Mechanics: Tips and tricks you've learned

[WVBrady]

I have an old pickup truck and every time that had to get an annual inspection there was an least one light that didn't work. Finally, I took the bulbs out, cleaned the receptacle and coated it and the base of the bulb with silicone dielectric. Since then, they always work. I do the same thing with the battery terminals.

I just read this tip about storing a partially full can of paint. Before putting on the lid, cover the top of the can with clear plastic, leaving a small opening. Using a can of Compressed Air Dusters, spray into the can and then close the opening with plastic and put on the lid. The propellant is some sort of hydrocarbon that supposedly keep the paint from going bad.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

When doing ac work, immediately charge the system as soon as it is together. This way you can recheck for leaks with your detector before covering the connections up. Much easier to mess with when the bumper is still off.

Get a 3/4 diameter brass punch, for beating on seized axles. Helps push them out of the bearing without damage. And yes, sometimes the air hammer is the only way. Once it starts moving inwards, blast it with penetrating oil, then to tighten the nut to drag it back through the rust. Usually a couple cycles of this will knock free any axle.

If you're doing something like a waiter LOF, check what filters you have in stock, and what parts stores have them. Check and sell that filter first, them worry about draining the oil and doing the tire pressure.

Also, never watch oil draining. Total waste of time I see hourly people do. Pull the plug, and do something else. Be it paper work, the estimate, air pressure, etc.

 

[bwringer]

Also, never watch oil draining. Total waste of time I see hourly people do. Pull the plug, and do something else. Be it paper work, the estimate, air pressure, etc.

Nice!

I'm a home gamer with all the time in the world... and I always find plenty of more productive things to do while the oil is draining.

Plus, I detest working on hot engines, so I do oil changes cold. I figure giving that last two ounces a little more time to escape might help the engine last .000000000000001% longer or something.

 

[Joe Mamma]

Yep, most everyone wants cheap. On some specific things cheap works (i.e. rubber gloves) but I always try to shoot for the middle of the road. My dad taught me this. "You don't want the cheapest option, but you don't always want the most expensive choice, either. Shoot for the middle of the road on price". That advice has done me pretty well.

Agreed. Cheap makes for redoing.

More things go wrong from overtightening than undertightening.

If someone says, "It's the same thing just cheaper", it's almost never the same thing.

And see my sign line: Without the right tool, even the simplest job is impossible. With the right tool, even the most difficult job is easy.

Joe Mamma

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Agreed. Cheap makes for redoing.

More things go wrong from overtightening than undertightening.

If someone says, "It's the same thing just cheaper", it's almost never the same thing.

And see my sign line: Without the right tool, even the simplest job is impossible. With the right tool, even the most difficult job is easy.

Joe Mamma

Ain't that the truth. Land cruiser radiator pays like 4.5. I do them in less than half that, even on rusty crusty examples. Why? 24 inch extensions, 1/4 nut grip sockets on universals, and 12inch 1/4 ratchets to crank on. Let the inductive heater fight the rust, no front clip removal required.

Pilot ac condenser is another example, they take 15min if you have the right tools. Being that every car seems to be wrecked in the front, I do what I can to work around pulling clips and bumpers unless I have to.

 

[65ranchero]

If you have a car that has sat overnight waiting to be worked on and it's fairly cold out take the vehicle around the block. It gets it warmed up and much easier to take off the plastic pieces off under the hood.
And never under any circumstances try and change a O2 sensor on a will wait customer that just came off the freeway after a hour drive in 90* heat to your shop.

The dealer I worked at would try that from time to time and I would refuse and make the customer wait or leave the car. All I had to do is mention What would OSHA think?

 

[joe_pinehill1]

Buy the original Factory Service Manual, some manuals you can find on the web, but there is no substitute for a FSM. If you can't buy one, makers like Honda allow you to buy a 3 day subscription to their Service Manual site, and you can download the pages you need. The fall back is a Haynes manual. I'm a shade tree mechanic, with experience and a good set of tools, but a manual is an important tool. The FSM will also be clear on the nuts and bolts that are recommended not be reused.

Good impact wrenches are important if you get into suspension work, some work you just can't do without an impact wrench. I have 3 Milwaukee M12 and M18 impacts and couldn't work without them.

If a part is under the hood, I almost always use an OEM from the dealer. Some suspension parts I will shop for good quality from Moog or quality brand. I have found Dealer parts counters will give a discount or match an online dealer price in our area.

If you are like me, and do a job like a timing belt once ever 3 years, photos are a good tool.

 

[MikeF2316]

My buddy, who runs his own shop, reminded me of one. If you wrench for a living, your pen is your most important tool. Whether to explain what needs to be done or what's been done and why, to either your service adviser or customer depending on your situation. (Of course in more digital shops, the pen may be replaced with a keyboard.)

