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AUTO FAST FIXES

By Our Readers

From The Family Handyman

Keep your vehicle in tip-top shape

By David Radtke and Bob Lacivita

Antifreeze check

Test your coolant temperature every fall and every spring to make sure it’ll protect your engine coolant from freezing or boiling over during temperature extremes. Just find your reservoir (make sure it’s the right vessel by referring to your manual) and draw a sample of the antifreeze mixture into an antifreeze tester ($6 at an auto parts store) by squeezing the rubber ball at the top like a turkey baster. The tester will determine if your coolant is up to the task by indicating the temperature at which it will freeze on one side (photo below) and boil over on the other. Follow the directions on the container to mix water and antifreeze in the correct proportions for your climate—usually one part water to one part antifreeze.

Just when you thought some things never change, think again! Not all antifreezes are the same. Your owner’s manual will tell you which one to buy. You may have a red, blue or green antifreeze solution. Never mix the colors together. Each type is specially formulated for specific engine-corrosion protection. Some antifreezes are made to last the life of the car and changing the solution could void your warranty. If your reservoir is low, top it off only with a 50-50 mixture of water and a compatible antifreeze.

Safely jump your car

Carrying a set of jumper cables can not only help a fellow stranded motorist but also get you out of a rundown battery hassle. Jump-starting a vehicle is usually pretty simple, but you’ve got to do it right to do it safely. Every year people are seriously injured while attempting to help their fellow motorists with a “jump.” Clip and save this article and stick it in your glove box, then before you even connect the cables, follow this guide:

• Make sure both batteries are the same voltage (most batteries are 12 volts) and the same polarity (both have a negative ground). You can check this information in your owner’s manual from your glove box.

• Pull your cars close enough to each other to connect the cables but never let the vehicles touch. This could cause a short.

• Shut off the ignition-switch lights and accessories in both cars. Make sure the vehicles are in park or neutral and set the parking brakes.

• Don’t smoke. Sparks near a battery can cause an explosion.

• If the weak battery is frozen, don’t try to jump it! It could explode. You can tell if it’s frozen by looking at the water through the inspection cap or you may notice a bulge in the battery case.

• Make sure you can identify the positive and negative terminals of both batteries. The positive terminal is most likely connected to the car’s starting/charging system with a red cable and the negative is connected to the body/frame of the vehicle.

Hooking up the cables

1. Clamp the positive (red or yellow) cable to the positive terminal of the weak battery. Make sure the other end doesn’t touch any part of the car’s engine or body or you could get a dangerous spark.

2. Clamp the other end of the positive cable to the positive terminal of the good battery.

3. Clamp the negative cable (black) to the negative terminal of the good battery.

4. Clamp the negative cable to a clean metal part of the engine in the car with the weak battery like a bolt head or bracket. Keep the clamp away from the battery or any moving parts. Caution: Don’t attach the negative cable to the negative terminal of the weak battery! The battery terminal could spark and ignite hydrogen gas directly over the battery. Don’t take a chance! Even if you’ve gotten away with it before, never do it again.

Now, start the car with the good battery, let it charge the weak battery for 15 seconds, then try to start the car with the weak battery. If it doesn’t start, shut off both ignitions, make sure the cable clamps are making good contact and then try it again. When the car with the weak battery starts, wait to remove the negative cable (about 15 seconds or so) to make sure it doesn’t stall.

Disconnect the cables in the reverse order: First remove the negative cable from the grounded metal part; next remove the negative cable from the good battery. Then remove the positive cable from the car with the good battery (don’t touch a metallic part of either car with the clamp of the positive cable). Finally, remove the positive cable from the car with the weak battery.

Tip

If you live in a very cold climate, buy the thickest-gauge cables you can find, (the lower the number the thicker the cable).

