Popular Mechanics articles from September 2005

Popular Mechanics archives from September 2005

Takes you behind the wheel with Michael Waitrip.(NAPA AUTO PARTS)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... In 1985, Michael Waltrip made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, NC. After racing for several years in the Cup Series, Michael began running in Busch Series events in 1988. During the 1990's, Michael further...

Changing your oil and oil filter.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... brought to you by NAPA Filters Motor oil provides a lubricating film that prevents metal to metal contact of moving parts inside your car's engine. Without it, the hot metal in your engine would weld itself together in moments. Plan to...

The solar frontier.(EDITOR'S NOTES)
September 1, 2005... Popular Mechanics was launched in 1902, just a year before the Wright brothers made their historic first powered flight. In the years since, no topic has fascinated PM readers quite like breakthroughs in aviation. At the recent Paris Airshow,...

Flying cars.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Thank you for the wonderful article on Jesse James's flying car ("Where the Rubber Leave, the Road," July 2005). The article conveyed some feelings that the Wright brothers surely must have experienced when they prepared for their first flight....

Car noise.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... It was nice that Ford fixed the problem with Jay Leno's GT ("Home Delivery Recall," July 2005). I wish they would do the same for us. My wife's 1999 Ford ZX2 still runs rough at idle, still has radio/stereo problems, still has that rattle. We...

Grill theory.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Great article about gas versus charcoal barbecues ("Thrilla on the Grilla," July 2005). To get a smoky flavor on a gas unit, add chips to a commercial wood-chip box. By the time the grill is hot, the chips are smoking. There are flavored...

Satisfied customer.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... My girlfriends think I'm crazy reading Popular Mechanics, but I love learning about all the new, techy gadgets, cars and planes. Keep up the good work. AMANDA NAUGHTON Austin, TX

Track record: speedometers hit 75 mph and we were hooked. All hail motorsports' dust and glory.(TIME MACHINE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... 1977 In sophisticated Grand Prix racing, having six wheels was like having a sixth toe when the Tyrrell Elf first hit the track. But with its aerodynamic, low front wheels, the Elf had the last laugh, earning 14 podium finishes-and a cult...

The challenge.(RUBBERMAID TO THE RESCUE!)
September 1, 2005... A retired Air Force officer, rodeo cowboy and horse trainer. Jack remarried and settled down on 60 acres outside Colorado Springs. In addition to boarding nine horses, he and his wife nave ended up caring for two young grandsons. Jack...

The solution: Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage System.(RUBBERMAID TO THE RESCUE!)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... We moved everything out of Jack's garage into a temporary storage unit parked in the driveway. Then we stripped his garage of flimsy old shelving, spackled the walls and gave everything a flesh coat of semi-gloss off-white latex acrylic. ...

Cable connection.(Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... South Carolina has seen its share of bridge busting disasters, such as the magnitude 73 "Great Quake of 1886 caused by an offshore fault. Then, there are runaway boats--the Nicaragua Victory took out a chunk of Charleston's Grace Bridge in...

Sunniest building trend.(second annual Solar Decathlon)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... At midnight on Sept. 29, 18 teams of students from the United States, Canada and Spain will begin assembling a village of solar-powered homes on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The second annual Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the...

Strongest floorboards.(High Museum of Art, Atlanta)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Construction on the massive expansion of Atlanta's High Museum of Art draws to a close this month--more than doubling the museum's space to 312,000 sq. ft. Illuminated by 1000 skylights, the Renzo Piano-designed addition has immensely strong...

Best bites.(fishing festival)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The world's biggest river fishing festival occurs in Caceres, Brazil, from the 18th through the 26th. Fishing fans will cast their tines in the waters of the Pantanal wetlands, home of more than 270 fish species--including the friendly...

Highest buckeyes.(Cleveland National Air Show )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... From the 3rd through the 5th, the country's oldest airplane extravaganza occurs over Ohio. The Cleveland National Air Show traces its roots back to 1929, when air races were the major venue for testing airplane improvements. This year, Navy...

