Pellet heads!! What's up today?

To be fair, the only reason I open my hood is to put in windshield washer fluid. I had to do that a couple of months ago (first time for this vehicle) and it took me a while to find the little doohickie under the hood, and then figure out what to do with it in order for the hood to release. Didn't help that it was 5* out and the wind was a cruising.

Some you press up, some you slide to one side (or the other), some you push in. Some you press down, some you pull out. I actually had one vehicle that I could not physically reach that doohikie - the curse of small hands. And the location of the doohikie changes; They've been on the right, on the left, in the middle, up underneath some frame member.

I don't ever remember opening the hood of the Focus. Sure, I only had it for 18 months, but put 24,000 miles on it. Didn't have any problem putting on the donut when I got a flat tire one I figured out where the scissor jack should be placed (I'd only ever use a bumper jack previously.

 

Car manuals used to give instructions on how to adjust the valves.
Now they warn you not to drink the battery acid.

 

That is a true statement...

Have you also noted that all the advertisements always show the "Lovely SUV AWD" DRIVING THROUGH VOLUMINOUS SNOW.

The family all have sweet smiles on their faces as they glide along.
Casual mention is made of all the electronic safety devices that "Will protect you" and get you through the tough going.

I am 70 years old now and I say BS! ! ! !
No amount of diode boxes are gonna make up for knowing how to handle a rig in the rough stuff......

TRACTION CONTROL....What a joke.....actually it's a total threat to life and limb of the uneducated.....Believing this electronic wonder is gonna saveyourbacon will get you killed.

My daddy took me out in a big parking lot on a snowy day and taught me the ways of the force.....I learned to "Pitch it and gas it" as dad used to say.....

Great respect on the slick stuff and a steady hand ....along with the understanding of the coefficient of friction between the tires and the road will go farther to seeing you get through the tough stuff safely than any amount of magic electronics....

As far as the encyclopedia of warnings that come with the new ride ......Just an attempt by the manufactures to keep the quantity of lawyers that are lurking from suing them out of existence because the dumb azz driver of said vehicle did not know his back pocket from a spare tire.....

RANT OFF

Great thread...I like it...

 

Great weather is GONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNE

The Pineapple express slammed in here last night with wind and LOTTSA Rain. (Subjective) about 2" here since midnight.

Running the big Whitfield again ...about 38 F outside Ran on low all night....House is comfy this morning.

With the last shell run already in the books, I will be real happy to get things such that we can get by on the little stove until the summer shutdown....

Ah yesssss....The joys of the shoulder season stove jockeying game......

 

X2

To this day, if its sn*wing I will tap the brakes every so often if on a straight stretch and no other cars around. This is to see how slick the road surface is that I am driving on, so I know what to expect if chit happens.

 

Yes indeed.

Many times it's not the use of the brakes, but instead just a slight shift in the road surface ...such as more crown, a heavily banked corner or other issue that can change the dynamic drastically.
A little bit of side loading and Whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...Ma gravity finds your skinny butt and things go all wonky....VERY QUICK.

Understanding the treachery and how complex it can get in a hurry has claimed many hapless souls and ended poorly

Some years ago we were headed home from town and the Mt road is steep and had 4" of packed very snotty wet snow on it.
The first major corner is a 180 degree switchback on a 10 % downgrade.

No less than 5 rigs all wadded into a cluster.

These were regular users of the road....Sadly they all had zero clue of the danger that lurked ahead as they came down the hill.

Most were totally convinced that all the magic electronics in their vehicles would make things all better and that there was zero need to worry...

The last one to hit the pileup was a young fella....mid/late 20's
He entered the first part of the "Dog leg" just before the switchback at approx 35 mph maybe more.
He applied the brakes and the car went totally crazy and ended up on the edge of the road...Soft earth under the snow stopped the car quickly....He was lucky...no damage, other than needing a change of undies.

I spoke with him as we slugged are way up the hill..
I wanted to be sure he was OK (Sitting in the car gripping the wheel tightly and staring off into space) OH YEAH...HE WAS SHOOK UP...

He was in shock that his anti lock brakes and traction control that in his mind should have prevented this mishap did zero zip nada..... NO dammED CLUE

Speed, downhill grade and very poor (Slick) road surface all did what they do...very well too.
He was lucky....several others were not and wrecked their rigs.....

A total lack of awareness of what they were facing and what needed to be done to avoid what ultimately happened..

All of these folks were pre programed to failure.....They were never educated on how to deal with such a situation .....

Arrrrrrrgh

 

My remark on underestimating people not knowing how to open their hoods was serious not being sarcastic. If Toyota has to spend that much time & $$ to print up all that stuff (and the Rav4 is now their number 1 seller), they must believe there are enough people who don't know and could actually zap themselves trying to put this label on that they needed to ward off potential lawsuits. If they encourage one to go to a dealer if you're not sure, that says enough right there.

sam

 

It is bothersome to me as well when I see all the SUV commercials that, though not actually saying it, imply that with AWD/4WD you'll go through anything. The microscopic fine print that is onscreen for 2 secs usually says things like professional driver, closed course, optional equipment, special tires.
Traction control doesn't usually work well, I find one is better off turning it off, allowing equal traction/power to each wheel. With T/C on it's more like the old Posi-Trac- the tire that needs traction just spins faster while going nowhere cause it's getting all the power. I remember trying how well T/C worked when we got our first AWD, a 2004 Santa Fe. Got better traction and control with it off. But most cars seem to have it so it turns back on above 30mph, probably for any possible steering issues in full AWD/4WD.

