Barry

How to diagnose / replace Spark plug? Faulty spark plugs can be a major cause of poor running and poor fuel economy. They eventually wear out over time and need to be replaced. They are also a good indicator of the general condition of an engine and how it is running, i.e. if they are black and oily it could mean worn piston rings or valve stem oil seals, if they are black and sooty it indicates an over rich fuel mixture which could be a blocked air filter, a faulty temperature sensor causing the engine to over fuel or any other number of things. I have posted a picture below showing some of the most common problems here. Thankfully, changing spark plugs is a simple task you can do it by yourself and it doesn’t take too long. You will need a ratchet, extension bar and a spark plug socket to suit your size of plug. It is possible to use an ordinary deep wall socket but a dedicated spark plug socket is better as it has a rubber insert which clips onto the top of the plug and helps you withdraw it easily. Your motor factor/parts supplier will advise you on which plugs your car requires or check below in multiple manufacturer to be sure. NGK spark Plug finder Denso spark plug finder Bosch spark plug finder Champion spark plug finder Pull the wires off the top of the spark plugs. Always pull them by the insulator, try not to pull the thin part of the wire or you can damage it. Always remember which order you removed them in or the car won’t run properly if they are connected in the wrong order or may not run at all. Sometimes it helps to put a bit of tape on the end of the wire and write the cylinder number on it. If the car has a coil over plug ignition system rather than ordinary wires, remove the coil packs first. You now have access to remove the plugs. Put the socket over the end and rotate anti clockwise until the plug comes out. Be careful if the engine is warm, use gloves to hold the plugs otherwise you can burn yourself with the hot plugs. Fit the new plugs. Before you tighten them, make sure they are on the correct threads. If you have a torque wrench, use this to tighten them. Check the workshop manual for the torque settings specific to your car, it’s probably somewhere between 10-30 Nm. If you don’t have a torque wrench, you can use an ordinary ratchet but do not over tighten them. Not only will it make them more difficult to remove next time but if damage the cylinder head you could be in for a whole world of bother, maybe having to remove the head to fix the threads. If the car has long tubes down to the spark plugs, it’s very important that you don’t just drop the plugs down the hole prior to tightening. Either push a piece of rubber pipe over the end and use it to lower them down or use the extension bar and socket to gently land them in their socket. If you drop the plugs down the tubes, you can bend the ground electrode which closes the gap and means you won’t get a proper spark. Refit the plug wires in the same order as you removed them or refit the coil packs if you have a coil over plug system and start the car. **DISCLAIMER** I accept no responsibility for any harm or damage cause by anyone changing their own spark plugs. This is just a simple guide. Always read the manual for your own car before attempting any repairs.

Waterless Car Washing Imagine that a hose uses 40-50 litres of water per minute. Within ten minutes, you have used 400-500 litres. With water being such a precious commodity in the desert you may ask yourself how to wash your car. It is possible to simply rub the dirt off with a cloth but in doing so, you will scratch the paint. To wash your car without water, you will need four or five high quality microfiber cloths depending on the size of your car and a spray bottle of waterless cleaner. One bottle of cleaner should be enough to wash your car approximately 4 times, again depending on the size of the car. There are many different waterless cleaners available on the market such as Meguiars Ultimate Wash, Ecotouch WCW, Griots Spray On etc. I’ll leave it up to you to read the reviews of different products online and decide which one is right for you. Clean the car one panel at a time, starting from the roof and work your way down. There’s no point starting at the bottom and working your way up as the cleaner will run down onto the bit you have already cleaned and you will be constantly chasing your tail. Simply spray the waterless cleaner onto the panel you are cleaning, then use a clean towel and wipe the dirt off. Don't use so much pressure on the cloth that you rub the dirt deep into the paint and create scratches. When the piece of towel you are using becomes dirty, fold it and use a clean part until it is completely dirty, then use a new towel. When you have cleaned the panel, wipe it entirely with a clean towel to remove any leftover moisture or dirt. Once you have finished cleaning the entire car, it helps to apply a good coat of wax. Not only will this keep a good shine to your paint but it will also help you to remove dirt next time you wash. **DISCLAIMER** I accept no responsibility for any harm or damage caused by anyone cleaning their car. This is only a simple guide on waterless cleaning. Always use high quality products and follow the manufacturers recommended instructions.

