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Lauren Fix and Steve Ford, the hosts of DIY's Talk2DIY Automotive, answer your automotive questions.
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Tips:- Did you ever wonder how we came to call our vehicles cars or automobiles? Car comes from the Celtic word "darrus" which means cart or wagon. Automobile comes from the Latin word "mobils" which means moving, and the Greek work "auto" which means self -- so you are moving yourself.
- Cut the corners and tips off of a stack of envelopes to make a set of great disposable funnels that will store easily in your car. When you're ready to use one, just open it up and pour your heart out.
- When it's time to upgrade your computer, consider moving the old unit into your garage where it can be used to keep track of vehicle maintenance and expenses, as well as provide convenient access to online resources like diynet.com.
Question: Automobile manufacturers first began promoting cars with what in 1933? A. More horsepower.
B. Increased fuel economy.
C. Better doors. Answer: B. Increased fuel economy. - A flywheel uses inertia to help smooth the operation of a multi-cylinder engine.
- If you start with the driver's area when cleaning carpets and upholstery, chances are the area will be dry when it's time to get behind the wheel.
- Keep your cool during a tire blowout. Instead of braking suddenly, grasp the steering wheel tightly and ease your foot off the gas. Gently pull out of traffic to a safe location and check your tires.
- Keeping a vehicle looking good as new as long as possible is always a good idea. It retains its value better, and oddly enough, seems to run better.
Front End Shakes When Brakes Applied- There are several possibilities if you are having this problem. With the vehicle in the air, look around for loose ball joints, loose tie rod ends, worn bushings, etc.
- The tie rod end (figure A) has a rubber boot. It is like a ball and socket. To check it, give it a shake.
- Below the tie rod end you have the ball joint (figure B). If you can see any movement between the ball and socket when you move the knuckle back and forth, it is considered worn out.
- There are common signs when looking at a brake rotor. Is there a shiny gray metal look or it is a bluish or black color. If it is bluish or black, it has probably been very hot and there could be some surface cracking.
- If there are several bluish spots about the size of a thumbprint around the rotor, they are caused by overheating. This could be from heavy usage or the front brakes could not be releasing during the times when the brakes should be coasting. If the caliper is dragging a little, the rotor will never have a chance to cool down.
Bad Brake Rotors- Brake rotors need to be checked and inspected on a periodic basis. They need to be true and have a good surface.
- If a rotor is very thin (figure C) and there is not much material left, it would need to be discarded.
- Rotors are checked with a micrometer (figure D) for minimal thickness. If you have a micrometer that does not read in millimeters and needs to be converted to inches, there are charts available (library, service manual, etc.) that would convert the specifications to inches.
- If you need to take a rotor to have it turned on a brake lathe, make sure it is clean -- a wire brush will help you clean any surface rust.
- The bits on the brake lathe (figure E) will remove any material to take any high spots or run outs, better known as warpage, out of the rotor so that you have a true surface. A rotor run out problem could also be a wobble, so you need to make sure you check that. There are times a rotor can't be turned, or they are at a minimal and that is the time to look at a new set of rotors.
Fading Fender Flares- You can spray tire shine on the fender, but it fades quickly. You next choice would be a product like Back to Black by Mother's (figure F). Again, it will not last long -- probably a couple of car washes.
- Your only real solution would be to remove the piece and paint it. You would need to purchase a special paint that is specifically for the bumper and trim (figure G) from an automotive store.
- If you don't want to paint it yourself, you can take them to a paint shop.
Getting Rid of Smoke Smell in a Used Car- Part of the problem with smoke odor is that smoke rises and the headliners are soft and have a foam backing (figure H) that the smoke soaks into. When you use a masking product, it will only work temporarily.
- You need to purchase a product that will actually go into the fabric and dissolve the odors in the fibers. There are a couple of products that will do that (figure I) -- Febreze Auto and AtmosKLEAR. These will help the odor dissipate.
- When you have a car that someone smoked in, there are other things you need to clean. The leather or vinyl, the dashboard and the carpeting. The back of carpet has jute on it (figure J) and you will need to use the product that will dissolve the odor in the fibers -- not just mask the odor.
- While you are cleaning the odor, you should go ahead and clean any stains that are present also.
Air bag Seam Coming Loose- The air bag is a life saving mechanism and there aren't any do it yourself tips for repairing one that has the seams coming undone (figure K). The only way to service it properly is to take it back to your dealer or a qualified auto shop. It could possibly be covered under warranty, and the warranty would cover the repair of the air bag or whatever is happening to the seams. It could be a workmanship problem that they need to take care of. If it is not covered under warranty, it will be an out-of-pocket expense, but the only people qualified to do the repair job are technicians trained to do the repair job.
- When an air bag deploys, the cover will pop off (figure L) and the air bag will deploy at the speeds of up to 300 mph to protect your passenger.
- If you purchase a used car that is more than five years, you may want to have a diagnostic test run on the air bag by the dealership or a technician to make sure it is working properly.
Special Thanks:AtmosKLEAR
Bentley Publishers, Automotive Books and Manuals
Carpet Fresh
Febreze
Jasper Engines
Knoxville News Sentinel
Meguiar's
Mothers
Phoenix Conversions
Spot Shot
WD-40 Company
RESOURCES :
AtmosKLEAR
PO Box 23291
Minneapolis, MN 55423
Toll-free: 800-977-4145
Website: www.atmosklear.com
E-mail: info@atmosklear.com
Jasper Engines and Transmission
PO Box 650
Jasper, IN 47547-0650
Toll-free: 800-857-7455
Website: www.jasperengines.com
Email: sales@jasperengines.com
Mother's Cleaners and Waxes
Mothers® Inc.
5456 Industrial Dr.
Huntington Beach, CA 92849-1519
Phone: 714-891-3384
Toll-free: 800-221-8257
Website:www.mothers.com
Meguiar's Cleaners and Waxes
Meguiar's, Inc.
17991 Mitchell S.
Irvine, CA 92614
Toll-free: 800-347-5700
Website: www.meguiars.com
Phoenix Conversions
9617 Parkside Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37922
Toll-free: 800-788-5420
Phone: 865-670-4060
Website: www.phoenixconversions.com
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Owner's Bible: 1986-1995
0837602300
Editors of Bentley Publishers
(September 2002)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Bentley Publishers
GUESTS :
Gary Rickles
Transmission Corporation of America
5327 Clinton Hwy.
Knoxville, TN
Phone: 865-688-4200
Bill Armstrong
BFS Retail and Commercial Operations
Bridgestone/Firestone
333 E. Lake St.
Bloomingdale, IL 60108
Website: www.mastercareusa.com
| ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: | | Transmissions, Steering and Alignment |
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