October 2022 - Garage Topic

Cheap Generator Upgrades, How To, First Oil Change, Magnetic Dipstick, Oil Drain Hose

Today I show how to do the first oil change during the break in period on the new GENMAX GM9000iED dual fuel inverter generator and talk about a few budget friendly upgrades. I talk about engine break-in oil and why I use it. I also show a few new cheap and affordable products that will be installed to help prolong the life of the engine and make future oil changes easier with a magnetic dipstick and permanently installed oil drain hose. This 9000 watt inverter generator MIGHT be the only generator in this class to have any form of oil filtration whatsoever. I can’t be 100% sure, but I do believe none of the other brands who are selling inverter generators in the 7600 running / 9000-95000 starting category offer engine oil filtration. In this video I remove, inspect, clean, and reinstall the oil filtration screen. The screen did have some debris inside it but honestly, on this brand new engine, I wouldn’t be surprised to see even more garbage in the screen than it had.

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XTOOL IP819 Review. OBDII Diagnostic Scan Tool. New in late 2022

I review the brand new XTOOL IP819 OBD2 diagnostic scan tool. This OBD2 scanner will read and reset all diagnostic trouble codes, (DTC) for every module in the vehicle. This scan tool also has full bidirectional control with actuation tests and special functions such as crank relearn and other system resets. This XTOOL model has basically the same features and functions as the XTOOL D8 but with a 1 inch smaller screen and slightly smaller battery, and of course a lower price.

This tool has a bunch of functionality for the price. If you’re looking for a scan tool with full bidirectional control but you don’t want to break the bank with a tool that has really fancy hardware (like a huge high resolution scree, wirless VCI, etc) then this tool might be for you.

Possible correction: In the video when I am reading the list of specs, when I get the spot where it says “processor: 2 G” I pause for a second and then I say something like “that must be a misprint, the system has 2 gigabytes of ram, and 32 gigabytes of storage”. Well, it is possible that the specs were correct and it actually meant the processor is 2 GHz (gigahertz) which is the speed of the processor. And if that is the case, then it has a newer, faster processor than previous XTOOL models. Sorry for the confusion.

My IP616 video can be found here: https://youtu.be/_uBznng8_R8

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XTOOL IP616 Review. OBDII Diagnostic Scan Tool. New in late 2022.

I review the brand new XTOOL IP616 OBDII diagnostic scan tool. This OBD2 scanner will read and reset all diagnostic trouble codes, (DTC) for every module in the vehicle. This XTOOL code reader will also display live data from all modules in the vehicle. However, it does not feature any bidirectional control. This is what I would call an entry level scan tool. It’s budget friendly and can assist with probably 95% of repairs to most vehicles made in 1996 or newer. OBD2 was federally mandated to be the standard for cars sold in the US for model year 1996, or newer. It’s still that way today. A brand new 2023 vehicle sold inside the USA is OBD2. A lot of low-end code readers (creaders) will only display trouble codes for the PCM (powertrain control module) which is the “computer” that typically only runs the engine and transmission in most vehicles. Well, as cars got newer (from 1996) and more sophisticated, the manufacturers added more and more modules. Nowadays there is a separate module for EVERYTHING in the vehicle. It’s common to have 30+ modules in a vehicle from the 2010’s, and up, and probably 20+ modules in vehicles from the 2000’s. My point is…. again, most low-end code readers will only display codes from only the PCM…. from only ONE module in the vehicle. What do you do when there are codes in another module that the cheap code reader will not display? You need a step up to this type of scan tool. As stated above, this scan tool will display DTCs from ALL modules and display ALL live data, from every module in the vehicle. Nothing worse than having a check engine light on and not being able to retrieve the code because the code reader is too basic to pull the code form the Body control module, BCM. (for example) Or not having access to the fuel pump module to see if there is a fault. Even without bidirectional control, this is still a very helpful scan tool.

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TB6000Pro Battery Charger, Tester, Maintainer, Desulfator, Power Supply, BlueTooth. NEW. TOPDON

The Brand New TOPDON TB6000Pro is an automotive (car or truck) 12 volt battery charger, battery tester, battery maintainer, battery desulfator, and power supply. The device is controlled via Bluetooth from you mobile device. (Apple or Android) This thing is super cool! The app gives you almost infinite control over the battery charger. It has more features and functions than we’ve ever had in the past on a battery charger or battery tester. The device can be controlled by itself, without the app if need be but with limited control. This is designed to be controlled from the TB6000Pro app. This device does battery testing, vehicle charge testing, and vehicle crank testing, along with “smart charging” and “quick charging”. The app also lets you create your own charging profile in “expert mode” instead of using a preset charging profile. All test results can easily be saved with the click of a button. This thing is REALLY Cool! I had no idea how cool this thing was until I actually started using it. If you’re looking for an automotive battery charger that is new with a bunch of modern technology built in, this might be the device for you! This just might be the newest, best and certainly the coolest battery charger on the market? what do you think? Leave a comment below…

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