Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Learning how to tell the left from the right side on car parts is easy, so long as you know what you're looking for. Tell the left from the right side on car parts with help from an expert in the automotive industry in this free video clip.
Checking to see if a muffler is loose doesn't require an expensive trip down to the mechanic. Check if a muffler is loose with help from an expert in the automotive industry in this free video clip.
The Yamaha F115 outboard has a digital speedometer that can display speed in kph, mph or knots, also known as nautical miles per hour. You can select your preferred unit of measurement with switches on the back of the speedometer. These switches are covered with a rubber cap. To the left of this rubber cap, as you look at the back of the speedometer, is a power connector. Below the power connector is a nipple for a plastic speedometer tube. The journey to a clean speedometer tube begins there.
Your vehicle’s differential changes the rotating motion of the driveshaft to rotation of the axles through a ring and pinion drive gear, side gears and pinion gears. Differentials fall into three main groups: open, limited-slip and locking. There are several types of locking differentials. The original locking differential was automatic, other locking differentials have been developed that are manually engaged by air, electricity and cable.
Changing out the zinc anodes on your two-stroke, 90-horsepower Yamaha outboard's powerhead presents little difficulty, even if you've never changed one before. There is only one anode, and it is always on the same side of the powerhead. Once you remove the engine's top cover and expose the powerhead, it requires the most basic hand-tools to replace it -- a wrench and a screwdriver. With a digital multimeter, you can test the electrical connectivity of the zinc, as well as that of every zinc on the boat.
Mufflers are the oval or cylindrical components located at the end of the exhaust system toward the rear of the vehicle forward of the tail pipe. The muffler helps the vehicle to meet sound and emissions standards for the manufacturing year of the vehicle. Oxidation of the mild steel in the mufflers can cause the muffler to rot and fail over time. The processes causing rot can occur on the inside, as well as the outside, of the muffler.
Engines are in the business of fire; they use it to make power, they contain its wrath and they channel excess energy away where it can do no harm. But in the same way that a badger on a chain is more useful and less dangerous than a school of sharks, allowing that blaze to leave the confines of the combustion chamber can cause serious problems for your engine's metal components and everything attached to them.
Custom wheel inserts can mean different things to different vehicles owners. Inserts can apply to custom hub inserts that feature an automaker’s logo or a custom design. It could also mean lug inserts that provide different lug nut sizes. However, a custom wheel rim insert is a different animal altogether. It’s essentially a runflat tire that features an additional support ring, or insert, wrapped around the rim to allow the vehicle to travel with a destroyed tire.
Reverberation is the reflection of sound off of surfaces in a room. The larger the room, the more reflection or echo there will be. Natural reverb is often called acoustics by musicians. Recording artists use reverb to add a sense of acoustic space to their songs. Artificial reverb can be produced with an electronic keyboard, such as the Casio CTK-451, when it is plugged into a reverb pedal. Reverb pedals work with electric guitars and keyboards. They lengthen the sound of a note or repeat it in an echo to create artistic effects in songs.
Prior to the 1940s, the great majority of mass-produced engine cylinder heads were flat, colloquially called flatheads or flatties. By the 1950s the design had been eclipsed by numerous overhead valve designs, but Dodge’s military division was to produce vehicles with a flat engine for another two decades. They were used in a series of trucks whose name began with the letter “M.” Only one type of engine was used: the Dodge T245.
When a bolt breaks off in the engine block or cylinder head, you need to make a decision what method you'll use to remove the bolt. The first thing to consider is whether the bolt broke from being bottomed out in the hole, over-torqued or rusted. Bolts that have bottomed out in the hole or are more difficult to remove with a screw extractor. The welding procedure works in most every circumstance, even with aluminum heads. This is by far the most effective way of removing a broken bolt without causing further problems. It requires either a Tig or Mig…
The Impala is Chevrolet's sports sedan. Redesigned in 2006, the Impala line was refined further in 2012, reducing the number of powertrain options available and consolidating the line's trim levels to three versions. As in previous model years, the 2012 Impala LTZ is equipped with several upgrades over the LT and LS trims, including a stiffer, sport-tuned suspension system.
The 2002 Dodge Intrepid was offered with a 2.7-liter six-cylinder engine or a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. Despite the difference, the coolant draining and filling procedure are the same. Both engines have a total cooling system capacity of 9.4 quarts and require Mopar long life 5 year/100,000 mile green coolant.
