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Guest Post: The Ferris Hybrid

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 12:38 — Jake von Slatt

I'm excited to tell you that we have a guest author today!  Brandon Boyer is an engineering student at Ferris State University who is involved with the school's team build a diesel/electric hybrid car to compete in the Formula Hybrid International Competition in New Hampshire in April and May. - Jake

By Brandon Boyer

In 1901, Queen Victoria of The United Kingdom passed away. The same year Ferdinand Porsche developed the first ever hybrid vehicle, the Löhner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid. Today the spirit of Victorian ingenuity and know-how lives on. In Chilly Big Rapids Michigan, a small group of international engineering students are working towards their common goal, competing in the SAE International Hybrid Competition in New Hampshire later this year.

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Fixing a musty smell in my 2007 Toyota Yaris

Tue, 04/10/2012 - 09:54 — Jake von Slatt

Towards the end of last summer my 2007 Toyota Yaris developed a musty smell in the cabin whenever I ran the A/C. This is a common problem in many cars but the Yaris seems particularly susceptible, probably because it lacks a mesh screen behind the air intake vents below the windshield so debris can fall in and block the HVAC condensate drain.

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A Visit to the Seal Cove Auto Museum

Thu, 06/10/2010 - 14:13 — Jake von Slatt

Seal Cove Auto MuseumSarah from the Seal Cove Auto Museum writes:

Hi Jake,

We've recently re-done  the floors and the lighting, giving the museum a feeling more associated with a gallery. We have also added text panels for each car, as well as various items from the brass era in display cases throughout the museum. We have added a flat screen tv in the back that plays early 1900 silent films, for our guests to enjoy. We hope these changes add to the museum and have already been receiving great feed back.

Hopefully you can make a visit to the museum this season! Thanks so much!

I shall certainly try! - Jake

Seal Cove specializes in automobiles from the "Brass Era," that is cars primarily made prior to 1916 and thus named due to the large number of brass lighting fixtures and other accessories. You can see why this might be a particular favorite museum of mine!

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Steam Trunk Industries Ratrod!

Thu, 04/08/2010 - 12:27 — Jake von Slatt

Steampunk RatRodIt is a truism that the people out there doing the most interesting things and having the most fun often don't have the time or inclination to post what they're up to on the internet.

Fortunately for us, they often have friends that recognize how impossibly cool the things that they're doing are and egg them on!

That's the case with Tien and Guiness' incredible Steampunk Ratrod! Click through for more info, pics and a vid of the this monster's awakening!

 

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Toyota Yaris Battery Light On - Repair

Mon, 11/02/2009 - 14:22 — Jake von Slatt

The day after I returned from SteamCon in Seattle I got into the car to go to the day job and discovered that my battery light was on in my 2007 Toyota Yaris.  Being an old Volkswagen man I resisted the urge to get out and hammer on the the alternator with a monkey wrench.  Instead I turned everything off and then listened carefully to the engine RPM as I turned on the rear window defroster.  When I pressed the defrost button the engines revs did indeed drop about 100 and the engine lugged for a moment until the ECU gave it a bit more gas to smooth out the idle.  Good. This exercise told me that the alternator was charging the battery and that the problem was with the warning light itself. I could safely drive the car for the rest of the week and figure things out at my leisure.

This morning I started working the problem . . .

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