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1500 questions
37
votes
12 answers
Does kicking a tire off your car from underneath it while it's held up by a stable jack pose safety threats?
I just had to put a doughnut on my car and I used the typical manufacturer car jack that fits into that little slot of metal near your wheel. After I got all the lug nuts out, I tried pulling the wheel off in several different ways with all my…
Katz_Katz_Katz
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5 answers
What are the benefits of a lightweight flywheel and why aren't they lightweight already?
This previous question explains what a flywheel does and why it is needed. That explanation means that the flywheel needs a certain amount of mass to do its job. However, an "upgrade" for many cars (when looking at performance enhancements) is a…
JPhi1618
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37
votes
8 answers
Do I really need to wash the outside of my car?
Some people say they wash the outside car every week as it makes the paint nice etc
Are there any benefits of washing the outside of my car?
Do I really need to wash the exterior of my car every week?
Does it damage my car if I don't wash it for a…
George
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37
votes
4 answers
What's the Purpose of Park on an Automatic Transmission?
When one wants to park a manual transmission (MTX) vehicle, one puts it in neutral, and engages the emergency / parking brake. With an ATX vehicle, the practice I've learned is to put it in Park, and engage the parking brake.
But if I need to…
Robert S. Barnes
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37
votes
3 answers
Why are the blades of car radiator fans unevenly spaced?
Fans that look like this:
Is it to somehow help the balance of the engine?
Sam
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37
votes
3 answers
Changing Firing Order in a 4 Cylinder Car
Backstory
In motorcycling you can get cams that change the firing order and time from a traditional 1,3,4,2. It's was very common in American road racing in the 1990's to hear 4 Cylinder engines that sounded like two cylinder v-twins.
The way these…
DucatiKiller
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36
votes
6 answers
Why doesn't anyone ever repair an automatic transmission?
I am old enough to have had about four transmission failures spaced over about 40 years and at no time did any mechanic ever offer to “fix” it; the only diagnosis has been a complete rebuild.
This is not what happens to any other part of the car.…
glw
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36
votes
11 answers
What is in fossil fuels that we can't mass produce?
Since fuel is made up of different molecule chains, my question is what is the reason we cannot create the same molecule structure and be able to reproduce the same structure in a lab so we don't have to run out?
I understand there's way more to…
LostPecti
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35
votes
10 answers
Is it safe to use a hydraulic jack as a stand? If not, why?
"If a jack can lift a load, surely it can withstand the load for extended periods of time?!"
I've come across some conflicting ideas regarding this subject:
The user guide for my low-profile hydraulic jack warns against using it as a stand for…
Zaid
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35
votes
8 answers
Why do manufacturers detune engines?
I was wondering why a manufacturer would detune an engine. An example -- there are many others -- is the Mercedes-Benz OM612 engine. Same engine, lower (peak) power output in the Sprinter than in the E-class. The same hardware (and thus the same…
Ben
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34
votes
1 answer
Why is my car equipped with a battery shutdown timer?
I currently live in Japan where I bought a 1997 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Since I don't completely speak Japanese, I wasn't able to ask anybody correctly about one thing that the previous owner had installed, which is a small timer under the steering…
P1kachu
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34
votes
6 answers
Could a car left sitting for 6 years ever run again?
First time posting, let me know if I'm doing everything right!
We've got a '92 Volkswagon Cabriolet, with 175K+ miles on it, that's been sitting in the garage since 2010. Wheels are all flat, and I haven't even tried turning it on, as the contents…
Rachel
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34
votes
8 answers
Running with straight water as coolant in the summer. Is it fine?
I grew up flushing the coolant twice yearly. In the Spring, you drain the antifreeze and fill with straight water for the summer. In the Fall, you drain the water and put in a 50/50 antifreeze/water mixture.
I have heard (from an auto store clerk)…
Wulfhart
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34
votes
9 answers
Is it okay to leave a car for 5 months without driving it?
I need to travel to the east coast and work from there for a duration of 5 months. I can leave my car in covered parking here and ask a friend to start the car for a few minutes every week.
What possible issues could I face with the car maintenance…
vivekian2
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33
votes
3 answers
Difference between FWD/RWD/4WD/Part-Time 4WD/AWD?
I'm curious as to what are the particular difference between the various drive systems available in modern vehicles. FWD and RWD are pretty straightforward - Front Wheel Drive cars put the power to the front wheels, Rear Wheel Drive puts it in the…
Iszi
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