How easy is it to change break pads. Im not very diy capable but I just wondered if you needed special tools and what the procedure was like.
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DIY tips & guides
Post your DIY tips hints and questions in here. This forum is for all GENERAL car related DIY tips.
Model specific tips should be posted in the makes and models section.
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What is the best way to repair alloy wheels that have got a bit corroded at the edges? Are the kits in halfords any good?
Can someone give me a quick guide on how to and what tools I need to change my engine oil. Its about time I did some of my own car maintainance work!
Let me start a small topic. It is a Honda Civic EK with engine swap.
I am currently putting together a D16Z6 turbo engine. I would like your opinion and advice :)
I will use - D16A6 engine block (same as D16Z6)
- D16Z6 engine head
- Chinese turbo copy of Garrett 3071r
- Vitara pistons
- Speed Factory long connecting rods
-ARP bolts for connecting rods and engine head
-Edelbrock intake manifold
- throttle valve fi 70mm
-injectors 750cc
-Walbro 255 fuel pump
- stock fuel rail
-XTD stage 4 clutch kit
-oil cooler 12 rows
- aluminum water cooler
-I'm thinking about MegaSquirt V2 or Hondata S300
-ACL Oil pump High performance (if I can find one, out of production)
And some other parts, so I won't list every little thing...
I'm curious if...
Car: 1972 Datsun 240z
Problem: High Oil Pressure
When i turn the car to the on position, the oil pressure gauge sweeps just below 90 psi (the top of my guage). It used to be even higher than that but recently came down a bit. What really confuses me is that I just drained every drop of oil from the motor. How is it reading that there is ANY oil pressure, let alone HIGH oil pressure?
And yes, the oil was blacker than black (also supposedly had Seafoam in it at one point to clean the motor).
Is it my oil pressure relief valve?
Any suggestions?
Hey im having abit of trouble with condensation building up inside both my headlights on a Punto Mk 2 W reg.
Any ideas how to reduce or get rid of it?
I heard 2 holes drilled in the top and bottom allow air to flow and evaporate the water but im unensure. If rather get a second opinion before i take a drill to it.
Cheers
Has anyone noticed but if you compare the Haynes manuals today to ones of 10-15 years ago they dont seem to tackle any of the complicated issues anymore - it just says leave to a mechanic or the like. ? :confused: Can appreciate cars are much more complicated but its always worth having a stab first.
Does any body know how many turns from off, on the quad throttle bodys need ? I noticed mine are all turned to off, cheers!
I want to reduce the thickness of my car's fibreglass body by grinding away the inner surface. Any idas of what would be the best abrasive pad/disc to use?
Hey guys,
So, Im wanting to get started on a project car in a few years time once I’ve done my degree so I’m gonna get started on collecting tools and accessories I’m gonna need for when I get started.
If anyone has any particular brands they want to recommend, specific tools that I’ll need everything like that it would be so helpful. I don’t mind paying a good price for a reliable, hard-wearing piece of kit.
Hello all, I have been reading a lot and doing a lot of research on my car the three single most important things you can do are: 1. either get alldata.com account (have to pay) or get a free autozone account where you can load your car in (information is sometimes limited). 2. Buy the manual for your car, chiltons or haynes about 30 USD, or the master technician book about 200 USD. (the latter is a great resource). 3. go to autospeed.com diy articles and read through the articles. I have read though 90% of the 400+ articles.
As far as any advice that I can give you from my experience. You should listen to what everyone has to say when diagnosing. When working on your car, be very patient. It's nothing worse than flying through...
We bought my '98 Chevrolet Tahoe used, and within a year it blew a turn-signal bulb in the rear. A really helpful auto-parts store guy informed me that this was the only common issue on this vehicle that he knew of (quite true so far; Bertha, the truck, has otherwise been very nicely reliable).
So I began to look at options. The store had LED bulbs which were listed with exactly the same part numbers. I tried two different kinds, and odd behavior resulted, lights coming on and staying off just wrongly; so I replaced with incandescent that time. I was also told that the circuit-board is often at fault, so I replaced that too. Eight months later or so, ditto.
So I dug, and I learned that there are special flashers designed for...
2013 Genesis Coupe. But you can do this with any car.
So on Amazon I found some ver cheap LED lighting and picked up 4x 30 cm LED red strips (not very bright, US$6.88) , and 2x 2 waterproof LED white lighting strips (almost as bright as headlights, US$5.85 for each).
