Repair And Fix it

The spline nut, also known as the axle spline nut or axle nut, is located on the threaded end of each front axle shaft. This nut holds the splined end of the axle securely inside the wheel hub. The axle nut is a 34 mm nut that is pinched in order to prevent it from loosening. Because the nut is pinched in the manufacturing process, it is not reusable. There are two types of axle nuts installed on 1999 Aleros, and both are not reusable. The first type is the older style that is black with a sheet metal cage around the nut. The new nut is a silver-colored, standard-size pinch nut. If your vehicle has the old style nut, it must be removed and replaced with the new style nut. If your vehicle has the new style nut, it must be replaced when removed with a new nut of the same style.

Instructions

Removal

1

Apply the parking brake and chock the rear wheels. Break the front lug nuts loose with a lug nut wrench. Raise the vehicle with a jack and slide jack stands under the frame. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands and make sure that its secure.

2

Remove the lug nuts completely, then remove the tire. Have an assistant depress the brake pedal. Attach a 34 mm socket to a T-handle bar and break the axle nut loose while your assistant is holding the brake pedal; this will prevent the wheel and hub from turning while you break the nut loose.

3

Remove the axle nut the rest of the way using a 1/2-inch ratchet and your 34 mm socket. Throw away the old nut; it cannot be reused.

Installation

4

Thread the new nut onto the spindle by hand, then have an assistant depress the brake pedal once again.

5

Tighten the nut to 173 foot-pounds with a torque wrench. Reinstall the tire and snug the lug nuts with a lug nut wrench.

6

Lower the Alero back to the ground and torque the lug nuts in a criss-cross pattern to 100 foot-pounds with a torque wrench.

Like most ponderings in automotive repair, the question of removing spark plug wires from a running engine isnt necessarily so much one of "could" as it is of "should." Technically, yes, you can yank the plug wires off of a running engine just as easily as you could one that isnt running, but it may not necessarily prove conducive to you or your cars good health.

You Could

Removing a plug wire from a running engine isnt likely to result in catastrophic engine failure, particularly if you put it back on shortly afterward. All spark plugs misfire from time to time, you just dont notice it because its intermittent, random and usually happens so quickly that the cylinders firing again before the engine has a chance to vibrate. So, intentionally creating a misfire by removing the plug wire for a few seconds or even a few minutes isnt likely to destroy anything on most engines.

Common Effects on the Engine

Most engines have a rubber ring on the front of the crankshaft called a harmonic balancer; on the outer edge of the balancer is a heavy, metal ring. When the explosions in the engines cylinders push down on the pistons, the forces they exert quickly accelerate the crankshaft. When that accelerations over, the crank tries to slow down, resulting in a constant cycle of acceleration and deceleration that manifests as vibration in the crankshaft. The metal ring on the balancer resists these sudden, but tiny, vibrations and keep the crank from tearing itself in two. Over a long enough period of time, a dead cylinder and the resultant heavy vibration will over-work the balancer, causing it to fail. Once that happens, you could be looking at serious damage to the engine.

Effects on the Converter

Your cars catalytic converter works something like a blast furnace to convert toxic gases produced by your engine into more inert forms that wont drown polar bears or grow fish with three eyes. The converter takes advantage of unburned fuel -- which is, itself, a pollutant -- coming from your engine and uses it to fuel the furnace in the converter matrix. More fuel means more heat. Killing the spark in one cylinder will drastically increase the amount of fuel pouring into your exhaust, which will, at some point, cause the converter to overheat and fail. The engines control computer will compensate for this to some extent, but you can count on extra fuel going into the exhaust.

Lean-Out

Depending upon the computers control strategy, disconnecting a plug wire and leaving it that way could seriously fry something. When the oxygen sensor detects excess fuel in the exhaust, your cars computer may assume that this represents a net excess of fuel through all the cylinders. It will respond by decreasing the amount of fuel injected to all of the other cylinders in order to get the air/fuel ratio back in line. The resulting lean condition will increase combustion chamber temperature, causing overheating, detonation in the engine and, eventually, complete meltdown. Most computers do have programming provisions to account for a dead cylinder, and wont react this way; but some dont, and theres no way to be sure unless you know exactly how your fuel injection system thinks.

