Bob Cross

7,885 reputation

11435

bio	website	stackoverflow.com/users/5812/…
	location	Rhode Island
	age	45
visits	member for	2 years, 2 months
	seen	1 hour ago
stats	profile views	133

Computer scientist working at [A Facility] developing [Systems] that [Do Stuff] at [Places].

	7,885 reputation	bio	website	stackoverflow.com/users/5812/…	visits	member for	2 years, 2 months
11435 badges		location	Rhode Island		seen	1 hour ago

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463 Comments

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Jul 20	comment	Replace front brake pads and rotors? you can ask for a detailed breakdown of the service quote, listing parts and labor separately. You'll find that the labor costs are what they are but you can confirm that the parts prices are in line with reasonable market values.
Jul 19	comment	Does a strut tower bar have any useful effect on chassis stiffness for a car with 100K miles? that's perfect. If you can see it, you can measure it.
Jul 13	comment	Engine Size and Fuel Consumption @ManiacZX, exactly. The size of the engine was insufficient to say "big = bad, small = good." Even with the hypothetical 20 MPH, it becomes a question of apples vs. oranges. Is the Prius running on battery? If so, its MPG = infinity for a while (i.e., not a good comparison).
Jul 11	comment	Engine Size and Fuel Consumption @Dean, engines are sized in terms of the air volume to which fuel is added primarily because air is the dominant factor. Fuel is an additive to the air, not the other way around.
Jul 11	comment	My car's coolant temperature reaches almost 100 C / 212 F in a fast pace @mindnoise, good luck, those radiator leaks are super annoying.
Jul 11	comment	My car's coolant temperature reaches almost 100 C / 212 F in a fast pace You are correct: "With proper antifreeze a wide temperature range can be tolerated by the engine coolant, such as −34 °F (−37 °C) to +265 °F (129 °C) for 50% (by volume) propylene glycol diluted with water and a 15 psi pressurized coolant system" from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
Jul 11	comment	My car's coolant temperature reaches almost 100 C / 212 F in a fast pace @mindnose, I think this is a great question. I assume that you're talking about the overflow tank when you said you checked the "coolant tank". If you'd opened the radiator cap, I think you would have had terrible burns.
Jul 6	comment	Can header / exhaust insulation replace metal heat shields? ooo, that's a convincing argument.
Jul 5	comment	All weather tires vs winter tires on well-plowed roads @Gabriel, exactly. They aren't a magic spell but they reduce the probability of a disaster. I sure I wish I had some....
Jul 5	comment	What are the benefits to waxing a modern car? @Muro, if you started with a new car from a good manufacturer, there's a high probability that you would be fine without wax until the end of the warranty period. That probability would drop significantly the further out of warranty you go (that's by design - that's how they pick the warranty length). Wax and touch-up paint are two tools that can help you affect that probability.
Jul 4	comment	What are the benefits to waxing a modern car? @Brian, as you point out, wax isn't magic. However, in all of your examples, wax wouldn't make the situation worse.
Jul 4	comment	What are the benefits to waxing a modern car? @Muro, edit added to the answer.
Jul 2	comment	What could be causing a distinct exhaust drone in a tight band around 3250 rpms on a 2004 Subaru WRX? @Patrick, yes, that was my first thought. However, my experience is primarily focused to things in water so estimating based on a speed of sound of 1500 m/s isn't helping me here. Going to try the close-up inspection method.
Jul 2	comment	What could be causing a distinct exhaust drone in a tight band around 3250 rpms on a 2004 Subaru WRX? @Patrick, yes, exactly - the sound is reproducible with and without load. WRT taking the car to the shop, I'm trying to avoid that just as a convenience issue.
Jun 19	comment	Any recommendations on vehicle maintenance software for the DIYer? Car Minder Plus is currently listed at 2.99 - I had no idea that such a thing existed for iOS. That's really neat.
Jun 18	comment	How can I choose the safest affordable tire available? +1 for Tirerack - they win when it comes to supporting information
Jun 16	comment	Is the vent from the pcv valve back into the air intake really needed? @Wulfhart, legality in the US is a little complicated. You can easily get yourself into a situation where your modified car is legal within X square miles - don't cross the state line, though, or you'll have a problem. WRT to the environment, I look at it from the other direction: fiddling with the PCV line only creates pollution so why bother? I'm always strongly motivated by my desire to never be "that guy."
Jun 15	comment	How far can I drive with 1 gallon too much oil? You are probably fine: you made the situation less serious. Drive carefully and with restraint on the way there. That's my opinion, of course: your car, your call.
Jun 14	comment	How far can I drive with 1 gallon too much oil? @uosɐſ, sad but true. The oil would run faster if it were warm, if you had a suction system or a steeper siphon.
Jun 13	comment	How should I diagnose an exhaust “howl” when descending through 3200 rpms? you were right - I disconnected the muffler and was immediately showered with powderized gasket. A new gasket significantly reduced the "howl" - there seems to be a change in the exhaust sound material after all these years. BTW, noted a typo in the original - this is an axle-back section.