Automedia.com - CarCare - Maintenance Articles

Adjustable Shocks

Shock absorbers (or dampers, as some call them) are, in effect, hydraulic devices that resist chassis movement by passing oil through a set of orifices and valved passages. Inside an adjustable shock, manipulating the fluid movement through the valving of the shock changes the dampening characteristics. That means you can control how the suspension in your car or light truck functions (essentially fine tuning it for a given application). Many quality externally adjustable shocks are rather similar when it comes to adjustment. Once installed in the car, all changes are usually handled externally by way of the adjustment knob. After installation, the knobs on each of the shock absorber are accessible, either through the side of the spring (typical front applications) or on the body (typical rear applications)...

Engine Oil Filters: Tips and Types

Oil is the lifeblood of the engine in your car or truck (motorcycle, boat, airplane, tractor and so on). Plain and simple. But as the oil circulates through that engine, it picks up any number of different contaminants (in simple terms, dirt). That dirt can obviously damage your engine. And over time, that dirt can bring the engine to its death...

Money-Saving Car Care Steps

Seasons come, seasons go. That’s a given. And your car likely works its way through those seasons with determination and diligence. It’s not surprising since today’s automobiles tend to be some of the most durable goods we own. But there’s a catch: While there’s a good chance your automobile or light truck will function perfectly for a considerable period of time with little or no maintenance, it will definitely last a whole lot longer if given regular care. On the other hand, though, if your automobile falls into neglect, you could be in for a costly surprise. The truth is, repairs are expensive—much more so than regular maintenance costs. And with today’s economy, making something last longer and work better just makes good sense...

Nitrogen for Tires

Today, you’ll notice green nitrogen “filling stations” at tire shops across the continent. Typically, filling a tire with nitrogen costs in the range of $10 per tire (although a few shops include it for free when they sell you a new set of tires). Using compressed nitrogen instead of compressed air isn’t really new. The military, commercial airplanes, racecars and even the space shuttle have used it for years...

Maintenance Check: Everything But the Engine

In the last segment of “Maintenance Check: Under the Hood”, we examined some of the things you need to inspect before embarking on a serious (or even not so serious) road trip with your car or light truck. For us, at least, road trips are an adventure. But fixing your vehicle on the side of the road shouldn’t be part of it. Last time, we spent time under the hood. This time, we’ll look at the rest of the vehicle...

Winter Car Care Antifreeze

For 20 years, this writer lived, toiled and drove cars and pickup trucks smack dab in the middle of the frigid Canadian Great White North. For the uninitiated, normal low, nighttime temperatures in the driest and coldest winter months (January and February) range from -15 to -25°C (translated, that works out to 5 to -13°F), while daytime temperatures range from -5 to -15°C. Winter temperatures can be as low as -30 to -40°C (-22°F to -40°F) and, when the wind is taken into consideration, temperatures feel even colder. The further north you go, the colder it becomes (the record for cold in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan is -70.6°F — and it can get colder in other places)...

Maintenance Check: Under the Hood

The road beckons. It’s the thrill to see what’s around the next curve or over the next hill. It’s adventure, pure and simple. But what about the health of your car or light truck? The last thing you need is lack-of-maintenance induced car trouble, especially when you find yourself stuck between middle and nowhere. What follows here is a list of “pre-flight,” underhood checks you should accomplish before turning the key and hitting the road. Check it out. It’s important (and by all means, consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual):..

Engine Leakdown Test

An internal combustion engine makes power by first drawing air and fuel into the combustion chamber. Next is the compression of the mixture and the addition of a spark. The harnessing of the resulting contained explosion is ultimately what powers the car. As an engine gets on in miles, the containment of this power can be lost due to piston ring, valve, or cylinder wall wear. Engine performance will suffer as a result...

Fuel Pump Pressure Test

Modern electronic fuel injection systems are at once simple and at the same time a marvel of modern technology. The fuel pump draws fuel from the tank and sends it through the fuel line. Fuel works its way through a fuel rail and into the fuel injectors. The fuel pressure regulator senses engine vacuum and maintains the ideal fuel pressure. Fuel injectors spray fuel according to varying engine loads and speeds. In a perfect world fuel is perfectly metered into each cylinder through the fuel injectors at exactly the right moment to produce the best combination of power and efficiency...

Turbo Care and Rebuild

The first big wave of automotive turbocharging came to auto showrooms during the Eighties. Everything from grocery getting Chrysler K-car station wagons to high-end Porsche sports cars packed a turbocharger under the hood. It seemed a requirement that these turbocharged cars of the '80s could not leave the factory without the word TURBO emblazoned somewhere, if not all over the car. The fact is that a turbocharger can add performance on demand to an otherwise economy minded engine. Turbochargers are again becoming more common as consumers demand more horsepower along with better fuel economy. With this ever-increasing number of cars and trucks using turbochargers as part of their power equation come an equal number of turbochargers that will wear out and require replacement...

