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theabortionator
April, 2025

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Ask a mechanic.

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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
It seems every so often there is a "car help" related question posted on NS and I thought I could maybe help out people who dont want to make a thread but want to ask a quick question about an issue they are having with their car. I am a mechanic at a higher end german car company so I thought i could maybe give my 2 cents or point you in the right direction to resolving your issue on your own or give you an idea what to tell your mechanic the issue is.

No question is stupid and I will try to help out.
14 years ago
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11955 - Karma: 12,308
Never gave me one. But it literally happen at the dealership so it had to have been them. Im calling them tomorrow to have it looked at. I was also wondering, installing my RAI, could that cause the "check engine" light to come on? It didnt come on when I first installed it and only came on once it was at the dealer. Im pissed because they told me I'd fail inspection with them on but didn't tell me the problem...
13 years ago
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JeremyClarkson
Posts: 1600 - Karma: 1,932
My clutch blew today. I have a spare stage 2 clutch kit. I simply don't have the money to get it fixed so i want to do it myself. I have jack stands and access to tools. Its a FWD 1997 nissan 200sx. I have no clue how to disconnect the axel and take off the bumper. If I manage to pull that off I would have access to unbolt the transmission case and place it on a floor jack before even attempting to pull out the blown clutch and throwout bearing.

How do i start to disconnect the axels after i take off the tires?

What kind of tools will I need to take care of the axels and unbolt the case?

Is there anything Im missing?
13 years ago
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Spinoza
Posts: 12763 - Karma: 3,847
Turned out the front right suspension spring was broken in 2 pieces . Along with the housing or whatever. Lol I had no shock absorption on that side. Not to mention it wasn't street legal. $520 later and it's a lot smoother ride
13 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
axles differ car to car. Youre going to have to sneak under the car to see what holds the inner axles to the flanges of the transmission. The axle bolts that hold the axle to the wheel hubs are normally very tight, so you best have a breaker bar to get them loose.

check your rear main seal after you have the transmission out since you are right there.

disconnect the battery before removing the starter.

have fun, manual transmission are fun to remove.
13 years ago
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proZach
Posts: 7163 - Karma: 919
"Service vehicle soon" sign just came on my dash.

2001 chevy malibu, 83k miles. car has been running perfect.
however, I haven't gotten an oil change in a bit (sticker says 9/10/12 or 80800 miles so I'm a bit overdue).

what's the deal?

thanks
13 years ago
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Ski_the_east01
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 2,306
SES lights don't throw codes like check engine lights so bringing it to a mechanic won't help because when they hook it up to their reader they won't be able to tell what's wrong as there is no code to throw..is the ABS light on?

Check obvious things like fluids (coolant, oil, trans) lights (indicators, daytime running light, third brake light)

Your best bet after that is asking a friend or trusted mechanic to use an OBD II reader to clear the code. I know i said dont bring it to a mechanic but i mean don't bring it to some place likely to screw you by unnecessarily telling you to replace something that doesnt need to be replaced

I don't have much experience with SES lights, mostly CEL's so take my advice with a grain of salt
13 years ago
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crieschl
Posts: 644 - Karma: 108
my car has a similar light, the light comes on after so many miles, just get your oil filter and oil changed and then look in your owners manual to look how to turn the light after you do that, so then the light will come on again the next time you need scheduled maintenance
13 years ago
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proZach
Posts: 7163 - Karma: 919
first off, thanks for the responses. my uncle is a teacher at an auto trade school, so my plan is to ask him as well, but he's about an hour north of me.

with my schedule I'll be lucky to have enough time to spare an hour in the next month for an oil change.
so I guess I'm going to get my oil and filters replaced ($50 I think?) and check the car's manual.

I just moved a few months ago to go to school so I'm not familiar with any shops around here and I don't trust many mechanics (don't have time to bring it up to the place I usually would or my uncle)

the light came on today as my gas light came on. no other lights are on at this point.
13 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
bump. havent been online for a while. Thought i would open the floor for anyone if they want.
13 years ago
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ihitchadsgap
Posts: 472 - Karma: 55

why do my windshield wipers only work half the time. and when they work the rate at which the wipe is inconsistent

 1995 chevy blazer if that helps too

13 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
could be a linkage issue, they rust and seize over time or the joints in the linkage get worn. could be a dying motor as well but some linkages and motors are sold as a unit. honestly, i would just go to a junkyard and buy both and replace them at the same time to save hassle and if you get them from a junkyard the price would be 50 bucks max.
13 years ago
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ihitchadsgap
Posts: 472 - Karma: 55

cool thanks man

13 years ago
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comeatmebro
Posts: 10720 - Karma: 66
alrighty...i'm desperate...

i have an 09 mazdaspeed 3, just recently blew the turbo seals and decided to upgrade turbos while i was at it.

previous mods: cobb accessport tune, intake, catted downpipe, e85 mixture

purchased: gtx3071 drop in kit (all coolant/oil lines, mazda flanged hotside), 3.5" turbo inlet pipe/intake, manual boost controller

i installed everything, and can't get the car to start? it turns over, and runs for like 2-3 seconds then shuts off. No exhaust leaks, no vacuum leaks that i know of, i didn't buy a bigger MAF sensor so it shouldn't need scaled. I am out of ideas as to what to try and troubleshoot next..any ideas of any sensors it could be? or something dumb i may have did. (this is my first turbo swap)

thanks man
13 years ago
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theblacktaco
Posts: 1462 - Karma: 82
whats up.

