Improving the NES Classic or SNES Classic

I had a difficult time deciding whether to get the NES Classic (Nintendo Entertainment System Classic) or the SNES Classic (Super NES Classic.)  I ended up with both and I'm glad I did.

There is one major short-coming with these mini-consoles.  The controller cords are just too short!

Today (February 2019) I picked up two twin packs of SNES Classic extension cords from Best Buy. These are Insignia brand and work perfectly. They are being clearanced out at $4.99 each! Each extension cord is six foot long.

I bought two sets. I then daisy-chained the two together. Bingo! I can now sit an additional twelve feet away from the console.  Hello couch!

FAQ:
Can I use SNES Classic extension cords for the NES Classic?  Yes.

Can I use an SNES Classic controller on the NES Classic? Yes.

Do they work on an original '80s NES or '90s SNES? No.

If you haven't picked up one of these mini-consoles, hurry!  They are no longer manufactured. Nintendo must have been tired of printing money. I have found that the SNES Classic is much harder to find than the NES Classic. Beware online, though. I've seen some weird overseas versions of it that may not be legit - even on Amazon!

Both consoles allow you to save games in progress - up to four per games. The SNES Classic even has a rewind feature. This makes games like Earthbound so much more enjoyable. When you die, rewind and continue.

Game on!

Cleaning a cast iron skillet

What is the serving size of bacon? It could be 12 ounces. Or it could be 16 ounces! It's whatever the size of the package is!

Last year I got a Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet as a gift. I'm pretty much convinced that no swine is safe now that I have this tool in my possession.

Beware if this is your first cast iron skillet.....

The handle will be hot.  With great power comes great responsibility. After decades of using pots and pans with insulated handles, its very easy to grab it without thinking.  Bad idea! When you have such cookware, prepare to have a towel or oven mitt handy.  Just don't put it too close to the burner!

Rust is cast iron's mortal enemy. The only way to fight rust is to keep it clean and coated. And like a Mogwai, keep it away from water! (Well, except when cleaning it.)

Here is my cleaning procedure. It should be done immediately after removing the food before the skillet cools down.

1. Clear the sink - preferably the side without a garbage disposal
2. Turn on the hot water until it is piping hot
3. Pick up that towel for the handle
4. Put the skillet in the water at an angle which will create steam and send some of the gunk down the drain
5. Use a wooden spatula to knock the crunchy bits out of the skillet and pour the remaining grease down the drain 
6. Remove from the water and place on a safe, non-meltable surface
7. Dab it dry (or beware of gremlins)
8. Let the water run for a minute to make sure your plumbing stays clean
9. Put a dab of shortening in the skillet and spread it around while it melts - cover the whole surface area including the inner sides

The shortening will protect the skillet from rust. Notice I didn't use soap to clean it out. The steam should be sufficient.

In the unlikely event of leftover, uncooked bacon, return to the fridge for another day.

And remember: NEVER FEED AFTER MIDNIGHT!

1994-2003 Honda Magna VF750C Chain Cleaning and Lube

For years I thought I was doing my ride a favor by spraying some wax on the chain after every ride, but never cleaned it.  It had been so long since I saw the original chain, I thought it was black.  Nope.  Its supposed to be silver!

Chain getting back to clean....

Cleaning and lubricating the chain on the third generation Honda Magna isn't difficult, but it is messy and takes about an hour.

Schedule
Every 500 miles.

Tools
8 mm wrench
Kerosene ($11 at Home Depot in the paint section near acetone)
Spray bottle for the kerosene
Nylon brush or tooth brush ($1 at Dollar Tree)
Chain lubricant or wax
A couple pieces of cardboard to keep the driveway or garage clean
Shop rags

Time
This procedure takes about an hour to complete.

Precaution
Do this with a bike cold.  You will be working around the mufflers and you want these cool to the touch.

Procedure
1. Remove the plastic chain guard.  It is attached with two 8 mm bolts.  These can be tricky to remove due to the tight space between the bolts and the mufflers.
2. Place cardboard under the rear sprocket and in front of the rear tire.  This is the catch grime that will be dripping from your chain.
3. Pour kerosene into your spray bottle.
4. Soak the chain with kerosene from your spray bottle for all the visible chain.
5. Wait a few minutes.
6. Spray the chain more.
7. Use brush to knock off some crud.
8. Use shop rags to wipe crud off the chain.
9. Repeat steps 6 through 8 until the chain returns to silver.
10. Wipe excess kerosene off the chain so its dry or close to dry.
11. Move the bike forward so the unclean part of the chain is visible.
12. Repeat cleaning procedure until chain is clean. Note: I can get the entire chain clean with only moving the bike once.
13. Wait about 20 - 30 minutes so that we know the chain is dry.  Now is a great time to clean the plastic chain guard!
14. Using the chain lube or wax, spray the visible portion of the chain. If there is any visible drips of lube, wipe with a shop rag.
15. Move the bike back to previous position.
16. Spray the chain with the lube.  Wipe off excess.
17. Reinstall the chain guard. I put the rearward bolt in loosely first and then put the front one in fully.  Tighten the rear one.
18. Ready to ride!

