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What kind of electrical service do you have in the garage? I will be running two 5600watt electric heaters in my 30x30 garage once I get the conduit run and outlets wired up. Theyre like $120 each at home depot and cost about $5 per 8 hours of runtime each. Won't make it a sauna but as long as it knocks the chill off I will be happy. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dr-Infrared-Heater-Industrial-series-5600-Watt-240-Volt-Portable-Garage-Heater-with-Thermostat-DR988/205665598
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Dec 10, 2018 02:13
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That's what I want for my one car, but I'm worried with only 100amp service at my house. Wife usually does laundry at night.
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Dec 10, 2018 02:37
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If it were me I'd get a cheap plug in electric heater or two from Costco and point them at the engine bay. Stand on a camping mattress to insulate your feet too (cold ground sucks out all your heat). It's only winter for a few months--IMHO not worth dumping a ton of money or complexity at the problem.
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Dec 10, 2018 02:41
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Slugworth posted:Regarding propane heaters - If you're gonna use one indoors, make sure it's rated for indoor use. FWIW, I was always taught kerosene heaters were safer for indoor use, but I can't swear to the truthfulness of the theory, as I was taught by idiots. Anything beyond hydrogen with a carbon bit on the end gets to produce at least CO2, or "worse" CO when burned. IME, kerosene heaters chuck out gobs of soot and snot from me, no matter how blue the flame. YMMV.
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Dec 10, 2018 02:54
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I’d use a propane catalytic heater. They can be safe indoors but you definitely want a carbon monoxide detector in the room.
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Dec 10, 2018 03:07
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iForge posted:5600 watt electric heaters Yep, I eventually installed a similar unit down-pointing from my rafters, but I also have a 240 v tap. But it equals only ~20k BTU, so a giant hydrocarbon heater did work well for me to start the heat up quickly. A bunch of $20 1500w heaters helped too for heat maintenance.
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Dec 10, 2018 03:09
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always be closing posted:That's what I want for my one car, but I'm worried with only 100amp service at my house. Wife usually does laundry at night. 5600 watts at 240 volts is 23 amps. youll be fine
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Dec 10, 2018 03:10
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I have 200 amp electrical service to my house due to a pool that no longer exists and I'm not afraid of running 220v to the garage.
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Dec 10, 2018 03:47
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Uthor posted:Just light a fire under the car. AI knows for a fact how burnable Jeep Cherokees are.
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Dec 10, 2018 05:48
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I want to pick up some chains for my Town Car before the snow flies. I realize that just getting winter tires would likely be better, but I'm in Portland, OR and it snows once a year, tops (and I don't go up to the mountain). Chains are more an emergency thing. That said, does anyone have any recommendations? I've never used a set. I have these saved on an Amazon wishlist, are they any good? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HZA2LA/?coliid=I19NCXHMW6G4LF I'm going to get a set of 4 whenever I get some.
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Dec 11, 2018 20:45
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I don't think there's really a good set of chains, they're all an incredible pain in the rear end to put on and off. Luckily like you said you rarely need them in the PNW, and this winter in particular is going to be a la nina so probably not as bad as some in the past. I have a set that looks similar to the one you mentioned and the one time I used it it was fine. Practice putting them on in the dry, comfortable sunny conditions some day so that when you really do need them and it's a hellstorm of cold wind and ice you won't be loving around as much.
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Dec 11, 2018 21:01
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Try snow socks instead.
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Dec 11, 2018 21:12
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Find out for sure that chains are even legal on public roads in your area before you buy anything.
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Dec 11, 2018 22:47
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Use a sick day instead
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Dec 11, 2018 22:52
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Cat Hatter posted:Find out for sure that chains are even legal on public roads in your area before you buy anything. They are. always be closing posted:Use a sick day instead Doesn't help when I'm working or out with friends downtown when it dumps inches of snow over a couple of hours and I'm not paying attention. The first case, it took me 2 hours to drive 2 miles, the second I ended up leaving my car off on a side street out of the way of traffic and calling a friend with a 4wd vehicle.
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Dec 11, 2018 23:00
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What kind of tires do you have and how much tread depth is left?
