Recent content by M3 Mitch

  1. M

    cloudy headlight lens for 2001 Jeep Cherokee

    I have used the NAPA kit with good success on plastic lenses on a Subaru. I think any good wax will reduce the sun damage (UV I guess) The NAPA kit has a mandrel for a drill, self-stick abrasive pads, you wet the headlight with a sprayer using plain water.
  2. M

    Spark plug change on Subaru Outback

    Particularly if you plan to leave the plugs in for a very extended period, put some good anti-seize (I like the German Wurth) on the threads, and put some of the correct silicone grease (just a bit of it) on the insulator so the plug wire does not stick to it. In my 4-cyl 2.2L Legacy, the plug...
  3. M

    Should I change my oil

    I have to agree with Paul and Buster - this oil and filter are made for hard service, and should still be fine. In fact the oil is probably cleaner and more free of water/fuel contamination due to the higher oil temp caused by your speed. The short stroke Honda engines turn high revs with little...
  4. M

    Mobil 1 for my Diamond in the Rough

    I think you could use either one. The 5-30 will give you a *bit* more film strength at higher loads and higher temps, the 5-20 *may* give you a bit more MPG. I would pick one or the other and go with it. If you make more short trips and slower speeds, at colder temps, go 5-20 and in Fairfax...
  5. M

    Run Oil Pan Heater off Inverter Away From Home?

    I don't know if you can get them in the States, or if they still make them, but Webasto of Germany has made fuel-burning block heaters in the past. That heats the water, not the oil but should be more practical I would think. Running a resistance heater from a battery I guess can be done, but...
  6. M

    Blown Head Gasket With Only 3K Miles

    I would guess the knock-off gasket is the problem. You might be able to get a Fel-Pro or NAPA etc. that will fit and work, but with the joy of doing the job again you may want to bite the bullet and get the Toyota part. You might get a better price on genuine parts on the net.
  7. M

    ol' faithfull Cutlass dead....

    Without looking, the gas gauge is probably the sending unit, those are usually available either new or junkyard, and not that hard to fix. Sounds to me like you should keep the car, it's worth more to you than to someone who doesn't know it.
  8. M

    How important is it to drain oil hot?

    Everybody "knows" that draining your engine oil when hot is "better" (gets more crud out, drains faster), but reading a book on oils and filters I bought from Noria, they suggest that draining cold is just as good. I'm wondering about say a motorcycle that you want to change the oil going into...
  9. M

    How's my choice?

    454s are famous for killing starters, you might want to look at a "premium" starter rather than a $25 reman. I think you can get a starter meant specifically for the 454, not certain. Then again it's not that hard to change out the starter on this truck. But Murphy will eventually set you up...
  10. M

    All VW/Audi BITOGers chime in!

    1982 Scirocco, which I bought from a guy who had just rebuilt the engine, for essentially the cost of the engine rebuild. I'm using Mobil-1 in the engine, and MTL in the transaxle, so far no issues with either. I have driven it about 60K miles since buying it about 3 years ago. I havn't done...
  11. M

    Why cost of Fuel so High?

    I think Tooslick is dead-on about China. They are consuming a lot of raw materials and at least one reason that oil, steel, concrete and etc. prices are up is Chinese demand. I understand that synthetic crude is being made in South Africa from coal right now, but it's not clear to me what the...
  12. M

    MPG increase w/synthetic?

    In general you do get a small MPG increase, it's more noticable in cold weather. FWIW when I changed out the factory fill trans and diff fluid on my BMW 325i, 1989 model, to Redline MTL and 75-90 gear oil, I didn't see more than a few tenths of a MPG improvement. But in the Las Vegas heat, the...
  13. M

    Red Line 75W90 Gear Oil

    I think most all of Redline's oils are ester based. I have not had any seal problems using Redline diff oil in either a 65 GMC half-ton or in BMW cars.
  14. M

    Question for the brains... :)

    Now, somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a regular (non-roller) cam is normally in "boundary" lubrication, ie some metal-to-metal contact happens. This is why some sort of extreme pressure additive package is necessary in any "modern" motor oil. So depletion of the extreme pressure...
  15. M

    Question about heating aluminum

    If you mean motorcycle fork, I would either get a new part or have the thing heli-arc welded. The solder that can be used for repairing say aluminum irrigation pipes is OK for strength but not nearly as strong as "real" aluminum. Aluminum is subject to metal fatigue and unlike steel does not...
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