Your brakes are the single most important safety feature on your car. Don't put yourself or your family at risk this summer by riding around on worn down or faulty brakes. Brakes need to be replaced when the lining on your brake pad or brake shoe is worn down past the minimum thickness specified by the car manufacturer or state ...

The summertime is notorious for sudden, violent thunderstorms. When buckets of water are beating against your windshield, you need wipers that really work. Even more so at night, when a rain storm can decrease visibility to 15 or 20 feet in front of your vehicle.Winter can be tough on windshield wipers. Ice, snow, sa...

Over the winter, your car's air filter can get clogged with salt and other thick debris. A clogged air filter can really lower your fuel efficiency. Replacing a dirty or clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.But how do you know when to change your air filter? The recommended interval is...

The key to summer driving is keeping the engine cool. We're going to talk about the radiator and coolant soon, but first you need to check the hoses and belts. The hoses connected to the radiator help pump coolant to and from the engine block, and the belts run the fan that helps cool the system further. If the hoses crac...

If you loyally followed our Top 10 Car Winterizing Tips, then there are several things you need to do to "un-winterize" your car for the summer weather. First of all, get rid of those snow tires. Snow tires are heavy and will lower your fuel economy.If you haven't driven your car very much during the winter,...

Oil is the lifeblood of your car. It keeps hardworking engine parts running clean, smooth and cool. Most owner's manuals suggest that you change your oil and oil filter every 7,500 miles (12,070 kilometers). Oil change specialists suggest every 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) or three months. The fact is, most of us d...

Top 10 Car Summer Maintenance TipsStart the CountdownSummertime is travel time. Even with gasoline prices at an all-time high, Americans can't resist the lure of sunny skies and the open road. According to a survey by AAA­, 31.7 million Americans planned to travel by car over Memorial Day weekend 2008, despite gas prices that are an average of $.60 more per gallon over the previous year Before hit...

Many people buy tool from supermarket or retailers,and many tool will be broken when you use them first time?everybody know the tool quality is bad.But how to know the quality before buy them? FollowingNO.1 Material A good material is very important in a tool. SAE A325, SAE 1045，SAE 5140 are main main material in market.But only minority can check it.NO.2 Production processDropped Forging, Cast...

AISI 1045 Medium Carbon SteelIntroductionAISI 1045 steel is a medium tensile steel supplied in the black hot rolled or normalized condition. It has a tensile strength of 570 - 700 MPa and Brinell hardness ranging between 170 and 210. AISI 1045 steel is characterized by good weldability, good machinability, and high strength and impact properties in either the normalized or hot rolled condition.AIS...

This information is from the Ford Service Manual for a 2002 Ford Explorer, however it can be used for all 2002-2005 Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer and Mercury Mariner vehiclesSteps1.Remove the wheel and tire assembly. Have an assistant press the brake pedal to keep the axle from turning.2.Remove the nut and washer and discard the nut. A new nut is recommended and usually comes with the bearing...

Anybody who has ever tried installing coil springs on a car with no engine in it knows that putting them in can be a real challenge due to the fact that there isn't enough weight to hold the front of the car down. Here is how you do it easily and safely.#1 PREPARE YOUR WORK AREA You want your control arms mounted to the frame and swinging freely. You want to have all your ball joints in and ready ...

How to Remove a Steering Wheel from a TractorWhen you're restoring or repairing old tractors, you have to contend with years of built up rust and wear and tear. Sometimes just removing the parts to restore or repair the tractor is a job in and of itself. Finding and using the right tools for the job can make all the difference. In this article, you'll learn how to remove a steering wheel from a tr...

Changing rear wheel bearings is a job that doesn't have to be performed by a mechanic. This is a task that anyone with some automotive experience and garage access can accomplish on their own. Follow these steps for how to change rear wheel bearings.Steps:1.Jack the car up so that the rear wheels are off the ground. Prop it up on jack stands and chock the front tires.2.Grip the rear tires at 6 and...

