Category: Automotive

How to jumpstart a car

Now the basics of jumpstarting a car are extremely simple and require only three parts. One, a car with a dead battery — the jump-ee. Two, a car with a live battery — jump-er. And three, a set of large, industrial, jumper cables.

Now, this is a very simple process that gets complicated quickly if you are lacking or have undersized jumper cables. The reason for this is that it’s always easier to find someone willing to give your car a jumpstart, than it is to find someone willing to do so who also has a set of jumper cables — or a set sized large enough to actually work. You may find one or you may find the other, but now you need to find both. This is the same as needing help moving, but you can only accept help from friends with red hair — you’ve not only decreased your odds but you have put yourself in a vulnerable position.

Being men means that we are prepared to take care of ourselves, the people we care about and others who need our help along the way. It’s okay to have a dead battery. It’s not okay to drive around unprepared expecting others to take care of us. A man on the side of the road with a sign reading NEED JUMPER CABLES, is different than that same man with his hood up, cables ready, looking for a quick charge from a willing traveler.

And don’t think for one minute that those cheap jumper cables that came with the car, or the set that was in the emergency car kit your aunt gave you for Christmas, count. They don’t. They are worthless and unreliable. I have helped more people jumpstart cars that were trying to do so with cheap cables, than those who had no cables at all. They just don’t work. Go out and get yourself a heavy set of jumper cables — 6 gauge or better (remember, the lower the gauge number the better, so, 6 is better than 8 and 4 is better than 6, etc.) — 300 amp or better with rubber handles on the clamps; not plastic ones. Also, a 15’ length is a good length. 12’ cables are often hard to use if you have to pull the cars in at a strange angle and with more than 15’ you risk some current loss.

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THE PROCESS:

So, now you’ve got a decent set of jumper cables, a car with a battery that needs to be jump started (jump-ee) and a car that is has a fully charged battery (jump-er). From here it’s pretty straightforward. With the jump-er’s car running — it’s very important that the car jumpstarting from is running — you’ll start the process.

First you need to determine if the problem with the car is truly a dead battery. So, if when you turn the key and the car does nothing or if it tries to turn over but can’t, it’s most likely to battery. If the dash lights come on and/or there is a clicking sound when you try to start the car, this might be a starter issue instead of a battery.

The rule of jumper cables is simple. It doesn’t matter which way you connect the cables, as long as they are the same on both cars. So, if the black jumper cable clamp is on the positive terminal on the jump-er, then the black clamp goes on the positive terminal of the jump-ee. The black and orange (or yellow) on the cables does not mean positive or negative, it’s just a way to distinguish a difference between the cables.

So that means, do not cross the cables. Don’t put the red cable on positive of the jump-er and the other red end on negative of the jump-ee. If you do, bad things will happen. But the good news is, that’s really the only rule of using jumper cables.

So let’s say you choose to connect red to positive on the jump-ee car, then red to positive on the jump-er. Then go back and do black to negative on jump-ee and then black to heavy metal bracket or frame of the jumper — I’ve connected the negative to the negative, but this is no longer recommended.

Now, you wait a minute to let the charge build up then try and start the car. If it starts, great. If it does not start, wait a few more minutes and let the charge build up further. Try again. If still nothing, look at the cars you are matching up.

If you have a Honda Civic trying to jumpstart a Chevy Bronco, you may have an issue. The smaller battery may not be strong enough to charge the larger one. You can wait longer to see if a charge will build, but most likely you will need to find a larger car to jump from. The rule is you want an equal or larger battery as the jump-er.

So if the battery sizes are equal, and the cables are of heavy industrial strength, you should get a charge and the car should start. Then, unhook the cables — red from the jump-er then red from the jump-ee, etc. — and let the car run to build up a charge.

That’s it.

So do you now know how to jumpstart a car?

No. Because you haven’t done it yet.

Put a good set of cables in your trunk and wait to find someone you can help and once you’ve actually jumpstarted, then you know how to do it. And when you find someone — walking out to them with your heavy duty cables still in their plastic bag — be honest. Tell the person that you have never used the cables but are willing to help. And don’t be embarrassed by this. I had a neighbor — he was almost sixty at the time — I found reading his car manual trying to find out how to jumpstart his car. He refused to let me help him because he wouldn’t admit he didn’t know how to do it.

