/o/ — /sqtddtot/ - Stupid Questions Thread

>>28979147 (OP)
Why doesn't anyone like George Russell in F1?

I just got my brakes replaced by a shop. I nearly drove out into traffic when I pulled out of their driveway because the brake pedal's travel distance has vastly increased. I used to just touch the brake and I'd stop, now I have to push it most of the way to the floor.

Is this how brakes are supposed to be, or should I go back and ask them to do something to change it?

Also, my dashcam is behaving weirdly now -- it keeps restarting while I'm driving (it plays a jingle every time it powers up). I think the power is cutting out intermittently to it. Is this something that they might have damaged while fixing the brakes??!?

>>28979172
He constantly whines to the stewards about imaginary infractions by other drivers. Hasn't matured after several years in the sport. British press and commentary teams always suck him off.

>>28979172
1. he has come across as whiny and privileged, which is fine if you have off the track rizz (Norris) or are actually winning lots of races on track (Lewis)

2. his on track conduct has also earned him the nickname “osama bin russell” since he generally overdrives his car which causes on track incidents. he has always lived in the shadow of another driver (Lewis/Kimi) despite perceiving himself as the mercedes #1

3. he races for mercedes, who is the least liked team on the grid

He could probably do a lot of good going to another team, he would be a good replacement for Verstappen at RB of Verstappen ever leaves.

>>28979177
Without knowing what kind of car you have I’m going to assume this is a hydraulically boosted system and not a newer eboost system.

how hard you push the pedal is what generates your overall deceleration in a hydro boost system. But the torque that the caliper/pad/rotor is able to provide is a function of two things
1. friction material state
2. air in the caliper

1 can be broken up into 2 parts.
A. if they did not burnish the brakes then you are still driving around in the break in period which will eventually settle. Find a gravel road and do 5-10 hard brake applies to finish the burnish.
B. They used shitty pads and rotors, which you’ll just have to live with

If there is air in the calipers (2) then the caliper will not evenly apply the pad to the rotor reducing the overall torque. This can be fixed with a brake bleed, which should typically be the last step of a brake job.

Idk about the dashcam, that seems unrelated. Check its wiring, I doubt it’s caused by the shop.

>>28979147 (OP)
Anyone still doing VIN checks?

>>28979147 (OP)
Should I change my rotors? I dont know if i should change my rotors, I'm guessing they have never been changed, car is 10 years old.

>>28979177
>Is this how brakes are supposed to be
no, they are supposed to be firm as fuck

should I go back and ask them to do something to change it?

yes

>>28979255
No
>>28979354
Probably

>>28979354
unless you are trying to cheapmaxx you should change your rotors every time you change your pads. you can get away with not changing the rotors and refinishing them, but new rotors are less than $100 a piece anyway

>>28979512
>you should change your rotors every time you change your pads

lmao get the fuck out of here

not everybody has €€€€ to splash on cars anon
i'm self wrenching this shit, it means im poor

>>28979177
sounds like they didn't properly bleed the system

Gonna be attending my first track day soon and I also need new tyres.
Friends are urging me to get semi slicks but I feel like its really not needed for a newbie shitter. I'm gonna be fine on regular performance tyres right?

>>28979839
being your first day you're probably not gonna go balls to the wall full send. it's better to get the hang of things with what you already have. also, that way when you do push it a little too far past the limit it's done at a lower speed than what semi-slicks would let you do, so you have more room to recover, or the crash won't be as severe.

File: 1100-1229_79c04868-5cde-4fe9-8f97-c50e9ba22bdf_345x345_crop_center.jpg (19 KB, 345x345)

This is the cylinder on my scooter. As you can see the cooling fins don't wrap around because the cam chain valley is in the way. I'm curious as to how that one side stays cool because I assume that side will be botter than the rest and the piston doesn't expand funny and seize. Do the fins pull more heat than I think? Is the lopsided heating taken into account in machining the piston?

File: earl.webm (2.91 MB, 1080x1920)

What's causing this oil all over my valve covers, seemingly somewhat fresh as it's glistening? I spilled a tiny bit of oil on the front of my engine cover a couple years back, but I can't imagine how it got on the outside or rear of the valve covers, or why it would still be wet. It wasn't that much anyway. No evidence of spray on the hood lining or engine bay, no missing oil evident on the dipstick over the last 2 years, no blue smoke.

