Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Lv 7160,039 points

rickinnocal

Favorite Answers39%
Answers24,394
  • Any guesses as to the source of this metallic knock?

    Engine is a Chris Craft 283 - which is basically a Chevy 283 Small Block but set up with the flywheel forward and the drive shaft at the timing chain end.

    Here's the YouTube video. You can hear the knock clearly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnUSIOs7iH4&featur...

    The knock is intermittent, both in that it doesn't occur every revolution when the engine is running, nor does it occur every time I run the engine, so I'm pretty sure it's not a spun bearing. The sound 'seems' to be coming from the forward left side of the engine.

    I have checked the flywheel - solid - and all the flywheel bolts - tight.

    I have checked that the starter is solidly bolted on and not moving.

    I removed the valve covers and ran the engine. All valves are operating as they should, all with the right amount of travel.

    I've looked inside each cylinder with an inspection cam, no loose objects, none of the spark plugs were damaged.

    I've removed the intake manifold and looked inside each intake port. No loose object, no apparent damage to the valves or sign that anything has been rattling around.

    I removed the inspection plate on the side of the oil pan. No loose objects or metal chips/shavings in the bottom of the oil pan. Both a magnet and a clean rag came out with no 'gritty' stuff.

    I removed the oil filter and cut it open. No metal bits in their either.

    Anyone got any other ideas? Pulling the engine is a last option because it's a hard top boat and I can't get a crane over the engine hatch.

    Richard

    4 AnswersMaintenance & Repairs7 years ago
  • Could the new format be any worse? Or have Yahoo made it as bad as possible?

    What are they smoking down there? The old format was fine. Why did they have to mess with it?

    6 AnswersYahoo Answers8 years ago
  • Excel - "Right click to change" does not work?

    I have been sent a spreadsheet in Excel. Some of the columns headings are in Metric units - 'C, Density, etc. When I mouse-over the cell containing "Temp in 'C", for example, a note appears that says "Right click to change to 'F" Likewise, if I mouse-over the cell containing "Density @ 15'C", a note appears saying "Right click to change to API @ 60'F".

    But when I actually right click in the cell, nothing happens, and the units remain Metric. Calculations further down the sheet use the contents of these cells to decide what version of various formulae to use, so I can't just over type.

    The workbook and worksheet are unprotected.

    Any advice, please?

    Richard

    2 AnswersSoftware9 years ago
  • A strange "check engine" light issue....?

    Car is a '97 Mazda 626, electrical everything.

    While giving the car a tune-up ready for its smog inspection, I connected my laptop to the diagnostic port on the car to see the fuel trims etc. I was surprised to see that the ECU was reporting the MIL as 'on', when it isn't. My first thought, of course, was that the bulb was blown, and that I've just not been noticing that it doesn't light up at engine on. I turned the engine off then on, and the "Check Engine" light comes on for a few seconds, then off, just as it normally should. The ECU, however, was still reporting that it should be on, with an EGR code.

    I cleaned the EGR ports and reset the code, and the ECU showed it as being off. I then disconnected a sensor to force a code, and the ECU dutifully reported the code, and that the MIL was "on" - but the light doesn't come on.

    The car passed smog just fine once I reset the code, so it's not a huge issue for the next two years... but can anyone think of a reason to explain why a "check engine" should illuminate briefly at start-up, as it should, but then not be on when it should be?

    Richard

    3 AnswersMaintenance & Repairs10 years ago
  • So how long did this website take to write and code?

    So here we are on May 22nd, just a few hours after the promised rapture, and here is Family Radio's new website design.... http://www.familyradio.com/

    A nicely designed site, several layers deep, with SSL encryption for the pages asking for donations or selling literature etc. All with not a single word anywhere on it as to "What happened to the rapture?". Not a mention that they even predicted the end of the world.

    I wonder how long ago they started writing the new site for when nothing happened?

