Autos - Car Battery Maintenance Tips

Car Battery Maintenance Tips

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A car battery.

 

Car Battery Maintenance Tips

Your car battery is the heart of your car and if it's not beating with power, your car will only sit still. So take care of your battery and it will keep your car running for a long time. There are some fairly simple tips for taking care of your car battery.

Test Your Battery

1. Regularly test your battery, particularly before a long trip and after it's been recharged. You don't want the battery to fail to start your car when you are far from home.

Park Your Car in a Garage

2. An insulated garage helps keep your battery warm in the winter. This means it will be easier for your battery to start your car. If you don't have an insulted garage, then insulate the battery itself with a blanket.

Keep the Battery Clean

3. When you test your battery, you might also want to clean it. This means removing the clamps and cleaning off the dirt and grease from the clamps and terminals. You want a clean connection so as not to weaken the charge. Clean the battery case itself with baking soda dissolved in warm water. Dirt can conduct electricity and discharge electricity.

Check the Fluid Levels

4. When you clean your battery, check the fluid level as well. If it is low, add distilled water to top it off. Keeping the fluid levels full, will help extend the life of the battery. If you don't see any fluid, you may want to replace the battery. The lack of fluid is an indicator that the battery is near the end of its life.

Secure the Battery

5. Secure the battery in the mounting bracket. A loose battery can slide around and become damaged. It might also cause a short circuit in some cases.

Autos - How to Know If Your Battery Cables Are Bad

How to Know If Your Battery Cables Are Bad

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Many car owners have had problems starting their car with what appears to be a dead or weak battery, only to have the battery tested and told that it is in good condition. Sometimes this symptom is caused not by the battery, but by corroded or damaged battery cables that provide such high resistance to the electrical circuit that it does not provide sufficient current to power the starter and fire up the engine. With the help of a friend, you can test your battery cables and determine whether they are bad or not.

 

 

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Digital multimeter

1. Attach the positive (red) lead from the multimeter to the positive battery terminal.
   
   
2. Set the multimeter to measure voltage. Have the person helping you start the engine now while you keep a close eye on the multimeter. The voltage reading should be very close to 0. If the reading is 0.3 volts or more for a small four-cylinder engine, or 0.5 volts or more for larger six- to eight-cylinder engines, the cables are bad and should be replaced.
   
   
3. Test the negative battery cable in the same way. Attach the negative (black) lead from the multimeter to the negative battery terminal. The voltage reading should be very close to 0. A reading of 0.3 volts or more on this negative side is reason to replace the cable.

Autos - Car Transmission Maintenance

Car Transmission Maintenance

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Transmissions are at the heart of every car.

 

Car Transmission Maintenance

In order for a car to function properly, the transmission has to be in good working order. If proper transmission maintenance is not performed on a regular basis, problems such as slipping gears or a complete breakdown of the drive train can occur. Regular transmission maintenance includes changing the oil at intervals recommended by the vehicle manufacturer and upgrading the transmission for heavier loads. Heavy loads include, for example, trailers and campers and for pickup trucks work loads in the rear bed.

Change the Oil

1. For both manual and automatic transmissions, change the oil on a regular basis. Most car manufacturers recommend changing the transmission oil between 30,000 and 50,000 miles and at each similar interval in the future.

Change Transmission Oil Filter

2. As this can be a tedious job, you may want to have this done by your auto mechanic. Auto shops can lift the car up for easier transmission access. Most car manufacturers recommend changing the transmission filter the first time and at each subsequent oil replacement.

Transmission Oil Additives

3. To prolong transmission life, specialized products can be added to transmission oil. These products can enhance vehicle performance, especially if the car has not had regular transmission oil changes.

Install Transmission Cooler

4. When a vehicle is hauling a heavy load, installing a transmission cooler can prolong the life of the transmission. The cooler connects to the transmission lines so that the oil will flow through the cooler and keep the oil at an optimum temperature. High temperatures will cause the oil's consistency to break down, resulting in the overheating of the internal mechanics of the transmission.

