treks

Yep, and these kinds of problems usually don't go away by themselves, if ever.

P0742 - Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Stuck On. Its like @desertdude says, there is a mismatch between the engine and transmission speeds that is preventing the transmission from shifting properly. In this case, the transmission is always rotating at the same speed as the engine, which should only happen when the torque converter clutch is locked in the "ON" position. Have the torque converter clutch control circuit checked out for short circuits to positive, as well as the operation of the torque converter control solenoid.

If the car runs the same as before, there is nothing to worry about. As I said, hitting the red line once for a second or two is unlikely to cause issues.

This is likely to involve a shift solenoid, and /or a transmission wiring issue. Best thing to do is to have the codes extracted, since many transmission codes can trigger a Check Engine light.

Hitting the red line once for a second or two won't do damage, but do not make it a habit, especially on engines that never (or very seldom) run at revs that approach the red line. The red line is there for a reason, and if you go there or beyond it often, or for prolonged periods, you can damage bearings, but more likely rings and pistons because the high reciprocal speeds can squeeze the ring grooves closed.

Yeah, it does, doesn't it?

Leave @Barry be- let him plug his company all he wants. At least he's not talking about electrically adjustable camshafts, which would really p*** some people off...

The engines @Danny lists in his post are good for reasons other than the number of camshafts they have. In fact, there are hundreds of reasons why any given engine may be "better" than any other given engine, but none of those reasons have anything to do with the number of camshafts in that engine. The only exception to this is if a multi-camshaft engine has variable valve timing, or variable cam timing, in which case, the number of camshafts is a logical, technical requirement.

I must point out that power-to-weight ratio is only one aspect of how well (or otherwise) a particular vehicle performs in a any given circumstance. While engine displacement is important, other factors like gearing is arguably more important, because while a vehicle with high displacement engine may have a favorable power to weight ratio, its gearing might make it unsuitable for some applications. I also want to clear up a myth: overhead camshafts have never done anything on any engine to improve power. All they do is make some engines run quieter, but in most cases, OHC's only serve to reduce manufacturing costs.

Has there ever been a Jeep that was not ugly?

There are no roads in the desert, so steering should not present undue difficulties. But then again, perhaps this guy converted the vehicle to skid steering, which should work well enough anywhere.

So we live and learn, but I was really under the impression that the front and rear diffs on off road vehicles rotate at the same speed, i.e., 1:1.

That is why proper off-road vehicles have torque distribution systems to lock the spinning wheel(s).

My tattoo is different. Mine says " I hate mechanics who can't rebuild engines to better than factory standard".

Disconnecting the battery without a very good reason is NEVER a good idea, so you were lucky this time.

I agree with @Barry. If you want to take a chance on a used engine, that is your choice, but to say that NO mechanic can ever rebuild an engine to factory standards is BS in its purest form. Moreover, mechanics who advise people to fit a used engine instead of repairing the damaged one are the ones that should not be trusted with inflating a tyre, much less removing and fitting engines- even if that engine is used, simply because that type of mechanic is not able to asses either the damage on the existing engine, or the condition of the used engine.

The best thing you can do now is to have @Barry run a diagnostic check and see which codes pop up. There are a great many possible reasons why your car won't start, and disconnecting the battery without a good reason could have made the problem worse. I won't even guess at the most likely cause at this time- get the codes, and then we'll be better able to assist you. ETA: Does the engine crank at normal speed when you turn the key? Does the engine crank at all? Did you check battery/engine/body ground connections? Have you had trouble with the starter relay before? Is the starter relay OEM (Original equipment)?

The problem involves simple optics. A mirror can only reflect light that falls onto it, and at a certain point, the light emitted by a vehicle almost next to you can no longer fall onto your mirror's reflective surface. One way around this is to bend the mirror, but the problem with this is that at a certain point, it becomes impossible to judge distance in a curved mirror. The solution for me would be to use a rear facing camera, and then to project what the camera sees onto a sort of screen. In effect, you would then be seeing what the camera sees, and not what the mirror reflects.

I agree with @Barry. Having hand-stitched leather seats and a well-appointed sound system does not make any car a good car. I have some experience working on luxury vehicles, and as Barry says, the more luxurious they are, the more likely they are to have issues with reliability- issues that always come with huge repair bills. To my mind, there is very little point in having a 3-ton beast that can corner reasonably well when you can't trust the electronics that keeps it running. Similarly, there is absolutely no point in having a vehicle that "floats" above the tarmac when you can't trust the suspension to keep its air charge contained. Then there is he issue with depreciation rates. This class of vehicle lose their value far more rapidly than any "common vehicle" ever will. In fact, the depreciation on a two year old Range rover is enough to buy a new Yaris with. From a mechanic's point of view, luxury vehicles are often nothing more than expensive exercises in poor taste, if not poor design, considering the types of failures as well as the regularity of failures these vehicles suffer from.

@Barry, I am sure you will agree that some mechanics have dirty hands precisely because they are dumb.

EBD only works properly if the pads are in contact with the discs across the full surface area of the pad. Very often, the pads and discs wear at different rates, which means that the disc does not wear evenly. This means that the friction surfaces of the discs are no longer parallel with each other, or that the sides of the disc may have high and low areas relative to the discs center line. So now if you put new pads on the unevenly-worn discs, the new pads are not in full contact with the discs, which means that the areas of the pad that are in contact with the disc overheat, which in turn overheats some parts of the disc, which finally, can destroy both pad and disc. How unevenly a disc wears depends on whether the discs is OEM or aftermarket, if the discs were made in China or not, or if the wheel bearings are in good condition or not. It also depends on the quality and formulation of the pads, and the overall condition of the brake system. Driving style has very little to do with how brakes wear. I do agree however that many garages skim discs when it is not really required, but then again, I would rather have discs that match the pads than run the risk of having my brakes overheat.

This depends on the car, but to give you an idea, BMW E36 consists of 3600-odd parts. This includes everything from the engine block to the clips holding trim panels in place. I know this because I worked in the BMW factory in South Africa at one time on a contract basis. This was in the mid-1980's when I still traveled extensively, and for what it's worth, it took 7 hours to build an E36 from scratch- from the time the first weld happens, to the time the last badges are attached. In those days, this translated into one complete car leaving the factory every 7.5 minutes, but all of this was a long time ago so I have no idea how long it takes to build a BMW now.

In this case, my advice to @Rahimdad would be to forget the idea, and to buy a vehicle with turbo already installed by the factory. On a 2001 model, the mileage (and wear) on the engine is probably so high already that ANY turbo he fits to it now will make it explode. The engine, not the turbo.

Gaurav is right about this. There is no cure except to to replace the Idle Control Valve. On models that can be adjusted the relief is usually short-lived, so just replace the ICV with an OEM part.

Sometimes I think China is a fake country that now exists only to imitate a once great culture that had ceased to be great.