I ask because a few months ago I started having misfires. Back then I pulled and cleaned cylinder 1 spark plug and the surrounding area it went away. But now it's back intermittently.

>>28979988
Do the spark plug holes go through the valve cover? Iirc some some valve covers have a little gasket around the spark plug. Maybe it is leaking and causing the misfire. What engine is it?

>>28979992
No they're in the header, the valve covers are to either side creating that godawful canyon I can't easily get in to clean. The spark plug bay is basically a bowl, but the oil is on TOP of the valve covers and on the outsides. I'm especially confused by the little wet spots by the exhaust manifolds, no way my spill got there. 2JZGE.

>>28979988
my old 7mge had a similar problem despite fresh valve cover gaskets and the spark plug valley gasket. i'd see the dirt stuck to the oil residue around the seam, and just chalked it up to the aluminium covers being slightly warped due to overheating at one point in its life.
i suppose if you were bothered enough, you could take your covers off and use a straight edge on the sealing/mating surfaces to measure for flatness.

>>28980020
I can't even be assed to properly clean the spark plug bay lol. Getting to all 6 plugs requires taking off the intake manifold and nah. I wish I could spray something in there and flush it out but it would just be a 1 gallon pool of liquid.

>>28979988
If it ain't to a drip don't worry about it.

>>28979994
They absolutely can go through the valve cover in lots of engines. There are designs where the valve covers are made of two pieces and there are lots of designs where the valve cover is one piece and there are spark plug wells that go down onto the head of the engine. For example look up the 7AFE in google images, that's got a big single piece valve cover and the spark plugs go right through it.

File: IMG_20260318_140027.jpg (371 KB, 1200x1600)

Which is better as a large vehicle jumper cable:
1 gauge 30' CCA (copper clad aluminum)
OR
2 gauge 20' OFC (pure copper)

Related:
trying to jump a 7.3l Ford diesel with a 4.2l Ford gas, would it be easier to get the batteries charged at a parts store instead?

>>28979981
>that side will be botter
The fins are objectively massive, the mass of the casting for the valley wicks enough heat to those side fins to compensate

>>28980099
pure copper. cca can't handle as many amps as ofc.

>wash engine
>Due to shape, water pools around spark plugs
Why do they make it like that?

How do I explain to somebody that has never owned a car before that a Jaguar F-type R is a bad choice for a first car

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hi, i have a stupid question. i am not a car guy by any means. my windshield wipers wont move. at first i thought the motors were broke, but the screws for them still rotate. the arms are still functionally capable of moving as well. i recently replaces the blades because they needed to be replaced anyway. what's the next thing i should do?

>>28980290
sometimes in life you have to learn a lesson for yourself. tell him "have fun"

>>28979512
I never change my rotors to minimize rotating/unsprung weight.

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Is it all right to store tires on my porch for a week? I figure they're outside on the damn car why is Google's dumbass AI saying they will immediately be ruined if they're kept on the ground uncovered.

I just put a trash bag over the top to make sure birds and stuff don't build a nest in there.

>>28980371
Have you ever stored your car outside? I think they'll be fine.

>>28980432
Exactly my point. My car lives outside why the fuck would keeping the tires outside make a difference.

Google AI is retarded.

>>28980433
Yes, yes it is. Buying a nice tarp is good to keep the sun off though.

I need to top off my AC system, car uses R134a.
Every R134a on scamazon is labeled as a "replacement"
OReillys sells Murray brand R134a, its labeled as Freon/HFC
Which one should I use?

>>28980371
I would put a sheet of cardboard down so you don’t scuff them but otherwise yes its fine for a week or so

if you leave them there for several months they can start to rot, especially if they’re not mounted to a wheel

>>28980288
Because they don't expect someone to wash the engine? Pretty sure there's warning in most owner's manuals telling you to avoid doing exactly that.

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I have an extremely high milage car and it seems to have lifter tick (hydraulic valves, diesel engine)

It is intermittent and really only on low revs and when the engine is cold

Tossed in a can of pic related first, but what should I be consider next if it doenst go away?