The worst kind of knowledge is the type that is offered but never accepted.

August 8, 2016
How to change your spark plugs
History

Believe it or not, there is actually a great deal of controversy surrounding who actually invented the spark plug — pretty funny, huh?

In one camp, there are those that believe the credit should go to a man named Edmond Berger, who supposedly created the first device on February 2, 1839. But since Berger didn’t patent this invention and there is very little to document it — or provide verification on why the February 2^nd date is always used — the title can’t officially go here.

Then there are others that give the credit to a Frenchman named Jean Lenoir in 1860, who used an electric spark plug in a gas engine that he had created — but again, no patents were filed and there is little documentation.

The actual paper trail begins in 1898, when the famed Mr. Nikola Tesla — the creator of the modern AC electrical system — filed a patent for a sparking plug within his ignition timing system. And then another patent was filed in 1902 when Robert Bosch designed a plug for his magneto-based system.

But there is little doubt that the development of what is today the modern spark plug came from an engineer named Gottlob Honold who was working for Bosch in 1902, and took the plug closer to what it is today. And from there, manufacturing developments were made by Albert Champion in creating the insulator and completing the task in 1930.

What is a spark plug?

A spark plug is device that has a metal threaded shell surrounded by a porcelain insulator. It is screwed into the cylinder head of an engine and forces electricity to arc across a gap in order to deliver electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of an engine. That’s it. It provides a consistent spark to keep the combustion going and the cylinders moving so the engine keeps moving.

Maintenance

When a spark jumps the gap between two electrodes, it actually burns off small amounts of metal each time. As this continues, the gap widens to a point where the spark cannot make the jump any longer. This is when the engine begins to misfire, your mileage goes done, you have trouble accelerating and the horrible CHECK ENGINE light comes on.

Which means that it’s time to change your plugs.

Now if you’re intimidated by changing your own spark plugs, don’t be. If you can change your oil filter and oil — and even if you have never done this, you can — then you can replace your spark plugs. And remember, each time you do yourself, you pocket the hundred dollars in labor that it would cost you to have it done in a shop. And that adds up pretty quickly.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR SPARK PLUGS

So here you go. Nine easy steps to go through to replace the spark plugs in your vehicle.
1. Buy the correct plugs for the vehicle. At your auto parts store there will be cross reference material for your vehicles make and model and the appropriate spark plug size.
2. Gently, disconnect one spark plug, from one spark plug wire. There are two important points here; the first is the word, gently — not yanking, but disconnecting — and the second is the quantity of one. By changing one plug at a time you will always get the right plug back with the right wire.
3. Clean the spark plug area with an air canister. This is important because it will prevent any dirt and crud from falling into the cylinder — which as far an engine is concerned is the same as a human getting a germ.
4. Unscrew one plug. Using a spark plug ratchet, or the spark plug socket that comes with most socket sets, unscrew the plug by turning counterclockwise. Once the plug is loose enough, just finish by removing it by hand.
5. Determine the plug gap. Each engine will have a determined gap that the plug point will need to be. You can get this gap from the vehicles owner’s manual, or it’s included in the decal under the car’s hood. Creating the correct gap is important because it will set it at the exact distance it needs for ideal performance and fuel efficiency.
6. Gap the plug. Take your gap gauge, insert it between the bottom of the plug — the inner electrode — and the hook on top — the outer electrode. With the determined gap, bend the hook lower or higher to match the specific gap
7. Insert plug. Slowly screw in the spark plug by hand until it’s firmly secure. Finish by tightening with the ratchet.
8. Reattach the plug wire. Using a twisting motion, position the boot above the plug. When you hear a click, you’ll know the wire is connected to the spark plug.
9. Repeat these steps with the other plugs.
That’s it.
August 5, 2016
How to Change the Oil in Your Car

1971 was a very busy year. Charles Manson was convicted for his part of the Tate-LaBianca murders. Paul McCartney formed a new band called Wings. A man calling himself DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727 and then parachuted from the plane with $200,000 in ransom cash. And at Madison Square Garden, Joe Frazier defeated the great Mohammad Ali.

