Archive for Automotive
The Basics of How to Replace a Car’s Air Filter
Posted by: | CommentsThe air filter traps dirt to prevent it from being carried into the fuel system along with air. A dirty air filter causes an engine to run on an overabundance of gasoline, a condition that results in reduced power output. The life expectancy of an air filter in your vehicle will depend on the quality of the air in the region where you drive.
Air filters of engines with carburetors and throttle body fuel-injection systems can be found in a housing that sits on top of the carburetor or the throttle body, or in a housing that is connected to the carburetor or throttle body by an air duct. Remove the cover over the housing by releasing the screws, wing nuts, or clips. Take the filter out of the housing and hold it to the light. If it is dirty, buy a new filter of the same type, place it in the housing, and reattach the cover.
Servicing the air filter of an engine that has a multiport fuel-injection system may be somewhat more complicated, only because the air-filter housing may not be readily visible. If you have a problem locating it, trace the air duct back from the air intake until you come upon the filter housing. Open the housing by undoing the fastener securing the cover. Remove the old filter and install the new one.
The Basics of How to Replace a Car’s Air Duct
Posted by: | CommentsThe innocent-looking accordion-fold duct through which air flows into the fuel system should be closely scrutinized if one of the problems listed above occurs. One or two ducts are connected to the air-filter housing of a vehicle equipped with a carburetor or TBI fuel system. If your engine has a multiport fuel-injection system, an air duct is attached to the air intake.
When an air duct splits or cracks, excess air introduced into the fuel system dilutes the fuel mixture. Forced to run on an overly lean mixture, the engine falters and performs poorly. To determine whether this is the problem with your engine, inspect each air duct for split or cracked areas by spreading apart every fold. Replace a damaged duct.
Each end of a duct is held by a clamp. To remove the duct, loosen the clamps and pull the duct free.
After attaching a new duct, tighten the clamps, but not excessively. A clamp that is overtightened can cut the duct. Turn clamp screws until you can no longer tighten them without applying force. Then, turn them just 1/4 turn more.
The Basics of How to Have a Car’s Leaking Fuel Injector Replaced
Posted by: | CommentsThrottle body fuel-injection systems have fuel injectors that can be inspected to determine whether they are leaking. If gasoline drips from an injector, the engine will flood and will be hard to start, especially in warm weather.
To find out whether a leaking fuel injector in an engine equipped with a TBI fuel system is causing a problem, do the following:
1. Remove the air-filter housing.
2. Start the engine and let it warm up. Then, turn it off.
3. Watch the tip of the fuel injector for 15 minutes to see whether any gasoline drips. Even one drop is too much.
If you see a drop of gasoline, the faulty fuel injector should be replaced.
The repair cited for this problem, replacing a faulty fuel injector, should be left to a professional mechanic. That’s because a fuel-injection system is pressurized. Relieving pressure so a faulty injector can be replaced usually requires special equipment. However, the inspection procedure to ascertain whether a fuel injector actually requires replacement is easy to do and within the capability of most vehicle owners. Unfortunately, many mechanics do not take time to establish without doubt whether a fuel injector is to blame for the problem noted above. They assume this is the case and proceed to replace the injector, which often is not causing the condition. The outcome: The vehicle owner pays for an expensive job but is left with the same performance problem.
The Basics of How to Alter a Car’s Engine Shut-Off Procedure
Posted by: | CommentsAn engine that continues to run for a brief time after you turn off the ignition switch will not sustain damage. However, the experience can be disconcerting. Here’s a simple way to prevent dieseling until you find time to check for possible causes and make a permanent repair:
When you bring the vehicle to a halt, hold your foot firmly on the brake pedal. Keep an automatic transmission in Drive as you turn off the ignition switch.
To turn off an engine in a vehicle that has a manual transmission, bring the car to a stop. Your left foot should be depressing the clutch pedal, your right foot should remain firmly on the brake pedal, and the transmission shift lever should be in gear. Do not turn off the ignition key. Instead, stall the engine by letting up on the clutch pedal.
The Basics of How to Clean a Car’s Automatic Choke
Posted by: | CommentsThe automatic choke plate of an engine equipped with a carburetor must function properly if the engine is to start promptly in cold weather. An indication that dirt is impeding the operation of the choke plate is when the engine starts promptly in warm weather, but fails to start within 15 seconds in cold weather. Here’s what to do:
1. With the engine cold, remove the air-filter housing from over the carburetor so you can watch how the choke plate is functioning.
2. Have an assistant press the accelerator pedal to the floor and release it. The choke plate should close over the carburetor throat.
3. Have the assistant crank the engine. When the engine starts, the choke plate should immediately crack open and continue to open gradually as the engine runs. It should be wide open within one minute.
If the choke plate doesn’t work this way, something is wrong with the choke system. The heating element may have burned out, a vacuum-operated mechanism called the choke break may be damaged, or the spring that controls choke movement may have to be replaced. These repairs are best handled by a mechanic. First, however, try the following easy-to-do repair, which frequently solves the problem:
1. Buy a can of carburetor and choke cleaning solvent from an auto supply store.
2. Spray solvent on the choke-plate pivot points and on the link attached to the choke plate.
3. Use a toothbrush to scrub off dirt.
4. Wipe the plate and the link dry.
The Basics of How to Check the Quantity of Oil in a Car’s Engine
Posted by: | CommentsEngine manufacturers contend that excessive oil consumption is a loss of two quarts of oil in 2,000 miles of driving. If your engine is using more than this, are you checking the oil level correctly? If you aren’t, you may think your engine is using too much oil when in fact it isn’t.
