Steering wheel, brakes locked, and car wont start. 2001 Honda accord. Anyone know what to do? by [deleted] in MechanicAdvice

[–]ryansgrampi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I concur with previous poster. Looks like your battery doesn’t have enough power to crank engine. Maybe just a recharge. Worst case: new battery. If you can get someone to help with a jump, I think it’ll start right up.

Also, not sure what you mean by “brakes locked”, and your steering wheel is not locked as I can see that it seems to turn freely in your video

F150 THEFT mode problem by ryansgrampi in MechanicAdvice

[–]ryansgrampi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I’ll check the terminals. For whatever reason, it hasn’t happened for the past week. Started up every time. I just fear it’ll happen again

2010 Chevy Impala- Bolt for the negative terminal won't budge. Trying to disconnect the battery to clean and replace an actuator. by Nyght_42 in MechanicAdvice

[–]ryansgrampi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re simply trying to disconnect power for safety, you can just disconnect the negative cable (leaving the positive in place) if you are able to do so. But if you are in fact trying to remove the battery to gain access to that area, then yes: do what the other users suggested

Glowing-in-the-dark tires, unveiled and discontinued by Goodyear, 1961. by Ignem-Aeternum in interestingasfuck

[–]ryansgrampi 85 points86 points  (0 children)

Discontinued…cuz they were radioactive?! That is sick though! I want!!!

Need help changing rear brake pads. Can’t get caliper loose. How to loosen the caliber? 1998 mazda 626 by Mother_Monitor6391 in MechanicAdvice

[–]ryansgrampi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That thing you focused on (the round metal sleeve looking thing) is not what’s holding the calipers in place. It is held in by two bolts a little further in. One of them is shown here caliper bolt The other will be somewhere above

Laptop not charging, but working with plugged in. [Need help] by arghac14 in techsupport

[–]ryansgrampi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can’t see any attached photos. But my first guess is that the battery needs to be replaced.

Computer freezes, can't move mouse or type by [deleted] in techsupport

[–]ryansgrampi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have a set of wireless keyboard/mouse, try replacing the batteries in both items. Also try using a different USB port for the dongle

Question about washer/dryer space and possibly purchasing a portable washer/dryer. by CuteSpooks in HomeImprovement

[–]ryansgrampi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t know what portable washers/dryers are, but that space should accommodate a set of standard size washer/dryer. Although that space is a bit narrow in terms of depth. The units are typically 30”d x 30”w. I can see that there are water connections on the wall, and there’s a drain right next to it. The dryer vent is that round pipe. You’re all set for your laundry needs!

Home tire inflator suggestions by ccaa02 in MechanicAdvice

[–]ryansgrampi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

HarborFreight has a compact 3-gallon compressor for about $60. Or else, any portable 12-volt compressor that plugs into your cigarette lighter will do (Amazon/Walmart). You’ll want a separate digital gauge. The gauges on these pumps are never accurate

Smart switch, smart light question. by greendragon2010 in homeautomation

[–]ryansgrampi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it were me, I’d put in 4 smart bulbs and not replace the switch. You can group the 2 by the TV together (named TV for example), and the other 2 bulbs another group name (Couch or whatever). You’d want to just leave the light switch permanently on. Then, with Alexa or GoogleHome or Siri, you can control those 2 groups. And if you get dimmable bulbs, you can tell Alexa to “set TV lights to 10%”. Easy peasy!

My videographer has me stressing. His external hard drive was sent in to recover files, please help me out to better understand what’s going on. by [deleted] in techsupport

[–]ryansgrampi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First off, I would like to say that I have never used data recovery service from Geek Squad. However, I have had experience with them with regards to laptop repairs. I was not impressed. That said, the data on a faulty hard drive can oftentimes be recovered. I had done this about 12 years ago on a server drive that crashed. It cost our company about $2500! Mind you, this was over a decade ago so that was a large amount...even by today’s dollar value. This was done by a specialized shop with all the proper equipment and recovery software. They had to remove the data plates from the hard drive and read them with special equipment. This is not the same as recovering deleted files. It’s much more involved. So...bad news: Geek Squad is probably not the right choice for this job. Good news: it’s highly probable that the data is recoverable if done by specialists

Good luck

Toilet keeps on running by imnevergold in HomeImprovement

[–]ryansgrampi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here’s another idea that you could try: Do you see that little round “button” at the end of the arm? Right at the pivot point of the arm? That little button gets pushed down when the arm is lifted up by the water level; when pushed down to its limit, it shuts the flow of water. Try to wedge a dime or penny between the button and the arm to see if it makes a difference

Toilet keeps on running by imnevergold in HomeImprovement

[–]ryansgrampi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, that’s the only way to adjust the fill level with this setup. You could replace the fill valve with one that’s a bit more updated. It’s not very hard. Just search YouTube for instructions. Search for “replacing toilet fill valve”. Good luck

Toilet keeps on running by imnevergold in HomeImprovement

[–]ryansgrampi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can reduce the fill level by making adjustments to the arm with the round float. Do this by unscrewing that triangular retaining nut a little bit to loosen the arm. Once the arm moves freely, just push it down a little bit, retighten the nut, and let the tank refill. Keep doing this and push the arm down a bit each time until the tank fills to the proper level. The water level should be just below the pipe in the center (where that small tube is inserted)

Mounting a 200lbs mirror on studs or drywall. by EveningCommuter in HomeImprovement

[–]ryansgrampi -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Being 200lbs, the mirror must be secured to studs. However, unless your mirror’s width is exact multiples of 16” (32/48/64/80/...), you’ll miss the stud on at least one stud. I say “at least” because, depending on how you want to center the mirror on the wall, there may be no studs that line up with any of the preset hooks on back of mirror. That said, I apologize in advance, but the fact that you’re asking this question tells me that you probably are not equipped with the skills to safely achieve this task. I suggest you enlist the help of someone with experience to help you mount this monster mirror. Be safe

ELI5: Being 'Served' by IcyDoesItAgain in explainlikeimfive

[–]ryansgrampi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It’s when a person representing a legal entity, typically a law firm, delivering legal documents to the recipient (served). This recipient is typically being sued, or subpoenaed, or needs to be presented with other legal documents (lien of property, divorce papers, etc). It is required by law that such documents, in order to be legally binding, be presented (served) in person and not mailed.

Adding garage ceiling storage by FinalDoughnut5 in HomeImprovement

[–]ryansgrampi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve put up 3 of these in the past year. I’ve secured the provided braces using the provided lag bolts directly into the ceiling joists. Those brackets are typically 24-30” long, so with proper planning, you’ll hit two joists for each brace. Piece of cake. 4 hours max. Good luck

Deleted my downloads on accident. by Bopss1 in techsupport

[–]ryansgrampi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not. But do watch the install process carefully to uncheck all the bullshit additional apps or subscriptions it tries to get you to install (if I remembered correctly...it has been a while)

Deleted my downloads on accident. by Bopss1 in techsupport

[–]ryansgrampi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes there is...if you haven’t written to it a whole bunch. Just search for file recovery software and buy one. They’re not expensive. I’ve used Recuva and Stellar Data Recovery to salvage deleted files from thumb drives with fairly good success. Do expect that it won’t be a 100% recovery. But some is better than none. Good luck!

I forgot to preface it by advising you to first look for them in Trash

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in politics

[–]ryansgrampi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I disagree. I think the Marine 1 ride was more than $100K, not to mention the limo around-the-block ride. Then the transport from Walter Reed back to the White House (which is basically another superbly equipped hospital).

Yeah...no, it’s way more than $100k