UV dye can help in detecting oil leak sources.

It can be very difficult to pinpoint and detect the cause of leaks when the engine is covered with oil. Sometimes it’s best to clean the motor to help determine where the oil is coming from. By adding UV (Ultra Violet) Dye, the leak can be traced much easier back to the source. To begin with, it’s best to determine what type fluid is leaking, there are several things that could be leaking on an automobile.

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Who knew the EGR passage on this Honda was underneath a cover on the plenum?

The best source for free auto repair manual information on-line can be found by simply using Google or other search engines for the mechanical problem or issue at hand. For instance if you were having a problem loosening a Honda crank pulley bolt for pulley removal; just type into Google “honda crank pulley removal”and you will find helpful information.

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Early Broncos have a clean design that is lost in more modern trucks. 

Finding early Bronco parts for restoration projects can be a bit challenging. Some parts like fenders can be acquired in the aftermarket that are actually better than the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) ones. NOS (New Old Stock) must surely be all gone by now, but some aftermarket fenders are a thicker gauge than the original ones. Some inferior, thinner gauge replacement fenders might be less money but they may NOT line up as well. 

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Car cranks over but doesn’t start.

OK, so you don’t have a Model T like in the picture but all your car does is crank over and does NOT start. I’ve been writing some articles geared more for the weekend mechanic and publishing them on a different site. Since this auto repair blog is mainly for professional technicians, I generally don’t post the more basic auto repair tips and tricks articles here. But I realize that not everyone that reads this blog is a professional tech, so I wanted to provide this link to one of my most recent articles posted at EzineArticles.com.

Read the entire diagnosis tips article on cars that crank over but don’t start.  

Recently, I had a blog reader with a blown spark plug on a 2002 Mazda Tribute, she may have found us by using the search engines for blown spark plugs, even though our articles are mainly for specific Ford engines that do have this problem. She asked my advice about what she should do with her Mazda. While this is not a common problem with 3.0 engines, like in some Ford 4.6 and 5.4 engines I offered my advice. More than likely the spark plug had either been left loose or was cross threaded at some point and it blowing out was the end result. Below is what this reader had to say and my response.

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If  Ford’s poorly designed spark plugs would just all come out like these.

The lucky guy that removed the spark plugs in the picture above, has someone watching over him, he narrowly escaped huge spark plug problems. We have orders everyday for specialty tools to remove broken spark plugs from Fords. The two piece spark plug typically comes apart, separating the main part of the spark plug from the huge electrode shield. Ford’s spark plug design comes under the heading “what were they thinking?”  DenLors Tools was one of the first automotive tool suppliers to sell the Rotunda 303-1203 specialty tool that was recommended in the Ford TSB to remove these broken spark plugs when they were broken upon removal. Now, we have a much better solution in the LIS65600. The Lisle specialty tool has quickly became our most popular tool for removing Ford broken spark plugs. We have had only positive feedback from auto techs that have used this tool. Ford forums have recently been helping to spread the word of the success of this new tool. There is quite a buzz about a Ford class action suite regarding this poorly designed spark plug, but our role is to help those that are dealing with broken spark plug problems, to remove them as quickly and inexpensively as possible.

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Heater door shafts can break causing problems with heat and AC

Jeep Grand Cherokees have a common problem with the dual zone temperature controls. Dual zones, controls the temperature on passenger and driver’s sides independently, allowing different preferences. DenLors tech article section is a source for car repair tips and the use of mechanics specialty tools. Much of the auto tech article that covers Jeep Grand Cherokees AC problems can also be applied to heater problems as well. Obviously, since it is winter time, the heater is what is of interest right now. I thought I would post this link to that tech article for those struggling to keep warm, hope this helps. Jeep Tech Article.

Predicting future oil and gas prices is highly uncertain with the volatile global markets.  The puzzling question today on everyone’s mind is if the time has come to lift the ban on US oil and gas drilling and if the risk is worth the potential reward.

With gas prices currently sitting at $4 a gallon, Congress is again wrestling with proposals to allow drilling in now-restricted portions of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific.  President Bush estimates that an extra 18 billion barrels of oil – equivalent to the nation’s current oil production for the next 10 years would be available from drilling in areas currently banned.  Although there’s uncertainty as to how long it would take to begin production, this would allow us to reduce our growing dependence on oil imports.

With today’s technology, the risk of a drilling disaster is greatly decreased, but environmentalists worry that drilling in these areas would pose a threat to beaches, wildlife and coastal-based economy if a spill were to occur.

Is drilling a high-risk?   The first offshore oil production platforms went up off the Louisiana coast in 1947 and over a half century later, with 3,203 offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico studding her coastal waters, the 20,000 miles of pipeline provides a quarter of America’s domestic petroleum, all this without having caused a single major oil spill.  This record stands despite dozens of hurricanes including the two most destructive in North American history, Camille and Katrina. 

A study by LSU’s Sea Grant College shows that 85 percent of Louisiana’s offshore fishing trips involve fishing around these offshore oil rigs.  The same study found 50 times more marine life around an oil production platform than in the surrounding mud bottoms.

So the decision on whether or not to drill offshore in the United States will ultimately come down to whether Congress and the President decide which is more important, environmental endangerment or  the severe economic issues of the day.

Recently my brother had a dead battery, so I took my jump box to his house to jump start his car. It’s funny how some things are second nature when you’ve done it a thousand times. He had already tried using his new bargain booster box that he had just bought at a local parts store. The less expensive jump boxes usually only have continuity on one jaw of the cable clamp. The better quality jump boxes, like the JNC4000 or JNC 660 have power on both sides of the jaws. When there is power on both sides of the jumper clamps it makes it much easier to get a good connection when jump starting a car. Anyways, my brother properly attached the red battery jumper clamp, from my jump box to the positive side of the battery first. And he knew not to clamp the black jumper lead (from the booster box) directly to the battery’s negative terminal, because a small spark from connecting it there could ignite the vapors from the car battery and cause it to explode. But he made the mistake of hooking the black negative cable from the jump box to a bolt that held a small ground cable to the body of the car. This can force the small gauge body ground straps to carry excessive amps and possibly cause a melt down.

It’s always better to find a good size bolt head on the engine to connect the negative jumper cable to. For more detailed instructions and warnings see Jump-n-Carry’s pdf instruction manual. A foot note, my brother now knows the right way to jump start his car….and not to leave the dome light on all night.

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