Brian Knoblauch

5,625 reputation

514

bio	website	twitter.com/glmotorsports
	location	Toledo, OH
	age	39
visits	member for	1 year, 11 months
	seen	2 hours ago
stats	profile views	73

Just another nobody out in the world, banging out some code from time to time...

	5,625 reputation	bio	website	twitter.com/glmotorsports	visits	member for	1 year, 11 months
514 badges		location	Toledo, OH		seen	2 hours ago

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Jul 12	comment	Intermittent start on hot days with 1992 Honda Civic I look forward to seeing the results. I have the same problem with my '91 Toyota, except that it only happens on really cold days... :-) Our leading suspicion was fuel injectors due to it giving a big black puff of smoke when it finally starts (when it does start), but we ruled those out eventually by testing with the flood start mode and having zero change in behaviour. Current suspect is ignition, but haven't been able to catch it in the act of failing. Only likes to fail when I'm at work and nowhere near tools (have attempted to duplicate those conditions, but it doesn't fall for it).
Jul 7	comment	What can cause a vehicle to run hot, but not overheat? Hotter after sitting briefly is normal. The coolant continues to absorb heat from the hot engine, while not having any airflow for cooling. Shouldn't be too extreme though, should only climb to near what the oil temperature is (under normal conditions 10-30 degrees difference is typical).
Jul 6	comment	What can cause warped rotors? Thin rotors will tend to warp. I no longer recommend resurfacing rotors as resurfaced rotors have a tendency to warp very easily.
Jul 6	comment	Can header / exhaust insulation replace metal heat shields? It's fairly common for DSM owners to just toss the exhaust manifold heat shield with no change in performance. However, those seem to be the same people that go through an alternator every year... Heat may damage other nearby components? +1 on the header wrap rust issue...
Jul 5	answered	OBD/OBD2 port on a 1993 mitsubishi triton MJ
Jul 5	comment	What are the benefits to waxing a modern car? @Muro Realistically, the wax probably won't have any impact on the rusting. However, it will protect the paint and keep it looking nicer a lot longer. Can save you a paint job down the road... :-)
Jul 4	comment	What are the benefits to waxing a modern car? I'll agree that it's certainly a good thing, but as you mention with the door edge rust, there's a lot it doesn't help. Today's cars only very rarely seem to get body panel rust like the old ones did. They're very well protected from the factory. New cars really only get rust if/where water gets trapped (like those door edges). Floor surfaces are also vulnerable since old door seals will leak and may go unnoticed (bottom layer of carpet is wet and you never see it). Strut towers and parts of the frame also tend to go earlier than body panels due to water getting trapped.
Jul 1	answered	How far should you put your handbrake up?
Jun 30	answered	Why should winter tires not be used at summer?
Jun 30	comment	Can radiator cool down a car too much? @Larry Depends on the car. On one of mine the idle speed and engine timing are linked to coolant temp. It'll idle as high as 2500 rpm initially on sub-zero days. On a typical spring/fall day it starts out at around 2000.
Jun 29	answered	2005 Scion tC - Handbrake indicator light intermittently turns on
Jun 29	answered	Oil leak - just keep refilling?
Jun 28	comment	How much of the exhaust is the “cat-back” Seems likely to me, although it varies. My '91 is still on the original exhaust at 250k miles, but my '95 (116k miles) already had it's second exhaust rust out. Cat back number 3 just went on a few months ago. $1500. Exhausts are one thing you don't want to do yourself if you live in the rust belt. It's astoundingly hard work cutting/torching it out of there without damaging the underbody of the car. If not rusted, it's insanely easy and takes about an hour (but in that case you probably wouldn't be needing to replace it!). :-)
Jun 28	comment	Hesitation or low power at slow acceleration A throttle position sensor error might slip by unnoticed by the computer. I've had that problem before.
Jun 23	answered	driver's door does not lock when open
Jun 23	comment	*Is Prestone “All Makes/All Models” coolant really* compatible with all models?** USA has 3 colors. Red, Green, and Orange. The Prestone "works anywhere" is green, but is supposed to work will all of the above. No blue here.
Jun 23	comment	Does Downshifting (Engine Braking) Cause Extra Wear and Tear? @DXM's experience is typical, and probably where you are headed. Downshifting purely for the purpose of slowing the car is generally regarded as a bad thing (except for emergencies). If you want to save brake wear, the best way is to try to drive more strategically. Don't run up to red lights and then slam on the brakes at the last moment, etc. Select speeds that allow you to keep moving rather than start/stop. The more mindful and less reactive your driving style, the longer the brakes will last (and the better gas mileage you will get).
Jun 23	answered	Oil on driveway: Will a Belly pan be helpful?
Jun 22	comment	Does Downshifting (Engine Braking) Cause Extra Wear and Tear? Letting out the clutch slowly might be a tiny bit easier on the transmission and engine, but is horribly hard on the clutch.
Jun 20	comment	Concealing a radar detector As an aside, I wonder how that works with those few cars that have factory installed, non-removeable radar detectors? Whole car get impounded or is there an exception allowed as that's the factory configuration (similar to the tire wider than wheelwell issue, illegal many places, but a handful of older cars were like that from the factory).