Fix It

The exhaust system of a car is designed to carry away the harmful and toxic gases produced by the engine. The quicker these gases can be channeled away from the engine, the better its performance. Even the smallest crack or hole in the exhaust can reduce the overall efficiency of the car. There are numerous ways to patch an exhaust; however, some are better than others.

Cut a Section Out

If there is only one small section of the exhaust pipe that is damaged, you can simply remove it. This is a simple procedure that can be done with basic tools. All that is needed is a pipe cutter, a welder and a good eye. The biggest problem with cutting away a section of the exhaust pipe is getting to it. Unless you have a sunken pit in the garage, some jacks may be necessary to raise the car. By cutting away the damaged section, and welding the remaining pipe back together, the exhaust will still be able to function. However, efficiency will be lost. Pieces of pipe can be purchased from garages that will join together and replace a damaged section of pipe. This can prevent the exhaust pipe from becoming too small.

Heat-Resistant Material

The problem with attempting to patch an exhaust without using proper equipment is that the exhaust heats up considerably. Most material applied to patch a hole in an exhaust will burn away after the car has driven a few miles. A creative solution is to use fire-retardant and heat-resistant clothing, available from work clothing outfitters. Basic heat-resistance gloves can withstand temperatures up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. This is more than capable of coping with the 300 to 520 degrees Fahrenheit that is the average temperature of an exhaust. Using a glove or piece of material to stuff into a hole is only a temporary measure, however, as the material may become dislodged as the car travels.

Use a Bandage

Not the most creative solution, but one that works, is heatproof gum. A small crack or a hole can be quickly patched up by applying this versatile material, available from most garages and hardware suppliers. The heatproof gum can come as a paste, a gum or as an actual bandage that you can wrap around any damage on the exhaust. The material is treated to ensure it can withstand the temperatures of the exhaust, and some brands of heatproof gum are designed to act as a permanent solution rather than a temporary measure.

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification is a widely recognized and sought-after auto mechanic credential. A mechanic with an ASE certification is one of about 385,000 mechanics around the country who has passed at least one specialty certification exam and who has at least two years of relevant work experience. They also have to recertify every five years. Finding an ASE certified mechanic can help you know that your vehicles problem will be solved by someone recognized as a knowledgeable professional.

Instructions

1

Make a list of the shops in your area. Find a list of them in the phone book or online. Keep your list manageable. Having a list of more than about five to ten shops will take too long to work through. ASE certification is not so rare that you will have to look for very long to find an ASE certified mechanic at a shop.

2

Call each shop and ask if mechanics there are ASE certified. You can also check the shops websites for information about certification. Cross off shops that do not have any ASE certified mechanics on staff.

3

Visit some shops on your list. Look on the walls to see the blue ASE logo on certificates of mechanics in the shop that have attained ASE certification. Also check the front door. ASE signage may also be posted on or near it.

4

Look on the uniforms of the mechanics on duty at the shop. Many of them wear an ASE patch on their sleeves. Many mechanics also carry ASE certification proof on their person as well.

5

Visit the ASE website (ase.com). Type in your zip code or city and state on the ASE Blue Seal Recognized Business Locator page to find an ASE participating shop in your area.

You can easily damage auto wheels through accidents, curbing or general wear and tear. A scuffed rim or a combination of scratches can make a wheel look unsightly, but it is entirely possible to restore damage inexpensively.

Preparation

It is important to have a clean working surface, so wash the wheels thoroughly before beginning to work. Sand wheels with P320 grit paper to provide an effective key, and you must add spot putty to minor dents and imperfections. You can rub spot putty to the surface level after it dries.

Priming

Mask the wheel using masking tape and paper. Use two full coats of automotive primer to cover the entire wheel and leave it to dry in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. After the primer has dried, rub it down lightly with a soft sanding pad to provide a key for the paint.

Painting

You must apply paint using several light coats. Wheel silver has a tendency to sag or run if you apply it in high volume. Check the wheel during the painting process to ensure all hidden areas receive a sufficient coating of color. Leave the wheel to dry completely before unmasking.

Bug shields protect the leading edge of your vehicles hood from bugs and stone chips. When a large object or blunt force cracks the plastic bug shield, your hood protection is lost. Regular glues will not bond to plastics. Fixing plastic cracks requires an adhesive designed for each specific type of plastic. Manufacturers use either ABS plastic to make opaque bug shields or Lexan plastic for clear or tinted bug shields.

Instructions

1

Spray window cleaner on the cracked area of the bug shield. Wipe the cleaner from the crack with a clean rag.

2

Stick the end of a syringe in an open container of plastic adhesive. Pull the plunger located at the back of the syringe toward you to fill it with adhesive.

