Recent content by oldflame

Or is it? For the past ~six months we've been getting one or two DAILY calls our phone ID's from Greenpeace. We don't answer solicitation or unknown numbers. Sometimes the various phone numbers they use will trigger our answering machine but no messages are left. If it really is Greenpeace we...

Because the engine came with an extra 1/2" on the dipstick, I've had no noticeable problems or oil burning, and the opinions offered, why change what's been working? That conclusion may have been obvious to some but I wondered if others had run into this and if there was a general consensus.

I will forever remember, "and way in the back he's got money in a sack." He was a genius of that humorous genre.

Kids (gen Z?) are supposed to be returning to sedans ... if those can be found. Why are PU's so popular with guys, and maybe some gals, who use them for daily-drivers and very rarely haul anything in the bed? Size matters? Do they still come with sticks? I wonder if station wagons will ever...

I suppose there's more to it than just doing the math but I've found metrics to be easier and use a 30' tape-measure with a metric scale. The USA might already be comfortable with metric by now, because that idea was encouraged after our Bicentennial in 1976. Too bad politics interfered and...

Thanks Barncats. Mr. Dudley was a noteworthy man who provided much insight to our audio world and the world in general. I especially enjoyed his sense of humor. He remains my favorite reviewer of all time. Deeply missed, indeed.

The vehicle and small engine owner's manuals specify the amounts of fluids to use. I suppose an engine block could be milled larger or smaller than average, but how do we know that a dipstick is at the correct level? The tube could be pressed too low into the block. In the past 50+ years most...

My Toro 826 blower manual calls for 24 oz. of oil. When new, the dipstick indicated ~1/2" over the top of the fill range and a call to the dealer indicated it was OK. I change the oil after each season with 24 oz. and it's above the top of the fill line. The blower has operated flawlessly for...

That looks unique and interesting; quite original too. Some plastic is more heat-resistant and with all those holes you might have enough airflow. Would it be easy for you to add more side ventilation just because you could and may even help a small amount? When no possibility of damage...

I'm still getting conflicting info. I use an axe or maul so easier is better for my old back. Last night I got a hot fire started well enough to get wet kindling to burn hot enough for wet maple logs to burn. The initial intensity of my bonfires always worries my wife, who doesn't understand...

AI claims the water in fresh, wet, wood provides hydraulic shock. Because liquids aren't compressible I thought there might be some truth to that explanation. Other "human" experience and internet sites claim the opposite. Polar-opposite info is so common now it's hard to know what's true...

If I don't go too nuts with the fire pit, maybe I'll wait till the big stuff freezes. OTOH the weather could go nuts with too much snow for convenient splitting this winter. And then on the opposite hand, it's necessary that my back doesn't split first. There's not a lot of spring left in this...

AI answers are always first and sometimes flood information searches. Two opposite AI responses said the easiest wood to split is both wet & dry. I searched because I have suddenly acquired a bunch of wet Norway maple from storm damage. Apparently both ways have advantages but I don't care...

Vintage SET mono!

old_tv_nut has a good point about the variable nature of drain. My bare-bones, stick-shift, 2012 Focus changes from ~6A - 0.05A but usually hangs out at 0.2A which is too much, so it stays on a tender if not frequently used.