Not all that shocked. Have a friend with a 2018 Civic that's going in for recall over the fuel system. Made sure to let her know this so she can mention it once she head to the shop.
A lot of Hondas had issues like that 14-20 it feels like. I had mine recalled twice, once for injectors, once for paint. They fixed it for free and gave me a rental both times, so I can't complain too much.
Unrelated; spent all day fucking around on my 3rd gen Supra. For the past few weeks I've been working through all the hoses and other rubber gubbins. Coolant hoses, door seals, T-top seals, etc. All of it is turning back in to black sludge from being old as fuck. Only rubber that's good is the belts.
Only found out it was that degraded when the hoses cracked in to pieces removing the radiator. Was only removing the radiator because it had a slow leak, previous owner didn't use correct coolant and stored it outside. The things we do for the pleasure of a old car.
I've always been disappointed with how so many people defer to others when it comes to vehicle maintenance. Not only is it financially silly, but if you're all prepped up for SHTF but can't rapidly travel long distance to trade/shoot at people you don't like/steal things you need/make friends/haul cargo/escape enemies/etc, then you're kind of boned.
I'll post what I know about basic vehicle maintenance+how to prepare a vehicle to survive post apocalypse/WROL/carrington event/pole shift/CWCville merge, and you can tell me how retarded and wrong I am.
Basic Vehicle Maintenance (I'll add things when I feel like it)
Believe it or not, it's usually easier to change your engine's air filter than the cabin air filter (for the climate control).
The engine's air filter is in a serviceable box (the one connected to the giant rubber or plastic hose) which can usually be popped open with tabs on the side. It should be visible as soon as you pop the hood, and you should be able to reach it. Sometimes, you have to loosen the hose clamp and pull the air hose off to seperate it. Be careful not to fuck up the hose ("plenum"?) here, as if they let in air past the sensor (which you should also leave alone if present, usually looks like an electric bug zapper), your motor will run like shit and eventually die if left like that.
SOME VEHICLES (Late model Ford Fiesta I believe?) have a non-serviceable air filter, and you have to replace the entire housing. Still, you'll be able to get to all the bolts that hold it in.
KEEP THE INSIDE OF THE AIRBOX CLEAN. Your engine will ingest this shit if you do not. Use a shopvac to remove leaves and debris, or remove the whole airbox and hose it out... WITHOUT the sensor.
I have had excellent experiences with K&N air filters. (Mods plz, not sponsored) They are serviceable/can be "cleaned and recharged", as they filter by trapping debris in oiled cotton.
They will also make most cars noticeably faster, they flow more air than stock, and the stock ECU does not need a tune to handle this. Make sure you get the cleaning kit.
The cabin air filter could be hiding in a number of places. Is it behind thr glovebox? Is it under a panel in front of the windshield wipers? Who knows! Look it up for your car.
Once you find it, make sure the new one is oriented in the correct direction, and close it back up.
Usually most glove boxes have some kind of system which lets you open them past their maximum extent to access the Cabin Air Filter. Someyimes you press the sides together, or unhook something, or unscrew something. I literally cannot go any further because every make and model is different.
Be embarassed if you don't know how to do this/aren't confident enough to do this.
What you will need:
-Oil and filter to your vehicles specs
-Wrench or ratchet+socket to fit your vehicle's oil drain plug
-Gloves and some towels (used oil is not healthy or yummy)
-A funnel (personal preference)
-Oil filter pliers if you have a can-type, or a socket to fit your oil cartridge cap.
You will NOT have a fun or easy time using: Your hands, a strap wrench, a filter remover/grabber socket, a screwdriver stabbed through the oil filter, "normal big pliers", etc.
You MUST obtain oil filter pliers. They work easily and they work well, even on the most stiff, tight, and fucked up canister filters. They can also be used to remove the cap of cartridge filters. (with a paper towel to avoid scratches if you care.)
This is the only thing that really works in my experience.
-Wheel ramps or some kind of jack+jackstand set. Unless you have access to a lift, but you wouldn't be reading this in that case.
-Automotive drain pan
-Torque wrench (optional but recommended, can be borrowed from autozone for free with fully refunded deposit)
-Crush washer (if not included with filter)
Step 1: Obtain oil and filter for your vehicle
Believe it or not, obtaining a vehicle-specific filter would probably be fairly easy post-apocalypse. Autozones usually still have a thorough paper phonebook of filter compatibility next to their shelves, and it's not like people would loot random oil filters that aren't useful for their vehicles.
To check your oil, find the dipstick for the engine. "Oh but I have two dipsticks!" In that case, it's probably the yellow one closer to the front and not the red one further to the back or side. Still not sure? One of them is your transmission dipstick. When you pull it out, it will have reddish fluid that smells very weird and is a bit oily but astringent. The oil dipstick will have black/brown/gold colored... oily fluid that just smells like "car".
Now that you have your dipstick, with the motor having been stopped for at least a couple minutes and the car on a vaguely level surface, just take a paper towel, wipe the oil off, reinsert the dipstick all the way, then pull it out. The level of oil on the dipstick relative to the markings is the oil level. Confused? Not legible? Try it again a few times. Sometimes dipsticks are thick pieces of metal and hash-marked or ringed. In that case, you want to look at which indentations are full of oil and which aren't to judge the level.
"Ahh my dipstick is stuck!!!" Try rotating it while pulling, and use gloves. They occasionally require absurd force. Clean off and lube the O-ring and tube before you put it back.
