Recent content by ecotourist

The hand grip to close the trunk on the BMW without touching the paint or getting your hands dirty. There's even an arrow showing where it is.

The property lines for my current property were unclear (we have a mostly unfenced 1/2 acre) and when I asked my neighbours they said no-one cared but then told me where the thought the lines were, taking as much as 20' off of my property. I didn't want to pay for a survey so with a bit of...

I suggest that the result would be different between an oil leaker and an oil burner. For an oil leaker, the oil and everything it holds in suspension is being replaced periodically. If you have replaced all the oil over a typical oil change interval I can't see why you'd want to replace it...

In western Canada around 1965 the usual oil for usual engines was 10W-30 in summer and 5W-20 in winter. Do keep in mind that our temperatures would (rarely but still occasionally) get down to -40 C or F in winter. And people used a block heater in winter. It was necessary to change the 5W-20...

I change the oil filter every second oil change. On the BMW that would be no more than 20,000 Km and on the Honda about 16,000 Km. In my opinion, changing it more often than that would be a waste of resources. The oil in my Honda stays very clean and I get to see the filter in my BMW whenever I...

My only annoyance with my BMW is that it's 20 years old, and nothing lasts forever. 2000 528i 5 speed manual, M-sport package, interior appearance package

While it doesn't sound like your hood is about to come loose, I was in a vehicle when it happened. We were driving on the highway in a friend's '57 or '58 Dodge sedan. The hood suddenly flipped open and the airflow bent it back over the windshield and roof. My friend was able to see a bit...

The environmental health officer I used to work with was not a fan of duct cleaning. In his experience there was more inhalable particulate in the house after duct cleaning than before. That kind of makes sense too. If there's dirt in the ducts it's packed down. Removing some of it will disturb...

Some years ago Road and Track talked about the best year ever for automotive styling. As I recall their final answer was '67. Think of all the great cars that year: Impala SS, Camaro, Mustang, Galaxie 500 GT, Fairlane GT, E-type, and on and on. I can't disagree though I am still partial to '63...

You are correct. Originally a "computer" was a person who computed. I believe computers were most often female. Remember how to do calculations using logs? Not since I got a calculator.

I was going on 19 in '67. Close enough. And it was amazing.

My '63 Chevy II would occasionally refuse to turn over. I learned how to jump the Solenoid with a heavy screwdriver or even the jack handle. Knowing how to do that came in handy when someone's '63 Impala wouldn't turn over. "Stand back folks, now hand me that jack handle." One time, driving at...

I went to the U of S '71 BE (Mech) and '77 MSc (Mech). The MSc would have been Mechanical or Bio-Medical up until the last week. Had to choose one or the other and Mech felt like home.

Interesting. I use (and stick to) one system or the other in any given project. I believe I was in the transitional engineering class at the U of S. The year before was taught primarily English units, the year after primarily metric. We were taught to use both systems. So I work pretty easily...

I had one of those cars. A red '78 Ford Fiesta. Pretty much every body part was dented, scuffed, sat on and bent, shot, etc. And for good measure the interior trim broke too - door handles, window cranks, heater controls, radio knobs! People could see it all just fine. A taxi driver ran into...