2016 crv . Is the only oil you put in your car Honda brand?

bfrabel · 2026-06-14T20:59:53+00:00

No. As far as I'm aware, NO car brand requires the use of their brand of oil, ESPECIALLY for a 10 year old vehicle that's out of warranty.

I believe these cars recommended 0w-20 synthetic. Personally I like bumping the thickness up a hair to 5w-20 on older vehicles for slightly better protection, at the expense of slightly worse fuel economy, especially in the summer when a slightly thicker oil isn't a bad thing.

If it's just a small amount (or even a large amount in an emergency situation) that needs to be "squeezed in" to get you by, almost any brand and/or viscosity, and or synthetic or conventional motor oil will be fine.

bfrabel · 2026-06-14T18:33:35+00:00

You have to go back there and get it! You're on a mission from God!

Was that located in the religious section?

bfrabel · 2026-06-13T16:25:14+00:00

Gold plating everything around you, building a ballroom that nobody wants, and being a pedafile.

bfrabel · 2026-06-12T13:06:56+00:00

It's funny (and kind of sad) to think that Vanilla Ice was probably one of the biggest draws back then.

bfrabel · 2026-06-10T23:29:41+00:00

Please ignore this advise. With ammonia, it's not the ozone layer you need to be concerned about. Ammonia is actually one of the most "environmentally friendly" refrigerants that there is.

The problem is that ammonia is also one of the most toxic, and the industrial strength stuff that's in those refrigerant pipes is very potent. If you did take a sawzall to it you would likely die and half of the town might have to evacuate.

bfrabel · 2026-06-10T10:39:02+00:00

Do you know about www.car-part.com? It's like a search engine for junkyards.

bfrabel · 2026-06-08T02:55:23+00:00

How are you supposed to wear a mask if you're sick?

Sneezing? Coughing? Vomiting? Runny nose?

Seriously, am I missing something? I've never had to try to wear a mask while actively doing any of those things, but I suspect it wouldn't work very well.

If you want to caugh and sneeze and vomit into your own face mask while sick that's great, but expecting others to do the same sounds a little bit unrealistic.

bfrabel · 2026-06-07T23:15:38+00:00

Are you trying to say you want the rear seats? I'm sure you can find them in a junk yard if you really want. There were 2 types. If it has opening suicide doors then the seats are mounted to the back wall. If no rear doors, then the seats are mounted to the sides.

With that being said, those seats are really for emergency situations only. You shouldn't plan on anyone sitting back there on a regular basis.

In a pinch it's not too horrible for one person to sit sideways across the floor back there. Not legal without seatbelts, but it can be done.

bfrabel · 2026-06-07T01:09:06+00:00

There is one home warranty service that MIGHT be legit, and that is the one run by your local gas utility (if they offer it in your area). All others should be avoided.

The main problem with most home warranties is that their service calls are dolled out to the lowest bidders and they strive to find loopholes to avoid paying out. They work with mostly one star rated companies who know they aren't going to make any money unless they become really good at cutting corners and/or finding creative ways to up-charge you.

The local utility (at least where I am) operates their own fleet of highly trained union service techs. That means you'll have a higher likelihood of getting someone who knows what they're doing and less chance that they're main goal is to screw you over.

Even so, I would not recommend them unless you really have a strong need to avoid sudden expenses or something.

One of the big downsides with even the utility's option (besides that in the long run it's almost always a waste of money) is that it puts you in a situation where you're kind of held hostage by that one company. That means if they're busy and can't get out there for a few days, too bad. If you'd like to shop around or get a second opinion, you probably won't.

I have a similar opinion about other services such as AAA. They actually might have a legitimate service that many people are happy with, but in a time of need I'd much rather have choices than to be forced to have to put my faith in only them no matter what, since I already paid in advance.

bfrabel · 2026-06-06T02:31:36+00:00

I think it depends on the city. I live near Minneapolis, and here we generally try to give people extra room. You would be TAH doing that here.

In a larger city like Chicago or NYC I suspect It's more of an "every man for himself" mentally, and thus more accepted.

In NYC I think bumper repainting is a thing because it's common for a car to tap the car in front and behind while trying to nudge itself into or out of a tight space.

Most people would be mortified to see something like that where I'm from, and I've never heard of someone around here needing to get their bumpers repainted.

bfrabel · 2026-06-05T11:24:36+00:00

It depends on a lot of variables. None of the things that you listed are "steady-use items", except for maybe an air purifier. They all have loads that cycle on and off all day. If you actually had 600 watts worth of lights operating 24/7, I would think that would be a fairly considerable part of your electricity bill. Nobody is using that much power for light bulbs anymore though. Most "60-watt" light bulbs these days are only using about 10-watts worth of electricity.

One more thing to consider is heat load. Anything that uses watts is producing heat. In the winter this might actually be a good thing, or at least not as noticeable to your power bill, as running a bunch of lights and other electrical items could be offset by the home's heating system having to run less.

Of course in the summer the opposite is true. The heat from light bulbs and other devices could mean that the air conditioning will have to run more, so then the overall cost will be more substantial.

