Recent content by RAR

It’s a Panther platform, so this is basically a luxury Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis. It uses the 4R70 transmission. The Continental is the Taurus based Lincoln. It should be a reliable, easy to fix car that will last a long, long time.

Ok, the real dumb thing is they’re looking to fix this vehicle. These things are a dime a dozen, and found everywhere. Even cheap ones will be less than fixing this broken beast. I know. I service 2 of these in my family (the third is being parted out). If my cargo hauler dies, I can get...

Do NOT leave the oil in your turbocharged, direct injected Mini Cooper engine beyond 5000 miles. Change it even earlier if you can. BMW/MINI are trying to make their complex little cars seem more appealing by mandating longer oil change intervals. But these engines will carbon up and run like...

I only gravity bleed if I’ve replaced a caliper. I open the bleed screw (NOT the banjo fitting; you need to get the fluid INTO the caliper and removing it doesn’t do that), and allow the fluid to fill the caliper until it comes out the bleeder. Close the bleeder and then use the brake pedal to...

The 2015 Ram 1500 I had for a while had the optional smoker’s package. And the guy who bought it new used that package a lot! It took a while to get the smoke stink and filth behind the dash (which included a ton of road dust) out if the truck. But I did get it fumigated eventually.

I used a light impact on those rotor retention screws on my Mini and and other cars that use them. I have an impact driver (like one for driving deck screws) with a 3/8 adapter for sockets. It’s light duty enough to remove the screw without tearing it up. I’ve been successful at taking them...

Can you put a socket and breaker bar on the crank? I’d pull the plugs and see if it turns over manually. Then spin it for a second using the starter, with the fuel pump fuse pulled. Drain the oil and throw in synthetic Walmart Supertech in the appropriate weight. Use the same oil filter or...

Subway in the 80s was ok. Simple menu and it was decent. I went there a couple of months back. Disappointed. I ordered through their app and it was mediocre. But it’s fast food so what should I expect? As for franchises - in our small city of about 15,000 with surrounding communities...

Hummingbirds around here (northern Minnesota) were slurping down a ton of nectar. I was refilling all three of my feeders every day they were guzzling it so much. I’ve been watching and the activity around them has died down. I get a few still but I imagine in a week or so I won’t have any...

The dipstick is like a coiled metal… the oil can be hard to read as it soaks into the coils. What I do is have a clean paper towel - pull the dipstick, clean off the end, reinsert and then place it against the clean part of the towel. It will show you where the level is when it soaks onto the...

The screaming idea comes from a video review by a guy up in Canada (The Getty Adventures channel on YouTube). He puts a loaded trailer on these test trucks and drives at speed on grades, in town, etc., and I saw that fuel mileage wasn’t any better than a V8. And yes, that 4 cylinder was...

I got a ton of contacts from dealers about trucks since I looked at one a few months back. I guess doing that put blood in the water for the sharks on the car lots. 😜 I’ve explored these 2.7 turbo 4 cylinder trucks in 4WD configuration as a tow vehicle. I’m all for turbocharging to gain power...

Back 10 years ago I rented a Penske box truck based on the Ford E450 van body. That one had a V10 engine so I expected a bit better performance (albeit in the mountains of Arizona, I didn’t expect much to be honest). To my surprise, even when empty, the van/truck was a slug. Not very...

Going up on the roof with tarps. Storm hit on the 31st and ripped up dozens of shingles and tore open the roof vents. Which explains the water intrusion in several spots. My house is only 3-1/2 years old, so it’s not like it’s an old, old roof. Insurance pressed me on that, but they can’t...

I have an LG top loader with no agitator. I am satisfied with it, but I avoid using the energy saving settings and use extra rinse, extra water, etc. But then I use a well so no water bill (that comes in the form of electric usage 😉). I also use a gas dryer, set up for propane. I’m also...