"Ahhh I broke my dipstick!!" First, go buy a new one. They're not too difficult to find, use your vin to check compatibility. Then, drill a drywall screw into the plastic handle part, and pull it out that way. Works every time. Still stuck? Drill a small hole through the plastic part (don't damage the tube) and get some needlenose pliers or a piece of metal in there to pull it out. If you can't get it out but can get a "grip" on it, heat the top of the dipstick tube with a blowtorch, then pull while it's still extremely hot.
Do not use oil additives unless you absolutely (yes, really, you know who you are) know what you are doing, or have a very very old worn out pushrod motor. (You would know if you did.) (Fuel additives are good and usually work as advertised.) Do not believe the packaging, they are occasionally useful but rarely for what they advertise. Fuel asditives are actually useful, though, and do perform as advertised. Also, do not trust Project Farm's oil ratings. I love the guy and he runs a great channel, but he uses a device designed to test high pressure film strength, which matters in gearboxes and roller bearings, not journaled engines. Many fluids which perform badly in a motor will outdo oils on this test, and vice versa. His cold tests are good. There are other places online where you can find detailed oil data. Yes, the brand and trim of lubricant make a huge difference.
I'd (sometimes) advise against using the stock viscosity. What usually happens is that the mechanical engineers design an engine to work with, say, 5w30, and then the fuel systems engineers say "this generates too much friction/windage, let's sacrifice a bit of reliability to get a few more MPG and lower it to 5w20." Recently, Chevrolet is limping many of their new truck V8s past warranty by recall-switching them to 0w40 oil, vindicating a lot of people who say that it's usually better than the stock viscosity and doesn't actually have many side effects.
The first number is its "cold weight", and the second number is its "hot weight". Oil is defined as "cold" when its below 90-100c, not just when it's snowing. Lighter oils are used to save on fuel and to ease cold starts, but don't provide as much protection at high load or with big clearances. As an example, 0w40 is an ideal oil because it behaves like a 0w when cold and a 40w when hot. Not that it actually becomes thicker as it's heated, rather if you had an unmodified SAE40w oil it would have a similar viscosity if heated, and if you had an unmodified SAE0w oil it would have a similar viscosity when cold.
Whatever, there are entire forums dedicated to analyzing/debating oil selection. If you're not sure, have an active warranty, or if the weight doesn't have a history of being used in your motor, then you won't go (very) wrong using what's on the cap. Just know that cheap oil is worse. Remember to figure out your fill volume as well.
2: Raise your vehicle somehow
Now that you have the proper oil and filter, pull your vehicle onto your ramps, or jack it up, or pull it over a pit, or something.
If you have jack, you'll need to first find the lift points of the vehicle. If you lift it from a random point on the body, you will likely damage it. The lift points are usually somewhere on the frame or pinch welds, sometimes protected with/indicated by rubber pucks or steel plates. There are always 4, and sometimes one in the front and rear. If you have a vehicle without lift points(becoming shockingly common), or they are otherwise unusable, you can either jack the vehicle up from the rear diff (the metal box in the back which connects to the wheels) assuming you have a rear diff, and if you have all wheel drive, assuming the rear diff is not an active participant (is it weirdly long, does it have wires coming out?), or you can jack it up from the lower control arm (follow your shock absorber down, pass the hub where the wheel/steering connects to, on the bottom you'll find a metal arm connected by a ball joint, from the bottom of the "knuckle" to two points on the vehicle's frame.) These are durable enough to lift the vehicle from so long as you are CAREFUL. Do not lift from the base of the ball joint/knuckle, you don't want to compress the suspension. Lift from the part that connects to the frame. Once you jack it up to a satisfactory height with your hand jack, place your jackstand beneath a good lift point. Do not go underneath the vehicle if it is supported only by a hand jack, the alibaba hydraulics will fail and kill you. Raise and lock the jackstand at roughly the height of the vehicle, and slowly lower the vehicle onto it. (This is why expensive carjacks are better, cheap ones tend to drop the car as soon as you overcome the friction and slam it onto the jackstand.) Repeat carefully for each point until the vehicle is at the desired height and level. If you insist on supporting the vehicle with the hydraulic jack alone, place a jackstand below a lift point so it damages the car instead of killing you.
If you have ramps, it's simpler safer and easier, but you should still consider some things. They aren't useful for anything involving suspension or wheels, since the wheels are, you know, on the ground, and the suspension is supporting the car.
Pull onto a flat, preferably paved surface. Pull your car to the location you want, and make sure your wheels are straight. Align the ramps, remember, you won't be able to move them with the vehicle on top of them. Push them into the wheels. Pull forward with your window down, once you think you're just about to get over the retention bump, put your car in neutral and see if it rolls forward. If it does, let it go. Do not be too aggressive when driving on the ramps, for obvious reasons. Once the vehicle is stationary and does not move when in neutral, place it in park and ACTIVATE THE HANDBRAKE. Then, step out, and use a brick or block of wood to chock one of the rear wheels, for obvious reasons. Do not trust the internal systems of a vehicle you are actively fucking with, even if they seem unrelated to what you are doing.
Now that your vehicle is off the ground, either crawl/wriggle under it, or use a mechanic's crawler. Make sure you have the correct socket for your oil drain plug.
Step 3: Drain your fluids and swap the filter
Note: If you think a retard may start your car while you are letting the oil drain, (or a retard may attempt to drive it while you are underneath it) remove the negative battery lead so the car can't be started. Usually a 10mm tensioning the lead onto the terminal. Push it aside so you don't get sparks. Car batteries are actually fairly safe, and don't produce enough voltage to pass their harmful current through your body (They output 11-14v, and you need about 90v to make it through the body). Still, be careful...