Darkest yard.(historic football match to be re-enacted)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... On the 24th, students from Mansfield University will re-enact the first nighttime football game using a play-by-play script of the school's groundbreaking match against Wyoming Seminary in 1892. The dynamo-powered illumination for the original...

Galactic sprawl.(andromeda larger than we thought)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Andromeda, the nearest major galaxy, is almost three times bigger than anyone realized. Astronomers at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii have discovered that a farflung group of stars is rotating in sync with the stars in the inner disc, forcing...

BT, phone home.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... British cellphone users will no longer have to count their minutes when they're calling from home, thanks to a new service from British Telecom. The handset will behave as a normal cellphone outside, but at home it will connect to a wireless...

Smells trustworthy.(oxytocin makes people honest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Swiss economists have found that a few sniffs of a naturally occurring hormone makes people more likely to trust strangers with their money. Oxytocin was previously tied to enhancing trust in animal studies, and it plays a crucial rote in...

Mini-missile defense: a microwave-based system may protect airports from shoulder-fired weapons.(TECH WATCH)
September 1, 2005... Security experts have been spooked ever since 2003, when terrorists tried to take down an Israeli passenger jet flying out of Kenya with a pair of Soviet-made, shoulder-fired missiles, Defense contractor Raytheon may have found a futuristic...

Super snowmobile.(TECH WATCH)(Ninety Degrees South a concept vehicle )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... For scientists, traveling through Antarctica's environment of rock, snow and ice is a slow and dangerous drive. Working with the British Antarctic Survey, designer James Moon created a concept vehicle called Ninety Degrees South that may one...

Dry bones.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Brazilian paleontologists recently unearthed 11 Baurusuchus salgadoensis fossils. This 90-million-year-old crocodile likely weighed almost 900 pounds and lived on dry land. The similarities between the new find and fossils recently discovered...

Hot new fuel cell.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Scientists at Caltech have run an MP3 player using a new solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC). These tubular powerplants are among the simplest and most self-contained fuel cells, but they must be very hot to run. Caltech's SOFC can run without an...

Blinkfree photos.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Tokyo's University of Electro-Communications has devised a system for digital cameras to prevent midblink photos. Instead of taking one shot, the camera snaps 15 frames in half a second, then analyzes the images to pick the one with the fewest...

Let the space droid do it.(TECH WATCH)(robot been developed)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... AWIMR looks more like something out of War of the Worlds than the next big thing in astronaut safety, but this six-legged, 3-ft.-wide robot may be clinging to the outside of spacecraft by the end of the decade. Northrop Grumman is developing...

Breaking the waves: Harvard students design a house that can stand up to the next tsunami.(TECH WATCH)(Prajnopaya Foundation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tsunami Challenge architectural competition called for a low budget and no-frills materials. And the winning blue-prints for a "tsunami-safe(r) house" drawn up by six students from Harvard's graduate...

Supersonic dream machine: just two years after the last flight of the Concorde, France and Japan are talking about reviving supersonic commuter planes. But just how serious is the conversation.(TECH WATCH)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... When the French and Japanese governments announced at the Paris Airshow in June that the two countries would team up to develop a replacement for the Concorde, the international press ran with the story. Headlines promised the "Son of Concorde"...

5-minute genius.(TECH WATCH)(Near Field Communication)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... TOPIC: WHAT IS NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION? EXPERT: CHRISTOPHE DUVERNE NFC FORUM CHAIRMAN "NFC is a low-power short-range wireless protocol that simplifies connections between devices--but it doesn't replace Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The...

Brighter lights.(TECH WATCH)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... LEDs have been decorating the rear ends of luxury cars for five years now, but despite their advantages (life span, brightness, styling flexibility) no manufacturer has yet installed LED headlamps on a production car. That may soon change:...

Split decision.(UPGRADE)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... The biggest chunks of wood we split with the Craftsman Manual Log Splitter were 12-in.-dia. rounds of seasoned oak, and we could have gone bigger. The machine didn't struggle, though our patience was strained as we... slowly... worked... the...

