Car Insurance

Automatic transmissions are complicated, ever-evolving systems that are normally beyond the scope of the lay person to repair. The specialized tools required to perform most service operations are rather expensive and not commonly available in the average toolbox, therefore this article will focus on what you ARE able to do on your own. Please note: if your automatic transmission requires major repair work, it is wise to have it serviced by properly trained and certified mechanics and not attempt to perform the repairs yourself. It is possible to remove and install the transmission yourself to save expense, however.

There are five general conditions that commonly cause malfunctions in an automatic transmission: Mechanical malfunctions, poor engine performance, hydraulic malfunctions, inaccurate adjustments, and on board computer errors or related electronic issues are the usual suspects. To begin diagnosing your transmission, it’s always best to start with the easy items.

Preliminary Diagnosis

Before continuing, be sure that the vehicle is recently driven to warm up the transmission and transmission fluid. The next thing you should do is locate some level ground to park your vehicle on. Now, check your transmission fluid level. If the level is low, add just enough transmission fluid to bring it to an acceptable level and check for leaks under the vehicle. If the fluid level is higher than normal, you will need to drain off the excess. Keep any oil you drain and check it for coolant contamination. If you see contamination from coolant, it’s likely that a rupture has occurred in the internal radiator walls. If you find that the transmission fluid is very foamy, drain it and refill it, then check it for contamination from water / coolant (drain it again after it has been filled, and drive the vehicle several miles). Finally, check your engines idle speed (if you do not have a tachometer, most auto-parts stores have devices that can check the engine speed that they will allow you to use in the parking lot free of charge). If the idle speed is not normal, you will need to have the engine repaired before going any further with your transmission diagnosis!

Automatic Transmission Fluid Leakage

Transmission fluid is a deep red color. Be sure that what you are seeing as a leak is actually transmission fluid and not engine oil, which can end up in the transmission for various reasons (including air flow blow-by). The best way to track down exactly where the leak is coming from is to do a lot of cleaning, removing all the buildup of grime that occurs during normal operation from the surface of the transmission. Degreasing agents do very well for this task. After you’ve cleaned up the transmission thoroughly, drive the vehicle at LOW speeds (you want to avoid lots of air flow) for a few miles or a few minutes. You will not need to shift into reverse or go through each gear individually at this stage. When you’re satisfied that any leak should have revealed itself, examine the transmission again. The most common areas of leakage are the fluid pan, speedometer connection, vent pipe, rear extension, filler pipe and the transmission oil lines.

Replacing the o-ring / gasket or simply tightening the bolts (as appropriate) may be enough to stop the leakage. If you do perform one of these repairs, be sure to monitor it carefully, especially after high speed driving or heavy shifting / towing situations.

Transmission Slips, is Rough or Noisy, Lacks Drive Power

Although there are many factors that may contribute to these symptoms, only one issue should really be of concern to the home mechanic: fluid level. If you determine that your transmission fluid is of the proper level, you will need to take the vehicle into a reputable dealership for diagnosis.

Transmission Won’t Downshift, Pedal Completely Down

Remember to disable the airbag system on vehicles so equipped to avoid accidental deployment of the airbag. The throttle valve cable is the likely culprit here. The removal and replacement of the cable is fairly straightforward in most vehicles, although each make and manufacture offers its own challenges and obstacles. If you aren’t sure where this cable is, and you have no desire to trace it out yourself, you can easily ask for someone at a dealership or service garage to show you. Replacement cables can be purchased at most dealerships for your make of vehicle or from your local auto-parts store.

Engine Starts in Gears Other Than Neutral and Park

Remember to disable the airbag system on vehicles so equipped to avoid accidental deployment of the airbag. If you automatic transmission is allowing your vehicle to start in gears other than neutral and park, you probably have a faulty neutral start switch. At this time, also verify your back-up lights are working properly as the systems are generally linked. Verify you back-up light fuses and bulbs.

