No one is buying a new car any more, it seems. Unless you pay cash, no one's going to lend you any money, so keep your old car. Of course, I'm talking from the point of view of a repair shop, so keep the source in mind. Mwah-ha-ha and hugs to you all! But seriously, having seen lots of cars worth keeping well over 100,000 miles, as well as those whose owners have no choice but to keep them, we've ...

A worn-out ball joint will pivot horizontally and vertically, negatively affecting your handling at low speed, and becoming especially dangerous at high speeds. Recognizable for a knocking sound in the wheel well as you execute a turn, fixing old ball joints is an important part of keeping your vehicle road-safe. You can do it yourself for the price of the parts and the right approach.Prep the wor...

When removing a car battery, the first step is to disconnect the battery cables. The negative cable should always be disconnected first, and re-connected last.Remove The Negative Cable First,Re-connect The Negative Cable Last:Why? Because the wrench or socket is touching the live part of the electrical connector. There is a good chance that the wrench or socket handle will accidentally touch somet...

At this point there were 4 more things to do before the engine could be installed:Install the rear oil seal.Install the oil pan.Install the flex plate.Install the oil filter adapter.But I couldn't install the rear seal until I got the engine off the stand, so that meant I had to rent an engine hoist for the last few steps, and then shove the engine back in the car.picked up the engine and remove t...

Why Install A New Oil Pump?One, it's possible that the old oil pump had experienced some wear, and was not delivering enough oil pressure. Two, it's easy to do at this stage, and doesn't cost too much. Basically, replacing the oil pump is cheap insurance, and is recommended by many mechanics and engine rebuilders.The new oil pump and pick-up tube, which are sold separately. These two parts cost ab...

First - Installing The Oil Dipstick Tube:cleaned up the dipstick tube with brake cleaner, and scraped off the old sealant.then applied a liberal dab of thread sealant just below the ridge near the lower end of the dipstick tube.inserted the dipstick tube into the hole in the engine block and placed a 3/8 inch open-end wrench over the ridge. Then hammered on the wrench with a small hammer to drive...

Before the cylinder heads can be installed, the engine block and head mating surfaces must be perfectly clean. All traces of oil and dirt must be removed or else the head gaskets may develop a coolant leak, or worse, leakage of the high-pressure gases from inside the cylinders.Escaping combustion gases (essentially exhaust) can actually erode away the metal of the engine block and/or cylinder head...

Installing The Timing Chain and Sprockets:First,remove the Woodruff key from the old crankshaft and tap it into the slot in the new crank.slipped the crankshaft timing sprocket over the end of the crankshaft and aligned the slot with the key.To drive the sprocket all the way onto the shaft, used this 1-7/16 inch socket from a set of 3/4 inch drive sockets. It's important to hammer uniformly on the...

After the old rings are removed, the ring grooves need to be cleaned. Installing piston rings requires a special tool, which doesn't cost much.before removed the pistons, I used a set of number punches to stamp the cylinder number on each rod cap, just to ensure I would have no problem keeping track of which piston belonged in which cylinder.Removing Tight Rod Nuts:the connecting rod nuts where t...

Before the crankshaft is installed for good, the bearing-to-journal clearances must be measured with Plastigage.Once verified that the main bearing clearances are acceptable, you can install the new crankshaft with assembly lube.Installing Main Bearings:Inserted the new main bearings in the engine block, after to wipe the bearing pocket with a paper towel sprayed with brake cleaner.The main bearin...

If new piston rings are installed, the cylinder walls MUST be given an appropriate scratch pattern. The scratches help the new rings "wear in", and they also hold oil on the cylinder wall, which reduces the wear on the piston rings and the cylinder. It might even improve fuel economy because the engine has less internal friction.The best way to get the proper scratch pattern is with an electric dr...

Removing The Harmonic BalancerTo reach the timing gears, the harmonic balancer must be removed. The harmonic balancer fits very tightly on the front end of the crankshaft, and is secured by the snout bolt, which also holds the serpentine belt pulley which drives all the accessories in the engine compartment.BUT... you cannot use an ordinary gear puller to remove a harmonic balancer, because there ...

