Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
17
votes
4 answers

Is it ever neccesary to burn a starter out?

Honda civic vti 1999. While we were trying to diagnose a no start/cut out condition (Help with odd start/no start car) the mechanic kept holding the ignition on crank for prolonged times and you could smell a burning smell develop. I asked him what…
James Wilson
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Heavy condensation inside car during winter. Tried multiple things, but no results!

Before you comment, read below to see what I've done and why most answers are not helping me. Also, my native language is not English, so I apologise for not using the proper words. I have an old Volkswagen Polo (2006) that has heavy condensation on…
Rob
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8 answers

I got this screw in my tire, should I plug or replace?

Should I have the tire plugged, patched, or replaced?
Marcos Storchevoy
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17
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6 answers

Seized engine due to being run without oil

I have a 2004 Trailblazer. My daughter called and said the oil pressure dropped to nothing and it died and wouldn't start. My husband checked it and said she had hit something hard enough to rip the oil pan and it had probably dumped all the oil at…
Missy
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17
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5 answers

Can I use lower octane fuel at high elevation?

Here in Colorado, gas stations sell "regular" gasoline which is rated at 85 octane ((M+R)/2). In most of the rest of the US, 87 octane is the lowest grade available. (As noted previously, higher octane fuel can withstand higher compression without…
Nate Eldredge
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4 answers

Does giving gas while releasing the clutch cause unnecessary wear?

I drive a 2013 Ford Fusion SE with manual transmission. I learned to drive a manual as a kid but picked up a lot of bad habits. In particular I tend to naturally ride the clutch. Now, of course in 1st or Reverse you have to let the clutch slip a…
Lepidopterist
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2 answers

how to optimize fuel consumption by changing the rear differential ratio?

Is it possible to improve the fuel consumption (decrease it) in my van by changing the rear differential ratio? I would like to optimize it for low-speed driving about 40 km/h (25 mph). Is it true that the rear differential ratio is optimized for a…
ria
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3 answers

Why one should not leave fingerprints on bulbs and plugs?

I have read that one should not leave greasy fingerprints on their spark plugs or on their light bulbs. Why is this a thing? On what else one should not leave fingerprints? How does one avoid leaving fingerprints (latex gloves or, say, cleaning the…
Baran Zadeoglu
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4 answers

Why does the rear of my vehicle sink when I apply the handbrake on a downward gradient?

This is something that I've always wondered. I'm no mechanic (web developer, actually) with very basic knowledge of vehicle mechanics so I can only guess at something like brake pipe pressure being involved, but that's about as far as I could guess.…
Kallum Tanton
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17
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3 answers

Do matching (left/right) lights often burn out within a short time period of each other? If so, why?

A couple of weeks ago, the right headlight in my car burnt out, so I went to the garage and had it fixed. When I picked up my car, their salesnerd told me to watch my left headlight, for "once one headlight burns out, the other often follows in…
Alexander Klauer
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2 answers

Where can I find my car's colour code?

I'm currently shopping around for a touch-up pen to repair some very light scratches on my car. I've found out that our local hardware automotive store can mix the exact colour for any vehicle. However, they need the colour code information for my…
happy_soil
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17
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4 answers

How to test for defective glow plugs?

On a diesel engine, how can I know which glow plugs are defective, and can I change these only?
jfoucher
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17
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5 answers

I ran my car on almost no oil for a few weeks before realizing the problem. Now what?

So let me preface this by saying that I follow all of the manufacturer's suggested maintenance and religiously get my oil changed every 5K miles. However, my 2007 Mazdaspeed6 is about due for its 120k mile service, and for the last few weeks I've…
Nick
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4 answers

Do these tyre cracks necessitate replacement?

My car has been off the road for a few months, but will be back on it in a few weeks. The other day, I noticed some cracks between the treads on the front tyres. Not sure how long they've been there. I know tyres cracking can be bad, but I'm not…
raydowe
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5 answers

Oil burning smell and slow oil leak

I am wondering what types of issues I am most likely looking at with this; My 2003 Ford Escape (V6) has an increasingly pronounced burnt oil smell that has developed slowly over a year or so, coupled with a slow leak of oil. Lately, we can notice a…
Andrew Barber
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