Autos - How to Test for a Bad Car Battery

How to Test for a Bad Car Battery

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Test your dead battery to see if it should be replaced or restored.

dead battery image by Katrina Miller from Fotolia.com

When your car battery fails to perform, you may think about charging it. There is, however, a good chance that your battery needs to be replaced and not simply charged. Modern batteries rarely fail to work properly unless there is damage to some component inside of the battery. Charging a bad battery might allow you to start your vehicle and drive it back to your home. However, it may not prevent you from being stranded on your next trip. Testing your battery will help you determine if the battery should be charged or replaced.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Workbench
• Protective eye wear
• Battery post/terminal cleaner
• Battery load tester
• 6/12-volt battery charger/starter

1. Open the car hood. Put on safety glasses. Remove the battery cables with a wrench. Remove the battery from the vehicle and place it on your workbench.
   
   
2. Clean the battery posts. Use a battery post cleaner to clean oxidation and corrosion from the posts. Push the cleaner onto a battery post and start twisting it back and forth until the post becomes bright and shiny. Repeat the process for the other battery post. For a side mount battery, use the wire brush on the reverse end of the cleaning tool to scrub the battery's cable mounting surface. Use this brush to clean the battery cable ends of either battery type.
   
   
3. Complete a load test. Connect the positive clamp from the load tester machine to the positive battery terminal and the ground clamp to the battery's negative post. Switch the load tester to the "On" position and push the test button. If the needle drops below 12 volts and remains there, the battery must be replaced. If the needle drops and returns to 12 volts, the battery can be restored.
   
   
4. Charge the battery. Place the battery on a slow (trickle) charger. Leave the charger on for a minimum of eight hours and ideally for 24 hours to restore a dead battery. When finished, remove the charger and reinstall the battery in your vehicle.

Autos - How to Do Car Maintenance & Car Repairs

How to Do Car Maintenance & Car Repairs

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Car maintenance

 

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A car is usually the second most expensive purchase someone makes, besides a house. So doing regular car maintenance and repairs is a good way to make this investment last as long as possible and to keep repair costs down. The average car owner can sometimes easily do maintenance and repairs, but there are some procedures that, if you are not comfortable with them, should be left to the pros.

 

 

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Owner's manual

1. Read your owner's manual. Your owner's manual should tell you the specifics of how often and with what type you should replace or refill basic fluids and how often to do other regular scheduled maintenance. This will include oil changes, antifreeze changes and to what level things like things like brake fluid should be. At the very least you need to know how often maintenance should be done.
   
   
2. If you want to know how to do a certain type of maintenance or a certain kind of repair, you can buy a Haynes or Chilton manual for your specific car type, which will show with some level of illustration how to do basic automotive work. These manuals are not written to the absolute beginner, though, so you may or may not find them completely helpful. They will, at the very least, give you a better idea of what to look for and a better understanding of what you are looking at on the car. The maintanence most people can do themselves include oil changes, replacing the air filter, replacing spark plugs and filling low fluid levels and tires to correct air pressure.
   
   
3. Know your limitations and be safe. Working on a car or other automobile can be very dangerous. For starters they are very heavy, and if you don't know what you're doing you shouldn't be jacking them up or driving on ramps. Do the work with the car on flat stable ground, with blocks on the tires keeping the car from moving. Also wait until the engine has been off for at least several hours to avoid getting burned. Wear gloves to keep your hands from being cut by auto parts. Be very careful where you stick your hands, especially in small places, so they don't get stuck. Most important, keep small children away from the work area. If you really don't understand or know what you are doing, you can really mess up your car, so if you're wary, get help.
   
   
4. Get the right tools. It may initially be expensive, but getting the right tools for the job will make it easier, save time and possibly keep you from installing something wrong or breaking it. Car parts are often under a lot of pressure, and not securing something properly can lead to it breaking or coming loose while driving. If you use the wrong wrench you may also easily strip the part and be unable to finish putting it on or taking it off. It can be very expensive to tow it to a mechanic to get it fixed. One item you should always have handy is a pair of safety goggles.
   
   
5. Take a class and learn. Community colleges sometimes offer courses in basic car maintenance. These classes will help you learn how to correctly do a lot of things that regularly need to be done on a car, from oil changes to changing brake pads.
   
