Gas and light bulbs don’t mix. Huh? That seems like the dunce statement of the year. At least that’s what I thought until I read about the odd but very possible accident that happened last week at Don’s Auto Repair in Deland, Florida. A mechanic there was replacing a fuel tank, presumably using an old school incandescent work light. Some fuel dripped from the tank onto the bulb and sparked a fire that caused massive damage to the repair shop.Accidents happen, but anything we can do to avoid danger is a must. You should be sure your work area is designed and maintained with fire safety in mind. This accidental fire could have been avoided if they had been using newer fluorescent work lights which produce very little heat. News source: About Auto Repair

Before the mid-to-late ’80s, most vehicles had a multiple-V-belt accessory-drive configuration, sometimes with as many as five individual belts, which often had to be manually adjusted, separately and in sequence. This system was not only time consuming to manufacture, assemble and service, but also required more room under the hood to accommodate the “staggered formation” required for the accessory mounting locations. The serpentine (single) belt, also known as the “S-belt,” eliminated most if not all of those drawbacks. It’s cheaper to produce and easier to service, and also provides packaging advantages at the front of the engine. This system still needs servicing, however. We’ll cover when and how to change the belt and its tensioner, as well as other points of inspection associated with this procedure. Time Change? When to change the belt depends on a few things but, generally speaking, for optimal performance the S-belt will have to be changed more often than its “V” predecessors. In terms of time and mileage, this would translate to between 30,000 and 60,000 miles, or four years. Under-hood heat, accessory load, the quantity of accessories, and exposure to road debris all affect the longevity of the belt. If the manufacturer specifies a replacement interval, go with that recommendation unless the belt fails inspection at any maintenance interval before then. When inspecting the belt, if it appears to be glazed (shiny), show cuts, cracks or other deterioration on either side or on the edges, has chunks missing from it, or is merely noisy–it has to be changed. It’s helpful if you can determine the cause of a particular problem–from normal wear to damage–so you can be assured that the replacement belt will last the full duration of its service life. We’ll touch on related component inspection (necessary especially if the belt failed prematurely) after covering removal of the belt. News source: Auto Media Before taking off the belt, check your service manual for any helpful tips that apply to your specific vehicle. One caution: as belt tensioners are sprung very tightly (some tighter than others), any “slips” involving the wrench used to loosen belt tension can cause serious personal injury, as well as damage to the surrounding area under the hood. Before taking off the belt, check your service manual for any helpful tips that apply to your specific vehicle. One caution: as belt tensioners are sprung very tightly (some tighter than others), any “slips” involving the wrench used to loosen belt tension can cause serious personal injury, as well as damage to the surrounding area under the hood. Ideally you should use the special service tool designed for belt-tension removal (via the tensioner). Be aware of where the tool will be positioned when tension is removed and make sure the tensioner is resting on its internal “stop.” Obviously, if the tool contacts another component before the tensioner stop is contacted, tension is not completely released and the tool will “jam” if left to rest in that position. The possibility of the tool slipping off of the tensioner is high, and injury will likely result. Once tension is properly released, it’s time to remove the belt. Start removal from the most easily accessed and largest pulley having the least amount of belt contact, if possible (sometimes this is the tensioner, sometimes not). Usually, it’s just a matter of pulling the belt clear of the other pulleys and right out of the engine bay. However, sometimes engine mounts or other components such as splash shields first need to be removed. Once the belt is out, here are a few other components to inspect: > Coolant pump for leakage (will cause belt noise if coolant gets on belt) or bad bearing > Fan Clutch (if equipped) for fluid leakage > Fan for damage (especially a problem with plastic fans) > Tensioner unit for noisy pulley bearing or wear on tensioner mechanism > Idler pulley(s) for noisy bearing or irregularly worn belt contact area (especially a problem on plastic pulleys) > Any under hood component that is making contact with or is close to the belt, tensioner, or any pulleys > Any other source of fluid leakage onto the belt Reinstall With all of that correct, the belt can now be installed. Since all replacement belts are not created equal, get the best quality belt possible. The same cautions highlighted earlier should be observed on reinstallation. Be patient. Route the belt in reverse order of removal, keeping especially vigilant about making sure that the belt ribs are set correctly in the pulley grooves, and the back of the belt is squarely contacting the tensioner and idler pulley(s), before starting the engine. If applicable, note the tensioner position “scale” (its arrow should be somewhere between the two lines on the other half of the tensioner, preferably on the “tight” side). If it’s way off, the belt may be incorrect. Keep the old belt as a spare in case of emergencies. The only disadvantage of the S-belt is that, if you lose it, all of your accessories are affected. On the whole, however, the S-belt is a definite notch above the old V-type. News source: Auto Media

