Three Brake Lights

Your cars third brake light is super important. It is the clear cut light that tells someone that you are stepping on the brakes. At night your cars taillights are on so a brake light is noticeable but not as clear as the extra light, so if that bulb burns out you have to change it immediately. To do this it is fairly simple, first there are two screws holding the lens on. Once you have removed those screws you will see a light socket (three if it is a pickup truck), remove the middle socket. Pull the bulb out and put a new one in and put the socket back in the lens. Replace the screws and then check to make sure the light works.

Third braklight bulb change

Fluid in Your Rear End??

Your differential fluid is very important to keeping the moving parts in your cars axels running smoothly. To change your rear end fluid it is fairly self-explanatory. First you will need a drain pan to drain the old fluid into, then remove the bolts on the back of the rear end housing and let the fluid drain into the pan. Then you will need to clean up the cover and the housing. You can do this by using a paint scraper and some brake clean. Once you have these both clean you can get a tube of liquid gasket and squeeze a fine line over the cover and the housing. Let that dry and then place a cork gasket one the cover and then put the cover back on the housing and tighten the bolts. Now there is a drain plug on the opposite side of the rear end. Remove this plug and clean it off. You then fill your rear end through this hole. All of the oil specifications can be found in your owner’s manual. Once you have the right amount of fluid into the rear replace the drain plug. Check for any leaks and you are finished.

Slideshow for changing our rear end fluid

Coil Over Plug?

Coil over plug ignition systems are fairly simple but sensitive. There is an ignition coil with a rubber boot that slips right on top of the spark plug. The coil sends a charge to the spark plug and the plug then sparks at the end and it ignites the gasoline in the engine.

To change the spark plugs on a coil of plug system is simple. First you need to remove electrical plug and the bolt holding on the coil. Then you slip off the coil and the boot and set it aside the boot. Then you need to remove the plug. This is easiest by using ratchet extensions and universal joints to be able to move around. Once you have the old spark plug out u need to put a new one in. After you tighten it all up you need to put the coil and boot back on. Finally you need to clip the electronic plug back onto the coil. Repeat this process for as many cylinders you have in your engine.

Slideshow for Changing Coil Over Plug Spark Plugs

Check 1, 2, 3, 4

Your cars air pressure inside the tires is very important in a lot of ways. It controls the comfort of the ride of your car, can effect gas mileage and help maintain the life of the tires. There is a PSI number on the side of the tire, which stands for pounds per square inch, and that is what the tire company recommends you put in the tire. So checking the air pressure inside the tires is very important.  First thing to do is find the PSI that the tire calls for.  Then find the valve stem and remove the cap. Place you tire pressure gauge firmly over the stem and it should give you a reading. I normally stay ten pounds under the maximum that the tire company gives you so the ride is a little smoother.

Slideshow for checking your tires air pressure

Streak No More

Your cars wiper blades are vital to your safety in the rain and snow. Bad wiper blades can cause your windshield to have poor visibility during a storm. Changing your wiper blades is very simple. First you need to find out what size blades your car needs. You can go to an auto parts store and look at the book or you can simply measure the width of the blade in inches.  Once you get the right blades you need to remove the old ones. Pull the wiper arm up so that it is standing up. There should be a small clip on the inside where the blade attaches. Push that clip and slip off the old blade. Replacing the new one is very simple all you need to do is line up the hook on the wiper arm with the new clip and snap it on. Repeat this same step on the other side and you have nice new wiper blades.

Slideshow For Changing Wiper Blades

PCV Valve Who?

Your car’s PCV valve is very simple to change and it can help your car run much smoother. PCV stands for positive crankcase valve and it regulates the gases inside of your engine. With all of the gases mixing inside the engine they need to be regulated and the PCV valve does just that.

To change your car's PCV valve the hardest part actually is locating where on your engine it is. This can be found out online or if you own a repair manual for your specific car. Once you locate the valve on the engine all you remove the vacuum line attached to it. Some PCV valves are twist in and some just slide in and out. So remove the valve and replace it with a new valve. Put the vacuum line back onto the valve and start the engine to make sure that there are no problems.

Photos for changing PCV Valve

Clean Gas

The gas you pump inside your tank is clean, but you never know what can be in your gas tank. Fine little particles of dirt may find there way into your tank. Every car has a fuel filter, some or external some are inside the gas tank. External ffilters are fairly simple to change.

First you need to get all of the gas out of the gas lines. You can do this by shutting off the fuel pump, there is a switch on the passenger side of most vehicles. To get at this switch you need to remove the kick panel and that can be pryed off with a screwdriver. One you get the panel off you need to locate the right plug (seek help from your local mechanic or autoparts store) and then you can simply unplug the switch. Start the engine and let it run itself out of gas. once your engine has shut off you need to locate the filter it is in different spots in all vehicles, in this case it was on the drivers side  on top of the frame rail.
There is normally a clips at each end of the filter, undo these clips. Some fuel filters are held on my bolts but now most of the newer vehicles have special connectors. There is a tool that slides into the end of the fuel line and it unclips the line from the filter. you then pul the line off of the filter and repeat the process for the otherside. Once you have the old one off get your new filter and check to mack sure the flow arrow is pointing the right way and slide the fule lines back onto the filter. Put the clips back on the filter. You are done installing the new filter.Now before you start the engine turn the key onto the on position without starting the engine. This lets the fuel pump pump gas back into the lines. Let it do that for a few seconds and then start the engine. All done.

Slideshow for fuel filter change