Tool Tip: Crank Pulley Bolt Socket


New blog post or video every Monday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Watch Mechanical Malarkey on YouTube!

Mechanical Malarkey T-shirts, hats, and stickers are available to order!

-Dan

Posted in Videos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Neglected Minivan

I would say that most of the cars that come into the dealership I work at are regulars that take good care of their cars. A good number of the non-regular customers have taken care of their cars decently well, but then sometimes you get the really neglected ones, often for something like a recall or a check engine light that they couldn’t get fixed elsewhere. This Honda Odyssey was one of those.

Continue reading
Posted in In The Shop | Tagged | Leave a comment

Overheated Honda R18 Engine Teardown


New blog post or video every Monday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Watch Mechanical Malarkey on YouTube!

Mechanical Malarkey T-shirts, hats, and stickers are available to order!

-Dan

Posted in Videos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Driven In With No Brake Caliper

A lot of times, a mechanic’s least favorite vehicle to work on is one that someone else already worked on. I don’t mean one that’s had work done correctly, but one that someone tried to work on and failed, whether by lack of experience or lack of tools. Sometimes it’s just a job done wrong that needs to be redone, but other times it’s a half-finished job that needs to be figured out.

Continue reading
Posted in In The Shop | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tool Tip: Flush Cutters


New blog post or video every Monday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Watch Mechanical Malarkey on YouTube!

Mechanical Malarkey T-shirts, hats, and stickers are available to order!

-Dan

Posted in Videos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Big Toolbox Does Not a Good Mechanic Make

Walk into a mechanic shop and you’ll see all kinds of different toolboxes. Big, small, new, old, different colors, different brands. Some mechanics seem to see them as status indicators, where you’re only a “real mechanic” if you own a toolbox from one of the expensive brands. Some customers might walk into a shop and think that the tech with the biggest toolbox must be the best. But that’s often not the case.

Continue reading
Posted in In The Shop | Tagged | Leave a comment

Let’s Talk About Lug Nut Torque


New blog post or video every Monday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Watch Mechanical Malarkey on YouTube!

Mechanical Malarkey T-shirts, hats, and stickers are available to order!

-Dan

Posted in Videos | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Worst Car I’ve Ever Worked On

In my over eight years of working on cars as a mechanic, I’ve seen a lot of cars in bad shape. Rusty, neglected, dirty, all kinds of problems. But when a car has so many problems you don’t know where to start, and multiple people say it’s the worst car they’ve seen in the shop, that means it really is one of the worst.

Continue reading
Posted in In The Shop | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Replacing My Truck’s Gas Tank


New blog post or video every Monday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Watch Mechanical Malarkey on YouTube!

Mechanical Malarkey T-shirts, hats, and stickers are available to order!

-Dan

Posted in At Home, My Car, Videos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bent Brake Caliper

I was working on a Honda Pilot, replacing the rear brake pads and rotors. Everything seemed normal until I took the caliper slider pins out to clean and lubricate them.

Continue reading
Posted in In The Shop | Tagged , | Leave a comment