"Jon Danniken" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net:
I agree with you on the lazy people thing Jon. There's a lot of things people don't do that they used to do without thinking twice. Some examples:
(Oh, and don't forget the Dealer Only $ecial tools often required.)
Her first car was an old Colt 200 5 speed bought used and abused for $1800. A hundred thoiusand Km later she got what she paid for it. Her 1988 Neon was purchased used from her aunt (my sister) for $5k and was slowly composting away. As assistant operations manager at the insurance brokerage, with her car parked with the partners' Mercedes, Porsche, Lexus, BMW, Cadillac and King Ranch 4X4 she thought she should have something a bit better looking. With a $50K income she figured she'd buy ONE brand new car, exactly as she wanted it. Black 5 speed Civic coupe - she wanted an SR, but there were no black SR 2008 coupes left in Canada so no sunroof and 4 wheel disk brakes.
She got $2k for the Neon after driving it for 5 years
None of her friends - boyfriends included, can drive the standard - so she's a bit of a novelty in her circle.
They used to HAVE to rebuild engines. With the exception of GM, very few engines actually require rebuilding if properly maintained these days. The odd head gasket etc, but valve jobs, ring jobs and bearing replacements are pretty rare today on a vehicle that is still worth spending anything on.
Hi, Today's cars are rather electronic gizmos rather than mechanical for grease monkeys. Nothing much in there for DIY type.
Well in my city, engine oil and used filters do not go in the garbage, they must be taken to the local eco-centre for proper disposal. Pouring oil on the road or driveway is also forbidden.
I filter the old oil then pour it in my fuel oil tank.
on 5/8/2009 9:02 PM (ET) Steve Daniels wrote the following:
Except for the styling. It's very hard to tell what make some cars are now unless you can read the badge.
On Sat, 09 May 2009 07:00:42 -0400, willshak wrote Re Re: Automobiles:
How do you do the filtering? What kind of filter and how do you pump the oil through the filter?
No idea how it works with modern motor oils and their exotic additives, but in the old days 'waste oil' heaters were dirt common, and many rural repair shops heated the work areas with them. Kinda dirty and smelly, but so were the mechanics. :^)
Usual method was to just dump it in a barrel and let it sit, and only draw off the top 2/3 or so after the solids had settled out. Gravity is your friend. Not sure what they did with the outright sludge.
I'm sure EPA would be aghast at the concept these days. Even if you find a way to make sure the humans in the structure aren't breathing the fumes, the incomplete combustion products going up the flue must be off the scale. Only waste oil burning I have seen installed in recent years was where there was also another fuel source, and controls to make sure the burning stayed at a high enough temp to break down everything.
Standard disclaimer- I am not an engineer.
-- aem sends...
on 5/9/2009 8:05 AM (ET) Caesar Romano wrote the following:
Cloth. Old T shirt, etc. I use a large funnel with the cloth lining the inside. Stick the funnel into a plastic fuel tank. Dump the oil into the funnel and let the oil drain through the cloth lined funnel. It will slowly drain in the tank and will take some time. Refill the funnel as necessary.
And people simply don't want to do work on their cars any more; I know I don't. I don't have the needed tools, the time nor the desire.
Also many home associations don't permit people to work on cars in their driveways.
The home association where my daughter lives wont even allow a basketball hoop to be set up on her driveway, or permit any games to be played on the front lawns.
I tried to be a good citizen once. I took my used oil to the local Auto Zone where I'd see a card indicating that the store would take your used motor oil. The clerk handed me a sheaf of EPA paperwork that I would have to spend at least an hour filling out with all sorts of personal info. Remembering what the government had done to the folks who had brought their old car batteries to a lead recycling operation that had misbehaved, I changed my mind and found a patch of weeds that needed killing. Please don't tell the EPA, I may have killed the rare tongue wiggling weed plant that is a protected species.
TDD
Pick up any hot rod magazine these days and you'll see that the enthusiasm is still there. Most of what I've seen is the switch to hopping up the small front drive cars and turning them into the pocket rockets that you see buzzing past you at every turn.
TDD
Remember when you couldn't leave the ignition switch on without the motor running for fear of burning up the points or ballast resistor? Vehicles don't seem to be a delicate anymore. Darn, I miss the days of auto maintenance being akin to alchemy. Do you know where your feeler gauges are?
TDD
What days, if any, are they permitted to have sex in the bedroom as long as the lights are off? I wonder why people choose to live in places that dictate their lives, but it is their choice.
HA! Kids are not interested today.
On Sat, 09 May 2009 08:40:58 -0400, willshak wrote Re Re: Automobiles:
Ok, the low-tech approach.
I have a neighbor who has been experimenting with recycling used motor oil through a standard home water filter. The oil comes out as clear looking as new motor oil. Then he mixes is with diesel fuel for his tractor. I didn't think to ask him how he pumps it through the filter. I'll have to do that the next time I see him.
Isn't that what the dumb masses voted for in the last presidential election? *snicker*
TDD
Damn! Only a dozen Republicans left in the world and one of them had to rear his ugly head here.
How dare you insult me that way! I'm not a Republican, Republicans disgust me but Democrats are special, they horrify me. I'm a proud American Anarchist. I belong to PAP "the Progressive Anarchist Party" We hate everyone equally and believe that America needs more PAP.
TDD
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