Bolt-Bending Ball Joint Tool

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Dan

Several years ago, I bought a ball joint separator tool from Harbor Freight. It was the best $20 I’ve ever spent there. I don’t use it that frequently, but it works great. It’s finally failed on me, but not so badly that I can’t keep using it.

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Rusted Out Gas Tank Straps

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Dan

A customer had their Honda Civic towed into the shop with a bit of a problem. They said that they had run over a deer carcass and now their gas tank was falling out. The car wouldn’t run, so it got pushed into the shop and put up on a lift.

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Backwards Head Restraints are Dangerous

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Dan

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Speaker Failure Diagnosis

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Dan

A Honda CR-V was in the shop, and one of the customer’s complaints was that the two rear speakers didn’t work, and the left front had a lot of static and distortion. After confirming that the speakers weren’t working, the next thing to do was check the speakers themselves. I took off the door panels and when I went to disconnect the speakers, I found the problem.

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Throwback: Recalls Bring the Odd Cars

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Dan

Today is a throwback to a post from 2 years ago, in January 2018.

Sometimes I wonder if people compete to bring in the worst condition car to get recalls done. This one was impressive.

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Worn Out Timing Belt Tensioner

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Dan

Timing belts need to be replaced at regular intervals to prevent them from wearing out and failing. At my Honda dealership, we recommend replacing them at 100,000 miles. We also replace the water pump, and often replace the tensioner. Over time, the belt tensioner could start to fail, and if the belt is allowed to go too slack, it can jump timing and damage the engine.

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Looking Inside Used Oil Filters

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Dan

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Parking Sensor Problem: Blown Bulb?

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Dan

A Honda Odyssey came in to the shop for diagnosis of the “check parking sensor system” message displayed in gauge cluster. It was given to me to figure out, and my first thought was maybe one of the sensors in the bumper had gone bad, or maybe something to do with the wiring, but it was actually much simpler.

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Double-Check Your Timing Marks

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Dan

Whenever you’re replacing a timing belt or chain, or doing any kind of work that requires removing and reinstalling it, you have to make sure that everything is timed correctly. If the camshafts aren’t timed properly to the crankshaft, at worst you’ll damage valves and pistons, if you’re lucky all you’ll have is a slightly rough running engine.

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88-94 Ford Truck Dual-Piston Brake Servicing

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Dan

New blog posts every Monday and Thursday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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