When the average Joe encounters a rusty bolt, nut, or screw, his first instinct is to reach for his favorite penetrating oil (PB Blaster, WD-40, etc.) and soak it. Others add heat to a nut to expand it and break loose the rust which often works wonders. Once it's broken loose, though, there's still a … Continue reading Bag O’ Tricks: Candle Wax
Sometimes it's hard to get your hands where they need to be to start a bolt by hand, but if you put the bolt in a socket it falls out before you can reach the hole. What to do? Tape it! You can use a little bit of electrical or duct tape to hold the … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: How to Keep a Bolt From Falling Out of a Socket
Finding a slow leak in a tire can be tricky business, especially if you can't find an easily visible screw or nail head. I like to use a simple mixture of dish detergent and water in a spray bottle to find a slow leak. You can also use a dunk tank which is what most … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Checking for Tire Leaks
If you have a 2004 (except Heritage) - 2008 Ford F150 or similar truck with power windows that work sporadically or not at all, then thispost is for you! A new master switch for the F150 isn't really all that expensive ($40 or so for a Dorman), but I'm always up for saving a … Continue reading Ford F150 Window Switch Repair
Most people know they need to change their oil and filter and perhaps even their air filter, but there are a number of "forgotten filters" on cars and trucks these days that are often neglected. We'll be focusing on the fuel filter today. Fuel filters should be replaced every few years or about 40-50k miles … Continue reading Fuel Filter Replacement – 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
In this installment of Tech Tip Tuesday (which has been carelessly forgotten a few Tuesdays recently) we'll examine the importance of dielectric grease when installing spark plug wires. This particular example is on a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer 4.0 V6. The customer said he had a misfire, usually under load, but not all the time and said … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Spark Plug Wires
As an ever-faithful reader of the blog, I'm sure you remember this article about checking and replacing your belt before terrible things happen. One quick tip during a service like this is to make sure the new belt is the same length as the old one. Most of the time belts stretch with age, so … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Checking Belt Length
As a customer you may have had a shop tell you a certain component on your vehicle was worn out or defective and then had them suggest that you replace that same component on the other side as well. This is particularly common on steering and suspension components and brake components. Why should you replace … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Why Replace in Pairs?
If you work on cars very long at all, sooner or later you will replace a gasket. Whether it's a thermostat, water pump, oil pan, timing chain, or any number of other items it is likely to have a gasket. I will address the many different types of gaskets in another post, but this time … Continue reading Tech tip: gasket installation
The Service Station Blog 