How to jump start your car when car battery dies? A car with a flat battery can be a real pain. Maybe you left the interior light on overnight, you go to start the car to go to work in the morning but nothing happens. You haven't got time to wait to call a mechanic or breakdown service, you need to be at that important meeting. This is where it comes in handy to always have a set of jump leads in the boot. Especially in a place like Dubai where most cars are automatic and it's not possible to simply push start them. If you haven't already got a set and are going to purchase some, make sure you buy good quality ones made from heavy welding cable. Some of the cheaper, light leads can overheat, melt, short and start a fire which will only add to your misery. If you spend the money on a decent quality item, it should last you for the rest of your days. Park both cars close to each other so the jump leads will reach both batteries without being stretched but do not let the cars touch. Ensure both vehicles are in neutral with the handbrake on or in park if automatic. Also ensure both vehicles are switched off with the keys out of the ignition. Check the terminals on both batteries for corrosion or damage. If there is a problem it will need to be addressed. Attach one end of the red lead to the positive terminal on the battery of the dead car then attach the other end to the positive terminal on the battery of the good car. Attach one end of the black lead to the negative terminal of the battery on the good car and attach the other end to an unpainted metal part under the bonnet of the dead car such as a large bolt or engine bracket. You're almost ready to jump start the dead car. First check that the ends of the cables are all secure and that they will not get caught in any moving parts such as fan, alternator belt etc. Start the engine of the car with the good battery and let it run for a few minutes whilst keeping a light rev on then try to start the car with the bad battery. If it starts, all is well and good. If it doesn't, let the car with the bad battery run for another few minutes and try again. If it still doesn't work, check your connections and if it still doesn't work, you may need to change the battery or call a mechanic. With both engines running, disconnect the leads in reverse order from which you connected them. If the battery in the car which was previously dead is ok, the alternator will charge it up again fairly quickly but if you're still having starting problems, you will need to address them. **Disclaimer** I accept no responsibility for any harm or damage caused by anyone jump starting their own car. This is merely a simple guide on how to do it.

DIY: How to paint your wheels? A fresh looking set of wheels can make a big difference when it comes time to sell your car or maybe you just fancy a change of color to make your car that little bit more unique. As with any work involving painting, surface preparation is the most important part. Even more so than the actual painting. Runs and drips in paint etc. can be sanded and polished out but if the surface below the paint isn’t good, you’ll never achieve a good finish. How to: With the wheels removed from the car, give them a good wash and remove as much dirt as you can. Use a wire brush if the dirt is baked on or stubborn. If there are any really rough bits on the wheel, kerbing damage, corrosion etc. use 80 grit sandpaper to dress them down nicely. If there are large dents or scrapes, you can use some body filler to fill them up. When the body filler is dry, use some 400 grit sandpaper to make it nice and flat, the same level as the metal. Next comes the boring part. Sand the entire surface of the wheel with 400 grit sandpaper. The purpose of this is to ‘key’ the surface. Paint only sticks to rough surfaces. If you were to paint onto the original smooth finish of the wheels, chances are that it wouldn’t last and the paint would flake off. Make sure everywhere has been keyed, in all the little nooks and crannies. The next stage is very important. You need to make sure the surface is completely dry and free of water. Use a heat gun to dry everything nicely. If you don’t have one, a hairdryer will do just fine. Now you need to mask the tyre with tape so that it doesn’t get covered in paint. I find that if you wipe the tyre with thinners, it helps the masking tape to stick. Also mask the tyre valve and remove the wheel centre caps if you don’t want them painted. Now you’re ready to paint. There’s two ways you can do it, silver and cheap or different colour and slightly more expensive. I’ll explain the silver method first. You will need two tins of silver wheel paint. This doesn’t need primer or lacquer and will pretty much stick to anything you spray it on. Shake the can before you start and spray it on in nice smooth coats. Take your time, don’t make the coats too thick or the paint may run which will cause you headaches later. You can use the heat gun on a low setting or a hairdryer between coats to help them dry out. Leave the wheels for a few hours for the paint to harden, remove the masking tape and refit to the car. If you are painting the wheels a different colour, you will need two tins of primer. Shake the tins well and spray it on in nice light coats, using the heat gun or hairdryer on each coat. Leave the primer to harden for a few hours. This will make it easier to sand and prevent the sandpaper from clogging up then you rub it down. Rub the entire wheel surface down with 600 or 800 grit sandpaper to key the surface for the colour coat. You will need two tins of your preferred colour. Shake the tins well and spray on, again using the heat gun or hairdryer between coats. When finished, leave the wheels to dry overnight. This step is very important or the lacquer and paint may react leaving you with a terrible finish. You will need three cans of lacquer. Start with a nice light dusting of the lacquer. Leave this to dry for an hour and build up the coats. You don’t want the lacquer to dry out completely between coats as each layer will gel together and eventually form one thick layer. If you want a really nice smooth finish, it will help to leave the wheels to dry for a few days before you fit. When the lacquer is sort of dry but sticky to the touch, you can leave them out in the sun and the lacquer will bake nice and hard. **DISCLAIMER** I accept no responsibility for any harm, damage or poor paint finish caused by people painting their own wheels. This is just a guide to show you how simple it can be.

