem. Guess I will just buy another scanner

Gotta be/stay positive. At least I have not had to cut any axle shafts OR seen knuckles chewed up on this one

Wasn't that bad really..had to change the caliper too. I mean that caliper was ALREADY 1 yr and 3 months old :evil:

Could have been worse My neighbour buddy left his very low mileage 4x4 truck in his drive..wind driven whipped up moisture laden snow blew and packed under his truck. Stuck it He gets it out..onto the highway about a few hundred feet away..

  Bye bye wheel bearing,caliper,rotor..bye bye $600 for the caliper and rotor installed.

  I love road salt,brine that they started using years ago and beet juice that they started using a few years ago.

Over rust..the spray roofing tar seems to be the best. Really high solvent..the rubberized stuff really bites in..it does need to be done twice though. Rust Killer primer..2 coats followed by rubberized rocker guard has stood up really well! over 2 years. Rubberized rocker guard WITHOUT Primer=just useless after several months. APPEARS to go on ok at first. Rust Killer primer pretty much ONLY works under rubberized rocker guard.

   Rusty metal..spray it with PB blaster. Do not even imagine how badly it will rust if not cleaned off! PB blaster followed by Seafoam to clean it off after a few days then followed by Honey Goo is a very,very good combo. Honey Goo over rust..not so good. Seafoam over rust=not very good.

  The hinge/pin springgy thing on my rear window wiper that forces the wiper against the glass. I don't believe there is ANYTHING I HAVEN'T TRIED!!  Spray it with PB..give it a few days..spray it with Seafoam..then spray it with regular grease that comes in an aerosol can. So far so good.

   I have been testing the newer WD40 Gel..not for long enough for any reports.

   About 1 1/2 yrs ago I had basically a seized up caliper piston AND the slider pins in the bracket. Lots of pad life left. Not grabbing or dragging. Figuring it was just a matter of time. Never did act up. Pads wore out actually fairly even?? Time to change the pads along with the caliper and bracket. 1  1/2 yrs ago at the time I doused everything with PB..the other day I set about the change all of it..for a laugh I stuffed the pads in and got my pad spreader. WOW! Might have taken 1 1/2 yrs but the caliper piston just pushed back in and so did the bracket  Sprayed all of it with WD Gel and put it back together. Saved me like $174 plus tax for that caliper ouch. We'll see.

I was really admiring my local garages work doing that the other day. Man they do really nice work! They do an enormous amount of brake,fuel line etc. This guy just did this while chatting like he could have done it in his sleep..flaring every joint.
They ONLY use copper line now with a high nickel content. (The high enough nickel content  makes sure the copper doesn't go green.)Zero failures over a long period. Failures at some point with EVERYTHING else. They said they have seen straight pieces of replacement line..kink..ya..LATER..after some vibration/flexing..right where the initial bend was started. Some coated lines have ZERO tolerance for the new beet juice/brine/sand road salt mixture. Other coated lines simply cannot tolerate ANY little pieces of grit/abrasion being blasted at them off the road.

1 of my daily drivers there is no CV shaft available. New,Used,Re-built.
Best so far is from 2 CV re-builders near me(well a 3 hr drive.) "If the old shaft is re-buildable then we can re-build it..otherwise no" :

Thanks

Better brand name oil lasts to..then it starts to get used up a tiny bit..no smoke,leaks. Not long after that it starts to get used up faster and gets filthy quick..not long after that you do not want this stuff in your engine..time to change it..I change it right before this happens.

 At some point I saw our local place had oil on  for too cheap not to buy..same credentials..made by Shell..base

  This oil does not get used up. Looks like it was just poured in..I dunno how long it would last..but I change it anyway.  

  I have gone back and forth and done this a few times.

   1 side says the better oils are the ones to use as obviously they are breaking down and allowing deposits to be broken down and removed.

   I used this cheap oil a lifetime ago in different stuff..all these so called experts saying it would wreck my engine..blah blah..1 vehicle I had I ONLY used this cheap stuff..still ran like new at 450,000..(till the frame rotted)

   Me..I think it is bs..I think that the so called "better" name brand oils are simply breaking down for whatever reason..and the cheap oils..made by Shell are not.