Fix A Connecting Rod Knock - GM 4.3 V6,May Also Apply To Chevy / GMC350 Cubic Inch V8 Engines.the exhaust manifolds, the rocker arms and pushrods, and the cylinder heads are removed in REMOVING THE CYLINDER HEADSTo turn the engine over to look at the crankshaft.pushed and pulled on each connecting rod, but not locate any looseness where any rod attached to the crankshaft.But that doesn't mean anyt...

The Oil Cooler Lines:Arrow "A" points to the upper oil cooler connection that needed to be removed.Arrow "B" is the lower connection.The red circle indicates the location of the oil filter. The lower end of the oil cooler lines connect here, but are not visible in this photo.A Closer View:The red arrow points to the suspected leak location. The metal tube looked bumpy and corroded in this area. Th...

A Suggestion:Before placing the engine on the engine stand,removing the nut and stud (red arrow) on the rear oil seal to the back of the engine block. The stud has a small hex on the end, but I don't know what size it is. (Probably metric, 6mm or smaller.)Removing the stud should be done with an impact wrench to reduce the chance of breaking the thin stud.because it might not be possible to remove...

The axle nut is loosened while the car is on the ground. The vehicle is raised, the wheel and brake caliper moved out of the way, and the axle nut is removed. The front hub bolts are removed and the hub is pried away from the steering knuckle. The ABS sensor wire is disconnected and the new hub is installed.Replacing The Front Wheel Bearings and Hubplaced wheel chocks on both sides of the tire and...

1.Oiling The Cylinder Walls:I wiped the cylinder wall with a clean paper towel and brake cleaner (to remove the oil I applied after cleaning the block, and all the dust that has accumulated since).Then I used a small foam paint brush to apply motor oil to the cylinder wall.Actually, the lubricant I used was about 2/3 motor oil (5W-30 for this GM engine) and 1/3 Lucas Oil Stabilizer.2.Oiling The Pi...

How to replace the 2 bent tie rod assemblies. How they got bent is speculation but the car has never been wrecked. Since this car was rescued from an auction where they move the cars via a forklift, I suspect the forks of the machine did the damage. Nothing else under the car is even scratched.Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words so take a look....Yep that dude is a little bent. B...

While it may seem like a mundane task, inflating tires is much more crucial to your car than you may think, and it results in a safer and more economical experience on the road. Your vehicle's handling also will be greatly improved as the larger a tire's inflated footprint, the more responsive and comfier the ride balance will be.Because it's National Tire Safety Week, it's the perfect time to che...

Just as your gas mileage will vary depending on where and how you drive, so it goes with the life of brake pads (or linings), the friction material that gets pressed against a metal disc or drum to stop your vehicle.If you drive only 8,000 miles a year but it's mainly in a crowded urban area such as Chicago, Boston or Washington, D.C., you will need to replace brake pads more often than someone wh...

Though battery problems are often associated with cold weather, Consumer Reports magazine says heat is a bigger enemy of car batteries and will take a bigger toll on performance and reserve capacity. The magazine recommends that vehicle owners in hotter parts of the country have their car battery tested after two years of ownership and then every year after. Those who live in colder areas can wait...

Flat tires, like taxes and death, are simply an inevitable certainty in life. So, rather than thinking about what you'll do if you get a flat tire, start thinking about what you'll do when you get a flat tire. Face it: Sooner or later, you're likely to feel the dreaded pull of an unstable car or hear the flap-flap-flap of dead rubber.There are a few things you can do in basic vehicle maintenance b...

There are a lot of dangerous, irresponsible and downright ridiculous things you can do to a car while "fixing" it.When a car does what it's supposed to do, it's pretty easy to take it for granted. But things can (and do) go wrong with no notice at all. Sometimes parts fail without any kind of warning -- without a grace period that would let you know something's wrong so that you might have a chanc...

If you've ever lost your air conditioning on a hot summer day, then you know what a big difference a little cool air makes. The best way to tell if your air conditioner has a problem is if it can't generate or maintain air temperatures that are 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) below the ambient outside air temperature.The mo...

Wintertime is notorious for dead batteries and early morning jumpstarts. But the truth is that hot weather is even tougher on your battery.Summer heat can speed up the chemical reaction inside a battery, causing the battery to be overcharged . This can dramatically shorten the lifesp...

Cars are designed to run hot, but there's a limit to how hot they should run. A combustion engine is most efficient at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius). But if an engine is allowed to get too hot, moving metal parts can actually start to melt and fuse together, causing a variety of internal problems for y...

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 (...