Here you will find a list of tech tips offered by members of the CCC.
Latest "Tech Tips" are now being added to the top of the list.
Here is a formula for an inexpensive and effective bug remover:
*One part peroxide, dirt cheap at Wal-Mart or K-Mart*
*Two parts water*
Mix the peroxide – the same stuff you pour on scrapes and cuts – with
tap water, and put into any spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto the smashed bugs.
Wait five minutes. Wash car normally. Will not harm paint
---- John Camponovo ----
If you’re going to dolly your car to some cool car show, and you disconnect the drive
shaft, be sure to plug up the transmission, or all the fluid will leak out.
Learned that one the hard way!
---- Kathy Shelton ----
When the garage floor is age-cracked and worn, the wheels on jacks, creepers, engine stands and
cherry pickers will catch; this makes them hard to position. To solve the problem, mix up some
body panel filler, and trowel it into the cracks. It’s really tough stuff!
---- Bill Ashley ----
Since you always clean and wire-brush every nut and bold before reassembly, why not take the
extra step and give them a squirt of paint? Also, you can make a bolt holder from a piece of
cardboard by punching holes the right diameter. Put the nuts on a piece of wooden dowel, or
string them on wire.
---- Bill Ashley ----
To make your own mini-speed handle, start by stretching a shock absorber bushing over a 3/8 drive
socket extension.
---- Bill Ashley ----
When you change your oil, and your filter wrench can’t be found or does not work, you can use
an old leather belt or even a discarded drive belt. Wrap the belt around the filter and pull on one
end while keeping tension on the other end. There’s a lot of leverage, so be sure you’re going in
the right direction.
---- Bill Ashley ----
Silicone and silicone-based chemicals are widely used in the automotive industry. But
when it’s spilled on concrete, you have a slippery floor, and it’s bad news around fresh
paint. To neutralize and clean up silicone, just use regular household white vinegar.
---- Bill Ashley ----
(Simple Short Circuit Test)
How many of us have came out to start our car only to find out the battery is weak or dead???
If a battery goes dead after only a few days, there may be a short circuit. For a quick
test, disconnect either battery cable (preferably the ground, less chance of becoming an arc
welder by mistake) and connect the clip from a simple test light to the cable and touch the
same battery terminal you just removed the cable from with the probe end of the test
light. If there is current flow, the test light will light. To find the bad circuit, start disconnecting
one fuse at a time from your fuse block until the light goes out, Then the you've found your bad
circuit. Make sure all accessories are turned off and your dome light / trunk light / under hood
light
are out, you may have to disconnect the under hood bulb to complete this test.
The voltage draw from things such as radio clocks is so low it rarely shows up on the test,
but you may start with the constant power radio fuse to make sure.
---- Tom Adams ----
(Bad Grounds ???)
Head light / tail light and parking light
If your lights are doing weird things and you've already checked all the wiring,
then there's one thing more to check. The ground between the light's housing and the
car's body may not be good enough. Scratch a little paint off or grind down to
some good metal if there is rust present where the wire/housing grounds (make
sure it won't show when light is reinstalled) and remount the housing.
---- Tom Adams ----
If you change the spark plugs in your vehicle, if it has aluminum heads, be
sure to put a dressing on those plugs before installing. Otherwise, they could
be welded to your heads the next time you want to change them.
---- Jim Carson ----
tank of gas in your vehicle. An electric fuel pump runs cooler submerged in gas,
and you won’t have problems with it.
---- Jim Carson ----
Does your car have aluminum heads? When changing
your spark plugs, be sure to put a dressing on
the plugs before installing, otherwise they could be welded to your
heads the next time you want to change them.
---- Jim Carson ----
(If you have a tech tips you would like to include on this page email us!)
