DIY Projects

The other day I was helping a friend’s son do a brake job on her van. After we were done with the brakes we were putting the wheels back on and I was explaining to him how to make sure that we did not over tighten the lug nuts.

After checking the owner’s manual to see what the correct torque should be, I showed him how to use the torque wrench. By presetting the calibration, the torque wrench will get to the desired tightness and the clutch will slip, signaling that it is time to stop tightening. This keeps you from over tightening the lug nut, but also insures that it is tight enough.

There are several types of torque wrenches but this is my preferred version.

Now that the seasons are changing, it is a good time to perform some maintenance on your car battery.

Since the battery delivers power to your car through heavy cables, it is wise to check the battery cables and make sure they are tightened properly. Use a pair of channel locks to tighten.

Cleaning the terminals and clamps is the next step. Clean the posts and clamps with a wire brush until they shine.

Check the fluid level and refill with distilled water when necessary. Use a funnel to fill the fluid level to approximately ¼” below the bottom of the filler hole. Some cars have a “maintenance free battery” so this step can be omitted.

Always wear safety glasses when working near car batteries. Car batteries contain sulfuric acid, which can burn your skin. If you get the acid on yourself, immediately flush the area with water.

It’s spring time, so it is time to do some of that springtime maintenance on your vehicle. Now would be a good time to check and if need be replace that air filter.

It is a really easy do it yourself project that you can do to maintain the effectiveness of your vehicle and save some money at the same time. Not only is it cheaper for you to change it yourself, a dirty air filter has an undesired affect on your gas mileage. It lowers it.

In just a few easy steps and hardly any tools (maybe a screwdriver), this project can be completed in just a few minutes, for just a few dollars.

Locate and Open the Filter Housing- a black plastic case with metal clips on the sides. There should also be a black tube going into the plastic case on most cars. Flip the little metal clips downward.

Secure the screws- If you removed nuts from the top of your filter housing, be sure to put them in a safe secure location.

Remove the Old Filter- the filter will either be round or rectangle and will be made of lots of folded paper surrounded by rubber. Before you remove the dirty filter, take a good look and remember how it sits in the housing so you can be sure to put the new one in correctly.

Put the New Filter in Place- Place the new air filter in the housing, if you have mistakenly put the filter in upside down, don’t worry, the housing won’t close, so just turn it over and make sure the rubber gasket is seated all the way down. Close and secure the housing and you have completed your task.