General Auto Repair

In order to keep your engine running well, you should change your spark plugs regularly, and you can easily do it yourself. It’s a lot cheaper than having a mechanic do it. This will also help you...

The Nissan Maxima is a mid- to full-size car that has been around since the late 1970s. It is marketed as a "four-door sports car" due to its sleek design, smooth, speedy performance and...

The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the pioneer sports cars designed by General Motors in 1953. Its sleek two-door design captivated the hearts of American automobile owners and instantly became the...

The Altima replaced the Stanza as the car company's midsize car, making its debut in 1992 for the 1993 model year. Since then, it has had three subsequent generations (1998 to 2001, 2002 to 2006...

Introduced in the United States for only one model year, 2001, the Hyundai XG300 was manufactured as a mid-size luxury sedan for the North American market (It was called the Grandeur XG in South...

The CR-V is a small, four-door crossover SUV from Japanese automaker Honda. It was first sold in Japan in 1996 and came to the North American market in 2007. The CR-V was redesigned in 2002, and...

Replacing the side-view door mirror on the Buick Regal is a very expensive repair at the local body shop or repair station. Not only are the replacement mirrors expensive, but the labor to install...

Auto circuit breakers and fuses perform similar functions, in that they both are designed to break an electrical circuit when there is an electrical overload. However, there are distinct...

Drill bits used to drill metal are prone to wear. Properly using the drill bit lengthens the life of the bit and allows you to drill holes easier. The main factor that wears a drill bit is...

A complete engine is broken down into two basic sub-assemblies: The long block and the short block. The short block includes the block and rotating assembly (crankshaft, rods, and pistons). The...

The XL7 was a mid-size SUV available from Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation between 1998 and 2009. The vehicle was sold alongside the compact Vitara model. The XL7 was redesigned for the...

Torsion bar suspensions use a special type of spring known as a torsion bar or torsion rod in order to resist the bumps and movement that a car or truck normally encounters on the road. Unlike the...

Based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Holley Performance Products has been designing carburetors for more than 100 years. Holley carburetors are installed in every NASCAR Sprint Cup team, according to...

Drilling and tapping a hole in thicker gauge metal is a fundamental part of fabricating metal. Using the optimal drill bit is imperative in producing a functional and strong final tapped hole. If...

A vacuum booster uses vacuum pressure from the engine to boost the amount of pressure going to the brakes. The check valve on vacuum booster regulates the amount of pressure in the booster. If...

Torque is the applied tightness of the retaining bolt without over-tightening (which can mash threads to the mating surfaces) or under-tightening (which can lead to the bolt not holding the...

Removing the interior door panels on a Subaru is widely standardized, no matter what the model. If you must replace a side-view mirror, replace the power window module or motor, or upgrade the...

The water pump is an essential mechanical part of your Jeep Cherokee. A water pump circulates a mixture of coolant and water through the engine block and back through the radiator to maintain a...

Having to remove the door panel on a Chevy Tracker may intimidate many do-it-yourself enthusiasts. Realigning a window on its track, replacing a power window motor, replacing a powered side-view...

Even for the least initiated among us, the car battery presents little mystery when compared with the rest of the automotive repair world. A dead battery can usually be recharged with a jump from...

Most people think of their automobile as their lifeline. If this describes you, then following these five basic tips will provide you with a safer and more knowledgeable relationship with your...

A head gasket is the part of an internal combustion engine that seals the cylinder head to the engine block. The purpose of this component is to make sure that the compression stays at a maximum...

Founded in 1985, the Saturn division of General Motors began selling cars in 1991. For nearly 20 years, Saturn's vehicle offerings have ranged from compact coupes and sedans to sports cars and...

American automaker General Motors began producing and marketing cars through its Saturn division in 1991. For nearly 20 years, Saturn offered cars and SUVs that ranged from entry-level economy...

Korean automaker Kia has produced the Sedona minivan since 1999 and has offered it for sale in the U.S. since 2003. Redesigned for the 2006 model year, the Sedona continues to be among the...