Adding drama and suspense to a dramatic interpretation can be accomplished in a number of different ways depending on your preferences. Add drama and suspense to a dramatic interpretation with help from a professional actress and performer in this free video clip.
Diagnosing problems with the fuel lines in your car is difficult unless you are experiencing acceleration problems. The fuel system operates under pressure to keep gasoline or diesel flowing smoothly into the combustion chamber of the engine. A little suction on the gas cap is a good sign, but an excessive vacuum indicates problems.
In the context of automobile engines, overflow bottles and expansion tanks are separate entities. Expansion tanks have been the norm on most vehicles since the 1970s, but overflow bottles were an important part of both the philosophy and engineering that led to their introduction.
In the 2005 model year, Chevrolet began phasing out the aging Cavalier and introduced its eventual replacement, the Cobalt. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near as successful as its predecessor, and Chevy discontinued it after just six model years. The 2007 Cobalt came standard with a 2.2-liter engine that used GM’s proprietary Dex-Cool coolant to keep it within an acceptable temperature range. Chevy recommended flushing and refilling the 2.2-liter engine's cooling system every 60 months or 150,000 miles, whichever came first. Flushing the 2007 Cobalt’s coolant is more time consuming than difficult, but the money you save makes it well worth…
Defrosting a gas cap is something people might not think of, but its very important in the winter time. Learn about defrosting a gas cap with help from an expert in the automotive industry in this free video clip.
A key cylinder in a Schlage lock that is difficult to turn is most likely in need of a replacement key plug. The key plug is the portion of the Schlage lock that is the keyhole and contains the bottom pins for keying. It is possible to change out the key plug and keep the same key. A plug follower is required to prevent the pins on the cylinder from popping out when removing the key plug. Plug followers are available at locksmith shops and some hardware stores.
Speedometers have a margin of error. Different types of speedometers are used in the automotive industry, and although the exact margin of error varies by type and manufacturer no option provides a 100 percent accurate speed reading at all times. Variables on the vehicle that change over time affect the accuracy of a speedometer.
Getting an engine to run, much less run well, is no simple task. While any high-school auto-shop student may tell you how air and fuel gets into the cylinder, ignites and gets back out, the fact is that the techniques used today are the products of more than a century's worth of trial, error and refinement. Valvetrains and ignition systems are getting more complex by the day, edging ever closer to perfectly orchestrating the dance of physics that is an internal combustion engine.
A vehicle's rear differential sends power from the driveshaft to the axles. When cornering, the inside tire turns slower than the outside tire. The differential allows the tires to rotate at different speeds. There are three basic types of differentials – open, limited-slip and locking. They all work in different ways; one requires a friction modifier to be used in the differential.
The 1998 Nissan Frontier came equipped with a 2.4-liter inline-four cylinder engine and either an automatic or model FS5W71 five-speed manual transmission. The gear oil in the manual transmission should be changed every 60,000 miles or 48 months. Check the gear oil every 12,000 miles. The transmission has a filler drain plug on the bottom of the case and a filler plug on the side of the case. This is a quick and easy job for the do-it-yourself mechanic.
Anti-Slip Regulation, or ASR, is a secondary safety feature that works with the Anti-Lock Braking System, or ABS, on cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. Also called Traction Control System, or TCS, the ASR helps prevent the vehicle’s wheels from losing traction by using an electro-hydraulic system that controls the engine and brakes in adverse road conditions or if the driver uses excessive acceleration and the wheels slip on the pavement.
Supercharging is one of the ultimate ways to increase the power output of an engine. By forcing pressurized air into the engine, superchargers substantially raise the volume of air the engine has available for combustion. However, through pressurization, the temperature of the air is substantially increased. The purpose of an intercooler system is to lower the temperature of the supercharged air before it is fed into the engine.
Turbochargers are the ultimate way to squeeze the maximum amount of horsepower possible out of an internal combustion engine. However, to run efficiently, turbochargers require an entire system of piping and sensors in order to monitor and circulate the pressurized air as it is fed into the throttle body. An important part of most turbo systems is the intercooler, which is designed to cool down the turbocharged air before it enters the engine. The necessity of an intercooler system is due to the extreme level of heat generated by a turbocharger setup.