Also, the previous owners used thicc as fuck 15w40 instead of the recommended 5w30, probably to make the ticking go away but I don't want to run molasses

How outdated is the first car infographic in the sticky thread? It looks like it hasn't been updated in a decade

>>28980290
Easiest would be to look up what commonly goes wrong with them and what that costs to repair and if he's still not deterred then you did your best and be happy that he's happy.

Oh and don't be that bitter prick with the "I told you so" if/when it breaks down. Keep that shit to yourself.

>>28979147 (OP)
Rat fink is so fucking ugly I hate boomers

>>28980696
Seconding this, it could use a refresh at least

>>28979147 (OP)
Why does the entire world torture me how is this possible with it not being a simulation

>>28980696
>>28980728
See a need, fill it. Knock yourselves out.

t. seen that shitshow more than once

If I buy a used Miata, will I destroy the transmission/clutch trying to teach myself how to drive a manual?

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I don't have a garage and my surroundings have lots of woods. How do I go about a final solution towards keeping the billion spiders off my truck without damaging the paint. I'm getting real tired of having to swat away at least two or three big ass orb weavers or worse widows off my doors or hood seals every time I open the doors, or else they immediately start trying to bolt inside

>>28981092
No, as long as you don't do anything retarded like aggressively downshift into gears the car doesn't want you to go into, or poor shifting with already worn/ broken synchros. Manual transmissions are very obvious about what they don't want you to do once you get the car moving, and Stalling the car will not break it. If you have a quiet neighborhood to learn in then do it.

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>2021 gaymanchevy yukon xl
>6.2 v8 with 10 speed auto
>With denali package for all the fancy pants and gadgets and gizmos
>Clean one owner no accidents
carfax with over two dozen service records at the original dealership
>99965 miles
>$42000 at a reputable dealer
Is this something worth considering? I'm sure the reason it's so cheap is that 100,000 miles which scares normal people away, but I've been wrenching for over 15 years now so repairs and maintenance arent a concern to me. Plus it's also had a price drop recently, so I figure I can probably at least get it down to 40k in addition to my trade in.
And yes a fuckoff huge SUV like this would actually be practical for me, I have one kid, two dogs and a pregnant wife so all that space would be great for road trips and camping.

>>28981472
on the plus side if the engine was going to go it wouldve already

on the bad side it was probably a cab/livery vehicle to do 100k miles in 6 years.

would unironically look at used navigators/expeditions too

>>28981477
Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking, survivorship bias.
I mean it was a 70 something thousand dollar vehicle originally, I figured more it was some boomers road trip vehicle that he got rid of right before it hit 100k. It was also registered for personal use, so that would be quite the well off uber driver.

help assuage my fear /o/
New Miata fag. Used floor jack & jack stands and crawled under a car for the first time in my life. Parking brake engaged, car in gear, blocks behind rear wheels. Gave it the hip bump and it's sturdy.

Previous owner over tightened oil drain plug. Pulling hard on the wrench makes me nervous that I'm going to move the car and crush myself. Tell me this is a retarded fear?

>>28981498
Unless your jacks are old soda cans there's no chance a car as light as a Miata breaks them even if it was dropped from your ceiling

>>28981501
Less worried about the jack stands breaking than I am tipping them over or upsetting the car in some way. The stands are all new and have safety pins.

>>28981510
Maybe I should have read your post twice, mb. No, they aren't going to slide sideways off the stands. You can get ramps and chucks if you're really worried about it. And anyways if you can put enough power in the wrench to not shear the drain plug off while also flipping the car off the stands onto your body without breaking your bones or popping nerves in your arm and hands, the plug is likely made of indestructimum and you're too strong for me senpai

>>28981472
>42k for a 100k mile vehicle
> with a GM v8 known for killing itself

the truck market is seriously fucking retarded. like the other anon said this is probably one of the good 6.2s, and if its that high mileage its probably all highway. but damn you could get a new explorer or durango for not much more.

>>28981358
peppermint oil in all the crevices. wheel wells, mirrors, doorjambs, body panel gaps. shit’s messy though

>>28980696
that’s because it hasn’t

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>>28981358
Collect them in a dedicated room and make a gold silk suit

How do you drive an automatic in a traffic jam? Is it better to lock it in 2nd gear to avoid unnecessary gear changes?