6 Simple Tire Tips

Here's a true story that highlights an important aspect of car care: A pickup is tooling down a two-lane highway. The driver notices something's not quite right when the truck hits 55 mph. There's a vibration, a resistance, some weird thing that's definitely amiss. And, surprise, surprise, it doesn't go away. The driver heads to a mechanic and tries to describe this strange malady. The mechanic walks around the truck and says, "The problem could be that big bulge in your back tire." Oops. Could this be one of the reasons why everybody keeps telling you to check your tires' health regularly?..

ABS Speed Sensor Service

One of the most common omissions in maintaining a modern Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) is checking out the speed sensors. These sensors are often located at each wheel hub/rotor on four-wheel disc systems. Alternatively, on rear-drum applications, you'll usually find them mounted on the differential housing. Whatever their location, they supply information regarding wheel speed to the ABS computer. Under braking, if wheel speeds are not equal, indicating wheel lockup, the computer modulates the anti-lock feature until the speeds are equal again...

After-Winter Car Care

Every region has its version of spring. For those who live in snow-free Southern California, it's the March Santa Ana; in the South, spring starts when the dogwoods bloom; Midwesterners look for the first crocus. Those who live in heavy snowfall areas or high altitudes simply look forward to that day when they instinctively know that the last severe winter storm has come and gone. But that doesn't mean there won't be a late freeze or surprise snow flurry. It does mean, however, that these hardy souls can start attending to their cars after a too-long winter, a process shared by everyone in varying degrees...

Air Conditioning Troubleshooting I

Even though it's stifling-hot inside your vehicle, you know that relief is just a twist of a key, a push of a switch, and a few blocks of driving away. Except that this time, something is amiss: Only hot air is coming out of the dash vents—or no air at all. So now, besides the discomfort you're feeling, you're also anxious over the thought of a visit to the repair shop...

Air Conditioning Troubleshooting Part II

When your car's air conditioning blows hot instead of cold, you should start by checking out the controls of the Air Management System on the dash, as covered in Part 1 of this article. If that doesn't do the trick, the next step is to look under the hood at the Refrigerant Cycling System. Before you do anything, though, take a look at a service manual for your car, not only for information on how the system works, but also specifics involving its pressure and temperature control features. The manual can tell you both procedures to follow and how far you can go with the basic testing that we're going to discuss. It will also inform you of the hazards and safety precautions when working on the system...

Align It Yourself

Most people think that wheel alignment is best left to the professionals. This is true in many respects, but some alignment specs are easy to check yourself, and toe is one aspect of alignment that can be checked at home. This can come in handy after replacing steering or suspension components so that the vehicle won't be wildly out of adjustment for the trip to the alignment shop, or at the very least provide a better understanding of the alignment process...

Automatic Transmission Service

Vehicles' vital fluids normally perform two important functions: lubricating and cleaning. As the fluid circulates through the parts, it gathers the dirt and metal shavings that can accumulate over time. If you're lucky, this debris will settle on the bottom of the pan or housing and not circulate through the system...

Autumn Automobiling

Just as you should check your smoke detectors' batteries every autumn, preventative procedures can keep automotive disaster from striking. The weather can change overnight—the Colorado Rockies (both the mountains and the baseball team) often get snowed on as early as Labor Day. Applying the infamous Boy Scout motto to colder-weather motoring can make the difference between getting there and back— or not...

Balance Tires

Tire vibration can be extremely annoying. Tire dealers and car dealers wage a constant battle to provide the customer with a smooth ride. Balancing equipment technology has come a long way and tire technicians are better trained, but for some reason replacement tires never seem to have that same new-car smoothness. Even new cars suffer from road vibration. In some cases, it is severe enough that new car dealers have to take back a new vehicle or suffer the consequences of an unhappy customer. It's not just a tire imbalance problem...

Battery Care

Unlike most toys, your vehicle actually comes with a battery. But, unlike that energetic little bunny, your car battery won't keep on going and going without some diligence on your part. Before we get into the maintenance tips, there are a few things worth knowing about automotive batteries, which will help you understand exactly what they do...

Battery Terminal

You turn the key to start your car and you instead of the expected vroom you hear a slowly more sickening sound followed by the dreaded click...click...click. Even worse, you hear nothing at all. No whirr. No vroom. No action. Chances are the battery isn't getting the juice through the wires to turn the starter. And without that juice you're going nowhere. So how did your battery go dead?..

Behold Your Timing Belt

Mechanics sometimes refer to the camshaft as the brain of your engine because it keeps all those pumping valvetrain parts working together so the air/fuel mixture enters and exits the cylinders on cue. If that were the case, perhaps a better analogy would be stage manager. Still, there's something else behind the scenes of this automotive drama that helps run the show, yet looks far less impressive than those finely ground cam lobes. It's your timing belt (or chain), that vital link between the rotation of the crankshaft and that of the camshaft. Knowing what it does and how to take care of it can save you a bundle on engine repair...

