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Saturday, March 22, 2008

Win a $20,000 Renuzit TriScents Home Makeover!

We all Being an automotive enthusiast like you, I know how easy it is to get carried away with spending money on your car. I also know how easy it is to neglect spending money on my home because I am to caught up with my car. Not to worry, Renuzit TriScents has an opportunity for us both with a chance to win a $20,000 Home Makeover in the Renuzit TriScents Transform Your Home Promotion! These are the folks that brought us Renuzit® TriScents™ fresheners, the newest line of electric scented oil air fresheners, gently renew your home with 3 harmonious scents in one convenient product. Now about the contest, it begins at 12:00:00 AM EST on Monday January 28, 2008 and ends at 12:00:00 AM EST on June 8, 2008. Once registered, entrants can submit an entry into the Promotion by creating and uploading their own video file, photo file and essay by typing the submission into the free-form text field included on the Promotion web page. You must enter to win. You will need to convincingly explain and demonstrate why their home needs a makeover and how Renuzit TriScents can help. You can download and print the Renuzit TriScents Starter Kit coupon so you can shop locally to sample the product and become inspired. See official rules for more details.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Idling rough and spits and spudders

Question:
I have a 2001 Oldsmoblie Alero GX and it is idling rough and spits and sputters going down the road ,but not all the time. Got any answer of what it might be? I put it on scanner and it was saying something of a low spark issue and there isn't any check engine lights or anything lit up on dash.
Answer:
Sounds to me like it needs a good tune up. A new set of plugs should help it out quite a bit. If the check engine light is on there may be a different issue that will require the use of a scan tool to get the codes. http://www.freeautomechanic.com/scantools.html

Thursday, March 20, 2008

What is the best oil to use

Question:
What is the best oil to use for a 1996 Honda Vtech engine?
Answer:
Acording to the factory service manual the preferred viscosity is 5w-30 and Honda Motor Oil is recommended. It is proven that synthetic motor oil is better than regular motor oil but if you change your oil every 3,000 miles regular motor oil should be just fine.

I.D. Protection

When it comes to protecting your identity there can be many reasons why you should have protection. Many Victims of identity theft may end up arrested for being mistaken as the identity thief themselves. Some victims might be passed over for a promotion, not get hired for the job they really want or even end up getting fired just because someone stole your identity and may be committing crimes in your name or worse. Other victims may experience higher car insurance premiums if the thief has been in an auto accident or gotten tickets that influence your driving record. Each family member needs identity protection, since everyone has a unique individual identity. You can find the protection you need from life lock that even comes with a guarantee. What more could you ask for?

truck keeps sputtering

Question: I was driving my truck today in the rain and the truck keeps sputtering and looses acceleration. i when i lifted the hood nothing seems like is soaked or anything. i was playing with a plug wire when the truck was running and got electrocuted. if a plug wire is in good shape can i still get shocked just by fiddling with the wire?? also i was playing around with the fuel pressure on my truck, it has a brand new delco fuel pump, i installed a fuel gage in line with the pressure line and was getting bout 10 psi, then i blocked the return line completely and it only went to 11, does this seem right?? I noticed the back of my throttle body is wet all the time, but its not coming from the fuel lines?? Answer: Your fuel pressure is fine, 9-13 psi is factory spec. No worries there. As for the getting shocked. If both ends are plugged in/connected tot he engine then you should not get shocked. Electricity follows the path of least resistance, so if one end was disconnected then it will most definitely shock you. Just fiddling with one that is connected should not shock you. You may have a faulty wire and could have been arching against the engine and causing it to run bad. Replace the wires if this is the case. And you want to replace the fuel pressure regulator if you see fuel in the vacuum line connecting to it.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

I Hear a strange whistleing sound

Question: I have a 99 Hundai Elantra with 124,000 miles, just change the oil to high mileage oil, car started to run odd, checked under the oil cap and found yellow gunk, nothing in the dipstick though? there is also a strange whistling sound the happens after 20 miles per hour mostly when stepping on the accelerator, do you know what could be cause of these two problems? Answer: The yellow gunk is nothing to worry about, probably just some condensation. Clean it of and replace you pcv valve and it shouldn't come back. As for the whistle and running different. This is an indication of a vacuum leak. Find and fix the vacuum leak and it should be fine. Since you just had the oil changed, check things that might have be left loose of disconnected. If they checked your air filter, check the connection, hoses, etc. You can run engine in park, pop the hood and rev the engine until you start to here the whistle and try to locate the vacuum leak that way.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION STOP LIGHT POLLUTION

