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Valve Cover Gasket Replacement

An engine that's burning oil spews obvious signs and signals. Clouds of smoke at startup or when getting on and off the throttle visually show where that quart of oil every 500 miles is going. If the dipstick is reading low and there's no sign of oil smoke, suspect an oil leak. While the source of oil leaks can be hard to locate, a common and relatively easy to repair source of oil leaks is from where the valve cover meets the cylinder head. If oil is going missing and the area around and under the valve cover is soaked then it could be time to replace the valve cover gasket...

Engine Rehab

Rebuilt is a relative term. This is especially true when used in conjunction with the word engine. On the low side of an engine rebuild is a can of motor honey poured into the crankcase and a set of crossed fingers behind the salesman who hopes the rod knock will go away just long enough to get the car off the lot. Legitimate rebuilt engines are in reality remanufactured. Engine teardown and inspection is followed by machine work. Every part is returned to original or better-than-factory tolerances. The process essentially brings an engine back to new. The middle ground is anywhere in between the motor honey and remanufacture, and why the phrase 'rebuilt engine' holds broad meaning. The catch is that determining if the engine needs a complete rebuild or will benefit from a freshen-up only becomes apparent with the engine out of the car and apart...

Changing Motor Mounts

THUNK upon acceleration can be unnerving. It can also foreshadow an expensive fix if not diagnosed and corrected before serious damage is done...

CV Rehab

Front-wheel-drive vehicles transfer the power from the transmission to the wheels through drive axle assemblies. These drive axles have constant-velocity (CV) joints at each end. The joints are protected by rubber boots whose purpose is to keep contaminants out and lubricant in. Cracks or tears in the boot can lead to CV joint failure, as can normal wear and tear. Signs of worn or damaged CV joints include lubricant leaks, clicking sounds during turning, clunks during acceleration or abrupt deceleration and frontend vibrations...

Engine Bay Billet

It's been said that the last five-percent of a project vehicle is the hardest. That may or may not be true—it depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're just adding some trim pieces to the engine bay, then it's icing on the cake. For an interior dress-up, things can get a bit more complicated...

Engine Gasket Replacement

Composite and silicone gaskets seal metal-to-metal surfaces in today's engines. Plenums, carburetors, head covers, valve covers, exhaust systems and oil pans all use gaskets to match surfaces perfectly, control air and fluid pressure and to prevent leaks. Composite gaskets are just that—a variety of materials (cork, paper, rubber, felt) combined together and designed for specific applications. A gasket sealant or adhesive usually aids their assembly and function. Silicone (or formed-in-place) gaskets are created from a special compound that is applied directly to the parts in question and is allowed to cure in place...

Engine Swap: An Overview

It's probably one of the worst mechanical scenarios you could imagine: your late-model vehicle has just suffered a catastrophic engine failure, and since it wasn't a warranty-related problem, you'll have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Even though you may not know the exact cause, it will help to determine the problem since that will help you decide exactly which repair option is best...

Engine Swap: Tips and Tricks

Once you understand the basics of what's involved when replacing an engine, whether or not you've decided to go ahead with the project, here are some tips and tricks to help you with the actual mechanical procedure...

Head Gasket Basics

Understanding why a relatively inexpensive head gasket costs so much to replace means first realizing what it sits between. In the engine block are pistons that travel up and down in cylinder bores. The pistons are connected to rods, which in turn are connected to a spinning crankshaft from which the vehicle takes its power. Bolted to the top of the engine is the cylinder head. Inside the cylinder head are valves that open and close to let air and fuel into the cylinders and expel the spent exhaust gas...

No-Toil Oil Check

Of all the fluids in your vehicle, one is absolutely crucial to the survival of your engine—oil. A thin layer of oil molecules rides between every surface inside your engine. These molecules lubricate surfaces and prevent heat-producing friction from destroying your engine in short order. Keeping an eye on your engine oil level is not only important—it's easy!..

Oil Change 101

The American drive-through mentality is a boon to the quick-lube industry. After all, we can sometimes get our fast-food fix and car's oil changed during our lunch hour. Convenience comes at a price, though...

Oil Change for Beginners

With various oil change franchises from coast-to-coast offering oil-and-filter jobs for cut-rate prices, it's getting tougher to rationalize changing your vehicle's oil yourself as a way to save money. So, if you get dirty and grimy, you don't necessarily save any money, and when you're through you have to find someplace to get rid of the old oil, why bother?..

Oil-Pan Gasket Replacement

Puddles of oil on the ground beneath your car's engine are annoying. For the lucky few, the source can be a loose oil-pan drain plug, a dipstick tube that's come unseated from the engine block or an oil filter that's either not screwed down or has a cracked gasket...

PCV Valve

Countless explosions occur every minute your engine runs. While the good majority of this internal combustion is confined to the combustion chambers, a small amount of the controlled explosion sneaks by the piston rings and creates blow-by gases inside the engine crankcase. These combustion by-products must be vented away for proper engine operation...

Remanufactured Engine Basics

No engine, despite what often-repeated tall tales and infomercials would have us believe, runs forever. Even the best of engines will eventually wear out. The engine under your hood is comprised of a great number of precisely machined moving parts that work together under brutal conditions to harness the power of internal combustion. If your engine's get-up-and-go has got up and went, or folks call the fire department because of the cloud of smoke emitting from your old bucket, it may be time to consider a remanufactured replacement engine...

Replacing Engine Mounts

Next time you put your foot to the floor to accelerate away from a stop, or motor on up an on-ramp, take a second to fully appreciate what's happening. All the power created by the miracle of internal combustion going on inside the engine is smoothly making it's way to the ground without the vehicle rattling itself apart from vibration, or the engine twisting its way through the hood. Despite the engine's best efforts to twist itself out of the engine compartment, the process of acceleration is largely uneventful thanks to the system of engine mounts holding the powerplant firmly in place...

Serpentine Belt Replacement

With all the increasing complexity under the hoods of today's vehicles, it's heartening to see a component that actually decreases it: the serpentine accessory belt, along with its self-adjusting tensioner...

Vintage Diesel Car Care, Part 1

All the recent attention given to alternative fuel vehicles has piqued interest in diesel-powered passenger vehicles. Their higher fuel efficiency has rekindled a desire in many drivers to join the "Church of the Lakka-Lakka-Lakka." Or perhaps you already own a vehicle powered by one of Rudolph Diesel's progeny. Either way, you probably would like to be able to make a quick evaluation of the engine, even with its legendary reputation for reliability...

Vintage Diesel Car Care, Part 2

Part one of these articles about evaluating diesel engines ended by discussing the principles and the importance of performing an informal compression test. Let's now move on to how that's actually done, and then let's look at some additional tests and inspections which can show a complete picture of the state of the engine in the vehicle you are considering for purchase (or perhaps currently own)...