Bleeding Power Steering

Power steering works by way of hydraulic pressure. Fire up some hydraulic pressure in something like a backhoe, and moving giant rocks around is as easy as pulling a few levers. A forklift uses hydraulic pressure to lift pallets full of concrete blocks high onto this shelf or that. This miracle of hydraulic pressure also makes a great deal of the everyday driving experience easier. Turning the steering wheel from left to right in a car or truck is effortless thanks to power steering by way of hydraulic pressure. Things that work by way of hydraulics have no room for pneumatics. Power steering systems are one of these things. Air can be compressed whereas fluid cannot. Air has no place in a hydraulic power steering system...

Brake Bleeding

Brake bleeding is something that no sane person finds enjoyable. It can be messy and often involves bodily contortionism to access the bleeder screws. However, properly bled brakes are one of the most vital services you can perform on your car...

Car Care Resolutions

As long as you're making lists of New Year's resolutions, go ahead and add a few to help your auto make it through 2004...

Changing Your Air Filter

Think of your engine as a giant air pump. It takes in air, mixes the air with fuel and ignites this mixture in order to produce the power to get your vehicle down the road. Over the course of even a minute, your engine takes in a massive volume of air—and all of it enters through the air filter. A small 2-liter engine can breathe nearly 3,000 liters of air per minute at comfortable cruising speeds. Imagine 1,500 empty 2-liter bottles of soda, and you get the idea...

Choosing Tire Chains

People who live in snow country are all too familiar with tire chains. They know the agony of painful fingers experienced when installing chains in a blizzard. Many other drivers only deal with chains during occasional ski trips. "Chain laws in effect" prompts people to buy tire chains, then hope they won't actually have to install them...

Choosing Wiper Blades

Replacing windshield wiper blades is a low priority task for the most of us. One only and suddenly remembers that the wiper blades are worn out when it rains or snows. This thought is usually and quickly forgotten when the skies clear up. This on and off act of procrastination continues, often until the wiper blades are worn well beyond usefulness. The fact is that worn and poorly operating windshield wiper blades can be dangerous. A split second of impaired vision holds potential for an accident. Replacing and even upgrading wiper blades takes minutes and can provide improved visibility even in the worst of weather conditions. This is a task best performed on a balmy day with a cold drink in wait, instead of during a freezing rainstorm at the superhypermart parking lot...

Clean Screen for Fluid Changing

Without a doubt, one of the challenges of changing your engine oil or other vehicle fluids is avoiding the matter of splatter. It's really difficult to stay spic-and-span when removing radiator hoses or servicing your automatic transmission. And the last thing you want to do is turn your part-time workstation into your own personal haz-mat site. Here are few tips for how to handle vehicle fluids with a minimum of mess...

Cold-Weather Comfort

Cold is relative. To prove that little axiom, tune into the SuperBowl when (and if) the Green Bay Packers are playing in a warm-winter stadium, like the Qualcom in San Diego. January temperatures have plummeted to the '60s and the Cheeseheads are doing tailgate parties in tank tops and shorts while the natives are bundled up in parkas and earmuffs...

Cooling System Diagnosis

An overheating car can make anyone hot under the collar. The old cliché "heat kills" especially applies to engines: high temperatures make hoses and gaskets brittle, can cause cylinder heads to distort, and create other unhappy problems. Granted, some heat is needed during start-up to burn off condensation that accumulates while the vehicle isn't running (which explains thermostats, EGR valves, and such). But once the vehicle is warmed up, excessive heat becomes the engine's archrival...

Dash and Console Care

Manufacturers of car-care products often liken vinyl or leather automotive interiors to human skin. That's a valid comparison, especially when it comes to protecting those surfaces. Regular cleaning and application of dressing (akin to a cosmetic moisturizer) is the key to preventing damage. Careful maintenance will keep your dashboard's skin plump and smooth, looking years younger than its actual age...

Drum Brakes - Rear Brake Drum Adjustment

Even though four-wheel disc-brake systems are the preferable way to go—or rather, stop—many vehicles still come equipped with front disc/rear drum systems. And while rear brakes only handle about 25 percent of the braking load, they're still a very important piece of the proverbial braking "pie." If they're not working at peak efficiency, the load they're not carrying, and subsequent wear-related problems, gets foisted on the front brakes. Also, if the vehicle's braking system is a bit under-designed to begin with, the results can be dramatic. Brake rotor "hot-spotting" or even surface cracks, brake pad wear or surface "glazing" can develop—part of a vicious cycle that translates to the driver as a vehicle becomes more and more difficult to stop...

Engine Compression Test

An automobile engine's most crucial task is to make power. The engine performs this task by taking in a mixture of fuel and air, pushing the mixture into a confined space, setting the mixture aflame, and harnessing the energy from the explosion and redirecting it into the power that gets you moving down the road. The ability of that confined space to contain the energy of the explosion is what enables an engine to utilize the energy instead of letting it escape uselessly out of the confinement. The valves and seals, pistons and rings, and cylinder walls all work together to create a tight seal so that the explosive energy pushes the piston back down into the cylinder...