Poor reception makes it difficult to listen to a radio broadcast or communicate on a two-way radio. The signal strength of the reception depends on the power output of the station and the device receiving the signal. If you transmit or receive radio signals, use a bilateral amplifier to boost the power of the signal in both directions. Using an amplified device, however, requires notification or permission from the Federal Communications Commission.
As delivered from the dealership, a Yamaha V Star 650 is provided with a pair of ignition keys and a metal tag with a key code. The code allows the V Star's owner to order a new set of keys matched to the motorcycle's ignition switch in case they're lost. But the key code tag is easily lost, especially if the motorcycle is purchased used. As an added form of insurance, the key code is also imprinted into the ignition switch housing, which can be removed and taken to your Yamaha dealership to verify you are the motorcycle's rightful owner.
Computers vs carburetors, CVT vs DIY and overhead-cam vs pushrod: these are the conflicts that both divide us and serve to spark the fires of innovation and understanding. Both OHC and pushrod engines have been around since the dawn of the internal combustion engine, and more than a century later the debate is still going strong.
Coolant, also known as antifreeze, is an essential part of maintaining optimal car function. The main ingredient in antifreeze is glycol, with most modern car engines using a mixture of glycol and water. Filling and maintaining your coolant is a relatively simple procedure. However, if it is not done properly, you can cause serious damage to the engine of your car. If you are unsure about to correctly measure the coolant for your car, have it done by a professional auto repair person, who also can show you how to refill the coolant yourself.
Radio-controlled helicopters like the Blade CP by E-flite require occasional maintenance or replacement of parts to remain in flying order. One of the parts that may need to be replaced or disconnected for maintenance is the motor on the tail rotor gearbox. To reconnect the tail motor, follow the specific wiring instructions.
You can connect the transmission and reception lines from Motorola radios to the ZR310 repeater module to rebroadcast the signals received by your radio. The Zetron repeater is a component that works within a transmit and receive set to provide the repeating function. The ZR310 has connections for the transmit and receive cables, the power supply and the duplexer module that need to be wired correctly for the repeater to function as a part of the system.
Overhead camshafts are installed in the engine head above the valves and cylinders. Normal camshafts are located in the engine block beside the cylinders in in-line engines, and between the cylinders in V-8 engines. Camshafts keep the engine in time by moving the valves up and down as the crankshaft moves the pistons up and down. The camshaft is kept in time with the crankshaft either through a timing chain or a timing belt.
Volvo vehicles are equipped with the optional Geartronic transmission that permits the driver to select a gear using a steering wheel paddle-shift operated by the thumbs and without the aid of a clutch. The Geartronic essentially is a manual transmission without using the floor-mounted clutch. The Volvo Geartronic is similar to the Porsche Tiptronic transmission introduced in late 1989.
A bicycle dropout is a component that allows the rider to remove the rear wheel without derailing the chain. It is part of the fork end of the bicycle, which is a slot that holds the axle of the wheel. Dropouts were prevalent on bikes built before 1990 and are popular for converting a bike to single speed. However, steel and aluminum bikes do not have replaceable dropouts, so new trackends must be welded onto the dropouts to function safely. Always wear safety goggles while welding.
Liquid can do serious damage to an Evo N610c. Even if it doesn't reach the motherboard -- the most important component contained inside the computer -- it can cause the keyboard to malfunction or render it unusable. While some forms of liquid, including soda, juice or soup, can get stuck between the keys, reducing the keyboard's functionality, even water can ruin a keyboard, as it damages the contact layers that transmit signals to the motherboard. If the keys on the Evo N610c no longer work, install a new keyboard to the computer to replace the keys.
Despite its lacking performance and high sticker price, the Corvette’s 1953 release was a complete success. In 1960, the Corvette finally crested the 300-horsepower mark and stayed that way until the emissions crunch of the 1970s sucked the power from it. By 2006, the Corvette became a streamlined machine with up to 505 asphalt-pummeling horsepower. For those that sacrificed 105 horsepower and went with the convertible body style, you could feel your hair follicles hanging on for dear life, as you rip from 0 to 60 mph in just over 4.6 seconds, if only you could figure out how to…
An automobile's transmission is responsible for converting an engine's power into torque with the aid of gears and clutches. As one type of transmission, the A604 is known for releasing and applying one gear at a time without using bands or sprags. With a fairly high amount of automobile knowledge and a few spare days, you can rebuild an ailing A604 transmission and restore it to an effective, working condition.
