howards11

Aircraft Engineer: I'm an accountant by profession. I have an agreement with my plumber. I won't try any additional plumbing and he won't do taxes ! ~Howard

AIRCRAFT ENGINEER: No washers. These things are called boiler taps; one for hot and one for cold. You have to repack them with plumbers tape around the knuckle or it leaks from there. My darling wife never told me they were leaking until I noticed the whole laundry room floor was soaked. We now have some other type of hook up in our new home that turns on both the hot and the cold water at the same time and does not require repacking. The downside to this is that when it goes bad some years down the road the WHOLE contraption has to be replaced which will require my plumber. ~Howard

HOHIEU: I did a minor plumbing repair a few years back; repack the washing machine hook-ups. Simple job. My daughter who knows my abilities said "I'll alert the ambulance." ~Howard

SVXPERT: I have 62,000 miles on it. Using Lubegard just seems like a good idea. ~Howard

ROOSTER2: Trust me........no commerical here. I discovered it a while ago and was just wondering if anyone else uses or has heard of this product. It's not readily available in my area (Philadelphia) and I have to get it via mail order which is a PITA. ~Howard

HOHIEU: Trust me I am not inclined to do this job myself. I once glued my hand to the inside of a toilet using Crazy Glue while attempting a repair. That shows you my mechanical ability. ~Howard

I've been using Lubegard oil additve for a while. Here is a link: LUBEGARD Has anyone else heard of this product ? I also used their AT additives when I had my mechanic change the fluid. Comments please. ~Howard

Thanks to everyone with their suggesstions and help. My mechanic said that it was very labor intensive and his bill reflected that too. The total cost.........parts...............labor..............tax..........was (Everyone please sit down) $390.00 I should have taken some auto shop classes instead of being all academic in high school. But that was back in the days when the wheel was just invented. Once again thaks to everyone for their help ! ~Howard

They probably use different suppliers depending on the location of their distrbution centers to the refiner. They want a closer ones to cut down on the shipping cost. ~Howard

I picked up at Auto Zone FORD brand oil; synthetic blend 5W30. I think it was something like $2.75/qt. Just a quart to keep around. Now we all know Ford does not refine oil. But it meets all the specs so who cares what the bottle says. ~Howard

YEP.............THE VIRGIN SWITCH Did that one once ! ~Howard

I would not use a locking gas cap. I used a Stant locking cap on my 2000 Forester. I kept getting a CHECK ENGINE LIGHT; not all the time but once in a while. It was enough to be annoying. When the code was pulled it came back that it was the cap. My mechanic said that the way modern gas tanks are built it's even very difficult for him to get the gas out when he was to work on the tank. His suggestion was to get a REGULAR gas cap. I did this and the CEL problem went away. ~Howard

HOHIEU: I'm confused. CV joint in the rear ? I thought they were only in the front. Do you suggest using the Legacy version of the rear bearings as most of the previous threads suggest ? Thanks again for your suggestions ! ~Howard

HOHIEU: I am the 2nd owner. The car has 61,000 original miles. I bought it when it was 3 yrs. old and at 25,500 miles. I believe I have the original bearings. ~Howard

AIRCRAFT ENGINEER: Thanks for your suggestions !! The noise is there at about 40 MPH from the passenger side rear. ~Howard

I might have a bad rear wheel bearing. I followed the treads here and I understand to use a 2000 Legacy bearing as a replacement. I have one question: Should I have my mechanic replace the other (not bad) side too ? Does anyone have any other suggestions on this matter ? Thanks in advance for your help. ~Howard

About $80 for the battery installed; which means the battery plus the labor. Plus tax of course. Tax.......gotta pay the government. ~Howard

Thanks for the information Blaze. My regular mechanic carries NAPA batteries and I might give him a shot after looking at the data from Consumers. He wanted around $80 installed. ~Howard

Thanks for the info Aircraft Engineer. I looked at the price of the Optima batteries. WOW. Talk about sticker shock ! About double what I would expect to pay. I think I might stick with another Diehard or maybe try an Interstate (if I can locate a dealer nearby I can trust). ~Howard

Wally World ? Do you mean WalMart ? ~Howard

I'm looking around for a replacement battery on my 2000 Forester. 61K miles. Current battery is a 4 yr. old Diehard Silver. Can I please have your suggestions? I've been looking at an Optima Red Top. Thanks in advance for your help. ~Howard

EXACTLY !! Somehow buying a "used" battery seems like using a condom for the second time. It's a USED battery for a reason. GEE....these things aren't that expensive. I just don't like waiting in the winter cold at night for the auto club to give me a hot shot. ~Howard

Thanks for the idea but I think I will pass. Somehow a used battery doesn't sound good to me. ~Howard

I'll ask another battery related question. Do any of the battery additives that I seen on the Internet and elsewhere work or are they just a waste of $$ ? ~Howard

Thanks to all for their suggestions. I'm going to get my mechanic to test the Diehard Silver. I haven't had any problem with it but I just don't want to get stuck somewhere in the cold during the winter. ~Howard