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  1. J

    Your ultimate sleeper?

    About 1990 I knew a guy in Killeen, TX that had a Chev. Vega station wagon with a Chevy V8 small block and a four speed automatic trans. I never got to ride in it but I bet it surprised a lot of people.
  2. J

    Shaking steering wheel... what to start checking

    Sorry, should have been .060".
  3. J

    Shaking steering wheel... what to start checking

    Full sized Chvrolet? I'm betting on pitman arm. It doesn't take but about 060' wear to make the front end shake.
  4. J

    transmission drain plug

    Brass should work ok. Harbor Freight sells a copper washer assortment kit that is inexpensive-it probably has a size that will be close enough to work. I replace all my brake banjo bolt copper washers with these and they work fine.
  5. J

    Can a bad or faulty computer throw faulty codes?

    I had the same code (on cyl #3of my car) and I checked everything that you did but still had the miss. Finally traced it to a missing platinum puck on the #3 spark plug. Plug change fixed it to this day.
  6. J

    M/T Transmission Fluid Change Question

    Quote: Once you drain a good amount of tranny fluid out there is a good chance the car will not be able to drive back up the ramps. I'd do it all without any driving, shouldn't be to hard. Trannies don't work well when low on fluid. Aren't we talking about a _Manual_ transmission? Should work...
  7. J

    CVT vs geared automatic

    We have a CVT in the wife's Civic Hybrid. It's ok, I guess but it does take a bit of getting used to. Just like a Buick Dynaflow all over again. My understanding is that CVTs aren't capable of handling really high HP engines so I guess we will continue to see shift type trans in bigger cars.
  8. J

    Am I neglecting these ball joints?

    .200=200/1000 (also .2=2/10 & 1/5)
  9. J

    VW's the old air cooled ones

    The original oil change interval was 1600 KM and, yes, the sump was minimal but there was an oil cooler. The problems with the #3 cylinder running hot was because the oil cooler shadowed that cylinder's air flow. This was actually dealt with early on by slightly retarding the timing on that...
  10. J

    Worst accidents while working on the car

    I was driving home one time in my 1962 Catalina when the mechanical fuel pump started squirting gas out the top. I decided to chance it and try to make it home. Rolling down the road, gas squirting everywhere, for some reason the coil decides to catch on fire. Put it out with the washer bottle...
  11. J

    Please critique my jackstand process

    Quote: Meh. I ve used cinder block for years. 2 conditions however. 1: the blocks are used as they would be used in a wall, cores up. 2:pieces of wood on top of the blocks and against the bearing points. I'm with him on both counts.
  12. J

    Anyone know of any lists of DIY friendly cars?

    On my 1997 Camaro, changing spark plugs is about a 2 hour job. Plug wires took 4 hours and I had to drop both exhaust headers and pull the alternator and starter. Not fun.
  13. J

    Why Carbureted Cars Are Hard to Start When Cold

    Problem is with carbs that there weren't that many people that were any good adjusting them. I had 5-6 carbed cars in the 60's and later and they all performed flawlessly as did the ones owned by my dad. They do require some maintenance and periodic adjustment but during those days you had to do...
  14. J

    Too many electronics make for a dangerous car?

    Considering that most airplanes are now "fly by wire", I think the technology is pretty reliable.
  15. J

    Any one change fuel pumps for prev maintenance?

    I monitor fuel pressure at the injector rail annually, checking the current draw sounds like a very good additional test to determine function as well.
  16. J

    Dialectric grease necessary?

    Before I heard of dielectric grease we used vaseline or lithium grease. I still use lithium grease on light bulb bases and multi-pin connectors, esp. if they are going to be exposed to water. Even though all of these are technically insulators, connector mating causes the netal surfaces to...
  17. J

    Odds of turning 42 year old bolts/nuts......

    Quote: acetylene torch for heating up exhaust system bolts to cherry red I wouldn't even think of trying to get out an exaust flange bolt without heating it-they are sure to break otherwise. I take them out while they are still red hot. They squeak but they come out.
  18. J

    Direct Injection Engine

    Quote: I wouldn't call Gasoline DI new technology. Mercedes had a DI gas engine in the 1960's. I remember seeing one on a car show where they mentioned how far ahead of its time the design was.
  19. J

    Space heater for interior in cold weather

    I had a friend that had a step van with a twelve volt radiant space heater in it. Worked pretty well and eliminated the need for an inverter. Come to think of it, here at work we have some electric carts that have quartz space heaters in them so I guess they are still being made.
  20. J

    Pre-trip maintenance thread

    IMHO, if you have to brush up on maintenance before you take a trip, then you aren't keeping up with maintenance correctly. You should be able to take off and be secure at any time. Do I do this? Afraid not, esp. that enclosed spare tire but that is my goal anyway.
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