    Richard

    4 AnswersReligion & Spirituality1 decade ago
  • A question for all the potheads......?

    OK, I know potheads do weird things sometimes, but this one has me stumped.

    Cops here found a 10" x 6" pipe bomb laid up against the traffic light controller in the middle of a busy intersection. After it was removed and the top blown off by a controlled explosion, it was found to be full of.... pot!

    Now, I know pot prices have been falling recently, but what sort of message is a pothead trying to send by putting what is still an expensive chunk of weed into a fake pipe bomb?

    Richard

    2 AnswersLaw & Ethics1 decade ago
  • How does John Kerry justify choosing a foreign yard....?

    How does John Kerry justify choosing a foreign yard to build his newest multimillion dollar mega-yacht, when there are idle shipyards in New England?

    The construction of this vessel produced dozens of highly paid craftsman's jobs - in New Zealand. Why not have it built in his own State of Mass?

    And since he's elected to represent the interests of the people of MA, how does he justify using a loophole in the law to avoid paying MA tax on it?

    Finally, with thousands of people unemployed in the US, how does he justify using a foreign crew, and using yet another loophole to get around the Jones Act ban on using foreign crews when chartering a vessel out of a US port?

    Richard

    7 AnswersPolitics1 decade ago
  • Should the government give people a discount to commit suicide?

    Oregon has a State run health insurance plan that Obama frequently cited as a model for how Obamacare could operate on a national level.

    Recently, many cancer patients who have applied for expensive chemotherapy drugs that their physicians have prescribed for them have received a letter from Oregon Health Plan telling them that the cost / benefit ratio for the drug is not good enough, and that the State will not, therefore, pay for their medicine.

    The letters, however, go on to point out that while pain-killing and other palliative drugs designed to make their death more tolerable will be provided, subject to normal deductible and co-payment rules, physician assisted suicide will be paid for by the State plan in full, with no co-pay.

    Richard

    3 AnswersLaw & Ethics1 decade ago
  • Sigma SD14 DSLR lens question?

    Hello, all.

    I have been given a Sigma SD14 DSLR, body only. On craigslist I see numerous Sigma DSLR lenses for sale listed as Canon mount, Nikon mount, Sony mount, Minolta mount, etc, but none listed as having a Sigma mount. Do the Sigma bodies use a mount compatible with any of the major brands, or is the 'bare' lens, without the brand specific mount, what will fit my Sigma body?

    Thanks,

    Richard

    4 AnswersCameras1 decade ago
  • Sigma SD14 DSLR lens question?

    Hello, all.

    I have been given a Sigma SD14 DSLR, body only. On craigslist I see numerous Sigma DSLR lenses for sale listed as Canon mount, Nikon mount, Sony mount, Minolta mount, etc, but none listed as having a Sigma mount. Do the Sigma bodies use a mount compatible with any of the major brands, or is the 'bare' lens, without the brand specific mount, what will fit my Sigma body?

    Thanks,

    Richard

    3 AnswersPhotography1 decade ago
  • How to delete an email account from an inactive phone?

    Hi all....

    I was using an HTC 750 from MetroPCS, and had my email account set up and working on it. I have upgraded to a new phone and now want to delete the email account (And my banking account) from the HTC so that I can sell it.

    However, when I go to "remove account", the phone tries to go online, and then says "unable to look up network address", and my account is still there.

    Likewise, when I try to delete my bank account from the phone, it tries to go online and then says "cannot connect".

    How do

    I delete these accounts from the phone, or do I have to get it re-activated, delete them, then deactivate it again?

    Richard

    1 AnswerCell Phones & Plans1 decade ago
  • How was this even possible?

    Last night, two armed men entered a restaurant in San Francisco, robbed the restaurant itself, and took the wallets, purses, watches, jewelery etc of all the customers. They then fled on foot. Police currently have no clues as to who they were.

