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Is this a good starting welder?
I have never welded and want to get into it. i picked up a vulcan welding helmet for $10 at a garage sale last week.
idk what else i would need besides some basic welding tools.
i need to fix a leaky exhaust with a broken hanger, fix some broken right angle screw mounts on a auger, and fabricate an airbox intake shield.

I have a 22 Accord and I filled it up with E15 for the first time. AKA unleaded 88. I've always used 87 in here but after filling up with 88 I noticed that the car runs a lot smoother. I googled this and the only thing I found is that extra ethanol has less chance to detonate. I don't have any issues with the car that I know of. But why is it running smoother with one octane higher gasoline?

>>29102908
What it got, stick, mig and a 3rd one?
Does it have automatic adjustment on top of manual, called synergic mig/welding or some shit like that, basically you just adjust the amperage and the machine adjusts wire feed, voltage and whatnot accordingly. Makes even the shittiest backyard welder (me) feel like a professional.

Is it normal for a car to lose some amount of coolant over time? I filled the expansion tank to the full line about a year ago and it's almost down to half now.

>>29102928
Have you checked what the manual recommends?

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Sorry for the dog shit quality, but how do tops of my pistons look? Is it normal that there is a portion without carbon build up?

>>29103038
87 or higher, compatible with 88, not to use E85.

ive never tried premium. i'll see how that runs next fillup

>>29103036
yes, its an expansion tank. coolant level in there varies.
burning coolant will make your exhaust will smell sweet. How does your coolant look? any issues with your engine oil?
>>29103052
if its clean like that could be valve, or head impact. are you experiencing any issues?

>>29103065
I have some oil burning issues. Wanted to check out the cylinder wall condition because I'm planning to refresh the engine with new rings, etc. But quality on the bore scope is too shit to tell anything. The only thing I noticed was that clean portion on the top of the pistons. They all have that.

>>29103076
well you cant check your cylinder walls with such a low quality scope.
what does the comp test say? oil status?

>>29102928
Extra ethanol also acts as a detergent/solvent.

>>29103079
Compression is good and oil is clean

Ill be going on work trip for 30 days. The weather will be about 10 celcius or 50 farenheit. I only have access to outdoor parking. Im planning on covering my car with a cover and disconnect the negative terminal on my battery. Do I need fuel preservative or do anything else?

>>29103065
>yes, its an expansion tank. coolant level in there varies.
>burning coolant will make your exhaust will smell sweet. How does your coolant look? any issues with your engine oil?
I haven't had any weird smells or white smoke. Engine oil level seems to be stable, might be like one or two mm lower? Hard to tell.

>>29103059
Additives in more expensive (not necessarily higher octane) fuel might make a difference, however it's unlikely you'll notice an immediate change. Going any higher than the manual specifies should make zero difference, higher octane is just to prevent spontaneous detonation on higher compression engines, if your engine doesn't need it then you gain nothing from it and it shouldn't make the engine run any different.

that sticky picture has been outdated for like 10 years so what kinda used car should I get? I'm selling my Focus ST because I need money and i'll get 12k. I'm hoping to spend less than $4k. so far i'm looking at a few common models.
>volvo v50 or subaru forester 2005-2008, both usually around 200kms+
>fiat 500, can get these really cheap, like 4k for a 2012
>mini cooper mid 2000 to 2010, these are also super cheap
>toyota yaris or honda fit, hard to find one at a good price, especially fits because they are fun to drive
>pontiac vibe or suzuki sx4 or toyota matrix, all cheap as they aren't really sought after
>90s honda/toyota, newer civics/corollas etc. have the reliability tax and are usually overpriced for what they are
canadian btw

>>29103097
No. Don't use a cover. Only invites unwanted attention

Testing

Guys i have a 2013 Ford Explorer v6 no turbo 4wd. It often loses all power and gives a "Terrain Management System Fault" on the dash. Then the motor shuts down. How do I diagnose what component this is, and what tools will I need? I heard this could be the throttle but idk. Will a normal automotive scanner be sufficient to diagnose this vehicle?