   
   

Auto's - How to Pick Rims

How to Pick Rims

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*Vintage Car Wheels

wire wheel image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com

Rims, wheels, alloys---whatever you want to call them, they are the most noticeable aspects of your car and are one of the most common changes car enthusiasts (and car owners in general) make. There are also performance advantages that can come with installing a different set of wheels, including less weight and wider tires, both which will improve your vehicle's handling.

 

 

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

 

Things You'll Need:

• Wheel catalogs
• Ruler (for measuring wheel bolt pattern)

1. Choose the style you want. Thanks to the popularity of aftermarket wheels, there are many choices available, which can make the process confusing. It helps if you have some idea of what look you prefer. Maybe you want a purposeful race look, in which case you should select a three-piece wheel with a painted center while avoiding chromed or polished finishes. Or maybe you want a more "blingy" look, in which case a bright chromed finish is appropriate. Browse wheel catalogs, visit online wheel sources or visit wheel showrooms and tire stores.
   
   
   
2. Decide what size you want to use. When car owners install a new set of wheels, they usually install a wheel larger than the existing wheel for a performance and aesthetic upgrade. Generally speaking, it is safe to go with a plus-1 or plus-2 size increase, which increases the diameter of the wheel by 1 or 2 inches. It is possible to install wheels 3 or 4 inches larger in diameter, but keep in mind that you may run into fitment issues if the wheel is too large. You will also affect how the speedometer reads, and you may also negatively impact fuel economy and handling if you install a massive, heavy wheel. Keep in mind that you also need to install lower profile tires when you increase the wheel's diameter to keep the outer dimensions of the wheel and tire package the same.
   
   
   
3. Determine what your wheel's bolt pattern and offset is. The bolt pattern is easy to determine. Simply count the number of lug nuts holding your wheel on (there will be four or five on most cars; more on some trucks) and then measure the distance between two of the lug nuts that are across from each other. You will end up with a measurement like 4x100 (four holes, 100 mm across from each other), 5x108, etc. The offset of the wheel is where the wheel sits in relation to the hub when it is installed. Make sure you use the correct offset to avoid problems with the wheels and/or tires rubbing against the bodywork, brakes or suspension. Another measurement you want to determine is the center bore of the wheel, where the hub comes through the center of the wheel.
   
   
   
4. Decide what your budget is. There is a huge range of prices for wheels. Some are well under $100 per wheel while some high-end wheels can cost more than $5,000 for a set of four. The larger the wheel is, the more it will cost. Other elements that affect wheel prices are how light they are and how they are made (cast, forged, etc). How much you spend should in part be determined by what you are going to use the car for. If you are racing it or are trying to improve the handling, then you may want to budget more money. If on the other hand you are simply upgrading the appearance or even replacing a set of wheels that have become bent or damaged, you can spend less.

Auto's - How to Clean Your Auto's Rims/Wheels

How to Clean Your Auto's Rims/Wheels

If you love your car, and my thinking is who doesn't (at least it is a good investment) then you want to keep it looking as clean as possible. You probably don't want to spend hours doing so either. I love wheels. There are so many patterns and they seem to be the artistic part of the car. If you have a classic car or custom vehicle, then you probably spent many hours trying to pick the perfect wheel. Now you want to take care of it. The problem is that brake dust and road grime get on them and in the crevices and designs. It is very hard to keep it off. This "How To" will help you get your wheels clean and make it easier to keep them that way

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Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Steel Wool
• WD-40
• Rag
• Auto Polish
• Scrub brush

1. Spray WD-40 onto the rim/wheel. If you do not have chrome wheels, get your steell wool and start rubbing the wheel. You shouldn't have to use much elbow grease. If you have chrome wheels, use a scrub brush or rag. Something that is non abrasive.
   
   
   
2. Wipe away the gunk. Look at your wheel, do you still see built up road grime or brake dust? If so, do this again. Then wipe clean. You can usually tell by looking at your rag and wheel, if it is still getting dirt off, or just residue from the WD-40 and gunk. It should not take more than twice unless you have never cleaned your wheels.
   
   
   
3. Get your auto polish-Turtle Wax or your preferred brand, and rub it on the wheel with a rag. Polish it as you wax a car. Wipe it off and Wow! your wheels appear brand new again! After you have done this entire process 2-3 times, you will get a nice build up enabling you to usually just drive through the car wash and let the blasters clean your wheels.