Auto Mechanics

Motor mounts are a vital part of any car, and a Dodge Neon is no exception. They help maintain torque when the vehicle's engine is hitting high RPMs and keep the engine from moving too much while...

The mass air flow sensor on your Ford Windstar is designed to measure the amount of air that comes in through the intake, which allows the computer to adjust the fuel pressure and flow...

The Ford Taurus was a popular vehicle when it was introduced in the 1980s, and its popularity persevered until the line was discontinued in the early 2000s, just to be brought back again at the...

Spoked (laced) motorcycle wheels are an attractive alternative to mag wheels. Consisting of a hub, rim and two different lengths of spokes, the wheel assembly can be adjusted to run straight and...

The sway bar on your front suspension does a lot of work, as it ties the front wheels together and helps to stiffen the handling as well as improve the ride quality. When the bushings in the sway...

Your Ford F-150 4.2L engine's thermostat is the gateway between the radiator and your engine. When it's closed, it stops coolant from traveling through the two components, and when it opens, fresh...

Harley-Davidson throttle controls feature a pull-open cable and a pull-closed cable. This gives very positive control to the throttle position. The pull-open (forward) cable operates the throttle...

Harley-Davidson Shovelhead motorcycles employ an element type oil filter. The oil return line carries pressurized oil back to the oil tank. The pressure forces the return oil through the filter...

The damper is a spring-like component of a car's suspension system. It comes standard on most car models, including Hondas. They are located behind the wheels. Removing and replacing these parts...

Turbos are among some of the biggest mechanical issues to normally go wrong with cars. From turbo spikes to lagging, there are many problems that can go wrong with a turbo during normal driving...

Before fuel injection, electronic control units and catalytic converters, trucks had much simpler engines. Back then, getting a truck to run correctly meant almost daily tune-ups, depending on the...

Installing a new exhaust can increase horsepower and the sound output of your vehicle, as well as improve the appearance over the stock unit. But before you can install an exhaust, you must first...

Power steering used to be a luxury feature on some vehicles, but today, it seems like most cars and trucks have some form of assisted steering. Most cars use a hydraulic system to aid in turning,...

In a Pontiac Trans Am, as in most vehicles, the radiator hoses direct the flow of coolant from the radiator, to the engine and back through the radiator. If one of them is busted or leaking, you...

Manual transmissions last much longer than their automatic counterparts; however, over time they too become worn down, and certain parts will need replacing. One of the problems which manual...

On a Chevrolet V8 engine, the engine can heat up to some high temperatures. One of the ways the manufacturer minimizes heat is by installing an oil cooler that drops the temperature of the oil...

The engine is the heart of your vehicle, and if it needs to be replaced, it can be a chore. But besides all of the complicated wiring, plumbing and grunt work involved in an engine swap, there's...

The starter motor on a vehicle is designed to turn over the engine with just the power from the battery, which gets the motor rotating and the engine running correctly. If the starter on your...

The control arms on your vehicle are critical to the proper operation of your front suspension, and if a ball joint goes out or the bushings need to be replaced, you must remove the control arms...

The Toyota Prius is equipped with two types of batteries. The first one, found in almost all automobiles, is a lead-acid (Pb-A) 12V accessory battery. The second battery is designed for hybrid...

One of the most common modifications on an automobile is to swap out small factory rims with larger rims. However, to avoid losing power and affecting your speedometer, the tire size must also be...

Many mechanical modifications to your vehicle require lifting the vehicle up in the air to do the work. Doing that means using a jack that capable of lifting the vehicle and supporting it until...

You car's battery cables transmit electric current from the alternator back to the battery and down to a ground point, completing the circuit. If the cables are damaged, you risk losing power and...

The light switch on your truck is responsible for turning on the headlights, marker lights and running lights on your Chevrolet truck, and it's not indestructible. If the headlights overload the...

Pulleys are typically pressed onto the shafts on which they mount. The outside diameter of the shaft is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the pulley hole, resulting in an interference or...

Control arms are an integral part of your car's suspension system that can become seriously damaged in situations where they are hit by a sudden force, such as driving on extremely rugged terrain...

An O-ring is a ring-shaped object, usually made of metal, that functions as a sealing device between two mechanical parts. O-rings can transmit fluids or gases, as well as prevent leaks in...

Seat belts are the most basic but most important piece of safety equipment on your vehicle. They are required on every automobile manufactured or driven in the United State. If your seat belt...

In your vehicle's charging system, the battery stores the power, and the alternator creates it. Without one, the other can't do its job, and the whole system fails. Changing the alternator on your...

The check-engine warning light, or any other warning light on a Ford Windstar indicates failure or impending failure. It is pointless to attempt to clear or shut the lights off without correcting...

In 1999, when GM introduced its new line of full-size pickups, including the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado, it changed some components in the front suspension. Instead of having individual...

While there is no direct, clear definition of the label "big block," the phrase is well regarded to mean an engine that has large physical dimensions. The ability to interchange parts among engine...

The mechanical world holds many parts, accessories and tools used in the trade. Basic tools such as nuts and bolts, screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers are all common in a contemporary household. A...

The one tool that most garages need is a hydraulic jack. This helps you to raise and lower the vehicle you're working on, and makes most jobs easier. Although it seems like the jack is simple to...

Properly breaking in your vehicle's rebuilt engine is essential to the engine's longevity. The initial 500 to 1,000 miles of an engine's life determine how long the engine will last, how much oil...

A shop press is a handy tool to have around the garage. You can use it to replace ball joints, press bushings and remove or reinstall bearings. Learning how to use a press properly is important,...

A front suspension has lots of moving parts, all of which are important in keeping things together. For vertical movement, the ball joint does the job of making sure the upper control arm can lift...

Installing a fuel pump on your Ford on your own can save you a significant amount of money in labor and installation costs. Maintaining a well-functioning fuel pump for your engine is vital in...

When purchasing saddlebags for a Harley Davidson Deluxe, size up the depth from the frame rail on the fender to the exhaust. Make sure there is a minimum of two inches between the exhaust and the...

Big-block Chevy timing is pretty well standardized unless major modification have been done. The timing on stock 396, 402, 427 and 454 engines is 32-34 degrees total advance at 3500 rpm. This is...

Changing the ball joints on your Honda Civic on your own can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in labor and installation costs that you would be forced to pay at an auto mechanic. In...

A Ford starter solenoid is one of the key components to the starting system of most older Ford vehicles. It's essentially a big relay, which provides power from the battery to the starter motor...

Before rack and pinion steering was introduced, a common steering design was the recirculating ball method. The downside to this type of steering was that it could cause vibrations and could make...

Towing a Jeep Wrangler behind any vehicle is a precise process and can cause significant damage to the transmission and transfer case if done improperly. Choose the method that you would like to...

As cars get older, parts wear out and need replacing. When it comes to the front suspension, a common part to wear out over time is the ball joint on the upper and lower control arms. The ball...

The internal combustion piston engine has been used in countless applications from small engines for lawn mowers,to larger engines for aircraft and automobiles, to large diesel engines for trains...

The Chevrolet Colorado is the successor to one of Chevy's most popular small trucks, the S-10. Since its introduction, the Colorado has seen success as well, and lots of happy owners are putting...

Automatic transmissions may seem like a complicated mechanism to a fairly simple end. Automatic car transmissions have been around for a long time and are extremely prevalent on the roads today....

The axle is installed through a hub during a vehicle's construction to keep the axle perpendicular to the wheel, which is installed onto the hub assembly. The hub aligns the axle and wheel so that...