It was also the year of Edwin Washburn.

Now Edwin Washburn was man who, when he retired from the military, finally had the long awaited back surgery he had been putting off. And as Edwin was recuperating he wondered how he would get down under his vehicles to change the oil now that his mobility was limited.

As he was in a tire store, Washburn noticed that there was an outside pit where mechanics could work on campers and RVs. Why couldn’t you do this inside, with cars, and by doing it, drastically reduce the service time? And from this, the very first Jiffy Lube fast oil change shop was created.

Now these shops would have remained simply a few unique stores in Utah if it wasn’t for another character named Jim Hindman.

Jim Hindman was a successful businessman and was also the football coach at Western Maryland College. And during a conversation on tenacity and a hard work ethic, one of his players spoke up.

“That’s great coach, but you already made your million. I’d like to see you make another one.”

So he did. Hindman purchased the first Jiffy Lube from Washburn and began spinning out franchises.

Today there are over 2,000 Jiffy Lube locations, and an additional 800 Valvoline Instant Oil change centers, making the instant oil change shop a solid part of our car maintenance landscape.

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Now this is both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because the instant oil change sites probably extended the life of many cars for drivers who would never change their own oil and who didn’t have the funds or time for the oil change at the dealer. It also made oil changes affordable — if you can avoid the constant up-sell that occurs. But the down side is that now the concept of changing your own oil is right up there with grinding your own meat or making your own clothes since today there are generations of drivers who have never owned a car during a time when you couldn’t pull in during lunch for a fifteen-minute oil change.

But changing the oil in your car will not only save you money, but it is a simple maintenance task that you can master easily.

HOW TO CHANGE THE OIL IN YOUR CAR.

Now here is the first rule. Get yourself a good set of car ramps — those metal ramps you see at Walmart — and never, ever use the car jack.

I mean it. Don’t use the car jack.

That jack that came with your car was meant to lift the vehicle high enough to change your tire during an emergency. It was never designed to lift it up for maintenance. The higher the car goes, the more unstable it is and the easier it is to get hurt — especially if you’re yanking on a stubborn oil filter on an already unstable three-thousand pound vehicle. Also, if you place the car jack in the wrong place you could do some serious damage to your car.

You can get a decent set of ramps for forty bucks that will last you a lifetime so don’t use the car jack for anything other than roadside emergencies.

With that out of the way, let’s cover the 9 steps:

1. Go to an auto parts or department store and get the oil and oil filter for your car — there should be guides there to tell you or it will also be in the car’s owner’s manual. You will also need: a pan to catch the old oil, a socket set, an oil filter wrench — all inexpensive and easily found.

2. Open the hood and remove the oil cap. This will allow the oil from the crankcase to drain easier.

3. Drive the car on the ramps and apply the emergency brake.

4. Drain the oil. Under the car you will see a flat metal pan with a square plug — the perfect size for the end of a socket wrench to fit in. Place the drip pan directly under the plug and remove it, closer to the engine than the transmission. It should have a bolt or plug toward the bottom. This is the oil plug you’ll need to remove to let the oil drain. When the oil has drained completely — and this could take a few minutes — replace the plug.

5. Remove the oil filter. The filter is easy to find and the oil filter wrench will fit right over it. Unscrew it and remove, making sure you take off the rubber gasket of the filter as well.

6. Replace the filter. Dip the tip of your finger in the new oil and run it along the gasket of the new filter — this will help in creating a tighter seal. Screw on the new filter.

7. Add in the new oil.

8. Replace the oil cap.

9. Check. Start the engine and make sure the oil pressure light goes and your oil pressure gauge moves.

And that’s it.

Easy. And a home oil change should cost you around twenty bucks or less for the oil and filter. When oil and filters go on sale — and they always do — purchase them and keep them in your garage until the next oil change.

July 23, 2016
How to never have a car payment again. Ever.

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That’s right. We see a solid 40% depreciation in your investment in just three short years, in each and every investment.