Got an old 1982 yamaha xj 650 .. i know its a bike but still has an enginge. now about 5 years ago my gradfarther drove it to my house and it was working 100% okay.. now after 5 years of sitting some mice have gotten into the airbox. so before i even start it i obv need a new airfilter.

my question what else do i need to do to bring the bike back to life. and how good do u think my breaks will be after sitting so long. i should prob change all the oil to.

What about my cylders and pistons .. could those have tightened up after sitting so long. can i check to see if they are still good without taking apart the top end.
13 years ago
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
how do i know when my air filter is "too dirty" and needs to be changed. Its about as simple an operation as can be done, i realize, but i dont want to change it when if it still has life left.

and yes i have looked at it, and yes it is dirty...but dirty enough to need changing? idk.
13 years ago
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doitbig
Posts: 4818 - Karma: 315
If it's visibly dirty it's probably time to change. how many miles has it ran? i think most vehicles reccomend every 60k
13 years ago
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7953 - Karma: 23,115
I have a 2002 Toyota Echo. The brakes work as usual, except for a kind of rhythmic scraping that corresponds to the decrease in speed. Is this something that could be serious?
13 years ago
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crieschl
Posts: 644 - Karma: 108
definitely get it checked out, if you let it go to far your brakes all of a sudden could be gone and then you're in for a really bad deal..

Sounds like low brake pads because of the scraping sound
13 years ago
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crieschl
Posts: 644 - Karma: 108
clean the carburetor for sure (go to auto store and buy a can of carb and choke cleaner), clean out the gas tank (ie, drain it, wash it out with water, let it sit until completely dry on the inside, and then put new gas back in, also you're going to want to take the gas tank completely off the bike for this)

Could be more stuff that needs to be done too, but those are some basic things, changing oil might not be a bad idea, don't do anything with the cylinders/ pistons except possibly take out the spark plug (assuming it's a 4 stroke) and pour just a little bit of oil down the hole. Breaks should be fine, you can always test them out by just holding the break and clutch and seeing if the wheels move.
13 years ago
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proZach
Posts: 7163 - Karma: 919
got my oil changed/new filter last weekend. since then, no sign/lights have popped up. think I'm in the clear. hopefully? haha
13 years ago
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crieschl
Posts: 644 - Karma: 108
it kinda sounds like the engine's not getting enough fuel... I would look into upgrading fuel pumps

I'm really not that sure on what's happening, but my logic on it is, better turbo means more air, fuel pump can't keep up so the engine starts running lean and dying after a few seconds
13 years ago
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CheddarJack
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 7,380
question: do you normally have to remove the wheels to install mud flaps on a sedan? It seems like it'd be tricky with the wheels on there
13 years ago
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
Im sure you could do it without but its probably going to be a tight fit. It takes 2 minutes to jack up a car and ahve the wheel off so I'd say do that because it will save frustrations that come with tight spaces and working on a car.
13 years ago
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
This, for our old truck you have to turn it on and off (just the key, don't start) and push the brake pedal 10 times in 20 seconds and then it resets the light. A quick google search could probably find you an answer.
13 years ago
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tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
Bah. I've been dealing with an overheating/cooling system issue for a while now.

2001 civic EX coupe. 186k

Lets start with the radiator fans.
They don't work.
I replaced the cooling fan switch.
Since then I've been using this troubleshooting guide: http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2889629

And stopped at step 8 - no continuity between #1 pin and ground. Haven't found the open in the circuit yet. For a short-term fix, I have left the jumper between the #1 and #2 terminals of the radiator fan switch which turns on both fans as long as the car is turned to Ignition (II).

That worked for a while.

But, now, I'm loosing coolant. I didn't have heat the other day which first gave it away. I put it in the overflow since the engine was hot and I didn't have time to wait for it to cool down. That stayed there and didn't go back into the radiator.
I waited until the engine was cold and added about a quart. (Total capacity is 4.2 quarts).