Engine Maintenance

We all know that regular tune-ups and engine maintenance are investments that pay off with improved fuel economy, longer engine life and cleaner air. However, many of us procrastinate until the first signs of car trouble—or later. Assuming that all car enthusiasts are capable of checking fluid levels and tire pressure, this story addresses a slightly meatier side of maintenance. We'll show basic upkeep on a throttle-body-injected (TBI) engine. Regardless of the vehicle/engine, check your owner's manual for routine maintenance intervals, and refer to a service manual for more detailed information...

Finding a Good Mechanic

So how's your car running? At the moment, everything's just fine, right? Then this is the perfect time to find yourself and your wheels a good mechanic...

Fuel Injector Connectors

"That program is buggy" is the oft-heard phrase used to describe a computer program that isn't working right. Oddly enough, the phrase originates from the days when computers worked by way of on-and-off mechanical relays. The very first computer bug mistakenly crawled into one of those relays and met its maker when the relay slammed into the closed position. Since the relay could no longer complete a circuit, the computer malfunctioned. The hapless computer bug was discovered during troubleshooting, and the name stuck. Today, computers have come a long way from relays, and are an integral part of everything from toasters to automobiles. But wait a minute; what the heck does this have to do with fuel injection?..

Goodyear Eagle MS EMT

Sports car enjoyment was once a seasonal affair. Every fall, owners faced the prospect of tucking away their pride and joy for a long winter's nap while the wind blew cold and the roads were slippery. Adding the fourth season necessitated a long list of improvements—tighter sealing convertible tops, more powerful climate control systems, and fuel injection capable of responding to temperature extremes. Corvette shouldered that challenge and led the way with innovative solutions to problems posed by winter driving. The addition of Acceleration Slip Regulation (traction control) in 1992 and this year's new Active Handling (yaw control) option are just two of the engineering breakthroughs aimed at stretching the Corvette's performance envelope to encompass every nastiness that Mother Nature has in store. For Corvette owners on a mission, neither rain nor sleet nor snow shall keep them from their appointed rounds...

Greasing Parts

While regular changing of the motor oil and filter is the path to take for long engine life, it's also important not to forget the multitude of other wear items that require regular lubrication that are in, on or attached to a vehicle. Any time two surfaces rub together they wear each other out. Without the precious molecules of grease in between them, the two halves can stick, squeak, groan, wear out before their time, or fail altogether. While grease comes in many different flavors, the important part is to get it in between the parts, and use the right grease for the job...

Heater Care

The eternal optimist in all of us anticipates that a simple flip of the heater switch on that first really cold, blustery day of winter means that our vehicle will instantly be as warm and cozy as the toasty home we just left...

High Octane Fuel

Every time gas prices creep higher, you might find yourself wondering if you really need to pay the extra change for the upgrade to premium or super duper grade gasoline. The answer to that question is no. Unless you're driving one of the very small percentages of performance vehicles with an engine designed specifically to utilize the properties of higher-octane premium gasoline, there is no performance gain in using premium. It might make you feel better, but your engine won't know the difference...

How to Change Differential Oil

It's time to face facts. Every once in a while your rear end needs a little help. Whether you drive a rear-, front-, or all-wheel-drive vehicle the wheels spin by way of a differential. The gears inside the differential distribute engine energy to the axles and the axles spin the wheels the right way at the right speed when you hit the gas...

How to Eliminate Water Spots

Water should be a fairly harmless liquid. After all, we drink it, we bath in it and we even use water to wash our vehicles, so how bad could it be? The answer to that question depends on where you live and the minerals that are present in the local water supply. For example, the water in the Southwestern portion of the U.S. is full of hard mineral deposits that will literally etch themselves into paint and window glass if they are left on your vehicle for an extended period of time. Lawn sprinklers are the worst. Leave your vehicle where it gets water-spotted by the sprinklers, then baked by the sun, and the spots are not only difficult to remove, but they may do irreparable damage as well...

How to Pass a Smog Check

Like it or not, more and more states are starting to adopt California's stringent smog check standards as part of their own pollution control efforts. In theory, smog check programs are designed to keep the air clean. Clean air to breathe is a good thing. In practice it can seem for the consumer that the program amounts to another source of expensive repair bills. A big repair bill is a bad thing. The fact of the matter is if that engine under the hood has seen its better days and is spewing enough toxic crud into the air to give Chernobyl a run for its money, then it should be fixed as soon as possible. If a smog check program forces motorists to address and repair poor running, worn out, polluting engines, then it does what it is supposed to do...

Inexpensive Wheel Upgrade

Not long ago 16- and 17-inch tall wheels were found only on exotic cars. Today, minivans have 17s as standard equipment. Also, many spend thousands to replace perfectly good 16s and 17s with 18-, 19-, 20-inch and taller wheels. This expensive trend has spawned a cottage financial industry to loan money for wheel purchases: Maybe it's God's way of saying you can't afford to be that stylish...

