Repair And Fix it

All motor vehicles are assigned a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). This VIN is a series of letters and numbers that when decoded reveals information about the vehicles make, features, manufacturer and origin. Knowing the breakdown of your VIN is helpful when you need replacement parts for your vehicle. The number is used by vehicle vendors and shops to determine the specific parts you need for your vehicle. Decoding a VIN is simple once you understand what each character means.

Instructions

1

Find your vehicles VIN. It can be found on the drivers side, either on the dashboard, door frame or on the edge of the door itself. The VIN is 17 digits long and Manual added on a metal plate that will be affixed to the vehicle, which will make it easy to identify once located.

2

Note the second figure of the VIN. This specific letter or number represents the vehicles manufacturer. For instance, a Cadillac has a "6," BMW "B," Toyota "T," Chevrolet "1," Dodge "B," Nissan "N" and Honda "H." This will help the shop or auto parts store determine the make of your car.

3

The third character represents the vehicle type or its manufacturing division. For instance, it can be a coupe, hatchback, convertible or pickup truck. This will identify your cars body type and aid in determining the appropriate replacement parts for your specific vehicle.

4

Notice the fourth through eighth figures of your VIN. These five characters represent your vehicles specific characteristics such as the body style, model, engine type and series. For instance, for BMWs, these characters will determine if your car is a 3, 5 or 7 series, and also reveal the type of engine you have (V-8, V-12). However, each manufacturer sets the meaning for these characters according to the specific make.

5

Look at the 10th figure of your VIN to see the code for your vehicles year. Vehicles dated prior to 2001 will reflect a letter and thereafter would reflect a number. For instance, vehicles made in 1981 will show a letter "B," 1982 a "C," and so on. Starting in 2001 this character is a number. For example, vehicles made in 2001 have a "1," 2002 "2" and 2009 "9." This will help the shop, mechanic or website where you are looking for parts to determine the year model of your car and the parts that are suitable for your specific vehicle.

A window stop is a component found within the door panel of each car door on your vehicle. Its purpose is to stop the window when its in the down position. If the window stop needs to be replaced, the window will not automatically stop in the correct position when being rolled down. With the proper tools and instruction, you can replace a broken window stop in your vehicle.

Instructions

1

Locate the screws holding the door panel on. Unscrew each screw carefully, setting the screws aside in a secure place (such as in a bag or container). Remove all screws before attempting to remove the door panel.

2

Take hold of the back of the door panel on the bottom and gently but firmly give it a sharp tug. The bottom clip should come free. Do the same for all of the door clips, which will be located along the bottom of the panel. Pull backward on the panel and in a slightly upward direction to lift the door panel away from the door.

3

Locate the screws that hold the speaker in position, if applicable (there should be three). Unscrew the speaker screws and carefully remove the speaker from its hole.

4

Remove the broken window stop, which should be a square shape and may be made out of plastic. It is typically located in the empty speaker hole.

5

Put the window in the down position with approximately 5 cm of the window sticking up above the top of the door panel (this allows for the window to be in the proper position for installing the new one for all vehicles). When rolled down, the window will be visible inside the door through the speaker hole. The bottom of the window should be fairly close to the window stop screw hole, so that the window stop can be properly installed.

6

Put the Allen key into the hexagon screw for the new window stop. Fit the washer over the screw. Locate the window stop hole, an empty screw hole, within the empty speaker space. Hold the old window stop up to the empty screw hole and ensure that it fits to confirm that its the correct hole. Position the new window stop screw into the hole but behind the glass carefully within the empty speaker space. When the window is in the proper down position, you will be able to see the bottom of the window inside the speaker hole; the window stop must be in a position to prevent the bottom of the window from going down any farther or past the window stop. Tighten the screw by hand, then tighten it using the Allen key to secure it in place.

7

Test the window to ensure that it goes up and down properly and that the window stops in the proper position. If the window stop has been installed correctly, the window will stop in its normal position when rolled down. If the window does not stop in the correct position, go back and again tighten the hexagon screw on the window stop, repeating the testing process.

8

Put the speaker back into place and secure it with the speaker screws.

9

Roll the window all the way down. Place the top corner of the door panel above the door. Align the reinforced lip of the door panel over the inner lip of the door. While making sure the lip stays in position, bring the back of the panel down. Once the panel is hooked on the door, it should slide forward and into the proper position. Check to ensure that the screw holes line up. Push the door clips into place. Put the screws in the door panel to re-secure the panel.

When your hydraulic jack stops working then its likely a seal has failed. This causes hydraulic fluid to leak out, the pressure to drop, and the jack to stop lifting. Replacing a seal can be a tall order and sometimes the replacement parts can cost more than a new jack. However, if you can isolate the leak to one seal in particular then you should be able to replace that seal for relatively little money.

Instructions

Find the Source of the Leak

1

Open the cap for the oil reservoir. With the bottle on its side, fill the jack until it is about 1/4-inch below the level of the hole. Replace the cap and wipe the outside clean with the cloth.

