Server Issues - Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
My server is having some issues with running PHP right now. The problem started Monday night when I restarted PHP, and it did not come back up. I've had to manually start the process, but it craps out after a few hours. I'm in the process of troubleshooting it, so if you see any "Bad Gateway" messages, that's why. Sorry!
Minor Calculator Change - Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
A courteous user pointed out a display problem that Internet Explorer was having with the calculator. For the non-technical users out there, the input sections were partially overlapping in some instances. For the technical users, IE was paying attention to "clear: left" on one div and then immediately ignoring it on the next, causing the second div to float above and into the prior one. Anyway, the problem and fix have no direct impact on the way the calculations work, so I haven't updated the calculator version. If anyone else has any troubles, please don't hesitate to let me know.
Engine Maintenance - Friday, April 17th, 2009
I took my car in to have the timing belt replaced, get an oil change, and clear the airbag code that is keeping that indicator on. While taking care of the timing belt, they discovered the cause of my oil leak—or leaks actually. They also recommended that I have my water pump replaced, which sounded like a good idea (my MR2 has 129,375 miles on it now). The timing belt was $369.10, the water pump was $182.79, the camshaft and crankshaft gaskets were $221.29, the valve cover gaskets were $167.37, and the distributor shaft o-ring seal was $176.03 (all prices are parts and maintenance). After the fees and taxes, I ended up spending $1469.86. The car sounds and drives subtly better, but the heater is significantly improved. With the window down and the heater at hottest (with the fan at the lowest setting), I became too hot and had to turn down the heat. That's pretty impressive for a 50-degree day (Fahrenheit). This gave me the idea of creating a database of the maintenance records for my car, which I think might be helpful to other owners, but I haven't committed to the idea yet. It's still floating around in my head but maybe....
Electric Drain - Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
I've been troubleshooting a frustrating electric drain the past few days. My MR2 drains the battery from full to about 9.5V overnight. Everything is in great condition, so the car can actually start up with the battery that weak but barely. The drain seemed to be causing trouble with my turbo timer, so I pulled that out of the car. I also pulled every relay and checked them all; the flasher relay seems to be slightly bad, but I'm not sure if that's the primary problem. So, I pulled out every fuse and have been testing circuits one by one. I've narrowed it down to two possible circuits and that relay. By the way, good bit of knowledge for you: The 80amp and 120amp fuses are screwed in at the bottom. If you try to just pull them out, they could shatter and go into your thumb. Don't ask me how I learned that lesson....
Not Much Happening - Sunday, December 7th, 2008
I have not done anything on this site in quite a while. I actually have some nice photos that I ought to add, but I haven't made the time. I just wanted to post a quick note, so that people know I'm alive and well (but extremely busy).
Maintenance - Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
I spent quite a bit of money last month getting plenty of maintenance done on my MR2, trying to keep it in excellent condition. I will be starting my teaching internship later this month, so I wanted to get everything taken care of first. Most of the maintenance was routine (replaced all fluids, new front brakes, etc.), but I did order the Ball Joint/Tie Rod Combo Set from Twos R Us and had those put on. My MR2 has a bit under 130k miles and the difference that the new parts made is impressive. I also bought some new headlights. They're European H4 lenses in which you can replace the bulbs rather than the whole unit. I put 100w/80w bulbs in them. I haven't driven in extreme darkness since the change, but I have driven as the sun was setting and I could see that the headlights were on—a big change from the stock lights which I could barely notice in complete darkness.