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Dec 12, 2018 04:02
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I want these even though I know I would end up smacking my face into the ground: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBGfHbOoiU&t=175s
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Dec 12, 2018 05:48
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I've had good experiences with tire socks instead of chains, they are much easier to put on and give really good traction on snow, better than chains. They do not tolerate use on asphalt, even at low speed they will get torn up. So this may be an option if it's for emergency use, they are much more compact and lighter than chains. Found the German TUV did a report on them, looks pretty good (It's in English) : https://www.az-pneu.cz/pics/snehove_retezy/files/TUV_report.pdf
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Dec 12, 2018 08:51
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jamal posted:What kind of tires do you have and how much tread depth is left? drag slicks, um what is tread?
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Dec 12, 2018 11:47
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Kafouille posted:I've had good experiences with tire socks instead of chains, they are much easier to put on and give really good traction on snow, better than chains. They do not tolerate use on asphalt, even at low speed they will get torn up. So this may be an option if it's for emergency use, they are much more compact and lighter than chains. I sometimes have to go as little as 400 m on an unplowed drive. Maybe I should get me some socks.
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Dec 12, 2018 12:37
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Platystemon posted:I sometimes have to go as little as 400 m on an unplowed drive. Get some boots and walk ya lazy bastard! 
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Dec 12, 2018 13:17
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wesleywillis posted:Get some boots and walk ya lazy bastard! I actually do walk the route check the conditions, but I have equipment to load and unload.
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Dec 12, 2018 13:28
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I've gone up an unplowed alpine pass with a pair of those on the front wheels of a front wheel drive car, it was really good fun taking every hairpin at full opposite lock pretending I was in Initial D, but at 30km/h. I was the only idiot dumb enough to be on that road too, just fresh snow the whole way, not a single tire track but mine.
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Dec 12, 2018 16:19
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Kafouille posted:I've gone up an unplowed alpine pass with a pair of those on the front wheels of a front wheel drive car, it was really good fun taking every hairpin at full opposite lock pretending I was in Initial D, but at 30km/h. I was the only idiot dumb enough to be on that road too, just fresh snow the whole way, not a single tire track but mine. I grew up in rural Minnesota and lived in Fargo, ND for ten years... one thing I miss after moving to Portland is the normal morning drive-to-work gymkhana on slippery, deserted roads. There was one half-mile long, paved but with no housing around it (at that time) that I merrily fishtailed down the entire distance every day. Some of the most fun I've had at 20mph. Kafouille posted:I've had good experiences with tire socks instead of chains, they are much easier to put on and give really good traction on snow, better than chains. They do not tolerate use on asphalt, even at low speed they will get torn up. So this may be an option if it's for emergency use, they are much more compact and lighter than chains. Huh thanks, I'll have to check that out. My two real concerns are a) do they work, and b) how big of a pain in the rear end are they to get on. The chains I linked earlier are supposedly easier than most to get on but I have nothing to compare to. I'm really just looking for something to get me <10 miles home through some inches of snow when I've made bad decisions to be away from home while it's snowed earlier in the day. The last car I drove in snow out here was my e30, and while that was hilariously fun, the traffic speed and amount of steep hills made actually getting anywhere impractical. I now have a (WHITE) 2004 Town Car, which has traction control but no LSD, so it'll likely be less fun and look more like a snow drift when I inevitably get stuck. I already have a tow strap in my kit, that and chains should be able to get me home.
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Dec 12, 2018 18:27
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boxen posted:The first case, it took me 2 hours to drive 2 miles, the second I ended up leaving my car off on a side street out of the way of traffic and calling a friend with a 4wd vehicle. In my experience, when you're in a situation where you're crawling below 5 MPH due to extreme winter weather things are going to be so hosed anyways with other traffic that snow tires/chains/studs/whatever aren't going to be much of a help getting to your destination quickly. Not saying you shouldn't get them, but in cases like that there's not much you can do.
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Dec 12, 2018 18:59
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Kafouille posted:I've had good experiences with tire socks instead of chains, they are much easier to put on and give really good traction on snow, better than chains. They do not tolerate use on asphalt, even at low speed they will get torn up. So this may be an option if it's for emergency use, they are much more compact and lighter than chains. Another thing to keep in mind is that they don't like salt, if you run onto a recently salted road you should clean them(by hand, no washer) once you get the chance or the fabric will degrade and possibly destroy.