Slide the drain pan beneath the drain plug. You'll want to do this while the engine is still somewhat hot, so you can remove as much suspended solid gunk as possible, and get faster outflow. Remember, if your plug is on the side, the oil will travel pretty far in that direction, so align your pan accordingly. Glove up, and remove the drain plug. Use the correct size socket, there should be no play, if it slips, stop immediately. Just let it fall, don't get covered in burning hot oil.
(Assuming you have a ubiquitous bottom mounted can filter): Once your oil slows to a drip, slide the pan beneath the filter, while making sure it still captures the oil from the drain. Wearing gloves (you are wearing gloves, right anon?) and using your oil filter pliers, begin unscrewing the filter. At some point, oil will pour over the side. Keep unscrewing it and set it upside down in the drain pan. Wait a little while until everything drains, then, use your finger to apply clean oil to the rubber gasket or seal on your new oil filter, and attach it by hand. Screw it in firmly, but absolutely do not use tools to tighten the oil filter. If the outside is oily, you can use a rag to help, just remember that these are meant to be tightened by hand.
Prefilling is a matter of personal preference. There's even disagreement between companies that use the same engine, some say you must, others say you must not. There are benefits and downsides that cancel out, meaning engine wear on start is (and has been measured to be) identical. If your daddy always told you to prefill, or if you feel like it, go ahead. It won't make too much of a difference. Just make absolutely sure that all the oil you pour into the new filter is 100% clean and free of debris.
If you have a cartridge filter instead of a metal canister, you can find it facing up in the engine bay rather than facing down underneath the car, in a cylindrical housing covered by a plastic cap. Removing it is as simple as removing the cap (usually plastic, usually with a giga size hex nut shaped protrusion on top), which is often doable with the filter pliers, however the problem is that cartridge filters often have weird compatibility issues, (GM is the worst offender regarding this). Shockingly often, there are two or more different cartridges with two different bypass valve designs. Each will fit into the other housing, however if you mix them up, one will bypass all the oil and provide no filtration, and the other will completely block oil flow and wreck the engine. If you have a cartridge filter, especially on a newer GM, use your VIN number to search for the filter on your box store of choice's website. Also, the "gasket" which would be found on a canister filter is instead an O-ring found on the housing threads in this case, which should be replaced. Once you remove the cap, make sure your filter came with a new seal, then use a knife, pick, or flathead screwdriver to remove the old O-ring, and place the new (oiled) one in the groove you removed the old one from.
Sometimes these O-rings will stick, and melt into place. I understand the temptation to just jam the screwdriver in and carve it out, but remember you're working with a (possibly plastic) threaded housing and mating surface. Don't damage it. A good technique is to jam a tiny screwdriver in until you have just enough rubber sticking out to get your fingers on it, and then pull the rubber while pushing the screwdriver beneath it.
Either way, once you're all done, make sure you place the canister in right-side up, (something somewhere WILL be marked to indicate it), remember to oil and install the new O-ring, and reinstall the cap. Unlike canister filters you may use tools to tighten down the cap the last bit of the way and compress the O-ring, but absolutely be sure not to over-tighten, the plastic cap will break and you will not be able to drive the vehicle until you obtain a new one.
Once oil stops coming out of the drain plug, you may add a bit of fresh oil with the drain plug removed if you have an excess, to help flush out the nasty stuff in the pan. Once that's all done, place the crush washer on the drain plug, screw in the drain plug by hand, and torque it to the spec you find online. If you don't have a crush washer, you may use the old one, the cost being that you may have a tiny, constant oil leak, which likely won't be noticeable by the time you next change your oil. If you forgot your torque wrench, you may tighten it by hand. Yes, I know there is a crush washer. Do you know how easy it is to rip the threads out of an oil pan? If you're bracing yourself for leverage, you're probably well past tight enough. If you break the oil drain, you won't be able to drive the vehicle until you replace the pan...
Step 4: Fill the vehicle with oil and start it
Now, don't be an idiot and try to level the car by starting it and pulling off the ramps or something. It's fine.
Using a funnel if needed, pour "most" of the fill volume in, and then check the oil. You installed the drain plug... right? Repeat until you're just ABOVE the max fill line.
Why above?
-Your oil filter, even if prefilled, will "take" a significant amount of oil
-You would have to double-fill to actually cause issues
-"More oil" is measurably better in terms of resisting breakdown, cleaning, and lubrication (and if you have an old car that leaks...)
This is kind of controversial, though. If you overfill it severely you can still run into windage issues and such. But, you have to add quite a lot for that to happen.
Check the level one last time, (you installed the filter, right?), reinstall the oil fill cap, make sure you don't have any random crap lying around under the car or in the engine, get the drain pan and tools out of the way. Reconnect the negative battery lead if you disconnected it, the tension bolt is easy to break and likely made out of shitty cast zinc pot metal so be cautious.
Sit in the car, start it while staring at the dash. If you see a genie light, keep watching. If it doesn't go away in 2-5 seconds, TURN OFF THE CAR IMMEDIATELY.
You have not damaged your motor by idling it without oil pressure for just a few seconds, there is a residual oil film.
-Your drain bolt and oil filter are securely attached, right?
-You did add the new oil, right? (check the level to be sure it's all there)
-Did your oil filter come with a plastic cover you were supposed to peel off? If so, it's probably covering it. Remove the plastic and remove any plastic debris.
