Whether you are trying to save a few bucks or just enjoy the process, more and more people are doing their own car repairs these days. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. In this article, we look at some basic tips that can make a world of difference in getting the job done.

The following tips work with every vehicle. They are not so much applicable to the fixing of a particular problem as they are applicable to just working on your car. That being said, they can make an absolutely huge difference between a successful repair and time spent throwing things and creating new cuss words!

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It’s important to know which bank (or cylinder head) is number one to help determine a starting point for firing order or just to replace the correct part, like an Oxygen sensor, fuel injector or ignition coil. In the past all that was needed to determine which bank or cylinder head is number one was to see which cylinder head is positioned the farthest forward. The one that is the most forward (closest to the front of the engine) is the number one cylinder and that side is bank one. But many engines today have cylinder heads that are positioned evenly, which makes it harder to determine which is bank number one and which is bank number two. A couple of common reasons we need to know this, for instance is to determine Oxygen sensor to replace when you are looking for B1 S1 (Bank One Sensor One), or if you’re trying to locate an ignition coil to inspect for a P0301 (#1 cylinder misfire recorded) misfire code.

Things to try

1. Four cylinder engines always have the #1 cylinder closest to the front of the engine (only one bank).
2. V-6 or V-8 look for the plug that is closest to the front of the engine, if the cylinder heads are even an alternate way of determining #1 will be required.
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We’ve made the turn into spring and summer isn’t far away. You should be getting your car ready for the warmer temperatures. With this in mind, we take a look at cooling system issues in this article.

The cooling system is a fairly simple mechanism. The entire goal of the system is to gather and dispense heat. It does this by running through key areas of the engine where the coolant sucks the heat in away from the moving parts of the engine. The coolant is then pumped to the radiator where the coolant is spread out across a field of metal that is exposed to the onrushing air. The heat in the coolant is dispensed into the air and the coolant starts its return to the engine.

Performing a checkup on your coolant system is one of the easier things you’ll do. A word of warning. Only do the checkup when the system is cool. A hot system is under pressure and you really do not want to end up in the hospital due to coolant burns. Hot bad. Cold good. Enough said.

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If you are like a lot of guys or girls I meet, you probably want to start your own collection of tools for your new tool set but you aren’t really sure what you need or how to get it at the best price. I know that tools are really a very expensive investment and not only that but buying cheap tools can lead to much larger problems down the road if one breaks on you right in the middle of a job.

Of course, the world of tools doesn’t have to be incredibly intimidating. A little bit of common sense and good comparison shopping and you can build a pretty nice collection of dependable tools for years to come without completely breaking the bank. Mind you, I didn’t say it would be done cheaply. You never want to cheap out on your tools, or you will be buying them all over again as they break and fall apart. So that having been said, here are some of my suggestions.

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Don’t get ripped off. There are plenty of honest transmission repair specialists that will repair your transmission at a reasonable cost. We have encountered customers that have paid over a thousand dollars at certain locations where the same repair work could have been done for a few hundred dollars.

Being one of the most expensive repairs on your vehicle, you must do your due diligence when searching for an honest and experienced transmission repair center.

Here are a few steps to take to save on transmission repair costs.

1. Some repair centers do not do work on transmissions or they do not do the work on the premises. Instead, they will tow the car to a local transmission repair shop and charge you an additional fee on top of what they will be charged in order to make a profit. So, try to deal directly with the transmission center to avoid paying any markups.

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In this article I lay out 10 tips for car battery reconditioning, in order to reduce its running cost by properly maintaining lead acid batteries. Statistically, a standard car will need battery replacement every two years, so by taking good care of its battery you can increase that.

So, here are the 10 tips for car battery reconditioning and maintenance:

1) Make maintenance a routine. To maintain the battery’s state of charge, you need to charge and recharge the battery often.

2) The depth of battery discharge must be reduced to avoid worn out.

3) Do not overcharge battery. It may result in power loss.

4) When your battery reaches at 80% state of charge, you need to recharge it so as to prevent it from sulfation, a process of getting crystals in the metal plates within the battery, thus decreasing power.

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Today, technology has enabled us to be able to do things almost automatically, instantly, by ourselves. Same thing happens with batteries too! With a very little knowledge, it is extremely easy to recondition a battery, any battery, and more specifically, an auto battery reconditioning is a piece of cake.

Following a well written guide, just anyone can teach themselves auto battery reconditioning. If you just search the internet, you will discover guides that at around 40-50 dollars can show you how. You download them instantly and if you want you print them for easier reading (I know that I do this!)

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Long ago, car owners would just put straight water into the radiator of their cars. Water worked alright, but there was one problem. Well, actually two. The temperatures at which water froze and boiled were simply to close together. Driving on a hot summer day or trying to start you car on a cold winter morning could result in a host of problems. To overcome this, coolant was developed.

Coolant for the cooling system in your car comes under many brand names. Notwithstanding this, every product has one of two chemicals in it. The vast majority are comprised of 95 percent ethylene glycol. When you mix these products in a 50/50 mix with water in your car, you are effectively reducing the chance of a freeze or boil over. The ethylene glycol prevents the water from boiling or freezing at any temperature you are likely to run into. If you live in Siberia, however, all bets are off on the freezing problem!

There is one problem with ethylene glycol. It is very toxic. The Environmental Protection Agency has done studies and put out big warnings on the chemical. Why? When ingested, it causes depression, respiratory failure, heart attacks, kidney damage and brain damage. Other than that, it is fine!

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It seems to be one of life’s mysteries that happen at some point to every car owner: an intermittent problem develops that can’t be recreated at the mechanic’s shop. It can be as simple as a dash light that flashes on and off every now and then or as serious as an engine that stalls while driving on the highway at high speeds. Of course, with an intermittent problem the light flashes on and off with no pattern and the engine doesn’t always stall – just every so often!

It is very aggravating to make an appointment with a mechanic that requires you to take time off from work only to be told the problem can’t be found. How many auto owners have left their cars with the mechanic all day, who can’t find any problem, only to have the car’s problem reappear after leaving the mechanic’s shop and getting halfway home? It can make you feel as if your car is haunted with poltergeists who believe a car with problems is amusing.

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