Inside an Engine

Back in the salad days of automobile manufacturing the engine under the hood was something to show off. Musclecars proudly displayed HEMI or BOSS 302. A twin-cam four-banger let you know what it was by the valve cover design, not only showing off the internals of the engine, but also having "Twin Cam" in raised letters on the valve cover. What went on inside the engine was equally important to the operation of the vehicle. The words Hemi, Turbo, or Twin-Cam were often displayed as part of the car's badging or graphics package. To the beaming vehicle owner these badges were a source of pride...

Inspect, Replace and Repack Wheel Bearings

Every wheel on every vehicle spins around thanks to smaller wheel bearings. The bearings themselves contain rollers that spin around inside a cage to bear the load of the vehicle on the axles. The rollers are often tapered, or angled, against the cones in which they spin in order to handle the immense loads placed against the wheels when turning right or left. With proper care and lubrication, most wheel bearings should roll down the highway for over 100,000 miles with no complaints...

Keep Your Eye on the Thermostat

The sudden failure of an inexpensive part can leave you and your vehicle stranded by the side of the road. This is especially true of the cooling system thermostat. The thermostat resides in between your engine and your radiator and acts as a temperature controlled engine coolant valve. If the valve fails, so does your cooling system and an overheated engine, and driver, often are the unfortunate end result. The good news is thermostats are inexpensive and relatively easy to replace...

Leather Preservation

As anyone who's ever been to Palm Springs realizes, skin preservation is big business. Chemical peels, Botox, moisturizers and wrinkle creams are apparently making a lot of dermatologists and washed-up-actresses-turned-infomercial-hostesses a lot of money. But, just as your skin needs care and moisture, so does your leather upholstery...

Maintaining and Recharging Your AC

Despite what you may have read on the Internet, or heard from certain late night AM radio hosts, there is no secret government agenda to make us all run banana oil or mind control serum cleverly disguised as refrigerant in our automotive air conditioner systems...

Malfunction Indicator Lamps

My, how times have changed. Back in the days when leaded fuel was sold at "service stations," as they were quaintly called, motorists had to be concerned with only a few warning lights that each monitored the condition of an important vehicle system. Colorfully dubbed "idiot lights" by the gauge-reading contingent, these did little more than indicate it was time to get your car off the road as soon as possible. Today's instrument panels, however, display a Christmas tree of warning lights that provide a wealth of information (some might say too much). Question is, what do those lights all mean? Are life, limb, and property at risk if you continue to operate your vehicle? And isn't it going to take a lot more than an idiot to interpret them all?..

Manual Transmission Maintenance

Is your manual transmission getting harder to shift? Does it feel like it just doesn't grab like it used to? Or maybe it's starting to chatter or vibrate? A worn clutch may be the culprit here. Or it could be the result of something else, such as a transmission misalignment. One obvious sign that this is the problem would be rust residue on the disc and pressure plate...

Newly Tired Dually

Ever notice how different makes of footwear vary slightly in fit, even if they're both exactly the same size? That's even truer when it comes time to replacing your tires. Recently we had to put some fresh rubber on a '96 Dodge dually pickup, but found that we couldn't just use the same code on the sidewall of the existing tires (LT235/85R16). Those, from a different manufacturer, were larger than the factory-recommend size (LT215/85R16)...

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 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 Change Service Centers

If something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. This often repeated but rarely heeded adage moves well into modern times, and especially applies to oil and oil filter changes. Miracle tonics and snake oils will never be a substitute for regular oil and filter changes. Period. Staying on top of maintenance is where a division between the sides begins. One side says doing it yourself is the only way. The other side says let someone else do it and be done with it. The important part is that an oil change gets done...

Oil Grading 101

Probably most folks who do their own oil changes are at least somewhat familiar with the oil viscosity ratings. What may be less understood, however, are the service grades. Just as it's important to pour the correct viscosity oil into your car's engine, it's also important that oil have a service grade that's appropriate to the engine's needs...

Optimizing Tire Pressure

About the only positive result from the current Ford/Firestone situation is that more people are now aware that proper tire inflation pressures can be crucial. Luckily, running the correct pressure is relatively easy—but how do you know what it is? That depends on a number of factors, including vehicle weight, tire specs, air temperature and even personal preference. Newer vehicles have the manufacturer's recommended pressures on a decal in the door jam or glovebox, but those numbers are for a stock vehicle with a full load...

Pattern Flaws: EGR Valve

This report introduces a series of articles that addresses common "pattern failures"—basically design flaws that affect a large number of vehicles. The term literally means failure along a pattern, that is, similar and repeatable failures both in time and nature...