The correct way to check the quantity of oil in an engine is as follows:
1. With the engine warmed up, park the vehicle on level ground.
2. Turn off the engine.
3. Wait three minutes to allow oil in the upper reaches of the engine to flow back into the crankcase (oil pan).
4. Draw the oil-level indicator (dipstick) from the dipstick tube and wipe it off. Use a clean rag or paper towel to keep from getting dirt on the dipstick and then introducing it into the engine.
5. Reinsert the dipstick and push it all the way down into the tube.
6. Withdraw the dipstick and read the oil level.
Most dipsticks are marked FULL and ADD. The engine has a normal quantity of oil when the oil level is at the FULL mark or between the FULL and ADD marks.
If the level is on the ADD mark, the engine is one quart low. Never add oil unless the oil level is on or below the ADD mark. Doing so will cause an overfilled condition. Too much oil in an engine will cause foaming (air-filled bubbles), which will block oil and prevent it from reaching some engine parts. This can lead to abnormal wear.
The Basics of How to Deal with a Car’s Oil Loss
Posted by: | CommentsIn addition to causing rough idle or stalling, a malfunctioning positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system may be the reason why your engine is losing oil. If the PCV valve is not fully seated, oil will leak from around the valve. Press the valve firmly into the seat. Then, keep a watch on the oil level to determine whether this simple step has solved the problem.
If a PCV hose is kinked or clogged, causing an increase in pressure inside the crankcase, oil can be blown out of the crankcase and into the air-filter housing. Check to make sure that the PCV hose is straight.
The Basics of How to Replace a Car’s Radiator Cap
Posted by: | CommentsThe radiator cap functions to increase the pressure that builds up in the engine cooling system and to seal the radiator in order to prevent loss of pressure or of the cooling agent, which is called coolant. By increasing the pressure above that which would otherwise build up in the cooling system, the radiator cap helps to raise the boiling point of the coolant by three degrees for each pound of pressure at which the cap is rated. Instead of boiling at 225°F, therefore, coolant in a radiator that uses a 15-pound cap won’t boil unless it reaches 270°F. This provides an extra margin of safety, which can disappear if the cap loses its sealing ability—a possibility as the cap ages. As pressure escapes around a defective cap, the likelihood that the engine will begin to overheat increases.
An indication that a radiator cap has lost its effectiveness is when an engine overheats as it is operated under arduous conditions, such as in stop-and-go city driving on a hot day or when the vehicle is required to climb long, steep grades. Replacing the radiator cap—a simple step—may be the only repair that is needed.
Every cap is rated at a particular pressure that varies from vehicle to vehicle. You must install a cap of the correct pressure for your cooling system. The pressure rating is usually embossed on the cap or is provided in the owner’s manual. If you are unable to determine the correct rating, ask the salesperson in an auto supply store to look up the information in a parts manual.
The Basics of How to Replace Lower Radiator Hose in Your Automobile
Posted by: | CommentsA dashboard temperature light or temperature gauge that warns that an engine is overheating only when a vehicle is accelerated to a higher speed suggests that the lower radiator hose may be collapsing under pressure. The lower radiator hose possesses an internal support, usually in the form of a spring, that keeps the hose from drawing in when engine vacuum increases sharply, which happens during acceleration to a higher speed. If the hose collapses, the flow of coolant to the engine is temporarily cut off and the engine can overheat. When the driver lets up on the accelerator, the hose expands to a normal shape, and overheating usually dissipates.
If you encounter a problem such as this, you can find out whether the fault lies with the lower radiator hose by following these steps:
1. With the engine warmed up, park the vehicle. Place an automatic transmission in Park or a manual transmission in Neutral. Engage the parking brake. Leave the engine running.
2. Open the hood and locate the lower radiator hose.
3. As you watch the hose, ask an assistant in the vehicle to accelerate the engine sharply. If the hose draws in, losing its perfectly round shape, the support inside the hose has weakened. The hose should be replaced.
The Basics of How to Apply a Temporary Repair for Radiator in Your Automobile
Posted by: | CommentsSuppose you are driving along when the radiator starts to leak. Even if you have enough time to get to a repair shop before the engine overheats, there is no guarantee that you can have a new radiator installed. Maybe it’s Sunday. Maybe it’s late at night. What do you do? Try this:
1. When you get that first whiff indicating that the engine is losing coolant, or you see that first wisp of white vapor escaping from under the hood, pull off the road and turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and examine the radiator. If the leak is coming from one of the radiator tanks, you won’t be able to make this repair. If coolant is leaking from the core of the radiator, proceed with the repair if the proper tools and equipment are available.
3. Use pliers to tear away the radiator fins from around where you see coolant leaking until you come upon the one internal tube that is damaged. That tube will be obvious, because coolant will be ebbing out of it.
4. When you identify the leaking tube, use your pliers to crimp it closed. This will stop the leak.
5. Wait about 30 minutes for the radiator to cool before removing the cap and refilling the radiator with water, which, if you’re prepared, you will be carrying in two one-gallon plastic containers.