The Car Thread ... !

[MatthewLTL]

Found on road dead?



AC Delco sells branded batteries, but they are not made by AC Delco. They were previously made by Delphi, who is now owned by Johnson Controls. JC makes DieHard and about 100 branded batteries. They contract out, likely to the cheapest company. Johnson Control and Exide make nearly all the car batteries in the U.S.

There are different technologies and qualities available. Do some homework next time you buy a battery to find something for for your climate.

Pretty much all batteries you buy off the shelf are $100+ We just goto K-Mart and buy the 1st battery we see fits. We won't do AutoZone batteries they cost too much.

 

[bunnspecial]

Oh man, don't even get me started on spectroscopy... I had to take a Spectroscopy course in undergrad and then an advanced spectroscopy (NMR/IR/DSC/GCMS/HPLC/UV-Vis/SPR/EPR, etc) class for my Masters. Some of the hardest classes I've ever taken!

Thankfully, my work employs a team of specialists, so I don't have to sit around and read spectra all day.

Well, I am an analytical chemist by training, education, and profession so I guess I have a different outlook on spectroscopy

About 90% of my master's thesis was written based on GC-MS, DSC, and UV-VIS data, and the rest on NMR, GC-FID, IR and TEM(although I didn't get any of my own TEM data-it all came from publications of another group member who trained me in nanoparticle synthesis).

Now, if we want to talk about the infernal, straight from hell HPLC, I'm in full agreement . While I was at Georgetown(as an undergrad, mind you) we were given a refurbished HP 1050 HPLC system. Somehow or another, I fell into the position of being the only person in the department who knew how to operate it, maintain it, and troubleshoot it. We had a professor emeritus who was trying to separate a pair of diasteriomers for his research(he synthesized anticonvulsants). I spent about an hour on the phone with Varian(RIP) specing a column for the separation. We ended up with a 35cm, 3µM packing column. When we ordered it, I was dreading actually getting the thing to work, and I ended up having to run it at crazy low flow rates to keep the back pressure manageable(our pump would complain at 4,000 PSI and shut off at 6,000). I had to switch the entire system over to acetonitrile/water(right in the middle of the worldwide acetonitrile shortage that came from the 2008 Beijing Olympics) because methanol/water mixtures have weirdly high viscosities at typical HPLC ratios that contribute to higher back pressures. I finally got a working method, but it took me about a month. Even with a more normal 15cm 5µM column, I was still constantly fighting leaks and back pressure issues.

I spent about a half an hour typing an email to a student last night explaining NMR spectral interpretation-apparently either his TA didn't do a good job of explaining it or the student just didn't understand it the way it was explained. I ended my email, though, by virtually begging the student to come in and meet with me on Monday as it's so much easier to explain it when I can write/draw on spectra and give examples on paper.

Speaking of NMR also, Agilent(formerly the HP scientific instrument division) bought out Varian about 4 years ago. I'm a big fan of Agilent for chromatography stuff, but liked the competition that came from Varian and also generally preferred Varian for consumables. Varian had a very strong history in the NMR market(we have two in-service Varian magnets in our department along with a Varian spectrometer on an Oxford magnet. We also have an old, out of service 300mhz Varian magnet and a wide-bore 500mhz Varian magnet on a spectrometer that one of the professors in the department built. At Georgetown College, we had a 90mhz Varian permanent magnet from the 1960s with a modern Anasazi FT-NMR spectrometer.

I was under the impression that Agilent had bought Varian primarily to get the NMR business(where Agilent had no presence) but about a year ago they decided to completely kill off the NMR division. They are honoring existing service contracts, but not renewing them, and also not developing the vNMRj software package. That leaves us sort of up a creek as we quite literally have over a million dollars in Varian NMR equipment that's about 6 years old and is effectively EOL, although I know we're not the only ones in that position. I think JEOL or Bruker will be getting our business in the future for NMR, and if I have any part in our next GC-MS it will probably be Shimadzu.

 

[MatthewLTL]

Well, I am an analytical chemist by training, education, and profession so I guess I have a different outlook on spectroscopy

About 90% of my master's thesis was written based on GC-MS, DSC, and UV-VIS data, and the rest on NMR, GC-FID, IR and TEM(although I didn't get any of my own TEM data-it all came from publications of another group member who trained me in nanoparticle synthesis).

Now, if we want to talk about the infernal, straight from hell HPLC, I'm in full agreement . While I was at Georgetown(as an undergrad, mind you) we were given a refurbished HP 1050 HPLC system. Somehow or another, I fell into the position of being the only person in the department who knew how to operate it, maintain it, and troubleshoot it. We had a professor emeritus who was trying to separate a pair of diasteriomers for his research(he synthesized anticonvulsants). I spent about an hour on the phone with Varian(RIP) specing a column for the separation. We ended up with a 35cm, 3µM packing column. When we ordered it, I was dreading actually getting the thing to work, and I ended up having to run it at crazy low flow rates to keep the back pressure manageable(our pump would complain at 4,000 PSI and shut off at 6,000). I had to switch the entire system over to acetonitrile/water(right in the middle of the worldwide acetonitrile shortage that came from the 2008 Beijing Olympics) because methanol/water mixtures have weirdly high viscosities at typical HPLC ratios that contribute to higher back pressures. I finally got a working method, but it took me about a month. Even with a more normal 15cm 5µM column, I was still constantly fighting leaks and back pressure issues.

