I have a '52 Ford pickup with a flathead V8 engine, rebuilt last winter. I put about 500 miles on it around town to break it in, with occasional runs up to 55 mph (2300 RPM). It ran great. So I took it on a 3500-mile cross-country trip to meet up with some fellow enthusiasts.
My route took me...
In a thread in the HVAC section, solar-assisted refrigeration/heat pumps was discussed (http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=348557), and uniformly pooh-pooh'd.
Today I ran across "TIFFE", Thermal Systems Integration for Fuel Economy. I found this paper on it...
For many years now (say 10 or more) I have seen what appear to be brand new cars with the high-mounted brake light pulsing, while the main brake lamps do not, at a rate of maybe once per second when the brakes are applied. This pulsing seems to stop after the cars are a month or two old, or...
I recently took my '86 Porsche 944 on a 3500-mile cross-country trip. Before the trip, I changed the oil & filter (Castrol GTX 20w50 "conventional" with a NAPA Gold filter made by Wix).
I made the trip up and back in 2.5 days each way, approx. 1500 miles each way, and drove about 500 miles...
I have a Porsche 944 that uses Rzeppa joints on both ends of the rear half-shafts. In doing a re-boot and re-grease on the CVs, I wondered what the phasing requirements between the two joints on a single shaft would be? As usual, the manuals only say to punch-mark the pieces at disassembly...
I'd appreciate some engineering perspective on a problem my engine has had for a while (ever since I've owned it). I'm not looking for normal mechanic-type troubleshooting advice, people intimately familiar with these engines have weighed in and come up with nothing. It is very unusual.
My...
One thing I've noticed on the hybrid versions of normal gas-engine cars (i.e., Civic, GM's soft hybrids, etc) is that "climate control" or automated HVAC is part of the package. The recent cold weather made me wonder, do hybrids run their gas engines constantly just to provide cabin heat...
I've recently purchased one of these cars, an '84 normally aspirated model. These engines are famous for eating their valves when the belt breaks/slips/feels like it. Searching on-line I've found instances where qualified techs installed a new belt and idlers (all the bearings and belts are...
I have a cheap Home Depot-style air compressor with one of those annoyingly loud oilless compressors. It is driven by what appears to be a shop vac motor and a multi-rib belt. I am completely stymied finding a replacement belt; the only part they appear to sell is a complete replacement...
I picked up a massive two cylinder Champion "Fire Protection System" air compressor. I am told it is typically used to pressurize a water tank at or near grade level, to give NFPA-required system pressures in multistory buildings without the use of a pump. In other words, rather than the head...
http://www.gus-stories.org/
I suspect many of us here grew up on Popular Science magazines, "back in the day". This column, Gus's Garage, was something that taught me a lot abot diagnosis in particular, and common sense too. Today's magazines are filled with crap that promotes some product or...
I've got a unique application; a cooling loop that has to run at 900 psig, but the pump only needs 100 gpm and 115' TDH. Water is at room temps (say 65 F.).
So the casing and seals on the pump need to be rated to ANSI 600 conditions or better, but the flow rate puts it well above most high...
If there is one dynamic that seems to be constant across all models, makes, manufacturers, it seems to be growth -- in length/width/weight. You almost never see a car reduced.
Ex.: Minivans; the original Caravan/Voyager was a 4-cyl (only) that weighed around 3300# fully dressed up (the basic...
