CHANGE YOUR BRAKES

What You'll Need:
• lug wrench
• c-clamp
• open end or adjustable wrench (depending on your car)
• Allen wrenches (depending on your car)
• hammer
• small bungee cord

Preparation
Be sure you've got everything ready to go before you remove your old brake pads. Most important, be sure safety is at the front of your mind. You'll be taking the wheel off so be sure you have your car jacked up and resting securely on jackstands. Go ahead and break the lugs before you jack it up. It's much easier and safer with the wheel on the ground.
Never work on a car which is supported by a jack only! Unless you turn green and your clothes tear themselves to pieces when you get mad, there is no part of your person that can hold a car in the air if the jack slips. You may need to replace your brake discs depending on the amount of wear they have. You should inspect your brake discs regularly.

You broke the lugs while the car was still on the ground, so they should be pretty easy to remove. I like to remove them from the bottom up, leaving the top lug nut to be removed last. This keeps the wheel in one place while you remove the rest of them and makes it easier to safely catch the wheel once you remove the last nut. You can't replace brake pads with the wheel on! If you remove the lugs and still can't get the wheel off, try this stuck wheel trick.

On most cars, the next step is to remove the brake caliper so the brake pads will slide out through the top. On a few cars the pads will come out without removing the caliper, but not many. You'll see the brake caliper in the 12 o'clock position just above the lug bolts, riding atop that shiny brake disc. On the back of the caliper you'll find a bolt on either side. It will either be a hex bolt of an Allen bolt. Remove these two bolts and put them aside.
Hold the caliper from the top and pull upward, wiggling it around to loosen it up. If it's stubborn, give it a few taps (taps, not Hank Aaron swings) upward to loosen it a bit. Pull it up and slightly away, being sure not to put any stress on the brake line (that black hose that's still connected).
If there is a place to safely set the caliper back there, do it. If not, you'll need to take your bungee cord and hang the caliper from something, the giant coil spring staring at you is a good spot. Don't let the caliper hang by the brake line, it can cause damage and lead to brake failure!
Before you pull out the old brake pads, take a second to observe how everything is in installed. If there are little metal clips around the brake pads, note how they are in there so you can get it right when you put things back together. Better yet, take a digital picture of the whole assembly. With the caliper out of the way, the brake pads should slide right out. I say should because in a new car they probably would. Since our cars are not always new, you may need to coax them out with a litte tap of the hammer to loosen them up. If your car has little metal tabs holding onto the brake pads, put them to the side becase you'll need them in a minute. Put the new pads in the slots with any metal clips you removed.
While you're here, it might be a good idea to inspect your brake discs.
Go ahead and slide the new pads into place now, making sure you don't forget any of the little retaining clips you removed earlier.

As your brake pads wear out, the caliper adjusts itself so that you will have strong brakes throughout the life of the pads. If you look on the inside of the caliper you'll see a round piston coming out. This is what pushes on the brake pads from the back. Problem is, it's adjusted itself to match your worn out pads. Trying to get it over the new pads is like parking a Cadillac in New York City. You can do it, but the damage level will be high. Instead of destroying your new pads, you'll push the piston back to the starting point. Take the c-clamp and place the end with the screw on it against the piston with the other end of the clamp around on the back of the caliper assembly. Now slowly tighten the clamp until the piston has moved far enough in that you can easily plop the caliper assembly over the new pads.


With the piston compressed, you should be able to easily slide the caliper assembly over the new pads. Once you have it on there, replace the bolts you removed and tighten them snugly. Press the brake pedal a few times to make sure you have solid brake pressure. The first pump or two will be soft as the piston finds its new starting point on the back of the pad. Put your wheel back on, being sure to tighten all of the lug bolts. Now double-check your lug bolts just to be sure.
You're done! Pat yourself on the back!

AIR FILTER CHANGE OUT

Here you go people, I hope this works for you. I don't want to see you at a mechanic or some place getting this done. Here are your easy steps:

1) Obtain the correct replacement filter. It should be the same as the one you will replace. Consult your owner's manual or auto parts store if you need assistance finding the right part.

2) Secure the vehicle. Park the car on level ground and apply the parking brake. Shift into first gear (manual transmission) or Park (automatic transmission), and turn off the ignition.

3) Open the bonnet (hood). Release the bonnet with the lever inside the car. Move the exterior bonnet catch for final release. Lift the bonnet and secure it with the prop rod.

4) Locate the air filter unit. The air filter unit is usually situated on top of the engine.

5) Remove the air filter cover. Loosen the hose clamp that seals the air conduct. Undo all the screws holding the air filter cover. Some models have wing nuts; other air filters are just clamped on with a quick release system. Keep screws and other parts together and in a safe location so you can find them later. Pull the cover out of the air conduit and lift it up so it comes off the lower part of the housing. Consult a mechanic if you don't know how to lift the cover.

6) Take out the air filter. Now you can see a round or rectangular filter made of cotton, paper or gauze. Filters have a rubber rim that seals off the unit's interior. Simply lift the filter out of the housing.

7) Clean the air filter housing.Connect the air hose to the compressor and use the compressed air to blow out the dust, or use a vacuum cleaner to suck up any dirt.

8) Replace the filter. Replace the old filter with a new one. Simply insert it into the housing with the rubber rim facing up. Make sure the edges are sealed by the rubber rim.

9) Replace the cover. Carefully insert the cover back into the air conduit and then press the entire piece down onto the lower half of the air filter unit.

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Check that it's tight and secure.
Check that it's tight and secure.
Make sure it's on straight and securely; otherwise you could alter engine performance. Tighten all the screws or clamps and recheck that you have put everything firmly back together by rocking the unit gently with both hands. Shut the bonnet securely.

10) Check the filter regularly to keep your car breathing at maximum efficiency by keeping the dust out.

11) Change the filter every 15,000 km (9,320 miles), or about once a year. If you live in a dusty area, check up after 10,000 km (6,213 miles). Your owner's manual or periodic maintenance guide should have recommendations for your car.

And there you go!! you just saved money and learned something new. Isn't reading stuff that will save you money fun?

DIY Auto

How do you do it? Change a tire, Change your oil, or whatever you maybe thinking..

I have a few tips, and tricks to help you get the job done, so you don't have to take your car in and pay a lot of money to a guy that's over charging you. And you can do it all yourself.

Jeep Exhaust Systems

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR OWN OIL:

1) You have to make sure that you have enough oil for your car. Usually 4 quarts is just enough for standard 4 cyl.vehicle.

2) Have a pan ready to catch your oil

3) Place pan under the car and go ahead and slide under there.

4) When your under the car look for a black box, its towards the front of the car and you just can't miss it.

5) Place the pan directly underneath it, because when you unplug that screw, all your oil is gonna come running out.

6) Use a standard crescent wrench and unscrew the bolt

7) After all the oil has dripped out, replace the bolt back onto the oil pan

8) Put the new oil in and your good to go

See, isn't that easy, and you saved about 15 bucks. I hope this was useful. Thank you.