Monday, January 24, 2011

Useful tips for car engine tune ups

Regular car tune ups are important to preserve the car's good running performance. Failure to do this might cost you hundreds of dollars for engine repairs. Regular car tune up also allows you to know the needed replacements on the vehicle's engine. Try to practice regular car engine tune ups using the useful tips enumerated below.

Let start with the distributor cap. Start the tune up service of your car by removing its distributor cap. Familiarize yourself with is position before removing it. This allows you to replace it correctly after the work is done. Check the cap for possible wears.

Once the distributor cap is removed, you are now able to take the rotor out and replace it. The rotor needs to be replaced every 100,000 miles for newer cars. When you replace a rotor with a new one, the distributor cap also needs to be replaced. This is because the rotor and the distribution cap react to produce a spark that the vehicle needs.

You also need to replace the spark plugs and its wires when doing the car's tune up. This gives the vehicle's engine a better starting capability. Make sure to check the car's air filter and replace it with a new one when apparent wears are visible and get a auto repair financing.

Use high quality oils and lubricants for better engine performance. Instead of using cheaper oils and lubricants, spend an additional amount to buy those that are made by reputable oil companies. Doing these boosts your car engine's performance.

It is also advisable to change the car's oil and top it up when doing the tune up. Maintain the engine's good performance by doing regular change oils every 3000 miles. Change the car's Oil filter change every second oil change. You can also use coolant additives to bring down the temperature of the car's engine.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Tips for car battery care


1) It is important to keep the battery clean and free from dust. To do so you can use baking soda and a non-metallic brush to get rid of any corrosion from the cables.

2) Then, disconnect the cables and clean the area surrounding the battery terminals and cables.

3) To remove the battery cables first disconnect the negative cables and then the positive.

4) Remove the battery cover and check the level of electrolyte/ it should be about half an inch deep. If the level is not maintained add clean distilled water and let it mix with the electrolyte.

5) Inspect the battery case for any kind of leakage and cracks. If in case there is any crack replace the battery case.

6) Make sure the car battery is well secured inside insulated case because the vibrations caused while driving may damage the battery. Ensure that to protect the battery from vibrations, you don’t over tighten the clams.

7) To replace the car battery carefully lift the battery because the acid inside can be dangerous.

8) To reinstall the cables, first connect the positive cables and then the negative.

9) Smear a little petroleum jelly onto the battery terminal before fastening the cable clamps to the posts. This jelly like substance will help slow down corrosion and enhance life of the attery.

10) These days many different types of car batteries are available. If in case you have a non-maintenance battery, check if you can see a green dot in the charge indicator. This green dot indicates that the battery is functioning effectively and if the indicator light turns yellow or no colour, it needs to be replaced.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Things to Remember When Using a Timing Light


Looking to adjust your engine's timing? Well, you could take your car into a mechanic, but who really wants to do that? All you need is timing light and you can save money by doing it yourself. Sound intimidating? Don't worry. The process is painless. Just remember to perform the following actions and you'll be fine.

1) Read the instruction manual—Too often people get a product, tear the box open, thrust the instructions aside and get started. Don't do it. When you're dealing with something as intricate and potentially dangerous as an automobile's engine, you need to follow the instructions. So when you get your new timing light, make sure you read the instruction manual before you get near your car's engine with it.

2) Begin with the engine turned off—Don't try to start up your engine and then connect your timing light. Since you're going to have to find a few key interest points on your engine, as well as connect to the battery, you need to start with the engine turned off. Failing to do so could result in serious injury. And why risk an injury when it's easily avoidable?

3) Clean the battery terminals—Battery terminals tend to build up all sorts of gunk. This buildup can result in an inadequate connection when using your advance timing light. To avoid this issue, simply check your terminals before making a connection. If they're filthy, give them a quick clean. Make sure you don't touch it with your hands though. You don't want to get acid on them.

4) Make the correct connections—Your digital timing light won't work if you don't connect it right. So make sure you connect positive to positive and negative to negative. Just remember that red always means positive, and black always means negative. Also, connecting red last is a good habit to get into. Finally, you should have a third clip that you need to connect to your spark plug wire. Do this one last. It should be the largest clip available. Remember, your engine is still off at this point.

5) Identify the correct mark—In order to use your timing light, you need to identify a key mark--the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley. If it's not easily visible, mark it with chalk. If you're not able to see it well, then you can't properly use your timing light.

6) Aim the timing light at the crankshaft pulley—Once you get your engine started and everything's ready to go, make sure you aim the timing light down at the crankshaft pulley. As the digital timing light pulsates, it should reveal the timing mark that you highlighted with chalk. Basically, you're syncing the mark with the beat of the light.

7) Wash your hands when you're finished—It's always a good idea to wash your hands when you're done messing with your engine. Especially if you had to clean your battery terminals. This may seem a bit obvious, but it's something that's easy to forget.

Using a timing light is a relatively simple process. If you want to give it a shot, you can find one at a good price from an online distributor.

Fuel Saving Tips For Cars


Car fuel savings doesn't have to be complicated. Many companies and salesmen try to hawk fuel saving devices as well as fuel saver additives. While some of these may marginally work, they are often expensive, complicated, and some may even damage your vehicle. Here are some fuel saving tips that can help you immediately, and won't give you a headache in the process.