You'll need a soldering iron & solder
heat shrink wrap (or tape...)
elec tape (if for nothing else than to wrap the split loom junctions)
install bay 1/4" split loom to wrap up the wiring
wire (thin guage wire is fine, LED takes very little power) I used speaker wire
hoop terminal connectors (or you can wrap the wires around the screws for a ground)
wire strippers
This weekend I did a little project and did an easy LED strip lighting mod to my car. I'm looking for a...
Hi,
Decided to get a full setup , so i can start doing my own repairs and also with a view to possibly in the future , training up and doing this for a business. Got 20% off at machinemart till this weekend so wanting to buy tomorrow..
Can you think of anything im missing from the list below for somebody who has a bit of knowledge , and wants to do general repairing etc..
2tonne Lift jack
Axle Stands
Creeper & Seat
Inspection Lamp
Tyre Inflator
Wheel Brace
Engine Lift
Transmission Lift
Engine Stand
Bench with Vice & Grinder
Jump Start Pack
Tow Bar
Jump Leads
Magnetic Tray
Compression Tester
Cam Locking Tool
Helicoil
Pipe Bender
Torque Wrench
All the usual sockets, ratchets, nuts, bolts, pullers, splitters etc...
My '98 Tahoe has to sit a bit more than it's been used to, with fuel prices hiked a lot, so I put some of the most common fuel stabilizer I've seen here -- Sta-Bil:
https://www.goldeagle.com/product/sta-bil-fuel-stabilizer/
in the tank with fresh gas. And I was surprised. It helped a lot. Even though I have been using Sea Foam and one or two others occasionally. Did the same with my sweet wife's Ford Focus. The bottle mentioned (very briefly) treating the whole fuel system, so I wasn't too shocked, but I was wondering, does anyone know if there risks, downsides...? The bottle says it can keep gallons of fuel good for 24 months (!), which is pleasing. I remember a different brand of fuel stabilizer having a warning of not using...
i have removed fitting from body 2 screws, how do i get acess to bulbs, do you break free by hand the white rear from light cover which hold bulbs, dont want to crack anything
All,
I have recently been brought a Vibe CBR 12" Twin EVO Active sub, amp, enclosure set and just had a few questions on it.
1) I was told that I should fit another battery to the car by a few mates, is this a good idea or should I not bother?
2) Should I get another amp? The spec states the max power is 3400 watts but looking on the Vibe website about the built in amp and looking at its spec seperatly, it states it only goes up to 500 watts (although I might be looking in the wrong place).
Any help on this would be much appreciated. And before anyone says anything, I know I have yet to get my car and this was only brought as a present (this and the wiring kit). I just wish to know the few details before it comes to getting the...
First off, hello i havent been on in a while.
I have done a search and had a look on here i cant find a guide to fitting a exhaust back box, is there one or any tips i can have to fit one successfully.
I would imagin you unbolt or slide off the back box remove the pipe maybe small amount of cutting involved. Then to put the new one on slide pipe back in slide the arms into the rubber put the sealent on and clamp?
Just resprayed doors,after some kind person put long deep scratches in them.
Have tried putting several thin coats of laquer on but gives a dull finish.Triedputting it on thicker,which is better,but get bad runs.
Anyone got any tips on how to sort it. Thanks.
I thought we should get a thread going on fibreglassing.
Has anyone noticed that a perfectly flat fibreglassed panel will distort and bend after a while? Do you know why this is and how it can be avoided?
Does the quality of materials have much to do with the quality of the finish?
Hey guys.I wanted to find out if it is neccessary to fit exhaust wraps to a stainless steel exhaust system?
An overall engine tune up such as performance spark plugs, wires etc...also ignition and valve timing will be adjusted and thinner head gaskets will be installed to improve compression ratio while retaining power at lower revs.
Is there a DIY for jetta engine removal somewhere here?? please help
Im looking into doing a conversion in my 1.1 206 and possibly gonna put in 1.6 as its still very economical statistically. Would that be a straight swap or do I still need to put in other parts. What car should I get as a donor car.
i was wondering what i would need to fit a 1.8 clio engine from a mk 3 in to a mk2 1.2 clio, would it be alot of work. i need to know everything i would need. :confused:
The Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers create an exhaust note that is too loud in the cabin of my X-Type. Has anyone experience with Dynomat sound deadening material put in their trunk/boot? Does this product work well?
