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I got a tube of John Deere polyurea grease, part #TY6341, for greasing control arm ball joints. I used a lithium/moly type grease on them previously. Now I find that there's a difference between "shear stable" polyurea grease and "conventional" polyurea grease, where the shear stable type is...

I've been using 5W30 since owning a Taurus with the 3.5 V6, even though the manual and oil cap demand I use 5W20. This is a non-turbo, non-DI engine, it's very quiet and has been trouble-free, and is just now coming off the 6 year powertrain warranty. What I currently have in my "stash" is 2...

I recently (a couple of months ago) replaced some hoses with silicone versions in an engine that uses dexcool. Now I'm learning that's a bad thing - the dex has 2-eha that will eat the silicone? Does this apply to any type of silicone hose? The hose I used has two layers, the inner is red, the...

I am deciding what to use in my freshly rebuilt 20 year old LS1. The Castrol 5W30 C3 has a good list of standards, but it's supposedly meant for diesels. I can't find a 5W30 with better "specs" on paper, except maybe Mobil 1 ESP (is that right?) which only comes in quarts so it's ridiculously...

I added some straight 30 wt Autozone non-synthetic oil to a new hoist, is that a bad idea? I didn't fill it all the way (it was nowhere near full, but there's no way to see the level), then the next day got some jack oil at Walmart. Should I dump what's in it and refill with jack oil only? The...

Is there one that actually works?

Are there any difference in current oil specs and/or brands (5W30 synthetics) that relate to reducing carbon build-up on pistons? This is for a non-direct-injection LS engine. Those cleaners you can spray in while the engine is running really don't touch this stuff, in my experience. The best...

I removed the heads on an LS engine, prior to having them worked on. This means of course I had to do a lot of cleanup work on the block surfaces before the heads can be re-installed (which won't happen for awhile). I found that Barkeepers Friend cleanser, which contains oxalic acid and also...

Years ago I replaced a section of brake booster vacuum hose, just splicing to the original hose with a barb connector. The original hose is 19 years old, the newer piece is 8 years old. The newer hose now is coated with white oxidation, at least I assume that's what it is. The original GM hose...

This is for my 2000 Camaro with stock Torsen differential, which does *not* require any limited slip additive. I purchased some Valvoline 85W140 semi-synthetic. This will be my 4th attempt to quiet down the well-known noise that these diffs make under certain conditions. (First tried Supertech...

Just had a punctured tire repaired at a local place. There was a small nail in the tread. When I picked up the tire I noticed the small rubber repair piece sticking up through the (former) hole, about 1/4" above the tread surface. I was in a hurry, didn't ask them about it. Anyway, should I cut...

Since I recently bought a new-ish car (2015 Taurus) I now have the requirement for LV fluid, which I'd never heard of before. My question is, is this stuff really required for the transmission to work correctly, or is it mainly to improve gas mileage by some small amount? I will always take...

Need a battery and Walmart seems to have the best deal locally. The group number is 65, but now I find there's a 65S and a 65N (which is listed as out of stock). The "S" means "south" according to some postings I've seen, but don't know whether I believe that, seems more likely it's just more...

'15 Ford Taurus (not SHO) with 3.5 Duratec. This engine has solid mechanical tappets, which seems like a design from the 60's/70's (except it's overhead cam). I've seen lots of comments on here saying you need extra anti-wear additives for old style solid tappet engines. So does the modern...

2015 Ford Taurus 3.5L, low mileage, the coolant is a light purple color. The owners manual says it should be orange (dexcool I assume). I doubt it's been changed since new though. I did find a website that mentioned a new Ford "Super" something coolant that's purple (?) I'd like to know in case...

This is for a new to me 2015 Taurus with the 3.5L engine. The owners manual says to use 5W20 for the regular 3.5L (which mine is), and 5W30 for the SHO version. First of all, why the difference? Second, I don't like the idea of using 5W20 here in AZ (first car I've had that calls for it), would...

Just received 2 new tires from amazon. They definitely weren't treated too well during shipment and/or storage, have many large scuff marks where the topmost smooth surface is scraped off. Does this matter at all? Just wondering if this will lead to faster deterioration of the rubber in the future.

I've been using Fram Ultras for the last few oil changes. I just recently got a new one and found it was in a silver canister instead of gold that all the previous ones had been. Looks just the same as a Tough Guard canister, except says Ultra and the number starts with X. Is this a recent...

Walmart battery died after a little over 3 years, so manage to get the car started and take it back to the store where purchased. It was a "Maxx", so I have them replace with the same. Then when I get the bill I find that there are 2 choices: (1) Get about $30 credit on the old battery, which...

I read on here somewhere that HM oils have seal conditioners which are based on esters (true?). Does this mean that esters cause rubber seals to swell? For my low mileage car with no leak problem I'd prefer to not use anything that makes the seals swell, so should I avoid anything with esters?