Hello, sorry if my question is off topic. Is it unethical for the owner of a used car dealership, who holds a notary public commission, to notarize the vehicles he purchases or sells ..read more

***** 2001 Camry v6 LE 3.0L 1MZ engine. Purchased vehicle to help someone out financially* knowing it had over 300k miles and eventually in need of a timing belt. The thing ran so smooth that I had several people ask me, "hey is that thing even running?" Due to the smooth running engine, my personal knowledge of the previous owner and his maintenance schedule, and the fact that I confirmed with Toyota dealership, several National engine rebuilders, and online sources* that this was a NON-INTERFERENCE engine, I decided to go ahead with the purchase regardless of whether the previous owner had a ..read more

My latest acquisition is a 98 Chevy K1500 with the 4.3L V6 Vortec. I'm going to have to replace/rebuild the trans soon so trying to get exhaust y-pipe removal out of the way. I started using a torch to help remove the rusty y-pipe flange nuts but looks like they ate up the stud threads on the way out. All of the replacement sets I find (e.g., Dorman 03133) include plain replacement studs (with a small unthreaded shank portion near the middle). However, looks like the studs currently on the truck have a hex feature on the top that can be used to torque the stud. I'll use a stud extractor and ..read more

interested in purchasing this pickup. It has a 4.3L V6 EcoTec3 engine with a 6-spd transmission. The salesman says the truck needs a new torque converter. We test-drove it about 5 miles with about 8 stop-and-goes. On our next to the last stop @ about 5 mph I felt/heard a bit of a thump underneath. The salesman said he'd noticed the same 2 other times during our trip while the vehicle was accelerating, just not as pronounced. There was no shudder nor sudden slow-down when I noticed the thump. .. nothing remotely violent. Otherwise, the truck drove just fine. I understand a bad tc is a major ..read more

the gentler they ride over even rough roads and the roomier and comfier they are, the more they cost to drive, purchase, own and fuel. I wish the auto industry would change all that ..read more

Also, automobile colors I dream of to boot. Please tell me whay you think, people! B A R R O W A M E R I C A N A U T O M O B I L E S I envision luxury and basic passenger cars in the style and size-class of traditional compact, mid-size and full-size American cars of the 1970’s to be built on American soil by American hands with as many raw materials originating from American soil as possible. Safety and crash protection would be on par with Volvo’s reputation for such. Build quality would be on par with Toyota and Mercedes-Benz in terms of longevity, mechanical reliability, fit and finish a ..read more

Hello all, I was really active on this car modeling board when I was 16 or 17. I'm 37 now. Somehow remembered my password from that long ago and funny to see some of my old DIY's still in that sticky Tutorial thread. I recently started building models again and here is my third of 2024. I consider myself much more patient as an adult. Still learning but with each model they've gotten better and better. I really missed the hobby and am glad to be back into it. A buddy of mine bought me a Tamiya Supra last year as a joke and he had no idea I used to be a pretty avid builder. So I suppose I owe ..read more

I have a 2018 Escape AWD turbo and I am debating if I should simply drain and fill my tranny fluid with the same amount that drains out instead of going through the complication of using the overfill bolt on the side of the fluid box. The SUV has about 31k miles. I hear simply draining and filling with the same amount is easy and you can do this back to back a few time over the course of a week or so to completely refresh the fluid. The drain bolt is on the bottom (of course) and the fill area is on the top of the engine, deep down and requires a thin funnel. But, that seems logical, right? I ..read more

I have a 2013 Optima and it takes a few minutes before the air starts blowing cold. It eventually gets cold so I'm thinking it may be low on refrigerant, but not sure if that canned stuff with the tube/gauge is worth trying. When I watch videos on YouTube there's as much positive as negative like anything else. Has anyone actually tried this and found success? If so, how long did it last? Thank you ..read more

I have a 07, my fuel line started leaking. Went to replace and it seems the line from tank is a suppose to be 3/8, but went to replace fitting in nylon hose but the 3/8 connector was to big, when I put fitting to hose it was larger than hose, a 5/16 was also a very tight fit even after heating tube up. The problem is that I measured line up top going near fuel rail and it measured 9mm(.345 inch) and 5/16(.312 inch) has anyone run into this problem? Also looked at a diagram for fuel lines and it shows 3 lines from tank and I only seem to have 2. Any solutions? Thanx ..read more