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Dec 12, 2018 19:14
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boxen posted:My two real concerns are a) do they work, and b) how big of a pain in the rear end are they to get on. Yes they work, and unless your car is lowered to the point you can't get your hand over the wheel they're easy to get on.
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Dec 12, 2018 19:16
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Geoj posted:In my experience, when you're in a situation where you're crawling below 5 MPH due to extreme winter weather things are going to be so hosed anyways with other traffic that snow tires/chains/studs/whatever aren't going to be much of a help getting to your destination quickly. That follows my experience as well living for thirty years in MN/ND followed by six years in a place where it doesn't snow much. When it doesn't snow much, people don't know how to deal and/or lose their minds. I don't go out when I can avoid it, but sometimes you get caught out in a bad situation. Snow chains go in the winter emergency kit with a blanket, boots, warm clothes, etc. boxen fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Dec 12, 2018 |
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Dec 12, 2018 19:20
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So I’m trying to trace down an electrical problem on a 2000 Jeep Cherokee (Auto, 4x4, 4.0), and all of the grounds look good. But, it really looks like a bad ground (major symptoms: gauges zero out, then reset (yes, this is a known issue with the cluster connector, but the usual fixes have not worked, and) it’s occurred simultaneously with symptom #2, which is the transmission failing to shift automatically (starts and stays in OD unless you manually shift), which is consistent with bad ground to the TCM. So if I look at the grounds and they look and feel secure, my next plan was to use a clamp ammeter to measure flow through the grounds. First question: does this actually work? Second, what range should I be in? I’d imagine the starter might pull 200-400+A, so that’s the top range, but I think most other stuff would be a lot lower. The ammeter I’ve got has ranges for 2, 20, 200, 400A, and I assume I’ll damage it if I’m too low, and I won’t get useful measurements if I’m too high. I’m also open to ideas, but I did ask the jeep thread, so I’m mostly just looking for sanity check on my tool usage / method.
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Dec 12, 2018 20:16
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If you can get to the ground to test it why not just remove clean and remake it regardless?
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Dec 12, 2018 20:24
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cakesmith handyman posted:If you can get to the ground to test it why not just remove clean and remake it regardless?
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Dec 12, 2018 20:28
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CLAMP style current meters will not be damaged if you over-range them. They will just display an out-of-range code, then you move the selector up until you select the correct one. That said, make sure you have a meter that reads dc, and also make sure to zero it before you start measuring.
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Dec 13, 2018 00:36
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MRC48B posted:CLAMP style current meters will not be damaged if you over-range them. They will just display an out-of-range code, then you move the selector up until you select the correct one. It looks like a big fat NO on DC, it's this one: Extech MA200. It specifies that it will measure AC/DC Voltage and AC Current, amongst others, specifically. The fact that it says specifically AC Current inclines me to think it will not measure DC Current. Would measuring resistance be a better way to check this? (I'm thinking, e.g., the tranny wire-out (bolt, pinout, whatever) to the ground point, should have minimal resistance.) Has the upside of being doable with a crappy Harbor Freight DMM, rather than me buying a fancy new tool.
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Dec 13, 2018 01:16
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You...you don't WANT to buy a fancy new tool? I don't understand.
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Dec 13, 2018 02:08
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You’re right. How’s extech? I trust the guy I borrowed this from, but I’ve always heard fluke is the one true god.
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Dec 13, 2018 03:13
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Look at Uni‐T’s UT210E
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Dec 13, 2018 03:17
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That’s impulse buy territory. Should I be concerned it only ranges to 100A? It seems like that would cover everything except a starter, so maybe not an issue, but worth asking. Edit: looks like the 216C covers 600A, but it’s almost the same price as the Extech. Krakkles fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Dec 13, 2018 |
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Dec 13, 2018 03:37
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If you want to measure starter current, measure voltage drop and work it out from that.
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Dec 13, 2018 03:46
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Sorry, I phrased that way wrong. Other than the starter, 100A should cover automotive stuff, right?
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Dec 13, 2018 03:49
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Krakkles posted:You’re right. How’s extech? I trust the guy I borrowed this from, but I’ve always heard fluke is the one true god. This is probably Heresy that will get me burned at the stake, but Fluke is nice, but overpriced. Like Snap-On, you're paying a bit more for the brand name. I use an extech 380947 every day. It has its drawbacks (response time), but no one else really makes a comparable product.
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Dec 13, 2018 06:04
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