2

Place the jack under a vehicle and pump it up until there is weight on it. Continue to pump and watch the jack to find out where the fluid is coming from. It is likely to be coming either from around the piston at the top of the jack, around one of the screws in the bottom of the jack or around the piston under the handle.

3

Lower the jack, wipe it down and place it on a bench for further work.

Leakage from the Top

4

Drain the oil from the jack by opening the oil reservoir and letting it into a tray. Stand the jack so the piston extends vertically and youll find it looks like a bottle. At the top of this bottle there is a nut called the tank nut, through which the piston extends. Undo the tank nut using a pipe wrench. You may have to use a clamp or vice to hold the jack in place.

5

Remove the piston from the jack. Once the tank nut is undone the piston will slide out. There are several pieces to the piston, record their positions as you remove them so you can put them back the same way. The positions and order will depend on the jack you are repairing. Examine the seals around these pieces to see whether they are pinched, cracked or broken. Replace any that look worn.

6

Replace the pieces of the piston inside the jack and tighten the tank bolt.

Leakage from the Bottom

7

Drain the oil from the jack by opening the oil reservoir and tipping the oil out.

8

Remove the screw that shows the leak and look carefully into the hole. There will be a ball or a pin if it is the release valve, or two balls and two springs if it is the overload valve. Carefully remove each of these pieces and make a note of the order in which you removed them.

9

Verify all the balls and springs are present and then examine the inside of the hole for the O-rings and washers creating the seal. Examine these for cracks, breaks or pinches. Replace anything in bad shape.

10

Put the balls and springs back in the hole in the order you removed them. Usually it goes small ball then small spring, then large ball and large spring. Depending on the jack, you may also have plates and guides to keep the balls and springs in place.

11

Once the balls and springs are back inside, replace the screw.

Leakage from the Handle

12

Drain the oil from the jack by removing the reservoir plug and letting the oil into a tray.

13

Remove the bolts securing the handle to the piston and to its pivot. There are usually three or four bolts. The number depends on the manufacturer.

14

Place the jack in a vice and pull out the pump piston, which is attached to the handle. It is not bolted in place but it may require a lot of force to remove. Put aside the piston and examine the O-rings and washers for any sign of pinching, cracking or breaking. All the seals are on the inside of the hole, in the body of the jack. Very few jacks have seals on the handle itself. Replace any worn seals.

15

Push the piston back down into the hole and replace the handle assembly, securing it with the same bolts you removed.

Finishing

16

Replace the oil in the reservoir. Open the reservoir cap and fill it with hydraulic oil until it is about 1/4-inch below the level of the hole when the jack is on its side.

17

Remove any excess air from the jack by opening the release valve and vigorously pumping the handle. Close the release valve, then raise and lower the jack as you normally would. If there is still air in the system, the jack will not reach its full range of travel, so repeat the process until you get the full range of travel.

18

Wipe the jack with the cloth to clean the outside and lift the vehicle again. Determine whether there are any other leaks by examining the outside of the jack.

The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and compact cars made by Honda since 1973. The models made from 2006 to 2010 are compacts with several choices of engines, most often a four-cylinder 1.8-liter engine. These vehicles use mult-port fuel injection, which requires a fuel pressure regulator to control the pressure in the fuel lines. The fuel pressure regulator in recent model Honda Civics is located under the rear seat and is part of the fuel tank unit.

Instructions

1

Open the filler cap for the fuel tank to relieve the pressure in the fuel tank. Remove the fuse for the fuel pump under the dashboard and start the engine. Allow the engine to run until it stalls and replace the fuse for the fuel pump. Disconnect the cable for the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench to prevent the discharge of fuel into the fuel system.

2

Remove the cushion from the rear seat of the vehicle and pull the upper cross-member from the rear floor. Disconnect the retaining screws for the access panel with a socket wrench and remove the access panel. Detach the electrical connector from the fuel tank unit; release the quick-connect fittings from the fuel tank unit.

3

Turn the locknut counterclockwise with Locknut Wrench 07AAA-SNAA100 to loosen the it. Remove the locknut from the fuel tank unit; detach the fuel tank unit from the fuel tank.

4

Disconnect the bracket and O-ring from the fuel tank unit. Detach the fuel pressure regulator from the rest of the fuel tank unit and discard the O-ring.

5

Lubricate the new O-rings with engine oil and mount the new O-ring onto the new fuel pressure regulator. Connect the bracket to the fuel pressure regulator. Align the marks on the fuel tank unit with those on the fuel tank unit and install the fuel tank unit.

6

Mount the locknut onto the fuel tank unit. Turn the locknut clockwise with Locknut Wrench 07AAA-SNAA100 until it locks into place. Attach the quick-connect fittings and the electrical connectors for the fuel tank unit.

7

Replace the access panel and fasten its retaining screws with a socket wrench. Replace the upper cross-member in the rear floor and install the rear seat cushion. Connect the cable for the negative battery terminal.