   Any thoughts?
   Thanks

10 y/o. Driven often..serviced and gotten under every 4 months/4000 miles whichever comes first.By me. CV boots inspected of course.
ifs and irs 4wd. All boots look perfect and original.
I have seen enough cracks,splits,holes lol on boots.
This one was inspected about 4 months ago..about 4000 miles.
There is nothing left of this boot! Save for just what is under the clamps at each end. I was stunned to say the least Look under..look around..wtf :?: bare joint..(no noise of course..right now there is obviously no grease..and it has some play in it now..it could be maybe repacked and re-booted..but with the some play in it now and the work involved ya no..change the shaft)

Looks like the boot just completely deteriorated..rotted?..just how I do not know :?: I have never seen this before. With no warning.All the other ones still look perfect.

Maybe hit something without me knowing..picked up something..piece of wire..something got stuck up there..drove over something that got thrown up there and it rotted out the boot..hot asphalt from all the road work here?

Miniscule gas leak spraying on it

I am lost :evil: Any ideas? The rubber in the ends of the boots still looks good. There is almost no evidence left..some greasy thin hair like strands of rubber. Maybe something? inside the joint? became shrapnel. Defective boot? and just let go? Maybe all the others are ready to go to?

Thanks..

May have to cut the axle shaft to get this apart :evil:  :evil: The hub/axle shaft spline interface is probably rotted together ..been there done that.

Force near me has a sort of matte/flat black Charger. 770HP (it was on display at a local mall.)."We order them direct from the manufacturer..specially built to our Police Specs..with their most powerful engine"
Sure..Hellcat Cop Car..

I already went ahead and did it I used some spray roofing tar that I had around. Aerosol. Has so much solvent in it(as well as high rubber content) it can be sprayed on wet/snowy/icy surfaces
Says it has "rust protection" in it. Really designed for emergency roof/gutter repairs
I have used it for years on roofs/gutters etc. It is for sure a great leak finder! Spray lots of it where you think it is leaking..it WILL find the leak. Hope you like tar wherever it runs too
Comes in aerosol,brush,trowel grade. I have used it all. Does not really "skin" over. Stays pliable.
  I could not not try it I guess if it can be applied to wet metal it has enough ability to drive out moisture
  Oh..this stuff sucked right into rusty metal..seemed to cover nice and look good.
 
  I DID phone the manufacturer..and ask/talk to them about it..they said they had NEVER heard of it being used for this they said "because of it's very high(really ) solvent content they could not reccommend it being used for this in case someone sprayed their catalytic converter"..NO..really :?: or "other parts of the exhaust or other parts that got really hot..as it would then be an extreme fire hazard..NO really

  I did a road test comparing it to some wax oil aerosol that I had had kicking around (my buddy left a bunch of it with me in the 1980's..((don't want to rush testing/using it )) They looked..went on pretty similar. The wax oil stuff was twice as expensive and went half as far.

  Did the drivers side with the roofing tar and the passenger side with the wax oil  

  Time will tell I guess. I am still going to wand the inaccessible spots.

  I DO know about the old tar..and OLD rustproofing..think early Ziebart..

   Up here you really do need some sort of protection against salt pieces/sand/gravel etc pounding away at the metal. Gotta love that factory stuff that gets hard,pulls away from the metal creating a nice bed of moisture..then cracks..

  Tried this on a pretty expensive ride so I hope it works..(think winter daily driver one of 2 old Police Cruisers )

How do you get this apart..looks to me like some special thingy to compress at least 2 of these prongs at the same time..I dunno..
Tranny shop said they just pull apart..
I did not try that hard because this is not really something I want to break They are like $300 and the dealer says he sells a lot of these for those year GM trucks.
There is a clip that is very rusted and wants me to touch it and break it..
Dealer says can't buy clip..tran shop says that   Of course the clip is rotted and will break when you get it apart you will see how to make that clip..it is easy..we  do it all the time"..

Anyone know? I feel dumb but this don't look like no clip I might just have kicking around or can make easily.
This might be spend time and drive to garage..they could tell me..make appointment all that bs..not disable vehicle because oh this one is different..
Maybe there is some tsb on it.
I looked at a bunch of pics and none look like this,
This has some red plastic ring thinggy that slides back and forth..looks like you slide it back twist it cut it and take it off..I dunno

Connector right under drivers floor seat area
Thanks lots

Brake dust builds up on the rotor..on the inside face..near the centre..until it builds up to be almost "rot" Lookeesee the rotor is BIGGER here than elsewhere Nice..then that part of the rotor starts to get real close..too close..to the sensor bracket..then it touches and starts rubbing on the bracket..

