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My 1996 Olds 88's oil level light has been coming on now and then, but I think the oil level is fine. Is the oil level sensor something that is easy to check and fix, or does it require a lot of labor that would make it not worth it?

Sometimes right after I start my car from cold, when I'm braking at a very low speed (e.g., coming out of the lot), there will be a very loud, very low rumbling sound - sort of like when you drive over rumble bars. After I've been driving a while, there will be no such sounds thereafter. What could be the cause of this?

My local GM dealer recently told me my 1996 Oldsmobile 88 (81K miles) has upper and lower intake gaskets leaking. (I have yet to escape without them telling me something's wrong, but that's another story.) Assuming they're right, how many weeks can I reasonably delay repair without likely permanently harming the engine?

When I get my oil changed, the sticker says that the next oil change is due after date X or after mileage Y. However, when the date rolls around, I always have 2000 or 3000 miles to go. In that case, is it all right to wait until the odometer gets closer to the suggested mileage?

It's a 1996 Oldsmobile 88. I'm 6'2", and the head restraint at its tallest setting isn't going to do diddly to prevent whiplash in the unlikely event I have an accident. Is there a place one can find a taller headrest that is compatible?

I am interested in gaining a small amount of strength and tone in my arms, but if I completely wreck myself lifting, I find that in the following days my arms are shaky and handwriting is difficult, which I can't really afford. Is it possible to gain strength at a acceptable rate by training at a level that won't leave my arms shaky the next day? Any suggestions or information would be appreciated.

The original Fujita scale had a mathematical 12-level relationship to the Beaufort scale and the speed of sound, and hence had an upper limit on F5 of 318 mph, where greater winds would correspond to a hypothetical F6 rating.

The enhanced Fujita scale enforces six rating levels and leaves the upper limit of tornado winds for EF5 open, yet it displays 65 mph as a lower wind speed bound for an EF0. Why? Even if you say that wind speed is inferred from damage and hence the scale is primarily a damage scale, 58 mph is the criterion for severe thunderstorm winds. In fact, I believe there was an EF0 tornado in Iowa recently whose peak winds were estimated at only 60 mph. In any case, damage is used as an indicator of intensity out of necessity, where if we had a choice we would rate a tornado based on its actual wind speeds, and then partition wind speeds into levels based on the damage they can potentially produce.

What are the weakest peak winds thought to be produced by a tornado (attached to a cloud base)?

I currently get National Weather Service warnings via text messaging from Weather.com, but these warnings are county-based, and I often get warnings that I'm not actually under. I want to receive warnings only when I am in the warning polygon. I know there are some services available, but are any of them free? I don't have a smartphone - just text messaging.

I've been using these CFL bulbs for a while. They have a 2700K "soft white" color temperature. What is the yellow discoloration on the base of the bulb facing the tube, and where is it from?

It's a 2000 Chevy Malibu with around 105K miles. It runs, but the engine is knocking; I don't know if it's because of a knocking rod or piston slap. Other than that, the only problems are that the AM radio doesn't work and there's some slight rust around the gas tank cap.

Obviously, the knocking engine drops the value severely, but I don't know how much might be reasonable. I need to sell it.

The wireless internet provided at my apartment is erratic, and I wonder if 24 networks sharing the air has something to do with it. There are 10 Co-channels and 1 overlapping network interfering with the network I'm currently using. Although the answer depends, does that sound like too many?

I've tried Hill Bros., Nescafe, Caffe D'Vita, and Folgers. Is there another brand I'm missing that I should be interested in?

The university considers my assistantship to be 20 hours.

There are two fans in the bathroom. When I turn one on, a puddle's worth of water falls from the other. What might be causing this? Is the vent clogged? Does it have to do with the recent snowfall?

I want normal, no-frills, no-nonsense, boring jeans. I know Wrangler, Lee, Levi Strauss, and Architect make them, but I can't seem to find the size and color combination I want, because it is in low demand. Wrangler's midnight rinse color, a really dark indigo, is similar to the color I want, and I want 33x36 or 34x36 for the size. I used to wear Levi 505's, but left when they decided to needlessly fiddle with the cut.

I have a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu whose engine is knocking. Is it true that I would be better off long-term financially to replace the engine for $1000 (without using a garage's labor) than to replace it with a newer used car? The car is in pretty good shape otherwise, although there have been annoying maintenance issues here and there over the years: a broken water pump, serpentine belt, drums and rotors, etc., and I currently have an almost negligible oil leak that is typical for Malibus. But I don't have much money.

Why can't I just heat the water in the cup I intend to use, pour the powder on top of the heated water, and stir, thereby saving myself the use of an extra container in which to heat the water?

Since they aren't (to my knowledge) hitched beneath the track like a roller coaster, it would seem intuitively that they would lift off the track at such high speeds with just the slightest change in grade. Do they stay on simply because of their weight, or for some other reason?

I get a "server error" message when I try to upload files (or folders on Chrome) to Google Drive if I use Firefox or Chrome, but it works fine on IE9. Why might that be?

There have been a lot of abandonments over the years, but where are U.S. freight railroads currently planning new connections or restoring old connections previously abandoned?