Now, every time I release the radiator cap, it makes a gargling sound and I have to re-fill it. So far, I've put about three quarts into the system in the last 5 days. Is this because I'm not bleeding it properly after adding coolant? (I just looked, and wasn't running the car to running temps with the cap on loosely after adding coolant).
12 years ago
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
Is there a lot of water vapor in your exhaust? Or is there a puddle underneath your car when you park it? Losing that much coolant is usually caused by a leak somewhere in the system. A head gasket could also be an issue but you would be able to tell pretty easily by an excessive amount of burnt coolant (water vapor) in the exhaust.

12 years ago
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Dragonite.
Posts: 1657 - Karma: 431
Today the front of my car caught on fire and then after a few minutes it blew up. The garage said they weren't sure what was wrong, but they think it was a gas leak in one of the pistons. I don't trust them though. I think it was a tire pressure issue. Any ideas? Thanks!
12 years ago
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cornholio
Posts: 3952 - Karma: 3,057
if the car is scattered about in tiny pieces, it blew up

if the tire appears to be flat, it's likely a tire pressure issue
12 years ago
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tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
I have a small exhaust leak just behind my cat, and when the car starts from cold there is some water that drips out from there. Not coolant, just water. No white smoke coming from the exhaust.

I had a chemical block test done to test for exhaust gasses in the cooling system, came back clean.

I had a cooling system pressure test done, and that came back negative, too.

But, when it was in the shop, they couldn't even get it to overheat. This was before I had the cooling fans jumped. They wouldn't turn on up when the car was up at temp, either.


To the guy with the fire issue, did you check the pressure in the spare tire? People always forget about that one. It can fuck your car up real quickly.
12 years ago
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,814
Alright, scenario/situation, '04 Subaru Outback

I use my cruise control, a lot. I live on a highway where the speed limit is 55 (w/ a stretch of about 40 miles that is an often drive), its super easy to speed and not realize, so I set it at 60 and cruise - it actually makes my drive a lot a better.

Well last week my check engine light came on, coupled with the cruise control button blinking. I thought fuck, I over used it and now I screwed myself somehow. After 2 days both went off by themselves and have not been back on, its been about a week since they turned off.

But I haven't used my cruise control again, I was too scared that I'd fuck something up worse. So is it possible to over user your cruise control, what do you think the issue is/was?

Thanks!
12 years ago
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lineskier10
Posts: 11339 - Karma: 796
yes if you over use cruise control it gets angry at you for being overworked and slowly begins to sabotage your car, expect your breaks to fail withing the next 100 miles at an unfortunate time
12 years ago
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,814
Thanks, dickhead.
12 years ago
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lineskier10
Posts: 11339 - Karma: 796
dont play your radio too loud too often or else one time it will get pissed and switch to justin bieber and never turn back
12 years ago
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Ski_the_east01
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 2,306
Most likely the cruise control blinking was only because the check engine light came on. The cruise control often has a safety feature that will disable it when the CEL comes on. I'm guessing your cruise control is fine, you should be able to use it next time you drive no problem.

It's impossible to tell what is wrong with your car just cause the CEL came on..there are thousands of things big and small that could have tripped it. The good thing is that the CEL reset and turned off after some driving which could mean it was simply a vaccuum leak in your gas line caused by a bad gas cap or gas cap not tightened correctly.

Next time the CEL comes on, stop into an autozone, pepboys or whatever you have around you (not mechanic...) and they will use a scanner for free to check the code that is causing your CEL to come on. From there you can do a google search on the code that's being thrown or bring it to a mechanic and tell them what the problem is
12 years ago
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,814
Yeah I had planned on getting it scanned but then it went off on its own. I just wasn't sure if I should use my cruise control again or not, so that's good. Thanks.
12 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
Bump since its been awhile.
11 years ago
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T.O.
Posts: 740 - Karma: 97
So my car makes like a squeak sound in the front end going over bumps or speed bumps. It has an aftermarket front swaybar. I though it could maybe be the struts but they have less than 5k on them. If it makes a difference it's a subaru
11 years ago
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Ski_the_east01
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 2,306
My friend has a legacy GT with a shitty aftermarket drop on it. It's noisy as hell over any bumps because the sway bar bushings are shot. That would be my first place to look...

Struts don't generally 'squeak' when they go bad, they make more of a hollow 'clunk'. Squeaks definitely are a more common noise in bushings - check your bushings in the sway bars, then the control arms and spring mounts depending on how they are connected
11 years ago
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DockEllis
Posts: 1131 - Karma: 1,745
Hey man, I've got a 99 Infiniti QX4 with a head gasket leak. Noticed a few weeks ago that the coolant in the overflow reservoir was really dark and gross looking, so I took it to get the radiator flushed and they recommended not doing it as to keep new coolant from getting into the engine. I don't want to put a lot of money into it because it's so old so my question is this, is replacing the head gasket a huge pain in the ass? I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, by no means an expert, but everything I looked at said it wasn't too difficult, just very time consuming.
11 years ago
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Ski_the_east01
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 2,306
I've only pulled the head on a wrangler 4.0 - it's a lot of freakin work. First you have to pull the head and very carefully label every single bolt/connection for when you put it back togther. I usually use a big piece of cardboard to label/hold the bolts/screws etc. Then you have to take hte head to a machine shop. You absolutely have to do this because there is a high chance there is a small crack or two in the head that you might not notice. You could go through and replace the gasket and have the same exact problem if you don't get the head surfaced

