June 2023

Safe to drive with a leaking car battery? If you discover that your car battery is leaking, you should get it replaced immediately. It is not safe to drive with a leaking car battery. Here’s why: Most batteries sold these days are maintenance free Maintenance free batteries are designed to recombine they hydrogen gasses and water vapor given off during charging, so the battery doesn’t run low on water and battery acid. If the battery is leaking, that means the case is cracked or the seals have failed and that … Read More
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What components drain a car battery when the car is off? 1) Leaving lights on is the most common cause of battery drain This one is pretty obvious, but it’s also the most common. Leaving your headlights or parking lights on all night will completely drain your car battery by the next morning. If you jump start it and just drive it for a short drive, that’s not long enough to fully recharge your battery. If you’re serious by bringing your battery back to full charge and eliminating the damage … Read More
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When to replace a car battery — 5 signs you need a new battery #1 Your car battery is 4 years old or older If you’ve reached the 4 year mark, you’ll be needing a new battery soon. Batteries in late model cars typically fail in the 3-4 year age range. Why don’t they last as long as older batteries that could go for 6-7 years? Two reasons: More electrical accessories and electrical demand and heat More electrical accessories put more demand on the battery and charging system The cars … Read More
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What to do with a check engine light on and off situation? What causes a check engine light come on and then go off? Your vehicle’s computers are constantly running tests on the various systems. These tests are referred to as Readiness Monitors or just Monitors. Some of the monitors run the entire time the engine is running. Those are called continuous monitors. Other readiness monitors are non-continuous. So a monitor may run tests and find that the system fails under the driving conditions when the test is performed, but … Read More
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How does a loose gas cap cause a check engine light? Vehicles are equipped with an evaporative emissions system that captures fuel vapors as you fill your tank. Venting fuel vapors into the air causes air pollution and smog. How does the evaporative emissions system work? As you fill your tank with fuel, vapor pressure builds up in the tank, pushing the fuel vapors into a canister filled with activated charcoal. The charcoal absorbs the fuel vapor and stores it temporarily. After filling you install the gas cap and start … Read More
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How much does it cost to fix check engine light problems? How expensive are check engine light problems? If your vehicle is running fine but you have a check engine light, the cost to fix the problem is usually under $500 (2023 data). The key here is that, if the vehicle is running fine, that usually means the check engine light is on because a sensor has failed and needs to be replaced. Repairing a check engine light issue starts with a diagnostic procedure When you bring the car into … Read More
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Reset a check engine light — Can it be done and how to do it? Can you reset a check engine light? Yes. There are two ways to clear a trouble code and reset a check engine light. • Using a code reader or a scan tool, use the clear code function • Disconnect both the positive and negative battery terminals and touch them together for at least two minutes. This will erase the history, pending and current codes. But it will not erase any permanent codes (there’s no way … Read More
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Check engine light on — What to do? What to do when your check engine light comes on? There are two types of check engine lights: solid and flashing. A solid check engine light does not mean you should freak out. In most cases, if your vehicle is running ok, the cause is something fairly simple. As long as the engine is starting, accelerating and the transmission is shifting normally, you can continue driving it. But make an appointment at a reputable shop to have it checked out. If you … Read More
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Why is my check engine light on? What does a check engine light mean? Vehicle computers are very sophisticated and can routinely test each system in the vehicle, fuel, spark, exhaust, emissions, etc. The emissions laws state what minimum standards the vehicle must meet, so when the vehicle computer tests emissions and the results come up outside of spec, it will set a check engine light and store a trouble code. Check engine lights aren’t limited to just emissions issues The anti-lock brake system (ABS) is one of the vehicle … Read More
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Thread repair tools to fix stripped threads How to fix stripped bolt threads or shaft threads To fix stripped threads on a bolt or shaft, use a thread file or a thread chaser How to use a thread file Use a thread file to restore stripped threads when the starting threads are stripped or deformed. Or, use a thread file and oil to clean rusted threads. How and when to use a threaded hole chaser and threaded rod/bolt chaser If you’re trying to restore threads on a bolt or axle … Read More
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