Safety Issues

Before pulling the plug wire off of a running engine, bear in mind that your are, in fact, grabbing a live wire with about 40,000 volts worth of electricity coursing through it. Normally, this electricity will pass through the plug wire and race to the spark plug, which acts as a ground. But when you remove that ground, the spark is going to find the next, most convenient ground. If you happen to be touching the body of the car when you pull the wire off, then you become that ground. While electricity normally wouldnt arc through the insulation, even if it is a bit old and damaged, removing the primary ground will make that spark pretty determined to get out whatever way it can. Its not likely to kill you unless you have heart or nervous system problems, since the amperage is very low -- but the sensation is rather, shall we say, "life affirming."

The Dodge Neon uses the common 9007 headlight bulb. Eventually, after normal wear and over time, the 9007 headlight bulb will burn out. Replacing burnt out headlight bulbs on any vehicle is very important and may seem like a daunting task to those unfamiliar with auto repair. Replacing the bulb on the Dodge Neon is easy.

Instructions

1

Turn off the Dodge Neon and open the hood of the vehicle. Put on the clean gloves.

2

Locate the three upper fascia screws located right above the headlight. Use the screwdriver to remove all three of the screws.

3

Remove the headlight assembly unit from the vehicle by pulling it away from the Dodge Neon.

4

Disconnect the electrical connector by unplugging it from the back of the headlight assembly unit.

5

Remove the retaining ring by twisting it counterclockwise. This will allow access to the bulb. Pull out the old bulb and push the replacement bulb into the headlight assembly.

6

Reattach the retaining ring and reconnect the electrical connector by plugging it into the back of the headlight unit. Place the headlight assembly unit back into the vehicle and reattach the three screws to lock it into place. Close the hood.

The fuel pump is an essential component of a vehicle. Fuel is pumped from the fuel tank to the engine. Without a functioning fuel pump, adequate fuel pressure cannot be delivered to the engine. This will cause problems such as hard starting, rough idle, misfiring, hesitation and stalling and can even prevent the car from starting . This may happen at the most inconvenient time. If you suspect that your fuel pump is broken, there are certain tests that you can perform to confirm it.

Instructions

1

Listen for a humming sound that normally occurs when the key is turned to the "Start" position. Turn the key in the ignition to the "Start" position and listen for a humming sound from the fuel tank. A hum means that the pump is in working condition.

2

Check if your fuel pump is broken by doing a static fuel test. Turn the key in the ignition to the "on" position. Look at the fuel pressure gauge to detect movements. The fuel pressure should immediately come up and stay steady. If it doesnt, that can indicate that there is a defect in the fuel pump.

3

Connect a voltage meter to the wires that connect to your fuel pump. Connect the voltage meter to the green wire. The fuel pump wires are located under the vehicle, behind the drivers door. Let someone start the engine while the voltage meter is connected to the wire. A normal reading is between 10 to 11 volts. If there is a zero reading, this usually mean that the fuel pump is bad.

The catalytic converter happens to be one of the most expensive parts of a car to fix, which leads many people to try to repair it at home. You have to know your way around cars and exhaust systems, or youre honestly better off taking it to a mechanic. If youre comfortable working on it yourself, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Instructions

1

Lift your car. Unfortunately, the catalytic converter sits about midway down the length of your car, so lifting one end or the other will not do. Ramps are your best bet to get you within reach of the parts when working from home. Luckily, this is usually the hardest part of this repair.

2

Be patient with the bolts, as they are often hard to remove due to size and awkward placement. You may have to drill or saw bolts to remove them. With this in mind, you should pick up new bolts, nuts and seals for your replacement project.

3

Buy a catalytic converter specific to your car to avoid extra work. A generic part must be welded into the car, while a vehicle-specific model comes pre-welded to the proper pipes for easy bolt-on installation.

4

Remove the 02 sensor (with an O2 wrench) before unbolting the catalytic converter. Then, you should remove the pipe connecting the sensor to the converter. Depending on your exhaust system, you may have to remove more pipes before you unbolt the converter from the muffler.

5

Replace the old catalytic converter with a new one. This should be the easy part, as you simply bolt the new part in place.

6

Reattach the exhaust pipes and 02 sensor, and the basic job is done. Make sure you replace any cracked or rusty pipes while you have the exhaust system apart.

Many motorcycles have multiple carburetors providing power for the engine. In a multiple carburetor system, one or more carburetors may fall out of adjustment, or synchronization, with the others. This causes the cylinder to receive a different amount of air and fuel than the others and create an imbalance in the engine. Poor power, hesitation and bad fuel economy may result. You can make a mechanical adjustment to ensure all carburetors work at the same time and same rate.

