The Unofficial "Ask a Stupid Question" Thread

[XR7-4.6]

Get a 2002 GTMAF, and a tune, and say fuckit.

Pretty overkill on a 3.8 car

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Just sell it before it happens.

Nope. Decided to keep it. In fact I just filled out the forms to re-register it. DMV appointment tomorrow.

It's complicated. Various life changes plus the registration expiring had me question whether or not I should have a car at all...

 

[Kidd-7]

I have never asked that question of myself. Unless it was car vs truck. but always have a vehicle or 2 or 3...

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I have never asked that question of myself. Unless it was car vs truck. but always have a vehicle or 2 or 3...

I always had either zero or one. But I lived in some major cities with excellent public transportation.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

Apparently you haven't lived in Boston!

Joe

 

[XR7-4.6]

I have never asked that question of myself. Unless it was car vs truck. but always have a vehicle or 2 or 3...

Yeah I vowed at a very young age to never be vehicleless, be it car bike or whatever. I do not like riding public transit, especially busses. Car ownership is burdensome to some but in the many necessary life burdens it’s the near lowest on my list.

 

[Kidd-7]

I've never lived anywhere where mass transit was a real option. The few times I was traveling and rode mass transit I was very uncomfortable.
Although I do get it for big cities, I worked in downtown Cleveland for years and the parking situation sucks ass.

 

[Derphound01]

I'm old enough to remember when GM ran this print ad campaign in Canada and had to immediately pull it because literally 75% of Canadians live in a large metro area with public transport and got offended by it.

Anyone who has ever ridden the TTC knows it's not wrong though.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I've never lived anywhere where mass transit was a real option. The few times I was traveling and rode mass transit I was very uncomfortable.
Although I do get it for big cities, I worked in downtown Cleveland for years and the parking situation sucks ass.

I like riding the Metra trains into Chicago fine, and if I were an office worker there I probably would use it regularly, but EL trains, busses in the city grid no way. Sketchy as fuck, rather walk or better yet bike.

I'm old enough to remember when GM ran this print ad campaign in Canada and had to immediately pull it because literally 75% of Canadians live in a large metro area with public transport and got offended by it.

Anyone who has ever ridden the TTC knows it's not wrong though.

View attachment 4894

That and 75% of Cavalier owners were creeps and weirdos

 

[MadMikeyL]

They should have revised it to “Chevy Cavalier! It sucks less than the bus!”

 

[supergordo]

My stupid question today, are the motor mounts hard to do on the 3.8? can i do them with just jacking up the engine a bit? Also, the Haynes manual says to jack up the engine from the oil pan, is this ok? I've heard from the lubetube that you should never do that. Thanks

you can use the oil pan but you want to use a piece of wood. Like a 2x4 that spans the width of the pan to support it. Don't just put the jack on the oil pan itself.

 

[Kidd-7]

That and 75% of Cavalier owners were creeps and weirdos

That's why I drove a Pontiac Sunfire instead.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

It's kind of odd why GM would run an ad like that, when GMC used to build buses!

Joe

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

New stupid question:

Does the fuel pump run at one set rate, or does its pump rate vary based on engine speed?

I mean logically it needs to pump more fuel at higher engine speeds, so I'm guessing pump rate varies.

On the other hand, maybe the pump rate is constant, and excess fuel at low rpm goes back to the tank?

How does this work?

 

[theterminator93]

The pump pumps the same amount of fuel through the fuel rail at all times. The pressure regulator sends the excess fuel not allowed into the engine through the injectors back to the tank.

It's known as a "feedback fuel system".

 

[dDUBb]

maybe the pump rate is constant, and excess fuel at low rpm goes back to the tank?

Correct .. this is known as a Return style Fuel system. The pressure regulator is acted upon by engine vacuum; at idle when vacuum is the highest, the regulator allows more flow back to the tank and as engine speed / vacuum decreases, the regulator reacts accordingly. On supercharged vehicles; when manifold pressure goes into boost, the regulator increases fuel pressures above what a NA engine would supply.

 

[theterminator93]

To elaborate a little, the reason for that is to maintain a constant pressure differential between the input and output side of the injectors. If the difference in fuel pressure between the rail and manifold were changing, the fuel delivery rate of the injectors would also change, making it all but impossible for the PCM to properly deliver the correct fuel charge based on the amount of air measured.

 

[supergordo]

That's why I drove a Pontiac Sunfire instead.

 

[Vicinity]

Is the oil change procedure for the MK8 identical?

 

[XR7-4.6]

To a Tbird? Yes

 

[theterminator93]

You need an extra quart though.

 

[Ericv8thunderbird]

I guess this isn’t really a stupid question, but does anyone here do 3D printing? I’d like to make some sort of aftermarket gauge holder under the radio cubby spot.
I suppose I could just glue a piece of abs plastic to the cubby, but I’m too ocd for that kind of tackiness.

 

[theterminator93]

I don't personally print, but I know plenty of people who do and have had to set up/occasionally support printers at client sites. Do you need something fabbed up too, or do you already have a design that just needs to be run off?

 

[Kidd-7]

what material would you used for inside the car? Some guys I worked with printed up some things and after their car was sitting in the parking lot it started melting, at least got really soft and deformed.

 

[Jae 'Bird]

I know PETG has a melting point of 260 °C or 500 °F, if the inside of the car gets that hot, I think there's bigger issues. Google also says 90 °C- 110 °C working range so I figure that would be fine.

 

[Kidd-7]

It was PLA they used, remembered that after reading your post.

 

[Jae 'Bird]

Yeah pla is very cheap because its made from plants, like corn, and its one of the lowest melting temp plastics out there. The printers at my university's maker space can do either. pla is really only good for prototyping and low use items, anything with more use or higher or lower than room temps should be petg or better.

 

[Ericv8thunderbird]

I don't personally print, but I know plenty of people who do and have had to set up/occasionally support printers at client sites. Do you need something fabbed up too, or do you already have a design that just needs to be run off?

I have a design in my head lol. It’s pretty simple though, I want something similar to the cubby under the radio, but sort of like a delete plate on the front I can drill out for 2 Autometer 2” gauges.

I wonder if a radio delete kit from a Mustang would work?

 

[supergordo]

I guess this isn’t really a stupid question, but does anyone here do 3D printing? I’d like to make some sort of aftermarket gauge holder under the radio cubby spot.
I suppose I could just glue a piece of abs plastic to the cubby, but I’m too ocd for that kind of tackiness.

My Son has 2 good size 3D printers. He is Chandar8 on here.

 

[XR7-4.6]

That piece would be very easy to make without a 3d printer, some .25” ABS stock and a stock VMM or cubby as a pattern template I could make that with my router and hole saws in 10 minutes. Same way I make pickguards and back covers for guitars.

If you were going for a more 3 dimensional shape I could see using a 3d printer, but it seems overkill for that