Unofficial Off Topic Thread

[HoosierDaddy]

No parking for Ford push-to-start cars—the tech problem nobody warned you about

Hello; Is this real and do Mustangs have a work around if it does turn out to be true?

Don't click MSN links but I suspect they are talking about places that have some sort of electronic interference that prevents cars that "might" only be opened or started via something in the driver's possession being detected by the car. I say "might" because I doubt many/any car can only be started that way, but a driver might not carry an alternative means to start the car. So, like a roach motel, cars may check in but can't check out. Presumably, opening is the most likely obstacle since once inside, interference would be less plus whatever the driver is carrying is likely closer to the sensor used for starting.

Teslas are typically opened and started based on the car wirelessly communicating with an app on the driver's smart phone. May be via Bluetooth. Should that fail, the app can open/start the car via cell. Should that fail Teslas come with credit card size cards that require contact with a spot on the B pillar to open and contact with a spot in the console to start. Should that fail, you have it towed and sue whoever did not post "no Tesla parking" signs. There are also optional "fobs" for luddites.

All in all much more reliable than key entry only since any disgruntled passerby can disable by breaking off a toothpick in the lock. Have lost count of the number of people I've annoyed enough to do that. Or was it the other way around?

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[HoosierDaddy]

https://www.the-sun.com/motors/15840761/new-driving-laws-february/

$500 fines and jailtime for messy cars. And I thought speed traps were bad!

A stated intent is to prevent rat infestations. I'm curious if it falls on prosecutors or defense attorneys to test if rats will or will not eat the car's messy content.

 

[sk47]

Hello; An F-150 question. My brother has a 2007 F-150 with the 4.6 V8. Lately it has been having an erratic idle & engine sometimes dying at stop lights. When it first happened he added some fuel injection cleaner & fresh fuel. He drives it a lot so not likely old fuel.
The issue cleared up for a week or more then started again. Idles fine when cold but starts to have RPM swings from 300 to around 600 RPM when warm.
The plan is to some seafoam spray into the intake manifold when the weather gets a bit warmer. Maybe next week.
No check engine light. I have not hooked up my code reader yet.
It is suggested maybe the IACV (idle air control valve) should be cleaned.

Any thoughts???

 

[IPOGT]

Re: F150….Clean the mass airfllow sensor and report back.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I always wondered what the next "asbestos" class ticking time bomb would be. Now I know. Still time to get in on the ground floor.

https://gizmodo.com/your-old-mattress-might-be-dead-but-its-not-done-2000718480

 

[sk47]

Re: F150….Clean the mass airfllow sensor and report back.

Hello; My brother decided to do the intake cleaning with seafoam. has been running good for a couple of days ut it is too early to tell. It ran good for nearly a week between acting up before.

 

[sk47]

Does Tourette syndrome make you swear? Coprolalia and the BAFTA incident, explained

Hello; I did not watch the show. Only saw a TV news story. I have a story. Back many years while still teaching in a public school I had a student "diagnosed" with Tourette's. I put the word diagnosed in quotes for a reason. One main tenant of the syndrome is that the actions are involuntary.
The student, a boy, would spit on the girls and would poke the girls with a pencil. I was told I could not punish him because of Tourette's. This went on.
Turned out my student free period was during lunch. I hatched a scheme. I would collect the boy in the lunchroom. We both got a tray of food and I had him eat in my empty room with me. I told him it was to give the girls a break from being spat on and poked.
Magic happened after just a few days. He stopped spitting on and poking the girls when in my class. He could control himself after all.
Of course, the parents caused a roar and made this stop. The boy quickly reverted to his antics. Did not matter that I had an effective solution. Did not matter the distress of girls in classes with him.
Of course I do not think he had the syndrome. He never spat on nor poked a bigger boy nor boys in general. Just timid smaller boys. I think it was a convenient excuse for the family. He was, in my opinion, a psychopath. Known for bad behavior outside of school.

He was one of two students I had which spurred me to get a concealed carry permit soon as they became available.

 

[sk47]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/t...9a6fd64d5de49dab195caf87bb6a5a7&ei=32#image=7

Hello; This is something expected for some years. At least I wondered when someone would make the connection public. Someone finally did so. From the start let me say I do not have a dog in this fight, nor a cat either. So, in real terms I can be neutral and perhaps I will be.

The gist revolves around all the meat dogs and cats eat and the associated things needed to produce dog & cat foods. A summary goes sort of there is impact to starving people and the environment form all the meat production which winds up in dog & cat food. General details in the above link if you need to know more.

A crux of the matter is cats specifically and dogs nearly so need meat protein. From a physiology view point a look at the gut of these animals will tell the tale. Can take a look at the teeth for confirmation. That dogs & cats need meat should not be debatable, but this site does surprise me often.

Anyway, the nature of these revelations has led up to cries to change the way we live often. Think of the agendas against domestic cattle as an example.
So, do you favor getting rid of dogs and cats or maybe just cats as pets?
Do you fall on the side of keeping dogs and to heck with all the hungry people?
Is there another lane to be in?

I will try to be impartial as I do not have neither a dog nor a cat.

 

[sk47]

Driver says wife sold his project Mustang while he was on a work trip leaving him devastated after spending five years restoring it
Hello; Mustang owners with wives beware.

Side question- how can a wife sell a car that is not in her name? I would consider reporting the car stolen and naming the wife the head of a car theft ring.

