And the 6 foot long timing chains (There were 2 of them)(on the 2.6) stretched and snapped when the poorly designed lubrication system caused the balance shafts to seize. If you over maintained them the chain tensioners stayed together for 100,000Km - but not if you followed the “normal” maintenance schedule. The 1600…

But it was a Mitzu (shitty). That 2.6 was an engineering and maintenance NIGHTMARE. I loved the Japanese Plymouth Arrow (particularly the Fire Arrow with the 2.6) and the Japanese Challenger - but they were unreliable mediocre cars and there are plenty of reasons you don’t see many around today. (The family has owned…

The best car/truck is the one you own that’s paid for and still does the job. Nothing out there available today will replace my ‘96 Ranger 5 speed standard cab 7 foot box 4 liter pickup. Definitely nothing under $40 grand (and it has heated seats, backup camera, side view cameras, AC, 8 inch touchscreen stereo with…

When I cruise the local junkyards I am seeing cars that I would have considered really worth fixing up and driving even 10 years ago. Solid relatively rust and damage free cars with better than decent interiors - scrapped for parts. Many still running but with some expensive/difficult/impossible to remedy relatively…

The supercharged version sure cured the “low power” problem!! - and the low mounted mid engine actually made it handle pretty good for a shoebox on a roller skate.

There is no such thing as a cheap or low priced German car. If you have a hard on for an E39 and a flush bank account go for it - but for the average guy who just wants to frive a fancy car??? Nope.

Either the specified or higher spec. Never lower.

Actually left foot braking is the CAUSE of a vast majority of un-intended accelleratio and driving into stores/banks. If the left foot is firmly on the floor it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to have your right foot hard on the accelerator while you attempt to stop.

On some cars parked on a slope in park without the “parking brake” on you could virtually NOT get it out of park because of the load on the parking pawl. Have not seen the problem an recent models

There was some truth to that - and to a point still is on some port injected engines. Top Tier Premium has more “detergents” which under some conditions will clean off or prevent deposits on the intake valves on engines that have that tendancy. Not an issue with direct injection engines where the intake passage is…

Not if you use a good synthetic - but even then you don’t want to try to go 10,000

If the TBI was your problem a carb MAY have helped - but so would fixing the TBI. (I ported a TBI and put on an adjustable pressure regulator on a 350 in a VanDura and almost doubled the fuel economy and GREATLY improved the towing power - but the original TBI WAS having problems- - -

Depends how stiff the clutch springs are and how old your knees are -- - - - 

SOME engines leaked more with early synthetics due to the composition of the seals - they would harfen up with the synthetics of the day. Today’s replacement seals for those engines and the newer synthetics have solved that problem.

Depends a bit on the engine and the state of tune. A 2 stroke tuned for a muffler will run like CRAP on a pipe. An engine with a lot of overlap tuned to run properly through mufflers will NOT be as powerful or tractable through open pipes. (It’s not just “backpressure” involved - it’s more “scavenging”)

It ALLOWS the engine to produce more power if the engine is capable of making use of it. A higher compression engine requires higher octane - and on low octane it “detunes” to compensate for the low octane. A SURPRISING number of today’s higher (specific) output engines CAN make use of extra octane, producing more…

Racing stripes make a car go faster

Funny, none of the last 6 I have owned had a “hand brake”. They were all foot operated and would be a REAL PAIN to use for a “hand brake turn”

I won’t say “only” but in general you WILL have better results with the plug specified by the manufacturer. With Toyota that’s Nippondenso or NGK since both are “factory equipment”. Back prior to 1990 there was NO Champion plug that would outlast or outperform the OEM plugs on a ‘Yota.

A good idea on air cooled engines (like a Lycoming or Continental - or an old Bug) but today’s engines running today’s lubricants?? The old Ranger runs synthetic in the gearbox, diff, and engine. Once it fires up and Iget buckled in, it’s ready to go. By the time I’m out of the subdivision (about 5 blocks) it’s…