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1500 questions
14
votes
1 answer
Is reverse gear in a manual transmission equivalent to any other gear?
Question is pretty well summarized in the title.
If we were to order gears in terms of power provided, where would reverse fall between gears 1-5 on a manual transmission vehicle?
Does it vary by vehicle?
CaptainCalvert
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14
votes
6 answers
How to improve fuel economy in high-mileage car?
I'm driving an 2003 Acura TL 3.2 with 177K miles on it.
I bought the car with 110K miles on it.
It seems to me that the car is not getting the same fuel economy that it did when I acquired it. I used to be able to get 400 miles from a tank of…
Vivian River
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14
votes
6 answers
Should I use gasoline 87, 89 or 93 on 2016 RAV4 SE
I read many articles online and people have different opinions about this issue. Some say 89 is the best for acceleration. Others say 87 is just fine.
I'm worried only about the health of my car. So I read my user manual. Here are the…
Emily
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14
votes
5 answers
Does engine braking an automatic wear out the transmission?
My question is a variation on these two:
Engine braking with an automatic transmission
What are the “1” and “2” or “L” gears used for on an automatic?
I recently bought an automatic transmission 2012 Mazda 3 after driving a manual for a number of…
Mike Ounsworth
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14
votes
4 answers
Do pistons keep moving when the car stops?
When you are driving and stop at a light, do the pistons still move up and down due to combustion? If not how will the engine know when to combust the fuel to keep it moving?
LostPecti
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14
votes
10 answers
How can I detect vacuum leaks without access to a smoke machine?
In the course of helping my friend sort out a lean condition with his Mercedes GLK280 we have to pinpoint the source of a vacuum leak in the intake plumbing.
The interwebz tend to recommend having the car taken to a mechanic so that they can perform…
Zaid
- 39,276
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- 151
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14
votes
5 answers
Is sand blasting safe on old cars?
As the title says, when restoring a classic car I've been typically taught it was proper to get the entire vehicle sand blasted to see any issues and make any needed repairs them move to paint. However, is sand blasting safe or does it do more…
Hᴇʀʙɪᴇ
- 3,737
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- 67
14
votes
3 answers
Clutch smell after botched attempt at accelerating on a ramp
Recently on a ramp in a parking structure I messed up when trying to accelerate again from a standstill by not letting the clutch out far enough and bringing the engine to way too high rpms (may have been around 4k). Afterwards a burning-kind of…
Joey
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14
votes
5 answers
Do these EBC brake pads look like a counterfeit?
I have purchased a pair of EBC Red Stuff front brake pads for my Audi S4 from a supplier whose name I will keep anonymous for now. I opened up the box and everything seemed in place except a weird feeling about how the brakes have been packaged and…
eYe
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14
votes
5 answers
What Color Should the Spark Be When Using a Spark Tester?
If I'm using a spark tester with an adjustable gap set to the correct gap for my car's ignition system voltage, what should the spark look like?
I ask because I've seen conflicting opinions on this matter. For example, this Brigg's and Stratton…
Robert S. Barnes
- 15,780
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14
votes
5 answers
Timing Chain vs. Timing Belt
What is the service life of a timing chain and how does having a chain drive cam benefit from a belt drive cam and vice-versa?
general exception
- 628
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14
votes
3 answers
How does the transmission not strip itself when applying the brake?
Quick question bugging me: Obviously the car moves forward when neither applying the brake nor the accelerator.
How does this not damage the transmission when the brake is pressed?
I first thought that perhaps the transmission releases when the…
TrottingGoatParade
- 163
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14
votes
2 answers
How do I troubleshoot the source of oil in my coolant?
I would like to know the step by step troubleshooting procedure for discovering the source of oil appearing in coolant. There are several different points of failure that can be the root cause for oil in coolant.
What are the various points in an…
DucatiKiller
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14
votes
1 answer
How can I tell which parts of my car are "By Wire"?
I've recently purchased a manual transmission 1.5 litre Honda Mobilio. It is claimed to be a drive by wire vehicle and I assume it really is, but I don't know how to tell if a car is drive by wire.
I am a new driver and not sure which parts of a…
Jomar Sevillejo
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14
votes
2 answers
What made Ferrari choose this particular firing order for their flat-plane V8's?
In other words, what factors influence an engine designer's decision to go with a certain firing order?
I had some free time today to investigate what firing orders are possible on a flat-plane 90° V8 and determined that there are…
Zaid
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