Temperature Gage Reading HOT? Summer Time Tips For Your Car

Well the summer heat is here and we all should get our cars and trucks ready for the Summer. Here is an article to help you to understand why your temperature gage is reading Hot and what you can do to prevent a boil over. Even my Blazer's temperature gage climbed a little higher than normal the last couple days! Here are some summer time tips you can do to make yourself feel safer as you are out riding around these heated roads. Please try to follow these auto repair saving tips:

• Check the ground for any antifreeze leaks coming from your vehicle. If you are losing antifreeze even just a few drops on the ground or pavement will cause your temperature gage to rise.
• After you get your leaks fixed hopefully by having an auto repair shop perform a "Pressure Test" have your entire cooling system flushed and filled with new antifreeze. Contaminated and old antifreeze will cause your temperature gage to show hot also.
• Your radiator cap should be replaced every year preferably in the spring time. Its only a few dollars but is well worth it in the long run.
• In an emergency if your temperature gage is running extremely high turn on your heater and set the fan level on high. You will also want to open your windows and turn off your air conditioner as this will heat your motor up more until you get to a safe place.
• One other small but very important car part to have replaced once a year is your car's thermostat. Just like your radiator cap, very inexpensive but very important to change once a year. A worn or weak thermostat will cause your temperature gage to show hot also.
• The last piece of advice I can give you is if your car is blowing white smoke out of your tail pipe then that means you have blown a head gasket and Major Engine work needs to be done.

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The Oil Change – It’s Simple but Here is How it Goes

I know many of us out there know all about working on cars but not everyone has had the experiences with cars that some of us have had. Changing the oil in a car or truck may not be near as difficult as changing a turbo or supercharger but if you don’t know how, you can’t do it right. Oil is like the life blood of a car it keeps all the parts of the engine lubricated. Without proper lubrication an internal combustion engine would tear itself apart in a matter of minutes.

The first step to a successful oil change is to determine the correct oil for the application, and the amount that will be needed. Next locating the correct oil filter is essential, you never want to leave the old oil filter in the system.  Now make sure you have an oil catch and a location to properly dispose of the oil.

Once you have all of the items for the change the car will need to be placed either on a lift or a jack. Slide under the car only once you have place jack stands if you are using a standard jack. Never get under a car held up by a simple hand jack, they can fail and trap you. Now locate the oil bolt and remove it letting the oil drain into the oil catch can. The oil cap can be removed to speed up the flow of oil. With the oil draining remove the oil filter and place in the catch can, the filter will have a good amount of oil inside.

Putting the system back together is simple and quick but can be done wrong. With the new oil filter rub some oil on the rubber seal to be sure a proper connection is made when installing the new filter. Before installing the filter be sure the old rubber seal came off the old filter, if it is still there it will cause a bad seal on the filter and oil will leak out. Install the filter and tighten to spec, do not crush the filter when installing. Now replace the oil bolt (drain plug) and tighten to spec as well, be sure the washer is still on the plug. With everything tightened fill the engine from the oil cap by adding the recommended amount of oil. Then check the dipstick to see the level.

Start the car and allow to run, watching for leaks or any other issues that may arise. Now lower the car and check the oil level once more, if everything looks good then you are done. Clean up the mess you may have made and recycle the oil, now your car is good to go for another 3 – 5000 miles. 

Have Gas Prices had an Effect on Gear Heads of the World

It seems like nothing is cheap these days, from power steering rack and steering gear box units to packs of gum. Everything costs so much, I don’t want to sound like an old timer but I do remember a time when a dollar bought a gallon of gas. Back in the day we used to cruise in my 83 Buick with the windows down and the “system” up, I put that in quotes cause the stereo in it was a joke. We felt great just having a car but then testosterone started flowing and the need for speed had begun. It is not just me a whole generation of kids got their first Honda and thought hmmmm, I wonder if it can go faster. So I did like everyone else my age, swapped the engine to the B18C5R (Type R motor) and then eventually turbocharged the car.

In the pursuit of speed my friends and I built 240s with V8’s and skyline motors. We built Mr2’s that could blow the doors off Ferraris like they were KIAs but in the end we have all settled into more economical cars as we aged. When I look back I kinda feel bad for the motor head growing up now, $5 for a gallon of gas has to make it a bit rough. I mean when I was doing this 10 years ago we could run to the pump get $10 bucks and race all night (legally…of course).

So is there a whole generation who is going to lose out on the quest for speed, the short answer is no. We all thirst for the thrill, be it from speed or other sources and we will always find it. The new generation of gear heads will have to learn the new technologies like electric motor s and hybrid powertrains. So the car nut of the future will have to be a little more tech savy but let’s be honest, they already are smart phones, tablets, IPhones they know it all.