>scratch muffler in restaurant dilapidated parking lot in the sticks
>only visible if you put your face underneath it
>still have an urge to fix it

The scratches are deep and I don't have any tools. Tempted to get it fixed at a shop but I have no idea why. Why must everything be perfect? I need to get a used scratched up beater.

>>29103489
Fucking spray paint the muffler who cares

>>29103496
In reality I will likely just do nothing. Just wish it didn't get scratched to begin with

>>29103505
tell people you ran over a werewolf and it scratched your muffler

What's a socially acceptable place to work on your car in private when your home is an apartment and you hate interacting with neighbors and are a fat ugly bastard with little to no car repair experience?
A headlight bulb went out, I found a tutorial on how to take it out and swap it, but I don't want to be seen as this awkward blob finnagling about under my car's hood, it makes me feel sickly. Would it also be socially okay to take it out, use it as an example at a shop to find the replacement then return somewhere quiet and replace it there?

>>29103578
>Would it also be socially okay to take it out, use it as an example at a shop to find the replacement
Yes, although the bulb type will be printed on the bulb. If you're embarrassed about performing the repair in public, I suggest doing it with a bag over your head.

>>29103582
I found a quiet spot in the woods and did it there only to learn that my giant hands are too huge to properly switch the bulbs and that gets me angry quick.

>>29103578
>park n rides (don't make it too obvious though, so don't take it too far apart or they could tow you)
>parks (especially if there's a paved area which makes it easier to lift)
>random forests (there are often cops patrolling, so you should be in and out within a work shift)
>paid DIY garages (they exist but the lift is always booked out)
>WalMart parking lots, just don't be under the vehicle or they might call the cops
>anywhere there is a bunch of scrap vehicles
>certain truck stops (but beware, not all of them)
>your friend's house. You do have friends, right anon?

>>29103578
Bro just man the fuck up ffs. Your neighbours might even help you if you wouldn't be an ugly awkward slob

is the italian tune up thing a meme?

I live somewhere that gets a ton of rain, but absolutely zero snow. Been running all seasons forever, but I've been thinking about buying another set of wheels for the wet and the dry seasons respectively. Any recommendations?

>>29103578
Just do it in the parking lot of wherever you bought the bulb. It will take literally 2 minutes. You can do it, I believe in you.
Also do both sides at once, if one went out the other isn't far behind

>>29104436
Summer tires are good in the wet too, it's cold temperatures that they can't handle.

>>29104359
not necessarily. there's a bunch of carbon and shit you can break free from the engine with a bit of hooning. the engine was built to run up to it's redline, don't be afraid to get up there

on the other hand, if something is ready to let go, that's the time it's going to do it...

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>>29102908
Do yourself a favor and don't learn on flux core especially for super thin stuff like exhaust. a lot of people find it to be extremely difficult to do correctly. Anything with gas is going to be immensely easier, hell most people can tig way better than they can properly flux core. But welders are super opinionated and they all think they're the fucking best so any question you got for online welders you're probably going to get "just fucking by a TIG" "lol this guy can't even TIG" when they've never properly flux core welded anything in their life let alone out in the middle of a cornfield in the middle of a rainstorm 2 ft deep in mud which is where you use flux core most the time. If you do decide to flux core your exhaust get an automatic helmet and stitch weld 100 welds around that circumference that's about the only way it's going to work. Also get the thinnest wire you can get I think it's like .35

>>29104571
Idk, I learned on a machine like this, I still use a machine like this and I don't weld body panels. I won't say I have beautiful welds, I have functional welds that don't look a complete mess.
Most people that need to weld but don't plan on making it a primary skill, just use these shitboxes and it works.

>>29104571
damn, that explains why my friend and i kept making booger welds practicing flux core on a piece of old exhaust pipe; we recently got a starter welder kit and the only time i made nice looking welds was on the freshly sanded metal. we were practicing trying to seal up cuts/slits in the pipe that we made with an angle grinder. they sealed but boy did they look extremely boogery.

