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How to Reassemble a Drum Brake
After you finish inspecting your drum brakes, you’re ready to reassemble them. Refer to this diagram of a drum brake to make sure that you get everything back in the proper order and direction. The following [more…]
How to Check Disc Brakes
You should check disc brakes and disc brake linings every 10,000 miles — more often if your brakes suddenly start to squeal or pull to one side, or if your brake pedal flutters when you step on it. Don’t [more…]
How to Check a Vehicle's Wheel Bearings
You can check your car's wheel bearings to see if they need to be repacked. Wheel bearings usually come in pairs of inner and outer bearings. They allow your wheels to turn freely over thousands of miles [more…]
How to Repack Your Wheel Bearings
If you have disc brakes, repacking wheel bearings isn’t a difficult job. It’s just that you may not get the calipers back on right, which could cause your brakes to malfunction. If you have drum brakes [more…]
How to Change Your Brake Fluid
You should flush and replace the brake fluid in your brake system every two years. You can change your own brake fluid, but service facilities now do this with brake flushing machines. If you find have [more…]
How to Bleed Your Brakes
If your vehicle has squishy-feeling brakes, the way to get the air out of the lines is to bleed the brakes. To do the job, you need either a brake bleeder wrench or a combination wrench that fits the bleeder [more…]
How to Remove Old Spark Plugs
The first step in changing your spark plugs is to remove the old ones. To avoid turning this job into an all-weekend project, remove one spark plug at a time, inspect it, clean it, and — if it’s salvageable [more…]
Auto Repair Safety Rules
When you’re repairing your car or doing basic maintenance, practice these safety methods to avoid injury to yourself and damage to your automobile and to be prepared in case of a mishap: [more…]
Monthly Auto Maintenance Checklist
Taking the time for regular under-the-hood vehicle checks will help prevent problems later. Spending 15 minutes every month for an under-the-hood check may prevent 70% of problems that lead to highway [more…]
Tips for Easily Disassembling and Reassembling Auto Parts
The first rule of auto repair jobs is never hurry! If things get rough, take a break. You may get a whole new perspective when you go back to work. Keep distractions to a minimum, don’t answer the phone [more…]
Auto Repair For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Following some basic auto repair safety rules and a monthly maintenance schedule will keep you safe and prevent auto problems later. Disassembling auto parts and putting them back together is easier if [more…]
How Gas Prices Are Determined
Gas prices increase every summer, and oil companies report record profits just as Americans are preparing for the summer travel season. The two events — rising fuel prices and increasing travel by Americans [more…]
Car Audio System Signal Flow
This diagram shows the layout of a common car audio system and signal flow. The dotted black line shows the path of the preamp audio signal (before it’s amplified), from a head unit, through an equalizer [more…]
Wire Gauge Chart for Car Audio Systems
When wiring your car audio system, using the proper gauge wire for an amplifier is critical. To avoid problems and get the best sound, determine the fuse ratings of your amplifiers and their distance from [more…]
Frequency Range of Musical Instruments for Car Audio
To get great sound in your car, you need to accurately recreate the sound of musical instruments by reproducing their frequency range. Use this graph to set up the frequency ranges of common musical instruments [more…]
Car Audio For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Setting up the ideal sound system in your automobile starts with understanding the architecture and signal flow of a car audio system. Selecting the proper gauge wire for your system along with reproducing [more…]
Ten Steps for Getting the Best Deal on a Good Used Car
To get the best used car, know the prices, actual value, vehicle options, mileage, and condition of the make, model, and year of your targeted automobile. [more…]
Nine Ways to Save Money on Auto Repair
You don’t have to know a lot about cars and trucks to save money on repairs and maintenance, but a little knowledge about how the industry works can save you hundreds of dollars. Heeding these tips is [more…]
