Author Archive
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
The PCV system on modern vehicles plays a major role in the proper operation of the engine. It is a very simple system and often time is forgotten about in diagnosis. The PCV or Positive Crankcase Ventilation system if working incorrectly can lead to many problems in driveability.
The PCV system works by allowing fresh air from your intake tubing to blow through the engine. This clean air then mixes with hydrocarbons and then passes into your intake manifold to be burned. The PCV system prevents pressure from building up in your engine and is also an emission device.
If you have a PCV system that is not working correctly you can have many problems with your vehicle. We will discuss some of these problems but first we must understand the components of the PCV system.
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Tags: air filter, ATD, emissions, hydrocarbons, intake, intake tube, maf, mass air flow sensor, oil, pcv, positive crankcase ventilation
Posted in Engine | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Cleaning your throttle body.
A dirty throttle body can cause many different vehicle related concerns. It can cause a lack in power, hard starting, poor idling, stalling, and many more problems. Overtime your throttle body will begin to gain carbon and after time will cause some driveability concerns.
The carbon on the throttle body causes a lack of air or restrictions to airflow. This will affect your vehicle’s performance. It is normal and should not require a whole lot of skill to fix. This article will discuss the procedure to fix your dirty throttle body.
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Tags: ATD, carb cleaner, carbon, carburaetor cleaner, clean throttle body, cleaning throttle body, dirty throttle body, mils, soot, throttle body, throttle body cleaner
Posted in Engine, Engine Miss, Fuel System | No Comments »
Sunday, January 30th, 2011
Changing valve guide seals in the vehicle.
A common problem among vehicles especially older vehicles is leaking valve guide seals. They are a cheap item but the labor rate a shop can charge may make it very expensive. The task of changing your valve guide seals is actually fairly straight forward and can be accomplished in a weekend with a couple special tools.
A valve seal is a simple seal. There are several different kinds of valve seals depending on the time in which your vehicle was manufactured. The most effective kind of valve seal is the positive style seal, this fits over the valve guide itself and is stationary. The next seal is the umbrella style seal, this seal rides with the valve stem and prevents oil from going down the guide. The last style of valve seal is the o-ring. This was extremely common on older style engines and was the least effective of any of the seals. You don’t have to worry if you have o-ring style seals they were still effective at sealing the guide, it is just over time they become brittle due to heating and cooling.
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Tags: ATD, kd tools, kdt, keepers, lis, lisle, retainers, seal, Tools, valve adjustment, valve guide, valve guide seal, valve seal, valve seals, valve spring, valves, vavle guide seals, vavle lash
Posted in Engine | No Comments »
Saturday, November 13th, 2010
Replacing your alternator
If your battery on your vehicle is constantly going dead forcing you to have to jump start your vehicle, it is likely that you have an alternator that is not working correctly.
The alternator on your vehicle provides voltage to your vehicle. This voltage is created and used by your vehicle and the accessories in your vehicle. The alternator produces more voltage than your vehicle needs and the excess voltage is then stored in your vehicles battery. The battery will provide a supply of voltage to start the vehicle. If your alternator is not putting out as much voltage as it should be then it will not have any excess to charge your battery, thus causing you to have a dead battery when you go to start your vehicle.
I suggest that you review this Basic Electronics article before you go ahead and replace your alternator. A simple test that you can do is to test the voltage at your battery with your vehicle running. You should have something greater than 13.5 DC Volts, this shows that your alternator is providing enough voltage to charge the battery.
Once you have determined that you need to replace your alternator then you can move onto the next procedure that we will discuss.
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Tags: alternator, ATD, Battery, belt, dead battery, Electrical, electronics, ing, ingersoll rand, kd, kdt, nut, ratchet, replacing alternator, replacing belt, Tools, wmrw, wrench
Posted in Electrical | No Comments »
Sunday, September 12th, 2010
Any time is a good time to test your coolant but most important is when winter months are approaching. I know that there are many other articles on how to check your engines coolant for the proper mixture. I am not saying that any of these methods are incorrect.
