EGR Vacuum Modulator

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MGMcAnick
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by MGMcAnick »

Bicycle Bill wrote: I got stopped once in Iowa for having no taillights/
I have noticed several cars whose drivers are apparently unaware that their tail lights are not on when their Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) are on at night. Late model Ford Focus cars, like my granddaughter's, are one example. Ya gotta turn on the headlights, not only to see better, but so the dash lights, high beams and tail lights will work.
A friend of Doc's, one of only two B-29 bombers still flying.

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datsunaholic
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by datsunaholic »

Unfortunately, so many cars have LED dashes now that they are lit up even with the light off. So I see dozens of people driving around with either just their DRLs on or their fog lights. Not good on a dark foggy or rainy night.
Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

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RayThom
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EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by RayThom »

datsunaholic wrote:Unfortunately, so many cars have LED dashes now that they are lit up even with the light off. So I see dozens of people driving around with either just their DRLs on or their fog lights. Not good on a dark foggy or rainy night.
Also. unfortunately, the fact that those drivers can't detect that their headlamps are not on is very telling. They are merely operating the vehicle and not truly "driving" it. That kind of negligence is the difference between accidents and safety.
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Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

datsunaholic wrote:Unfortunately, so many cars have LED dashes now that they are lit up even with the light off. So I see dozens of people driving around with either just their DRLs on or their fog lights. Not good on a dark foggy or rainy night.
Not just LED dashes...many dashboards light up all the time now. (Including the tractor I drive at work.)

It's quite easy to mistake the DRLs on some cars for regular headlights.

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Now you've got me wondering.  That '99 Corolla I bought a couple months back does in fact have DRLs, and the dashboard lights (now that I've gotten them fixed) come on when the key is turned.  I'll have to do a walk-around some time in the daytime and see just what else comes on when I turn the key versus what comes on when I turn the switch on the stalk.

Also, does anybody know a way to manually override the DRLs?  Parking with the motor running (so the heater keeps working), the radio playing, and headlights on is a sure-fire way to become the most hated person at Inspiration Point.
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datsunaholic
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by datsunaholic »

They have an indicator on the dash that says if the lights are on... of course, who notices that the indicator is off? In the case of the Ford Transit Connects I drive at work, it's a green headlight symbol. In fact the only 2 ways from the driver's seat that once can tell if the headlights are on vs the DRLs is that little green indicator, and the heater control backlight.

Some cars, particularly "older" ones with DRLs had a specific DRL fuse. Pull that, no more DRLs. Doesn't affect the normal headlights.
Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

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Crackpot
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Crackpot »

Most cars nowadays have the ability to turn on lights automatically
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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Long Run
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Long Run »

I like the automatic feature, DRL, then regular lights when it gets darker. I goes weeks or months without touching my light switch. Most rental cars I've had in the last few years also have this feature.

MGMcAnick
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by MGMcAnick »

The DRLs on SOME vehicles can be turned off by depressing the parking brake one click. Others have a separate fuse that can be pulled.

That said, DRLs prevent a lot of daytime accidents. That's why insurance companies lobbied to have them installed. Then there is the liability issue. If yours are negated, and someone pulls out in front in front of you because they haven't seen you in the fog, who do you suppose gets sued?
A friend of Doc's, one of only two B-29 bombers still flying.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

Went to my regular guy today; he wasn’t mad about me cheating on him, understood I wanted to get my tires from a shop that would rotate them and where I could get oil changes done too - my guy has done oil change for me in the past while doing other work but he prefers not to waste shop time on service like that because he has a steady stream of mechanical work and always a waiting list.

Anyway, he didn’t see anything wrong with the work the other shop did except that he pointed out they replaced a lower ball joint on one side without doing the other side too - which I would definitely have paid to have them do if they’d communicated that in advance. No doubt I’ll end up needing the other ball joint soon enough and will get to pay for another alignment - grrr!

But yeah, it looks to be the front pipe of the muffler system is rattling against the frame and making the rattling/clunking noise as I go over bumpy bits of road. It took my mechanic 5 minutes to find this once the car was on the lift. He showed me where the pipe is deteriorating - we discussed a year or more ago that it would eventually need replacing but I bought the wrong front pipe & catalytic from Rock Auto, then they wouldn’t let me return them - this was at the same time my uncle was diagnosed with ALS and things got very crazy at home and I missed their very short return window. Anyway, then my client I was working 64/hrs/wk with died and I ended up short of work for many months and much tighter on money, then my rack went and that was an actual performance issue so it took priority. My mechanic says the struts look fine and he did the bouncing test and took her for a spin and still didn’t see anything wrong in that department.