I spent about a half an hour typing an email to a student last night explaining NMR spectral interpretation-apparently either his TA didn't do a good job of explaining it or the student just didn't understand it the way it was explained. I ended my email, though, by virtually begging the student to come in and meet with me on Monday as it's so much easier to explain it when I can write/draw on spectra and give examples on paper.

Speaking of NMR also, Agilent(formerly the HP scientific instrument division) bought out Varian about 4 years ago. I'm a big fan of Agilent for chromatography stuff, but liked the competition that came from Varian and also generally preferred Varian for consumables. Varian had a very strong history in the NMR market(we have two in-service Varian magnets in our department along with a Varian spectrometer on an Oxford magnet. We also have an old, out of service 300mhz Varian magnet and a wide-bore 500mhz Varian magnet on a spectrometer that one of the professors in the department built. At Georgetown College, we had a 90mhz Varian permanent magnet from the 1960s with a modern Anasazi FT-NMR spectrometer.

I was under the impression that Agilent had bought Varian primarily to get the NMR business(where Agilent had no presence) but about a year ago they decided to completely kill off the NMR division. They are honoring existing service contracts, but not renewing them, and also not developing the vNMRj software package. That leaves us sort of up a creek as we quite literally have over a million dollars in Varian NMR equipment that's about 6 years old and is effectively EOL, although I know we're not the only ones in that position. I think JEOL or Bruker will be getting our business in the future for NMR, and if I have any part in our next GC-MS it will probably be Shimadzu.

ALL of that is over my head.... Don''t understand a single thing you said

 

[determined09]

huh. Taraus is FWD so the rear wheels spinning don't make much sense talk about strange. I was told the same with Pontiac and Saturn.

Okay you're right. She had problems happening very often. I'm a girl and don't know very much about cars repairs. Thank you for the heads up.

 

[2298754]

What Flex Fuel has to do with it is if you have E85 in the tank dont expect it to start in winter

Yeah no.

E85 is a 85:15 mix of ethanoletrol and EtOH has a freezing point of around -230F. There are no cold weather issues to report at all.

 

[2298754]

I was told that FORD means needs repair daily by my friend In college. Her Ford Taraus always needed some kind of repair. She would have some kind of problem with this car

I've always found that the people who constantly have cars that break down or just are junk (a certain Daewoo for example) are direct product of poor maintenance and ownership.

Half-assing repairs and not following the proper maintenance schedule are a recipe for disaster. Doesn't matter what car it is.

Basically a sign of neglect.

 

[determined09]

I've always found that the people who constantly have cars that break down or just are junk (a certain Daewoo for example) are direct product of poor maintenance and ownership.

Half-assing repairs and not following the proper maintenance schedule are a recipe for disaster. Doesn't matter what car it is.

Basically a sign of neglect.

Okay. oh that's make a lot of sense. Thanks you so much.

 

[D.T.]

Why do you spell Ford as F.O.R.D?

Yeah, my buddy's Ford GT doesn't have any periods between the letters - piece of crap that it is ...

 

[MatthewLTL]

Yeah no.

E85 is a 85:15 mix of ethanoletrol and EtOH has a freezing point of around -230F. There are no cold weather issues to report at all.

Try telling uxwbill that.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Pretty much all batteries you buy off the shelf are $100+ We just goto K-Mart and buy the 1st battery we see fits. We won't do AutoZone batteries they cost too much.

Perhaps you should consider buying a better quality battery. It might cost more, but it might improve the longevity. Not all batteries are created equal.

 

[MatthewLTL]

Perhaps you should consider buying a better quality battery. It might cost more, but it might improve the longevity. Not all batteries are created equal.

well since the DieHard C11 battery in my Daewoo is approaching 8 years old I'd say the longevity is pretty damn good. The OE battery lasted 7 years

 

[A.Goldberg]

Yeah no.

E85 is a 85:15 mix of ethanoletrol and EtOH has a freezing point of around -230F. There are no cold weather issues to report at all.

I was under the impression that E85 vehicles do have cold weather issues. Ethanol doesn't vaporize as easily at low temperatures, which creates issues starting in the cold. That's why in the winter E70 is usually sold.

I'd just avoid the stuff alltogether. Then again, that's not too hard living in the Northeast.

 

[A.Goldberg]

well since the DieHard C11 battery in my Daewoo is approaching 8 years old I'd say the longevity is pretty damn good. The OE battery lasted 7 years

I'm talking about your GM batteries that you were just complaining about.

 

[bunnspecial]

I was under the impression that E85 vehicles do have cold weather issues. Ethanol doesn't vaporize as easily at low temperatures, which creates issues starting in the cold. That's why in the winter E70 is usually sold.

I'd just avoid the stuff alltogether. Then again, that's not too hard living in the Northeast.

I checked my trusty Merck index hoping that it would list the vapor pressure of ethanol and gasoline, but unfortunately my favorite reference book failed me.

