Recent content by Duster

I have stock headlights, which are considerably less brilliant, and still get occasional flashers, but especially low riding or small vehicles. I've driven past plenty of police at night though, and they can and will issue a fix-it ticket if they think your lights are a problem. That said...

I used to drive older Fords, Buicks, and a couple of Japanese vehicles in the '70s and '80s. The oldest was a '56 Ford pickup. None of them had threaded starters. They were all held on by either two or three bolts into the block immediately in front of the flywheel. Since then, I've never...

Were the bolts difficult to remove as well as tighten? It sounds like there are issues either with the bolt length or the thickness of the replacement starter base.

I have a manual, so mostly a stranger to Park. The automatic makes diagnosis trickier too.

One diagnostic, and simple, is to get it idling if you can. If the wiring is original, the insulation may be getting brittle. You need it in neutral with the drive wheels off the ground so it can't go anywhere accidentally. Starting wiggling wires, which simulates bumps in the road, one wire...

There's one thing I would do that isn't on your list. I would have the wheels balanced just on the off chance that I was getting a harmonic vibration I could feel in the brake pedal. But, aside from that the ABS element may be spoofed by what is triggering the code.

If you consider the pros and cons, having the fender push off is probably the better solution. It's likely more trouble, but cheaper to replace the clips, and maybe a fender than requiring full-fledged body work.

I put it either first or reverse with no particular preference, except avoiding a lurch into an object if my foot slips off the clutch for some reason as I start the motor. I don't know that it matters. The California Driver's Manual specifies parking in gear on hills, but does not specify any...

I'm not certain about 2008s. My vehicle, which is a 2016, has two indicators. One warns about low pressure, a small oil-can icon dripping oil. The message to change the oil happens when the motor is started and it makes a "ding" sound and displays a message. You might want to search for a...

We used to call these running boards. Personally, if they are functional as rock rails, and you aren't planning serious squeezes through narrow, twisty passages all alike, I would keep them.

There's a fairly easy check the bearings. You lift the vehicle and check for play. Here's an example of the check on YT: . The video shows the play you are looking for and an example of a bad one found in the check. The front wheels steer the vehicle, so you want to test them in a way the...

Wrap up for anyone interested. I applied undiluted Dawn to the oil stained areas, since the warm water and detergent in solution hadn't worked. It worked well. The reason for specifying Dawn is that it is a very common, biodegradable detergent use in oil spill clean-ups, especially where...

Thanks. I went for Dawn initially. I think we have Simple Green around, as well as Crud Cutter. I'll add Purple Power to the list of cleaning agents to test. I was just 24 Hr certified, but saw very interesting jobs where the hazards were actually historical archaeology as well as chemically...

Thanks. Your advice seems really first rate. I'll try to locate the heat gun.

I know. That's partly why HAZWOP was on my mind. Once you take the training you notice things that whisper "OSHA would hate that."