-Was the genie light always on? If the car isn't already actively dying, then you probably just have a problem with the oil pressure sensor.
In the unlikely scenario that all this seems fine and there isn't a pool of oil in the ground, start it again for a bit longer and see if the genie light goes away. Very old vehicles may require a bit of time to build up pressure. If it doesn't, you've entered creative troubleshooting territory, and the car was likely borked before you even did this. Good luck.
Now that the car is running with no genie light, you can go ahead and turn it off. Do a final little cleanup, remove anything you left before closing the hood, REMOVE YOUR WHEEL CHOCK before driving off, idiot.
All done!
How to change your transmission fluid
If you have a "lifetime fluid" transmission, it's extremely important that you do this. There is no such thing. Many transmissions are engineered for 30-40,000 mile changes, and simply have a "lifetime fluid" sticker slapped on them. This way, they die after warranty.
Never, ever, ever do a "transmission flush" on an older (read: non-new) vehicle. This will destroy the clutch bands as they pump a bunch of solvent through the transmission. A flush is not a simple fluid change.
However, there exists an old wive's tale regarding transmission fluid changes on old cars. Many mechanics will tell you that since the transmission fluid was never changed, or not changed in a long time, the transmission is relying on the clutch-debris to work properly, and will begin slipping after. This makes sense in theory, however does not reflect how wet-clutch automatic transmissions actually function. The clutches aren't actually meant to immediately contact each other, instead they use the viscosity/friction modifying compounds of the fluid to stick together and resist slip. You see, it is possible to increase the friction of a lubricant without increasing viscosity or wear. This is part of what makes Automatic Transmission Fluid special. The clutch disks are meant to wear and touch a bit, but they rely mostly on the fluid. As the transmission burns out the fluid, these compounds break down and become weaker. If you let it age, the fluid becomes thinner and worse at lubricating, and these long chain compounds are broken down and replaced by abrasive particles which are not only inferior at their job, but also: burn out the remaining clutch material faster, clog the sensitive clockwork of the automatic transmission (solenoids, valve body), and wipe out the sensitive bearings in the transmission.
So then, why do mechanics say this?
If you change the transmission fluid as a reactive instead of proactive measure (as is often done), the clutches are already usually "worn to the bone" and completely ruined. They really were relying on that abrasive material, and removing it does really cause them to slip. Not to imply that a transmission like that would have lived much longer anyways.
The very stupid part about this is that you can purchase "stop-slip additives" which are essentially goop, especially in the case of Lucas. (Do not use this if your transmission isn't slipping...) They do exactly what the abrasives did, but without wiping out your bearings and with a moderately lower risk of clogging or jamming your solenoids/valve body. So it's not a big deal regardless...
I highly, highly recommend a high performance fluid, especially Redline D6 or the equivalent rated for your transmission and driveline. Why? Because conventional and "stock" transmission fluids break down quickly, so even over a normal 30-50,000 mile change cycle, the transmission will slip and wear somewhat as the fluid is broken doan. Also, modern transmissions especially, even under "normal conditions" withstand absurd levels of heat and pressure which high performance fluid helps with greatly.
There is basically no downside to using something like Redline except cost of fluid. It matches the stock (Mercon LV/Dexron VI) characteristics perfectly, except it uses superior additive packages and a superior base oil.
Since it doesn't break down under the conditions of the stock fluid, it maintains its low wear/heat characteristics for the duration of the change. The transmission will automatically measure and account for fluid breakdown by altering slip characteristics, and the benefit is measurable here as well. The shifts are noticeably "sharper" when using this fluid in my and others experience, as there is less unintentional slip.
If this is your first tf change after purchasing a used car, or the filter has never been changed, I recommend following the "pan drop" procedure as well. Keep in mind that some newer cars do not have accessible pans or filters, in which case you must keep the fluid clean, as if the filter clogs you won't be able to unfuck it without removing the transmission.
What you will need:
-Twice (Yes, double) your pan-fill volume of (preferably high quality) transmission fluid, compatible with your transmission.
Pan volume is not the same as the whole volume, look it up and be specific. Google is retarded and often hides results related to the actual model-name of transmissions and engines, replacing them with "v6 engine" or "6-speed automatic" to keep things "simple". Also, yes the transmission fluid type does matter. Oddly, a lot of lubegard's additives can allegedly be used to convert one fluid type to another. Just buy the correct/compatible one because it really does matter in this case.
On some cars, you may want to look into the torque converter volume as well if it is accessible and can be drained
If you're in it for the long run, and you have changed the fluid before, you can just purchase the fill volume. No need to drop the pan again.
-A video or guide specific to your car, as they all have odd differences in procedure for this.
-A funnel
-Gloves and towels
-Drain pan (You can return transmission fluid to autozone just like/mixed with motor oil)
-Transmission pan gasket
-Torque Wrench (free borrow from autozone)
-Transmission filter (these vary in compatibility weirdly, check based off VIN.)
-Some kind of automotive cleaning agent, brakleen is a bit strong but will do
-A plastic scraping tool and a razor
-Needlenose Pliers or some kind of metal pick
Step 1: Draining the fluid
Starting with the vehicle off for about 5-10 minutes...
There should be an obvious drain bolt on the bottom of the transmission pan. STOP - If your transmission is a "lifetime fluid transmission", or is otherwise not equipped with a dipstick, open the fill bolt first. Fluid will probably come out, this is fine and does not mean it was overfilled. Have your drain pan ready for this.
