Water for Gas, does it work?

A hot topic nowadays with gas prices on the way up and up and up! If you have not seen the site, it is http://water4gas.com/ and it deals with running your car on water.

Don't believe it. It can't be done. Listen to the clip of Pat Goss from Motorweek TV give his thoughts on it, and explains why it can't work on a recent segment of his weekly radio show.

The maximum mark on the brake master cylinder

I have heard that regardless whether a car has ABC brakes or whether the engine is running, the master cylinder should be filled to the maximum mark. Is this so?

No, not necessarily! With today’s cars that have ABS brakes the master cylinder has a maximum mark and you should not fill it passed it. As long as none of the brake warning lamps are not lit, that is how high you should fill it. If you fill it more then that you could cause damage and fluid could have brake fluid overflowing all over the engine compartment.

With ABS brakes just filling it to this maximum mark can be a problem. ABS brakes have an accumulator that pressurizes fluid, and there has to be some reservoir left for this fluid to go into. So filling it up to the max mark should only be done after the system has been depressurized.

Do this by having the engine off and step on the pedal several times to release all pressures from the accumulator and reservoir then check the fluid level and make sure it isn’t over the top. Just filling it to the maximum mark in an ABS brake system might cause problems when the system depressurizes.

Turning the front wheels while stopped

I have heard that turning the front wheels while the vehicle is not moving will not effect the life of the tires that much but will decrease the life of all the components in the steering system. Is this so?

Yes, the amount of force needed to turn the wheels when the vehicle is stationary is very great, and just crawling a little can reduce the wear on the steering rack, power steering pump, and various bushings in the front end, and make those components last much longer!

Using torque-limiting sockets

I have heard that using a "torque stick" with an impact gun to install wheel lug nuts is not enough to prevent brake rotor distortion. This practice could result in the on set of brake pedal pulsation. Is this so?

Yes, impact guns have a high enough speed to cause the first nut to catch and hold the wheel at a slight angle relative to the hub even if a torque limiting socket is used. The wheel will not seat correctly and wil lcock against the mounting flange ofthe hub as the other lug nuts are tightened. The lug nut will pull against the rotor hub, stress it, which leads to brake rotor distortion. Avoid this by using a torque wrench.

Rodents in automobiles and HPS

Field mice ,squirrels, rodents, what do they all have in common when it comes to automobiles? They love to build nests and in of all places ,some of them in the cabin filter areas.
What is bad about all this is they leave mice droppings all around and a very serious air born virus can result. It is called HPS. Why is this so bad?

Hantaviruspulmonary syndrome (HPS) is
a deadly disease transmitted by infected rodents through urine,
droppings, or saliva. Humans can contract the disease when they breathe in the air born virus.


People get HPs when they breath in hantaviruses.
This can happen when rodent urine and
droppings that contain a hantavirus are stirred up
into the air. People can also become infected when
they touch mouse or rat urine, droppings, or nesting
materials that contain the virus and then touch
their eyes, nose, or mouth. They can also get
HPS from a mouse or rat bite.


Be careful when cleaning up a car that has such nests, so that
you are not at risk for HPS by Improperly cleaning up mouse and rat
urine, droppings, and nests. Where a breathing mask, rubber gloves, and don't blow this stuff around with an air hose. Make sure the entire area is sprayed with a strong disinfectant.


To help avoid all this make sure you keep food away from close proximity of the areas.