When toys attack.(UPGRADE: Wish List)
September 1, 2005... For the 12-year-old in all of us, WowWee's RoboRaptor is a 2 1/2-ft.-long robot dinosaur with stereo hearing, infrared vision, and touch sensors that help it react to its environment. RoboRaptor is controllable (barely) via wireless remote, or...

Breath easy.(UPGRADE: Wish List)
September 1, 2005... Patagonia's new R1.5 Jacket looks like a superhero costume--but it fights cold, not crime. Constructed with "biomap design" the R1.5 has variable textures for the ideal compromise between weather protection and breathability--for every part of...

Laptop theater.(UPGRADE: Wish List)
September 1, 2005... Toshiba's new Qosmio G25-AV513 may feel heavy at 9.5 pounds, but it's quite light when you consider that it is not only a computer, but also a 17-in. LCD TV with an integrated tuner, a digital video recorder and a DVD player. It runs Windows...

Will it break?(UPGRADE: Wish List)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... WE DROPPED IT Whoops! The PowerShot $410 took a 4-ft. tumble, knocking off the shutter button and popping open all the compartment doors. But when we snapped it all together again, it still took good pictures. WE STEPPED ON IT ...

Turning a corner.(UPGRADE: Wish List)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... There is a great big world of awkward angles and tight spaces for fasteners to hide in. That's why we love the Ridgid 12-volt right-angle impact driver ($129; www.ridgid.com) and Milwaukee's right-angle attachment ($59; www.milwaukeetool.com)....

The message in the media.(UPGRADE: Wish List)
September 1, 2005... Stuffed animals, baseballs, musical instruments and toy trucks. Sound like your kid's closet? Try your new TV. Hannspree's high-concept sets don't offer much more technology than a 10- to 23-in. LCD screen and an S-Video jack. But with 100-plus...

Sofa-centric MP3s.(UPGRADE: Wish List)
September 1, 2005... In an age of remote control, it's surprising that you still have to get up to change the song when your MP3 player is hooked into your stereo. Belkin's TuneStage for iPod puts the song selection back on the couch where it belongs. The...

Buzzworthy.(UPGRADE: Wish List)
September 1, 2005... If only our faces were perfectly flat, it wouldn't be so tough to get a decent shave from an electric razor. Those of us with dimpled chins and square jaws will save a lot of awkward stretching with the Norelco SmartTouch-XL. Each of the three...

Montezuma's defeat.(UPGRADE: Wish List)
September 1, 2005... The original SteriPEN ($150) zaps waterborne microbes with a lethal dose of UV light, but it does nothing to fitter metals, sand and debris. now be outfitted with a custom-made prefilter ($10) that fits most Nalgene bottles. Just strain water,...

Slicer test.(UPGRADE: Wish List)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... We enlisted a deli counterman, a stopwatch, a micrometer and 15 pounds of meat to test two home slicers against a pro model. WHAT THE PROS BIZERBA SE 12 L Price: Approx. $4000 Size: 28.5 x 24 x 25 in. Features: 13-in....

A tree-hugging dirt bike: behind the handle-bars of a prototype fuel cell motorcycle.(UPGRADE: Wish List)(Emissions Neutral Vehicle)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... The first mass-produced hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles on the road may not look like family sedans or SUVs. In fact, it's possible that they won't even have four wheels. They'll be motorcycles. Intelligent Energy, a British energy...

Electric ride.(Alternative Energies)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... A battery-powered scooter you can lift with one hand. The Bikke is a 16-pound electric two-wheeler powered by an 18-volt lithium-ion battery contained within the frame. Parent company Trikke claims the Bikke can travel 11 miles on a charge...

Is the iMac G5 running hot? popular mechanics looks into the reliability of Apple's groundbreaking desktop.(Inside Look)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... When the Apple iMac G5 was introduced in late August 2004, it was hailed as a triumph of compact design. The entire computer, including the screen, drives and power supply, is contained within a sleek chassis with a 2-in. profile. Knowing that...