3

Align the tip of the syringe with the center of the bug shield crack. Pull the syringe along the crack as you push in on the plunger. Make sure you fill the length of the crack with adhesive.

4

Set a spring clamp across both sides of the crack. Inspect the crack to ensure that both sides of the crack are at the same height. Leave the clamp on the crack for 24 hours.

5

Remove the spring clamp.

6

Sand any excess cured adhesive from the crack with 600-grit sandpaper. Avoid sanding the surface of the bug shield to reduce scuffing.

Problems that occur within an auto electrical system cant be dealt with until you determine whats causing the problems and why. However, with a little information and a few easy-to-use tools such as a voltmeter, nearly anyone can diagnose electrical issues common with some of todays automobiles.

Diagnose Voltage

Voltage problems within an auto electrical system are often caused by loose connections in the wiring. A bad ground connection or a faulty switch could also be the culprit. Doing a voltage drop test using a voltmeter will allow you to check for a drop in voltage, which indicates trouble if the drop is greater than 0.4 volts.

Diagnose Circuits

Because all circuits have to have voltage to power products, the first thing to do when diagnosing circuit issues in an auto electrical system is to check for voltage at the head of the circuit. No voltage here indicates problems with areas that supply the circuit with voltage, such as the power relay.

Diagnose Circuit Breakers

A test can be done to help determine if a circuit breaker has gone bad. By bypassing the circuit breaker using a jumper wire, it can then be attached directly to the circuit in order to test it. If the circuit is found to be in working order after bypassing the circuit breaker, then the circuit breaker is the problem and will have to be replaced.

Automatic power windows can be found on almost all newer model vehicles as of January 2010. Windows that fail to let down could be potentially dangerous if your door locks malfunction and you needed to exit your automobile quickly. Having information on automatic window problems can be beneficial to vehicle owners.

Window Failure Problems

Several problems could be to blame when a vehicles windows fail to go up and down, such as a bad window motor. Other problems could be due to a faulty switch or faulty wiring. Out of all these issues, problems with the switch are easiest to deal with.

Window Mechanism Problems

Sometimes you will hear a slight humming sound coming from the door when you attempt to raise or lower the windows. This problem occurs because the window mechanism in the door is broken. The mechanism being rusted out can also prevent the window from working.

Window Fuse Problems

When each of the automatic windows in a vehicle fail to work, this often points to an issue with blown fuses. Under the dashboard on the drivers side is usually the location for these fuses. If replacement fuses blow as well, there is likely a short in the windows wiring.

Conducting regular service on your vehicle is essential to keeping it running for a long time. Being able to crawl underneath your car to access mechanisms and parts below it is a major obstacle to do-it-yourself vehicle maintenance. Make tasks ranging from replacing a steering mechanism to oil changes easier by lifting the car up onto auto service ramps you can build yourself.

Instructions

1

Place one railroad tie up on its side with the narrow end facing towards you. Measure 8 inches from the bottom corner to the center. Mark the spot with a marker. Using your straight edge draw a straight line from the mark to the adjacent bottom corner. The line should create a triangular shape. Repeat this step on the other railroad tie.

2

Use a chainsaw to cut out the triangular shape. This is the piece that youll use as a ramp.

3

Cut two 3-inch wedges out of the extra pieces of railroad tie with your chainsaw. Use these two pieces as stoppers for your auto ramp.

4

Glue each stopper to the front of the ramp. When you drive up onto the ramp, these stoppers help you know where to rest your vehicle. Drill the stoppers in place with screws to ensure they dont move.

A cars automatic transmission is at the back of the engine and takes power from the engine and delivers it to the cars drive wheels. Automatic transmissions are complicated pieces of machinery that combine several systems into one.

Components

A typical automatic transmission contains computer controls, hydraulic systems, electrical systems and mechanical systems, combining each component into one piece of machinery that provides a car with necessary power. Within each automatic transmission are sets of gears, seals, gaskets, bands and clutches which have specific functions in the operation.

Function

Car engines perform best when kept in a certain rotations per minute (RPM) range. An automatic transmission is designed to not only provide power to the cars drive wheels, but to keep the engine operating within its optimal RPM range. This is accomplished through several gears, each designed for different engine speeds.

Gears

In most automatic transmissions, there are four forward-moving gears, a neutral gear and a reverse gear. In first gear, the drive wheels turn at a slower rate than the engine while in each successively higher gear, the drive wheels turn more quickly while the engine turns slower. In neutral gear, the drive wheels are disconnected from the engine and in reverse gear, the transmission causes the drive wheels to move in the opposite direction.