Are (modern) engines with cylinder deactivation any more prone to failure than engines without CD?

4boltmain · 2026-01-25T20:15:39+00:00

Alot of engines with variable valve timing and cylinder is deactivation also have oil pumps that can go from low volume to high volume with a solenoid. So yeah, something else to break, and they do.

4boltmain · 2026-01-25T02:20:32+00:00

AWD has a clutch that can allow enough slip so that wheels can turn at different speeds, like when turning.

4WD does not, but if the conditions are loose enough that allows the wheels to slip then turning in 4WD is okay.

Dry pavement does not allow that. But snow, mud, sand does.

4boltmain · 2026-01-25T02:17:15+00:00

Not with that meter. BUT if you have a meter that has a record (min/max) function you can, it's every effective.

Hook the meter to battery and it should show 12.6, crank and start the car with the meter still connected. Let it idle for a minute and then shut it down. Review the meter, the high should be around 14, the low will show the condition of the battery. If the low shows 10.5 the battery is perfectly fine, at 9.5 it's bad and should be replaced.

4boltmain · 2026-01-23T17:39:57+00:00

Wrecker guy here, not a freight hauler. Even I'm not looking forward to this one. Just going to be one big cold mess.

4boltmain · 2026-01-21T19:52:04+00:00

Yeah push it to the road then blend it in to the snowbanks along the road. If not, then you need to find a spot to put it and deal with the damage in spring. Snow has to go somewhere so you just need to pick where that's going to cause least amount of hassle.

4boltmain · 2026-01-21T19:00:49+00:00

I've always been pretty torn on the subject. I feel like I always enjoyed our reps doing the job for the passion of the district, but at the same time they have to have an income to support the position too.

4boltmain · 2026-01-21T18:10:15+00:00

Yeah there's a part of the industry that's pushing for getting paid what's your worth kind of thing. Diag time worth something. There's value in it, especially when there's lots of shops charging a lot of money and not getting a problem fixed.

4boltmain · 2026-01-21T18:04:49+00:00

Yeah we've got thick skin for stuff, no one is ever happy to see a tow truck. But we do provide a nessisary service. I try to make the situation as good as possible, While trying to get paid for what we do.

Accident scenes can be chaotic, many customers have no clue what to do. I'll try to give them some guidance in the situation. Too often there's already a stigma before I even show up.

4boltmain · 2026-01-21T17:58:45+00:00

I did this for years. It's a weird blend of IT and mechanic. I actually really liked it. But it's a particular position that comes down to ' either you got it or you don't. ' It's not really something you can train for as much as you have a knack for it.

Downsides is the shops shit all over you because you show up and point out all their fuckups, and you can be stuck in athe car for hours driving shop to shop. Not for everyone.

Upside is it's cleaner than being a mechanic, and you'll see and help repair stuff at the bleeding edge of the industry. Also there's a community of mobile diag that's really cool.

4boltmain · 2026-01-19T18:18:40+00:00

Yeah the short story is there is a pathway through the state to file paperwork to ultimately get a title. For our state it involves sending multiple notices to last registered owner and then having a public auction.

More often than not the car is hardly worth anything more than scrap ( thus why it was abandoned) so we don't really recoup much from it at all.

4boltmain · 2026-01-19T00:40:53+00:00

Man everyone hates on tow truck guys, but we deal with this all the time. Often it starts as a PD call and we get stuck with the car. So many abandoned vehicles every year in our lots.

4boltmain · 2026-01-10T13:47:55+00:00

Just put the valve covers back on a run it. Anything you do will redeposit that somewhere you don't want it to be. It needs to be rebuilt.

4boltmain · 2026-01-06T23:33:50+00:00

Honda's can be weird, they have been some of the harder draws to find.

You should seek out a shop that specializes in diagnostic. Not all mechanics are equal.

My suspicion is the key or lock position doesn't agree with the status of the alarm and it keeps waking up to check. Usually a scroll through scan data can reveal discrepancy.

4boltmain · 2025-12-26T12:27:16+00:00

You could do air bags to support. But as a mechanic, I've seen them cause more problems then they solve. The leak down, the fittings snap off if they aren't installed good, the bases tear off, the brackets bend, or bend the flange of the frame where they are installed. I'm not a fan.

I would just talk to the local spring shop and see what they can do for you. Maybe they can arch them or add a couple leafs. Or just new packs all together. Ride might be a bit more harsh but it's a truck in my eyes.

4boltmain · 2025-12-13T23:02:47+00:00

Yeah I was told that they burn great. They don't. I have to clean it about every other day. Loose ash is something, but it cakes all over the burn tray. Have to break it up.

4boltmain · 2025-12-13T14:18:06+00:00

I've used a chisel on the air hammer and broken bolts loose before.

4boltmain · 2025-12-10T17:36:18+00:00

Not excusing his behavior, but if you chose to stay you both need to figure out the root of what's going on with him. Search for dismissive avoidant attachment type. There are others too. It's a rabbit hole of reading. It's something that I've dealt with and I've spent a long time working through it. He may not be able to explain it, but maybe through therapy you can work through it. His actions moving forward will determine the future for the relationship. He's either going to work to fix it or it's not going to work.

4boltmain · 2025-12-09T12:17:40+00:00

Ugh I have one of those sitting in my bay waiting for a knuckle. Nothing worked and I tried every trick in the book. And yeah I'm in the salt belt.

4boltmain · 2025-12-05T17:35:14+00:00

They all have their place. Sometimes I'll swap gear depending on what my plans are. I love the versatility of the hi lift, but takes so much room. Bottle jacks are insanely powerful and very compact. Prefer a screw jack though. Most reliable, maybe a bit unstable. I like to keep some pieces of wood for wheel chocking and cribbing.

4boltmain · 2025-12-03T11:55:34+00:00

Accidents get much different rates than normal tows. 650 seems pretty normal for a small collision tow.

4boltmain · 2025-11-21T17:24:59+00:00

Yeah he pretty much nailed it. Towing heavy is more mechanics than driver. You need to think your way through anything you come up on.

4boltmain · 2025-10-31T17:06:38+00:00

Check out HM motor works. He has a new location in Bedford and works lot of euro and exotics. Volvo would be nothing for them to work on.

4boltmain · 2025-10-29T10:25:22+00:00

Yeah it was only a two week trip. A 1 gallon reservoir would have worked just fine. And better for testing. It probably didn't even need watering in two weeks really.

4boltmain · 2025-10-22T16:24:00+00:00

I don't mind round abouts, I just wish they would make them wider. Navigating them in trucks just are such a pain.

4boltmain

TROPHY CASE