Is it okay to drive your car without thermostats?
If you take out the thermostat then the coolant will just flow 100% by the water pump. Assuming that your system is properly sized so that cutting off flow with the thermostat will result in the proper operating temperature being met then running without a thermostat will always result in a lower than intended operating temperature.Here are some things that will happen:Your engine will run cooler than the desired temperature most all of the time andit will pollute more since it is tuned to run at the designed temperatureYour heater will take longer to become effective since the coolant is used to warm the heater core heat exchanger so you may, on cold days take longer to warm the cabin andmore importantly, it will take much longer to defrost the windshield using the defroster function.Probably it won’t hurt short term to the car engine itself, I don’t think. But in the long term operating it significantly below the designed temperature could have a number of effects, perhaps on lube viscosity, various carbon buildups that lead to other engine performance problems and possibly permanent damage.I once had a mechanic shop replace the thermostat and flush the coolant. When I get it back the car took forever to warm up the heater and get the engine to the temperature. I eventually took off the thermostat housing and found he had placed it about half way off and clamped it down with the housing out of position- it didn’t leak but the gap on one side pretty much made it free flowing.
Which is a better car brand, Honda or Chevrolet?
Sorry to everyone praising Honda, one guy even said they’ve made better cars for 50 years? Are you honestly comparing a Honda from the 70s to corvettes, Camaros, empalas and Chevy trucks? That’s just absurd. Pretty much every manufacturer at this point makes good cars but historically, it’s simply not true. Chevy and Buick have actually passed Honda in new car reliability statistics according to consumer reports and jd power, however both are still fairly reliable overall brands though things like reliability and how much someone will simply like a car vary from model to model within each brand. In the small car segment, most people would probably take a civic over a small Chevy though the new Chevy bolt is a great elaectric car. That being said, there is nothing that Honda makes that even comes close to a corvette or a camaro. Which is better? It’s subjective. I don’t see many Honda’s on the road from the 80s and 90s and when I do, they look terrible. You could argue that they shouldn’t look good after twenty years because they aren’t really designed for that. Honda’s should give you 6–7 good years and then you get a new one and they are cheap enough new for people to do that. The civic also tends to look a lot better than a comparable Chevy in its class.
If money was no problem at all, would it be possible to go 100% green (clean) energy?
Sure, if you have Tony Stark’s and Bruce Wayne’s investment, sure that is possible. We know it is. We’ve done the mapping for it. Yes it can be done.Unfortunately for this you cannot pull away the political connection to such thing as energy. Free abundant energy is true democracy, and that threatens political structures.However, not all “Green” energy generation actually deserves its green reputation.As mentioned here, solar, wind, and hydroelectric, actually produce energy intermittently. If you’ve lived in towns dependent on them, I can tell you that it isn’t a happy thing. You still require a backup source of energy for the grid and for energy companies to produce power cheaply, they need to buy gas or oil in very large quantities in order for your power to be affordable. If there isn’t enough consumption, they cannot afford the purchase. It is a conundrum.Areas near the equator receive the most sunlight. But being tropical also makes them susceptible to large cloud formations from evaporations. You get cloudy skies. Still bright but no direct sunlight. In order to compensate you require more panels to make up the shortfall. Since money is of no concern, it now becomes a matter space.Hydroelectric generators only supply the nearby areas, and are dependent upon rain or melting ice. There are times when a drought left generators idle.Geothermal generators depend upon steam from fissures, but even the hot rocks below can cool off after a while. Especially so when you pump in too much water. Geothermal generators also produce toxic gases. Sometimes the fissures release such gases into the atmosphere, producing more green house gases. Disadvantages Of Geothermal EnergyLike hydroelectric generators, geothermal generators cannot transport their produce beyond their region.Another ‘green’ and renewable energy source is biofuel and biodiesel. Both can actually spell disaster for the environment if you take into consideration their agricultural production.Not to forget that while palm oil actually is the most beneficial to produce, they have the least efficiency in conversion to usable energy. Do refer to, Timothy Soh's answer to What are the pros and cons of bio-fuels?We have the means to litter the entire planet with green energy sources. Whether we should is honestly something else.
Will driving with a oil leak in the valve cover gasket hurt the engine? If so, how can this be prevented?
Is it an oil leak or an oil seep? Does oil run down the side of the engine leaving a clean trail as oil drips on the ground? Or does it just form a nasty, mucky oil-dirt combination that slowly builds?If it's actually a leak, get it fixed now. You can lose sufficient oil to starve the engine and cause premature wear or even failure. On top of that, you have an oil slick being left wherever you go, oil is probably dripping on the exhaust causing nasty fumes (not to mention a potential fire hazard) and you are having to spend money on oil that is just going to hit the ground. Not to mention it's not exactly good for those plants by your driveway to have oil washing into them.If it's a seep, don't ignore it. Get it fixed. If you have to wait a week or 2 for financial reasons, that's understandable, but don't push it out too far as it can develop into a leak. In addition, the dirt, cottonwood fluff, dandelion seeds, etc that can get stuck in the slime will do a few detrimental things. For one, it insulates your engine raising operating temperature a bit. Most cars engine oil relies on the side of the block and the oil pan to radiate heat away. Remember, oil functions as a lubricant, cleaner, and coolant! If the block and pan are caked over in grime, it is harder for the oil to transfer it's heat through the pan and into the air. This grime can also pose a serious fire hazard. Not fun.