But this is just the beginning. If you don’t have the initial $20K to invest, no problem at all, (in fact, we would much rather that you didn’t). Because we can set you up with a payment plan where for only $24,000 we will loan you the $20,000 to give to us to start the depreciation on your investment.

And — and here comes the best part — at the end of five years, you can sell your product for 25% of your initial invested net worth and take on another loan for a new product — and if that product is not completely paid off, just roll the remainder of the old loan into the new investment.

I know, I know. You’re welcome.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT CARS AND TRUCKS.

The average American will own 16 vehicles in their lifetime. Estimating car loans and depreciation that means that you will pay somewhere between $175,000 to $350,000 — depending on your tastes — for the privilege of driving those vehicles for a six year period. This will continue until you stop driving somewhere around the age of 74.

Now 22% of all vehicles purchased are bought for cash. For these people they will pay around $75,000 in their lifetime for the same vehicles. So who are these incredibly wealthy individuals who can afford to pay cash for such a big ticket item?

Well, they’re teachers, cops, waitresses, landscapers, cooks and salesman. That kind. Smart people. But these smart people know something that you don’t. They know what a car or truck is.

To them a vehicle is a tool. Period. It’s a device to take them from point A to Point B. It is a reliable method to transport them where they need to go so they can do what they need to do. It’s a disposable utensil. That’s it.

What it’s not, is a reflection of their personality. It’s not a symbol of their success or of their lifestyle. It is not a statement to the world and it will not change their life, make them feel better, give them confidence or fill in any gaps or holes from their past.

Trivia question. What is the largest demographic of people that buy the most ultra-high millage Jaguars each year?

Answer: Those with an income below $28,000.

In fact, many bad credit, buy here/pay here, lots have stopped stocking Corollas, Camry’s and Taurus because their buyers simply don’t want them. Instead they offer ultra-high mileage SUV’s and luxury cars. The car of choice? A Jaguar S-Type with 150,000 or more miles and a shiny exterior — those babies fly off the lot for $8,000 – $12,000, made on weekly payments.

And on the other side, many highly successful people drive late model cars that they paid cash for, maintain and keep until it financially makes sense to dump them and buy another one.

HOW TO NEVER HAVE A CAR PAYMENT AGAIN.

1). Agree to never, ever, take on a car payment again. Write this promise down. Sign it. Tape it to your bathroom mirror and post it on Facebook. From now on, you will only pay cash for vehicles for the rest of your life.

2. Take a year. If you have a car now, vow to keep this car for at least one more year, to give you time to build up your car fund. If you don’t have a car then vow to go without a vehicle for that same time. Take the bus, car pool, rideshare, whatever you need to do. You can go without a car for a year — 84% of the people in the world don’t own a vehicle and never will. Remember this single decision can save you $100,000 over your lifetime.

3. Create a car account. This will be where your car payment, to yourself, and it will be your vehicle maintenance repair and replacement fund. Determine a set amount — an average car payment is around $350 a month — and deposit this in this account, each and every month. You don’t want the amount to be too high that you’ll try to cheat when those unexplained expenses come up but not too low that it takes too long to build up. You will keep this account for many, many years so make it one that’s easy to transfer money into.

4. Buy a vehicle. Once you hit the $3,000 to $4,000, go on craigslist and get yourself a safe, reliable vehicle. Take your time and remember — you have a choice. So many times we chose a vehicle because we feel limited. No. You have all the time in the world, cash in your pocket and you will only buy the right vehicle for you.

5. Continue the payment. Once you have your car, you will continue to make the monthly car payment to yourself. This will act as your maintenance, repair and replacement fund. You will take all your oil changes, tires, and repairs from this fund and not buy tires on credit or charge the new muffler.

6. When to buy another car. The key is, you will continue to drive your vehicle until the overall repair costs exceeds the car payments for four months. So, if you are making a $350 monthly payment to yourself and you need a $600 fuel pump, great. Replace it. But when the $1,500 catalytic converter needs to be swapped out, this probably means it’s time to dump the car and get another one. You can now take the $1,500 you would have used for the repair, add some more and get another safe and reliable vehicle. How much should you spend? It’s safe to use 75% of your car fund for a replacement vehicle but don’t feel that you have to spend that much. It’s your choice. Hey, you’re a wealthy person with cash to spend. You can do whatever you want.