You may replace the neutral start switch without a great deal of effort in many vehicles, although all makes and models provide different levels of challenge. Be sure to remove the cable from the negative battery terminal first, but check your owners manual — some vehicles have anti-theft deterrent devices that could cause you a headache later on if you don’t read your manual first. Installation and removal of the switch is straightforward, just be sure that your transmission is in neutral during removal and replacement. Finding a neutral start switch for your vehicle is easy enough; just contact your local auto-parts store.

Diagnosing automotive electrical problems is relatively simple provided you follow the rules and start from the beginning. Most problems with diagnosing electrical problems are caused by starting in the middle and trying to short cut the process.

The tool needed to make most electrical tests on a car is a simple digital multi meter (voltmeter). A good meter of this type for most do-it-yourselfers can be bought at stores like radio shack for less that $20.00. In order to properly diagnose and electrical problem is to make sure that you start with a fully charged battery. This will be the first use of your new multi meter. Read the instructions and set the meter at DC Volts. Touch the red lead of the meter to the + of the battery and the black lead to the – terminal of the battery without the engine running and everything turned off. A fully charged battery will read 12.75 volts.

If the battery is not this voltage charge the battery before going any further. If the voltage is 12.75 or higher turn on the headlights for a full minute, then turn them off and check the voltage again. It should still be near 12.75 volts. If it is proceed to the next step, if it is lower have the battery load tested.

Once the battery is checked and passed, check all the cables to make sure they are tight and corrosion free, it is time to disable the engine so that it will not start. On fuel injected cars find the fuel pump or fuel injection fuse and remove it. The engine will still crank but not start.

With the voltmeter connected to the battery but where you can see it when you are turning the key to engage the starter, crank the engine for 15 seconds. While the engine is cranking, or if the engine refuses to crank continue to hold the key in the start position, the voltmeter should not fall below 9.6 volts. If it does and the battery has passed all of the initial tests it indicates a defect in the starter or an engine problem. If the voltage is well above 9.6 volts and the engine does not turn and there is a single click when the key is turned to the start side it indicates a defective starter solenoid or a bad connection at the battery, the ground battery cable where it attaches to the car, or the cable running to the starter.

To check the engine for binding use a socket and a breaker bar on the bolt in the center of the front crankshaft pulley. The engine should turn over with less than 45 pound feet of turning torque.

If there is a click-click-click-click sound from the starter when trying to start, the most likely cause is a battery that will not produce enough electricity to run the starter.

Finally to ensure that the starter system will function correctly makes sure that the battery in the car is the right capacity. A small battery out of a small 4 cylinder car will not support the electrical needs of a car with a big 454 engine or a big diesel.

To test the alternator you must first do the battery testing and make sure the battery is OK. The alternator is a strange animal that requires electricity to be fed to it to convert rotary motion to electrical output.

A real simple test for alternator uses your new digital multi meter again. With the MM connected to the battery start the engine and turn all of the electrical accessories. With the engine running at road speed the voltmeter should read at least 12.75 volts. That indicates that the alternator will support all of the electrical load and keep the battery at full charge. It would be preferable to see the voltage in the low to mid 13 range however. If the voltage is below 12.75 the alternator is defective or in the case of an older car the separate voltage regulator is bad.

If the alternator fails turn off the engine and turn the key back on without starting the engine. Using a wrench or piece if iron that will magnetize (not aluminum), place it across the front of the alternator pulley. In most cars, except Chrysler built vehicles, the metal will magnetize and you will feel the pull. This checks what is called the field circuit. If you do not feel the magnetism find and check a fuse called Alt. If it is blown replace the fuse and try again. If there is still low voltage, the replace the Alternator.

You probably wouldn’t want to paint the interior of a newer car, truck, or van. But if you have an older vehicle, you might well want to paint the interior, especially if it’s faded. Or, maybe you are fixing up an older vehicle and you want to jazz up the inside. Either way, the answer is yes you can paint a car interior! You can paint the plastic, vinyl, and leather items, as well as the fabric on the seats too!

The first step in painting a dashboard, for example, is to remove the parts that you can. These would be items like heater vents, ashtrays, gearshift knobs, et cetera. Wash the removed parts in warm water with dish soap added to it, then rinse them and dry well. Then use a clean, soft cloth and the sudsy water to wash the plastic, vinyl, and leather stationary interior parts of the car. These items would include the dashboard, steering wheel, door panels, et cetera. You’ll need to remove any protectants, et cetera, that have been applied to the parts and areas. Finally, rinse them well with clean tap water and allow them to air dry.

