Category: Dave’s Garage
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Timing Is Everything!
A co-worker of mine just had an expensive experience with her Volkswagen. The car has the two liter twin cam engine, with a timing belt. The car had 85,000 miles on it, and had the original belt. This engine has five valves per cylinder, and it is an interference engine, meaning the valves will hit…
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A Positively Good Idea
Recently I attended a SCCV driving event. Part of their pre-event inspection is verification of a cover for the hot battery terminal. I checked my car a few days before, and realized the positive battery terminal was not covered. I spent a minute thinking of all the possible ways the positive terminal could be accidentally…
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My rear disc brakes with the emergency drum brake
This was the good news! Something strange happened to me last week. I loaded the garbage and the recycling into the minivan to do the Saturday trip to the transfer station, and the right rear wheel locked up when I backed up. As this happened, the rear axle made unpleasant noises. I thought the parking…
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How do I know I am getting a good upholstery job?
From CostHelper.com….. How much does it cost to reupholster a car interior? For car owners interested in a complete makeover, car owners can buy vehicle reupholstering kits for about $800, plus an additional $750 for a professional to install, Zalewski says. A custom upholstery for an entire car can cost about $2,500. There are also…
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One Thing Leads to…
With no questions to answer this month, I thought I would share an interesting story. Have you ever been putting off a big job, expecting it to be difficult, only to be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is? I have had this happen to me. I have also had what should be very simple…
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Rust Repair
Recently I have had two cars in the garage for rust repair, a Saab 900 and an MGB. The interesting thing is, on each car the rust was caused by poor body work. Each car had plastic body filler repairing a dent. The body filler was applied to bare metal. At some point, the body…
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Automotive Primers
My last column discussed the evolution in paint technology. This month, I will talk about what is under the paint and talk about primers. Automotive primers have come a long way in the last few decades. Primers serve several functions. First, they bond to and protect bare metal. Second, they fill very small imperfections. Third,…
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Automotive Paints
This month’s question comes from Wendell Nobel: Dave, I would love to read a little dissertation on automotive paints. I recall a day when GM cars were all painted with acrylic lacquer and Fords were acrylic enamel. Now we have polyurethane base coat with clear coat, single stage urethane and even some water based stuff.…
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Your Car Engine on an Oscilloscope
Guest mechanic this month started with an article from Ken Barber and finished by Wheel Tracks When an oscilloscope is used by a mechanic to tune your engine, the picture to the left is what one good cylinder looks like during one firing cycle. An oscilloscope allows you to see the voltage pattern of anything…
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Z Car Update
Absent any questions this month, I will give a brief Z car update. The car is a 1972 Datsun 240Z receiving a total restoration. The car had significant rust in the lower body panels and floor. The left side was much worse than the right side. Work on the left quarter panel is progressing. The…