I am going to discuss a method in this article, which I find to be the most accurate method possible. The problem with some of the other methods such as the floating ball method is that there are many different kinds of coolants out there. This means that you have to have the exact tester for those coolants to make the gauge read accurately. Sometimes you may also be unsure what type of coolant is in the vehicle, and you then don’t know what tester to use. This can also lead to using an incorrect tester and getting incorrect reading that either say your coolant is the correct mixture when it is not, or else saying it needs more antifreeze when it does not.
The method this article is going to focus on is using a refractometer. A refractometer, such as this ATD3705 Coolant Refractometer or Robinair 75240 I have found to be the most versatile, accurate and economical way of checking cooling systems.
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Tags: antifreeze, ATD, coolant, cooling, how to test coolant, radiator, refractometer, robinair 75240, robinair refractometer
Posted in Cooling System | No Comments »
Friday, August 6th, 2010
When it comes to getting fuel to your engine it is the fuel pumps job to maintain a constant flow of fuel from your tank through the fuel lines into the engine. A common problem with fuel pumps is that they wear out over time and simply fail. Replacing a worn out fuel pump is not that difficult of a task, but it can be extremely dangerous. If you think about it you have a tank full of fuel and lines containing pressurized fuel. This is why it is important that you follow these steps to help you accomplish the task of replacing your fuel pump safely. (more…)
Tags: ATD, blz, explosion, fuel, fuel lines, fuel pump, fuse, gas, gasoline, lis, lisle, relay, sk, skt, Tools
Posted in Fuel System | No Comments »
Sunday, July 25th, 2010
Battery Service When it comes to your vehicle the battery is one of the most important items. It not only starts your vehicle but without it the vehicle will not run. Overtime batteries release chemicals and the terminals corrode and can cause a poor connection resulting in a vehicle that will not start or resembles a vehicle with a poor battery. It is simple to clean the posts on a battery. I will describe how to properly clean the posts and maintain your battery to insure that it has the longest life possible. (more…)
Tags: ATD, batteries, Battery, battery cable, battery charge, Battery Service, dead battery, negative post, postive post, solar battery charger, solar pl2310, starting problems, thexton battery check, thx, Tools
Posted in Battery | No Comments »
Friday, December 18th, 2009
How do I change my fuel filter in my car?
Changing the fuel filter in your vehicle can be easy, if you know what you are doing. This article will help you understand the correct process on how to properly install your new fuel filter in your vehicle. Make sure to follow ALL of the instructions, if you do not you may accidentally cause pressurized fuel to shoot everywhere causing an EXTREMELY dangerous situation. You do not want this to happen, so I have written this article to help you to accomplish this relatively simple task safely.
Now that we have discussed exactly why you should follow all of the instructions due to the safety of yourself, we will now go into the process of changing your fuel filter. I will try to make changing your fuel filter simple with this article, since it seems they always like to go in the winter. Hopefully this article will help you speed up the removal and installation of a new fuel filter.
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Tags: car, fuel, fuel filter, gasoline, replacing fuel filter, Tools
Posted in Fuel System | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Electrical Tools
When it comes to working on vehicles something with the electrical system is bound to fail. Having the proper electrical tools is vital to fixing the problem.
There are several different areas to discuss when it comes to electrical tools that would be used on vehicles. We will discuss some of the basic tools needed to properly work on your vehicles electronics. We will also try to discuss how to perform some basic electrical tests.
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Tags: crimp on connectors, electircal testing, electrical tape, electronics, how to solder, how to use a multimeter, how to use a test light, how to use crimp on connectors, soldering gun
Posted in Electrical | 1 Comment »
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
Tire rotation the correct way!
Many people who drive their vehicles on the road today do not know about rotating their tires. There are some people who may know that you need your tires rotated, but they do not know how so they take their vehicle to a shop and have them do it for a fee. This fee is money that could be kept in your pocket. Even for you avid backyard mechanics this can perhaps be a little refresher on the correct way to rotate your tires. Tire rotation can be accomplished by the average person in my opinion. I will discuss the steps on how to properly rotate your tires.
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Tags: jack stands, jacks, tire rotation, Tires, Tools
Posted in Tires | 1 Comment »
