SchizophrenicMC

Well, right, most gas tanks use a float. Only thing is, most tanks with a float that sends straight to the gauge immediately rise to the fuel level when switched to ignition. My truck's gauge doesn't move unless the engine's running, and then it does it slowly. I suppose it could be a gauge error, but frankly, it goes all the way to full when full, goes all the way to empty when empty, and seems to accurately reflect, based on my calculations, the amount of fuel in the tank. Anyway, there's no way the tank can hold 21 gallons. I can't get more than 17 in there, and thats' about the number I see everyone max out at. Oh, and SE, don't lecture me on primitive old Nissans; my first was a 1987 200SX, and I've worked on a number of older models (Stanzas are fskcing awesome). I think the real problem is more that no one seems to have Factory Service Manuals for the 90-93 model, and I know there's a difference in electronics between the 90 and the 94 facelift. *ahem* Anyway, keep it topped off until you can check the system for problems. If it doesn't look like a sending issue, check that your gauge still works. If it does, get a new fuel sensor. If not, look into a new cluster and probably get a new sensor anyway.

Chicken Fried [Meat Product] Steak, chicken, bacon, et cetera. Chicken fried, served with cream gravy, welcome to the south. Aside from that, lots and lots of delicious cheese. To eat with my bacon. The best Fast Food Chain ever, of all time: Whataburger The burgers are better than any other fast food chain (In-N-Out, I'm looking at you) and I swear they actually look like the picture most of the time.

Oh yeah. What we ended up doing is getting a fixed-rate contract with them at like $0.11/kwh which was cheaper than Reliant, Oncor, and the various smaller providers in the area. Fskc cares if we're going green, we're saving a bit of money. (Which is in turn going to pay for the air conditioner we had to get last April, because our old one broke, and it's impossible to live without one in Texas)

How the hell do the fuel sensors in these trucks do fuel level anyway? I seem to recall reading it's vacuum based. Regardless, if your fuel sensor or cluster are screwed, you'll get all kinds of bad readings. I know the GMC's got one or the other wrong. Fuel gauge is offset a quarter-tank to the right, so it goes empty at the 1/4 mark. The way we handle it is to just keep it topped off all the time. And what's all this about getting 20 gallons into a tank? Mine won't take more than 17 at bone-dry.

I wouldn't tell them. They'll screw you and blame the modifications. Even if they don't, they'll only fix to stock or give you the value of it stock. Of course, all our cars are liability-only, because Progressive refuses to insure them against collision damage.

Filled the tank, drove in the rain. Swung the tail out a few times, which was fun. I was headed to class this morning, and the road crosses a creek in the final stretch. Well, it flooded this morning, and I was so close to just pushing the barricades aside and fording the foot of water that had pooled in the road. There wasn't any current or anything; that creek is practically stagnant. But reason prevailed and I ended up going around the long way. I was the only one who wanted to go through the water, though. A couple of the Jeep owners at the school, and a few pickup owners were about to do the same before a cop showed up.

I think, for passenger cars, CVTs are the next big thing. Automatic transmissions as we know them will eventually disappear, because CVTs can keep better engine profiles at all speeds. As electronically-controlled mechanical couplings become cheaper, the fluid torque converter will also disappear, yielding a highly-efficient automatic that has greater acceleration capabilities than any manual transmission is capable of providing. Of course, we're moving to eliminate the driver at this point, but there is potential for great things with this sort of technology. Regardless, EVs just aren't there yet, I think we're all in agreement. Also, Slartibartfast, don't be so sure, immediately, that your energy is produced through hydroelectric. Some of it may be, but most areas still rely very highly on fossil fuel electricity generation, even with alternatives in place, because they're less energy efficient. Officially, a few percent of the power provided by my electricity provider is Wind and Solar, 5 or 6% is Hydroelectric, 18% is Nuclear, and the rest is coal/natural gas. So, while TXU puts "Green Power" on their advertising, only a few percent is actually from "alternatives". I was shocked to find out how much was nuclear, to be honest, but I knew we relied on coal for power.

Same here. Tool Time, hosted by Tim "The Toolman" Taylor

Brake Cleaner is chlorine-based. Carb cleaner is a number of alcohols. All carb cleaner releases when it burns is CO, CO2, and water. Brake cleaner releases a number of chlorine gas compounds. In other news, I learned Berryman B-12 Chemtool is manufactured about 8 miles from my house, and just a short distance from Six Flags Over Texas.

SE, shut up.

Rock on, Silverton lol Drove her even softer today. Can't get gas until tomorrow morning. Urgh, it's raining and my wiper blades are useless, and I need rain-x for the inside of the windshield. Why am I so broke?

Nothing worth doing is ever easy. I bet they said that about 4-speed manual transmissions at one point, too.

It's the stock pipes, that's the funny part xD My buddy ordered this sick new sub for his tC, I'm so jelly of his system. Pioneer double-DIN awesome HU, 12" custom sub. Clear as hell, and firm too.