Sure, you know how to "refill" wiper blades or change over to a winter blade for the season, but how do you remove the entire wiper assembly or arm if it is bent or stripped and no longer moves across the windshield? Whether you have a bolt-on, clip-on or even some other type, keep reading. You'll be done in no time.Steps1.Note where the blade rests on the cowling or windshield with a small mark (...

Sure, you know how to "refill" wiper blades or change over to a winter blade for the season, but how do you remove the entire wiper assembly or arm if it is bent or stripped and no longer moves across the windshield? Whether you have a bolt-on, clip-on or even some other type, keep reading. You'll be done in no time.Steps1.Note where the blade rests on the cowling or windshield with a small mark (...

Everyone has been driving in the snow and had slush and ice build up on their windshield wiper blade. Normally this is a quick easy fix by reaching out the window, grabbing the wiper and knocking the ice off against the windshield. However occasionally doing this can cause the wiper retaining nut to come loose and make the drivers side wiper not usable.Part 1 of 2: Tightening the Retaining Nut1.Tu...

Changing rear wheel bearings is a job that doesn't have to be performed by a mechanic. This is a task that anyone with some automotive experience and garage access can accomplish on their own. Follow these steps for how to change rear wheel bearings.Steps:1.Jack the car up so that the rear wheels are off the ground. Prop it up on jack stands and chock the front tires.2.Grip the rear tires at 6 and...

The ball joints allow the front wheels of a vehicle to move up and down, protecting against road bumps allowing you to pivot while steering. Over time, a car’s ball joints may wear down. If a ball joint starts to loosen, you’ll hear clunking sounds from the front as the joint rattles in the socket. If it tightens up, the steering will bind so you can have a stiff spot as you turn the steering whee...

Piston rings keep oil from entering the combustion chamber of a combustion engine. Piston rings wear over time and will begin to allow oil to burn along with fuel. Blue smoke emitting from the tailpipe of your vehicle signifies burning oil and worn piston rings. New piston rings fit snugly against an engine's cylinder walls. Installing tight fitting rings requires a piston ring compressor to keep ...

A mechanic's stethoscope isvery much like a doctor's stethoscope. Instead of being used to examine apatient's internal noises or breathing, a mechanic's stethoscope is used tolisten to and track noises found within an engine. Typically made out ofchrome-plated steel, with PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, hoses and rubber earpieces, it can...

Valve springs are under tremendous pressure when installed, making improper removal dangerous. Additionally, theinstallation of valve springs without a valve spring compressor is almost impossible. Therefore, the use of a valve spring compressor is essential to thespeedy and safe installation and removal of valve springs.1.If using a valve spring compressor to remove the valve springs from an al...

When performing vehicle maintenance at home, one of the most frustrating things to encounter is an oil filter that will not unscrew from its base. Given the oil filter's often cramped position on the engine,this task is made doubly aggravating by preventing the ability to add torque tothe oil filter. With a few simple tools and some preparation, this task is made much simpler.Classic Oil Filter Wr...

Safety Tip:Always wear safety glasses when working on your vehicle. Wear other personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary, for example latex gloves or closed toe shoes.1.Park your vehicle on a solid level surface. Set the parking brake and chock the rear wheels.2.Break loose the front wheel lug nuts with a tire iron, but do not remove. Using a floor jack, lift up the front of your vehicle....

How to Replace Tie Rod EndsReplacing tie rod ends refers to repairing an integral part of a vehicle's steering mechanism. With a few basic tools and a little bit of know-how, this is a procedure that anyone, with a little bit of automotive experience, can perform on their own. Follow these steps for how to replace tie rod ends.Steps:1. Identify the components for each side of the tie rod ends as t...

Changing rear wheel bearings is a job that doesn't have to be performed by a mechanic. This is a task that anyone with some automotive experience and garage access can accomplish on their own. Follow these steps for how to change rear wheel bearingsSTEPS:No.1 Jack the car up so that the rear wheels are off the ground. Prop it up on jack stands and chock the front tires.No.2 Grip the rear tire...

