Stopping Power

Stopping your vehicle is the most important safety aspect in car maintaince. If your brakes are worn out it increases your stopping distance. Or worse case scenario your brakes fail and you cannot stop or slow down. Most all of today’s cars have disc brakes on them, and the two parts that wear out are the brake pads and the brake rotors.

To begin replacing the pads and rotors you have to park your vehicle on a level surface. You then break loose the lug nuts on the tire that you will be working on the brakes for. Then jack up the car so the tire is off the ground and remove the lug nuts then the tire. You will be able to see all of the brake components, take a mental image because that is what is should look like when you are done. Next you locate the caliber, which is the piece with the brake pads inside. There are two bolts holding this one. Remove those and then slide off the caliber. The brake pads can just be taken out since they are not fastened. Then there is a bracket that holds the pads on. Remove that and then the rotor (the disc) will just slide off.

Inside of the caliber bracket there are metal slides for the pads. Most brake pad kits have new slides included. To change them all you have to do is pop out the old ones with a screwdriver. Sand down the bracket and then squeeze some brake pad lubricant into the sliders. The new rotors will have oil on them to prevent rust. If you do not clean that off it can harm the brake pads so you need to clean them off with some brake cleaner. Slide on the new rotor and bolt on the caliber bracket. Then place the new pads back into the bracket. There are normally two pistons on the brake caliber that push up against the brake pads to crate friction. Since your new pads have more pad to them you need to push back those pistons. To do this you need a larger C-clamp and an old brake pad. Place the pad across the pistons and tighten the clamp until you cannot tighten anymore. Now you can slide the caliber over the pads then bolt it into place. Make sure everything is tight and you can put the tire on with the lug nuts snug then let down the jack and torque the lugs. All finished, when you start the engine pump the brake pedal until it is firm. Also be easy on the brakes for the first few days otherwise they may squeak.

Front Disc Brake Replacement Photos

Keeping that Oil Fresh

A cars engine oil is vital to keeping the car on the road. The engine oil keeps the internal parts of the engine clean and lubricated. So, changing this oil regularly to ensure that it does it job is important. Most cars oil is supposed to be changed around every 5,000 mile this may differ by the year of the vehicle, also there are many different types of oil and filter so checking the owners manual to ensure you get the proper materials. is key.

First step in change oil in a vehicle is having the car on a level surface. After that place a drain pan underneath the drain plug(this will be located on the big pan and it looks like a bolt) and remove the plug. Let all of the oil drain out and replace the plug. Locate the oil filter,(should be located on the side of the engine underneath of the car) slide your drain pan under the filter and remove that also and let the rest of the oil drain out. Get your new filter and fill it with new oil and put some oil on the black gasket so the gasket does not stick to the engine. Spin the filter on and hand tighten. the locate the oil fill tube and place a funnel in it and fill your engine with the proper amount of oil. check for any leaks then start the engine. let it run for a little bit then shut it off and check the oil level. Please make sure you are recycling your used oil at your local shop.

Slideshow of all the steps in the process of changeing your cars oil

Air Filter Change

Your cars engine proformance is based on and air to fuel mixture. When one of those factors is reduced it effects your cars proformance and gas milage. A cheap and easy way to keep your cars air flow at the proper flow is changing the air filter.

First thing to do to change your cars filter is go to your local auto parts store and consult someone about the proper air filter for your car or truck. If you do not get the proper filter you can harm your airflow and even your engine. Once you get the proper filter you start out by opening the hood and locating the air filter box. These boxes are located in numerous places on different cars an easy way to locate it is a large piece of plastic with clips holding half of it together. After finding the box undo the clips and remove the old filter. Make sure there are no pieces of dirt in the box and then place the new filter in the spot the old one came out of. Close the box and clip it shut and the job has been finished so you can close the hood and drive on.

Slideshow showing photos of an air filter change

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