Today's cars have almost everything controlled by computer modules which are all connected so your car is a self contained computer network. And as more things get connected to it as a model evolves over the years, how they add on things gets real convoluted. I have a nice tablet scan tool and the amount of info is mind boggling.
My fave YouTube channel is South Main Auto. An average guy who grew up in a garage (dad was a auto mechanic), basically self taught, no certifications, but has amazing troubleshooting skills. Dealers bring him cars they can't figure out the problem with. Watching him follow the wiring diagrams trying to run down a issue, you see just how complex modern cars are. All it takes is one little nick in one wire and a multitude of codes get set. And those don't always lead you to what actually failed cause everything is so interconnected the code is more of a guess by the computer.

I miss my first car= 1963 Rambler Classic. 3 on the tree, flathead 6cyl, no power anything. Change the plugs, set the points, use the timing gun.

sam

 

ALL "CAN BUS NOW" (Government mandated)

A phrase comes to mind...."The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain"

OBD1 Added a lot of improvements to the driveability....After the debacle of the early to late 80's it was a godsend.

Then came OBD2 in 1996 and the issues started to compound themselves.

A big huge rig and a lowly little mouse has only to nibble a wire or pee on a module connector just right and BRUTUS IS BROUGHT TO IT'S KNEES.

Back in the day of real rigs you could slog you way through heavy snow and toss the rig around pretty good....even with marginal tires.

Now as soon as a tire slips the traction control backs off the power....HOPING THAT THE TIRE WILL GRAB.....Yeah right....If you can't "Pitch it and gas it" your done.....

Last winter we had to get back here to the ranch after a sudden snow dumped 6" to 8" of wet slop on the roads.

Our 2007 Avalanche had basically street tires on it....ARRRRRGH

The traction control was an absolute PITA..I shut it off so I could use inertia and "PITCH IT AND GAS IT" to get up the steep grades home.

Then add everybody and their dog stuck, in ditches and sideways....OMG
Took 2 hours to go what should have taken 15 minutes.

I finally decided to use the worst way in....A steep pitch and too heavily angle switchbacks had kept the less adventurous souls away.

It was a bit sketchy at times with the street tires.....But with the traction control off it was workable.....

We came out later to get groceries and the road was just littered with abandoned rigs that should have been well suited to dealing with the issue.....

Sad tale for sure....The industry has engineered the newer cars/trucks to be about worthless .......

A six year old in a go cart with decent tires and a bit of education could have dealt with this little snowfall...

Rant off

 

You mean the wires with soy based insulation

Yup, 1st thing I do when its sn*owing-turn off the stability control.

 

'71 Dodge Charger 500. All it needed was gas and oil. I know. I ran out of both once.

 

Have to turn off traction control in modern vehicles when you're in the snow. First thing I show my wife whenever she gets a new car is where that button is.

 

My first car was a 1961 Rambler, but automatic. Hand me down from my sister (who bought it in 1978 or som when she was in college). Good thing we didn't have safety inspections back then - it had a hole in the back floorboard. To be more exact, it did not have a back floorboard and there was a big piece of plywood laying on top of it (and no, I don't mean it was installed - just laying there). My mom borrowed that car to go drop a bothersome neighborhood chicken out the floorboard on a country road.

 

I bought my 63 off of a friend for $65 in 1970, it had been his grandmother's car. Had part of the front passenger side floor rotted. Swiped a metal number sign from the side of a gas station one night and pop riveted it in. Had a friend who bought a 62 American. The Ramblers of the early 60's were like a smaller Checker cab body type. Mine had the option where the front bench seat folded all the way back turning the inside into a bed. Was a great drive in car.

Sam

 

I fail to understand the usefulness of the traction control and stability control.
A waste of time and materials.......

The one thing it does do.....It instills a false sense of security in the unknowing and thus provides great amounts of revenue for the local body repair shops

 

Got back from taking Lori to doc appointment. Says it's 47 out but feels colder with the northeast breeze. Time for a fire.

sam

 

Mine was a 1960 Falcon. Mighty 144 6cyl and three on the tree. Paid $50 for it in 1970. My next door neighbor owned a Mobil station in town and the Falcon was towed in off the highway a year before. Spent a year fixing it up and drove it for a year until I found a hidden gem. A 1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire. Based on the Cutlass it had a 215 aluminum V8 with a factory turbo and a 4 speed. I actually owned 2 of them at one point. I had no idea how valuable they would become 'cause I traded the pair of them for a 1969 Rambler American. (One of the best cars I ever owned)

 

1965 Falcon.Same as above.3 on the tree.Loved that car.Ford had transitioned to a waterbased paint that year.So when I acquired the car the paint had basically washed off.20 cans of red rustoleum and she was lookin purty again.Paid a hundred dollars for that car and I wish I still had it.

 

One of my neighbors gave me Falcon envy. They had a '63 Sprint convertible. White, black top, red interior. It was an auto. I remember the tach on the dash. 260 V8. Precursor to the Mustang.