 

[engineer2]

Also, never watch oil draining.

A watched oil pan never quits draining.

 

[Iron Beaver]

Nice!

I'm a home gamer with all the time in the world... and I always find plenty of more productive things to do while the oil is draining.

Plus, I detest working on hot engines, so I do oil changes cold. I figure giving that last two ounces a little more time to escape might help the engine last .000000000000001% longer or something.

I was always taught to warm up the engine so debris would circulate and not get stuck to the bottom of the pan. Never tested the idea so use at your own risk

 

[Wrench97]

I was always taught to warm up the engine so debris would circulate and not get stuck to the bottom of the pan. Never tested the idea so use at your own risk

Very old school pre-oil filters That debris should be trapped in the filter today and most oil pans have the plug at the lowest spot, if it has plastic timing chain tensioners they usually won't come out the drain plug hole or are jammed in the oil pump screen already..................

There is some advantage to doing it hot as the oil is thinner and you will get a tad more out but after running "dripper systems" on large diesels for years where we never changed the oil just the filters every 40,000-45,000 miles(the drippers dripped motor oil into the fuel tanks at a rate of 2-3 drops a minute then we just added oil at refueling. The motors averaged 1.1m miles before being rebuilt. After that experience getting every last drop out lost it's appeal.

 

[Olafur]

Electrical Tip.

Trying to track down short circuit? Replace the fuse with a light bulb and proceed.

 

[bsaint]

Only auto mechanics?

Here's coming from an industrial mechanic

- Cap your hydraulic lines during services
- Clean out socket head screws before you try to remove them
- Always use oil when forming threads or drilling metal
- Don't go fast drilling stainless
- Don't over tighten oring flanges. It's an oring not a gasket.
- Wipes tools often. Install new parts with clean hands / gloves.
- Hand tighten oil filters.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

 

[Renegade1LI]

If a hammer won't fix it, it must be an electrical problem.

 

[rod330]

Not a mechanic, but:

- Effective penetrating oil is 50-50 mix of acetone and ATF

- When disassembling small mechanisms with springs or other tiny components, take it apart inside a 1 gallon baggie so things aren't flying across your shop or rolling off your bench. This works really well with handguns, for example

- Old egg cartons are handy for short-term parts storage

 

[RedneckWelder]

Electrical Tip.

Trying to track down short circuit? Replace the fuse with a light bulb and proceed.

The master fuse saver kit from Innovative Products of America has a buzzer for this.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

The master fuse saver kit from Innovative Products of America has a buzzer for this.

And it's worth the money after the first use. Great tool even though I very rarely use it. Wiring diagram, amp clamp, and the fuse-saver is king.



Another tip - when doing things on both sides of the car, tear down both sides at the same time.

For instance, I put two control arms in a Cobalt today, arms laying on the subframe as usual from torn out bushings. Normally I'd just put bushings in, but I assumed (correctly) I'd be cutting one of the arms out with the torch.

Anyways, do everything you can with the socket on your gun, on both sides, before switching. Minimizes time wasted on swapping sockets and keeps you organized. 30mm, pull both axle nuts. Grab punch, knock both axles free. 15mm, pull the 2 bolts for the forward bushings, both sides - etc.



Don't waste time swapping tools and sockets. I likely saved close to 5min on this job between minimizing tool swapping, looking for sockets, etc. That more or less ate the additional time I spent cutting the one arm out with the torch, so I could free up the vertical bolt.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Very old school pre-oil filters That debris should be trapped in the filter today and most oil pans have the plug at the lowest spot, if it has plastic timing chain tensioners they usually won't come out the drain plug hole or are jammed in the oil pump screen already..................

There is some advantage to doing it hot as the oil is thinner and you will get a tad more out but after running "dripper systems" on large diesels for years where we never changed the oil just the filters every 40,000-45,000 miles(the drippers dripped motor oil into the fuel tanks at a rate of 2-3 drops a minute then we just added oil at refueling. The motors averaged 1.1m miles before being rebuilt. After that experience getting every last drop out lost it's appeal.

Not just pre-oil filter. Cars into the 1960s had bypass oil filter systems that only filtered about 10 % of the oil. Full-flow systems and magnets in the pan were great ideas. It goes without saying to check magnetic plugs when you change oil, and clean them.

 

[Ricky Joe]

And it's worth the money after the first use. Great tool even though I very rarely use it. Wiring diagram, amp clamp, and the fuse-saver is king.



Another tip - when doing things on both sides of the car, tear down both sides at the same time.

For instance, I put two control arms in a Cobalt today, arms laying on the subframe as usual from torn out bushings. Normally I'd just put bushings in, but I assumed (correctly) I'd be cutting one of the arms out with the torch.

