Mark Hofmann wrote to Roy Witt:


 RW>> Hmmmm. Behind the glove box. Do you have to remove the box before
 RW>> accessing that panel?

 MH> Correction.  That information was for another type of car.

 MH> For the Dodge Charger, it is the complete opposite of what I had
 MH> said.  You give the KEYFOB to the valet parking and keep the key that
 MH> comes out of the keyfob.

That's normal in GM cars, give the igniton key to valet parking and keep
the trunk and glove box key in your pocket.

 MH> The key will let you in the driver's side door and in the glovebox
 MH> (which locks).

 MH> If the battery is dead or near dead, you are supposed to hold the
 MH> keyfob directly up to the push button start.  Not sure how this works
 MH> if the battery is totally dead, but hope I don't have to find out.

RFID; the FOB is powered by the vehicles RF energy to read the VIN code
imbeded in the FOB's memory...

 MH> Typically, you will notice a bad battery in a keyfob in advance -
 MH> since the distance you can use it will decline.

That's true. The remote entry FOB for my Camaro is getting pretty weak, as
it won't unlock the doors or hatch until I'm next to the car and pointing
the remote in the window. I used to be able to find my car from a long
distance in a parking lot with that remote.

 RW>> I'm thinking of my friend, Fred. He has a 2007 Tahoe, that
 RW>> downshifts out of 4th (OD) when climbing a small grade. Especially
 RW>> when he's towing his boat. That motor is the same as my pickup,
 RW>> which has no downshifting problem like his; a 4.8L V8 with about
 RW>> 300hp and the same torque values. Both vehicles have the same trans,
 RW>> same rear end gear ratio, but the Tahoe weighs slightly more than my
 RW>> short bed pickup. Another differnce is that I've re-programmed the
 RW>> trans to use more hydraulic pressure when shifting. 99% vs 90%

 MH> You have one of those fancy programmers?

HD Tuner...I just got a software update for it yesterday too.

 RW>> Yeah, but what is the torque spec on that 6 banger and at what RPM
 RW>> does it peak?

 MH> I have seen it go over 6000rpm.  Red line is in the 7500 neighborhood
 MH> and goes to 8000.  I can floor it at 80mph and still get a kick back
 MH> in my seat.  :)

Ahhhh. That tells me that it doesn't make much torque. A 300HP V8 will
make gobs of torque down low and these days, only rev to 5800 RPM, 6000
max...

 RW>> Computers do wonders for old technology. That 3.6L wouldn't perform
 RW>> as well as it does without it. GM's 4.3L V6 was vastly improved once
 RW>> they put a computer in the car to manage fuel, etc.. Then they
 RW>> deleted that option (in pickups) in favor of a small V8.

 MH> Yes, the PCM and TCM.  Both engine and transmission are computer
 MH> controlled.

Yeah, Mopars have two CPUs onboard...GM only uses one PCM to control
engine, trans and braking...

 RW>> Worst case I ever got was running into a 59 Cadillac sitting in an
 RW>> intersection pointed left, but with the right turn signal flashing.
 RW>> I went to the left and he began to move left. I swerved right but he
 RW>> stopped and I hit his rear tail light with my knee. Damn glad I
 RW>> didn't hit that tail fin or I would've been punctured through the
 RW>> middle. Got a new trans and front end on my Triumph bike because the
 RW>> driver was drunk driving.

 MH> I didn't tell many people (so not to scare family members), but I was
 MH> rear-ended on an interstate going home from work on my Harley a few
 MH> years ago. There was traffic backed up and things slowed to a crawl.
 MH> A young girl wearing flip flops didn't stop in time and hit me going
 MH> around 10mph or so (as I was stopped).

Something similar happened in the lane next to me on I-15. Only it was the
opposite; biker hit the car next to me and he got sandwiched by the car
behind him. Last I looked, he wasn't doing very well.

 MH> The back tire acted as a soft bumper and just pushed me forward about
 MH> 15 feet or so while the tire skid.  I kept the bike up the entire
 MH> time.  No damage was done other than the tire and bent license plate.

Lucky you...that's a close one.

 MH> Her car had more damage than my bike..  I felt that an angel was
 MH> looking over me that day..

That's a good posibility...


         R\%/itt


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