October 2023

Vacuum brake booster

How a vacuum brake booster works The most common way to provide power braking is with a vacuum brake booster. The brake booster mounts on the firewall of the vehicle and is connected to the brake pedal with a rod inside the cabin. The master cylinder is mounted on the opposite side of the brake booster, inside the engine compartment. Vacuum brake booster components In the image below you’ll see the following components and what each does: • Rubber diaphragm — the rubber diaphragm is sucked toward the master cylinder … Read More
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What you get with a free brake inspection

A free brake inspection is usually worthless Measuring the thickness of the outboard brake pad is not a valid brake inspection When shops offer a free brake inspection, they usually just measure the thickness of the outboard brake pad, often without removing the wheel. That tells you the thickness of the outboard pad, but doesn’t tell you anything about the thickness of the inboard brake pad or the actual condition of the brake pads. Here’s why you can’t judge brake pad condition by measuring just the outboard brake pad thickness … Read More
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Air Quality and Junk Cars: What You Should Know About California’s Ongoing Struggle

The Mechanic Doctor – Resources for Amateur and Pro Auto Mechanics
California has some of the most strict environmental regulations in the country. From factories to vehicles, there’s a slew of
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You don’t have to warm up your engine to get good oil flow in winter

You’ve got enough oil flow in winter to drive within 30-seconds after starting your engine It’s a myth that cold oil doesn’t flow unless the engine is warmed up Oil flow in winter has nothing to do with gravity — it’s about pumpability Amsoil has a youtube video that shows conventional and synthetic oil being poured from beakers at -40C. The results show the conventional oil barely moving, while the synthetic oil flows! What you are seeing in this video is a comparison of conventional oil’s Kinematic viscosity compared to … Read More
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