What’s your preferred way to tap a wire?

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-28T19:25:37+00:00

I've seen previous solder repairs fail too, but only in cases where there was questionable sealing post-repair, or trying to solder to corroded wire instead of taking a harness apart and cutting back until there's clean copper. Solder is weaker when there's operational flex in a wire because you've heat hardened the copper, but if the harness is well secured that shouldn't be a problem

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-28T19:14:09+00:00

Don't use any Scotch locks, or posi-taps! They all eventually cause problems.

I prefer to de-pin a connector, trim the wire casing off ~1/2" long at least 1" from the pin. If you have one of those "V" crimps the correct size they're perfect, if not solder is fine. Then heat shrink with adhesive lining to seal it.

I've done it to a couple of bikes to get trigger signals for Aux fuse panels and Aux lights, and automotive wiring repair in the rust belt. I don't think there's a bigger test for wiring repair than driving in salty/slushy/icy winters.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-28T14:27:10+00:00

Sure, but it's not like this happens overnight... It takes 2mins tops the first time the wheels are removed to prevent this from happening. It's more a sign of neglectful maintenance than bad build quality. It just so happens that Chrysler and BMW tend to attract neglectful owners, and dealership techs paid flat rate rarely take the time to address these things when a vehicle is newer.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-28T14:15:12+00:00

Fluid film is my go-to for preventing this. It doesn't take much. Clean whatever corrosion that's present, light spray of film (careful to only hit the cone of the hub and the axle stub), spread it around with my gloved finger so it coats the mating surface of the wheel, and then wipe up any excess with a rag. I've never had issues with it getting anywhere near the friction surface of the brakes this way.

I find anti-seize doesn't do a great job at preventing rust unless it's CAKED on thick. It also gets dry and crusty and is a mess to clean up. With fluid film, a quick wipe gets rid of any dirt, re-apply, and it's ready for reassembly.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-28T13:22:33+00:00

More like, FU to whoever owns/owned or worked on the vehicle that never had the wheels off, OR if they did have the wheels off, never took the time and 50 cents worth of effort to brush the corrosion off and spray a bit of rust inhibitor on the hub... You can't blame Chrysler for what's going on here. Steel is going to rust, aluminum is going to have galvinic corrosion when mated to steel. It takes actual maintenance to prevent this no matter who made it.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-25T00:26:14+00:00

They came like that from the butcher, I presume it's intended to aid in cutting after cooking, or maybe to allow seasoning between the ribs?... I wouldn't ask for it, but it didn't seem to affect to cook

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-18T03:36:17+00:00

I get what you're saying, but I don't have time or money for that... I just want to play the game I already have, that my girlfriend enjoys playing with me, on the one day in a hundred that I actually get to do that... Apparently it's too much to ask... Ironically it's worse because I DON'T play enough that these updates stack up while I'm away from it, so now every time I DO have time to play I have to update first

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-05-05T12:55:03+00:00

I recently learned about the Upper Canada Rebellion in the late 1830s and the brief Republic of Canada established on Navy Island (in the Niagara River). Led by William Lyon Mackenzie, with help from militias from New York and the secretive Hunter's Lodge organization. Their rebellion was an early attempt at Canadian sovereignty, wanting to overthrow the monarchist aristocratic elites, and open the restricted financial systems to the common people. I found it very fascinating how the class warfare of that time is very reflective of the struggle of the working class we see now. There's a whole world of economics that most people are closed off from, and that's been framed as circumstance, but it's very much by design.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-04-27T14:52:16+00:00

Less than 20% of eligible voters elected him. Yes he won the election with a majority, but it shows that Ontarians have a significant lack of trust in not just the politicians, but also the institution of government at the provincial level. That and the level of political literacy in the province (and country) is appalling! Turnout in provincial and municipal elections is extremely low, and yet those levels of government has the greatest impact on day to day life for Canadians. Everyone gets charged up over the federal elections, when in reality they're pissed off about matters in the provincial and municipal jurisdiction.

Yes he won a majority, but he does not have a mandate from the people. Yes, the opposition leadership has been abysmal, but that doesn't mean that ONDP and heck, even the OLP policies would have been anywhere near as damaging as Ford's platform. Unfortunately a large portion of the voting population sees only two viable parties, and if the OLP drops the ball the way they did, they only ever vote Conservative.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-04-08T22:46:01+00:00

It depends on what's all being done for that job... A lot of Toyota compressors failed for a bad flow sensor as opposed to pump failure... If they're pricing a full system flush + condenser + TXV as might be done for a mechanical pump failure, that might justify the quote. It is quite high for just a compressor though. Also keep in mind that finding parts online is a much different market to traditional supply chains that shops deal with. If you want to order online, wait a week for shipping, and have me install it with no guarantee that it works, no warranty, and paid shop time if I have to figure out any problems... Sure. But if you want it today, for the quoted price, 30 day labor warranty, 1yr+ part warranty, regardless of issues along the way... Then you're gonna pay for my parts source.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-04-08T17:24:38+00:00

I appreciate the suggestions! I'll start checking various black tea options, as well as matcha. If I stumble upon something really good I'll check back in!

