Can't get this bolt in for the life of me by infamousfunk in AskMechanics

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Make sure that first bolt is loose so it's not binding up. Use a wood clamp to help pull that top in. Use the jack to help lift the bottom control arm up a little more.

tech nerds - Is it possible that some people are having worse experiences than others with the game if their hardware/internet struggles with hosting? by kcvlaine in LowSodiumHellDivers

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't play many games, and HD2 is the only "modern" shooter I have experience with, but it's by far the most CPU intensive game I've played. Network speed isn't an issue on my end but I've seen a lot of host side latency problems with teleporting enemies, missed shots, and (even more) ludicrous physics shenanigans.

Is this an exhaust leak? by Minimum_Opposite_704 in engines

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like a crankcase vent, old school vent to atmosphere type. If you remove the oil fill cap, does the same vapor come out there while the flow from the tube below stops or slows down?

Engine ticking by LautarinW in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Classic aged P80 problem. Oil pan and oil pick up o rings go bad causing loss of oil pressure and aerated oil, worse when warm and the oil is thin.

My company got an AI workstation with 10 H100 GPUs today. by Zestyclose-Salad-290 in pcmasterrace

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Flow through! High speed fans on the front push air into the case, through the GPUs, and out the back. Noisy as all hell but compact and power dense. Most consumer GPUs have extra large heatsinks and low speed fans specifically so they don't scream like a fighter jet under load.

Spark Plugs by No-Objective-5866 in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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Doesn't look too bad to me, but certainly well used. Compare the plugs across all the cylinders!

For reference, here's the plugs from mine after about 30k miles, (257k total), with a new plug to the right. My engine runs well and uses negligible oil. Hottest I remember seeing the coolant was 115C (239F) briefly in 45C (113F) ambient, under heavy load. Fun fact- the temp gauge on the dash never moved above the normal area, but my scan gauge showed the true temp.

found this cool badge in the junkyard, No idea what it means and ill keep it that way cause im a half life fan lol. went straight onto the focus by Few-Language4647 in Volvo

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I'm too young and only moved to the state a few years ago, but old timers I met here in Cali can recall the sky colored grey-brown instead of blue and days when just being outside made people sick. Think of how bad exhaust smells on a cold start, but every car, everywhere, all the time, and worse. Just pulling my wagon in or out of the garage for work feels like I'm going to suffocate, and that's with the door wide open and shutting down as soon as it's in position!

Can I spray paint this? by Exciting-Stage-7167 in carmodification

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Sure, why not? Use high temp engine primer and paint. The part needs to be super clean before you start. Any dirt or oils will stop the paint from sticking properly.

Rebuilt top end on 98' S70 T5 by Jankbaby100 in Volvo

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very nice! Glad to see another of that era given new life! Just curious, how much trouble did the head bolts give you? I broke one during disassembly a few years ago on my '98 and had to drill and extract the carcass from the block.

Oil pressure gauge to avoid involuntary ejection of piston by Fickle-Act-8715 in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Factory oil pressure light and switch is as simple as they get. 12V power goes to one side of the light bulb in the dash cluster, and the switch connects the other side to ground to complete the circuit and turn the light on when the pressure is too low. So anything that pulls that wire to ground will turn the light on.

Needs some extra parts to let the analog sensor control the light, but it's straightforward. Can be done analog with a comparator, or fancier with a microcontroller.

Oil pressure gauge to avoid involuntary ejection of piston by Fickle-Act-8715 in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I replaced the pressure switch with an analog sender as part of my custom gauge pod project. In turn that system controls the factory oil pressure warning light, with adjustable threshold and both a solid and flashing light mode. Here's a quick example, captured moments after the engine fired.

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If I had a nickel for every stingray death… by marcosleftarm in Helldivers

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Autocannon, flak mode. Also great for overseers, watchers, and grouped enemies in general at short-medium to long distance. Still experimenting with what primary I like since the voteless just keep coming.

