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1500 questions
23
votes
17 answers
What happens if I change the oil when the engine is cold?
I have always changed the oil in my vehicles with the engine hot, because the manuals always say to let the engine reach normal operating temperature first. Oil change instructions all over the internet say this, too. I've never done it cold because…
Jason C
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23
votes
5 answers
Why would I want to measure torque while loosening a bolt or nut?
An answer to a question asking about torque wrench maintenance mentions to not use a particular kind of torque wrench for loosening bolts. This got me thinking.
I would think it'd be preferable to loosen the bolt first, then use the torque wrench to…
Ellesedil
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23
votes
8 answers
Static electric shock as I leave the car
Now this has started to "interfere with concentration". It is happening when i am getting out and trying to close the door. I feel a static shock as i touch the metal part of the door as my foot touches the ground.
I faced it in my last car as…
shabby
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23
votes
6 answers
How to raise the car higher than the jack stands will allow?
So it's time to raise the car onto jack stands, but for whatever reason it needs to go higher than the stand height allows. How can I safely raise the height of the car?
What I have done in the past is put a 2in concrete pave stone under the stand.…
cdunn
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23
votes
3 answers
Why do pickups and large SUV's use 4x4 and generally not AWD?
In almost every case I can think of, the larger vehicles with four wheel power are 4x4, and the smaller ones AWD. As far as my experience goes, AWD is much more convenient, and also works at least as well on ice as 4x4 (at least 4h), and allows a…
J. Musser
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23
votes
5 answers
What differences between synthetic and dino oil?
What are the main differences between synthetic and dino oil?
Is one always better than the other?
alex
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23
votes
4 answers
Replace car batteries with capacitors?
I recently watched this video on YouTube which basically shows the guy replacing a larger capacitors with some smaller capacitors which he had bought. The larger capacitors were actually in place of a worn out battery. Both capacitor packs were…
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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23
votes
3 answers
Why does a gas engines torque and horsepower curve always meet at 5252 RPM?
I'm watching a TV show called Tech Garage and they just made the claim that an engines torque and horsepower curves always meet at 5252 RPM. Assuming this is true, why does this happen? Is it something designed into engines, or is it just how the…
cdunn
- 9,296
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23
votes
1 answer
LTFT and STFT values are off and don't make sense
Car is a 2015 BMW M5 and it has an aftermarket CAI and a catback (slip on) exhaust. No other performance mods or tunes.
About 6-7 months ago, I bought a Kiwi OBD-II reader, simply out of curiosity as I am a computer guy and a geek and was curious…
DerStig
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22
votes
6 answers
Why don't cars have circuit breakers instead of fuses?
While there are exceptions the majority of cars use fuses instead of circuit breakers to protect electronics and I'm wondering why circuit breakers are not more widely used. Is it practicality, cost, regulations or a combination of those factors?
GdD
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22
votes
3 answers
If I am just replacing the car engine, do I need to replace the odometer as well?
I am considering getting a new engine for one of my cars and I was wondering if I'll have to change the odometer too. Since the car already has 220,000 miles on it, it would become a huge number if I used the same odometer on a new engine.
Atticus Denewmont
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22
votes
3 answers
How do the latest automatic transmissions match the efficiencies of manual gearboxes?
Most people know that for old or even somewhat old cars, manual transmissions are more efficient. Recently automatic cars have become almost as efficient or even as efficient as manuals.
I was recently reading an article by Road & Track magazine…
user180969
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22
votes
13 answers
Leaving car with automatic transmission in Neutral instead of Park
Can we use Neutral (N on the selector) instead of Park (P) when parking on a flat surface?
Is this useful for transmission system? Because every time we put gear on P we must pass through R and will this reduce gearbox/clutch's life?
What is the…
said h
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22
votes
8 answers
Will fitting a physically bigger battery reduce the working life of the alternator?
I have fitted a much larger 12v battery to a car. I modified the clamp and battery tray to make it fit securely, it's almost twice the size of the original and has a much higher CCA rating. It works well, I left the headlights and radio on (at a low…
DizzyFool
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22
votes
2 answers
Why doesn't the engine stall out when you come to a stop with an automatic transmission?
When you come to a stop with a manual transmission you have to push the clutch in or take it out of gear to keep the engine from stalling out. What keeps the engine from stalling in an automatic transmission. Even when I rev the engine while holding…
Drise
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