Power Steering Fluid Maintenance

Pint-for-pint, the one or two quarts of power steering fluid required by your passenger car are probably some of the least appreciated fluids under the hood. Considering what it does, and how much a motorist depends on it, we're talking about the lifeblood of your steering system. Yet keeping it clean and doing its job doesn't require all that much effort...

Power Steering Pressure Hose Replace

A power steering pressure hose failure can be dramatic. Even a small hole in a pressure hose can cause power steering fluid to rapidly exit the system, usually landing all over something hot like an exhaust manifold or pipe. Combine this smoke show with a steering pump screeching from the sudden loss of fluid, and you might think world war three was commencing under the hood. Power steering system maintenance is the best way to avoid any smoke shows or sudden loss of power steering ability. The best time to replace a power steering pressure hose is before catastrophic failure. Monitoring fluid levels will provide an alert to power steering system leaks...

Power Steering Repair and Maintenance

Power steering was first used on a vehicle way back in the 1920s. While systems have grown more refined, the operating principle remains largely unchanged. The power steering system brings together the strength and power of hydraulic pressure with the mechanical miracle of steering linkages. The power steering pump pressurizes the power steering hydraulic system. The power steering fluid runs through hoses and by way of valves, plungers, or pistons moves the mechanics of the steering back and forth as you turn the wheel. When the pump stops pumping, the pressure drops and the power steering system loses its hydraulic power. Worse yet is that small bits of the rapidly disintegrating pump may lodge themselves in the dark reaches of the system and cause even more potentially expensive problems...

Power Window Switch Cleaning

Back in the early days of the automobile, things got started by hand-turning a crank. A large crank was inserted into the front, or side of the car, and spun around by the soon-to-be driver. If all went as planned, the engine would kick over. These early starting systems were not the most reliable ways of getting things moving. In fact, the cranks were downright dangerous and often caused serious injuries. With safety and better living in mind, an electric starter activated by a switch inside the automobile supplanted the crank. With electricity now on tap, this miraculous level of engineering took charge, and all manner of electric conveniences were soon commonplace inside the modern automobile...

Power-Bleeding Brake Systems

Connected to the brake pedal is a rod that pushes a piston inside the master cylinder. When the brake pedal is pushed down that piston pushes brake fluid through the brake lines. Since this fluid has nowhere to go it pushes pistons inside the brake calipers or wheel cylinders. These pistons push brake pads or shoes against the rotating discs or drums and presto—the vehicle stops. Brake fluid, by virtue of being a non-compressible hydraulic fluid, transfers the pressure between the brake master cylinder and the pistons inside the calipers or wheel cylinders...

Radiator and Cooling System Flush

In the same way one's arteries will clog up with the consumption of too many double bacon cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes, the passages in your vehicle's cooling system can get clogged due to neglect. When it comes to humans, proper diet and exercise will keep the arteries in good shape and circulating blood like they should. Like proper diet and exercise, preventative maintenance will keep your automobile's cooling system in good shape...

Ramping Up to Under-Car Fun

When it's time to change the oil or flush the radiator in your car the usual drill is to bust out the big old heavy jack and jack stands and do the whole pump it up, balance it out, and lower it back down onto the jackstands procedure. For serious automotive monkey wrenching tasks such as brake, suspension, or drivetrain work, a jack and jackstands (or even an overhead hydraulic rack) is the only way to go...

Replacement Rotors

To get an idea of how the rotors and brake pads work on your vehicle, grab a paper plate and spin it on your finger. As it spins grab it with your other hand. It stops instantly. The spinning plate is your rotor and your fingers and thumb are the brake pads. If the plate was spinning an awful lot faster and you tried to grab it, your hand and the plate would get hot in the process from the friction created. The energy of the spinning paper plate is converted into heat by the process of the hand grab. Not that you could actually spin the plate that fast, but you get the idea...

Replacing a Freeze Plug

A freeze or expansion plug is a small, metal, circular plug that lives in various places on an engine block. These plugs have a valuable function and an equally interesting origin. An engine block starts life as molten metal. In order to form an engine block, this metal is poured into a mold. When the metal cools off from a liquid to a solid, the engine block is born. As the mold is no longer needed, it is knocked away from the engine block. As most modern engines are liquid cooled, part of this mold also forms the cooling passages inside the engine and must be knocked away as well. The cooling jacket mold material is removed through the holes now filled by the freeze plugs...

Replacing Brake Pads

Brake pads should really be called friction pads. Brake pads use a combination of force and friction to slow the vehicle down when the brakes are applied. There are also brake shoes. The difference between the two is that brake pads clamp themselves onto a rotating disc to convert the driving force of a moving vehicle into heat in order to stop the vehicle, whereas brake shoes push out against a rotating drum in order to accomplish the same task...

Road-Trip Tips

The trunk is packed, the family is buckled up, you're headed out of town on a long-anticipated vacation with the open road calling you to new adventures. The family vehicle was sent for a thorough check-up in preparation for the trip and came back with a few minor adjustments and in perfect shape. Nothing can go wrong, right? If you're that optimistic, you obviously haven't heard of Murphy's Law: Everything that can go wrong will...