Grins on wheels: Mazda's roadster gets a little bigger, a little stronger and a lot more fun.(CARS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Miata lovers will recognize the new MX-5 instantly. Mazda is now calling its third-generation roadster the MX-5 worldwide, dropping the familiar Miata appellation in North America--the only place it was ever used. In spite of its recognizable...

Comanding new tech.(Spy REPORT)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Mercedes is revealing its new S-Class in trod-September at the huge biannual auto show in Frankfurt. But since we were given an advance look at the factory, we're sharing it with you. We're also sharing our experience with the "simplified"...

Come again.(NEW CARS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Uh, hello? Chevrolet? Does the name PT Cruiser mean anything to you? To our eyes, at least, Chevrolet's latest, the HHR, looks like a PT Cruiser-come-lately. But somehow, during our time with Chevy brass and the HHR, Chrysler's little iconic...

An unjeep jeep.(Spy REPORT: DETROIT)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The smallest and newest Jeep is also the first to be bunt on a front-drive-based chassis. But in keeping with its heritage, the Jeep will offer some type of true 4wd. The vehicle will share that platform with the upcoming Dodge Caliber and be...

Secret expedition.(Spy REPORT: DETROIT)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... This highly camouflaged Expedition prototype was spotted out and about near Detroit. Behind the mask are stacked headlights and a grille with Ford's cut- double horizontal bar with vertical side openings. Note that the grille continues...

"Professional" Envoy.(Spy REPORT: DETROIT)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... There are major changes in store for the '07 GMC Envoy, according to ads for the "professional grade" version of GM's mid-size SUV. The new look starts with a larger grille. The changes continue with prominent wheel arches and smaller side and...

Win-win.(new motorcycle)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Victory has carved itself a niche in the motorcycle market with production bikes that look like customs. Its wildest bike yet is the new Vegas Jackpot. The bike gets the fuel-injected, 100-cu.-in. V-twin and six-speed gearbox from the company's...

Riding on a star.(new bike)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Yamaha has built a loyal following with its Royal Star and Road Star cruiser bikes. Well, the Star name is apparently so strong that Yamaha has officially made it the brand name for all its cruisers. The first of the new Stars is the 2006...

Lexus extra large.(Spy REPORT: ASIA)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Toyota is busy readying the replacement for the Lexus LS 430. The new flagship sedan will be larger, and more luxurious and powerful. A 4.6-liter V8 will be the standard engine. There will also be a hybrid, the LS 460h, which should pack the...

A Lesson in Civics.(Spy REPORT: ASIA)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... We got lucky and caught this undisguised, all-new '06 Honda Civic in Europe. This five-door hatchback version isn't likely to make it to the States. But a sedan, a 200-hp Si coupe and a hybrid will--and they wig all have this car's radically...

The fast shall lead.(Spy REPORT: ASIA)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Subaru's WRX and WRX STi pocket rockets get a fresh new front-end treatment inspired by recent Subaru concept vehicles and the B9 Tribeca SUV. The new nose, shown here on the Japanese market STi, won't be the extent of the changes for the next...

Same drum, different drummer.(NEW CARS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Saab's latest model, the 9-7X, is more than an upgraded version of the Chevy TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy. It's the Saab version. The vehicle shares overall dimensions and drivetrain with other midsize GM SUVs, but that's where the similarities...

Unfair advantage.(NEW CARS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... Okay, driving the glorious switchback roads above Monaco in a Porsche 911 Carrera is tough to beat. Doing it in the latest awd Porsches, the Carrera 4 and 4S Coupes, may be impossible to beat. These two new cars are recognizable by their...

Comes from Alabama.(NEW CARS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... West central Alabama has more in common with Germany's Black Forest than you might think. The woods are thick, the roads fun and they build Mercedes-Benzes there. We drove the newest Benz, the R-Class crossover people-mover from the factory...

In the hot seat: when molten lava and steam destroyed a research station, volcanologists came up with a novel solution: stainless steel spiders.(SCIENCE)
September 1, 2005... On a brutally cold day in January, a Bell Jet Ranger carrying research geologist John Pallister and pilot Jeff Linscott swept up the gray, treeless north flank of Mount St. Helens. Dangling beneath the helicopter at the end of a 50-ft. steel...