A few items the average DIY misses on preping a vehicle for winter.Clean the top of the battrey yes clean the cables but alos clean the top to prevent a parastic voltage drain this is worse on newer vehiclesClean the throttle paying close attention to where the palte meets the bottom of the bore and if you drive a lot of stop and go I would also check the IAC and clean if necessary.Check the wipoer blades I use winter blades but they have some problems so it is a personal choice.Double check that you have the correct tire pressure I just found out with one of my vehicles that the max pressure is 44# I have been running 32# diffintely a improvement on the ride and handling if in doubt what to put in your tires check with a local expert at a tire store. Dont count on the recommend tire pressure for your vehicle being correct from the manafacturer

Now that you have an idea of your options as far as brands, let’s talk about what you should have in your toolbox. As a great Scottish Starship Engineer once said; “How many times do I have to tell you lads? The right tool for the right job!” These are the essentials for a good, well rounded tool box. These tools will allow you to do almost any repair on your vehicle. Screwdrivers:There are four basic types of screwdrivers, straight blade or regular, Phillips, Pozi-drive and Torx. You should have four or five different sizes from small to large. When you select a screwdriver for a job, the blade must fit the slot securely with no slop and it must fit with no overhang side to side. This will greatly reduce the chances of destroying the screw slot. You should have three sizes of Phillips screwdrivers a #1, which is a small Phillips, a #2 which is a medium size and most often used and a #3 which is a large Phillips. Pozi-drive screwdrivers look a lot like a Phillips, but are not interchangeable. The patters are different and using a Phillips screwdriver on a Pozi-drive screw will damage the screw and vice-versa. Four lines pointing out from the center of the screw head can identify a Pozi-drive screw. Torx drivers come in sizes from #5 to #55 with #15 the most often used. Ratchets and Sockets:The three most common size of ratchets are 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″ drive with the most common being 3/8″ drive. 1/4″ drive is for lighter duty work while 1/2″ drive is for heavier jobs. A fine tooth ratchet is preferable because you will get more turns per swing than a course tooth ratchet. I would not recommend a ratchet with a knurled handle. One with a contoured handle is much more comfortable and ergonomically efficient.Sockets come in many shapes and sizes, in both metric and SAE (fractional). In 3/8″ drive a good range in SAE is 3/8″ to 3/4″ and metric 8mm to 19mm. Sockets come in deep and shallow styles. The deep sockets are good when you are taking a nut off a stud for example. You will need both styles in your toolbox. In 1/4″ drive, a good range in SAE is 1/4″ to 9/16″ and in metric 4mm to 14mm. In 1/2″ drive, 1/2″ to 1 1/4″ and in metric 13mm to 32mm. You can get sockets in hex (6-point) or double hex (12-point) styles as well. I have found that if you have 6-point sockets, you don’t really need 12-point so I would just recommend putting a set of 6-point sockets in your toolbox. A pair of spark plug sockets is a must if you want to tune up a car. A good spark plug socket has a rubber insert to hold the spark plug from falling out. There are two sizes: 5/8″ and 13/16″.Universal joints allow the use of a socket in areas where you can’t get straight on with a regular socket. Extensions are used to extend the reach of a socket. A good range of extensions is 1″ to 12″. Both of these are a must for your toolbox. Flex sockets are nice to have. They are similar to a universal joint but have a regular socket on one end. They are good for very tight situationsThere are many other types of specialty sockets as well, such as an Oil Pressure Switch socket and an O2 sensor socket. These you can buy and add to your toolbox as needed.Wrenches:There are tons of wrenches to choose from, but for a basic toolbox we can narrow down the choices quite a bit. The most common wrenches are open-end, box and combination wrenches. Open-end wrenches have ends that are, well, open. These