A large manufacturing plants where I used to work had an extensive warehouse system. Each item in the warehouse had a part number created when the part was designed or specified for purchase by engineering. When the actual parts where ready to store in the warehouse, it was given a ZARB location. ZA...

Average car is driven 12,000 miles a year in the US, that’s 250 miles a week If you fall under 50 miles a week, you need an external charger to keep your battery at top charge/ best life, unless you are taking a one way 50 mile highway trip You either hook up a charger and plug in, or you put the ba...

MrAI, Your comment on making bearings is interesting to me. I had always thought making bearings to be a specialty of bearing manufacturers. But I guess if you need a special size or design you make them yourself. I have designed a lot of machined and heat treated parts, but not rolling bearings. Ot...

More rolling bearing trivia: Rolling bearings have a life rating expressed as L subscript 10. This is the expected life in millions of revolutions with the input to the equation the RPM. The rating is for 90% reliability as there is always variation in the life. There are other more detailed bearing...

When I was 17, working on my '73 Ford Capri, I took some assembly apart and found a stripped bolt. Big bolt. Its a Sunday of course, no parts stores open in those days, and I need it Monday morning for work. Our neighbor across the alley, Bud Hashburger, was the retired head mechanic of the big down...

I couldn't find anything for NAPA radiator drain plugs, I don't know why they'd make it so close to the correct Volvo plug but not the same size. Anyways I found the size was an M12 with a 1.75 thread pitch, plastic bolts are available online or from supply companies like McMaster Carr. Hi again, O...

After days of drilling, I finally got the bolts out, and the pump on. It seems the M7 tap in my kit was a little oversized, as the bolt can wiggle around in the hole once threaded in. I decided to ignore the broken bolt at the top of the pump for now, one bolt was able to be torqued very carefully t...

You have met the dragon in battle , and have slayed him…

Here goes. Bearing manufacturers make common size bearings. There match inside diameter, outside diameter, and width of other manufacturers so they can interchange. However, they may not have the same loading and life ratings because some manufacturers make better bearings from better materials. So ...

I just got a NAPA H6 for $145 after Napa bucks and a promotion sale. They’d replaced my last one free after I completely abused it on a current drain car, so I rewarded them with more business Why is it our nature to run a battery to complete failure while we do preventive replacement for many other...