Picture this: you’re broke and you just cracked your bumper and, suddenly, your ride isn’t road worthy anymore. You still need to get to work but you don’t have the cash need to buy a replacement bumper. You have two options: hoof it to the bus or try to repair your cracked bumper yourself. In today’s video,Chris Fix shows us how easy it is to fix it yourself using a drill and zip ties. Not only is it cheap and easy but we think it looks amazing!
So, what do you think? Is this something you would consider doing even temporarily? We love the look and think we might be on the edge of a new trend but we have been wrong before. Share your thoughts and be sure to subscribe to Chris’ YouTube channel.
Hi,
This is my first post although i will do a newbie introduction shortly.
I'm at the end of my tether and looking for some help. Im changing the front strut on a 2006 ford fiesta due to a snapped spring. Its my first attempt at this kind of thing and if done my research bought spring compressors, watched videos etc etc.
So were on al stands, the wheel is off the brake line and abs sensors are disconnected from the strut. Im now trying to remove the bolt at the top of the strut that connects to the stabilising arm.
I turn the nut and the bolt turns with it. There is no head to grip at the other end. Ive sprayed with wd40 and tapped with a hammer but nup not happening,
Today i bought a nut split thinking that would do the trick...
:D Hi fellow torquecars members,
I have stumbled upon some useful modifications to improve your Fuel consumption by 25 % TO 50 % ..JUST THOUGHT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE HERE....
http://www.lubedev.com/smartgas/additive.htm
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/12755-my-experience-adding-acetone-petrol.html
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/524517/double_your_gas_mileage_2x/ ( CHECK OUT THIS ONE FIRST!)
I am now going to look in to this matter further and maybe test it out once i'm convinced... think about it guys!! the petrol companies can add this in but do not want to because they loose money... if 1 car pumps 1 full tank in one week, then must by adding this, people pump 1 full tank in 2 weeks. ALL THE...
any serious advice on how to get rid of dog smell inside the car. previous owner of my car has a dog and the car stinks.
ty:mad:
I know a guy who is selling this:
Turbo kit - Manifold, new studs, new head, new intake manifold, injectors, downpipe, turbo (Garrett T25), blow off valve, spare throttle body and random accessories, turbo gaskets (intake and dp side), manifold gasket (between manifold and head), stainless braided water and oil lines, stainless braided fuel lines, fuel perssure regulator (stock and uprated), stainless downpipe. The manifold was machined a few months ago and injectors have been flowtested and cleaned by Wich Doctor in USA. I will include the injector loom and I also have a set of larger 3SGE rev3 injectors with pigtails. You will need your own engine management. £200 to go to a good home. Pictures are in my mod thread. I have done all...
What is everyone using to track service completed on your cars and trucks? I want a product that is not an app.
Does anyone know if there are DIY (Do it Yourself) manuals for a Mitsubshi Lancer CE, it's an 03' GLi model! 4G93 engine 1.8l
thanks heaps! :bigsmile:
If anyone is interested in a detailed step by step video tutorial of how to custom retrofit Orion4 halos into Depo class housings for BMW e36 models, I have a video on YouTube. My channel name is Project Bimmers. All my videos are about project work I have going on with the cars. I appreciate if anyone checks it out.
Has anyone attempted, or successfully made their own carbon fiber body panels? I came across a video of a guy making his own stuff and I thought it looked like a pretty interesting project to take on.
Also, to those who have done it, did you save any money on making your own stuff considering you have to buy all the equipment and vacuum compression bag (if that's what you would call it)?
And for someone who's inexperienced, is this an relatively easy project to take on if you have plenty of free time and patience?
Any information on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thought you guys might like this :)
Here it is in action
A video of an older version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CWW4PQQz2uE
If you want to see what it looks like.
I'm always surprised just how much alcohol is on my breath the morning after... just a warning, easily enough to dampen your reactions.
i have a polo 6N and am looking at alloys for the festive season, and it seems a general idea that i can fit Corsa rims straight on,, but on checking fitting guides find that yes they are both 100 PCD but the bore for the corsa is aboout 1mm lower,, what difference will this make and any ways round it
cheers ppl,, the Icy season is nearly here,, time to sort out handbrake!!
1. Hire cars have much stronger acceleration than private cars.
2. Hire cars can achieve much higher speeds in all gears, especially reverse.
3. Hire cars have floorpans shaped just like an ashtray.
4. Hire cars have specially painted front bumpers to resist exhaust stains from the car in front.
5. Accelerator, brake and clutch pedals are replaced by similar looking foot operated switches.
6. The parking brake is optimised to assist in fast cornering manoeuvres.
7. The engine oil does not need to be checked or changed for 500,000 miles.
8. The gear selector may be operated without engaging the clutch switch.
9. Hire cars are self cleaning.
Can you Buy a smaller O-ring to make the Decat Fit?