If you have a dipstick tube, you can fill your transmission through it. This is the normal procedure for some vehicles.
Open drain bolt and drain the fluid into the pan.
Remember to open the breather vent on the pan and remove the cap idiot...
Step A: Removing the pan
After you drain the fluid, remove the ring of bolts around the bottom of the transmission. Once you are sure they are all off, you may hit the transmission with a rubber mallet and pry at it with a soft prying device (plastic bar?) or at least be gentle. Be sure they are all off though, if you try and pry at it while a bolt is still attached, you're fucked. But if you're sure, the gasket has likely hardened and is holding the pan on. Get aggressive, try penetrating oil and whacking it. Some parts have dowels which make this useless, and some parts have special outcroppings explicitly for prying on. It varies. Once you remove the pan, it probably has a bunch of residual fluid in it... be ready...
Step B: Replacing the filter
Assuming your vehicle has an accessible transmission filter, it's likely held in with two or three small bolts. One on the "body" of the filter, and one or two around the "neck". If they're all gone, you should be able to twist the filter, and shimmy it out. Be ready for more fluid... Once it's out, there are likely rubber o rings around the neck. It may be lodged in the hole the neck went in, be sure to get it out. Then, insert the new filter in the exact opposite order. If you can't find the torque specs for these bolts, use the torque spec for the pan bolts.
Step C: Reinstalling the pan
Clean up the mating surface with a plastic razor or something. If it's too shitty, use a metal one CAREFULLY. Once that's done, place your NEW gasket on the pan, line it up and have a few of the bolts in hand. With one hand, force it up against the transmission. With it held in place, thread in three of the bolts. Do not do this too tightly. You can let go of the pan now, use the slack to "shimmy" the gasket into place with the bolts. If the gasket will not cooperate, you may use red grease to stick it in place. DO NOT CREATE AN RTV SILICONE GASKET ON YOUR TRANSMISSION. (unless that's how it is stock and a gasket does not exist...) DO NOT COMBINE RTV AND A RUBBER GASKET. (Unless your car has it stock on a seam of some kind) Once all the bolts are threaded in, torque them to the spec you find online for your car.
Step 2: Refilling
Replace your drain bolt...
Varies wildly between cars. Usually has to be done while running. Easier with a dipstick. Need a hand pump if a dipstick is not present. Just look up a guide specific to your car. If you don't want to, start the car (transmission will be fine) shift through prnd a few times and let it warm. Add fluid through dipstick until it reads full, or fill hole until it leaks out. Shift theough prndl a few more times, check again/top off, and it's full. Transmission is more sensitive to incorrect fluid level than motor, so be careful. There's a lot of fluid left deep in the transmission after you drain it, btw.
If the fluid was black or brown or otherwise shitty, repeat the drain/fill part of the process again (hence 2x fluid volume...).
Spark plugs sound simple, but it is very possible to fuck this up. First, you have to figure out where they are. They are... on top of the engine. In the holes that correspond with cylinder count.
You'll want to do this at a regular interval or when the vehicle is running rough. You can also just take them out to look more closely and see if they're to blame for an issue.
MOST of the newer engine covers (post-2010 or so) can be "popped off" by simply pulling at the right angle. Some of them, however, are held in with 10mm nuts. Look for a little circular cover, it may hide a 10mm nut or bolt. Or, it could hide "on the side". Very vehicle specific... some covers have nothing to do with the plugs btw
BTW, unless there's a ton of water or shmoo that gets in there, or very exposed cabling, you're good to leave this in the corner of the garage until you sell the car. These covers are primarily for engone noise and actually trap heat in the heads, and can reduce the life of the engine.
You should see wires going to rubber boots on top of the engine, or to plastic objects. You'll have to remove these. Most newer cars have these wires in a "guide" to stop you from mixing them up, however, if you do, the car will not start, or will run horribly. If they're not retained, you should write numbers on them to keep track.
If your car has a distributer, just pop the cables out of the spark plug wells. They'll fight you, and can break here, however are replaceable. However, ignition coils/coils-on-plugs/ignition casettes (where all of the coils are part of one "box), are just as likely to break in half, however are very expensive. They're also sometimes bolted down. Vehicle dependent.
They also have some... unique cable connectors which you may have to figure out. If you get confused, youtube is your friend as every manufacturer does this differently.
Once you have wrestled these things off without breaking them, find an appropriate spark plug socket and extension (you can test the size on the new ones you goober, there are only like 4 possible sizes, just go to autozone and buy a sparplub socket set and some extensions), preferably one with some kind of retention.
Put the socket on the extension and try to find your first plug, and seat the socket on it. Using a ratchet, NOT a drill, apply gentle pressure to the LEFT. Some spark plugs will BREAK IN HALF and get STUCK INSIDE YOUR ENGINE if you fuck this up. This happens so often, in fact, that they sell "spark plug removal tools" for exactly this situation.
Once you feel the "break", loosen until hand tight, remove the ratchet from the extension, and remove the socket by hand. If you don't have a retention socket, you may need to use a magnet or needlenose pliers to remove the spark plug.
If your spark plugs are a little bit sooty or "burnt" and "eroded", this is fine as long as they are old. However, if an old spark plug is completely clean, that cylinder is not firing. Bad! Also, if your spark plug is totally covered in "white char", your mixture is probably lean. If it's absolutely caked in carbon, your mixture is rich.
