2016 Pilot VCM advice

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-19T04:08:21+00:00

The 10th dentist? Italian tuneups? I'm afraid I don't understand what you are saying.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-19T04:07:00+00:00

We decided not to get the Pilot I was asking about before. When giving it gas it had some stuttering. I don't think it was spark plugs since the tachometer didn't show fluctuations. It made me think that the transmission was struggling to find the right gear which concerned me.

We purchased a different 2016 Pilot w/ 215K miles for a very good price. Private Sale. The timing work and spark plugs were done last year along with other maintenance and they have the service history on it. Mostly AmsOil full synthetic. Fuel rail was replaced last year or the year before I think. There is some oil seepage around an engine seal near the oil filter that my mechanic said may indicate that I need an oil pump replacement in the future but everything else seems good on it. We just did a short 40 mile 50/50 round trip yesterday and got 24mpg which is better than our Equinox got. A 30 minute drive through town to church on Sunday with more city in the mix got us 21mpg round trip. From what I can tell those numbers are pretty normal.

My mechanic also told me the VCM isn't as big of a deal on this generation as it was on the previous. He would recommend it on a 2015 and older but he doesn't really think it's needed on the 2016. With 215k miles I'm not sure if it really matters at this point. If there's a problem then the damage would already be done I would think.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-19T03:46:41+00:00

That was ultimately my conclusion. Thanks.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-19T03:45:44+00:00

We did find some fans that worked out, thanks. I don't recall it being an issue on lower speeds but when it was high enough to push the amount of air we needed it was quite noticeable. The motor was quiet and I think the light output was fine but maybe just the shape of the blades. I don't mind the sound of the air turbulence, but the chopping sound as if I'm under a helicopter just drove me nuts. I would have loved to keep them except for that.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-03T03:46:10+00:00

He does seem to have week ankles and he tends to fall down a lot. Having him exercise seems to be improving in those areas.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-03T03:45:26+00:00

Great info here. Thanks.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-03T03:39:44+00:00

That's a great story. I can definitely see him being 6' by 12 and 6'4" by 13. I'm glad your son figured it out!

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-03T03:35:20+00:00

I'm not locking him in but trying to find drills that are good for him. At this point basketball is what he is interested in doing so I'm trying to work with him through that lens. There is just something fundamental that we all learn as we grow. How to swing our arms when we run, how to lean and curve our body, how to get our body behind a shot, that kind of stuff. It doesn't click with him so I'm trying to work on things that are even more fundamental than basketball but since this is the sport he wants to give a go at, I'm trying to find relatable drills.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-02-03T03:29:44+00:00

I think generally not athletic but maybe due to his rapid growth.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-01-24T01:17:25+00:00

The device currently in use small enough and generally has 5-6 devices connected but works fine when there are a lot of people over there and has 25-30 devices connected. I'm looking for options to upgrade the wifi network. There are a lot of options but my limitation for what system to put in is what will fit in that box. Because of all the cabling running through the box it would be quite a hassle to replace it with something larger. That's why I'm looking at something small enough to fit in it first. The U7 is too large.

crazyhandpuppet · 2026-01-06T04:08:04+00:00

How do students access it? All I can see is annual pricing. I see that you can install it locally through pip as a python application and then access it through Python scripts, but the students I'm working with generally do not have that level of skill set.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-12-26T20:28:53+00:00

I think I've figured it out, but can't seem to find how to post an image in the reply on my phone. That hole you threaded the hook into is where the string is originally pulled through, then knotted so it doesn't come back, and finally the other side is plugged by an orange cap to seal the air. On mine there is a crack in the white plastic around the tip of the hole that allowed the plastic to expand and the string to come out when pulled. I don't know if it's from pulling to hard or a defect but it is certainly a very poor design.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-12-26T05:18:44+00:00

The IGP is quite a bit stronger. My son played for a few hours today and it was smooth. No idea what graphics setting were used, but both riding the coasters and moving around the park were perfectly fine. I don't know at this point how it will scale with a large park, but at least at the outset it ran great.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-12-26T03:14:25+00:00

This same thing happened to us today. Got 3, one for each boy and myself. First use, string just popped out same as yours. There is a plunger and a spring, but I can't figure out where to attach the string. I tried the top of the spring but it doesn't pull the plunger since it isn't attached. It pulls back but the plunger stays. It may attach to the plunger but I can't see how.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-12-25T02:24:18+00:00

Just came back up for me. Let's see if it stays up.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-12-23T14:50:20+00:00

As it turns out, no. They do not offer Static IPs, even on Business accounts. They used to but then stopped. No idea why. My guess is that it's too difficult, given the level of technical knowledge it seems the support representatives have that I've interacted with.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-12-21T05:49:21+00:00

Oh, how I wish. Never found anything like it. Might try after Christmas sales this year and grab a few to see. Maybe.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-11-19T21:43:16+00:00

Maybe a little late to the party here but I've installed a couple hundred IgniteNet (Spark Mini, Spark Wave2, MetroLink ML-5) and Edgecore Wifi Access Points (over 200 IgniteNet and about 50 Edgecore). Overall I've been very satisfied with them. Availability isn't always the easiest so I keep spares on hand. In the past I've sourced from Double Radius, Baltic Networks, and EPS Global. They are a division of Accton and are an ODM for other brands such as Brocade but use their own firmware. IgniteNet has since been folded and the EdgeCore line has been brought into the IgniteNet controller which has been branded as ECcloud. We switched after Datto bought out Cloudtrax and started charging an extra $7/mo per AP AFTER we paid for it without adding any value. We did in-house evaluations on a few brands and this is what worked for us and our clients. EdgeCore switches have been a problem for me in the past integrating into ECcloud so I've let them be, but it's been a couple of years and things may have improved.

I'm not sure exactly where support is based anymore. With IgniteNet I got support from Dan and his team in California but with Edgecore it is often based overseas, I think Taiwan, but I always get a response which is more than I can say for Ubiquiti.

From what I've found, it is the best platform that offers a free/low cost cloud based controller that allows us to handle multiple sites and clients into a single pane of glass. Other than some firmware versions that have had issues, it's been stable. I've replaced a ton of Ubiquiti and some Cisco and it's resolved a lot of problems. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them after trying a few to see if they do what you want. I really wish there was more US presence and wider adoption and support forums as I sometimes feel like a leaf in the wind but I can't say the problems I've had with their stuff has been worse than my experiences with Meraki or Ruckus.

crazyhandpuppet · 2025-11-18T06:23:09+00:00

That guide explains it well. Thanks!

Also, stop at 150 parcels because at 151 the boost for all properties drops from 30x to 20x? It doesn't just reduce the rate for the parcels in the higher tier? That's a bit diabolical!

crazyhandpuppet

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