Having Slight Problem but be something silly :P
Thanks
.....As I tryed to search Google and nothing comes up so might be straight forward but I'm a slow learner hahaha
I've got a couple jacks and sometimes they stick and won't release Proper or when jacking the car up, it sometimes doesn't hold and slowly release's itself, now the Jack is a 3 Tonne so shouldn't have any problems lifting up the car so am thinking to myself might just need some Oil.
But I'm not sure what Kind you need and where would you put the oil?
Same Applys for the Air Gun which I got, always wanted one haha,....it use's little oil and again kind and how to apply it would be great.
I love using the tools but hate looking after them but has to be done in order for them to keep working.
Thanks
Hey guys, any custom painters out there? Heres the problem.
I am a very accomplished sprayer in 2k solid, clear over, met, pearl etc etc.
I want to do a tri colour paint job on a Mk1 escort but i want to use base coat metalics within a flatted solid white panel and i want to bury any hard edges between colours in the clear, however. When i spray met base, there are rules that i stick to and not sure how to get round them for this job.
I will be using fine edge masking tape and the met colour coats will have a final drop coat pre clear. I was hoping to spray in all the colour coats and then clear the entire panel to bury it all.
1) How to protect the individual colour coats whilst i mask off for the colour changes?
2) How long can i...
How do you convert a car from right hand drive to Left hand drive?
I just need the basics.
the car is a Toyota Supra.
can someone please help me? :)
Anyone know how I would have to prep the alloys if I were interested in coloring them? Want to do it DIY as opposed to getting it done pro. Thanks.
I'd like to give a shout out to these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JDM-RED-1998-2002-Honda-Accord-Adjustable-Lowering-Coilover-Coil-Springs-Kit-/330863407779?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3APrelude&hash=item4d08fef2a3
I've had them on the red Lude with Koni sport dampers since August & their great.
Its a bit of hit & miss when mixing different springs & dampers but this setup is working great.:amuse::amuse::amuse:
Only thing is, I can't go as low as I'd like with the body kit on.
Ok so i plugged my pug 206 gti in to obd and it showed up coil bank 1 so ive sourced a coil pack off of a breaker on facebook 15quid . But its off a vts will this be alrite do you think . The guy says they are all the same i sent him a picture so he cud see mine . . I dont know if its going to be the same do you guys think it will fit ok and spark at same rate ? Not slow me down or damage my car ?? Here is pic of my gti coil Cheers gtivirgin
Anyone on here familiar with Mach3 CNC control software as I have a problem?
hi guys. The fuel rail on my ep3 in making a clicking noise. And the engine management light came on. Don't know if they are related?????
If i had to remove the cam covers, sand of the paint, polish it to a shiny finish, would a high heat clear coat stick to it or would I need to do something else before the clear coat. Any ideas or tips or do's and dont's welcome. Give it to me straight.:?
The following guide was written specifically for the BMC CDA air filter but the basic procedure can be applied to any similar Oil impregnated paper filter.
I would recommend using the manufacturers specific cleaning kit designed for which ever filter you have.
Right my BMC CDA air filter is way over due a clean, BMC suggest cleaning their filters every 15,500 miles, I think mines done at least 20,000! So here's a basic guide with a couple of extra tips for cylindrical CDA filters that aren't covered in the manufactures basic instructions...
Time to complete whole job: 1 Day.
Actual time fiddling & getting covered in red oil 1-2 hours.
You'll need the following basic items:
BMC Air filter cleaning cleaning kit...
Hi everyone.
I just bought a Chevrolet Matiz 2007 model. Full service done plus new brakes and pads and brand new clutch kit. The things is, while im driving, the car doesnt have power in acceleration, it brakes or slowing down while i am accelerating. Doesn't go over 40m/h and drink 80£ worth of petrol. Last week while driving on motorway the car was trebling and the steering wheel too. What might be the problem guys. Please if anyone has any idea please share.
If your car won't start use the checklists in this thread to diagnose the problem.
Flat battery - do they lights dim to a faint glow when the starter motor cuts in?
Starter motor - does the starter motor relay click into place, is the starter motor actually spinning and turning over the engine. Sometimes you lose some teeth on the starter ring so there is no contact with the starter motor, putting the car in gear and rocking it backwards and forwards is usually enough to rotate the starter ring slightly and make contact.
