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1500 questions
18
votes
2 answers
What is a leak down tester and what can I do with it?
Background
There are quite a few head gasket related questions on the site. Coolant or water in the oil, oil in the coolant or water in a radiator, etc. I'm thinking that some instruction on howto use a leak down tester is in order. With that, I…
DucatiKiller
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18
votes
6 answers
2000 VW Golf heater won't blow hot air
My 2000 2.0L Golf GLS won't blow hot air at operating temperature, the air is only lukewarm at best. This started a few months ago inexplicably. The car isn't overheating or underheating, it reaches operating temperature in the same amount of time…
Mr. Buster
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18
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7 answers
Why or why not increase engine efficiency by running the car "fuel-lean" (using a turbo or supercharger)?
Everyone wants their cars to use less fuel, right? I read the following passage about running the car fuel lean from this website:
Run the engine fuel-lean, that is, use excess air. It is well known that fuel-lean running improves the efficiency.…
Max Goodridge
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18
votes
1 answer
What is a governor and what is it used for?
I was watching a classic car restoration program on YouTube in which they were working on a '50s Cadillac with an automatic transmission.
The mechanic in the video diagnosed a transmission glitch as a problem with the "governor" that was sticking…
Zaid
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18
votes
8 answers
Will having a radiator full of engine oil do damage to the motor?
I've got one question; I was looking over this car that I was going to buy and there was engine oil in the radiator. I asked the guys why it was in there and he said he didn't have enough coolant to fill it so he used engine oil. He topped up the…
Mark
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18
votes
6 answers
Can you run an engine without a radiator?
I've heard of people starting engines in a build without a Radiator hooked up, to see if it fires.
If you have an old engine and want to see if it will run:
Can it be started without a radiator?
Will any damage occur?
Are there any advantages to…
Jonathan Musso
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18
votes
5 answers
Why not use gasoline on diesel engines or vice versa?
I've read gasoline engines use sparks to ignite the mixture, but diesel engines use just compression which can't be done in gasoline engines due to high compression ratios which can cause engine knocking, but if that was true gasoline? It can then…
user3407319
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18
votes
4 answers
Why does diesel engine have redline much lower than petrol engine redline?
Why do diesel automotive engines redline at around 4500 rpm whereas petrol ones go to 6500-8000 rpm?
Does this have something to do with the compression ratio?
saurabh64
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18
votes
4 answers
What is the difference between a 180° V4 and a true boxer motor?
Reading this thread which talks about V4 motors, I am wondering what exactly is the difference between a 180° V4 motor you'd find in a Subaru and a true boxer (or horizontally opposed) flat 4 cylinder?
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
- 165,084
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18
votes
6 answers
Why is car A/C typically less reliable than fridges/freezers?
I just had the A/C in my car die on me again; air coming through the vents with the A/C is just as warm with it turned on as off. However, my fridge/freezer is something I've had for over 5 years and it just keeps trooping on, cooling the food…
Jez
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17
votes
6 answers
2005 Ford Taurus - Is it really harmful to use standard antifreeze?
My wife was speaking with a mechanic when she took the car in for a safety and emissions inspection this past week and the mechanic told her that we HAD to take our Ford Taurus to a Ford dealership or to one of their shops (she was at a chain) to…
Noah Goodrich
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17
votes
3 answers
Why is my motorcycle losing power when accelerating?
I ride a Honda Rebel 250 motorcycle and over the past few days I find that the bike is losing power when accelerating fast.
When I twist the throttle to accelerate quickly (in any gear) I hear the engine sound increasing in pitch by a lot more than…
Paulo Pinto
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17
votes
9 answers
Can salt water be used in place of antifreeze?
The key feature of antifreeze--as the name implies--is that it doesn't freeze.
When I was a kid, my Dad used to use just plain water in the radiator of his 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass during the summer. It worked ok. He'd only use antifreeze in…
kmiklas
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17
votes
2 answers
Why is it sometimes hard to engage reverse gear in a manual transmission?
When shifting from any gear other than 1st (while standing still, obviously), sometimes the reverse gear doesn't fully engage and the shifter will pop back to neutral. So I have to shift to 1st gear first and then to reverse for it to fully…
user60481
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17
votes
5 answers
Haven't driven a car since the start of the pandemic; can it be driven without special measures?
Because they're older, my in-laws have been in quarantine since early March and haven't driven their car at all. It's been sitting in the driveway in New Jersey (USA) the whole time, in mostly above-freezing and then warm and hot weather.
The car is…
Joshua Frank
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