Hello; Mustang owners with wife & a pool beware. Mybe hire only ugly pool boys????

 

[sk47]

$15.60 to cross the state? I-70 toll plan raises costs for drivers

Hello; I had to pay tolls for years on stretch of HWY from London KY to Hazard KY. It was a nicer road compared to the alternate winding two lane. Thing is, to me, the deal was understood before the new road was built. The plan was to have a toll before the start of construction.

Over the years I have noted a large number of "fees" charged by official agencies. Guess we will have to change the old saying from "death & taxes" to "death, fees & taxes". What is a difference between a tax & a fee?

 

[sk47]

The real reason millions of engines are being recalled

Hello; A long read. Essentially about low viscosity oil and it's relationship to engine failures. Too much for me to summarize. The article fits with the notion that recent years of notorious transmission & engine failures are related to MPG & emissions pushes. read to get the details.

One take being there is a reason companies have quietly changed oil viscosity recommendations the last few years. 20 weight oils changed to 30 or even 40 weight oils. My older vehicles called for 5-w-30 weight all along.

A line stuck. 0-w-16 or 0 -w-20 oils can work fine in a very clean engine. I recall recently in an engine scoring (cracked engine) thread the comment that scoring happens at first startup of new engines.

 

[Balr14]

The real reason millions of engines are being recalled

Hello; A long read. Essentially about low viscosity oil and it's relationship to engine failures. Too much for me to summarize. The article fits with the notion that recent years of notorious transmission & engine failures are related to MPG & emissions pushes. read to get the details.

One take being there is a reason companies have quietly changed oil viscosity recommendations the last few years. 20 weight oils changed to 30 or even 40 weight oils. My older vehicles called for 5-w-30 weight all along.

A line stuck. 0-w-16 or 0 -w-20 oils can work fine in a very clean engine. I recall recently in an engine scoring (cracked engine) thread the comment that scoring happens at first startup of new engines.

I agree with the article but my experience has been design flaws and cost cutting are as much to blame.

 

[sk47]

I agree with the article but my experience has been design flaws and cost cutting are as much to blame.

Hello; I can see cost cutting as a factor. Not so clear, to me, about design flaws. Let me explain. I have wondered why the ten speed trans co-engineered by Ford & GM has such a poor reputation for some years. To a similar degree the more recent engines seem plagued with problems especially when compared to older engines.
I could not picture so many companies somehow forgetting how to build decent engines & transmissions. A few weeks or months ago I came across an article concerning the transmissions which made some sense. Pretty sure I posted about such on here at the time.
The notion is the transmissions were designed and tuned with meeting ever more stringent MPG's & emissions in mind. Not building & programming equipment as much to be durable and long lasting.
An example might be having ten speed transmissions in the first place. Having grown up with three speed transes, then later four speeds and five speeds, I find no compelling need for more than a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic.

A benefit of more gears in an automatic is to help keep the engine in the sweet spot of efficient RPM's. More gears can, in theory, help with that. A question might be the trade off of a small percentage of MPG's compared to the cost and complexity of the additional speeds. A cost benefit analysis which needs to be considered in light of the major goals. A major goal appears to be the fractional improvement of MPG's with reliability some down the list. This should be enough of an example to make the point.

On top of the extra gears is the way the transmissions are programed. I have talked to a few people and read we are better served to ignore the upshift signals which show up on some modern dashes with a manual. We have control with a manual. The notion is the automatics are programed to upshift too early for transmission longevity. More for the elusive MPG's.

I think even in my 2004 pickup with a four-speed automatic the "tow-haul" button is a nod to the argument. Why have such a button? When i do haul heavy or tow heavy I use the "tow" button. The transmission builds up more RPM's before it shifts.

Anyway, the notion makes some sense to me. Making sense to me is not the same as evidence so I welcome a reasoned refute.

 

[sk47]

He paid $24,000 to restore his 1969 Mustang. Five years later, it came back in pieces

Hello; This story was on the local news yesterday. I do not know the shop nor the owner. I have an opinion about what happened but do not really know.

There is a thread on here which started out about "cracked cylinders" in a Mustang engine. The OP has apparently had to car to several shops, including Ford shops. The dilemma seems to be conflicting opinions, and the OP does not know who to trust.

Question- is there a list or some such data base of "good " shops we can use?

 

[Balr14]

Here are examples of what I call design flaws:

1. The GM/Ford 10 speed - why do you need to shift through 10 gears before 50 mph? On an average pace of about 10 seconds to achieve that speed that means a shift every second. Or the algorithms used have to fast enough to know when to skip a gear. Considering all the variables that are used to determine shifts, this is a programming nightmare. To make it worse, you have about 10 drive modes to deal with, all with their own shift logic.

2. The 2011 BMW 4.4 turbo V8 - What genius came up with bright idea of putting twin turbos in the valley between the banks of the V8? That part of the engine doesn't get hot enough for them already? Needless to say, there were massive recalls and other issues with this engine. I had one. Got the car cheap because even after it was recalled and had $16k of remediation done to it, nobody else wanted it.

3. The Porsche 911 9A1 - this engine has unlined cylinders and an open deck design. Why, because it's cheap. It's also prone to bore scoring. The 9A2 engine has metal sprayed liners and a closed deck. But, there are thousands of Porsche owners with cars before 2017 that have their oil analysed just about every time they get an oil change, who hope for the best.

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