Yeah, but Chrysler's the ones shouting it all the time. Too many gears in a small case, and they'll break. 6 is about as high as a passenger car needs. The problem with CVTs is energy losses to the torque converter. A fluid coupling will increase frictional losses. If coupled to a computer-actuated clutch, however, the problem is largely mitigated. The problem is, electronic clutches are more expensive than fluid torque converters. If we go electric, there's an issue aside from batteries. The EV is the poster child of saving the environment, but electricity production produces more carbon emissions per energy unit than a midsize car engine generating the same unit of energy. So, if gasoline-based energy production drops and electrical production rises proportionally, emissions will also rise. This, on top of the wild monetary and environmental costs of batteries and their production. While electrics have superior 0-velocity torque, they require complex battery systems, which are heavy and environmentally unsafe to produce and dispose of, to say nothing of their poor reliability. Of course the last issue can be rectified through further research and development, but the materials required are as unsustainable as fossil fuels. Electric vehicles rely on an inefficient set of energy conversions (Chemical -> Thermal -> Mechanical -> Electrical -> Mechanical, as opposed to Chemical -> Thermal & Mechanical) and use highly polluting methods of generating energy (Coal is the single worst source of carbon emissions, and accounts for 39% of US energy production). While it can be argued that more environmentally friendly energy infrastructure can be set in place, the problem stands that the technology for that is not here yet, despite continued work by scientists and engineers worldwide. So, for the time being, while I firmly believe development should continue in the field, it is an impractical, frankly harmful method of transportation to use electric passenger cars. Simply put, EVs are a way to sell merchandise. Everyone wants to save the world. No one doesn't want to do things for the good of the planet. So people hear "EVs are green" and they buy 12,000 Nissan Leafs, no matter what the actual effects are. (Transportation refers to all road and non-road transportation)

Welcome to the place Cool R50, man

Woah I just noticed your name lol That's pretty cool. My dad was born in Tooele.

Exactly. Everything in cars today is for fuel economy. More gears, bland design, more complex computerized engines, expensive contoured materials, it's all for fuel economy. Ford got rid of the Crown Victoria because it didn't sell well because it got 15MPG. The more gears you have, the more you can keep the engine in power band, and/or at an efficient RPM. Semis have 6 to 24 forward speeds, depending on their transmission design. This keeps the engine at its optimal power band for acceleration, and at its optimum RPM for cruising. So it's not surprising to see 6-speed gearboxes becoming common on cars. Chrysler has the whole 8-speed automatic that I hear breaks down even more frequently than other Chrysler trannies. (Dies On Day Guarantee Ends) Baby, frequently maintain, it's all the same when we're talking about trucks we throw at the roughest conditions one can reasonably expect of a vehicle. It's supposed to be robust, and capable of handling severe conditions. Automatics aren't historically great at this.

I'm operating under the assumption a centrifugal charger could be driven as easily as a turbocharger, given that it's on a small electric motor shaft. At full 1.6A draw, the Dremel 4000 motor can spin at 35,000 RPM unloaded. Under the load of the inertia of the turbine in a T25, this drops to 25-30,000 RPM max. This isn't a lot; the maximum turbine speed of a T25 is roughly 100,000 RPM. However, adjusted to an automotive electrical system, a motor of proportional power to that one could rotate twice as fast under a not-unreasonable 32A draw. This equates to a good few PSI of boost. And this is to say nothing of a purpose-designed motor on a purpose-designed turbine. Given: Centrifugal Superchargers use large turbines, to create power at lower revolutions available on a crank pulley. Electric motors can be immediately brought to full speed, however, and at higher available revolutions, smaller turbines can be used to produce the same amount of boost. Looking at it from the perspective of a purpose-built system, it is fully within the realm of automotive electronics, especially as they continue to evolve. The 1995 Nissan Pathfinder has a 70A alternator. The 2010 Nissan Pathfinder has a 130A alternator. The output has nearly doubled in 15 years. (Less, actually, since it's the same alt throughout the R51 line) If Mazda wants to do it, I want to see it. It's completely possible, so why not?

Shoop da whoop Seriously, though, R/B two-tone is always a good way to go. My S12 was R/B two-tone underneath the gray spray...

Lol, car alarms. When I first got my Pathy, I was parked next to this Camry waiting for my grandma, and every time I tapped the throttle, the alarm would go off.

I pretty well like my Kenwood HU, but I do want to upgrade to a Pioneer. Screw Sony though.

I know, a lot of times, if you overwork a transmission, it'll go into limp mode. One time, I was showing off in the GMC, and I dropped it into first to burn out at a light. And it burned out alright. I put it in drive while I was moving, but it stayed in second until I got to the pizza place. When I started it back up, it shifted properly again. If you got sensors wet, or you got the tranny too hot trying to climb stuff, you could put it into limp mode, as it tries to protect itself from further damage. As for the engine issue, that could also be water related, or because of mud. It could even be related to the tranny controller telling the engine controller to keep it easy for the tranny. What Silverton said, though. You have to baby automatics. That's why I don't like them.

Okay, see, now it all fits. Point is, the front wheels aren't going to cause swerve if one of the hubs isn't locked. All the power will just go to the unlocked wheel and waste your gas.

Damn. Hope you get it back, man. Add an immobilizer to the list of things to do to Sammy.

1990 SE 4x4 - 209,967 when I bought her. Paid $1000. I need to put another $300 or so in parts in, and unknown hundreds into getting that rad core replaced or fixed. Then upgrades. I need to get a job so I can afford this stuff.