Anyways, do everything you can with the socket on your gun, on both sides, before switching. Minimizes time wasted on swapping sockets and keeps you organized. 30mm, pull both axle nuts. Grab punch, knock both axles free. 15mm, pull the 2 bolts for the forward bushings, both sides - etc.



Don't waste time swapping tools and sockets. I likely saved close to 5min on this job between minimizing tool swapping, looking for sockets, etc. That more or less ate the additional time I spent cutting the one arm out with the torch, so I could free up the vertical bolt.

My answer to that was to have multiple ratchets with required sockets. Also, I take multiple saws to do a job, with different blades.

 

[AldeanFan]

And it's worth the money after the first use. Great tool even though I very rarely use it. Wiring diagram, amp clamp, and the fuse-saver is king.



Another tip - when doing things on both sides of the car, tear down both sides at the same time.

For instance, I put two control arms in a Cobalt today, arms laying on the subframe as usual from torn out bushings. Normally I'd just put bushings in, but I assumed (correctly) I'd be cutting one of the arms out with the torch.

Anyways, do everything you can with the socket on your gun, on both sides, before switching. Minimizes time wasted on swapping sockets and keeps you organized. 30mm, pull both axle nuts. Grab punch, knock both axles free. 15mm, pull the 2 bolts for the forward bushings, both sides - etc.



Don't waste time swapping tools and sockets. I likely saved close to 5min on this job between minimizing tool swapping, looking for sockets, etc. That more or less ate the additional time I spent cutting the one arm out with the torch, so I could free up the vertical bolt.

This is a good idea if you know what you’re doing.
If you are an amateur or it’s your first time then it’s a good idea to take one side apart at a time so you can refer to the other still assembled side when putting it back together.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ttpete]

Not just pre-oil filter. Cars into the 1960s had bypass oil filter systems that only filtered about 10 % of the oil. Full-flow systems and magnets in the pan were great ideas. It goes without saying to check magnetic plugs when you change oil, and clean them.

Full-flow oil filtration arrived with the OHV engines in the 1950s and spin-on filters in the mid-'50s. The next big improvement was the positive crankcase ventilation system (PCV) in the early 1960s. Better oils showed up in the late '60s, and I was surprised to see a 100 K-mile engine with no sludge in 1968.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

My answer to that was to have multiple ratchets with required sockets. Also, I take multiple saws to do a job, with different blades.

I have no interest in having multiple impacts. god help you doing control arms on a rust belt cobalt with hand tools.

This is a good idea if you know what you’re doing.
If you are an amateur or it’s your first time then it’s a good idea to take one side apart at a time so you can refer to the other still assembled side when putting it back together.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agreed, one needs a certain confidence in their ability to reassemble. In the cobalt example, all the bolts only fit one way. Drum brakes? Yeah your first time you dont want to dump everything in a pile.

 

[bwringer]

Another tip - when doing things on both sides of the car, tear down both sides at the same time.

For instance, I put two control arms in a Cobalt today, arms laying on the subframe as usual from torn out bushings. Normally I'd just put bushings in, but I assumed (correctly) I'd be cutting one of the arms out with the torch.

You touch on something very important here: time is money, and you can sometimes save a LOT of both and do a better, longer-lasting repair by replacing assemblies instead of components.

In your example, control arms with all the bushings and ball joints already installed mean that you're installing all fresh components and that you can get as destructive as you need to remove the old control arm.

There was a time, back when front wheel drive was regarded as some vague commie plot, when you often had to rebuild or re-boot CV axles because complete replacements weren't available. Overall, most of the polymer technology of the '80s was so terrible that the original and replacement boots never lasted very long. (For a long time, Honda and Toyota were the only FWD cars where the original CV boots lasted past 80,000 miles.)

Same goes for things like quick-struts; unless there's absolutely no other option, replacing the whole shebang with fresh bits is a complete no-brainer.

And pretty much no one rebuilds automotive brake calipers on the bench any more unless it's some antique or exotic application with no other option.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Full-flow oil filtration arrived with the OHV engines in the 1950s and spin-on filters in the mid-'50s. The next big improvement was the positive crankcase ventilation system (PCV) in the early 1960s. Better oils showed up in the late '60s, and I was surprised to see a 100 K-mile engine with no sludge in 1968.

No argument, but not everyone switched to full flow immediately. What I said was that there were bypass systems in the 1960s. I didn’t say they weren’t available before that.

 

[ttpete]

No argument, but not everyone switched to full flow immediately. What I said was that there were bypass systems in the 1960s. I didn’t say they weren’t available before that.

Ford Y-block V8s were all full flow starting in 1954, and Chevrolet from 1955. They began as canister types but could be quickly retrofitted for spin-on filters during a filter change. Ford did it in 1957, and I'm not sure when the SBC Chevy did. There might have been by-pass filters in the 1960s, but only on older design engines that weren't originally plumbed for full flow filtration.

