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1500 questions
13
votes
4 answers
The purpose of covering the grill during cold weather
In some countries it is quite popular to cover up the front grill in winter (especially on diesel engined cars). As I understand the intention is to inhibit airflow to the radiator, but why would you do that if coolant flow to the radiator is…
I have no idea what I'm doing
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13
votes
2 answers
Why do diesel fuel lines have to be bled?
Background
I've had a couple of situations with diesels. One in particular where I swapped a Ford F350 Powerstroke 7.8 transmission. When I was done. The truck wouldn't start. It was a painful troubleshooting situation for me because of my…
DucatiKiller
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13
votes
2 answers
Is it normal both TPMS sensors fail just after changing tires?
I had the rear pair of tires of my 2006 Toyota Prius changed recently. Both were already bald and one was also leaky. The Tire Pressure Measure Sensors were pointing correctly that the leaky tire would lose pressure after about 5 days it was filled…
Gabriel Diego
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13
votes
6 answers
What actually happens when there is not enough coolant in a car engine?
I know that a lack of engine oil can destroy an engine, so I was curious as to whether it is just as bad to drive a car with a very low engine coolant.
What is engine coolant?
What exactly are all of the disadvantages to running an engine when the…
Max Goodridge
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13
votes
1 answer
How much does a driver weigh?
I was amused when I saw one of the statistics for my VW Passat B5.5 car, which stated as follows:
Kerb weight with driver - 1425kg
I know this is a very weird question and I hope its not too inappropriate to ask here on a "Maintenance & Repair"…
Max Goodridge
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13
votes
4 answers
2000 VW Polo struggles to/won't start when engine warm
My 2000 1.4 petrol polo struggles to start when warm and sometimes will not start, until the engine has cooled down a bit, when the engine is on the hot side of warm.
Embarrassingly, I have lived with this issue for quite a number of years because…
atw
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13
votes
1 answer
How to detect engine/ignition (on/off) status using OBD2?
My device needs to know when a car engine/ignition is started and stopped.
Is it possible to get that status using OBD2?
If yes, which PID will give me that information? Do I need to write any car-specific logic in my device to support this feature?
rp1980
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13
votes
2 answers
Non-functional gas pedal, engine stalling, dead battery: broken alternator?
I have a 2005 Nissan Sentra. The following happened twice within a few days:
I stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, pressing the gas pedal had no effect at all. However, the car would still move forward at idling speed while in…
anon
13
votes
1 answer
1987 Dodge D150 High Idle and Dieseling
Truck is the high altitude/California emissions model, 318.
Carburetor has been replaced with a 4 barrel Holley 4160 I believe, although it might be a 4150, intake manifold was replaced to fit the new carb, nothing fancy though.
Truck was tuned and…
E-Rock
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13
votes
4 answers
How to troubleshoot excessive timing retard?
I've seen numerous cars that for one reason or another, retard timing excessively at wide open throttle - getting worse over time. Seat of the pants impression is that power drops off steeply as RPMs approach redline. OBD2 datalogging verifies…
NoCarrier
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13
votes
3 answers
Sloshing Sound Under Dash
I have a 2011 Suzuki SX4 Crossover AWD with MT. Sometimes when I start it up, begin moving forward, or quickly decelerate I can hear what sounds like water (or some other liquid) moving from one place to another (can't quite tell where) under the…
Jim Fell
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13
votes
2 answers
What can we reliably tell from an in-vehicle battery voltage display?
The Red Cross division I am with recently purchased a new ambulance. It comes with a touchscreen display in the cockpit where we can control lights, sirens, check the temperature in the back, control airconditioning and some other stuff. Part of…
JDT
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13
votes
2 answers
Why the wasted spark in four-stroke motors?
This just came up in my curious mind. In a typical four-stroke engine with an even number of cylinders, spark plugs fire in pairs. This means there is a wasted spark as one cylinder is in exhaust, while the other actually fires at the top of…
Poisson Fish
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13
votes
4 answers
Brake cleaner vs carb cleaner vs throttle-body cleaner
So I was spring-cleaning my man-cave/garage over the weekend and came across my assortment of chemical sprays - specifically carb cleaner and throttle body cleaner which caught my eye.
Is there any practical difference between brake, carb & throttle…
Zaid
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13
votes
6 answers
Most important preventive maintenance for high-mileage car?
My 2001 Chevrolet Prizm (a NUMMI) is about to hit 125,00 miles. I bought a little over 5 years ago, at which time it had ~79,000 miles on it. I bought it from a used car dealer that seemed to have put at least some money and time into…
jeremytrimble
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