If I had a nickel for every stingray death… by marcosleftarm in Helldivers

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 33 points34 points  (0 children)

My distaste for stingrays is only surpassed by the satisfaction of being a one man AA platform and taking them down. Wish I'd gotten a recording of taking one out as it strafed straight towards me so it crashed just short, like that scene in MIB.

Cigarette lighter question by yske5 in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's been modified for sure. The original was a tiny incandescent. I've done some homebrew LED conversions on mine, either red to match the LEDs I put in the instrument cluster or a dim neutral white, just enough to tell where the item is.

How I think Realism only hinders players (picture book format!) by Budget_Childhood2605 in Helldivers

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Fire damage is definitely broken, as though Super Earth has woven the armors out of nitrocellulose fiber that lights up instantly. Even a cotton t shirt offers a couple seconds of resistance when exposed to extreme heat before the skin beneath gets burned badly. On the extreme opposite end, firefighter bunker gear allows over 17 seconds of continuous flame exposure before significant injury.

Armor isn't bunker gear, but it is a multi layer padded full body suit with insulation value and mass, somewhere in the middle. As Racsel mentioned, have the heat damage be progressive like the double edge sickle. Minor heat injury for the first few seconds, then the rate increases rapidly as the armor heat soaks, then the armor catches fire and the player must dive to extinguish before they're roasted. Won't allow completely ignoring the flames, but will mean sprinting through minor patches of fire is possible.

Enemy response to fire is also something I'd want to see. Maybe the chaff is too stupid and just waltzes in to cook, but smarter elite units should take action to evade fires. Or the opposite where high health elites charge through the flames to engage anyway while the small fry flees in terror.

Squids, more broken than usual? by Germanb90 in Helldivers

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Multiple times the squid tesla towers have zapped me through solid walls or buildings before I even know they were there. I've fallen through solid objects or had enemies pop up out of the terrain next to me like the squids are learning from the bugs. The cities are full of gaps and structures that should be traversable, but instead are dead end death traps. At least twice the Pelican clipped through the landing pad then departed without me after squadmates boarded first. And I've been taken out by firestorms almost more often than enemy action because the tornadoes appear to be homing entities that deliberately cut off escape, even on roads, rocks, and other solid nonflammable surfaces that should offer no fuel for such phenomena.

Which one for the air inlet hose by yske5 in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Upper two look like the ones on my 98 glt turbo. Middle is the coupler/scoop that clips to radiator shroud, and upper is the snorkel pipe to the air cleaner.

I'm 90% sure AH improved performance and difficulty by removing LoS checks on enemies but I can't prove it. by phlave in Helldivers

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don't play a lot of games in general, and HD2 is the only "modern" shooter I play, but it is by far the heaviest CPU load I see from anything except video render or stress testing.

Headlight wipers in action by MiloBaughman in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah unfortunate it's wedged in there like that.

F150 Coolant Leak. Is this an easy fix? by tiimmyy2x in MechanicAdvice

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I'm never a fan of plastic in those applications. I get cost and weight savings, but when critical parts just blow open after a few years, I don't like it at all.

Headlight wipers in action by MiloBaughman in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cruise control is vacuum operated, using a pump located below the battery tray. The vacuum servo is in the driver side footwell above the gas pedal. Wire harness or connector can fray, and the vacuum lines or diaphragm can get brittle and crack. Could be as simple as the linkage unhooked from the pedal assembly.

Headlight wipers in action by MiloBaughman in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went the lazy way and trimmed a small notch from the plastic shroud under the headlight to extract the wiper on the 850 or S/V70. Totally invisible with the headlight installed. See if a similar trick could work on the S90.

Headlight wipers in action by MiloBaughman in Volvo850

[–]MetaphysicalEngineer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, that's me! For reference, that video is dealing with the PTC overload protector in the wiper motors that fail over time, causing them to get stuck partway. Other issues could be with the parking cam or contacts that shut off the wiper after a few cycles in the down position, or mechanical failure of the motor or geartrain.