Please suggest other things to check in the event of a non starting car in this thread.
This is an article is primarily based on a 2002 VW Bora, but I've changed discs and pads on many a car down the years and the basics are pretty much the same for standard systems. Because car makes and models do vary we suggest you consult with a good workshop manual to get an overview of the specifics for your car. As always if you are not reasonably competent at car mechanics please leave work to a professional.
Continue reading...
I'll throw this open with a starter question then. How do you change the wheel on your car?
What safety measures should you take using a scissor jack, anyone got any tips on undoing really tight nuts or removing locking wheel nuts without the key?
Write up a step by step guide on how to do this relatively simple but essential task or chip in with some tips and suggestions.
Hackaday seems to have had a run of car hacks,
http://hackaday.com/2010/03/16/adding-an-automotive-cold-air-intake/
This one looks really interesting and the arudino means you could take it quiet far http://hackaday.com/2010/03/16/keep-tabs-on-your-car-without-obd-ii/
http://hackaday.com/2010/03/16/follow-up-hacking-onstar/
hey guys could u give me some tips on how to label engine parts and how to tune engines hope u can help
Thanks
I learnt something over the weekend which i would like to share with all who wash their car with a sponge!.A sponge contains silicon which reacts with car paint,this reaction causes the swirl marks that can be seen when the sun shines on the car,best thing to use is a lambs wool mit or sheepskin.:blink1::bigsmile:
two questions,
1. what does the current and voltage waveform of distributor output in a conventional car look like, I mean is it a pulse or sine wave or anything else...
2. I have a 3-cylinder car, and four point distributor, any wild ideas what i can do with the fourth wire....
:) thanks
would anyone be interested in a step by step guide to *wiring* a car audio system, covering headunits, screens, amps, speakers, crossovers, power caps, twin batteries , what type of wire to use, and what thickness, etc.
it would be step by step, but entirely technical - i appologise but i dont do fiberglassing or anything like that, so id hate to try and tell someone else how to do it.
if you think this would be useful/or you would like to contribute then let me know.
Hi
ive read the forums and articles on painting calipers and i really want to paint them, however i'm prob a bit of an amateur so need a few tips on how to paint them, i reckon it will be easier to paint them while there on the car so has anyone done this and what should i look out for whilst doing them.
probably going to use hammerite as this seems to be highly receommended!!
It is possible to build a header using a portable welding torch?
i have a toyota 1000 kp30 pickup. its a rear wheel drive and it uses brake drums in the rear. i've managed to convert the front brakes into disks but trying to figure out what to do with the rear brakes. do i need to change the entire diff or can i get disks that can fit with the original diff?
Hi there, new here and have a rather specific question.
Recently made a purchase of a bosch kts350 for diagnostics.
It runs Windows 10 and plugs straight into an obd and has alot of other connection capabilities.
My question is, can this be used for remapping?
It is essentially just a hand held computer, so would make some sense if there was just a cable and software able to do this.
for badly faded and dull black bumper plastics,heat up plastic with a heat gun and waft as if using an aerosol this will will return your bumpers or any faded plastic trim ,back to its former glory.hair dryers simply dont generate enough heat it has to be something hot and dont be scared to really heat up just be careful not to touch surface with the end of your gun.
Hello all,
My quiestion is: When an engine has been burnedout & has seized up, run without water or oil until the bigends start knocking...can it be fixed?
I was hoping that I could just bung a new crankshaft into it.
Any advise will be appreciated.
Anyone tried the Trinity Chemicals version?
eBay item number: 332039546252
The normal 12 piont type will most likely slip and round off the corners of nuts/bolts especially if they are not in A1 shape so IMO it is better to have 6 point tools ( normal/most common are 12 point) and better still to buy FLANK DRIVE tools as they exert pressure onto the sides/flat surfaces and not the corners so there can be no rounding of the corners.
The brand you buy is up to you as the price range is wide with the top being Stalwillie and Snap On. Happy to be corrected by the more knowledgeable if my info is incorrect.
I have just tried starting my car, it turned over once and now the battery is completly dead!! Is this because of the cold weather, cause it freezing here??!! I have never driven in the Uk during winter so have no experance of cold weather and the effects it has on batterys
Since buying the car a little over a month ago I have had a few experances of the car not fireing-up fast enuf, do you guys think the battery was starting to go??
Finnaly, whats a good battery brand to go with?
Thanks Guys