Do it yourself: How to change your car engine oil? Changing your car engine oil is one of the simplest jobs you can do it yourself and can save you both time and money. Before you start you will need to make sure you have the correct engine oil, correct engine oil filter, correct tools and empty container to collect the old engine oil . Your motor factor/parts shop will advise you on these. The first thing you need to do is run the engine for 5 minutes to warm the oil. Cold oil takes forever to drain and you'll never get it all out. Place chocks behind the rear wheels, jack the front of the car up and support it with axle stands. Never get underneath a vehicle that isn't properly supported. You may think it will never happen to you but I personally know two people who have been crushed and killed by falling cars. If the car has a plastic cover or metal bash plate underneath the engine, remove this. Keep the screws together in a small box, this will save them from getting kicked around the floor and being lost. Now you're ready to remove the sump bung. Place your empty container underneath and slowly screw the bung out. Be ready to move the container to catch the stream of oil and be careful as it will be warm. Also make sure the container will be large enough to hold all the engine oil. When the engine oil has finished draining, clean the bung, replace the copper washer (there should be one supplied with the new filter or ask your motor factor for one) and screw the bung back into the sump and tighten. Do not over tighten or you may strip the threads resulting in a leak. It's better still if you use a torque wrench but if you don't have one, it doesn't matter, just tight it nicely with reasonable hand force. Next you need to remove the old engine oil filter. If it is a metal spin on filter, use a filter strap, chain or other filter tool to unscrew it. When you have removed it, keep it the right way up. If you turn it upside down, you will end up with oil all over your nice clean floor. Take a smear of new oil on your fingertip, rub it onto the rubber gasket on the new filter and screw the filter on. You don't need to use a tool to fit the filter, just tighten it tightly by hand. If the car has a paper cartridge type filter, remove the lid of the housing and withdraw the filter. Remove the filter from the housing and dispose of it. Clean the lid. You will notice some rubber o-rings along with your new filter, change the old ones for these and smear the new ones with some fresh oil. Fit the new filter into the lid and screw it back into the housing taking care not to over tighten it. If your car has a plastic cover underneath, refit it. Aren't you glad you kept those screws in a little box? Next, jack the car up again, remove the axle stands and place the car back on the ground. Remove the oil filler cap and pour in the new oil. If you're worried about spilling, it may help to use a funnel. Unless you know the specific quantity of oil the car requires, fill a little at a time and keep checking the oil level on the dipstick until it reaches MAX. Start the car, wait 20-30 seconds and switch off. Wait a couple of minutes and check the oil level on the dipstick again. If you need more, add it but be careful not to overfill. Too much engine oil can do as much damage as too little. Start and run the car and check for leaks, there shouldn't be any if you have done everything right. Remember to dispose of the old oil and filter responsibly. Don't dump old oil down drains, it harms the environment. If you have everything you need to hand before you start, this should all take you around twenty minutes. Don't worry even if it takes you an hour though, it's not a race and enjoy doing something by yourself for the first time. **DISCLAIMER** This is only a basic guide to changing oil and filter. I accept no responsibility for any damage or harm caused by anyone changing their own car engine oil. Before you start, I recommend you read about changing oil for your specific model of car as per the car owners manual. There should be plenty of information online about it. I only seek to demonstrate how easy it can be.