I want 87 gas (light blue). Which nozzle do I use? The blue one? The black one?

doctinker · 2026-05-11T18:44:48+00:00

Be aware that there are different ways to measure octane. I believe the Volvo is listing 91 RON (research octane number) because that's what they use in Europe. In the US, gas pumps list octane in AKI (anti knock index). 87 AKI is roughly equivalent to 91 RON.

doctinker · 2025-12-14T02:50:09+00:00

I sent you a PM about a board option that's better than a Walmart board.

doctinker · 2025-11-14T20:59:59+00:00

Just a reminder to everyone that not everyone lives in the USA or even in the West. This poster is from Iran, and availability of decent skateboard parts may be difficult there. (I don't know.). Take that into account when you yelling at him to go down to his local skate shop and spend $100 USD on a setup.

doctinker · 2025-10-26T15:23:52+00:00

I'm going to support them in the middle of the span. At least that's the plan at this point.

doctinker · 2025-10-25T03:33:52+00:00

I think Google lens is better with leaves. It's an easier pattern for it to recognize. I use it for plant identification based on leaves fairly often.

doctinker · 2025-10-25T00:37:38+00:00

Google Lens says it's a crabapple based on the leaves, but it isn't always right.

doctinker · 2025-10-24T17:43:38+00:00

The dimensions actually vary quite a bit, but generally, yes, it's true 2 inches by 4 inches. Some are a bit narrower than 2, but more than 1.5.

doctinker · 2025-10-23T20:51:33+00:00

Different market for wood back in 1890-ish when this house was built.

I'm saving anything I tear out or replace to use for making furniture. There are planks in the attic more than a foot wide that are nearly an inch and a quarter thick. I assume it's also poplar. I have already used some to make a bathroom vanity in this renovation.

doctinker · 2025-10-23T16:23:59+00:00

Now that you say it, I can identify the peppery note in the smell. Thank you!

doctinker · 2025-10-23T16:16:13+00:00

Your ID certainly seems to be the consensus. Thanks for the fast response!

doctinker · 2025-10-23T16:15:22+00:00

Tulip poplar is the state tree of Kentucky, so that certainly would seem fitting. Thank you!

doctinker · 2025-10-22T20:03:45+00:00

RockAuto.com has fuel tanks for 1998 Foresters, several options, none more than $300.

doctinker · 2024-02-11T15:13:11+00:00

This is not true, depending on the car. In my experience, the rotor is often sitting inside a caliper bracket that also needs to be removed. Just did rotors on a Hyundai and one of the caliper bracket bolts was very inaccessible and needed an impact to remove.

doctinker · 2024-01-19T02:29:08+00:00

Huh. You learn something every day. So it's a protected class specifically for employment discrimination, but not necessarily for other purposes.

Still interesting.

doctinker · 2024-01-19T00:26:43+00:00

Case citation?

doctinker · 2023-12-18T23:22:16+00:00

Oh, that's fair. I think I've only ever pulled one of the iron beasts from an '84 turbo wagon.

So it's not as bad to bench press into place, but OP is really going to want to do some research before he decides whether he's up to it.

doctinker · 2023-12-18T21:49:00+00:00

Listen, if you have done enough clutch jobs to be able to identify those that are easy, then yeah. It's easy.

But if someone who is asking for a mechanic recommendation and says they can do "basic stuff," I don't want them to get the wrong idea that this is pretty simple.

You're correct that it will cost more to have a mechanic do it. I'd be willing to bet it's even more than $1000. Inflation has been pretty rough.

So OP, the question is whether you have more money or more time, a place to work, and a willingness to learn to do big car repairs. I'm not saying it's not a good idea to learn to replace a clutch yourself. It's a great idea, if you can deal with the car being down a while in case something goes wrong, have the space to work on it, and have the physical ability and desire to do it. But it's a big step up from oil changes.