Installing a locking gas cap on a 2007 Ford Mustang will add a layer of security when attempting to safeguard the vehicle's fuel from thieves and vandals. A locking gas cap requires the owner to use a specially matched key to remove the cap from the filler neck before fueling. Although determined criminals may have the ability to bypass a locking gas cap when attempting to steal fuel from a vehicle, installing such a device can serve as a deterrent.
There are not many things worse on an engine than initially starting it on extremely cold days. Not only are all of the seals harder than usual, but the engine oil becomes thicker and the fuel doe not burn as effectively in a cold combustion chamber. Dodge solved this problem by offering an engine block heater on all 2010 Ram models. This dealer-installed option increases the temperature of the block to help negate the adverse effects of starting its engine when it is very cold. Dodge routed the engine block heater’s connector so it remains out of the way, but…
A speedometer is standard equipment on all Sea Fox boats, along with a fuel gauge. The fun part comes because they are combined in the same instrument -- you must push the "Mode" button on the bottom of the instrument face to switch between the two. This means the speedometer-gas gauge is receiving input from the fuel tank sender in addition to input from the speedometer's sender. The project is simplified by the instrument panel shelf just below the speedometer-gas gauge.
Chevrolet produced the compact front-wheel drive Cobalt from 2005 to 2010 before replacing it with the Cruze. The Cobalt, which featured a four-cylinder engine, was available as a coupe or sedan. Chevy offered it in five trim options: the base LS, mid-range LT, luxury-oriented LTS, a short-lived Sport model and the performance Super Sport, or SS.
HHO stands for Hybrid Hydrogen Oxygen, a term used to define a fuel system that uses water in addition to fuel for engine combustion. HHO system proponents claim the system can increase gas mileage, lessen engine vibration, burn cleaner and extend the life of a typical internal combustion engine. An HHO kit contains a number of components that must be configured and installed on the engine. The theory of how HHO systems work involves understanding the basic principles of physics that involve chemical and electrical reactions.
Automotive electrical systems are ostensibly simple and hardy, but they do have a few weak links. The ground strap and grounding system that helps keep your system simple may also prove its undoing, causing vehicle-wide malfunctions resulting from a few little frayed wires.
Hardiebacker is a brand name for a line of fiber cement boards used in construction projects. Fiber cement is a versatile backing material that works well in a number of different applications, including some projects involving fireplaces. This material has strong moisture-resistance capabilities and is also heat resistant, making it an ideal liner for projects around your fireplace.
Most fasteners used in aircraft manufacturing are installed wet. The rivets or bolts are covered with sealant during installation. The process prevents moisture from penetrating the aircraft and provides corrosion protection to critical areas, such as the fuel tanks. Wet fastener installation is labor-intensive and very time consuming. You will only be able to perform this task if you have a lot of aircraft maintenance knowledge. The long-term integrity of the aircraft's structure will depend on the consistent application of the sealant on each fastener.
Code P0440 on the 2003 Dodge Dakota is a trouble code relating to the evaporative emission, or EVAP control system. The EVAP system works by routing gas fumes into a charcoal canister, and they are later routed into the engine for combustion. This code can be set by several causes and can be difficult to diagnose.
Thermos catalytic heaters have not been manufactured since the 1970s. The heater runs off catalytic heater fuel, or white gas, and was designed to be used as a small space heater. When first ignited, there is a flame but after about 15 minutes, the flame will go out and the heater will continue to produce heat.
Automotive exhaust systems are fairly durable these days. Whether through concerns for quality or regulation compliance, the systems are far superior to those of yore. Even so, a muffler might suffer damage from road thawing chemicals or long drives on the beach. Impact with a speed bump or parking lot car-stop may be to blame. Whatever the cause, be assured that no good can come from driving with a broken muffler. Ramifications can range from highly personal results to effects of global proportion.
Laying your own asphalt driveway or road is a job you may never have to do. However, a roller compactor is an invaluable tool if you do. The Wacker Roller Compactor is a walk-behind compaction tool manufactured by Wacker Neuson. The compactor is used to first flatten and smooth the dirt on which the asphalt will be poured. This process helps eliminate buckles and other imperfections in the asphalt once it is poured. After the asphalt is poured and semi-dried, the compactor helps to smooth it. Troubleshooting and repairing the Wacker Roller Compactor will take between 30 minutes to two…