PM's home theater makeover: for months, PM has been helping the Joneses remake their home with high-tech gear. Our reward: in-depth test reports. Here's Part Two in our series.(DIGITAL FAMILY)(Popular Mechanics)(Column)
September 1, 2005... When we last visited the Jones family, for Part One of the Digital Family series, Jamieson and Peggy, along with kids 9-year-old Ben and 6-year-old Nina, had just leapfrogged generations of computer technology in a matter of weeks. Thanks to a...

Long-term tests: a workhorse pickup heads out to pasture while our people-movers keep on carrying the load.(AUTOMOTIVE)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... final report NISSAN TITAN SE Now that the Titan is headed back to Nissan's fleet and its next life, our 15 minutes of popularity may be over. You see, when the world finds out there's a full-size pickup truck in your driveway, you're...

Fuel for thought: the future of automotive propulsion may already be here, waiting at your local truck stop.(diesel engines)
September 1, 2005... If you happen to have been in a cave for the past 20 years or so and haven't seen a computer since 1983, you would be shocked at what the modern PC is like. Guess what? Same for diesel engines. I haven't been out of society for the past couple...

From the 2005 national hardware show and lawn & garden world[R].(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The only housing after-market show that brings together manufacturers and resellers of all. products used to remodel, repair, maintain and decorate the home and its surroundings. With over 3,000 exhibitors and an attendance exceeding 30,000,...

Building more than a house: a unique four-bedroom townhouse built entirely by Habitat for Humanity volunteers!(Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... The four-bedroom townhouse in our photos was built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers in Paterson, New Jersey under the direction of a professional, carpenter. Over the past two decades, Paterson Habitat for Humanity has helped some 4000...

Solar express: flying a plane some 23,000 miles in 15 days powered only by rays of sunlight will require cutting-edge aeronautics, clever engineering and some really nice weather. One bold explorer is convinced it can be done.(Bertrand Piccard)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... How far can you go with no fuel? If aeronautical adventurer Bertrand Piccard has any influence, the answer will be: all the way around the world. Piccard, 47, hatched his latest scheme while working on the Breitling Orbiter, the hybrid...

Looking for a miracle: can copper tubing, cheap magnets and wacky gimmicks really boost your mileage by as much as 300 percent? PM's Mike Allen puts the latest MPG gadgets to the test. Please step back from the truck.(REALITY CHECK)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... As long as there have been cars, there have been gadgets that promise revolutionary improvements in performance and mileage. And every time there's a spike in fuel prices, these gadgets proliferate like mushrooms after a spring rain, like now,...

The coolest building on earth: deep in the heart of Antarctica, rugged workers endure frigid temperatures and exhausting altitude to construct a new research station. The finished product will support some of the most vital science of our time.
September 1, 2005... From here, every direction is north. The sun is blinding, the temperature plunges to 100 degrees below zero and--despite a flat expanse of snow as far as the eye can see--the elevation is a lung-searing 9300 ft. The South Pole is one of the...

Bright lights, low volts: low-voltage light kits make it possible to wire your yard for dramatic lighting in a weekend or less. It's so easy it's shocking.
September 1, 2005... Low-voltage ourdoor lighting got its start in the early 1950s when Bill Locklin, an electrical contractor in Redlands, Calif., and a PM reader, was asked by a client to put up some outdoor lights. In those days, outdoor lighting was...

You are here: pinpointing your own location is just the beginning. The real killer app for GPS is helping you keep track of everything else. Welcome to the next tech revolution.
September 1, 2005... TOM SANDERS CAN enable jets tO land on runways and aircraft carriers scattered through a fogbound night, but things get tougher when he goes to dinner on a business trip. That's when the engineer is confronted by mankind's greatest navigational...

Poetry in motion: get in the swing of things with a classic porch glider.(HOME JOURNAL)
September 1, 2005... You might think relaxation equates with keeping still. Yet, the popularity of everything from cradles to porch swings proves otherwise. The fact is, a gentle, undulating motion is soothing to most of us, regardless of our age. People like to...