>>29104668
Yeah flux core in that case is going to be much more picky about how clean the surfaces is and the thickness of material, thicker the better. I wouldn't try filling gaps with it at first the best way is to make sure everything is super clean and overlap everything so use couplers or expanded ends but weld them at the end of the overlap so you have more material. Once you get a feel for doing it that way you'll start to realize that The sounds it makes- the pops and buzzing - is an important indication of whether you have it set up properly or not. Angle is also important with thin materials ,just imagine your welding in a straight line all the way through the material so thin stuff you want to be at an fairly extreme angle when welding butted couplers instead of going straight down through the material where it would be thinner go more to the angle on the side so you get thicker penetration. again everything super clean minimize air flow no super heavy winds. Eventually you'll probably be able to figure out how to do pie cuts and maybe even filling gaps but it's not a pull the trigger and hold it down type of weld it's lots of tiny stacked stitches which you have to clean occasionally, quite time consuming and it's not going to look pretty you're probably going to lose patience and the outcome in the way it looks is probably not going feel very good. This is why an automatic helmet is really important so when you're doing your 100 trigger pulls you don't have to lift and reset after losing your place.

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>>29102887
Please /o/ gods I need help. For work I pull a dump trailer with a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 dually (duramax)

Today, when I arrived at the job site, I noticed the trailer pasenger-side rear running light was illuminated. No other lights were on, not on the trailer nor the truck (truck was off, lights were off).

When I unplugged the trailer from the 7 point harness, the light went off, I assume meaning the feed is coming from the truck. Plugged it back in, light came back on.

Any ideas what I can do to fix this?
>WT bro for attention

>>29102887
Just had a wheel alignment and tire change. They claim I have a severe diff leak.

Mechanic from a few months ago said it's wet but not too much of a priority.

When should I address this and was the tire place just trying to upsell me? I've got a piece of cardboard under my car since getting home. How long should I leave it for and if there is nothing on the cardboard overnight is it something to worry about?

When i change brake pads that need to be winded in, how important is it that I line up the groove on the piston with the "stopper" nub on the brake pad? I figure the piston should find its own way to the stopper while being used.

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>>29102887
I guess this is fodder for sqt? I have a 2017 Jetta 1.4 with a 5-speed manual that I cannot diagnose. It has a minor rattle when in gear that seems a little bit more pronounced when accelerating and seems present in all gears. It disappears when the clutch pedal is depressed. There is no rattling or noise when idle or neutral. Worn out clutch or release bearing? Flywheel?

>>29105490
>if there is nothing on the cardboard overnight is it something to worry about?
No

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Opinions on this?

>>29105949
if you want to keep the vehicle a long time and/or wrench on it later, I'd say blast a can of https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CHL8NS3? on it, but the single cans are out of stock atm. I got the six pack and only used 4.5 cans on my whole frame. No you can't have my survivor.

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>>29105961
It's a car I'm consdering to buy.

I've heard good things about corrosionx hd, i'm not particulary hung on any one brand, but I think that one might be easiest for me to get.

I'm not sure should I just apply the product over the rust or try to clean the rust first.

>>29106013
Bright rust is bad that's the kind that is active and aggressive and will spread. Darker rust is nbd, it sometimes even prevents further rust by coating the surface of the steel. If you have darker rust and you coat over it, it's a problem if there are gaps in the coat because that will actually cause the rust to get faster. If there are no gaps in the coat its fine to coat over. The rust may create its own gaps tho.

It's a question of if you you trust yourself to keep up on the coating, if you keep up it's fine, if you slack the coating over existing rust will make no difference at best.

>>29106013
that's not bad at all. Ultimately all unibody cars are disposable, as there's no car of theseus option the way a body on frame vehicle can be replaced with parts of good vehicles.