I'm guessing it took me maybe 20 or so hours but it was over numerous weekends and I consider myself a pretty experienced shade tree mechanic

It's also important to have a pressure test done and check valve seals and clearances...it might be easier on whatever powerplant your infiniti uses but I doubt it as the 4.0 is a very basic engine that hasn't really changed in nearly 4 decades

Also it's usually not just a head job, since you're already in there I remember changing my water pump, t-stat, serp belt, hoses, spark plugs and probably a few other things I can't remember off the top of my head..

either way if you do it yourself always plan for it costing more and taking way longer than you first expect...good luck


11 years ago
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DockEllis
Posts: 1131 - Karma: 1,745
Thanks dude, I appreciate the input. Yeah, I'm not sure it's worth all that. The car has 265k on it. Bought it in 07 for 5gs so I think I've gotten my money out of it. Probably will just ride it out till she dies and replace it.
11 years ago
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Ski_the_east01
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 2,306
probably the best choice in terms of investing your time/money. You could go through all that work and then have some other costly failure 2 weeks later thats completely unrelated given it has 265 on the clock. I'd probably drive it around like a raped ape for the next couple weeks until it finally gave out then get a few hundred for scraping it. I'd imagine it would be difficult to part out something as obscure as an old infiniti suv
11 years ago
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DockEllis
Posts: 1131 - Karma: 1,745
That's my plan. One more question for you, when this bad boy does inevitable bite the dust, do you have any idea what is going to go down exactly? As in, what exactly burning coolant in the engine is going to cause? I'd imagine the engine will just eventually lock up or something, but I wouldn't want the thing to burst into flames when I'm booking it down the highway haha. I'd like to squeeze every last mile out of it that I can, but at the same time don't want to subject myself or others to any sort of danger.
11 years ago
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Ski_the_east01
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 2,306
If there is zero chance of you repairing it then the only thing you'd need to worry about is it overheating, but yeah you can drive it until it seizes. I would only suggest this if you drive around town or you have a good AAA membership that allows free towing. Because obviously driving it 60 miles away from home and ahving it break down is going to cost you more in tow costs than the money you'd save squeezing a few more miles out of the thing
11 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
just because oil is in the coolant does not mean it is a head gasket, it could be your oil cooler seals or the cooler itself which is an easy fix for the most part. Do a proper leakdown or compression test to find out if it is truly the head gasket. you can get a compression tester for 30 bucks at an auto store and it just screws into the plug holes, disconnect the fuel injectors or fuel pump directly prior to testing.
11 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
Most likely the bushings in the sway car are made from harder material than stock therefore transfer less energy under load making the suspension stiffer and possibly clunk. OEM bushings are super soft and have quite a bit of give so they wont rattle your suspension, aftermarket sway bars are much much stiffer and the bushings are made from different materials which dont allow as much suspension travel which can lead to increased suspension noise.

The easiest way is to unbolt your sway bolt nut/bolts that connect the bar itself to the lower control arms then go for a road test and see if the noise is gone... if the noise is gone you have just confirmed it was the sway bar. Very easy to diagnose as it is rarely much work to disconnect a sway bar link.
11 years ago
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Dirac
Posts: 1304 - Karma: 335
how do I test a battery with just a dmm. It's reading good voltage with no load. can I just watch the voltage while I start the engine? if so, how low is acceptable?
11 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
You can check the voltage when running no problem. When a car is running it needs to be outputing 14 volts. What is the problem though? Why are you testing the battery?
11 years ago
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GayWolf420
Posts: 38034 - Karma: 128,949
my car (08 dodge nitro) just got all the fluids done like 3 weeks ago, but the oil change light keeps coming on. thoughts?
11 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
is it a red light with an oil lamp in the center?.. if that is the case you need to stop the car on the spot. That is an oil pressure light.

If it is a yellow oil change reminder light, its just a reminder light that comes on based on mileage driven or time elapsed. You typically can reset them very easy with a sequence of buttons or actions prior to turning on your car. For dodge I believe you are supposed to put the key into the "on" position but do not start the car ( make sure it is in the on position, not accessory position... all the lights in the dashboard should come on) and depress the gas pedal to the floor 3 times in a row followed by starting your car. If that does not work, look up "how to reset oil change reminder on dodge nitro" in google and you will find your answer my friend.
11 years ago
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