The majority of vehicles on the road today, by far, do not have truck beds. In fact, no automaker now makes any cars with truck beds, making them as innovative as they are vintage. There are pro reasons why people prefer combining the utility of a pickup truck with the size of a car. Still, they did not have the customer market that makers had hoped for, rendering most of them outdated and out of production within a few years. …
A vehicle’s engine has two key parts, that is the engine block which is also known as the lower section and is the heaviest, and the detachable cylinder head which contains the valve-controlled passages through which the air-to-fuel mixture comes through the cylinder. This vehicle component can sometimes be blown up and exhibit the signs of a blown engine. Your vehicle can’t probably do without this single most important part of the machinery, the engine. The engine is the heartbeat …
In a time when you can find information with a few clicks, only a few people get by with privacy issues. So, can someone find your address from license plate? What can people do with your license plate number? That is a concern that many motorists have. Lookups for license plate numbers are a widespread activity. You may do it for information verification or vehicle identification based on the situation. Your license plate is always visible, which may appear like …
The OBD-II – aka ‘onboard diagnostics’ – function in your car is a godsend for diagnosing, tracking down, and troubleshooting car problems. However, what if the OBD port isn’t working, how do you test it? Testing whether or not the OBD port in your car is working or otherwise can be a bit challenging, but it’s certainly not impossible. A visual inspection of the connector is a good first step, before going deeper. If you can’t spot any problems visually, …
When diagnosing, servicing, or installing a brand-new alternator in your car, one of the common questions that often gets asked is whether or not should an alternator spin freely, or should there be resistance? In practice, I’ve learned, over the years, that both are true! Typically, a freely-spinning alternator that does not have any resistance is generally a good sign. This indicates that the alternator has healthy bearings. However, it’s important to note that a tiny bit of resistance, particularly …
Socket sizes are as varied and as diverse as the automotive landscape, as a whole. Yet, among all the many socket sizes that we commonly use on our vehicles, from 5 mm to 36 mm, why are 20 mm sockets so rare? I’m not the only person noticing this either, as countless other people have noticed it, too. Whereas sockets like 8 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, and so on are fairly common for cars, 20 mm ones are practically …
Your car’s MAF (mass airflow) sensor is an important part of any vehicle, as it determines both the volume and the density of air entering the engine. However, what should the MAF sensor read when it’s idle? In practice, there’s no one-size-fits-all reading, as your MAF sensor readings at idle can vary depending on the make and model of the car. Moreover, there are other factors to consider, like the size of your engine. For example, a 3.0-liter engine might …
In an age where nothing is safe from thievery, locking wheel nuts are a nice way to make it way harder for thieves to steal those precious wheels off your car. But, where can you find the locking wheel nut code? This isn’t really something that’s discussed often… Until you’ve lost your locking wheel nut keys, and need to find a way to get those nuts off so you could remove your own wheels. Thankfully, it’s not impossible! If you’ve …
When performing an oil change, one of the things that most people seem to forget is properly tightening the oil drain plug or bolt. So then, what is the right and ideal torque spec for your car’s oil drain plug? Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to torque specs for your oil drain plug or bolt. In practice, the precise torque specs can vary significantly from one car to another, so it’ll differ. On average, most regular passenger …
Whether you want to improve your car’s looks or would like to maximize your track car’s aero, installing a rear spoiler is one of the best things you can do. But, where can I get a spoiler installed for my car? Normally, I’d personally encourage folks to consider buying a spoiler for their car and installing it DIY-style, by themselves. Although, I do understand why you would prefer a professional installation, instead. In that case, you’re in luck, as there …