So next week she goes back and he’ll scope her out more closely and do the best he can to find me the least expensive fix for the muffler components I need. And I’ll be bringing a plate of brownies for him and his guys and I’ll never cheat on him again.

eta: I feel like I should reach out to the other shop's owner and ask about a refund for the money they charged me for the non-diagnosis diagnosis with recommendation for an $1100 repair job of something that doesn’t need repairing. But on the other hand, they still owe me free tire rotations for life of the new tires and I was going to get oil changes there at the same time. I imagine these are simple jobs I should be able to trust them for - and they have a very nice waiting room with free gourmet coffee. Should I say something? Or will they leave my lug nuts untightened if I make a stink? :shrug
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

MGMcAnick
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by MGMcAnick »

BoSoxGal wrote:Went to my regular guy today; he wasn’t mad about me cheating on him
Don't sweat it. You weren't married to the guy. It's not cheating. It's just business.
BoSoxGal wrote:except that he pointed out they replaced a lower ball joint on one side without doing the other side too -
It's not uncommon for only one ball joint to go bad. I probably replace two right sides for every left side. Think about it. The area of most roads with the most pot holes is close to the shoulder.
A friend of Doc's, one of only two B-29 bombers still flying.

Burning Petard
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Burning Petard »

My 'automatic' light setting on my 2018 Corolla turns on the front running lights, until some sensor somewhere shifts on all the headlights and taillights. Delaware (not unique) requires headlites on when wipers are on. That means I must rotate the stalk when it is raining in daytime to get those light on manually. Also on some cloudy near dusk conditions I think my lights should be on, but the 'automatic' device disagrees. Again, I rotate all the headlights on. When those lights are on, the 'running' lights are off. They are also separate from the 'parking' lights.

snailgate.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

MGMcAnick wrote:
BoSoxGal wrote:Went to my regular guy today; he wasn’t mad about me cheating on him
Don't sweat it. You weren't married to the guy. It's not cheating. It's just business.
BoSoxGal wrote:except that he pointed out they replaced a lower ball joint on one side without doing the other side too -
It's not uncommon for only one ball joint to go bad. I probably replace two right sides for every left side. Think about it. The area of most roads with the most pot holes is close to the shoulder.
Weirdly it’s the left/driver side one that went bad for me. But the potholes in Massachusetts are EVERYWHERE! :lol:
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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dales
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by dales »

And I’ll be bringing a plate of [grass] brownies for him and his guys and I’ll never cheat on him again.
:ok

Your collective inability to acknowledge this obvious truth makes you all look like fools.


yrs,
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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

I don’t think he’d appreciate that - although his new sidekick might.


I drove my cousin’s mother-in-law home from dinner yesterday and she was complaining that they’d just had to spend a bunch of money putting new calipers on their car. Then they needed a new battery, too. Plus the guy who did the brakes mentioned that their stabilizer bar would need replacing soon. She lamented that the car is a piece of junk and they should just get rid of it - the car they just bought 2 years ago. In the short time I had her attention I attempted to explain that brakes and batteries and suspension components wear out over use, and are meant to be expected to be serviced and replaced and it doesn’t mean anything about the car being junk whatever, that ANY car will need those things over time.

My cousin is the same way, she gets pissed off every time her car needs something and most of what it has needed (brakes, muffler, struts, etc.) has been routine maintenance. What really bugs me is that she has a nearly rust-free late-2000s Highlander (the #1 rated vehicle model in terms of longevity of ownership because they retain value and are very reliable), and she can’t be bothered with regular oil changes - which means a lovely car that could last her many more years will probably die well before its time thanks to her refusal to do the most basic, least expensive maintenance.

Why are so many people so stupid about the basic concept that a vehicle requires routine maintenance and parts replaced over time? I know so many people who are car payment poor because they ditch perfectly good cars when they just need routine maintenance. Imagine how much this throwaway mindset toward the most frequently used tool in most people’s toolbox is adding to the pollution of the environment - it’s freaking sad. And stupid.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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Crackpot
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Crackpot »

You get the belts back and installed yet?
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

Yes! They’re lovely! And they serviced the retractors so they behave again as if they were brand new, very smooth retraction. I very highly recommend the place: safetyrestore.com

The only thing that sucked is that in the process I lost one of the little bolt covers at the top of the seatbelt housing - it’s just a trim piece and I can probably get a replacement at a junkyard no problem. They are looking for it at the seatbelt shop but to be honest it could’ve been the place that took them out that lost it - I can’t recall now if it was there when I mailed them. The shop putting them back in found the piece was missing.

Technically I should replace the back belts too but I’m not sure I will - they weren’t as badly damaged so I could stitch them and nobody rides back there anyway.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

Hey CP, one of the pretensioners is sticking - I didn’t send those for repair. Is that something that a little WD-40 can fix? It gets stuck in sometimes, and sometimes it’s a bit touchy to get the metal insert to catch hold and secure. Thoughts?
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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Crackpot
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Crackpot »

I’m at a loss as to what you mean by pretensioner. Could you describe what’s happening?
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

It’s the part that the seatbelt plugs into, that has a button you push to release the seatbelt. According to what I found online that’s the formal name for it. :shrug Anyway, sometimes the button sticks down in and has to be fiddled with to get it to pop up, and sometimes when I put the belt buckle in it’s very hard to get it to grab and catch.

Make sense?
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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