CRAMPED QUARTERS

Engines on many newer cars are packed in so tight under the hood that there may be no room around the battery to hook up a jumper cable. Many times, manufacturers provide a jumper block, usually enclosed by a red plastic cover and marked with a big + or POS, to connect the positive cable hookup to. If your car doesn't have this jumper block, don't fret. Your local auto parts store carries a side-terminal hotshot battery adapter. These thin metal brackets are a few inches long, have a slot down the middle and slide over the positive cable hold-down bolt, providing a place to connect a jumper cable. If you're unsure about where to connect the cable, refer to your service manual.

Changing your serpentine belt

What’s a serpentine belt? They’ve replaced what we used to call fan belts, or “V-belts,” in most vehicles. The old V-belts (some cars still use them) primarily drove a fan and water pump to keep the engine cool. Multiple V-belts drive other accessories like power steering and air conditioning. Serpentine belts now drive all of these accessories (the fan is now often driven by a separate electric motor) with just one continuous belt that snakes its way around all the pulleys. How often should you change it? That of course depends on how much you drive, how you drive and the type of vehicle you have, but most experts suggest every 50,000 miles. Here are some other clues that you may need a replacement belt:

• Listen for a high-pitched whine or chirp, especially when you start the vehicle.

• Look for excessive cracks or belt separation (photo, right).

• If you’ve had a coolant or oil leak, you could have a contaminated belt that slips (fix the leaks when you replace the belt).

• Check the tension indicator (refer to your manual) to see if there’s excessive stretch in the belt. If the tension indicator shows a loose condition, replace the belt.

On most vehicles, this job will take you about 15 minutes, but for cars with cramped, under-the-hood quarters, it can take longer. In fact, some vehicles are not do-it-yourself friendly when it comes to this project. If you can’t get at the tensioner pulley, I’d recommend a trip to the dealer for tough-to-get-at belts.

1 Locate belt tensioner

2 Remove old belt

3 Route new belt

Follow these instructions

Worn out serpentine belt

1. Turn off the engine and let it cool.

2. Locate the routing diagram and study it. If there is no diagram or it’s unreadable, draw a picture of how the belt is routed around the pulleys, or take a picture with a Polaroid camera.

3. Locate the tensioner—usually identified as a small wheel (3 to 4 in. dia.) that doesn’t appear to drive anything.

4. Use a wrench (a heavy-duty long-handled type, if available) to rotate the tensioner (usually counterclockwise) to loosen the tension. The wrench doesn’t actually loosen the nut; it just pivots the tensioner. Be careful! There’s a lot of force on the tensioner. You may need an assistant to help you remove the belt while you hold the tension on the wrench. Don’t let the tensioner slap back quickly or you could damage it. Check the new belt against the old one to make sure they’re a match.

5. Remove the belt and gently release the tensioner pulley.

6. Spin the tensioner wheel a few times with the belt off. If it growls a bit or doesn’t rotate smoothly (has a gravelly feel as you rotate it) you may need to replace it. This is a job reserved for those with some mechanics experience, so if you’re not up to it, make an appointment with a mechanic.

7. Carefully position the belt around the pulleys in the correct sequence. You can slip the belt over one of the small pulleys (like the alternator) when you relieve the tension on the tensioner with your wrench. Make sure the belt is on all the pulleys and sits in the pulley grooves, then slowly release the tension.

8. Remove all the tools from the engine compartment and test the vehicle by starting it. Turn on all the accessories and turn your steering wheel to check the power steering.

9. Turn off the engine and make one final inspection. If all is well, congratulations on a job well done.

Fog-gone

It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can be like driving in heavy fog. Your car’s windows can fog up unexpectedly in cold weather, heavy rainstorms or just from too many bodies in the car. And while your defroster will eventually clear your windshield, the other windows will remain fogged. You can prevent this with an anti-fog spray. Spray it on the interior of your windshield and other windows you want to keep clear. Wipe the entire surface and it’s immediately ready to keep your windshield clear. One application can last for weeks depending on how often you wash your window glass. Repeat the application when its protection starts to fade. Several companies make this safety product. Look for it at your local auto parts store.

Photography: BILL ZUEHLKE

From The Family Handyman - October 2002