treks

Just now, desertdude said:

The 2nd and the only DIY telescope in the test and beats a celestron. 

 

It's very easy to beat Celestrons, since they are mass-produced in China, as most other makes are. As a point of interest, when you compare "identical" scopes from the same Chinese factory, you will almost certainly get as many different test results as the number of scopes you are testing.  

One of my suggestions would have been to build your own scope, but be wary of the lenses/mirrors you get in these kits. You may strike it lucky and get decent optics, but in my experience, you need a great deal of luck for this to happen. 

Just as a point of interest, what was the PVC scope compared with?

OK, so we are going to have to this ourselves. Can you give me an estimate on the amount of money you want to spend? If you have about $1000 US available, I can make some suggestions that will get you going with the least amount of hassle. 

OK, it seems I misread the quick Google search I had done for astronomy clubs there. I have found this though- 

http://www.althurayaastronomycenter.ae/about-us

Is that still in operation, or has it also closed up shop? 

OK, the smallest instruments that would give you decent views of the ring system fall into the 150mm aperture range, but the type of views you ultimately get depends entirely on your budget. 

For instance, refractors are best for planetary viewing since they (mostly) eliminate chromatic aberration, but these are also the most expensive scopes. You could get a much cheaper Dobsonian reflector which gives decent planetary views, is easily transportable and easy to use because you don't need to to polar align, but the downside is that Dobsonians are prone to suffering from heat currents in the tube, which distorts views.

Moreover, the bigger you go on aperture, the more heat currents and other atmospheric disturbances are magnified, so you may have to install small extractor fans in the tube to get even halfway-decent views immediately after sunset or in the early evening until the desert cools down a bit. 

All things considered, my advice would be to join one of the many astronomy clubs in the UAE on an outing before you decide on what to buy. Clubs are always glad to show newcomers the ropes, and besides, they will know where to get the best scopes at the best prices. Buying an expensive scope at this point could be a costly mistake.

11 minutes ago, desertdude said:

Yeah I looked into that but one is never going to get a decent view of our outer planets. And That's basically what I want to do. 

For that you really need to have a semi decent telescope. Anyways Ill keep hunting.

 

I'm an advanced-level amateur astronomer in my other life. Give me a shout if you want advice/tips about small telescopes.

15 hours ago, desertdude said:

In that case no not really. But never say never, I've seen a few Good parts cars come along. But never say never. There have been some cars I've seen that could be considered decent deals. But I'm always looking for the mostly non jap non economical cars. 

It's worth downloading the test sheet and if really serious go and have a look at the car yourself in the flesh. 

People are stupid and have no self control and towards the trip end of the auction most cars get into a bidding war and sold for more than what they are really worth. 

Auction fever does not only apply to cars. I've seen people afflicted by auction fever buy all sorts of used rubbish for twice or even three times the amount they would have paid for a new piece of rubbish, but I guess that is how auctioneers make much of their living. 

I use waterless coolants in my cars, and I have not seen them running hotter than normal. However, I keep forgetting that I don't live in a desert, so I agree with @desertdude on this one- I would not use these coolants in extreme temperature conditions, either. 

Nonetheless, if I were in Gaurav's shoes, I would flush the cooling system several times, before refilling with Mitsubishi-approved coolant mixed in the correct proportions to achieve the right specific gravity for the mix. Then, I would never add any other brand, formulation, or concentration of coolant- ever. 

The best way to preserve the coolants efficiency is to mix a small amount in the correct proportions, and then to add the mixture to the system to top off the coolant level, as opposed to adding either pure coolant or pure water- both of which could and probably will, change the mixture's density, and hence, its effectiveness.   

19 hours ago, Gaurav said:

Thanks, guys for valuable advises, I have cleaned the bottle and touch that brown sedimentation part and it was confirmed as sand and not rust. Later I recall that this happen in the past too and I just rinse the bottle and top it up with the coolant, without bothering asking this question.

Now, my question is how sand is getting inside the coolant system and expansion bottle working as a catch-can to hold the sand at the base and only allowing coolant to recirculate as its suction pipe is a bit shorter than the height of the expansion bottle.

Not wanting to start an argument here, but did you actually rinse the sediment under clean water, and found grains of desert sand? Or did you just squeeze the sediment between your fingers and found the sediment to be granular? 

