General

General

Alternator Replacement

By on Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The alternator on the Sentra hasn’t been functioning very well. When you start the car, the dashboard battery light stays on. This means the battery is not being charged. It only goes off when you rev the engine. Also, the headlights would go brighter when you rev the engine. This means the voltage is low and only goes up when revved. I’ve had it repaired several years ago but I guess it’s finally reaching the end of its life.

Last night, Michelle forgot to rev the engine as she drove off. The battery drained and the engine died. Good thing it happened at the parking building already. With the aid of two security guards, we pushed the car to the side. Then I brought down the other car and jump started the Sentra so that I can at least park it properly.

Yesterday, I dropped by the nearest decent car shop I could find and have it checked. I ended up at Rapide. As suspected, the alternator needs to be replaced and it cost a whooping P14,500!!! But with few options (battery was about to go flat again), I gave them the go ahead and after an overnight stay at the shop, I finally got the car back.

So far, everything seems to be working fine. The dashboard battery light turns off as soon as the car is started. The headlights also stay steady when you rev the engine. Here’s hoping for another several years of operation.

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General

MacBook Pro Battery Replacement

By on Sunday, June 1, 2014

My MacBook Pro’s trackpad hasn’t been clicking properly for a while. It requires considerable effort to push and doesn’t provide much tactile feedback. I didn’t really mind it too much since I just use taps and gestures. I thought it was just my Mac getting old.

But I eventually learned that it is a common issue with MacBooks. It turned out that the battery is swelling and impinges on the trackpad pushing it upward and preventing the full range of motion. Now it’s either an accident or a clever design feature of MacBooks, but when the trackpad act erratically, people would then go to the shop and have it serviced thus averting a possible battery disaster. Of course, that didn’t work in my case :P

One solution offered by people on the net (always taken with a grain of salt, or more) is pricking the battery cells to release the trapped gases that caused the swelling. Intentionally creating a mini ecological disaster in your workspace at best or obliterating it with a mini explosion. Uh huh. Not for me.

The best solution is replacing the battery. But I’m not about to blow away several thousands to replace the battery of a 4-year old laptop. So the next best thing is to find a cheaper non-OEM replacement part. I found one from PCPartPH. They deliver via courier but I wanted mine right away so I did a “meet up”. Transaction was quick and easy and as soon as I got back home, I installed the new battery.

So far so good though I noticed capacity is not per specification (3980mAh vs 5200mAh). I’ll observe for a few days and see how it goes.

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General

Oil Sending Unit Replacement

By on Sunday, June 1, 2014

The Sentra had been leaking engine oil for the past few months. Not too much to be an environmental disaster (I hope not) but enough to leave unsightly black oil spots on the ground. Whenever I visit a car shop, I ask mechanics to look for the source but to no avail. Some recommended that I get an engine wash to make finding the leak easier.

Last week, I had a complete wash: body wash, under wash, and engine wash. I then gave it a week for the oil to leak out then I had it checked at a car shop. They found that the leak was at the oil sending unit (it’s actually sends oil pressure readings). I’ve had it replaced before but that was before the engine swap so it seems I need to change it for the new engine. I had it replaced (for P1,830).

I hope that was the only problem. But so far, the car doesn’t seem to be leaking oil anymore.

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General

MedRemind is Out!

By on Tuesday, April 15, 2014

MedRemind is out for both  iOS and Android.

If you are taking multiple medications, it is sometimes easy to forget which medication to take and at what time. MedRemind helps you take your medications on time.

  • Intuitive and easy to use
  • Reminds you on time, even when your phone is on standby.
  • See a list of reminders of what medications are due and tick them off as you take them.
  • Keep track of your prescriptions
  • Keep track of your medication stocks
  • Keep track of your medication intake history

Do check it out!

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