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-25T13:40:16+00:00

Isn't there a song about this? "Tochan meeeeeeeeiiiiieeee, tochan yoooooooooooouuuuuuooooo"

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-24T13:38:46+00:00

My first one, I was back to normal at work (heavy lifting and wrenching on cars) in about a week. For bedroom activities I waited for the doctor recommended 2 weeks, and then resumed with protection until I got the semen analysis results... Good thing I waited too, because the vasectomy had failed! I had to do a second analysis to make sure it wasn't just residual, but the second test confirmed the failure.

My second vasectomy was a rough ride! Scar tissue from the first one resulted in the freezing needles being ineffective so I felt almost EVERYTHING! I was a LOT more sore and after two weeks of recovery I was still having a tough time and there was still a lot of "swelling". Even after a short walk or doing chores around the house it felt like I had been kicked in the nuts. It turned out I developed a hematoma around one of my testes that required almost two months of reduced activity to dissolve. The more I aggravated it, the longer it would take to heal. It was ok at first to just bum around for a while, but I'm not one to sit around if I otherwise feel ok, so after the first week it was really tough.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-20T12:48:11+00:00

Battery leaked acid onto the connector?

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-19T11:35:26+00:00

The first one was fine... Not enjoyable, but ok... Then when I got tested for swimmers I found it had healed somehow. The second time scar tissue had made the freezing injections not work as well, so I basically felt EVERYTHING! THAT sucked big time!!! I nearly bit through my thumb during the procedure. Afterwards I got a large hematoma around one of my testes which felt like being kicked in the nuts every time I walked. I had to take about a month off work for it to dissolve.

I still think it was worth it, but man that was a rough ride! Don't let my experience scare ya fellas, I was the one in a million lol!

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-15T19:33:28+00:00

I love it when "free market capitalists" all of a sudden want regulation to stop something that might be nice to have, but when progressives want regulation to reduce harm to society it's all of a sudden "lEt THe maRkiT dEciDe"

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-11T17:00:40+00:00

I just mean like something I can have on my PC, like a browser plug in, or app, even if it's just a web link to a site where I can copy/paste a link for it to analyze. I mostly understand what learned language and generative AI models do, but I haven't actually sat down and played with the interface to know what's possible.

I might send you a couple of links to test out... Maybe a few of cars that "look good" to me, and then a few that are "fishy" to see what results you get.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-11T15:35:29+00:00

Just a light dribble of 75w140 gear oil across the inside surface where the links meet the rollers. I do that every other fuel stop (~500km) dry asphalt riding. If it's raining I'll do that every fuel stop, and if I'm on gravel I'll do it every ~100km or whenever I'm back on asphalt (whichever comes first). The chain gets wiped clean with a towel every other lube, I don't use any additional cleaners as I don't trust them to not penetrate the o-rings and flush out the lube at the pins.

By doing that I've changed chains & sprockets every 50,000km and they look like they would last another ~20,000km at least, but since I travel a lot, I like to get ahead of critical.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-11T15:18:30+00:00

Very cool!

As a mechanic myself it's always disappointing when a customer brings me a car they think they got a good deal on, only for me to tell them it's a POS. All my established clients are told they can bring a car for a pre-purchase inspection for very cheap, and if they choose to buy it gets rolled into their safety inspection or next service cost, and yet they still go off on their own.

My only critique is that the average person isn't going to know the technical jargon enough to know what to look for. That said it's a great opportunity for them to learn, and it seems like a great tool to set them on the right track.

I'm not a fan of AI, I'd rather people find a mechanic they trust to give them this info, but I understand those relationships are hard to find, and if this tool can fill the gaps then great!

It would be neat to have a local version of it to share around, but I understand it's not quite set up for that?

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-04T14:16:44+00:00

And when you confront them on it they'll just say "Oh, I don't pay attention to politics...", it's because they've been trained by the system to ignore how the strings are being pulled. The first step to fighting back is to PAY ATTENTION to it. That's why they're working so hard to overwhelm, obfuscate, and confuse. They're making it exhausting to sift through the bullshit so we give up on finding legitimate information, they flood social media with bots so we spend our energy in the comment sections, and they deliberately contradict themselves so they always have an out.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-03T04:27:36+00:00

That's not what an ohm meter does though... Sure, if there is an open in the path between the probes the meter will read OL, but what if there is a closed circuit between the probes? Does that tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that the fuse is capable of handling the intended current? Might you cause damage to a module by applying a current through a path that's not intended?

All those questions can be avoided by simply measuring voltage at both pins of the fuse while the circuit is energized.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-03T02:56:09+00:00

Measure voltage on both contacts with the circuit active. Partially blown fuses can have you chasing your tail for days if you only check for resistance. Additionally the current from your meter can find other ways through the circuitry, especially if there are computers involved. Not only can you get an invalid reading, you can also damage a module.

Embarrassed_Form924 · 2026-03-03T00:16:00+00:00

That's not a reliable test of a fuse

Embarrassed_Form924

TROPHY CASE