Fifty150

As the plot thickens....... Seen today. In South San Francisco. Right by the Business Costco store. Or do they call it Costco Business store? There is a sticker on the back of the van. A yacht club burgee.

I got some from Amazon when they had a rebate, and Amazon had a really low price. Pennzoil full synthetic 5W-20. It seemed okay. I'm fairly confident that any major name brand, or store brand from a well known store, which labels the oil with the API starburst, donut, & GF rating is useable. Useable for me. Some high end oils have better better grade base stock. Sure, I acknowledge that even though I can't tell the difference, there is a difference between group II, group III, whatever oil. And I trust that some oil formulations have different additives in different amounts, However, I don't have a high performance car. My thinking is that any modern oil with SN, SN Plus, and GR5 rating will be good enough for my car, as long as I'm changing the oil frequently. As motor oil is such a hot button topic, I'm open to anyone else's explanation of TBN, Moly, Boron, et cetera.....and how that will benefit this little naturally aspirated 2.5L Duratec. I'll probably still buy whatever is on sale, with a coupon, offering a rebate. It's all brand name oil. Even Amazon.com oil & Wal*Mart oil are able to meet API & GF specifications. And I can't think of any over the counter, name brand oil, which will not meet Ford specification. In my youth, I spent more money. A lot more money. I used boutique brand oil. I can't tell if any of those oil formulations had a long term benefit to those cars. I do know, that without a doubt, when they claimed that the oil would yield better mileage and more power - I did not see it happen. Royal Purple, Red Line, and Lucas Oil did not make a Honda Civic faster.

Fumoto is on sale right now.

It looks like Havoline is worth the money. People much more knowledgeable than me, could view the numbers on what's in the bottle, and weigh in on what's good and what's not so good. There are much more expensive oil formulations. The more expensive oil may be better. But for $8.15 for 5 quarts, Havoline has won my business. PQIA tested the 5W-30 weight. The 5W-20 is probably pretty close when it comes to the additive package. Probably almost the same amounts of magic juju to clean the engine and hold contaminants in suspension. High Mileage Oil is suppose to also have fairy dust which conditions and swells the seals. I'll let you guys know if anything bad happens from using this oil.

I bit. Price was just too good to pass up.

TPMS sensors have a battery. Like a watch battery. Those batteries don't last forever. The sensor are not manufactured with a battery door so that you can change the battery. You are expected to replace the sensor. Sensors have to be relearned by your car. A tool is available for this. These are probably the parts you will need.

It could be engine misfire. Use an OBD II monitor to check for misfires, misfire count, and to see which cylinder is misfiring. On some cars, low grade, sporadic misfires, which are not misfiring consistently, do not turn on the "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT". Change spark plugs and coil-over-plug & boot. Checvk for engine compression. Once in awhile, on some cars, EGR & PCV valves and sensors need to be changed. Are there any hard downshifts or upshifts? Does the transmission ever fail to engage, or slip? It's not always the transmission. But a transmission fluid exchange should be performed anyway. It's an old car, and I doubt if the transmission fluid is fresh.

The price of gas went up around here. I need to drive 5 or 10 mph slower.

Very nice. Did you buy the van with the conversion package? Or did you do all of the installation work yourself?

I understand your issue. Of course, it will work. Work for now. How about 5 or 10 years, of the weight on the door, and that weight bouncing over every bump in the road?

Is anybody using Mobil 1 for 20,000 miles?

My feeling is that the Transit Connect is not an off-road vehicle. I don't have much confidence in the small "crossover SUV" class either. I would rather step up to the 1/4 ton 4X4 like a Tacoma. Opinions vary. Just because I don't like them, doesn't mean they won't work for you. Plenty of people are buying CR-V, Escape, and comparable small utility cars.

Hundreds of thousands of these vans have been sold. Most owners don't participate in the forum.

I should have noted that I was thinking about under $20. Plenty of Amazon and eBay adapters under $20. Some work. Some don't. Hard to find consistent quality in that price range.

I've never hears of such a modification. You might be able to find a car builder who is willing to fabricate something for you. As far as being able to buy something, there is nothing on the market for that. Not for any car, as far as I know.

Weird. The silver color painted wheel is also less expensive.

I would be more concerned about the backspace. It seems like all that anyone talks about is the offset. The backspace clearance is what makes a difference. A lot of wheel specs online don't even mention the backspace.

Old School, How many sets of wheels and tires have you experimented with so far? I've lost track. I like that. You are willing to try new things. What are the specs on the wheel? What is the width? What is the backspace? 5150

Very nice Mobil 1 filter. Are you using full synthetic oil, and extending the oil change interval?

If anyone is interested, Havoline has a rebate offer until the end of the year. I have used Havoline oil. It works. Nothing special. Good enough that nothing bad happened either. If anyone is a miser, like me, then this could be a good deal.

For any kind of build, the stripped down cargo van offers the most cubic volume. But once it's stripped to cargo.....well, it's stripped down. Hard choice to make there.

The Grom is a very good bike. It's fun to ride, and great for The City. I wish I had the space for another toy in my toy box. Unless you have a local salvage yard with that part in stock, your choices are limited. Buy a bumper from a dealership - what would that cost? Find the part on eBay - and you still pay for shipping one way or the other. Source the part from a nationwide junk yard database - and you still pay for shipping. No such thing as free shipping - unless you can find it on Amazon. Amazon pricing is unique as sometimes the pricing is below market value and the purchase price is even lower than the cost of shipping. Shipping is always built into the pricing when they advertise "free shipping".

Really cool bike. Harbor Freight has a small flat trailer which you can use as a base. A sheet of plywood and a wheel chock, and you are in business. Or fabricate it into a full box, with a little imagination. https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/trailers-towing/trailers/1720-lbs-capacity-48-in-x-96-in-super-duty-folding-trailer-62647.html

It looks great. It helps to confirm a few things. You had to cut and weld. The seat can't be turned without the door open. Any chance you could give step by step instructions? I'll try to help post the video.

It all depends on what you want to believe. A lot of people believe a lot of other things, and accept what they are being told, absent any proof at all. In the face of reality, some people reject facts in evidence. So, no, 365 days is not the absolute expiration date for motor oil after you've opened it and poured it out of the bottle. A lot of factors. Too many factors. No way possible for you to determine, on your own without any sophisticated laboratory equipment, if the oil is still good. 1 year is a good rule of thumb. But if you wait a few months, your car won't blow up. I didn't change the oil in my truck for 2 years. I found the money shot, sludge, milk shake under the oil fill cap. I was not happy. Makes me think that 2 years is too long. I have no idea what the condition of the oil was. I didn't send it in for analysis. Just something I read once. “While synthetic generally holds up better and can serve for more miles, it is equally important to not extend oil changes beyond the time interval recommended by the manufacturer—typically six months or a year if it is a motor that is not driven many miles or on many short trips.”Sep 4, 2017 5 Things to Know About Oil Changes for Your Car - Consumer Reports https://www.consumerreports.org › car-maintenance › things-to-know-about...