The nature of driving on roads anywhere in the United States has the issue of small bits of debris bouncing up and hitting the front bumper causing paint damage. The smallest of pebbles at 55 miles per hour can create a scratch or paint chip that will look ugly on a new car. This problem can easily be rectified with a trip to the auto store or dealer.

Instructions

1

Examine the damage to the bumper cover. if it is a large nick, more than 1 inch, you need to use the 200 grit sandpaper. If it is less, then use the 400 grit. You are not sanding a large surface. Hold the sandpaper between the thumb and forefinger and gently rub the damaged area. You are just trying to rough the surface.

2

Wipe the area clean. It is a good idea to use the damp cloth and wipe an area around eight inches around the damage, this will keep it from getting any excess dirt under the paint. Allow to dry.

3

Paint the damaged spot. The easiest way to do this is to carefully paint inside the damaged area first and try not to go outside the lines. The touch-up paint comes with a brush on the inside of the bottle connected to the cap. Allow the paint to dry.

The EGR, or exhaust gas recirculation, valve is a small metal disc bolted to the intake manifold near the carburetor on GMC trucks and vans. The EGR valve draws exhaust gases from the exhaust system and reintroduces them into the intake manifold. Introducing exhaust gases into the combustion chamber helps lower the combustion temperature of the engine, which in turn helps reduce the amount of harmful oxides of nitrogen (NOx) produced by the engine.

Instructions

Removing a GMC EGR Valve

1

Remove the air cleaner housing by unscrewing the wing nut on top of the air cleaner lid and lifting the air cleaner housing straight up until you clear the threaded rod.

2

Locate the EGR valve. It will be bolted to the intake manifold close to the carburetor.

3

Label and disconnect the vacuum line attached to the top of the EGR valve by pulling it off.

4

Remove the bolts that secure the EGR valve to the intake manifold.

5

Lift the EGR valve straight up to remove it from the intake manifold.

6

Use a flat razor blade to clean any gasket material of the EGR valve mounting surface.

7

Inspect the passages below the EGR valve, and use a flat blade screwdriver to clear away any carbon deposits.

8

Vacuum the area around the EGR valve mounting surface. Make sure none of the carbon deposits or loose gasket material is left behind. You dont want it to get sucked into the engine.

Installing an EGR Valve on a GMC

9

Place a new gasket on the EGR valve mounting surface.

10

Lower the new EGR valve into position on the intake manifold.

11

Reinstall the bolts that connect the EGR valve to the intake manifold.

12

Reconnect the vacuum line that attaches to the top of the EGR valve.

13

Reinstall the air cleaner housing by lowering it over the threaded rod above the carburetor and reinstalling the wing nut that secures it.

The Ford T18 transmission was produced by Borg-Warner between 1965 to 1991. The Borg-Warner T18 transmission replaced the earlier T98 transmission model in both Ford, Jeep and IH 1/2-ton, 3/4-ton and 1-ton heavy-duty trucks. There were two variants of the T18 transmission produced by Borg-Warner. It is advised to inspect the model number located beneath the top shaft cover before attempting to install a Jeep T18 transmission in a Ford vehicle.

Borg-Warner Specifications

The standard Borg-Warner T18 transmission has a length of 11.87 inches, a total height of 17.5 inches, and a total weight of 145 lbs. The T18 is cased in cast-iron. The top cover is also cast-iron. The PTO port is located on the passenger side of the vehicle. The T18 has gearing ratios of 6.32, 3.09, 1.69, 1.0 and R7.44. There are slight variations in the length of Ford T18 and Jeep T18 transmissions.

Ford T18 Specifications

The Ford T18 model transmission has a 1 and 1/16 inch diameter. The Ford T18 has a ten-spline shaft extending 6 and 1/2 inches from the front face of the transmission.The Ford T18 pilot tip is 18 mm. The front-bearing retainer flange is 4.85 inches. The diameter of the retainer tube is 1.43 inches in diameter. The front bolt of the T18 is patterned in a typical Ford symmetrical butterfly pattern, 6 and 5/16 inches in length by 8 and 1/2 inches in width.

Jeep T18 Specifications

There were roughly twelve variations of the Jeep T18 transmission released from 1966 to 1984. There are subtle variations present in each of the editions, but the key differences are present in the gear ratios and shaft length. Between 1972 to 1975 the standard gear ratio of the Jeep T18 was 4.02:1. Between 1977 to 1979 the gear ratio of the Jeep T18 was adapted to 6.32:1. The PTO port of Jeep T18 transmissions is located on the drivers side of the vehicle.

The Jeep T18 transmission was originally released with a length of 11.87 inches, a total height of 17.1 inches, and a weight of 145 lbs. Both the shaft and the top cover of the transmission are encased in cast-iron. Variations of the Jeep T18 transmission feature gear ratios of either 6.32, 3.09, 1.69, 1.0,and R7.44, or 4.02, 2.41, 1.41 and 1.0 in the earlier release.