    But here's the strange thing.... On the TV coverage, you could see that the restaurant had a sign prominently displayed in plain sight by the front entrance that clearly said "No Firearms Permitted". Why didn't this stop the robbers from going in and robbing the place? Isn't that why Liberals want gun bans, so that the ban stops people committing crimes?

    Richard

    5 AnswersLaw & Ethics1 decade ago
  • Where do I find a Pro Bono plumber in California?

    Every day there's at least a dozen or so posts on Y!A from people looking for a lawyer to work for them for free.

    Well, my bathroom sink is draining really slowly. Where do I find a plumber to come out and fix it for me for free?

    Richard

    11 AnswersLaw & Ethics1 decade ago
  • Should an Islamic bank be allowed to force a Christian owned US business to comply with Shari'a?

    Church's Chicken is owned by Arcapita Inc., the US branch of First Islamic Investment Bank. After First Islamic bought Church's, they prohibited franchisee Beasley Food Ventures from selling pork products at their new location at BWI airport. (Church's franchises that were already selling breakfast were allowed to continue to do so until their contracts came up for renewal) Since breakfast in the South almost invariably involves bacon, ham or sausage, and the restaurants lease required them to open at 5am every day, this meant that they sat there throughout the breakfast period selling next to nothing except coffee.

    Largely as a result of this, the restaurant went broke.

    So, should a foreign Islamic bank that purchases a US business be allowed to then require the independent owners of that businesses franchises to follow Shari'a law, when that was never contemplated in the original franchise contract?

    Richard

    10 AnswersReligion & Spirituality1 decade ago
  • Did you know about Googles religious censorship?

    When you start typing a term into the Google search box, it starts to give you suggestions as to what it thinks you might be looking for.

    Give it a shot. Go on, type in "Christianity is", and see what suggestions you get.

    When I try it, the first suggestion is "Christianity is Bullsh!t", followed by "Christianity is not a religion". Also in the top 10 is "Christianity is false", "Christianity is a lie", and "Christianity is a cult"

    Now try the same thing for "Buddhism is", and "Hinduism is". Even try "Catholicism is". Virtually identical results pop up for *almost* all major religions.

    Now for a shocker..... type in "Islam is". Wow. Nothing. As you type in "Islam", all sorts of - only positive - suggestions appear. But as soon as you get to "Islam is" - which our experience above tells us should bring up a lot of negative links - ALL the suggestions vanish. Apparently Google has decided that there is one religion that must not be offended.

    Richard

    10 AnswersReligion & Spirituality1 decade ago
  • Should Obama force hospitals to cut nursing pay?

    Obama wants to see a government run health-care system. In the UK, which has such a system, an NHS nurse (RN) earns between 13,233 and 16,333 pounds a year, which is US$21,400 to US$26,416. Here in CA, where the cost of living is almost the same as southern England, the average pay for an RN is between $75,000 and $85,000 a year - three times as much.

    Nursing, in countries that have government run health care, is a very low-pay job. In the US it's a pretty high-pay job. Will Obamacare make that change?

    Richard

    6 AnswersLaw & Ethics1 decade ago
  • Should the Boy Scouts be sued for picking up litter?

    Boy Scout Troop 301 of Allentown, PA took it on themselves to clear all the trash from a 1,000 foot length of a hiking trail in the city park.

    The SEIU (Service Employees International Union) have filed a grievance and are going to sue the Scouts for picking up litter for free - claiming that the city should have forbidden them from doing so, and instead hired SEIU union members to do the litter patrol.

    SEIU's Nick Balzano asserted that "there is to be no volunteers! We'll also be looking into the Cub Scout or Boy Scout who did the trails. We may file another grievance on them." He gave the Allentown city council, the Boy Scouts and all potential volunteers an iron-fisted ultimatum: "None of them can pick up a can. They can't pick up a butt. They can't plant a flower. They can't clear a bicycle path. They can't do anything. Our people do that."

    Richard

    10 AnswersLaw & Ethics1 decade ago