Repairing Auto

Yikes! I can’t tell you how happy I am to report that I have never found anything living in a car I was working on. A python sneaking up on you while you’re trying to install a heater core would be enough for most mechanics to consider a career change. In this case it was a rescue operation, as somebody’s new pet snake had decided to go exploring amongst the wires and air vents. That’s one way to get clean vents! See photos and read the whole story here on St. Paul Channel 11.

If you have an O2 sensor replacement in your future, you’re no doubt dreading the repair bill. Before you pass the credit card across the counter, have you considered replacing the sensor yourself? Not all types can be replaced at home, but if you’re lucky enough to have the right type of oxygen sensor you can save a lot of cash by replacing it yourself. To help you out, here’s a great tutorial on oxygen sensor replacement, check it out to see if you can tackle the job yourself!

I wrote yesterday about the importance of identifying leaks that you see under your car. Even a coin-sized spot should be looked at to be sure it’s nothing serious. And speaking of nothing serious, there was a great comment left by my favorite reader of the week, Eddie, about when not to worry about a puddle under your car — when it’s from the air conditioning! He writes:

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You can spend a lot of time staring into your engine bay looking for the source of a leak. That nasty color on your driveway has to be coming from somewhere, but you can save a lot of time by figuring out what that fluid is. I’ve taken photos and done a lot of smelling so that you can easily ID the spot your car is leaving behind on a regular basis. It’s important to find and fix leaks. A leaky puddle of windshield washer fluid isn’t nearly as important as if it was brake fluid. Be sure this time.

How automatic transmission fluid works and what you need to know about it. Mechanic explains when you should add a transmission cooler to your vehicle.

The bio-diesel craze that began more than a decade ago hasn’t been overlooked by mainstream media. As a result most people have heard of bio-diesel or are at least aware of the fact that a diesel car or truck can be converted to run on old vegetable oil. But haven’t you ever wondered exactly how this is possible? I was driving across the Hudson River via the Rip Van Winkle Bridge last week and suddenly found myself very hungry. I was smelling food, good food. But 100 feet above the Hudson River? There’s literally no way I could be smelling a delicious Mexican meal that far from shore and that far up. Then I realized I was right behind an old Mercedes diesel with a little sticker on the back that stated simply, “VEG.” It reminded me that grease cars are still around, and made me want to share this video with you: How a Car Runs on Vegetable Oil. It’s a quick lesson but really gets the basics across. Check it out!
If you aren’t into bio-diesel but still want to learn something today, check out my tutorial on How Fuel Injection Works.

Years ago I worked on a classic Oldsmobile convertible for a customer. I was actually doing electrical work and installing a new stereo for the guy. On a test drive later that day smoke started pouring from under the hood and the car died. I put it in park and drifted to the curb. This wasn’t steam from an overheat or a bad radiator cap, it was white smoke, and carried with it the familiar smell of burnt wiring. I immediately assumed that I had seriously screwed something up and my paycheck that week was going to shrink accordingly. Lucky for me, that was not the case, as I quickly discovered when I saw some strange, and now fried, wires traveling across the front of the engine bay that I certainly did not put there. It turns out they were the transmission lock leads that the owner had decided to run across the engine rather than replace a bad harness at the transmission. I called him and told him the situation, to which he responded, “You can’t fuse everything!” Lucky for the rest of us, he’s wrong. You can fuse everything and most automakers do just that. If something electrical in your car has stopped working, it takes two seconds to check and replace the fuse. You’ll save money and time by skipping a trip to the repair shop.

If you’ve noticed that your car or truck has a bad headlight bulb, or if the local law enforcement noticed it for you, you might be on the way to Pep Boys to get a new bulb installed. Stop! Any repair shop is going to charge you a ridiculous amount of money for what is usually a 5-minute repair job. Before you pony up enough cash for a night on the town, take a look at this easy How-To Guide on Replacing Your Headlight Bulb and not only will you save money and time by avoiding the shop, you’ll feel like a champ!