November 11, 2014
A car? Or a truck?

Edmunds, The Automobile Research company, compiles many reports for the auto industry — best car, most researched vehicle, the car safety guide — but one of the most interesting paper they publish is, The 50 worst cars of all time, list. This is a study that looks at every car ever produced and ranks them from the bottom up and is comprised of such lemon legends as the The Edsel, the Gremlin, the Yugo and of course, the Pinto. Remember, the Pinto? The car that blew up if hit from behind at 30 mph?

Now, the Pinto has a great backstory because when Ford discovered early on that their new compact model had a potentially dangerous design flaw — the car had no reinforcement between the bumper and the gas tank which meant the tank could rupture upon impact — they decided to go ahead and roll those little beauties out anyway. In fact, there is a very famous memo where Ford amortizes the potential cost of lawsuits — it calculates the number of possible burn and death victims that could occur — and compares it to the cost of making the design change before production. And from this calculation, Ford determined that they would save 70 million dollars by not making the fix.

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And so the Pinto rolled off the assembly line and into car history.

There are other notable goof ups in the auto world — The Bricklin SV1 (Safety Vehicle, One) that had doors that couldn’t open after a crash, there was a Saturn where your foot got caught under the brake and then there are numerous 3-cylinder and even 2-cylinder disasters. But besides these noted lists of bad ideas the truth is that with current safety, emission and quality regulations, all vehicles now remain somewhere upstream of the standards. Which means that your average car or truck, is, well, your average car or truck — so they are all roughly in the same playing field and range from average to great.

So the model you choose isn’t as important as the type of vehicle you choose. Once you chose the type — car or truck — then the rest is just details. After that, it’s just a question between Coke and Pepsi.

So before you take the first step in deciding what your next vehicle will be, take one step back to determine the type.

Are you going with a car or a truck?

Now, this doesn’t seem like a difficult decision because we should know which type we want?

Maybe. But in actuality it’s very common for us to simply drive what we’ve always driven in the past — I’ve always had a car so I’ll buy another car — and few of us have actually taken the time to think about what is best suited for us; what makes the most sense or what will make our life easier.

What if a truck will save you money, better fits your lifestyle and will last longer in the type of driving you do? What if a car is a better fit for the business lunches you need to host and the type of creative parking you need to do in the city? There are myriads of sources to guide you in deciding which car to buy or which truck, but absolutely nothing to make the decision which one to start with; when that is more important and is the very first step.

Oh, and by the way, SUV’s are not in this equation. Why? Because SUV’s are cars. Meaning car buyers buy a car or an SUV. Truck buyers buy trucks. It’s true. In speaking to car and truck buyers they both consider SUV’s more of a car than a truck so we will lump them together.

Now there is no set formula, no piece of software designed to determine that Career-A is best suited for a truck and Lifestyle-B is one for a car. Nope. You need to ignore the emotional and see what makes sense.

Now the left brain emotional side says to buy something you like. Something you can be proud of and enjoy driving. Well that’s true, but here is the part you may not like.

As far as pure practical decisions, the truth is that if you don’t need a truck — meaning if you are never, or rarely, going to use the truck part of it — then don’t get one. Because if you do, then you are paying for the gas, tires and repairs for a large part of the vehicle that you’ll never use. Unless you are working on a farm, construction or you head to deer camp for four weeks out of the year, a truck is impractical — it may be cool, macho or fun, but it’s still impractical.

And on the flip side, if you have ever strapped a sheet of plywood or a chair to the roof of your Corolla, a car may not be the right type of vehicle for you either.

What do you need?

Truck owners — who’ve never owned a car — tend to think that cars are weak. Car owners — who have never owned a truck — see trucks as intimidating.

So don’t think with emotion and simply ask yourself — what do I need?

Who knows, you could have been driving the wrong type of vehicle for decades.

October 21, 2014
How to change a tire

In 2011 US News reviewed a study performed by AutoMD that looked at trends of new drivers. One of the most interesting discoveries the study uncovered was that two-thirds — over sixty percent — of all new drivers from the age of 16 to 19 could not change a flat tire.