Fabric storm shield.(HOMEOWNERS CLINIC)(Armor Screen)
September 1, 2005... (Q) I live in an area that was hard hit by a couple of recent storms. I've heard that there is a fabriclike material that can be used to protect windows. It's supposed to be similar to what's found on trampolines. Can you provide further...

Paint odor problems.(Homeowners Clinic)
September 1, 2005... (Q) Recently I had some interior painting done with latex semigloss, the odor of which was overwhelming. It gave me a headache. Even opening doors and windows to increase air circulation didn't help much. Can you recommend a paint that does not...

And the award goes to ...(Homeowners Clinic)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Hundreds of new products were showcased at the recent National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, but we presented only 16 with our Editor's Choice Award. Here are four shop and yard tools that display outstanding design, innovation and value. You can...

Tray service.(NOW YOU KNOW)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... When you stop and think about it, a paint roller tray doesn't really have to hold paint. All it has to do is provide a shape that holds paint. Cover the roller tray with a plastic bag, pour the paint in and when you're done, just pull the bag...

Dusty ducts.(Homeowners Clinic)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... (Q) A contractor who was cutting and repairing my concrete driveway and garage floor introduced concrete dust into my house's air-conditioning system. His workers left the door to the house open while the air conditioner was running. Now, every...

Woodworking HQ.(BOOKSHELF)
September 1, 2005... The table saw is the heart of the woodworking shop. That's why we published Table Saw Fundamentals: The Complete Guide. In 192 pages it covers a variety of shop-built jigs that help this essential machine do its job. The book shows the basics...

Laminate damage.(kitchen sink)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... (Q) I would like to replace my cast-iron, single-basin kitchen sink with a new stainless steel sink. The old sink was installed about 30 years ago, and I'm concerned that it will pull off the plastic laminate surrounding it. What measures...

Reader project.(motorcycle building)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... I got the idea for this bike, shown here with my 7-year-old son Kyle, from a motorcycle project on American Chopper. I told Kyle I thought we could make a bike just like it. So, we went to our shop and started putting things together. The front...

Keeping your windshield clean.(Saturday Mechanic)
September 1, 2005... It's a dusty, windy, hot day. You, however, are secure, cool and comfortable inside the passenger confines of your car as you pull into the gas station. It's so evil outside, you actually pay extra for Full Serve gasoline--but the attendant...

Under pressure.(AUTO CLINIC)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Q My mechanic says my fuel pump is bad. According to him, it's not pumping enough fuel, and that's responsible for the misfire I get under heavy acceleration. He quoted an astronomical price to replace it--partly because the pump is over $200,...

Max Stuhrling's big mistake: when quality isn't enough to take on the big guys.(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... The fine horologists (watchmakers) at Stuhrling just built a super luxury watch for this summer season. Using one of the most complex regulator movements ever designed, they engineered the Regulator Series 3. With it's large separate minute...

Security in a stick.(TOOL KIT)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... I've used Loctite thread-locking compounds for many years to keep nuts and bolts from unscrewing themselves, and to keep bearing races in place. I always wished that the compounds didn't drip off the bolts before I got things assembled. And I...

Stop, I say.(Auto Clinic)
September 1, 2005... (Q) I have a 1997 Olds LSS. I enjoy the car, as it meets most of my driving needs--it's part comfort, part sport. The biggest drawback I find is with the brakes--60 to 0 in 167 ft. is really bad performance. I find it hard to believe that this...

Frozen for good.(Auto Clinic)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... (Q) What do you know about cryogenically freezing engine parts with nitrogen in order to make those parts last much longer than usual--and even to increase gas mileage? This sounds like a tall claim. I read about this on the Internet. Is there...

Out, damned spot redux.(stickers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... (Q) Inspired by the July 2005 Auto Clinic ["Out, Damned Spot"), I want to tackle a similar problem. I have a 2002 Avalanche with a plastic-coated paper safety notice glued to the sun visor. I have read the notice many times, and will certainly...