This is an important point since pure silica (sand) will not discolor the coolant, so unless you have been kicking up sand that contains clay particles (that would certainly have discolored the coolant), the coolant should have remained clear.

But, @desertdude makes a good point. If there was a lot of sand flying around the engine bay just at the point when the cooling system sucked in coolant from the expansion tank, some sand could conceivably have entered the tank through the overflow tube. 

In my experience however,  granular material in expansion tanks sometimes sticks to a magnet, in which case it is rust. If it does not stick, it is obviously not rust, and likely to be the result of chemical interactions between different types of coolant in the water, and/or reactions between coolant mixes and some metals in the cooling system- most notably, some aluminium alloys in some radiators.  

@Barry, also makes a good point- waterless coolants eliminate all of these issues, and although it is more expensive than regular coolants, their overall performance and protection levels are miles ahead of anything you can mix with water. 

Another issue with coolants is that different brands/formulations have different densities, so apart from anything else, if you mix coolants it can happen that the lightest coolant floats on top of the more denser coolant when the engine does not run. 

This is very likely the reason why you are seeing green coolant when you open the radiator cap, but if you should drain the radiator from the bottom hose, you will almost certainly see another color coolant coming out first. 

Moreover, since not all coolants are compatible, mixing coolants can destroy the rust protection function of all the coolant formulations in the mix, which is the origin of the corrosion-colored coolant in the expansion tank. 

I have used synthetic rope on my African expeditions, and apart from the fraying issues with steel wire, I'd much rather use a synthetic rope in difficult situations because it is lighter and easier to use than a heavy steel cable.

It is also safer, because compared to a steel cable, it has much less backlash when it breaks, which is perhaps its greatest advantage over steel ropes.

The Germans were not exactly ripped off. They were so far ahead of everyone else that nobody was in a position to actually rip them off, so what the Americans did was to transplant the German rocket program (scientists included, except for those that the Russians got hold of first) to US soil.

True about the JLR case, although that case represents the exception that proves the rule. 

11 hours ago, desertdude said:

China is definitely ahead of the curve much more than the west would want us to believe.

As of now China is pretty much a cashless society and has been for sometime now and Im not takomg cresit cards but smart pay, e wallet, most monetary transactions are paid through phone, wechat seems to the weapon of choice their, even the smallest vendors are using it. Just scan the QR code which you can find at the counter or even  on shop fronts, amount to be paid and done. 

China has been unnecessarily demonized in the west.

I agree with most of what of you say, but perhaps China will be demonized less when they get the issue of Government-approved theft of intellectual property under control. 

12 hours ago, desertdude said:

He was talking about legends, not burnt out shells. But hey if a Jeep Cherokee can be considered a legend then pretty much everything is up to grab that title!

I think we need to define the word "legend",and what it means to different people. For instance, some people see the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus as legends, while others consider vampires, sea monsters, trolls, and goblins as legends.

There are many other examples but in which category of legends do Jeeps fall? The warm and fuzzy kind, or the kind that nightmares are made of?   

25 minutes ago, sertac said:

1- 2001 Peugeot 106 GTI

2- 2006 R53 Mini Cooper GP

3- 1998 BMW E36 328i Coupe

4- 2003 BMW 540i 

5- 2001 Mercedes E55 AMG

6- 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9

7- 1999 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 manuel

8- 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe 

9- 2009 Mercedes SLK 55 AMG

10- 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

11- 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX 

12- 1992 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9

13- 1995 Ford Escort Cosworth

14- 2018 Ford Focus RS

15- 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo

 

I want them all full original and mint condition. I will park them all together to a warehouse and just watch them.

 

I am surprised by the fact that you have listed only two Jeeps

6 hours ago, Gaurav said:

If you win a million dollar jackpot, with a condition to spend all money on cars. Which one or a few cars you will buy/restore?

1,000,000 USD = 3,670,000 AED - It's a lot of money for lifetime supply of cars.

Here's my bucket list of 1M USD

• Build 5 x Pajero Evolution (LHD) from the ground up with better than OEM specs
• 2 X LC 70
• 1 X Ferrari 812 Superfast
• 1 X Porsche 911 GT3 (Maybe)
• 1 X Ford Raptor (Maybe)

If receiving the jackpot is contingent upon spending it on cars, then I will remain both jackpot-less and car-less because I refuse to pay the ridiculous asking price(s) for cars I cannot use. I have two already, and more would just be a waste- no matter how fast or shiny they are...

