The Pitstop

@anonymous2 - Later ... have a good evening!

7:38 AM

Hi @Zaid

@Myself hello

how is the weather at your place? Here it is exceptional, I will go home earlier today

The weather is nice here now. Predictably hot but not roasting

Great. This means beachtime?

A: How to raise the car higher than the jack stands will allow?

9:20 AM

@Myself yes, or even going to parks or the corniche

-2

Engineering Mud Layers of sand/earth sandwiched between sheets of cloth. I was initially quite skeptical about it, but this video blew my mind: Sand Castle Holds Up A Car!- Mechanically Stabilized Earth

This answer didn't get much appreciation, lol

@Zaid Can't blame them. I would neither crawl under that car

:)

9:55 AM

@Myself I'm not forcing anyone to use this approach. In a pinch, someone is bound to find it useful

10:32 AM

@Zaid - Well ... I don't think you'd find me using it either ... but it is an option.

10:42 AM

@Zaid It is interesting as demonstration of soil/particle dynamics.

Hi @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2

@Myself Yes it is

@Myself - Yo Bubba! How are things this morning?

Or has it creeped past noon there?

@Zaid - Hello sir.

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 I am just back from lunch :)

And I haven't even eaten b-fast yet ;-)

Canteen made seafood pasta and "vitello tonnato"

10:45 AM

Actually, I am going to take the Civic to the repair shop for inspection this morning, then I'll run back for exercise.

That are thin slices of veal, covered with tuna sauce.

So won't eat until I get back.

You are taking a car for inspection to the shop?

And now that you said that, I don't even know if I'm hungry ;-)

@Myself - Yah. We have a yearly safety inspection here we have to pass. Most repair shops have licensed mechanics who do the inspection.

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Got it. Here it is every two years. First inspection is after four years.

10:48 AM

The idea is, the state doesn't have to maintain the shops, the shop can only charge a certain amount ($16) for the inspection, then if they find something wrong, they have first shot at fixing it, so it's a steady source of revenue.

Is there also an emission test?

I believe in England the MOT is all run by the government. Is it the same way in Italy and the rest of Europe?

@Myself - In my state it depends on the locality. We have one here the car has to pass every two years.

I am not aware of the other countries. Here in Italy those are private run shops, but you need a license to do it.

Hey there @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2

@Myself - Sounds about the same as it is here, then.

10:50 AM

Lunch beckons

Emission tests are mandatory. The test results are registered in a central computer system.

Well, EAT son!

@Myself - They just change it here. Emissions results have always been sent to a central computer system. They just started (a couple of years ago) sending the safety results there as well.

Interesting thing is: The police is starting to integrate automated number plate recognition systems in their cruisers. They get notified of "persons of interest", fugitives, expired insurances, expired safety checks and other things

Yup.

We have what's called the "State Police" ... I affectionately call them "revenue collectors" ... it seems their main job is to stop people who are speeding or otherwise violating some stupid law and give them a ticket for it. The only reason I see them out there is so they can collect money from us hard working souls.

When I say "State Police" ... I mean as in the State of Virginia. Every State has their own police departments.

We have also different types of police forces: A council police (parking tickets, speed, enforcing rules in the city)..

10:59 AM

I wasn't inferring we have an overall government police department ... but ... then again we do ... it's called The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). But they don't hand out tickets.

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 :)

.. a state police: Dealing with heavier crime

..and a competing police force (the "carabinieri") who is under command of the MOD

There exists also some other forces, but those are the ones who are most important for the ordinary citizen

And don't get me wrong. I don't have it out for the police or anything. They have a tough job here in the States, and it's only tougher with all of the crap which is going on against them.

A few bad apples makes it hard for the entire country.

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 No worries, I understand you

good deal.

Anything happening today? Your day going well?

It is fine, nothing special.

A: How do seat belts function?

11:06 AM

Just another day in the life?

:o)

4

To add to the other great answers, I must point out that seat belts 'work' to reduce the impact on the passenger by stretching. In a large impact the fabric stretches quite significantly, don't quote me, but perhaps a centimetre or two. This 'extra controlled travel' in the seat belt gives the...

It is not finished yet :)

@Myself - It never is.

I posted this up mistakenly over on the election chat yesterday (was on the phone app).

I thought it was a pretty interesting add. I hadn't realized it before.

I'm headed out. Gotta go get the car inspected and a bit of a run home (a little over 3 miles). SHould be a good morning. I'll be on later.

Have fun

12:37 PM

- Note to self --- The wife wanted to leave me a message.

Q: What causes a 20% difference in fuel economy between winter and summer

12:54 PM

3

I've been keeping track of the fuel my car, a Ford Fiesta Ecoboost 100hp, uses since the day I got it. In the last three years I've owned it, I've noticed a large (>20%) difference in fuel consumption between driving in winter and driving in summer. My driving patterns are identical in winter a...

I wonder if A/C is actually running when the heater is used

Lynn Crumbling

1:10 PM

@Zaid The compressor runs for the dehumidifier.

He calls out that he doesn't use it, though:

Mine only has the rear, and I (almost) never use it. The front demister can use the AC to dry the air, but I never use that either. — Ives 45 mins ago

Nick C

1:36 PM

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Not quite - we have the same as you've described, annual testing for all cars over three years old. Local shops do the inspection, in the hope you'll get them to do the repairs too...