>>29106193
it's an old civic, it's the absolutely best one i managed to find (in terms of rust) and i'd like to keep it running for few more years if i buy it.

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>>29105250
>Any ideas what I can do to fix this?
I'm UK based, so I'm unsure of how exactly the US style trailers are setup, but I would like to assume that they're not much different to our own trailers in the sense that a single wire from the truck runs into a distribution box on the trailer, which then enables that single wire to feed all the individual lights. If that is the case, then start from the light in question and trace the wiring back to the distribution board/box, checking to see if there are any issues along the way. If not, check inside the box and see if there's a crossed connection inside.

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I bought an ICE car recently, brand new. Did I make a huge mistake? I could have bought a hybrid for like $4k more. I can't really use an EV easily because I don't have a place to charge it overnight. The car market is so weird bros. Do you guys think that most vehicles on the road in ~5 years won't be ICE anymore? 10 years?

>>29106444
What's the dilemma here? You're not going to fit in with all the other people on the road?
I'd be more worried about the depreciation you're eating.

>>29106450
>What's the dilemma here?
Resale value of the car if ICE is on its way out.
>depreciation
Yes, that is my concern

>>29103083
Very true. It's excellent at dissolving seals, orings, gaskets, and lines.

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I'm considering buying a renault wind.
i like the idea of a small roadster but i'm coming to terms that i would barely use the car and when the season is right i'd rather ride my motorcycle so it would be something about convenience (groceries,more relaxed days or just commuting) more than anything but i like the idea of having a somewhat nice/unique car if i get one and these are somewhat cheap and kinda unique. it would be my only car and i don't exactly need one for my day to day life, as i said it's just for convenience especially in the coming months where going out with the motorcycle is not ideal.
the 1.6l engine is a bit hard to come by buy i found two 1.2t nearby for the price of a shitbox (used market here is a bit fucked up) and they seem very well kept.
should i just give up the idea of the roadster/miniGT/small unique car and get a used swift/the average ford fiesta or other well known hatchback? any first hand experience from any anon with one of these or the engines they use?

i bought a used car on fbm, how do i tell o about it, so i can get made fun of?

>>29106973
Start a thread with pics (maybe starting with the ad), making sure to tell us the year/mileage/engine (if the model had more than one) and what condition it seems to be in.
Basically don’t make us go fishing for the basic details you’d want to know when judging a car.

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>bought a gti 2026 autobahn last fall
>forgot about canadian winters
>scrambled last second bought some Bridgestone winter tires
>came with shitty steelies, didn't care
>fast forward I accidently got over a lake sized pothole and dent 2 of the rims so badly they leak both air
So yeah id like suggestions for a decent brand of rims as i really know nothing lf cars.
The tires are 225/40R18.
Besides that car is great

>2012 hyundai elantra els
>90k miles
>$5k
good deal or rip off? anything to keep in mind when checking the car out? never bought a car before

>>29107178
well you dented your wheels on a normal road hazard because there's not enough height on your sidewall, but your brakes look too big to fit any smaller wheels. I'd put on some smaller brakes so you can fit taller tires, then it will do a bit better in snow. If you really wanted to do well in snow though you'll need to convert to all wheel drive. I doubt there are any awd cars in the junkyard you could use the parts from, so your only option is to go to the dealer and ask them to convert it for you. It's usually pretty cheap compared to a better engine though.

>>29107387
if it had the oil changed regularly with carfax or receipts to prove it, and it's in good shape inside and out then probably a decent deal. I wouldn't buy anything without proof of regular oil changes, and watch out for modifications. Most people who modify their cars are complete retards and will not have done the work correctly. Even an aftermarket stereo, I'd walk away unless done by a reputable shop with receipts.

>>29106945
what you should get is a small van that can fit your motorcycle inside, or maybe a pickup. Having two vehicles that the biggest thing they can carry is yourself is redundant.

>>29106805
True, but at first it dissolves gums and other harmful fuel deposits.
THEN it gets to work on the important stuff.