You can lower your car by cutting the coil springs that are compressed in the strut above the car's tires. A professional mechanic often carries out the process of cutting a car's coil springs and lowering the vehicle. With a few tools, such as a coil compressor and angle grinder, you can cut the coil springs yourself. All of the tools and supplies necessary to cut coil springs are available at au...

Nissan Xterra's are built to be rugged, and their design calls for a slightly different process for replacing the front brake rotors. It involves a few extra steps compared to a typical brake rotor change. The rotor is directly bolted to the hub instead of being sandwiched on the lug studs between the hub and wheel. This process includes removing the hub, rotor, and wheel bearings. So it’s importa...

There is difference price of the same thing when you are buying tools or everything.some is very expensive but some is very cheap.how to choose?why?let's pick our auto tools for example.The material,The hardness,The surface treatment is the main dates to decided the price.In Chinese Market, A3 steel,45#, 40cr is the main material. GB JIS ...

Changing your own oil and oil filter is one of the easiest maintenance items to do on an Oilhead BMW. These instructions are specific to the R1150RT but are very similar for all oilheads.Steps:1.Ride the bike until the oil is up to normal operating temperature.2.Place bike on side stand for 5 minutes to let the oil cooler drain.\3.Place bike on centre stand.4.Remove the oil filler cap.5.Locate the...

This is a step by step of how to get toyour ball joints and wheel bearings. Different models may have a different setup.Steps:1.Jack up vehicle and place securely on jackstands2.Remove front tires. 3.Remove brake caliper.DO NOT let the caliper hang by the rubberhose. Always either tie it to somethingthat's not coming off, or find a nice place for it to rest that it won't dropoff. Her it is set...

Part 1 of 3: Getting Started1 Prep the work area. Park on a flat surface and block both rear wheels, front and back. Jack both front wheels off the ground and support the vehicle with jack stands. Chock the back tires to make sure nothing will move anywhere while you're working.2 Inspect the ball joints to make sure they need to be replaced. Figure out if your vehicle's got a strut-style suspe...

If you want to keep up themaintenance on your 2001 through 2004 Toyota Tacoma, then you need to make surethat you replace the front disc brakes. If you take preventive measures ratherthan waiting for your brakes to fail, you’ll avoid paying a heavy cost later. Park the Toyota Tacoma on a flat surface.Put the emergency brake on and put wedges behind the wheels to prevent thevehicle from rolling. Di...

Bearing pullers are specialized mechanical tools that pull the bearingsoff of axle shafts. Although there are many different types and designs, they all work on the sameprinciple. A set of jaws will hook onto the outer sides of a bearing lining or bearingcase. Bearing pullers with jaws that hook onto the inside of a bearing lining arecalled a "blind-hole bearing puller.A central bolt or a slide ha...

If using a valve spring compressor to remove the valve springs from an already assembled cylinder head, first lay the cylinder head on its side.2.Use the valve spring compressor by placing the U-shaped portion over the valve spring retainer and the screw on the cylinder head to compress the spring.3.While the spring is compressed, remove the value keepers and retainers.4.Slowly release the compres...

Jack the vehicle up and support on jackstands. Remove the front tires and set aside.Locate and remove the bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper bracket. Torx sockets are supplied in the disc brake tool set, but the bolts may not be torx head, in which case a hex wrench willremove them.Lift or pry the caliper out of the bracket and off the rotor. Use the piston pushing tool to force the calipe...

If you've never changed your own oil, you probably aren't familiar with using an oil filter wrench. It's an integralpart of standard oil change equipment, a tool that helps you removethe oil filter quickly and easily. And as simple as it sounds, removingan oil filter is not so simple to do without an oil filterwrench. A used oil filter is coated with greasy road grime, making it difficultto get a ...

Ball joints are part of the steering and suspension of most vehicles. A ball joint allows the front suspension to moveup and down and steer back and forth simultaneously. A ball joint consists of a metal ball encased in a metal housing.The two partsmove independently of each other and require regular lubrication.A worn-out ball joint may cause erratic steering and requires separation fromthe suspe...