Now, take a little flashlight and try to see into the hole. This may be tough, and you'll just see a bunch of metal and crap. Try to focus on the shiny part, the cylinder walls. Is there any up/down scoring and scratching?
If so, that's fucked, especially on a modern aluminum engine, where the bore is protected by a very thin layer of nickel, silica, or plasmacoating, and once it wears out, the engine begins to eat itself. This is not serviceable and the block is trash. On iron block or sleeved engines, however, if it's valuable enough to you, you can tear down the whole motor and send it to a shop to be re-machined.
Or, for both iron and aluminum engines, you can just drive it like this and try running an aggressive gouge-filling oil additive like rislone, and otherwise accept that the car is clapped. For the most part you'll just get rough running and oil consumption, and the car's lifespan is shortened, but it will still drive.
Before you install the new spark plugs, try to clean out the bores with compressed air if available. If some kind of shit or shmoo or sand or foreign object gets in there, you will fuck up the motor. Also, if the spark plug holes are full of oil, you need a new valve cover gasket.
After you have removed all the spark plugs, look at the new ones. Most modern cars come with pre-gapped spark plugs, and some cannot even be conventionally gapped. Look it up for your specific car if it is older than 2010. Modified cars may also need a modified spark plug gap. If you need to, there's a little tool at every autozone checkout that looks like a coin. It is a gapping tool.
Try not to just drop them into the motor, as you might ruin the spark gap if they hit the bottom at the wrong angle. Lower them with the retention socket on the extension, and thread them in by hand. If you can find a torque spec and hand a torque wrench, use it, but if not, you'll have to eyeball it like everyone else. Keep in mind that they are very capable of breaking in half, but also have to contain combustion, when you are doing this.
Then, reinstall your wires/coils/whatever and connect them in the correct order (you didn't mix them up... right?) and assuming you didn't have to remove any weird peripherals, you're good to start the car. If it suddenly runs worse than before, check spark plug wire/coil plug order. If it runs "just as bad as before", you may have a bad ignition coil, or, on older cars a distributor issue. If you have a multimeter, you can simetimes find a "bad" coil by checking the resistance of the coils and finding the "odd one out", but you should replace all of them if they're old, as they tend to go bad all at once.
Does your car shake or grind when you brake? Are your rims covered in soot? You'll need to replace your brakes.
Are your brakes mushy, or behaving unexpectedly, or acting up on the highway?
You'll need to bleed them. But... you might need a new master cylinder and/or calipers. There is a caliper section, but I can't help you with a Master Cylinder.
, too unique between makes/models and too tedious. to install/remove. Consult Youtube.
The Master Cylinder is the hydraulic cylinder that you compress with your foot, and the Calipers are the slave cylinders that get compressed and squeeze the pads onto the rotor. Sometimes, calipers can go bad and get stuck, or leak all of your brake fluid out...
Also, I don't fuck with drum brakes. They are weird... consult Youtube.
You'll need some extra tools for this one.
-C Clamp (To compress the brake piston)
-A friend, OR a one-man brake bleeder kit
-(If bleeding or doing calipers) Spare DOT brake fluid (the higher the rating, the better, they are intercompatible)
-(Optional) A rubber mallet and/or mini sledgehammer
-(Optional) An impact driver
-(Optional) Silver Anti-Sieze and Caliper Grease
-(Optional) Long Zip Ties, or something
First, jack off your car. Can you believe you can't use RAMPS if you're going to remove the wheels? Remember, you'll have to find and use the jack points, if you use a random spot you will punch a hole in your floor. Also remember to have jackstands so if the hydraulics in your jack fail you aren't liveleaked. Or just lower the car onto the jackstand if you have enough jack points.
Figure out the socket size for your lug nuts, and remove them with an impact driver/drill, preferably... If you have locking lug nuts, but no lug nut key, drive to a tire shop and they will remove and replace them for 20 bucks or so. Don't want to do that? Every locking nut is different, don't damage/gouge/melt your wheel, your slick rims, when trying to defeat one.
Now, notice how the wheels didn't just fall off when the lug nuts were removed? Ensure you're at a safe distance and give the wheel a good facing-away mule kick, or hit it with a rubber mallet. Repeat until wheel falls off. Be advised, wheel will fall off when you do this. You may have to be aggressive with older cars, be sure not to knock it off the jackstands.
Now, you're ready to begin.
When selecting pads and rotors, you'll see very similar looking "cheap and expensive options". This basically boils down to how aggressive of a driver you are...
Now that you have the wheel off, you may be wondering, "Elliot, what's this screw holding my rotor on!?" That is a screw which retains the rotors on the assembly line. It serves no purpose aside from that. These screws rust, strip, jam, you name it. Mechanics put them back in because they want to "leave it how they found it". This is your prerogative...
Once you have removed this damned screw, which could be torx, phillips, or something else (hope you have this as a socket), you might notice that the rotor is still stuck on there, hard. Wait, my little kiwi friend. Don't use the sledgehammer yet. Go behind the caliper and find the two big bolts that hold it to the knuckle.
These will be difficult to remove. You gotta, though. You may need a breaker bar at a very awkward angle to get them started.
Once you have removed the caliper, DO NOT DANGLE IT FROM THE HYDDAULIC LINE! Instead, bite it onto the suspension somewhere. You may need to use a zip tie... or something... to keep it there.
Now you may begin hitting the Rotor until it loosens up and comes off. This could be effortless, or it could take an hour. In the worst, worst cases I've literally taken chunks out of the rotor from hitting it so much.