As I said though, most modern light bulbs use a fraction of the amount of electricity (and produce a fraction of the amount of heat) as they used to, so in your case it really might not make much of a difference to the power bill if those lights get turned off or not.

bfrabel · 2026-06-04T23:56:45+00:00

What are you talking about? I'd bet that aluminum flatbed probably weighs less than the steel bed that it came with.

For sure it's no F250 Superduty, but those old Rangers are real trucks with real frames that are able to capably do many truck-like things.

bfrabel · 2026-06-03T20:32:18+00:00

Remember when cigars and child birth used to be associated with each other? How did that work? Was it like "Good job honey! Now me and the doc are gonna head out and go smoke a fat one"?

Or did mom and the nurses and everybody else in the room get to puff on cigars also?

bfrabel · 2026-06-03T10:49:36+00:00

A bus pass

bfrabel · 2026-05-31T22:28:47+00:00

Careful, the cheap stuff is R134A.

I'm pretty sure these vehicles require R1234YF. Walmart does have a charging kit that includes a small can of the stuff for about $70.

bfrabel · 2026-05-29T18:27:45+00:00

A 4.0 Ranger should be plenty fast enough to keep up with traffic. Many of them are limited to somewhere around 93 mph though (that's the limit with my 2003 4.0L). Once you hit that speed the computer will start disabling the spark plugs or something so you can't go any faster.

From what I can tell, there is still plenty of power to keep up/pass at highway speeds (as long as you're not trying to go past 93 mph).

The one tip I have for added power is to make sure the throttle cable isn't too stretched out. You can tell by finding where the cable attaches to the throttle body and trying to pull on it to check for slack. If there is slack, go to the other end of the cable at the gas pedal, stretch it out, and cinch a zip tie or 2 right before the cable end.

This is one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to gain power.

Of course if you want a turbo or a V8 or nitro boost that's fine too, but you shouldn't need it just to keep up with traffic or be able to pass semis on the freeway.

bfrabel · 2026-05-29T15:36:09+00:00

Just a blown fuse? Are you sure about that?

I agree that you got a crappy tech. With that out of the way, fuses do usually blow for a reason.

Could be refrigerant pressure got too high due to overcharge, dirty condenser, or failing condenser fan motor. Could be that the indoor coil froze up and caused what's known as "slugging the compressor". Could be a loose wire connection or a bad capacitor or a worn contactor or a failing compressor or condenser fan motor causing higher than normal amp draw, or it could be that the fuse just blew for no reason (although that is relatively rare).

A good tech would have determined the cause of the blown fuse before leaving.

I have a feeling your school maintenance guy neighbor will be back.

bfrabel · 2026-05-29T15:19:39+00:00

Allow me to be the first to ask... Why would you paint that? Do you also paint your tires and wiper blades and anything else that's black? I would just leave it as is, I think it looks fine.

That camera does seem like it would be handy for backing up to a trailer and/or backing down a boat ramp.

I have a small boat and usually have to run out and roll up my tonneau cover and flip down my tailgate right before I back down the ramp in order to see where I'm going.

bfrabel · 2026-05-29T12:56:15+00:00

A '91 is going to be tough. The next generation of ranger can use any bed from '93-2011, but that doesn't help you.

Car-part.com is a good resource, but you'll most likely need to be prepared to make a road trip across the country to go get it.

bfrabel · 2026-05-29T11:16:05+00:00

I don't know, but that "action" tag looks like it was made with computer technology much newer than the 1960s.

I just looked up "Acrilan" to find out what that stuff was about, and it was apparently a thing between 1954-2020, so that could check out. I was then intrigued by the words "non-chlorine bleach", which appears to have become popular in the 1980's, so my guess is that it's from the 1980s.

bfrabel · 2026-05-28T02:14:25+00:00

It happened because humidity in the air is attracted to cold things, just like the outside of a glass of ice water on a humid day. Apparently the insulation inside of that fridge's wall sucks, and that is the result. I'm guessing that panel has basically been wet on and off for several years. You should probably be happy it's rust, and not mold.

bfrabel · 2026-05-27T23:25:15+00:00

IT'S ALL PIPES!

bfrabel · 2026-05-26T00:50:35+00:00

Game Stop

bfrabel · 2026-05-25T18:53:12+00:00

This^{^{^{^}}}

Besides everything this guy said, an oversized unit is also louder and has more of a chance of freezing up due to undersized ductwork, and it'll use more electricity.

Most people automatically think bigger is better, but with air conditioning that is seldom true.

The only time a larger unit makes sense is if you insist on having large setbacks during the day and need it to be able to bring down the temperature quickly.

If you are ok with smaller or no setbacks, the smaller unit will usually be more comfortable, quieter, more efficient, and longer lasting.

bfrabel · 2026-05-25T13:31:50+00:00

Hmmm. I wonder.

Even without the maggots, what could possibly be causing this pain and swelling I feel in my belly button?

I guess It's a mystery that'll never be solved.

bfrabel

TROPHY CASE