 

[engineer2]

Back then oil change intervals were 2000 miles. No PCV, just a road draft tube.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

You touch on something very important here: time is money, and you can sometimes save a LOT of both and do a better, longer-lasting repair by replacing assemblies instead of components.

In your example, control arms with all the bushings and ball joints already installed mean that you're installing all fresh components and that you can get as destructive as you need to remove the old control arm.

There was a time, back when front wheel drive was regarded as some vague commie plot, when you often had to rebuild or re-boot CV axles because complete replacements weren't available. Overall, most of the polymer technology of the '80s was so terrible that the original and replacement boots never lasted very long. (For a long time, Honda and Toyota were the only FWD cars where the original CV boots lasted past 80,000 miles.)

Same goes for things like quick-struts; unless there's absolutely no other option, replacing the whole shebang with fresh bits is a complete no-brainer.

And pretty much no one rebuilds automotive brake calipers on the bench any more unless it's some antique or exotic application with no other option.

Very much so. Time and place to save things, I like to do bushings on lower mileage components to save the customer money. It also makes the work much more likely to be approved.


Doing an inner tie-rod is a great example of your point. Just buy an outer as well, chop the inner in half, and save the aggravation. I won't do them any other way, it just isn't worth it in the world of rust.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Ford Y-block V8s were all full flow starting in 1954, and Chevrolet from 1955. They began as canister types but could be quickly retrofitted for spin-on filters during a filter change. Ford did it in 1957, and I'm not sure when the SBC Chevy did. There might have been by-pass filters in the 1960s, but only on older design engines that weren't originally plumbed for full flow filtration.

Hupmobile had a full flow system at least as early as 1929. Packard, Oakland, and Oldsmobile had full flow by 1934. Rambler didn’t even come with a filter as late as 1962. If it was added, as a dealer-installed option, it was a bypass system. I grew up with the Rambler. Jeep may have kept bypass as late as 1965.

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

Back to topic of tricks we learned please..

 

[saradanyal]

Adding to this the YouTube thing might seem a little intimidating but I'm the least mechanical person ever and was able change my thermostat and a few different hoses using it.

 

[ttpete]

Hupmobile had a full flow system at least as early as 1929. Packard, Oakland, and Oldsmobile had full flow by 1934. Rambler didn’t even come with a filter as late as 1962. If it was added, as a dealer-installed option, it was a bypass system. I grew up with the Rambler. Jeep may have kept bypass as late as 1965.

The Jeep F-head fours and sixes were always bypass. I believe that the CJ-5s with the Buick odd-fire V6 were the first Jeeps with full-flow filters.

 

[Citation]

Adding to this the YouTube thing might seem a little intimidating but I'm the least mechanical person ever and was able change my thermostat and a few different hoses using it.

Youtube is certainly great for a lot of jobs. It's nice to visually see what someone else did before I take on the same job. This is true even if I don't agree with how they did it.

 

[unslow1]

Youtube is certainly great for a lot of jobs. It's nice to visually see what someone else did before I take on the same job. This is true even if I don't agree with how they did it.

I found it amusing when Eric O of South Main Auto said he looked for Youtube video of a job and found one he had done years earlier. I do it all the time just to see what really has to come apart and if special tools are required. A couple of years ago it saved me a bunch of time on a heater core. A guy showed a special tool he made and it shaved about 4 hrs off that job.

 

[Ralf11]

Do not not not use a ratchet as a breaker bar

Do not use an adjustable wrench

 

[engineer2]

When posting on Garage Journal, never admit to using a screwdriver or a wood chisel as a pry bar.

 

[Wrench97]

Not much use for a flathead screwdriver any more except as a pry
driver.......................as for the ratchet as a breaker bar thing if snap on didn't want you to use it they wouldn't sell a 24" handle 1/2' ratchet........................

 

[Citation]

When posting on Garage Journal, never admit to using a screwdriver or a wood chisel as a pry bar.

Why is one called a screw driver and the other a chisel when they are the exact same tool?

 

[seber]

Grind a bevel edge on your favorite screwdriver pry bar. It won't work for a screwdriver any more but it will make a better pry bar and save a screwdriver.

 

[ChefRex]

Not much use for a flathead screwdriver any more except as a pry
driver.......................as for the ratchet as a breaker bar thing if snap on didn't want you to use it they wouldn't sell a 24" handle 1/2' ratchet........................

Oh ratchet, how I love you so!

 

[22george]

When posting on Garage Journal, never admit to using a screwdriver or a wood chisel as a pry bar.

Why not???? I buy extras just for that purpose. Sometimes they are the only thing that fits. They are my screwdrivers. If I want to use them for that purpose I'm going to.