15 hours ago, desertdude said:

After the Lambo uterus didn't think SUVs could get any uglier, but Ferrari seems to have accepted and won that challenge.

...and they managed to set the bar very high in the process; it will now be extremely difficult for any manufacturer the beat the sheer ugliness of this monstrosity. 

9 hours ago, desertdude said:

My absolute favourite ride for offroad use is the Bu Shanab i.e Land Cruiser Pickup. I dunno about the current generation with the V6, square lights plastic bumper version, But I have driven, used and abused off road and on road the previous generation in every imaginable way possible. I'm talking about this, one with the round lights and steel bumper

Built like a tank and virtually indestructible, inside out. And will go anywhere with anything loaded on it. Personally tested it up to 2 tons with generators and watertanks in the bed and then hit some decent dunes and soft sand. I just love it to bits.

But very rough ride, but you get used to it after a while. and unfortunately individuals cannot register them on their name.

I lost one of these in the Central African Republic. Best vehicle for almost every off road application,ever. OK, maybe not for rock crawling, but it can handle almost anything else.

9 hours ago, shadow79 said:

I have replaced few 6 cylinder engines of Cherokee....but they all were still running when we changed them. they can withstand pretty much anything without much fuss...to kill a Cherokee engine you have to go to lenghts....

...or you simply have to wait for the crankshaft main bearings to wear out, which usually happens sooner than expected. 

Translation: I have also changed more than a few of these engines and while they were all also still running when I replaced them, all of them had oil pressure issues caused by worn main bearings.  

27 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

I suppose too, and I'm sure when we are thinking of so many options from our couch, these guys must have mastered it to the next level of intelligence before even implementing it.

Not necessarily. For instance, everyone (including Governments) is talking about eliminating petrol and diesel vehicles within twenty years, and in some cases as soon as ten years, and yet, nobody has thought about the fact that there simply is not enough power-generating capacity in the world to charge hundreds of millions of electric cars.   

I suppose this system is fitted with some sort of automatic guiding system that will place the pick-up back in the slot after overtaking a slower vehicle?

On 4/28/2019 at 7:47 AM, katana85 said:

Hi guys, can I use the 80w90 instead of 75w85? It is becoming easier to find this oil instead of 75w85 or even 75w90? 

So far the brands that I found are ZIC (80w90), KIXX (80w90) and ACDelco (75w90). Any one have experience any of them?

Note: I previously used 85w90 as per the shop that deals with OEM parts. But I found it getting black in the rear two days back, when I changed the wheel bearings. So, I don't want to use that oil again.


Please advice me.

Thanks,

 

What do you mean the oil "was getting black?" Gear oil can live for many years without undergoing major color changes, so if your diff oil was getting black, there is likely some kind of contaminant present, or the previous oil was not suitable, or of the wrong grade /formulation. 

 

Either way, do as @Barry suggested- stick to the recommended oil, but I would suggest you have the diff cleaned out to remove possible contaminants.  

Happy birthday!☀️

I agree with @Barry on this. The steering angle sensor forms the heart of several safety systems, and a trying to get out of a dangerous situation is not the ideal time to discover that the steering angle sensor re-calibration procedure was not performed. 

I have never understood why it is even possible to clear steering sensor codes without performing the required re-calibration procedure. I would have thought that manufacturers would make it impossible to clear these codes, but what is worse is the fact that I have known mechanics who did not know that a re-calibration procedure had to be done, and who then spent days trying to figure out why the ABS, stability, and traction control systems don't work 

16 hours ago, Barry said:

@treks I have some legendary memberships in the bank, just sent you one ✌️ 

I’m just using basic membership. Got sick of random people asking me questions about cars that could be asked on the forum so no more PMs for me. My number is freely available and I’m on WhatsApp if anyone needs me. 

Thanks, @Barry, I was wondering about the type of gift you sent me, hence my need to contact you privately. However, I have not experienced a flood of PM's, so I will redeem the points  but when I do start to get PM's,for stuff that should properly be in the forums, I will donate the points to @desertdude.