Service Intervals

You've probably heard all the excuses: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" "Don't they check all that stuff at the quick-lube when I get my oil changed—" "I know it's time to change my oil when the red oil light comes on!"..

Servicing Wheel Bearings

Re-packing wheel bearings isn't nearly as bad as getting a lower GI, but it isn't most people's idea of a good time either. Bearings make the wheels go 'round and 'round, and lack of lubrication will cause their rollers to whine. To expound on the old cliché, if the squeaky wheel's bearing(s) don't get the grease, it'll eventually seize, kind of like pistons in an engine that doesn't have oil...

Smog Test Prep Part 2

In our first installment on getting ready for an emissions exam, we covered the many splendid facets of smog check and its application to your vehicle. We also touched on the first part of the test: the Comprehensive Visual Inspection (CVI). We are now ready to tackle the other two parts, the Functional Check (FT) and (Tailpipe) Emissions Test (ET)...

Smog Test Prep, Part 1

Nobody likes to fail a test, even if it's just the emissions check on your vehicle. For those of you who have been traumatized by, or wish to avoid the trauma of failing a Smog Test—we have good news. No, you have not won a new car, but the following info can help your car run as good as new, and pass that test on the first try...

Summer Road Trip Prep

Ah, the summer road trip: an American tradition that's evolved from horse and buggy to Model T, from station wagon to today's SUV. Artistic interpretations of these traveling adventures are as varied as the Joads in "The Grapes of Wrath" and the Griswolds in "National Lampoon's Las Vegas Vacation." Piling the whole clan into the family car and setting out to discover America is as much a part of summer as lemonade and suntan lotion. Gas prices are horribly high, but so is air fare, which still makes traveling by car feasible fun...

Sway Bar End Link Role Control

You're probably pretty familiar with "grab handles." No, not the ones on the waists of middle-aged adults, but those mounted on the interior ceiling areas just above the passenger doors on many cars. These handles, when used properly, tend to prevent any undue familiarity between accompanying passengers during your hard-cornering maneuvers. As you likely know from "hands-on" experience, muscular and skeletal resistance applied through such handles can restrain your body's movement...

Synthetic or Conventional Oil?

Traditional wisdom tells us that a synthetic creation is usually not quite as good as the original it strives to emulate. (The difference between clothing made of polyester versus silk comes to mind.) Does that same truism apply to synthetic oil, when compared to automotive oil derived from crude?..

Tips to Ensure a Long Vehicle Life

In auto racing, good drivers know that to finish first, they must first finish. Achieving this goal requires more than good driving skills and watching out for fellow competitors. The vehicle must also survive the rigors of racing. So what does this all have to do with passenger cars?..

Tire Codes and Ratings - The Basics

Most of us rarely, if ever, think of our tires as long as they hold air. The time they enter our consciousness is usually when they're making the "flubbidy-dubbity" sound, signaling the end of their lifecycle—and a smooth trip. Yet, in the time it takes you—out there on the highway, in the rain, hazard lights flashing, changing your flat tire or watching the AAA person do it—you could be educating yourself...

Tire Rotation 101

Most people judge their vehicles' tires by a common sense set of parameters: Will they be safe from blowouts and tread separations? Will they be rugged enough to deal with potholes and other road hazards? Will they have sufficient traction in rain or snow? And the easiest to measure: Will they last long enough so I don't have to shell out a bunch of money for new ones before a reasonable amount of time?..

Tire Talk: What Are They Telling You?

Tires, like windshield wipers and oil filters, are parts of your car that wear out as a result of normal use. Tires, however, have a tremendous impact on the safety of your car every time you head out on the road. Fortunately, tires seldom fail without warning and this warning often comes in the form of abnormal wear. In fact, tires are excellent at telling you whether or not they are wearing normally and, if not, what is to blame. Here we'll give you some key symptoms to look for and suggest some easy corrections...

Top 5 Misconceptions About Tires

People know very little about tires. And a lot of what they think they know is flat wrong. Here are five commonly held misconceptions about tires...

Top 5 Old Car Tricks

In some ways, cars are like humans: more maintenance is required as they age, especially if proper care wasn't taken in their younger days. Also, either can be completely worn out even if they've not gone very far or done very much. And both vehicles and humans live a lot longer now...

Tow Far - Preparation

Even if you've never been a big fan of Willie Nelson, the words of one of his songs probably ring in your ears every time you hitch up your trailer and hit the road: "On the road again. Ain't it great to be on the road again..." Those words may or may not hold true, though, depending on how well prepared you are for towing your favorite recreational toy, be it a boat, dirt bike, ATV, mobile home, or horse trailer...

Tow Far - Safety and Security

Proper preparation is a key component toward successful trailering, and in a sister article, we covered some basic points about preparing for a trip. With major items taken care of well ahead of time, the departure day is much less stressful. Still, there are a host of things to do to ensure safe travels. Let's start with the specifics of securing the trailer to your tow vehicle...

