Kittamaru

I dunno... I always thought Power Steering Fluid was just that... not Transmission Fluid 0o;

*shrugs* The ECU is more resiliant than most people give it credit for... just hope for the best

These engines are bastardized sons of hell to kill

I'd think doubling the voltage without changing other values would risk serious damage to the wiring system, would it not?

Okay, strange to find out. Brake fluid is normal DOT 3 Brake Fluid, right?

I guess I'm not going to be able to look tonight - still raining like crazy, plus it's cold and windy now... god I wish I had a garage here...

rgr, will check - I'll be able to do it round 6

*nods* I'll try that when I get home today O2 is in the exhaust system - have any pictures handy? not gonna have long to look (it's pouring here)

The lights don't use relays AFAIK. That's a common upgrade people like to do to make them more effective/efficient, as the power goes to the switch on your wheel then to the lights, dropping volts and current along the way.

Didn't think of that... I think it's running way rich, so I'm guessing O2 or Temp sensor? Considering it's the ORIGINAL sensor from 18 years ago

Dunno... there is a smell of gas for sure - is it possible to tweak the engine myself for the cold weather? Thing that worries me is, normally, my temp guage sits at about the 1/3 - 1/2 mark. As of late, it sits more around the 1/4 to 1/5th mark...

With the temp change. And as for where the smell is - no clue. My nose is plugged pretty well due to a sinus infection... not sensitive enough atm to tell where, just that it's there.

Well, it dropped from approx 40 to around 10-20 for a few days... now it's back up to 40's again *rolls eyes* damn weather round here is crazy

Not always... but my truck has been smelling of fuel for a little while now (I know she's running a bit rich, but I haven't had time or money to get her serviced ) it's only recently started to stutter... could it be that running rich is clogging sommat?

Would make sense - my engine seems very cold as of late and my heat sucks... heh. Thought it was just cause it's been cold as balls.

My truck has recently developed a stutter... speed doesn't matter as much as engine RPM and pedal depth. When it stutters, if I push further down on the accelerator it gets worse, let up on it (but still accelerating) it gets slightly better. I think it could be running VERY rich... but I don't know. I ran injector cleaner, recent oil change and a recent fuel filter change. Air filter is a K&N with only a few thousand miles on it. Any ideas or info you'd need? PS - when it passes 3k the power picks up, and after 3500 rpm the truck surges and the stutter disappears. It doesn't seem to happen at ALL when the truck is cold, and is more prevalent in 2nd and 3rd gear without OD/TC lockup.

My oil light comes on every morning when I first start the truck, then goes out shortly therafter (a second or two) Could this be a bad thing...?

Ah, I thought you meant in the event the tow point (where you connect it) failed I had that happen to someone - they had a recovery point but it failed spectacularly. It was quite epic... happened almost in slow motion - I was backing to pull them out, and their vehicle had just started to move (they were in a muddy ditch beside a work-zone) when it failed. I don't know why, but for some reason I looked directly at it as it did so... came flying up towards me and passed... I'd say probably 3-4 inches above the roof of my truck. It turns out the recovery point had rusted terribly where it connected to the frame and at the point of tension where the truck started to move, it gave way. Scared me to death... and probably could have killed me easily. Wound up yanking him out by the axel *shrug*

How does a shackle prevent flying metal? I mean... be it a 5 pound metal hook or a 5 pound shackle, at that velocity...

*grins* Plus a tip? I like that

Most of the people round here I rescue are older (60+) drivers who's vehicle can't handle a hill or somesuch. I think for the most part a 20k, 16' nylon strap would work fine for the hill-helpers, and the heavy chain for the real stuck crowd

Yeah, the chain is a heavy SOB at it's length... plus it uses bolts to secure the hooks to the ends, which concerns me. I'll have to look into those semi recovery straps... any ideas for a recovery system? Block+tackle setup?

Jetta... that POS should have stayed put... heh.

I used to have a nice tow strap actually... was a nice nylon, flat-weave strap rated for I don't remember how much. Was enough to pull an F350 out of a snowbank though. Wound up snapping it trying to help a some wannabe with a wannabe SUV... looked like the Nissan Xterra or Rogue, but was only front wheel Drive (think it was a Ford). The idiot driver NEGLECTED to inform me his rear wheels were frozen to the ground by 2 inches of ice. He just asked if I could help him "get over this hump". We'd had a bad ice storm earlier (I'd say at least a good 2-3 inches on everything) and I saw where he was surrounded on all sides by a little wall of ice where his truck had gotten covered by left him boxed in. Didn't even think to check his rear tires since his fronts were spinning freely. Hooked him up, reveresed out, engaged 4x4, and picked up the slack. Told him to steer towards me (was about a 30 degree angle due to the road design) and to give it a little gas. Checked to make sure the road was clear behind me and gave him a tug - nothing happened, all four wheels spun. So I pulled up a little, and gave him a tug - the nylon rope split in the middle. I don't remember what it was rated for, but it was, as I said, strong enough to pull a F350 out of a snowbank it had nicely burried it's plow into... so I knew there was a problem. Got out to look around his truck and sure enough dippy driver's rear wheels were frozen solid by nearly an inch and a half, maybe 2 inches of ice. I told him about it and he said, and I quote: "Oh, I didn't think that mattered" Next time I buy myself a true tow strap, it'll be at a minimum 15,000 pounds with a block n tackle. Oh, and I'm also sure to examine peoples vehicles now

My thing is, I'm a big believer in Chivalry... so if it's a lady in distress, I feel compelled to help her.