In fact, the study went on to state that the same percentage — over sixty percent — of these teen drivers were also unable to jumpstart a dead battery or even check their oil. This means two thirds of us starting out in our driving careers are incapable of performing the most rudimentary maintenance tasks or make basic field repairs on our vehicles.

Now this is not a truly shocking statistic — younger drivers aren’t as experienced as more seasoned ones. So what? Younger drivers just need road experience to be able to develop skills such as changing a tire. But add that to my own personal study of the four dozen or so of men that I have stopped to help change tires over my life. Half of them were older than me and they still had no idea on how to change a tire.

Now it’s understandable. A skill such as changing a tire isn’t one you can really practice. And in theory, if we replace our tires when they are worn and never hit a bottle or a nail or never go hard over a curb, it’s possible that we could never need to change a tire.

It’s always possible.

But why take a chance? If you know the basics, then you can actually be able to change a tire without having to yank a tire off your car and practice a few times. If you understand the process, you’ll be ready when it comes time to act on that knowledge.

HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE.

Get to a flat place or a safe place that will allow you to work on the tire. If you have to change a tire alongside a busy highway, this may be difficult. It’s important to get your car as far away from traffic as possible — to a place that will allow you the space to jack up the car and work on it SAFELY. Pull over or even ride the car on the rim if you need to until you find a place that’s safe. I’ve seen guys on the side of the road trying to change a tire with their legs spread halfway into the road. The cost of a tow or a new wheel is a steal, compared to the cost of your life. If it doesn’t feel safe, don’t do it. Call a tow truck.

Put the parking brake on. With an automatic transmission, put the parking brake on and leave it in park. If you have a manual transmission, put the parking break on and leave the car in reverse as an extra precaution. You can also slide something under the front and back tires to prevent it from rolling.

Locate the spare tire. This may not be as easy as it seems. At one time spare tires were in the trunk. Period. But many cars such as hatchbacks and mini vans don’t have trunks. In those cases, the spare tires are often mounted under the carpeting of the back, or under the car itself with a release under the mat in the car. When in doubt consult the car’s manual. When you do find the spare don’t be surprised if it is an emergency spare or donut — a small spare tire that is meant to get you to a garage and is only meant to be used for a limited amount of miles. With the exception of large SUV’s and trucks, few cars come equipped with a full sized spare tire.

Locate the tools. When you find the tire, you will most likely find a scissor jack and tire iron as well. If not, many cars have side compartments where the tools are kept.

Loosen the lug nuts. Many people think you jack the car off the ground and then start loosening the lug nuts. Nope. By doing that not only are the lugs harder to loosen, but the shaking and moving of the car could make it unstable. Get the lug nuts loose — or what they call breaking the seal — and then jack the car up. And don’t be tricked by those fancy wheel covers that look like lug nuts. Check to see if there is a hubcap to be removed first.

Jack the car up. This may seem intimidating at first, but it’s not. Get the jack under the frame near the tire that has to be changed. Most frames will have a slot cut into them next to each tire where the top of the jack will fit perfectly. Place the jack directly under that notch and twist the lever to start opening the jack. Most scissor jacks allow you to insert the tire iron into a slot to be used as a handle. Start cranking. And remember, you don’t need the car six feet off the ground. Getting the tire a few inches off the ground is often enough. You can always adjust once you get the old tire off.

Remove the lug nuts. Use the tire iron and remove the nuts and set aside.

Remove the old tire.

Replace with spare tire. Once the spare is on, place lug nuts back on and hand tighten. Then you want to lower the car slightly so the spare is just touching the ground. This will allow you to tighten the lug nuts without the tire spinning.

Tighten the lug nuts. You’ll want to tighten the lug nuts in star pattern. Tighten one slightly, then go to the one directly across from it. Repeat. Then the one next to that, then to the one across from that. Don’t tighten one lug nut completely and then go to the next, otherwise they will be tightened unevenly and the tire will wobble — or even come off while driving. .

Drive the car to a shop and get a new tire put on.

Voilla.

— http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2011/09/19/two-thirds-of-teen-drivers-dont-know-basic-auto-repair —

May 23, 2014