2008 - 2010 Chrysler Town & Country / Dodge Grand Caravan 4.0L oil change

For those having the 4.0L engine in the Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan it is difficult finding sources on the Internet regarding any engine-related procedure.  The oil change is quite easy on this vehicle.  I'm able to do this oil change without raising the van in a matter of approximately 30 minutes.

Chrysler 4.0L engine

Materials
5.5 quarts of 10W-30 motor oil
Oil filter (Purolater PL-12222 or equivalent)
Oil catch pan that holds at least 6 quarts
Funnel for adding oil
Rags.  Lots of rags!

Tools
13 mm socket
Socket wrench
Oil filter cap-style wrench

Procedure

Make sure the oil filter comes with a gasket!

• Get your motor oil.  The warranty requires 10W-30 that meets Chrysler MS-6395.  This Chrysler spec will be posted on the back of the bottle.  Most oil brands meet this requirement.  A notable exception is Mobil oil.  I believe this is due to lack of acquiring the spec from Chrysler more than not being compliant.  If your engine is still on warranty, make sure you use the correct stuff.  This is not a high performance engine.  Conventional oil is good enough; the engine almost always outlasts the rest of the vehicle!
• Get your oil filter.  I generally use Purolater PureOne filters.  Have a store associate look the the correct model.  Note: Make sure that there is a gasket on the filter!
• Warm the engine.  Drive it a couple miles so the oil is nice and hot.
• Park the van on a level surface.  Before shutting off the engine, turn the steering wheel all the way to the right to ease access to the oil drain bolt.
• From the passenger side, lay on the ground in front of the tire.  Looking up you should see the oil pan.

View from passenger-side.

Oil drain bolt o left.  Oil filter on right.

• Place oil catch pan under the bolt.
• Loosen the oil drain plug by turning counter-clockwise using a 13-mm socket and wrench.  I generally grab my torque wrench simply because the added length increases the torque I can apply to the bolt.
• Once its loose, slowly turn while keeping pressure on the bolt so the hot oil stays in the engine's oil pan.  When you can tell its ready to come out, quickly remove the bolt.  The oil will be hot!  Also, don't drop the bolt into the oil pan.  Its no fun fishing it out of hot motor oil.
• Pop open the hood.  The hood release is on the dash near the driver's left knee.
• Unscrew counter-clockwise the engine's oil cap.  It is easily identified with a picture of an oil can and 10W-30 printed on it.  Removing this cap will increase the speed at which the hot oil exits the engine.  Make sure oil is still draining into the catch pan and not overshooting it!
• Wait until the oil merely drips out of the oil pan.
• Move the oil catch pan so it can get oil from the drain bolt hole and the oil filter.
• Put a cap-style oil filter onto your wrench.

Cap-style oil filter remover on wrench.

• Place the cap onto the oil filter.  Turn counter-clockwise to remove.  When its fully removed, it will dump hot oil.  Make sure your catch pan is placed accordingly.
• Make sure the old oil filter still has the gasket attached to it.  If its not there, it could be stuck to the engine.  Remove it!  If you don't, you will have a serious oil leak later!  I have changed oil for 25 years and this van was the first that ever had the gasket stick to it.  It was easily removed after I wasted about 4 quarts of oil.
• Wait for all oil to drip from the engine. This will take approximately 20 minutes.
• Screw the bolt back into the engine block by hand.  Use your socket and wrench to further tighen it.  Do not over-tighten!  Use a torque wrench to be sure.  Note: The oil bolt contains a gasket.  See the diagrams below:

Correct placement of gasket on oil bolt.

Incorrect placement of gasket on oil bolt.
This needs pushed down into the seat.

• Using your finger, smear oil on the oil filter gasket.  This will ensure a good seal.
• Put the oil filter onto the oil filter shaft as tight as you can using your hands.  You may use a torque wrench to make sure its on tight enough.  Generally, I just make it as tight by hand as possible.
• Place a funnel into the oil filler location in the engine compartment.
• Add 5.5 quarts of oil.
• Put oil filler cap back in place.
• Fire up the engine and make sure the oil pressure light goes out.  If it doesn't, shut off the engine immediately.  Something is wrong.  Consult a car guy!
• If there are any leaks, tighten the bolt or filter.
• This Chrysler engine is odd.  It takes mine an entire evening for all the oil to drain into the oil pan.  Do a precursory check now to make sure its within spec on the dipstick.  Add if necessary.  Check a second time in the morning!