I'll try to trek over to the library on Monday and hunt down the International Critical Tables. That's the sort of place I'd check for this sort of obscure information, especially since I don't feel like digging through a few hundred thousand references on SciFinder.

 

[A.Goldberg]

I checked my trusty Merck index hoping that it would list the vapor pressure of ethanol and gasoline, but unfortunately my favorite reference book failed me.

I'll try to trek over to the library on Monday and hunt down the International Critical Tables. That's the sort of place I'd check for this sort of obscure information, especially since I don't feel like digging through a few hundred thousand references on SciFinder.

When the vapor pressure in the ethanol blend drops below 45 kPa, fuel ignition cannot be guaranteed on cold winter days, limiting the maximum ethanol blend percentage during the winter months to E75.[99]

 

[bunnspecial]

Thanks a bunch!

Can I assume that the graph provided is at STP? Also, would you mind to provide the reference? I'd like to read it.

EDIT: Never mind, I found it from the link.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Thanks a bunch!

Can I assume that the graph provided is at STP? Also, would you mind to provide the reference? I'd like to read it.

EDIT: Never mind, I found it from the link.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_ethanol_fuel_mixtures#E70.2C_E75

I assume that would be STP. The information is unfortunately vague. Im sure there's a better reasource out there.

 

[2298754]

I was just going to post the same chart. You are correct, the percentage of ethanol is varied during colder temperatures.

What's even more interesting is that E85 isn't necessarily always 85% ethanol. ATSM developed the specifications to be anywhere from 51-83% EtOH and it's still called E85.

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/ethanol_e85_specs.html

For example, E85 sold during colder months often contain lower levels of ethanol to produce the vapor pressure necessary for starting in cold temperatures. For this reason, fueling site operators offering ethanol blends typically cannot carryover summer-blend E85 into the winter months.

Even then, it's very similar to diesels in colder weather. It shouldn't be an issue as long as the fuel has been properly blended.

EDIT: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/27/when-is-e85-not-85-percent-ethanol-when-its-e70-with-an-e85-st/

In some cases, during most of the year, E85 pumps sell fuel that is really E70.
There are three volatility classes for ethanol (designated 1, 2, and 3). Class 1 is summertime E85, and needs to have a minimum of 79 percent ethanol (so even E85 doesn't have to be E85). Class 2's ethanol minimum is 74. And Class 3, wintertime ethanol, is 70 percent. In some parts of the country, Wyoming, for example, Class 3 is sold from October through May and Class 1 is sold only in July and August. Y

 

[yg17]

Pretty much all batteries you buy off the shelf are $100+ We just goto K-Mart and buy the 1st battery we see fits. We won't do AutoZone batteries they cost too much.

You buy the cheapest battery you can find at K-Mart and then wonder why it craps out in the winter?

 

[2298754]

You buy the cheapest battery you can find at K-Mart and then wonder why it craps out in the winter?

More importantly, I didn't realize people still go to Kmart

Haven't seen one around here in over a decade

 

[bunnspecial]

More importantly, I didn't realize people still go to Kmart

Haven't seen one around here in over a decade

Hey, I was just in Kmart today.

Don't judge me too hard, but it's usually easier to get in and out of than Walmart and they're also the only place in town that stocks Spearmint Lifesavers

(the lifesavers are relevant to this thread because they're a necessary item for me when I'm driving a long distance )

 

[MatthewLTL]

You buy the cheapest battery you can find at K-Mart and then wonder why it craps out in the winter?

As stated before, It's the car not the battery. 8yo battery in Daewoo still functions like new never dead never problems vs 2 year old battery in Impala and Impala killing it every week in winter. Same batteries and technically the one in the impala is bigger and more powerful than that in the daewoo.

Hey, I was just in Kmart today.

Don't judge me too hard, but it's usually easier to get in and out of than Walmart and they're also the only place in town that stocks Spearmint Lifesavers

(the lifesavers are relevant to this thread because they're a necessary item for me when I'm driving a long distance )

LOL!

 

[2298754]

Hey, I was just in Kmart today.

Don't judge me too hard, but it's usually easier to get in and out of than Walmart and they're also the only place in town that stocks Spearmint Lifesavers

(the lifesavers are relevant to this thread because they're a necessary item for me when I'm driving a long distance )

Haha. We're flooded with Targets and Walmart around here. Lifesavers are great!

There used to be a Kmart in the town where I grew up and it closed down in '95. I distinctly remember going there when I was a kid and getting Little Caesars

BTW, Your post about Agilent/Varian... I could go on and on about the company and the vNMRj software... All of our research NMRs are Agilent/Varian models. Millions of dollars invested into all of these machines and they're just abandoning us. It's nuts!

The interns get to use a Bruker Fourier 300Mhz NMR to learn COSY, NOESY, HSQC, and HMBC. It's super compact and quick. I think it even has a 60 sample changer too.

 

[2298754]

Let's help troubleshoot this

 

[senseless]

I saw a video with a guy interviewing naive college students about Presidential candidates that were fake. "Senator Ford Taurus" was one of them and also "General Mills", who's war record was discussed.