Umm.. buy new rotors..smaller ones..OR chip away the crap and bend the bracket

Time to sit in front of the fire and have a smoke

Local dealer says the long blocks are $2500 Cdn..they have a pretty good warranty no matter what you do to them.
Add intake and 2 barrel and dist and they make 320H/P. The 2 barrel is required for whatever speedway class he was talking about. He said at that low power output and being used for racing it was next to impossible to wreck one.
 He says that with a 4 barrel and cam..they make way,way more power..a lot..and are still pretty much indestructible.
 He does not know what heads are on them? He just laughed and said "Get the long block,slap on an intake and 4 barrel. Pull out whatever cam they come with..stuff in some other cam and away you go,add dist. and away you go.

   I dunno..I have not followed those "GM Replacement" engines..I think they used to be "Targetmaster"

   Are the new ones that powerful and that good?

   Thanks

I have seen videos where the proper way to repair these is to not just stuff a motor in which I am about to do..
 I see there are issues with the shaft/sleeve..there is a cure by drilling into the housing,cleaning it out and re-greasing it..Anyone tried that?
 Many times it appears that if this is nipped right in the bud..right when there is ANY slowness..then that is all that is required..and the motor just continues to last almost forever
 Mine is/was starting..suddenly..to get slow..stall..not work..on off..slower.
I managed to get some  stuff in there..and left the lid up for about 2 days literally
 Seems to be ok now..no play in the shaft..but I don't trust it to go through the winters we have here..
 I have also heard that there are just tons and tons of real junk replacements that need to be changed again soon..out there..
  So don't be so quick in yanking out the old one I dunno.

  Anyone know anything about these things..

  Thanks

Wheel bearing. Turn the wheel one way..noise goes away. Kept driving it. Finally the noise is there all the time. Changed the bearing. An easy job for a change
Noise was the same. Bad bearing. They will give me a new bearing.
Changed bearing again. Same noise :evil: Another bad bearing. I doubt it. 3 bad bearings.
Got out the ears..noise is not in the bearing/hub wtf :?:  Noise is in the pad/caliper..pad mounting area where the ears of the pads go. Wtf?

This vehicle had "All new brakes"..last year..not by me..and I never even looked at them last year. Or until now.

The caliper shims had completely rotted to the point where there were actual holes in the shim on the bottom where the pads ride
Pieces of the shim..out of the holes..had gotten caught..and were getting jammed between the pad..setting up this nice harmonic..

 I have never seen these kind of shims rotted..I thought they were all stainless?. None of these shims looked like they were stainless?
  Just another dishonest dealer,garage, Yawn.

There has to be an easier..better way to do this sometimes.
How do pros do this? Do they sometimes have to change the entire knuckle? (I had to do that once)

This one was on an 06 Uplander 4wd. Front hub.
Where the splines on the axle shaft mate with the hub..just rotted together.
This thing was soaked for days prior with penetrating oil..
Yes..I have one of those massive OTC hub pullers that you beat with a sledge hammer. Impact wrench. Torch.
I was actually getting close to thinking MAYBE I have to change the entire knuckle..axle shaft and all. I did once have to do that.

What am I missing?
Maybe move away from the road salt capital of the world

Any tips?

Thanks..

I really know nothing about these. I read a bit and seems to me..they are hard to test properly..and  are a cheap throw a part at it thing and see
 I took mine out and it was in the fully open position..and could not move it. I read that some of them you cannot move and if you do move it you broke it..or was broke. I read sometimes they stick and become junk.Open or closed.
  First price I got was $80.Cdn..here in Canada. Seems like I should wait for RockAuto or the like for like $15 haha.

  Symptoms. Is this an iac problem?

  1994 Chev 1 ton van. 5.7. tbi.

  Starts ok..runs rough..not that responsive..will idle. Low power until it warms up.Once warm it runs much worse below about 1500rpm. Has absolute zero power just above an idle..will idle but will stall immediately even in neutral with any throttle
ncrease engine rpm is to first start it with full throttle..then back it off to about 1500..and use it from there and above.
  I checked the spray pattern at idle and just above idle as soon as the throttle is opened.All is well there. Any throttle and it just dies.
  Runs so badly right now when warm that I could not really drive it.
  Sound like an iac? This always idles.
  Thanks As Usual
 
  Ya..this does not make me that happy as I go through my vehicle expense records and see that it cost the same to operate my old van for the last 7 years as it did my sub compact 4 cyl car. My basic insurance coverage for my car will now be almost 40% higher for the most very basic no collision insurance thanthe van.