Once the rotor is off, optionally, paint a careful and thin layer of silver anti sieze on the hub. Do NOT get any on the stud threads or the braking surface. This stuff is pervasive and gets everywhere. You will look like the tin man if you touch your face. Wear gloves. Then, slide the new rotor onto the studs.
Now, take the caliper from its perch, pop out the pads, and pop out the little metal clips. The metal clips are unique to the braking system, but they all share a common factor that they are a pain in the ass, and are needed to ensure proper brake functionality.
If your caliper is old, you can disassemble it and refresh it with the two bolts above the little boots. It'll fall into two pieces (this is also an easier way to deal with the pads). Extract the pins, clean them off thoroughally, slather them in brake grease, and reinsert. Some especially bad ones can be wire-wheeled, but you can actually buy the pins as standalone parts for fairly cheap.
At this point, you might want to replace your caliper if it's fucked.
Just follow the instructions, but with a new caliper. It's not that simple, though.
Prefill the new caliper with brake fluid via the threaded hole.
Remove the threaded brake line from the old caliper, and be ready for a model-unique struggle if you have a parking brake on this caliper. (See Youtube).
Don't spill the brake fluid as you hastily screw the brake line into the new one.
You MUST bleed the brakes after doing this. Follow the instructions.
Clean things up a little bit, and get your C clamp. Open your brake fluid reservoir cap. Place the turn-y end on the piston, and the flat end on the back of the caliper, and start wrenching it down. Notably, some cars require special tools for this to rotate the piston and "unlock it". I hope this isn't you, but you can borrow these for free from Autozone with a deposit.
If it really gives you trouble, you can, with great care, take the little rubber boot off and open the bleeder valve slightly as you compress the piston. Be sure to close it whenever you're done.
Once you've compressed the caliper piston, find your brake pad box and insert the new clips in the same way as the old ones. Now, try to insert the new pads, making sure they're oriented correctly.
Notice how they push the clips out of the way, or send them careening across the garage? Isn't that great? Worst case, you can grind down the "ears" slightly for fitment.
After struggling with the pads, hope and pray that you compressed the piston enough to fit it back onto the rotor. Line up the bolt holes, add a little loctite if you are so inclined, and tighten down the caliper, using torque specs if they exist. Also, make sure the flexible part of the brake line isn't twisted or you will have really weird issues.
Now you can either repeat for the other brakes (You should do them in pairs!), call it quits, or bleed the brakes.
If your brake fluid looks like either shrek piss or blood, you need to replace it.
This is so much easier with a friend. If you have a one-man brake bleeder kit, read the instructions and watch a video.
Find the nipple. It has a rubber cover which you can pop off. Have a friend pump and hold the brakes (or start pumping the vaccum), and loosen it until fluid comes out. BEFORE YOUR FRIEND LETS OFF THE BRAKES, close it.
Check and top off your brake fluid. The reservoir is small, near the back of the engine bay in front of the driver, if you couldn't find it earlier.
Repeat this process until the brake fluid is all clear and new, and your friend says that the brakes feel "firm" when you have the nipple closed.
By the way, you will do well to either place a pan under your brakes or connect a hose to the nipple, you do not want this shit all over the floor, or on your skin for that matter.
You need to do this in a way that introduces 0 air into the system, and don't stop if you see bubbles coming out.
After doing these things, make sure you use the proper torque specs when reinstalling, or "know what you're doing" in terms of having a "feel for it". You can rent a torque wrench from Autozone for free with a deposit. This includes lug nutz btw, overtorquing these can damage alloy wheels and do other undesirable things, and undertorquing them makes your wheels fall off. Many people still spec them in "impact wrench ugga duggs", though.
You may be inclined to do a cautious road test. When you're sure the car will stop, and isn't pissing out all of it's brake fluid, you may want to "bed in the brakes"...
You can just look up a procedure for this. Essentially you repeatedly go from 60-0mph 5-10 times until you smell something funky and see a white sheen on the rotors, then do some gentler braking runs. Do NOT come to a complete stop while the brand-new brakes are hot, use Neutral/Park if necessary. Also, drive around a bit to let them cool off after you've done this a few times. This is also meant to happen naturally, but won't be consistent at all.
What this does is twofold: It matches the wear on the (currently rough-machined) rotors to the wear on the pads, and transfers pad material onto the rotors, allowing them to "grab" harder when needed, and preventing uneven wear and vibration and such.
If you have stupid questions about your car, this is probably a good place to ask.
On oil changes; there is probably a more optimal routine for every individual car but change the oil every 3k miles. Ignore what the manual says or what the computer says.
Is it optimal? Maybe not, would be surprised if it is, but as a general rule of thumb it has never failed me. I've seen expensive German engines run 200k miles with no issue because the owner was diligent about changing the oil.
On oil changes; there is probably a more optimal routine for every individual car but change the oil every 3k miles. Ignore what the manual says or what the computer says.
Is it optimal? Maybe not, would be surprised if it is, but as a general rule of thumb it has never failed me. I've seen expensive German engines run 200k miles with no issue because the owner was diligent about changing the oil.
I'm clueless about cars and I'm sick of dealerships and repair shops giving me the runaround so this thread will be a lifesaver for me. I just got a settlement earlier this year because a dealership sold me a lemon and I'm definitely not going through that twice.
It still works because they had to repair it under warranty regardless of the settlement but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted by the idea. I'd rather have something reliable I can work on myself than a shit machine full of propietary bullshit.
On oil changes; there is probably a more optimal routine for every individual car but change the oil every 3k miles. Ignore what the manual says or what the computer says.
