Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
27
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6 answers

Pros/cons of higher capacity car battery?

I'm shopping for a new car battery for a 1998 Subaru Outback (2.5l). For the physical dimensions, the battery has to match. But I see some variance in capacity (Ah) rating, and in price too, of course. The intuition goes, as usual, "higher is…
Pēteris Caune
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6 answers

What are the risks of overfilling a small engine with oil?

I recently overfilled a 4 stroke lawnmower engine with oil. It has been run for about 1.5 hours while overfilled. It smokes a lot right after being started but after 30 seconds or so the smoke clears. Now that I have figured out what I did I plan to…
Greg B
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Does a Car Keep Moving If Neither Accelerator, Nor Brake Is Pressed?

I am not sure if if this is the right forum to ask this, but even my driving instructor cannot give me a clear answer, hence the question. Learning driving on a toyota vios, automatic transmission. The interrelated questions I have are Does the…
Della
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Is it safe to drive a car that has a broken suspension spring?

Yesterday I was driving home from work and heard a loud noise which I can only really describe as a "clang". After looking at it today, it looks like the spring for the front left (passenger side) suspension has snapped at the bottom. Here is a…
Flyk
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Is Start & Stop technology good or bad for my car? (Alfa MiTO)

I was recently in the lucky position to obtain an (almost brand new) Alfa Romeo MiTo, Progression. Like many new cars coming out these days, it has "Start & Stop" technology that turns the engine off when the car is stationary and is put in neutral…
DeVil
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26
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6 answers

Does a timing chain need maintenance?

Does a timing chain (as opposed to timing belt) need any specific maintenance? In particular I'm talking about a BMW Z4
m.edmondson
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5 answers

Is it really impossible to fix a seized engine?

I had an engine seizure that happened while I was driving the car: it ran low on oil and suddenly the engine stopped working (with a bit of smoke). Now after being towed, I have left the car (and added oil) for a couple of weeks, hoping to try and…
Jalapeno
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What is the best way to remove a stuck/rusted exhaust bolt?

I'm trying to disassemble the exhaust system on a 2000-2003 Nissan Maxima and I'm having trouble removing one last bolt. It's got a 14mm head and its just plain STUCK. I've tried soaking it overnight with PB Blaster, then the next morning I tried…
NoCarrier
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What actually happens when there is way too much oil in a car engine?

I saw the answers to a question I posted recently highlighting the disadvantages of having too little oil in an engine, but that got me wondering what if the complete opposite were to occur! I know that having an excess amount of oil in the engine…
Max Goodridge
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Clutch less shifting - why does it work? Is it bad?

I have been driving stick for 15 years and within the last year I learned I can shift gear without the clutch. Normally the transmission will not let me shift gears without using the clutch. However, if I hit the right RPM, my stick will let me…
Nelson
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Why do the brakes "freeze" the suspension?

Last week I was driving a motorcycle. When I stopped at a traffic light I noticed the rear suspension dropped a little when I released the rear brake. Later I noticed my car did the same thing. When you suddenly stop, but not release the brake the…
user60481
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Accidentally left car idling for 14 hours. What are possible consequences from this?

I have an 08 ford focus that I haven't been driving. I just turn it on and let it run for about 30 minutes every few weeks so that it's not just sitting. One time I left it running in the parking lot and forgot about it until 14 hours later. How bad…
Mike
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7 answers

How do cars drive through deep water as shown on many videos online?

I have read many warnings about driving a car through deep water. Some problems that this can cause is destroy the catalytic converter and in petrol engines water can cause damage to spark plugs. And in diesel cars I thought you needed a special…
Linux_user0987
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4 answers

Symptoms of Lean or Rich carb settings on a motorcycle

I have a 1981 Yamaha XS650. I recently put in K&N stock replacement filter (ie, they are in the airbox and conform to the size of the original), however they may be leading to a leaner mixture because they purportedly let through more air. I want to…
user460
25
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4 answers

Is the driver's door supposed to unlock from inside?

I have a Toyota Corolla. The driver side door opens from inside even when the door is locked. The door doesn't open when opened from outside. Is it normal? The only possible explanation that I can think of is that maybe it's designed this way so…
Abdul Ahad
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