Do It Yourself Car Maintenance

The thermostat in an Xterra controls the flow and temperature of your engine coolant. If your SUV takes a long time to warm up, or if it overheats frequently---monitor the temperature gauge in...

The drive belt on a 2.4 liter Chevrolet Cavalier is a serpentine belt. A serpentine belt is one belt that drives all the pump-driven accessories on the vehicle. You should periodically check the...

Your car's temperature gauge is a diagnostic tool for you as a driver. If it shows high temperatures while driving normally, your car may have a problem with running hot. A car that runs hot is at...

When an engine is made, it is molded from molten metal. This process involves a cast, which must eventually be removed from the now formed engine. The cooling system is handled this way as well,...

Charging SLA batteries is a simple task that must be done from time to time as these batteries will occasionally drain down. SLA or Sealed Lead Acid batteries are commonly used in cars, golf carts...

Replacing drum brakes is often thought of as a project that is too difficult for the average car owner to do by themselves. This is not true. By taking your time and paying attention to the...

The fuel filter in an Isuzu cleans the fuel before it gets to the fuel injectors. This is necessary in order to remove most of the contaminates in the fuel. Contaminates are naturally found in the...

The fuel filter on a Ford Escort is located on the firewall, next to the brake master cylinder. While many vehicles use an in-line filter underneath the vehicle, Ford mounts the filter inside the...

The fuel filter on a VW needs to be replaced after 30,000 miles. The filter helps to remove contaminates from the fuel that are picked up from the gas station, the gas tank or both. When the fuel...

The carburetor is the heart of your motor. It has to be able to receive and distribute fuel into the motor. Replacing the carburetor on your Ford Granada depends on making sure all the lines and...

A catalytic converter uses a catalyst of platinum and iridium in order to oxidize carbon monoxide and other pollutants into water and carbon dioxide. In other words, it is a device intended to...

Painting a vehicle can be as simple as performing a quick touch-up to cover up a small scratch or as advanced as painting the entire body of a vehicle to cover up years of wear. Whether you choose...

Hacking into a jammed glove box could either be a quick fix or a dramatic part of your day. There could be multiple solutions to apply to this specific problem.

Gas tanks need removal for various reasons. They can become contaminated with water or some other substance, in which case they have to be removed and completely flushed out so that no damage is...

The BMW E34 uses a bleed screw to remove air from the cooling system. While some vehicles use a bottom radiator hose or the radiator cap itself for this job, BMW has chosen this simpler method to...

It’s easy to change a headlamp light bulb in most cars. These bulbs usually last a long time but at some point some of us have to change the light bulb in a headlight or taillight. It’s also easy...

Cars' air conditioning compressors force cool air into the cabin of the car and provide the temperature control we are all more than used to. If that compressor goes bad or there is a failure in...

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a traditional body-on-frame SUV. It has been sold since the 1993 model and endured several redesigns. No matter what year model your Grand Cherokee is, the process of...

Draining gasoline from vehicles poses a difficult process for many, and a few different techniques are available for doing so. Due to rampant theft of fuel from vehicles via siphoning, most modern...

Oil in the radiator is usually caused by a blown head gasket between the engine head and engine block. In this condition, the coolant ports and the oil ports are no longer separated allowing to to...

Door panels can suffer greatly from moisture, use and just plain old age. If your VW door panels are less then presentable, several options are available for replacing them. You can buy new door...

Many of us have heard about acid rain and its effects on the environment, but it can also cause damage to your car. When certain elements and pollutants are introduced into the atmosphere, they...

A blown head gasket can not only cause your Chevy 350 engine to run poorly, but if left unattended could cause much longer lasting and more expensive damage to your engine. To ensure against...

Replacing the water pump is a last-resort repair to salvage your truck's coolant system. To replace the water pump, located above the crankshaft, you must work your way through many parts. The...

Waxing your car helps protect the paint job, and waxing at home instead of paying for a professional wax job can save you a lot of money. Choose a day when the outside temperature is between 55...

