There are many symptoms of a failing or damaged window regulator, window motor, or window switch. If your window is jammed, stuck, misaligned, or only rolls in one direction, this guide can help you get to the source of your window problems.
What to Do If Your Car’s Overheating
How do I know that my Car is Overheating?
Temperature Gauge:
You’ll notice the needle on your dashboard engine temperature gauge (that’s the one marked with H for hot and C for cold) creeping up.
Plastic or Rubber Smell:
Plastic parts and rubber hoses in your engine bay may give off smells under intense heat.
Bubbling Sound:
A Bubbling sound coming from the engine bay might be a sign of hot, expanding coolant overflowing from the radiator to the coolant tank.
Ticking Sound:
A ticking sound from the engine could indicate that your oil is low, but can also be a sign that your oil is thinned out from overheating.
Steam:
If steam is starting to come out from under your hood, you most likely have an overheating problem.
What Should I do?
What’s That Leak Under my Car?
You go out to your car in the morning or at the end of the work day, and there are drops of liquid, or worse yet, a big puddle, underneath it. You wonder what’s leaking and how bad is it? You don’t necessarily need to call a mechanic or have the car towed off the bat. With a little knowledge and some testing you can figure out what the fluid is what to do about it.
First you’ll want to capture the leaks. It will be hard to get a good look at them on dark pavement, so put down a piece of butcher paper, newspaper, cardboard or aluminum foil underneath your car to catch the leaks. Park the car somewhere flat and level, and weigh down your drip catcher so it doesn’t get blown away by the wind. Once you’ve caught some of the fluid, it’s time to identify it. To do this, you’ll have to use your senses of sight, touch, and maybe even smell.
Identify where the leak is coming from
The first clue you’re going to use to identify your leak is where it’s coming from. If you have a rear wheel drive vehicle (common for pickup trucks, some sports cars, and most classics), a leak coming from the rear of the car is most likely differential fluid. A leak in the rear could also be coming from the gas tank.
10 Easy Car Repairs You Didn’t Know You Could Do Yourself
Cars can be expensive to fix and maintain, but there are some repairs nearly anyone can do at home to save money.
Depending on the model, a lot of the maintenance and beginner repairs on this list can be done with basic hand tools, and they won’t cost a lot to fix. Some repairs listed here may call for special tools, and these can be worth owning if you plan to use them regularly. Others may call for no tools, taking up very little of your time. Doing some of these repairs yourself can help you save money in the long run and improve the life and performance of your vehicle.
1. Air Filters
Common tools required: None (usually)
Although you might want to have on hand a flat blade screwdriver, ratchet, and sockets.
Unless your air filter housing is held together by screws or bolts, changing the engine air filter is a simple process that doesn’t require any tools. In most cases, you’ll just have to undo the clips on the housing, lift the housing cover, and remove the air filter. The install is just as easy, requiring you to align the new filter according to the directional arrows if it has them, close the cover, and latch the clips that secure the cover in place.
Changing the cabin air filter is similar, but depending on your model, you may have to open the hood or remove the glove box to reach it.
2. Wiper Blades
Common tools required: None
Changing the wiper blades is so common that your manual might have tips to guide you. You just need to find and press the clip on the wiper blade, slide it off the hook, and carefully lower the wiper arm down. To install, simply raise the wiper arm, and pull the wiper blade up onto the hook until it clicks into place.
2017 1A Auto Charity Car Show & Fundraiser
It’s almost time for 1A Auto’s annual charity car show in Pepperell, MA. We started doing this car show back in 2009 to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of America and the North Middlesex Athletic Boosters.
We wanted to give back to our local community and a great national cause. The North Middlesex Athletic Boosters award scholarships to our local high school students and support athletic programs. The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America connects people with multiple sclerosis with products and services that help improve their lives. Multiple sclerosis affects about 400,000 people in the US and 2.5 million people worldwide.
With our love of all things automotive, we thought, what better way to raise funds – and have a little fun – than a car show. The show’s been growing ever since. Last year, was our biggest year yet, with over 225 cars. We plan to build the event into New England’s biggest car show.
Join Us!
When: Sunday, July 23rd at 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Where: Pepperell Town Field, 4 Hollis Street, Pepperell Massachusetts
Price: $10 per vehicle
$20 for Vendors
Free For Spectators
Rain or Shine.
Pets are welcome
Check out Facebook for full details and see what people are saying!
Last year we spotted a lot of awesome cars like this GTO Judge:
These Beetles:
This GTR:
And this crazy contraption:
If you’ve got a sweet ride to show off, we’d love to have you join us. All makes and models are welcome. And if you just want to check out the show, kids are welcome and entrance is free. It’s sure to be a great time.
Formula Drift in New Jersey: Points Leaders Miss Podium, and Controversies Ensue
Hello, Drift fans. The weekend of June 2nd concluded another heart-pounding New Jersey event at the Wall Raceway. Every season, this track tests the merit and ruling ability of the Formula D empire and this year was no exception.
As Formula Drift grows and expands, so do the rules and regulations. As these aspects change, driver meetings become inherent with every event, outlining scoring aspects and what the judges expect from the drivers. This year the course was changed back to the “peanut” shape, with no cross over in the infield layout as it was last year. Immediately after seeing the change, I personally took note and figured this event should be quite interesting.
Qualifying went about as good as one can hope. The main issue with Formula D qualifying is that there is no standard to base runs off of. Since the track, lines, and clipping points change from year to year, where is the basis for a 100 point run? It’s all judging the day of, and unfortunately that does not go in some peoples favor. The judging criteria has 3 main subjects: “Line, angle, and style.” All carry some sort of relative scoring percentage. Not severely trumped by one another as to have a perfect run, these judging areas need to harmonize perfectly. Controversy of judging this year came from some areas that can be pointed out in run scores. For example, Chelsea Denofa, who is having a fairly upside down season with large amounts of inconsistency in driving style and inability to maintain general vehicle composure on the track, somehow pulled out a 1st place qualifying pass, even though many may argue the 96 point run can be compared to some runs sub 80 points. Denofa off the bat failed to fill the entire outside Zone 1, yet still stands in 1st place for qualifying. Speculation against judging for favoritism and being more exciting than precise have murmured for some time.
The Euro & JDM Parts Scene
Hello, all you Euro fans! Today, I’m going to cover some key points about adapting US market cars with European and Japanese domestic parts, some differences between them, and even a short perspective from someone across the pond!
The Japanese domestic market (JDM) and European cars that share chassis with US models, tend to attract an origin-of-production following. Specific make group enthusiasts—like Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen, and BMW fans—here in the US can have a deep respect for their vehicle’s country of origin, but different safety and emission standards have caused many cars to vary in engine and body detail from country to country to a large degree. Cars from Japan and Germany may have different lighting, interior, emissions components, and in some cases completely different drivelines from their overseas counterparts.