Category: Dave’s Garage

I have heard of people having problems with collapsed fuel lines due to attack by ethanol. Although most of my fuel line is metal, there has to be a short section of flexible line between the body and the carburetor. Is there any specific material you know of that is impervious to ethanol? When I…

I have passed along the tip of using a 50/50 mixture of ATF and Acetone as an alternative to penetrating oil. Anybody who has turned a wrench on a daily driver, or restored their pride and joy knows what happens to all the hardware on our vehicles here in the wet, snowy salty northeast. There…

Several weeks ago I was mowing the lawn with my trusty 1978 Sears lawn tractor, when the engine suddenly sputtered and quit. I also smelled gas. A quick look under the hood revealed a split fuel hose. I replaced the hose, but noticed the leaking hose actually rotted out from the inside out. Another Ethanol…

Recently, I went to Rochester, NY for the New England MG “T” Register’s Gathering of the Faithful car show. I decided to take advantage of this trip to also bring my boys, my wife, two of my nieces and my parents to see Niagara Falls. That’s eight people with luggage if you’re counting… How can…

I like to dabble with models. I have modeled specific cars, and specific trains. When I am working with die cast parts, or need to make a part I often use JB Weld. Recently, our past VAE president and Wheel Tracks editor Gene Fodor was fortunate enough to find a nice, well used and mostly…

I recently purchased a tool I have been having a hard time living without. It is something that any shop should have, yet I have been working for years without one. I just purchased a 20 ton press. A press is really handy, almost essential for pressing out bearings, u-joints, ball joints and many other…

Absent any questions this month, I’ll tell the tale of a recent repair to my Chrysler minivan. I have had problems with the Body Control Module for the past few years. The BCM is the “brain” of the vehicle, and it’s function is the control of all things electrical in the vehicle. This part is…

No questions to answer this month, so I’ll take this opportunity to “talk shop.” I like to work on cars. Fortunately, antique cars give me plenty of opportunities to do just that. Occasionally a problem will come up and it will stump me. This is often upsetting at the time, but usually works out well…

In prior columns I’ve discussed various automotive fluids, which types to use and why to change them. Brake fluid needs to be changed every two to three years, or replaced with DOT 5 (Silicone) fluid. Failure to do so will result in low boiling temperatures and seizing pistons in calipers and wheel cylinders, resulting in…

Recently I got a question about the many different types of antifreeze available today. Specifically, what type to put in a new Honda with blue coolant. So, here it is: Types of Coolant (Antifreeze) Today’s coolant market is confusing. In days past all coolant was the green ethylene glycol variety, one type of coolant for every…