We have a max price they can charge, but many charge less as a loss-leader

of course, they are the ones to avoid, as they always seem to find more stuff that 'needs fixing' than the others!

Q: Is it really necessary to resurface cylinder and substitute piston?

@NickC - I hear you on that!

@All - Is anyone aware of a generic version of the question below? One which doesn't pertain to "just motorcycles"? I had started writing an elaborate answer to the question when I realized it was about motorcycle engines and I was writing it for cars engines. While the basics are the same, where I was going with it I don't think would apply to MCs, so am thinking about a different Q/A which would cover a car.

2

I think that this case is most common on motorcycle maintenance, I have heard in some places that, once you get the piston outside the cylinder there is no way back, you need to resurface the cylinder and get a new piston and seals, can I trust this?

motorcycle motors cylinder-head

2:11 PM

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Q: when is sleeving necessary?

2:35 PM

@Zaid Is that a real question, or something you are proposing?

"Real" = already asked.

3:04 PM

Could you give us a photo of both front rotors? For a very rough diagnose you could also do a full braking (with moderate velocity) on a dirt covered area and look at the tire traces in the dirt. If three traces only show "smudged" traces and one trace shows clear tire profile imprints then the respective brake is not working at all — Myself 3 mins ago

I made this comment but I get some doubts now. Can somebody look into it?

If necessary I will delete it

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 I was proposing

Q: When to bore a block during a rebuild?

1

While reading this question about a motorcycle cylinder and piston, the question comes to mind basically for the same thing, only for an automobile engine. With this in mind, my questions are: When should you bore a block during a rebuild? How do you determine if the block should be bored? How ...

engine engine-theory rebuild block

@Zaid - Not exactly your question, but something I was thinking about. Sleeving is part of it.

@Zaid - You should ask your question as: "Reasons to resleeve an engine" or some such.

Or even exactly what you just said: When is sleeving necessary? ... mainly because you can sleeve non-sleeved blocks as well. This is especially true if you want to increase the displacement (bore) of a block which cannot be bored or bored further.

Bob Cross

4:49 PM

I have successfully determined that my turbo doesn't think it's hot enough to use the air conditioner and has decided to withhold boost until I man up. Not all the boost. Just some.

JPhi1618

5:31 PM

Hey, @BobCross, is there a Stack Exchange page where you can see what percentile your overall score puts you in? Like I have 17k across all the sites I'm on. That puts me in the 90th percentile of all registered users? 80th? 95th?

Or anyone that knows the answer...

A: What causes a 20% difference in fuel economy between winter and summer

5:54 PM

5

Your fuel economy change is caused by the fact your not using the same fuel. Fuel changes twice per year from summer blend to winter blend and back again. This changes the Reid Vapor Pressure. In summer the hotter temperature evaporates liquids easier causing more pollution, so it is blended to l...

This one takes the cheese

Q: When to bore a block during a rebuild?

6:14 PM

3

While reading this question about a motorcycle cylinder and piston, the question comes to mind basically for the same thing, only for an automobile engine. With this in mind, my questions are: When should you bore a block during a rebuild? How do you determine if the block should be bored? How ...

engine engine-theory rebuild block

How would you expand this question to say you want a more technical answer?

Semi on-topic Question but not worth an actual SE question. I'm looking to buy a tool I saw someone had. It was like an impact ratchet, but instead of the trigger setup with a button to switch direction it had kind of a paddle switch. Pushing the paddle one way would drive the socket, and the other would reverse it. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Yup.

I'll find you one like you're talking about.

Don't suppose you know the name of the trigger mechanism? It's a lot easier in tight spots than a regular impact or ratchet.

Actually, I found a picture on wikipedia. Second from the left

The second one from the left?

Yup

yup

6:25 PM

I think it's called a butterfly mechanism, but don't quote me on it. I was just looking for a "for sale" example.

google.com/…

Pop that google search.

Sure enough, that's the one! Thank you!

amazon.com/Neiko-30088A-Butterfly-Impact-Wrench/dp/B000HCROFK

Those would be very handy.

I've not found a real need for them, so haven't purchased one.

Since I bought my 1/4" rechargeable impact, my life has changed!

It has a small head on it, is easy to reverse with one hand only, and has enough torque (125 lb-ft) to muscle through most fasteners without issues.

dang, that's impressive for a small one.

I'm thinking I'm probably gonna wind up breaking the bolt I'm looking at, but I can use it as an excuse to buy a new tool. :P

LOL! Now you're talking!

I've used the same argument ... many times

I'm thinking if I can use that argument to get enough air tools, maybe eventually I can use it to get a bigger compressor. #LongTermGoals

6:35 PM

@Sidney - BWAT!!!

Argument, foiled by the SE app once again

I didn't try to answer this question, because I'm positive we've had the answer to it before.

Arg, foiled by the SE app once again

??

That's what you get!

:o)

I added a comment asking if he doesn't use the car in the summer for a few months

6:46 PM

LOL!

That can pull down the average some

ROFL! Yes it can.

As I've said before: BWAT!