  I just want to get my van running nice before I send it to it's scrap yard burial. Not gonna spend much..maybe zero money on this.

  Might even buy another big chev van..used..with awd.

My 06 Uplander has no codes stored.
When I start it..whether I move it or not..after a little while..the abs light comes on,and a service abs system  message.
My code reader says L Rear  sensor voltage too low.
I know  nothing about abs..and I would leave it but it shuts off the awd.

Q..is this a definite sensor(wheel bearing)?
A No..or a maybe.?

If it was not a definitive I would unplug the sensor and simply plug in another new one and see if that fixes it..then go about changing the bearing if I have to.

It is 0 here and I can't get this into my  shop..
It was in for other awd related problems and they did a pretty thorough job of checking everything and could not find anything  wrong there.
That was before this happened.

I am guessing the sensor in the bearing went bad and just change it?

I have a new bearing(failed under warranty) and this thing according to the manual the knuckle has to be removed to change it.

 I would just like to take this thing in  and have them change the bearing and be done with it. Leaving it there..(it is an hr drive..weather/roads here have been bad) and have to go back and get it or wait while they try and find the problem..ya..no thanks.

Are there any definitve wheel bearing/sensor tests?Do wheel bearings/sensors go bad after a little while when the engine has run?
Zero play in the bearing,zero noise,zero problems..awd works..no lights nothing  when  cold.Driven or not. Start it and wait..or drive it and the problem comes back.

Thanks very much for any help!

That flexible yellow stuff. Gas pipe. I have never tried it. Anyone else tried it?
IF that works it would be purrfect

I am TRYING to by pass a rear heater in a van. Oh this is fun :evil:

 I need to make a metal pipe and bend it..as well as put ends on it. Conventional heater hose will work but cannot of course bend tight enough and will need too many fittings,clamps.

Thanks..

The brakes on my d/d were new about 2-3 years ago. I don't know how old the calipers were? They looked pretty good!
 I bought the vehicle,inspected the brakes at the dealership on his hoist.
  They were like new.
  And still like new next year..when I just lubed them up.

   I never did like those brakes..felt like too much metal..same as my 1 ton work van.

  SOOo...I figued I would put some softer pads in a few months ago.
  No big deal.

   The old pads had tons of life left,everything was still lubed up,pistons retracted easily.On went the softer pads.

  WOW what a difference in BITE..just great brake feel..

   Then one caliper started to stick..now and again..then only when hot..then worse..yeah that caliper has packed it in.New caliper.

    Then another caliper..ya ok..change the pads..caliper pistons retract nice..all the hardware/brackets/bushings are all good and nicely lubed up.

   I actually waited a bit for ALL the calipers to pack it in.

    An auto parts guy says he sees this..going to other than the manufacturers reccommended rotors/pads can overheat calipers that are not new..and twist square o rings.
   He said my calipers were just old enough that they would not tolerate
any additional heat..he said they would probably have been ok for quite a while to come if I had left the old hard pads on.

   I can see this if the pistons don't go back in easily..or if the are out a fair bit..

  Worked on my 1 ton work van..slapped in some softer pads..and voila..much more initial bite. They are a 1 piston.Maybe they are less sensitive.

  Least I have new calipers

Heater pipe rusting on one of my d/d. There is a surprise
This ain't gonna be fun to change :evil: One day it will have to be done.
Just trying to postpone the inevitable a bit..

  I am guessing either Hi heat Tremclad Rust Paint..or some sort of hi temp epoxy or something else that will stick to rusty metal and tolerate hi heat.

  Any ideas please

  Thanks

Can one put 01-6 or so GM 8 bolt rims on older..(pre 98 trucks)?
Is there a nut that will work well for that?

 (These are the cheap 1 piece rims..not the rivetted 2 piece ones)

  I know you can't put 94 8 bolt rims(off my van) on my 01 Burb because of caliper clearance. But you can go the other way..well..I dunno..they fit..but the 01 or thereabouts nuts are metric. I can use the old nuts on the van BUT..they sit lower in the rim than I like.( Yes the angles are the same) The 01's and later are just bigger nuts to take those plastic threaded centre caps.

 Are there any different wheel nuts for pre about 01 8 bolts?

  Maybe I should look at a Ford or Dodge?