Cricket Wireless Review - Stark County, Ohio

I have a deep, dark secret.  Don't tell any one!  I'll post it here on this blog so no one will see it.

I pay too much for my wireless service.  I know....hard to believe, right?  I honestly paid more for wireless the past few years than for my last car!  That is ridiculous!

Well, no more!

I have taken control of this bill and kicked Verizon to the curb!  I'm not longer afraid that only the fullest coverage will do!  No more fear!  I'm not going to take it any more!!!!!

What!?!?!
Okay, that was a bit dramatic.  I think we are all paying too much for what is basically a utility.  Its just voice and Internet for goodness sake!  The magic of mobile is now common place. Its 2015 and there are now real options!

In the mid-2000s you had to rely on the Big Four.  Not today.  Everybody has been expanding networks.  Competition has gotten fierce.  And growth has stagnated for the providers.  It seems everyone has a smartphone because pretty much everyone does.

Let's take advantage of that!


Location!  Location! Location!

Those are the three most important things about wireless.  If the network is not available where you are commonly, there is no point.

We had been faithful customers of Verizon Wireless for at least a decade.  We only had a handful of issues over the years.  We were happy with the service. We had added our kids.  The bill quickly became as big as a new car payment....just for talk and Internet service.  Something had to change! 

I spent a lot of time analyzing the wireless providers.  There are basically four: Verizon (Big Red), AT&T (Death Star), T-Mobile (the Uncarrier), and Sprint (works only near NASCAR tracks.)  In Stark county a lot of friends complain about coverage with Sprint and T-Mobile.  That's shame because I really like the Uncarrier's philosophy.  We spend a lot of time in Stark and the area south so we need coverage there.  That left only Verizon and AT&T as viable (expensive) options.

Consumer Reports recommends checking out an MVNO.  These are companies that lease excess bandwidth from the four primary providers.  Some examples are Virgin Mobile, Consumers Cellular, and Straight Talk. Unfortunately, nearly all of these lease from T-Mobile or Sprint.

That's where Cricket Wiresless is different.

Cricket was recently purchased by AT&T.  They have since converted all new service to AT&T towers.  Their prices are also much better than Verizon and AT&T with few limitations.

Local Coverage

After two weeks I have determined that coverage has been excellent where its important.

My coverage has been excellent around Akron, Canton, and Massillon.  In fact some of the known Verizon dead spots are not AT&T dead spots.  Coverage in Massillon is MUCH better on Cricket.  Cricket also has good coverage in Dover and New Philadelphia in Tuscarawas county.

Around Atwood Lake and Mineral City, I do lose coverage.  I'm not sure how those locations fare on the Verizon network..

Data

Cricket Wireless uses 4G LTE.  That is currently the fastest technology on the consumer market.  There is a catch though.  It is throttled to 8 mb/s.  In my experience that is plenty fast.  Its fast enough to watch an HD video.

I could get much faster in some locations with Verizon.  At my house, my Cricket speed is double Verizon's.

Phones

Cricket offers several phones.  We opted for the cheapest.  They offered a $1 Nokia Lumia 635 if you transfer an existing number.  The Nokia is a good phone and gets the job done.  It uses Windows Phone 8.1 which is a good operating system, but the available apps pale in comparison to the Apple or Android version.  This particular model does not have a good camera.

Cricket also offers several Android and Apple phones at various price points including the latest iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S models.

I have read that you may use any AT&T or Go Phone without issue.  All you would need to purchase is a new SIM card.  Generally, Sprint and Verizon phones only work with their respective networks.  Note: Some global models of the other providers may work if you get the provider to unlock it.

You will pay an additional one-time $25 activation fee per line.  Two years ago we paid Verizon a $30 or $35 activation fee per line.

Most wireless provides can now "port" your existing wireless number to your new service.  Cricket was able to port ours in a few hours.

Cost

Cost was the primary driver for our switch from Verizon.  I cut my bill by nearly 60%!  I also increase my minutes to unlimited.  I also added an extra half GB per line.  And the kicker: I added a fifth line!

Five lines: $100!  That's it.  Out the door.  No extra taxes.  No extra fees.  No surprise charges.  Each line gets 2.5 GB of data.  When you hit the max, it slows to 2G speeds which is about double a dial-up connection.

Customer Service

I left the Cricket store with my new phones and a surprisingly low first month of service paid.  The next day I checked my account using the My Cricket app on the phone and they had my next payment listed way higher than I expected.  Using the chat feature, I worked with a rep named Saul.  He quickly explained that we were signed up for the next tier plan (5 GB per line).  He corrected it without any issues.  It took about a half hour, but everything was squared away without issue.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Much lower cost!!!!!
• Similar coverage to Verizon.
• You must purchase your own unlocked GSM phone.
• No contract!
• Essentially unlimited data if you can tolerate 2G speeds
• No new phone number

Disadvantages:

• You must purchase an unlocked GSM phone, AT&T phone, or Cricket phone.
• Verizon does have better nationwide coverage, but AT&T is a close second.
• 4G LTE data speed is limited to 8 mb/s down.
• Your phone cannot be a Wi-Fi hot spot.