While the parts and the interior of the car are drying, you should use painter’s masking tape to mask off parts and areas that you don’t want to get paint on. Examples of these parts and areas would include the radio, gauges, chrome, et cetera.

The second step is to use a very fine grade of sand paper to gently rough up the surface on plastic parts and areas. Then, wipe off the sandpaper dust with a clean, soft cloth. You’ll need to clean everything off one more time with another clean, soft cloth and rubbing alcohol.

The third step is to use a good-quality primer on the areas that you want to paint. You can purchase this at your local auto supply store. Follow the manufacturer’s directions on the container in order to achieve the best results.

Now it’s time to finally start applying the paint to the interior of your car. You’ll have to purchase the proper type of paint for the job. That means, if the parts you want to paint are plastic, then you’ll need a suitable paint for plastic, and so on. Again, follow the manufacturer’s directions on the container so your painting job will look its best. Allow the parts that you removed to dry thoroughly before you reinstall them in your car. And, let the painted interior areas dry well too, with the windows down, before you drive the car.

To paint the upholstery seats on the interior of your car, there are a couple of products on the market that are specially made for this application. Be sure that you choose a product that is non-flammable and non-toxic. You’ll have to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, but, basically, the products come in a spray can. You have to first mask off the area around the upholstery with painter’s masking tape and brown paper. Then, you spray the fabric with the paint as directed. It will probably take two coats of paint to cover the upholstery, especially if you’re trying to change a darker color to a lighter shade.

After you have painted the upholstery, allow it to dry undisturbed with the car windows down for proper ventilation. The paint should last for a long time, though it may fade if the car is exposed to the sun for long periods of time.

Now that you have successfully painted the interior of your car, it probably looks like a brand new model!

Have you ever experienced the inconvenience of a car battery that kept going dead? You buy a new car battery, but a few days later your car won’t start again. You end up removing the new battery and returning it. The auto parts dealership runs a few tests and tells you there is nothing wrong with the battery. Then you take it to a repair garage and spend more money than you can afford for further evaluation, all the time wishing you knew if you really needed all the parts they say you do.

If you’re not sure what’s causing your vehicle not to start, here are some things to try on your own. First, check the battery; remember that you have to be careful not to get battery acid on yourself or get shocked as you work on the engine. You will need to remove the cables from the battery terminals. Depending on the car’s manufacturer, most of the time you will need to use a one-half-inch open-end wrench. If you don’t have many tools, you can use a small, adjustable wrench. Be careful not to strip the nut. Then take a flat tip screwdriver and pop off the caps on top of the battery. See if the fluid is at the top. There are six openings; if any of them aren’t filled to the top, your battery will not hold a charge. Some people fill the battery with plain water, but it’s better to go to the auto store and buy the proper fluid.

When the battery is full, put the caps back on. Wipe off the area with an old rag that you can throw away if you spill fluid on it, taking care to avoid contact with the acid. Attach the cables to the terminals and make sure they are tight. Turn on and run the engine for about twenty minutes to charge the battery. Always check the cables and terminals before you reattach them, because if they are not clean, your battery won’t charge when the car is running. You can buy a battery cleaner tool at any parts store. It is a good idea to clean your battery terminals and cables every three months.

Next, look at your belts and see what kind of shape they are in. Check to make sure they are attached tightly. Press down on the belt with your hand; you should not be able to move the belt if it is on firmly. If loose, you need to tighten it, but if the belt is stretched and worn, it will need to be replaced. This will cause your battery not to charge. If you have worked on cars before, there is an easy way to tell if you have a bad battery. Be careful and first start the car, making sure you don’t have the lights, radio, or heater running, or any other accessories. Next, slowly disconnect your battery from the terminals. If it doesn’t stay running, then you know the problem is not your battery, because you don’t use it after the car is started.

If the battery is bad, it will have to be replaced. But don’t plunk down your money for a new one until you have checked out these tips.