Instructions

1

Place the motorcycle on the center stand. Start the engine and allow it to warm up until it idles reliably. Do not allow it to reach full operating temperature as this may lead to overheating.

2

Shut the engine off. Turn off the fuel supply petcock at the gas tank and remove the fuel line at the carburetors. Remove the hold-down bolt at the rear of the gas tank and lift the tank off the motorcycle. On some models, it may be necessary to remove the seat or side covers in order to remove the gas tank and access the carburetors.

3

Remove the vacuum plugs from the carburetor bodies. Some motorcycles have rubber caps press-fit into vacuum ports; others have screw-in plugs that require adapters that come with a multi-port manometer kit. Select the proper adapters and connect the vacuum lines from the synchronization tool to the ports on the carburetor bodies. On motorcycles with more than two carburetors, match the numbers on the manometer ports to those on the carburetor.

4

Hang the auxiliary gas tank from the handlebars and connect the hose to the carburetor gas line inlet. Place the portable fan in front of the engine and direct the air flow over the engine to keep it cool. Turn the auxiliary gas tank cut-off valve to the "On" position. Ensure the fuel hose is not touching against an exhaust pipe or the engine.

5

Start the motorcycle and observe the readings on the synchronization tool. The carburetors must be adjusted if the gauge reads more than 2.4 inches of mercury between any two or more units. Locate the adjusting screws for the carburetors. Some models have the screws located between the carburetor bodies; other models require the removal of a top cover to access the adjusters.

6

Identify the base carburetor. On any multi-carb system, one carburetor is considered the base piece and is not adjustable. All other carburetors can be adjusted to match the base piece. The base carburetor is normally identified by having the throttle cable and idle speed screw attached to it. Turn the adjusting screws on the other carburetors one at a time until the readings on the synchronizer are within 2.4 inches of each other. Tighten down any lock-nuts, making sure the adjustments do not change.

7

Repeat the previous step for every carburetor on the motorcycle. Open and close the throttle a few times and recheck the readings. When all readings on all carburetors are within 2.4 inches, tighten all lock-nuts and replace any covers or other devices that were removed to access the adjuster nuts. Set the final idle speed to the manufacturers specifications and shut down the engine.

8

Remove the auxiliary gas tank and synchronization tool . Remove any adapters and replace the vacuum port plugs or caps on the carburetors. Replace the gas tank, side covers or any other component that you removed.

Over the years, various models of carburetor chokes have been developed in order to facilitate different engine conventionalities such as differing engine designs, varying load requirements and air/fuel intake varieties. In essence, the varieties of carburetors have been specifically designed to provide an assortment of drafting amounts, a multitude of barrels and varying venturi and flow rates.

Carburetor Draft

The variation in draft technology is one way in which carburetor chokes can be classified. Drafting within carburetors can be defined as sucking in or exhaling out air. There are three main types of drafting technologies that can be incorporated into carburetors. These are downdraft, sidedraft and updraft models. The downdraft and updraft technologies work using a method completely opposite to each other. Downdraft allows air to flow through the engine in a downward direction whereas the updraft variety allows air to be transferred through the engine in an upward direction. On the other hand, the sidedraft variety allows air to flow through the engine in a horizontal manner. Sidedraft technology was incorporated into older vehicle models whereas downdraft technology is used in cars these days. However, updraft carburetors are used in machinery such as forklifts.

Carburetor Barrels

Carburetor barrels can basically be defined as a hollow cylinder in which air and fuel is mixed by the engine. The basic parts are the throttle plate, air horn and venturi. There are three essential types of carburetor barrel models; one-barrel, two-barrel and four-barrel carburetors. The one barrel model is primarily incorporated into small engines that do not require a lot of power such as a motorcycle. On the other hand, a two-barrel system is used in cars with large engines and comprises two throttle plates and double venturis. A four-barrel model is used with trucks and SUVs because it has the ability to provide a large amount of engine force. Under normal conditions, the engine uses only two of the four barrels. If extra power is required, the other two barrels are employed to mix in more fuel and air.

Feedback Carburetor System

In accordance with technological breakthrough of todays day and age, car makers have developed an electronic carburetor system that has the ability to provide highly efficient energy by electronically maintaining the levels of air and fuel. The electronic carburetor is used in almost all of the cars being built today and also has the ability to reduce pollution by oxidizing HC and CO as well as reducing the amount of nitrogen oxide expelled into the air. The entire system uses a three-way catalytic converter which maintains the most efficient mixture of air (oxygen) and fuel.