The Unofficial "Ask a Stupid Question" Thread

[CDsDontBurn]

Good to know. I see RockAuto has them for $6/ea.

 

[Kidd-7]

Don't use the retaining ring to push the bulbs in, they will for sure break.
I have these LEDs installed and have been good so far: https://a.co/d/4FuSc2o

 

[NEURO]

Good to know. I see RockAuto has them for $6/ea.

If you need them quicker, you should be able to get them at the Ford dealer too since they were used in many Ford vehicles.

 

[NEURO]

Don't use the retaining ring to push the bulbs in, they will for sure break.
I have these LEDs installed and have been good so far: https://a.co/d/4FuSc2o

I use a previous version of these Hikari's. They're great and hold up for years before failing and needing to be replaced.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Q: how important are all bolts on motor mounts?

I'm working on replacing the motor mounts on my MIL's Ford Fuckus right now, and the passenger side motor mount has one bolt that will not thread into place (square hole down past my hand). 3 of 4 bolts / nuts are firmly in place though. That said, can I YOLO this bitch or not?

 

[XR7-4.6]

Q: how important are all bolts on motor mounts?

I'm working on replacing the motor mounts on my MIL's Ford Fuckus right now, and the passenger side motor mount has one bolt that will not thread into place (square hole down past my hand). 3 of 4 bolts / nuts are firmly in place though. That said, can I YOLO this bitch or not?

View attachment 15039

I’d get a new bolt and possibly run a tap through the chassis threads

 

[MadMikeyL]

That one definitely has to go back. If it was the rear one, then maybe you could get away with it, but the torque from the engine will crack that aluminum bracket without that bolt installed.

 

[Derphound01]

I'm not sure about modern Fords, but most modern engine/transaxle mount bolts are torque-to-yield and cannot be reused.

Get a new bolt and run a tap through the hole.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

I’d get a new bolt and possibly run a tap through the chassis threads

That one definitely has to go back. If it was the rear one, then maybe you could get away with it, but the torque from the engine will crack that aluminum bracket without that bolt installed.

Fuck



This car has completely gnarled my left hand today. I hate working on this car.

 

[Grog6]

If it won't thread into the hole it came out of, loosen the other bolts, yank the bitch around, and try again. Repeat until it lines up.

 

[Ericv8thunderbird]

What are thoughts on LED 9007 bulbs?

https://a.co/d/cH8hrwl

I’m not crazy about LEDs in a halogen housing, but the best I’ve found so far are these.

https://a.co/d/6o9f2dn

I have them in my turbo coupe and they’re bright as hell.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

If it won't thread into the hole it came out of, loosen the other bolts, yank the bitch around, and try again. Repeat until it lines up.

I did do that before moving on.

I’m not crazy about LEDs in a halogen housing, but the best I’ve found so far are these.

https://a.co/d/6o9f2dn

I have them in my turbo coupe and they’re bright as hell.

I just need better night time visibility. I did a night drive the other day, and it was terrible. I don't want to experience that again.

 

[Ericv8thunderbird]

I did do that before moving on.



I just need better night time visibility. I did a night drive the other day, and it was terrible. I don't want to experience that again.

Yeah, 90’s headlights weren’t the best.

But, if you do want something bright, go with the aux beams.

Here they are in my Turbo Coupe.

 

[Derphound01]

I have a set of these in my Dakota. It also has 9007s behind fluted lenses. Definitely better than the halogens and they aren't too spotty.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGD28Z5T

Eventually I want to get clear lenses and retrofit projectors into it. On the Thunderbird, I'll do a 96/97 swap and also retrofit projectors.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Got the bolt installed for the motor mount for the Focus. Ended up buying a new one from the dealership and it worked.

Happy with the result. Car is done, wheels are down, still need to test drive though.

 

[White Lincoln]

Stupid question:
If I drove 172 miles on a full 18 gallon tank and used 11 gallons of gas, would I be getting 15.6 mpg?

 

[White Lincoln]

Fuck



This car has completely gnarled my left hand today. I hate working on this car.

Wear leather gloves next time. Lesson learned from experience.

 

[Derphound01]

Stupid question:
If I drove 172 miles on a full 18 gallon tank and used 11 gallons of gas, would I be getting 15.6 mpg?

Yes.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Stupid question:
If I drove 172 miles on a full 18 gallon tank and used 11 gallons of gas, would I be getting 15.6 mpg?

...and you're asking because?
I mean is there anything about this calculation that troubles you? (Worse than expected MPG?)

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Wear leather gloves next time. Lesson learned from experience.

I did wear gloves! It wasn't leather gloves, but those Milwaukee gloves with the black palm side. These very same gloves, actually.



Sure, they're not leather gloves, but it's better than nothing. And I don't usually wear gloves when I'm wrenching, so there's that part too.

That said, I don't wear gloves usually because I can't feel whatever it is that I'm touching when I'm wrenching.

 

[White Lincoln]

...and you're asking because?
I mean is there anything about this calculation that troubles you? (Worse than expected MPG?)

Just to confirm that I asked a stupid question.

Thanks 97!

 

[White Lincoln]

I did wear gloves! It wasn't leather gloves, but those Milwaukee gloves with the black palm side. These very same gloves, actually.

That sucks.

After years of bruising, cutting, bleeding and swearing, when I am working on tight locations or sharp parts, I wear "leather" gloves and leather arm guards.

"my wife made me do it..."

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Ohh. I thought you were dissatisfied with 15.6 mpg.

 

[White Lincoln]

Ohh. I thought you were dissatisfied with 15.6 mpg.

The way I drive?! I thought I was getting 11 mgp. So, for short city drives and not much long distance or freeway, that is not bad. I will do another one when I get a chance to go for a long drive.

BTW: After I got the car to run really great, I can't help but lead foot the car any chance I get.

 

[Sniper83rdID]

I did wear gloves! It wasn't leather gloves, but those Milwaukee gloves with the black palm side. These very same gloves, actually.

View attachment 15054

Sure, they're not leather gloves, but it's better than nothing. And I don't usually wear gloves when I'm wrenching, so there's that part too.

That said, I don't wear gloves usually because I can't feel whatever it is that I'm touching when I'm wrenching.

Same here.....

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Q: Did the work pay off on my MIL's Ford Fuckus?
A: Yes it did

Just got back from a quick test drive and she is quiet as a mouse now. I seriously thought that the noise I was hearing was an exhaust leak and not the CV axles. That's how bad they sounded.

 

[theterminator93]

The next question is... how long will the transmission last?

 

[Derphound01]

The next question is... how long will the transmission last?

Same as the one in my Dakota. All the way to the side of the road.

 

[MadMikeyL]

Actually the transmissions in those foci don’t ever fully fail. The problem is clutch engagement, so they will shudder and jerk at slow speeds like someone who doesn’t know how to drive a manual (which is technically what is actually happening), but they won’t leave you stranded. Also, it’s counter intuitive, but the best bet when it starts doing that is to lay into the gas. At lower throttle inputs, the computer is trying to slip the clutch to make for a smooth engagement, which once the clutch has worn down enough the computer can’t compensate properly, and the result is jerky engagement. However if you floor it, the computer will in essence side-step the clutch, and it won’t have a chance to slip.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I owned an '11 Fiesta with that transmission, and apart from noisy operation there were no functional problems at all.