Anachronisms - Show me yours!

"Brian, The Life of" (familycar) 08/31/2015 at 17:09 • Filed to: None

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I was thinking about this the other day. Most cars use some version of this icon as the idiot light for oil. When you pause and think ... that’s pretty darned odd. I mean, when’s the last time anyone used one of those old time oil fillers? 1928? Yet, we drive our whole lives - lives passed with out ever even seeing one of these - without giving that symbol the tiniest bit of thought.

BTW, this is what those things actually looked like:

Te icon they use for the idiot light looks more like an oil lamp filler.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:14

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Definitely an old style oil filler, but before the modern (ha!) galvanized style ones that could be filled easily from oil sold in a can I have to assume the lid style were in widespread use for cars. Say, before 1930. The best ones are the ones that have a slide in the spout to control flow from the thumb position.

Oh, and I’ve used both.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:18

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How about the settings icon on all of our phones and tablets. I don’t think there are any gears in there.

facw > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:19

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Still more obvious to people than the TPMS cauldron.

The brake symbols are awful too, but most manufactures add a label so people have some clue what they mean.

Justin Hughes > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:20

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Them kids these days don’t even know what this is, yet it’s still the universal “save” icon!

Berang > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:21

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More curious is the squiggly line. A pasta? A seaweed?

Brian, The Life of > facw 08/31/2015 at 17:22

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I’ve never thought “cauldron” before ... now I can’t unsee it.

Brian, The Life of > Berang 08/31/2015 at 17:24

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BACON!

Master Cylinder > facw 08/31/2015 at 17:25

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I always saw the TPMS icon as a cross-section of a tire, but it just now occurred to me that the brake icon might be representing a drum brake. I always just assumed it was just an arbitrary icon.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > facw 08/31/2015 at 17:25

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This is a really good one if you consider the brake warning to be an external shoe or external band brake. Not a popular brake setup since the 20s at the latest.

MultiplaOrgasms > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:26

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I used one of them about a year ago when I did an apprenticeship at a Volvo/Hyundai dealership.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Berang 08/31/2015 at 17:26

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It’s a stink line, obviously.

facw > Master Cylinder 08/31/2015 at 17:32

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It’s supposed to be a brake. I’ve heard drum, but the shoes are on the outside, so guessing it is an even older type.

facw > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:35

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I don’t know why they made the icon different than the Email/Bacon selector dial on the vents.

desertdog5051 > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:42

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You do come up with some interesting thoughts, Brian. Oh, pass that joint, will ya?

ttyymmnn > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:53

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Xyl0c41n3 > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 17:54

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My dad still has one. It looks like this:

Complete with adjustable nozzle. :)

Xyl0c41n3 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 17:55

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My dad still has one in his garage, though it’s been ages since he’s used it. :)

Berang > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 17:55

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I thought that was a parentheses O. (O)

ttyymmnn > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! 08/31/2015 at 17:57

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There’s actually a very tiny Charlie Chaplin inside your iPhone making all those adjustments for you.

Brian, The Life of > Xyl0c41n3 08/31/2015 at 18:03

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I can’t tell the scale but that may be an “oiling can” instead of a filling can. Oiling cans are/were used to lubricate machinery, etc. Filling cans are were used specifically to refill/top-off motor oil.

Xyl0c41n3 > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 18:08

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Touché. In either case, the one my dad has buried on a shelf somewhere doesn’t work anymore anyway. It got plugged up. But it’s still kinda neat. :)

RallyWrench > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 18:17

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Even the Check Engine light is an anachronism in this day and age. What car even has an engine driven fan or a big air cleaner on top anymore?

Brian, The Life of > Xyl0c41n3 08/31/2015 at 18:18

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Oh it’s totally neat. I love old tools. If I find an olde timey version of something I need at a yard sale, etc, I buy it to use instead of a new one.

Brian, The Life of > RallyWrench 08/31/2015 at 18:20

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Haha, true. Now I’m wondering whether any car with an engine-driven fan had a CEL?

RallyWrench > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 18:39

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There are few Germans I know did. BMWs until about 2004 for the M54 sixes, and 2003 for the M62 V8s. Mercedes did on the sixes and V8s until about 1997 when they went to the M112 & M113. VWAG did with the longitudinal 1.8ts as well.

HammerheadFistpunch > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 20:22

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Popped into Napa today and would you look what I found

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > RallyWrench 08/31/2015 at 21:35

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Some 112’s and 113’s had mechanical fans. 98 210’s and 163’s for example.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Brian, The Life of 08/31/2015 at 21:37

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Oh plenty. BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover up to mid 00’s in some cases.

RallyWrench > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 08/31/2015 at 21:54

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I try to forget that the 163 exists. Forgot about the early 112s & 113s though, don’t see to many of them.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > RallyWrench 08/31/2015 at 22:10

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Lol. Fair enough. 163’s can be great money though. I have one customer who is the original owner with over 200k. They’ve done absolutely everything it’s needed including heads (carbon in the air injection ports of course) and pulling the dash for all of the HVAC motors.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Brian, The Life of 09/01/2015 at 00:04

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Int he age of instant anything why do we have slow fuel pump?

I want a sub 3 sec pit stop for my beige-mobile DD.

Oh that’s right gas station tv. FML