Conclusion - CHOOSE FREEDOM!

For two weeks we have been very happy with the service.  After this experience, its amazing so many people still sign up for post paid contracts from the Big Four providers.

If you are contemplating switching providers, consider the following:

• Determine where you will need coverage most often
• Using the four primary providers coverage maps, determine the best for your needs.  Keep in mind that there are different coverage maps for voice and data coverage.  You may not need data coverage in all locations where you would need voice coverage.
• Find the MNVOs on the best provider network for you.
• Compare limitations of the MNVOs
• Is data speed throttled?  Can you tolerate this slower speed?
• Is data capped at a reasonable limit? Any overage charge?
• Do you need to use your phone as a Wi-Fi hot spot?
• Does it offer an appropriate number of minutes? (Unlimited is very common now.)
• Check if the MVNO can use your existing phone or if they offer a phone that you desire.
• If you are switching providers, call your current provider:
• Check that you are not on a contract.
• Ask to have the phone unlocked (worth more if you sell it unlocked.)
• Switch and stop sending cash to someone else!!!!

Post Mortem: 1999 Nissan Altima GXE

Our 1999 Nissan Altima has ridden off into the sunset...on the back of a wrecker.

Goodbye, old friend!

After 16 years of great service since new, the car is no more.  Overall, it has been the most reliable vehicle I have owned.

Mileage: 163,575 miles
Repairs during lifetime: water pump, alternator, CV joints, entire exhaust system.
October 1998 - April 2015

Not so bad looking from 10 foot away

So what did it in?  RUST!

The body started getting a few rust spots a couple years ago - mainly the doors and runner boards.  These were mostly cosmetic issues and we expected to replace the door soon.  Underneath was the real problem.

Door rust

Runner board looking pretty shabby

After sixteen Ohio winters, the rear subframe  morphed into iron oxide.  This was the catastrophic event that would end this vehicle's service life.

Suspension shows some surface rust

In front of the rear wheel, this suspension piece completely separated

Another view of the suspension rust

After seeing the issue in the suspension, it was time to retire the car.  Its difficult to retire a vehicle that still ran smoothly, never stalled, and the exhaust system was as quiet as new.

Were there other issues?  Yes.

We had a slow oil leak that we decided to not repair about a year ago.  The oil pan was dented by a garage servicing the vehicle.  It appears that they tried to use it as a lift point.  Unfortunately it was the same week  I took it to three different shops for tires and a repair estimate.  Also, the engine was starting to get a slight oil coat on it.

In general, maintenance and repair work is fairly easy on this vehicle.

Since the car was not safe to drive, I figure now was the time to try debadging.  I was able to remove the Nissan logo using dental floss and a hair dryer.  I'm surprised at how good it turned out.  The paint under the logo is pretty close to the same as the rest of the trunk lid. That paint had not seen daylight since the Clinton administration!

Souvenir badge

Can't see the line, can you Russ?

Pontiac Vibe & Toyota Matrix (1st gen) Wiggly Seat Fix

Are you rocking and rolling in your 2003 - 2008 Vibe or Matrix?  That's not necessarily a good thing!

When I purchased my Pontiac Vibe back in August, the first thing the irked me was the driver's seat.  When hitting the brakes it seemed to rock forward slightly.  After a couple weeks, it was extremely wiggly under all conditions.

It is an easy fix - assuming that all the parts are still in the car!

Tools required: Torx T-40 driver
Time required: 10 - 15 minutes
Skill level: easy

First, remove the seat's plastic panel covering the bolts.  I was able to remove it by pulling the plastic toward the front on the car.  That will release the first securing point.  Its just a plastic tab that rests within a u-shaped groove.

The u-shape groove secures the front of the seat's plastic panel

Next, pull the plastic cover toward you. You don't need to remove it totally.  I just pulled it free of the next two securing tabs.

Now you need to find the bolt.  It is a the highest torx bolt on the side of the seat mounting frame.  It is usually just loose.  If its missing, check you floor for it.

The top torx bolt needs tightened

Tighten clockwise using a torx key.  Tighten it as much as you can.  Be careful to not strip the head!  I may need to replace the bolt the next time it needs tightened.

Now put the plastic panel back in place.  I focused on the first securing point.  I basically pulled the plastic unit toward the front of the vehicle while sliding it up into the u-groove.  Once this is in place, push any other securing points by applying pressure where they are located.