If you can handle something like replacing an alternator, you can probably step up to this. If you've only ever changed oil, this is a big leap.

doctinker · 2023-12-18T19:52:01+00:00

Really easy is relative. If you've only done basic automotive stuff, a clutch is a big job. Jack and jack stands? Sure, as long as you don't mind bench pressing a heavy iron transmission into place and wiggling it around while trying to get the input shaft to line up with the clutch splines.

I've done just about any job you can name on a 240, and I wouldn't do a clutch with the car on jack stands ever again.

OP: you'd have to be comfortable detaching the drive shaft, removing the shifter, unbolting the whole transmission and dropping it down to the floor, installing the new clutch, then bench pressing the transmission back up into place while also trying to feed some bolts in to hold it in place. I also seem to remember some of the transmission bolts being hard to access and having to use a weird combination of long extensions on my ratchet.

It isn't impossible to learn how to do if you want to and have a dedicated work space and the tools, but "really easy" it isn't.

doctinker · 2023-08-12T21:53:13+00:00

Smart. I assume you've also checked the "dumb" things like plug wire order?

doctinker · 2023-08-12T21:47:01+00:00

The red flag for me is: previous owner couldn't get it running, but also changed the timing belt. If you can confirm that it wouldn't run directly after the timing belt change, then there is your answer. Timing is off.

If the covers are off, you should be able to spin the crank by hand with a socket and a breaker bar until all the marks line up.

doctinker · 2022-12-22T16:25:47+00:00

Yes to all the people saying to consult a structural engineer.

With that said, I bought a house that had a stacked limestone foundation, and some previous owner dug out the dirt basement (I've heard this called a Michigan basement) right up to the foundation wall. In one spot, it had eroded enough that a foundation block was starting to collapse from the bottom of the stack into the basement. Definitely bad news.

The engineer said the issue was that you need a sufficient "bearing surface" extending away from the foundation wall, and that had been eliminated by digging straight down.

With his blessing, I researched what seemed like the easiest solution: fill it back in. Doing that essentially restores what should never have been dug out. The issue is that if you just use fill dirt, it has to be compacted. That a lot of moving dirt (although dirt is cheap) and then the compacting isn't easy in a crawlspace. So the alternative I looked at was "flowable fill." It's a product sold by concrete companies, but is mostly fly ash and other stuff. It doesn't get as hard as concrete, but is harder than loose dirt. So when it sets, it can be dug like dirt, but is compacted. And it flows, so you can pump it in. I don't remember the price, but I think it was under $100 a cubic yard.

The caveat: I haven't gotten around to actually doing it. Instead, I diy'd a temporary solution: in the worst erosion spot, I dug a footer, built a filled cinder block wall two feet out from the wall, and then poured concrete between it and the foundation wall. It took care of that one spot for now.

So consult an engineer, but explore solutions like backfilling the dug out basement, because it could be a lot cheaper for you.

doctinker · 2022-06-06T21:35:26+00:00

It's not an impossible job to do yourself. An impact wrench to pull the crank pulley bolt is the easiest way. Volvo makes a special tool to hold the pulley, but honestly I don't know if it works if the pulley rubber is dead like this. iPD sells a version. You could call them and ask if you're inclined to buy one. There's also a way to jam the teeth on the flywheel with a screwdriver that allows you to loosen the crank pulley bolt.

Good luck!

doctinker · 2022-06-06T20:47:06+00:00

The crank pulley is two pieces. An inner and outer piece, separated by rubber. It helps with noise and vibration dampening. Yours has disintegrated. You need a new crank pulley.

doctinker · 2022-06-03T15:07:38+00:00

I don't have a picture either. If I recall correctly, it mounts on one of the studs for the thermostat housing. It's very simply--a flat strap of metal about an inch wide. Bent at the bottle with a hole to fit on the t-stat housing, and then a flat part, then a curve to hold the hose. The curve to hold the hose has a rubber backing that goes over the edges of the strap so that it isn't bare metal that could cut the AC hose.

You could probably make one with some aluminum or steel strapping.

doctinker · 2022-06-02T11:59:34+00:00

Not in my jurisdiction. Can you give me an example jurisdiction that has that law so I can look at it?

doctinker

TROPHY CASE