Deciding between a mortgage company and a credit union can be tricky. Knowing the differences between them will help you make the best decision to fit your financial needs.

Fall is a good time to get your vehicle ready for the colder weather ahead. Here's some tips you can do yourself, or have an ASE certified technician perform, to get your car ready for winter:

While using jack stands on trucks or any other vehicle seems like simple common sense, misuse or not paying attention to detail can lead to hazardous or fatal conditions. All jacks and jack stands...

Accidents happen all of the time, and whether it be from a collision or brush with someone's wet paint, it is quite easy to soil your car with an unintentional dab of paint. Luckily, this can be...

Inside your car door is a set of mechanisms that allow the window to go up and down at the touch of a button. One of the most important is the lift mechanism. A small motor is attached to...

The Ford Windstar was introduced in 1995 and features a 3.0 or 3.8 liter engine. Both six-cylinder motors may have come equipped with or without A/C and multiple accessories. Each motor, and what...

In modern automobile engines the fuel pressure regulator (FPR) uses a spring-driven diaphragm to maintain the flow rate of fuel into a fuel injector. This injector in turn delivers the fuel to a...

It could happen to any of us: You're leaving work and notice that your car has a scratch in the side that was not there before. Depending on how deep the scratch is or how long it is, you might be...

Hydraulic fluids are used in different types of machinery, such as cars and planes, with the main objective to allow power to transfer. But carte should be taken when handling such fluids. They...

Aircraft fasteners are famous for holding together critical parts, but if the fastener gets stripped, it becomes a problem to remove the parts. Complicating things is that most fasteners are made...

Thankfully, the alternator replacement in the 1987 Honda Accord does not occur frequently. The removal of the alternator in this model requires the removal of the left side constant velocity shaft...

A rusty exhaust is not only unattractive, but can also lead to holes in the system. Prevention means getting off any rust that appears when it happens. This project should take about 30 minutes.

When it comes to auto repair, costs vary according to the car part. When it comes to the timing belt, dealers and mechanics recommend replacement every 50,000 to 60,000 miles for most cars, while...

One of the common maintenance issues with many vehicles is replacing the rear lights. Sometimes the bulb pops and needs to be changed, and other times the entire lens is damaged. Here's how to...

The Taurus is one of the all-time best selling cars from American automaker Ford Motor Company. The Taurus was first offered as a 1986 model, and since then the Taurus name has been used on...

The main body of the master cylinder consists of two brake-fluid reservoirs, from which the brake system is supplied--a primary piston that provides the displacement that pushes the brake fluid...

The Cash for Clunkers plan has been such a huge success that the government ran out of money for it far quicker than they expected. Thousands of cars have been consigned to the scrap yard for...

Solenoid valves are devices designed to allow the passage of air or fluid through a chamber and govern the strength of its flow. These devices are different from normal valves in that they have...

Converting your vehicle to an electric fan system has several benefits. For one, removing the fan that's mounted on the engine reduces parasitic drag and can increase horsepower. Also, the fans...

Jeep Wranglers built from 1987 to 1995 (known as the YJ Wrangler) used leaf springs to secure the drive axles to the frame and cushion the vehicle's ride. Leaf springs are flat steel plates...

Motorola alternators are a car part provided by the Motorola Electronics Corporation. They can be bought as aftermarket or replacement car parts, and are used in all Hyundai vehicles as standard....

The EGR or exhaust gas recirculation valve on a Chevrolet pickup is located on the intake manifold near the carburetor. The EGR valve draws exhaust gases from the exhaust system and reintroduces...

The air bag on a Ford Focus is an important safety feature that protects the driver and passengers in the event of a collision. Some repairs and maintenance procedures, especially work that...

The heater core on a Ford car or light truck operates in conjunction with the engine's cooling system to provide heated air to the passenger cabin. Engine coolant flows from the vehicle's engine...

Except for rotaries engines, all four-stroke engines use some sort of camshaft. They are widely considered the "brains" of an engine.