When I first read the title of this post I had to read it again and again. My first thought was that this post was going to be about exhaust pollution given off at traffic stop lights. But that is not what this is about. Let me pose a question. Do you miss seeing the night stars because of all the artification light at night? I am talking about artificial light pollution as compared to the beautiful natural star light in the sky. While light pollution is detrimental to our ability to observe and enjoy the night sky, it also disrupts the surrounding natural environment, wastes energy, and has the potential to cause health problems. Plans are underway for the 5th Annual Dark Sky Festival at Harmony. This year's festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2008 and will kick off at 7pm in Harmony's Town Square, in Harmony, Florida. The Dark Sky Festival is intended to celebrate and promote the benefits of a night-sky free from the effects of excessive artificial lighting. The Festival is free and open to the general public. In addition to introducing environmentally intelligent lighting and lifestyle practices, the event also encourages the development of scientific interest in Florida youth. There will be lots of fun aspects of the festival such as telescopes for viewing the stars, a kids zone with a speaker talking about Myths in the Night, speakers talking about light pollution and a music by Motown recording artists, Rare Earth.

Electric sports car - Really ?

2008 Telsa Roadster:
  • 100% Electric
  • 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds
  • 13,000 rpm Red-line
  • 135 mpg equivalent
  • 225 miles per charge
  • less than 2 cents per mile
Telsa Roadsters are being manufactured right now and after some delays, a huge internal shake-up and a couple price increases, the company will finally start delivering Roadsters to customers. The CEO was fast at pointing out that this is "the only zero emission electric vehicle in production today," which is pretty much a big lie. There are lots of people making electric vehicles in America. But it is the only one with a top speed of 125 mph. Though the $100,000 price tag is a bit steep, and Tesla will only be able to produce one or two cars a week (at least at first), 900 people have already reserved a Roadster. Included in that list are Dustin Hoffman, George Clooney, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Despite all of the uncertainty and delays along the way. Tesla motors has provided an alternative to the speed hungry consumers in today's green minded society.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Battery Light On

Question:
I have a 1998 Chevy Cavalier that has a problem. My battery light is on, does this mean I need a new battery and if so, what is causing it to go bad?
Answer:
The battery light does not mean the battery is bad. It is telling you that the battery is not charging. This is an indication that the alternator is bad. You can use a multi-meter to test the voltage being charged to the battery. The voltage should be between 13.5 and 15.5 . It is a good Idea to charge the battery after replacing the alternator to insure a good start. Test when installed to make sure there are no other issues.

A Date with an Oyster?

Gulf oysters(true oysters) are highly prized as food, both raw and cooked, but some other groups which are also called oysters (such as for example the pearl oysters) are not widely eaten, at least not in recent times. Whether enjoyed raw on the half shell or in a creamy bowl or stew, no food so perfectly captures the sweet, salty taste of the sea as an oyster. In spite of the long list of names you may be presented with at an oyster bar, there are just four species of oysters - Atlantic or Eastern oysters, European flat oysters, Pacific or Japanese oysters, and tiny Olympias. What makes one oyster different from another depends on where it is grown. Eating Oysters can be absolutely beyond a doubt delicious, but serious illness and death can result when at-risk individuals consume raw oysters. You can find out more information on beoysteraware.com. Oysters are sedentary bivalve mollusks that feed by filtering plankton (small plants and animals) from estuarine water. Because Vibrio vulnificus occurs naturally in the same waters that oysters feed, the bacteria is ingested and becomes assimilated and concentrated in the animal’s tissues. When people ingest oysters, there is a risk of also ingesting Vibrio vulnificus. The infection dose for Vibrio vulnificus is not accurately known. Healthy individuals can safely consume raw oysters without serious risk of Vibrio vulnificus illness.