First and foremost, check your tire pressure. Although this is one of the most well-known fuel saving tips out there, it often goes unattended to. Simply airing up a few PSI (being careful not to go over the manufacturer's limit) will save you several miles to the gallon per week, taking only 3 minutes to do the next time you hit a gas station.

Clean out your car! Ever notice how professional race cars strip a car absolutely bare, even removing the air conditioning system? Not only do even a few pounds of weight reduction heavily impact fuel savings, but you'll notice your vehicle accelerate quickly without all the random junk in the back seat and trunk. Fuel economy style cars with weaker engines will see the most improvement in gas mileage. If you'd like to go even deeper, filling up your car halfway will save even more - A gallon weighs 8 pounds, and consequently a half tank will save over 50 pounds of weight in most vehicles. Seems kinda silly, but it makes sense.

A tip to consider the next time you get an oil change - Swap out the air filter. Dirty, old air filters restrict vital flow to the engine, which not only saps gas mileage but hinders performance. This can also be done on your own fairly easily with a few minutes of research.

When driving on the freeway, stick with larger vehicles like semi-trucks. They cruise at a consistent pace, and we all know fluttering the gas pedal to slow down and speed up with erratic traffic burns fuel quick. A more controversial approach is drafting trucks - or driving immediately behind one. This isn't very safe, but it has been proving to effect fuel savings by up to a staggering 30-40%.

And for the last, Google maps is your friend. Saving fuel by simply re-routing your frequent drives to be more efficient will pay off in the long run, and may also save you some time. That's all for savings tips for your fuel. Simple but working.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Tips to keep the interior of your car clean and looking brand new


Driving to and from work, day to day tasks and simply travelling around, your car is somewhere you do find yourself spending a lot of your time. Therefore wouldn't it be a lot nicer if your car interior was clean resulting in it being a nice comfortable place to be. Not only will it add to your well being but it can also help your car function better. You don't want dust and dirt getting into any air vents or switches causing problems with your car. There are simple things that you can do to keep your car looking brand new and maintaining the new car freshness. You shouldn't have to feel uncomfortable in your own car so start looking after it today.

One way you can easily do this is by thoroughly cleaning the surfaces within your car. You can simply use a household cleaner to scrub any marks on the hard surfaces around drink holders and the dashboards. If cleaned up straight away and properly any muddy feet stains or spillages will never bother your car interior anymore and leave surfaces gleaming. For air conditioning or heater vents simply use a vacuum cleaner to ensure all dust and dirt is removed.

Another is by properly vacuuming and cleaning your carpets. Firstly you should always remove the floor mats within your car and shake them out properly to remove any unwanted bits of dirt. By vacuuming the mats and carpet of your car separately you can get a more thorough clean that will last for longer and keep your car looking new. Always make sure that you move the chairs in your car back and forward to get every last bit. You don't want to do a half job so by doing this your car will be extra clean. If you feel your carpet and mats are really dirty and normal carpet cleaner won't remove the stains you could always look at renting a steam cleaner that will thoroughly clean your carpets.

Finally, if your interior is cloth or leather you need to ensure they are kept clean. General scrubbing of any stains is one way in which you can make your seats more inviting to be sat in. For cloth interior you should use any household sprays and a hard brush to remove any stains they may contain however leather should not be treated in the same way. Try using a leather conditioner to keep it looking new.

So by following these simple tips your car can stay looking new for longer and be it will be a better environment to spend hours driving in. Also there are simple things you can do to keep your car clean like removing any rubbish from and not leaving any food or drink over night. Also just by not drinking or eating in your car can reduce the risks of any stains appearing. Which means keeping your car clean and fresh is a much easier job when it comes to cleaning.

Maintaining a Car - Five Effective Tips for Car Owners


Maintaining a Car - Five Effective Tips for Car Owners

Everyone wants to keep their car brand new and fine tuned throughout its life, but only a few people follow the proper ways of maintaining a car. Besides regular servicing at the company's authorized workshop, there are a number of things that you can do on a day to day basis for maintaining your car in its top condition throughout its life. Here are few things that you can take care of on a weekly/monthly basis, for ensuring a better life for your car.

1)Read Car Manual: - First of all, carefully read the car manual as it contains brief information related to the functioning and maintenance of each and every part of a car. If will help you to understand your car better and maintain it efficiently.

2)Regular Oil Change: - As we all know, changing engine oil as per schedule is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a car and receiving a full-proof performance from it. The engine oil keeps the components of a engine lubricated so that it can be kept from overheating along with enhancing its life.

3)Checking Fluid Levels: - Many people don't know that maintaining the level of different fluids of different systems of a car is very important for the life of these particular components. These fluids include battery fluid, coolant fluid, transmission fluid and brake fluid. All of these should be checked on a regular basis and should be refilled if required.

4)Tyre Pressure: - Where the low pressure enhances fuel consumption of a car, the high tyre pressure harms the suspension system by making your ride unwanted bumpy. Thus, it is very important to keep the tyre pressure in a car to its recommended level. Get the tyre pressure checked on a weekly basis.

5)Regular Service: - Take the car to the authorized service station as per schedule so that it can be checked thoroughly along with repairing or replacement of any fault component, if required. By following these few tips on a regular basis, you can decrease the overall cost of maintaining a car considerably.

By following these few tips on a regular basis, you can decrease the overall cost of maintaining a car considerably

Car Care


Welcome to my blog. With this blog, you can get useful information about car maintenance and tips how to take a good care of your beloved car.