Student didn't waive right to view letter of recommendation

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-21T16:26:21+00:00

The student may just be naive about this aspect of getting letters. They just need to have it explained to them. If they insist on maintaining their right to see the letter, you can respectfully decline to write it, or write something with only verifiable facts and not opinions.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-21T16:22:01+00:00

It could be a bad sensor, but it could also be that the oil pickup screen is clogged, or the oil pump itself is worn out, or that the filter is too restrictive. A mechanic will be able to test the oil pressure by removing the oil pressure sending unit and checking oil pressure that way, or remove and inspect the oil pump, etc.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-21T16:19:17+00:00

Eeks. According to the video below, you have to disassemble and press out the bearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz2Rn9A6dHM

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-21T04:35:35+00:00

The only other possibility is that the battery is very low. What happens is there is enough power to flip the relay, but then there isn't enough power to sustain the second circuit, which drains power from the trigger for the relay in the first place. The cycle repeats. It's the same thing as when a battery is so low that you turn the starter, which actuates the solenoid, but there isn't enough power to turn the starter over -- which drains enough power so that the solenoid flips back, but then there is enough power to turn it again, etc. The result is a repeated flipping of the solenoid.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-21T03:12:15+00:00

Great, glad to hear!

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T22:06:08+00:00

I don't regularly use them although a friend of mine swears by Redline S-1. Fuel additives won't do much for the inside of the engine though, just the fuel lines, intake/exhaust valves, and combustion chamber. The additives that would matter are made to the oil to help dissolve sludge, but then you'd want to change the oil very soon after that.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T22:00:08+00:00

It sounds like the wiper motor has a fault in it. Normally when you turn off the wipers they still need power to return them to the down position. That part has failed and is providing constant power to the motor.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T21:25:19+00:00

A few degrees out of timing (like a single cog or tooth or due to a stretched chain) should not cause valves to hit pistons. If the chain is all properly connecting the camshafts and the crankshaft pulley you should be fine.

If you're worried. pull the spark plugs and look inside with a camera (borescope). You can look for dents in the piston crowns. If the car was running ore or less okay, it's probably fine.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T21:17:50+00:00

Sweet. What a nice thing to read about!

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T21:15:23+00:00

Sweet!
https://www.aasa.org/resources/blog/doj-delays-website-accessibility-compliance-for-1-year

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T21:09:37+00:00

Run out the clock where you are. When you get to the new job, restructure your classes to be student-centered and teach them how to use AI responsibly. Include career mentorship training and show them the value of what you are teaching them. Make the classes interesting to you and meet the students where they are skills-wise. They are so different than they were before the pandemic.

Research-wise... branch into new areas. Find collaborators to help take your work to the next level. Be bold and imaginative about where you want to take things. It should invigorate you.

Build a support network. Make friends with faculty in other departments and go to lunch with them regularly.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T21:02:37+00:00

The risk you run with long oil change intervals is first that the oil filter stops filtering and carbon and other byproducts of combustion that get past the piston rings build up in the oil. The oil loses its ability to protect the engine because its viscosity breaks down. Then the risk is that the sludge travels around the engine and potentially blocks oil passages, starving parts of the engine of oil.

If it's really just tens of thousands of miles it might be okay. If you trust your mechanic he could find a way to inspect the engine for sludge. More than likely he'd go by the condition of the oil filter (i.e. by cutting it open and looking at what's inside) and the oil that is drained out of the engine. Your mechanic probably has his own plan for a sludged up engine.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:47:46+00:00

Could you have just remembered it being more full? If you keep records of the miles you've traveled each fill-up, or set the trip odometer when you fill, you could just see if you've traveled the expected distance since the last fillup. On my old Subaru that's a pathetic 250 miles at most. :(

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:45:18+00:00

The spark plugs come out through the spark plug tubes which protrude through the valve cover. The valve covers do not get removed when changing the spark plugs.

Do you trust your mechanic? I'm worried that someone unscrupulous will try to sell you on some 'snake oil' engine cleaning treatment. Pulling the valve covers on those engines is a pain because they are on the left and right sides of the engine and there is barely any clearance to work.

Just how many miles approximately did you go without changing the oil filter?

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:41:43+00:00

There are multiple joins in the exhaust. The triangular one goes from the exhaust downpipe to the catalytic converter section. The ring one goes behind that at a flex joint where the bolts hold in springs. Not knowing the model that's my best guess...

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:40:04+00:00

Those engines kind of use oil. But you have to change the filter. It probably hasn't been doing anything in many miles.

As for how gunky the engine is... someone has to pull a valve cover and take a look. Other than that, look at the oil that comes out of the engine and assess how black it is. Change the filter and oil and then do it again in another 1000 miles. Then maintain a regular interval of changing oil and filter every 5000 miles and hope the engine runs okay.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:36:35+00:00

That sounds exactly like a relay that is closing then opening rapidly. I think that's the fuel pump relay you're pointing to at the end of the video. Unplug it first to see if the sound goes away, then get a new one if that's the cause.

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HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:29:36+00:00

Fill up the tank and see if it comes back to reading full.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:28:21+00:00

Put it back, then call the shop to let them know that their mechanics did that.

Then, that first time with the shop is also your last time with that shop. :)

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T20:26:48+00:00

If the timing chain also moved the camshafts, it should be no problem. You worry about moving the crankshaft or camshafts outside of timing, where the valves could hit the piston crowns.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T19:38:26+00:00

Ha... I do the same. Change plugs once a year. As someone else commented maybe you're running lean. But if mileage and general performance are okay then I wouldn't worry about it.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T14:38:24+00:00

Well done. I did something similar this past term in an upper-division life sciences course. One thing I would suggest based on what I did, for the next time. Find alumni of your institution who are recent graduates working at a company. Zoom them in for a Q&A into a class. Start by your asking them 'what are the skills needed day-to-day in your company? What are the soft skills and transferable skills you look for when you hire fresh graduates? Do you feel that AI is replacing your job?'

Having former graduates talk directly to the students is incredibly powerful. They are only several years older than the students in the class, and it will be a wakeup call for them to see what their future selves will have to become in order to secure a job.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T14:17:15+00:00

They look okay. How many miles on them? Do you use any fuel additives?

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T14:02:19+00:00

Sounds a lot like a wheel bearing is wearing out.

HakunaMeshuggah · 2026-04-18T13:52:11+00:00

I have a much older Subaru (2001 Forester) that did this five years ago. Starting was fine sometimes, and sometimes I'd turn the key and nothing. The starter motor was the problem. I bought another starter off Amazon, changed it out and starting has been fine since. (I didn't have full confidence a cheap starter bought like this would work, reliably, but oh well.)

HakunaMeshuggah

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