are for those jobs where a box wrench will not fit. A box wrench has no open end and fits completely around the fastener. The box wrench is preferable to an open-end wrench because it will grip the fastener on all six sides. A combination wrench is a combination of both, box on one end and open on the other. This is the most useful and eliminates the need for two sets of wrenches. A good range of combination wrenches in SAE is 1/4″ to 7/8″ and in metric 8mm to 22mm. Wrenches come in short styles for tight areas, standard length and long when extra leverage is needed. Another type of wrench is the line wrench. These wrenches are designed to be used on fuel, brake and other hydraulic lines. They are thicker than a regular wrench for more gripping area. One end is open and the other end is like a box end with a cutout to allow it to go over a line and still allow it to grip all six sides of the fitting. A good range is 1/4″ to 9/16″ in SAE and 8mm to 14mm in metric.An adjustable wrench is also handy to have. These have two jaws that are adjusted with a screw mechanism that open and close the jaws parallel to each other. I have both a metric and SAE adjustable wrenches. One is a 6-inch adjustable and the other is a 300mm adjustable. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.Then we have an Oil Filter wrench. As the name implies, it is for removing oil filters. It is not used for tightening oil filters because we all know that oil filters should only be hand tightened. There are several different styles, but for the basic toolbox a large or small strap style is sufficient. Wrenches also come in 6-point and 12-point styles. 12-point are more useful for general work, but 6-point wrenches have more gripping power. If I had to chose one style or the other, I would chose the 12-point although I do have complete sets of both in my toolbox.Hammers:Hammers also come in many shapes and sizes. The most common hammer used in automotive work is the ball-peen hammer. A ball-peen hammer has a regular striking face on one end and a rounded “ball” on the other end. Dead blow hammers have a hollow head filled with shot to prevent rebound and direct more force to the object being struck. Hammers are sized by weight, from an 8 ounce tapping hammer to a 20-pound sledge. I once used a 20-pound sledge on an Oldsmobile, but that’s another story. A good range for hammers is 8 ounce to 32 ounce, otherwise known as a BFH.Pliers and Cutters:Nothing beats a pair of plain slip joint pliers. I prefer the ones with soft plastic grips, they are more comfortable in the hand. Water pump of Channel lock pliers are also a must have. These are like slip joint pliers except they have angled jaws and several different grooves for adjusting the jaw size. A large and small pair is good for your toolbox. Needle nose pliers are a pair of pliers that have two thin jaws that come to a point. I would keep a large and small pair in your toolbox. A good pair of wire cutters is a necessary item for any toolbox. I have several different styles, but for the home mechanic a large and small pair will do nicely. A good pair of terminal pliers is handy to have. These will strip and cut wire and crimp solderless terminals. You can get a pair in a kit with an assortment of solderless terminals at any auto parts store. Miscellaneous Tools:Some other tools to round off your toolbox are a good tire ressure gauge. A tire gauge should measure up to 50 psi. A magnetic pick up tool is a good thing to have. This has either a flexible or telescoping shaft with a magnet on the end to pick up those nuts, bolts and tools that have fallen into a nook or cranny that you can’t get your hand into. And since Murphy’s Law states that a fastener or tool falling on the floor will gravitate to the geographic center of the car being worked on, it will extend your reach to get it back. Punches and chisels are nice to have for general use. You can get a nice set with several different sizes. Files are good to have for general de-burring work. A decent digital Volt-Ohm meter is good to have for testing circuits and sensors. A 12-volt test light for checking continuity and power in a circuit is a must. Masking tape and a felt tip-marking pen for labeling vacuum lines and wires is very handy to have.