Replacing the springs and shocks on an older BMW 3 Series like the E30 is one of the best ways to make it feel like new again. Old, worn-out shocks ruin the ride and handling of a car. When...

When fitting custom exhaust pipes, the most important thing to remember is that clearance is king and flow is secondary. Some compromises will undoubtedly need to be made to clear floorpans,...

The throttle position sensor (TPS) is used in fuel-injected and carbureted engines. The TPS is used to monitor the position of the throttle butterfly valve. When the car accelerates, the...

Cracks in the windshield not only can cause the driver to not have a clear view, but they also can lead to other complications such as corrosion to the underlying steel and a compromise of the...

Sparkplugs are a normal maintenance item that need to be replaced. While most modern sparkplugs are good for 100,000 miles, they are subject to early failure sometimes. You can easily replace your...

A mower belt is a strong band made of rubber that goes from the mower's engine pulley to the pulley wheels on top of your mower deck and causes the cutting blades to turn once the engine is turned...

The Eaton M90 supercharger is a positive displacement supercharger that is used as an OEM component as well as an aftermarket modification on many cars. This is a very reliable supercharger that...

A wheel stud is the bolt that holds the tire on the vehicle. Operating a vehicle with a broken wheel stud can be extremely dangerous. There are several steps to take to remove the broken stud. In...

The timing belt on a VW GTI 1.8T is a common maintenance area. However, replacing the belt is quite time-consuming and is therefore expensive to have the dealer perform this part of routine...

Fuel injection is present in almost every car on the road today, including Cadillacs. Fuel injection is the process of having fuel precisely measured and injected into the combustion chamber of an...

this is a step-by-step on how to revive your car if ever it was submerged in flood waters. this tip would be just enough for you to start and drive your car to your nearest qualified mechanic for...

Tinted windows on a car is good for people who live in sunny places, as to keep the sun from heating up the car. Although it is nice to have, it can be very expensive depending on where you go....

Over the years, BMWs have come with a huge array of wheels. Some are better looking than others, but some of the best-looking are the BBS cross-spoke (or mesh) type wheels that came on many...

The Subaru Impreza WRX is powered by a turbocharged boxer motor. There are numerous reasons why you might need to remove the turbo. Maybe you need to rebuild the stock turbo with new internals, or...

The control arms of the car function as the arms that keep the car stable. Control arms may begin to fail as early as 60,000 miles, and it should be checked during regular maintenance. If you hear...

The Tornado Fuel Saver is a device that not only improves the gas mileage of your vehicle, but can also add horsepower and throttle response. The Tornado is an air hose insert that creates a...

Central fuel injection (CFI) is an economical system that is present in many family and commuter cars today. The CFI system utilizes only one fuel injector to introduce fuel to all cylinders of an...

Sonicators are in-line fuel mixing devices that are sometimes installed as an extra part to fuel injectors. Fuel-injected engines are in nearly every car on the road today due to their fuel...

Cold air intakes add horsepower to any vehicle by increasing the amount of cold air delivered to the engine, thereby enhancing the combustion and fuel economy of the car. The Plymouth Neon is an...

The Toyota Camry CE is a top-performing family sedan that has a host of features normally found in cars in much higher price ranges. Rarely is maintenance needed (as this car is a great example of...

Cold air intakes add horsepower and offer a way of increasing vehicle efficiency by increasing the amount of cold air delivered to the engine. This increases the car's combustion and fuel economy,...

Water pumps are what keep gasoline combustion engines from overheating. The water pump circulates water through the engine to keep the internal components from overheating and seizing. As is...

Dirty or clogged fuel injectors can cause severe engine problems such as poor engine performance and an increase in fuel consumption. Luckily, the problem is easily avoided, as cleaning injectors...

Cold air intakes add horsepower by increasing the amount of cold air delivered to the engine, which increases the combustion and fuel economy of the car. On average, cold air intakes are said to...

Oxygen sensors are what control the fuel and air mixture in your Mazda 626's combustion chamber. The sensor reads the amount of oxygen in your exhaust gas and determines if the car is running lean...