Is it optimal? Maybe not, would be surprised if it is, but as a general rule of thumb it has never failed me. I've seen expensive German engines run 200k miles with no issue because the owner was diligent about changing the oil.
Changing oil often will never be a bad thing. It might be a waste of money and time but it's never bad. Bad shit definitely will happen though if your oil is bad or you leak or burn all your oil away. Probably the number one problem with almost every machine out there, vehicle or otherwise, is inadequate lubrication. Every time you hear an excavator or a loader squealing when you walk past a construction site, that shit is lacking grease or oil somewhere. When you hear the car next to you in the parking lot's engine tippity tapping away, that's because something got fucked with that engine's oil at some point and now it's fucked in some way. Keep on top of your oil and your engine will be happy for a long time.
Very dependent on the country but in general, your local government has a designated place to collect them. It's typically in the same place where citizens drop off household hazardous waste (stuff like used cleaning chemicals, paint, electronics).
If the repair shops near you use oil burning heaters. You could ask them, they may take the oil for free.
In the US, most auto parts stores and Walmart will take back used oil.
I've been mulling over this for a while. I've been driving older cars (>=20 years) for almost the past 7 years now and certain things about old cars have dawned upon me. If you're like me and use the car every day for work and doing activities, having to worry about the next thing that may fail gets tiring even after a full D check type maintenance job. Depending on the car, parts might also start drying up. This is pretty true when it comes to old Toyotas like the gen 1 LS and ES that youtube influencers like to rave about. If you're not a sheep and have a proper German car, BMW and Benz both have good OE and OEM parts support for their older cars, but that supply is also dwindling.
Eventually, a new car makes rational sense for a daily while the older ones are kept as backups or turned into showcars for your local cars and coffee. As EV's become more and more mature, I have no doubt that budget oriented vehicles like the one started by Slate will enter the market (even if Slate is a dud) and gain popularity. Because EVs are basically computers on wheels, there's great potential for a FOSS EV operating system to enter the market that would truly make owning the thing yours. Disregarding the manufacturing complexities it takes to assemble the battery, charging and maintaining the car is dead simple as they don't require an array of sensors or parts. All you need is some way to generate power to charge the thing.
Any big box store is required to take them, at least in the US. Ask any autozone or o'reilleys or local about fluid return, they usually have a big vat of used oil in the back.
I've been mulling over this for a while. I've been driving older cars (>=20 years) for almost the past 7 years now and certain things about old cars have dawned upon me. If you're like me and use the car every day for work and doing activities, having to worry about the next thing that may fail gets tiring even after a full D check type maintenance job. Depending on the car, parts might also start drying up. This is pretty true when it comes to old Toyotas like the gen 1 LS and ES that youtube influencers like to rave about. If you're not a sheep and have a proper German car, BMW and Benz both have good OE and OEM parts support for their older cars, but that supply is also dwindling.
Eventually, a new car makes rational sense for a daily while the older ones are kept as backups or turned into showcars for your local cars and coffee. As EV's become more and more mature, I have no doubt that budget oriented vehicles like the one started by Slate will enter the market (even if Slate is a dud) and gain popularity. Because EVs are basically computers on wheels, there's great potential for a FOSS EV operating system to enter the market that would truly make owning the thing yours. Disregarding the manufacturing complexities it takes to assemble the battery, charging and maintaining the car is dead simple as they don't require an array of sensors or parts. All you need is some way to generate power to charge the thing.
I'd argue recession-era is a pretty good balance between this. 2011-12 is when America and Japan caught up to and finally beat Germany in "making shit fragile and difficult to repair" department.
Regardless, if you cannot afford a penis butler, then you should not pay a butler to maintain your car either. Indie mechanics will fuck you one way, and dealerships will fuck you the other way. Buttle your own penis.
Oh, and if you actually change your own oil then consider a drain plug. Fumotos have a good reputation. They're like 40 bucks but tool free oil changes that are less messy (okay except maybe a jack) are pretty fucking cool actually. Just make sure it doesn't stick out beneath the frame or you run the risk of debris or particularly bad potholes/bumps hitting it.
In some cases you might be able to get away with 10,000 miles between oil changes, but that's only if you use a high quality synthetic oil and you do a lot of long distance highway driving. Short trip and stop-start driving are hell on an engine's internals, whereas hovering around 2000-2500rpm (depending on the vehicle/speed) for a couple of hours at a time is where a typical ICE tends to be at its happiest.
Otherwise, absolutely change the oil at 5000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first.
Don't forget to change the tranny fluid every 20-30k miles while you're at it too.
BTW if your car is old and a little bit of an oddball, consider buying a parts car to keep yours going. It'll save tons of hassle and expense in the long run.
Oh, and if you actually change your own oil then consider a drain plug. Fumotos have a good reputation. They're like 40 bucks but tool free oil changes that are less messy (okay except maybe a jack) are pretty fucking cool actually.
A tip: If you need to take your car to a mechanic, take the time to shop around your town at different spots. In most cases, one guy will charge more (or less) than the others for the same job.
If you find a mechanic you like, build a relationship with him. You never know when that'll be helpful. He'll probably like you more if you funnel good business his way.
A tip: If you need to take your car to a mechanic, take the time to shop around your town at different spots. In most cases, one guy will charge more (or less) than the others for the same job.
If you find a mechanic you like, build a relationship with him. You never know when that'll be helpful. He'll probably like you more if you funnel good business his way.