Tow Far - Trailer Maintenance

Nothing opens the door to recreational opportunities wider than the lowly trailer, be it for hauling a boat, motorcycle, ATV, horse or whatever your pleasure. Often overlooked and unappreciated, this bucket of steel on wheels adds mobility and freedom to our outdoor experience, taking us to new adventures in distant settings where we garner fond memories to feed our souls for years to come...

Tow Far - Trailer Tires

It's obvious that not all tires are created equal. There is great disparity in quality and purpose. Although less understood and appreciated, the same holds true for the tires on your trailer. Because of a trailer's lowly and functional appearance, its tires may not get the attention they merit. However, the first time we experience tire failure and find ourselves panic-stricken by an out-of-control trailer, we'll suddenly give them a whole lot more thought. Fortunately, there are better, less adrenalin-raising ways to learn about the distinct features of trailer tires...

Transmission Coolers

The cooler your automatic transmission runs, the longer it'll last. Car manufacturers know this. To dissipate heat from the automatic transmission fluid (ATF), they route transmission lines through a cooler that's either built into or in front of the radiator. Air enters through the grille and sweeps across the cooler or radiator's fins, helping cool the fluid...

Tune-Up Tips

From the days of the first horseless carriages up until relatively recent times, automobile engines have required an inordinate amount of attention to keep them running in top shape. The various springs, relays, screws and gizmos that comprised engine control systems of yore went haywire on an alarmingly regular basis. All manner of things had to be resprung or adjusted, tightened up, replaced, or smacked with a hammer to keep in line. This regular ritual of automotive maintenance was known as the tune-up. As time and technology marched on, systems improved; but, even well into the 1980s, the tune-up was a regular ritual of the modern motorist...

Upper Ball Joint Service

Typically, a pickle fork is used to separate ball joints from the steering knuckle/spindle on any car. Unfortunately, the combination of a pickle fork, a heavy hammer and too many blows can destroy the dust boot around the ball joint. This isn't a problem on older vehicles. (GM is one manufacturer that offers replacement dust boots for these cars and trucks.) However, original-equipment upper ball joints on many newer cars such as the current Camaro are sealed, which means that they're unserviceable. If you should tear the upper OEM dust boot, then the entire ball joint must be replaced...

Vehicle Packing - Housekeeping Hints for the Road

Life is messy, but that doesn't mean we have to tolerate it. Just as we're sometimes dealt disorder, we're also able to take charge and organize the chaos, so we can manage the mess—and move on down the road...

Vehicle Storage Tips

Cars are meant to be driven. Leaving a vehicle unattended for a long period of time can cause something akin to automotive atrophy, a slow deterioration of the vehicle that can create problems when you try to drive it again. Rust and corrosion can form on the body or inside critical components, gum and varnish can clog the fuel system, sludge and acids can form in the engine oil, mildew can grow in the interior, and constant sunlight can slowly fade the paint and deteriorate vinyl, leather, and rubber parts. That's why if you need to store your vehicle—whether for the winter or because it can't be driven for an indefinite period of time—certain precautions should be taken before you put it into mothballs...

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...

Water Pump Basics

Think of the water pump as the heart of your vehicle cooling system. Its job is to continuously circulate engine coolant through the cooling system—from the radiator to the engine and then back again. If the water pump fails in this Sisyphean task the cooling system itself will fail to function. Your vehicle will run hot and possibly suffer serious damage from engine overheating...

Windshield Wipers Washer System

It's such a simple thing: flip on the windshield wiper switch and you assume the wipers will do their job. Press the button for the washer fluid and it sprays out, dissolving dust and bug anatomy, so the wipers can whisk it all away. Vision is restored, safety improved. You probably take this deceptively simple system for granted, but what do you do when it doesn't function properly? Here are some preventative steps to keep it working smoothly...

Winter Driving Preparation

Winter driving can be trying on both the vehicle and its pilot. As with many other things in life, preparation is the key to success. A few cold-weather parts and preparatory procedures can make the difference between being stuck in a drift and making it home...

Winterizing Your Vehicle

A carpet of fresh snow, crisp air, icicle-decorated trees—all very heartwarming concepts when viewed from in front of a roaring fireplace. Yet, whatever your view of winter may be, one reality that can't be escaped is that we all have to maintain a fairly normal driving schedule for the duration of the season...

Wiper Blade Selection and Replacement

Reportedly, 20 percent of all accidents result from impaired vision caused by a dirty or damp windshield. At any given time, industry estimates conclude that 50 percent of the windshield wiper blades on operational vehicles are beyond their functional lifespan. In general, wiper blades should be inspected every six months and replaced as soon as they diminish wet-windshield visibility. Vehicle manufacturers typically recommend replacing blades every 12-18 months. Fresh blades are such vital safety components that many European countries have laws that require replacing wiper blades every 12 months...