 I don't think I have ever seen one? 8 bolt GM nuts. They were the same for too long I guess

 Thanks Guys

Neighbours 02.
Dealer said it needs a front shaft..1G. Ouch.Said there can't be any play in it and..there is a risk of it breaking.They said it was unsafe to the point where they would not certify it to transfer it to his son.
Neighbour has just left it sitting for a few months.
Yesterday he decides to take a look.
He says there is some play..when he rotates the front shaft  at the transfer case..in the case..in 2wd.No play when it is in 4wd.There are no clunks going in and out of gear..reverse to forward quickly etc. No vibrations in 2wd.,4wd,(part and full time)..even at speed.No clunking in corners,tight turns.

  I crawled under it.Yes there is play when the shaft is rotated in 2wd in the transfer case.I have driven much worse.I think every transfer case I have ever seen has play there.Doesn't seem like a a big deal to me..but I don't know Jeep T. Cases either.No play in 4wd.
  There is a bit more play somewhere between the front yoke and the wheel hub(probably the dif. side gears) than I would like..but again..I have driven worse.

  I dunno..I don't think there is anything wrong with this. Something I am missing? I do know a fair bit..and have had enough 4x4's.plow trucks,fixed the things,changed T cases,difs,shafts etc
just NO experience or knowledge of Jeep T. Cases or this ftont dif.

  Thanks As usual for any help

I put this GM Fuel System Cleaner in.. the mileage INSTANTLY went up about 16%. I don't really believe in stuff like this..I put it in because I just bought this car..and after driving it several thousand k..I figured it would not hurt. I have done this with my other vehicles.It has never made any difference in fuel economy..but has fixed 2 gas gauges,rough idle,smoothed out engine performance.Sure..I guess it fixed a few problems.
This vehicle had NO problems and ran like new BEFORE I did this.
 The GM stuff IS aggressive! And not cheap either.MINOR over treatment is ok. This stuff I would not fool around with. The directions are to put it in at an empty tank..THEN add a tank of gas. This way it gets sucked in quick and strong at first.
 NOW I am scratching my  head (LOTS! of hair left ) as to what/where the "problem"? was. Clearly something has been improved/fixed.I am definitely NOT going to looking myself..but I will probably mention it when someone else services it. This is a d/d.

  The vehicle is a 2007 Uplander Extended 4wd ex Police vehicle with a 3.5.
  I bought it online at a very good deal..and was too far away for me to check out. I very reluctantly had to drive the 3 hrs to see it..at night..and literally drove it around the block at about 25mph.Seemed ok. Part of the deal was that the dealer I bought it from would allow ANYONE I wanted to check it out..and they would just do whatever they said it needed. The dealer certainly had confidence in it.
  Anyway..I get the vehicle..didn't need any work really..and I was very pleased with it.
Runs like new.
  My fuel economy improvement over my other 4wd truck was an instant 40%!

  I figured it would not hurt..to put some of this stuff in..so I did.

  I literally put the stuff in,tanked it up,drove it and the little mpg computer showed the mileage had improved 16%. My first thought was that that gizmo..which WAS accurate was now toast. Maybe because of this stuff I put in.

  No..the mileage improved and has stayed that way.
  It was already getting an average of 23-25mpg checked every tank..in horrible winter driving conditions..the mileage went to about 28..maybe a hair less..and has stayed there.Ya..the horrible winter driving conditons are the same :evil:

  I dunno..it appeared it fixed something..I dunno what??
 Any ideas?

 Thanks :!:  

Whatever happened?
I was talking to a great believer in diesels the other day..
he NOW simply tells the average person just not to buy one now.
IF you are using it/working it/running it a lot!..then he says get one.
If not don't.
He does a very good business..and is very respected and honest..but he sees a LOT :!: of very unhappy customers.
People buy them..use them as grocery getters..leave them with empty tanks..for too long a period of time..then make a trip down to the store Those kind of people that don't even blink to spend $100,000 on a diesel pickup up here near Toronto..treat them like this..then trade them in.That just filters down to whoever ends up at some point buying it.

 What was ONCE a great idea..diesel..pretty low grade cheap stuff to begin with..run a very long time..
 Diesels are now ladened with emmission controls..people want all kinds of junk on their diesel vehicles.
 Up here..diesel is often 5-10 cents MORE PER LITRE! Yikes.
 Ridiculous service costs.
 Gas engines are running a very long time..and their fuel economy is getting even better.
 Diesel engine options run  $10,000-$20,000.

  Perhaps someone will come up with some great idea for diesels.

  Maybe there is a great business opportunity of buying them here in the salt capital and dampness/cold and then fixing them(there are always a bazillion for sale here used needing work) and then sending them off fixed to retire somewhere warm and dry