Fuel Pump Test and ReplacementTest1. Remove rear seat.2. Remove access panel (4 screws).3. Disconnect the 2P connector. CAUTION: Be sure to turn ignition switch OFF, before disconnecting the wires.4. Disconnect the main relay connector and connect the BLK/YEL (5) wire and YEL/GRN (7) wire with a jumper wire.5. Check for battery voltage at the fuel pump connector, when ignition switch is turned ON (position II). Attach red test probe to the YEL/GRN wire and negative probe to the BLK wire. If battery voltage is available, replace the fuel pump. If there is no voltage, check fuel pump ground and wire harness.Replacement1. Relieve fuel pressure, by removing fuel tank cap.2. Remove rear seat.3. Remove access panel (4 screws).4. Disconnect fuel lines and connector.5. Remove fuel pump mounting nuts.6. Remove fuel pump from fuel tank.WARNING: Do not smoke while working on fuel system. Keep open flames away from work area. News source: Ask Me Help Desk

Check out online auto repair manuals when it comes to repairing your own car or truck. You may just avoid a big headache. Your car or truck is a big investment and it should be treated as such. When it comes to auto repair it can go two ways. You can be successful and fix it right the first time. Or you can make matters worse by creating additional problems. The latter will increase repair costs and down time of the car or truck. Let me give you a real life example of this. I had a gentleman e-mail me for help with a no start condition. My first advice to him was to get some online auto repair tips from a quality manual, to properly diagnose the problem. My favorite online auto service manual has the most incredible no start diagnostic charts in the business, because they come straight from the factory auto service manuals. Easy to follow tree charts with pictures and helpful tips. The gentleman told me he could not afford the $24.95 and he thought replacing the distributor would fix the problem. A new distributor was $650.00. He purchased and replaced the distributor but this did not repair the problem. It was also not returnable like most electrical parts. Again I said cut your loses and get any kind of auto service manual and diagnose the problem, do not through parts at it. Well He replaced the coil, cap, rotor, wires and spark plugs. It Still would not start. Now he is a thousand dollars deep in un-needed parts. The guy who could not afford $25. Finally he towed the car to the auto repair shop and they fixed it for about $500 by replacing the fuel pump. As a side note I did try to help him by explaining, in a no start condition you either have no fuel or no spark (or rarely no air). The gentleman explained he was getting plenty of fuel. But he was not. So $1,850.00 later he was motoring again. And to let you know step 1 on the diagnostic tree chart was an in-depth procedure with pictures for checking for fuel delivery. Also the online repair manuals had a technical service bulletin on the fuel pump for this specific vehicle. This is why the online auto repair manual can help you. What if you had the same auto repair information that the dealership level mechanic has? But in a format that provides step-by-step instructions and pictures that a person of any skill level can follow. The virtual online auto repair tips system was created to bring top-level information to the do it yourself auto repair public. Easily find the auto repair information you need fast and simple with the online auto repair manuals handy search engine. Just enter in the component or area of the vehicle you need advice with and the online programs gives you with just what you?re looking for. No more going through old-fashioned paper auto repair manuals filled with outdated information. You now have access to the same information professional auto repair technicians use. Mechanics may have more hands on experience then you but they are not smarter then you, they just know how to find the required information for a specific automotive repair. News source: Car wizard

What you’ll need:new fuel filter new fuel line washers open end wrenches rags eye protectionYour fuel filter is one of those engine components that may only cost $10 or $20, but can protect your engine from thousands of dollars in damage. Fuel filters protect some of the very delicate parts of your engine. Carburetors and fuel injection systems can be clogged up by the tiniest of particles, so a properly functioning fuel filter is very important. If your fuel filter starts to get clogged up, the fuel trying to flow through the filter to your engine gets stuck in line like soccer moms at a 5 am Thanksgiving Day sale. It only takes a few minutes to replace your fuel filter, and it should be replaced once a year on the average commuter vehicle. Replacing your fuel filter should be part of your car’s regular maintenance schedule News source: About Auto Repair

As much as we urge everybody to dive in head first and tackle your own repairs and regular maintenance, there are times when you shouldn’t even consider it. This letter is a perfect reminder that sometimes you should absolutely leave it to a professional: We have a 2007 Honda Odyssey, 6 mos old. My wife took a right corner in the garage too tight, dented the rt side door and rear quarter panel. Bad scrape and dents. 2 estimates, one from [shop name deleted”>, both around $1700. I looked online and found I could buy the replacement outer shell/skin for door and quarter panel for about $1000. [Shop”> said there is much more labor in replacing the panels, but that seems strange since they don’t have to pound out the dents or paint. If I do the repair they want to do, it will still be repainted and I think it will be conspicuous. But why would simply replacing the panels be so much more work ? don’t they have to remove the panels to bang out the dents anyway ? thanks much. — Steve Steve’s lack of experience in body repair could get him into real trouble here. Luckily, he’s chosen to use a body shop to repair his Odyssey. Replacing a door skin is very labor intensive, so much that many shops won’t do it. In short, the dented panel has to be painstakingly removed by uncrimping the entire edge of the door, sometimes it’s even spot welded. Then the new panel must be carefully crimped along its entire edge. An amateur could really screw this up. Steve’s second shop choice is going to use body filler to fill the damaged areas, then repaint. They don’t have to remove any panels to do this. If done right, this can result in an excellent repair. News source: About Auto Repair

Mirror Glass Replacement: Insert a screwdriver in the mirror housing through the service hole, then loosen the actuator retaining screw. Pull the mirror holder out from the mirror housing. Pull the lock cap stopper and remove the stopper pin, then separate the actuator and mirror holder. Disconnect the connector. Installation is the reverse of the removal procedure. News source: About autos

When it comes to supporting your car, there’s really no room to skimp. That’s one giant lump of metal dangling over your head, the last thing you want to do is cut corners in keeping it there. David Banner turns green and tosses cars out of the way. If your jack slips, you’ll probably just turn green while that incredible hulk of steel does a number on your foot, or worse. When working underneath your car, nothing but a proper jack stand will do the job safely. Concrete blocks, stacks of wood or three wobbly scissors jacks are recipes for disaster. If you’re broke in Cuba, disregard this and continue to stuff anything you can find underneath the chassis while you use a chain link fence, tin cans and a hot dog bun to fix your truck. The rest of us need to do some safety preparation. Before you get under there, be sure you know how to properly support your car News source: Autorepair About