Nissan Z Cars Through the Years
240 Datsun Z cars
The lineup of Nissan Z cars has a long and proud history. After digging through the history of this legendary Japanese sports car it appears that the first offering in America was the 240 model that was released in late 1969. This was soon to be updated to the Datsun 260Z in 1974.
This car is rare because it had a short running. Just one year later in 1975 the straight six (inline) engine was punched out to 2.8 L, therefore renaming the car the 280-Z. The numbers in the title of the car of course equal the engine size even on the models that are built today.
1975 Datsun B210
1975 was also my first memory of this car as we went to a local Datsun dealership when my dad was in search of a fuel efficient vehicle thanks to the fuel crunch in the mid-70s. We did come home with a new Datsun that day but it was not a Nissan z car. We wound up with a B210 in a strange orangeish yellow color.
At the time foreign cars were few and far between and we were the only family with a Japanese car in the whole development. I remember the day that we brought it home! Read more
The Dodge Charger in Movies
69 Dodge Charger in Tripple Black
How many times have you seen the Dodge charger in movies? The motivation for my post today is, I saw the film Drive Angry last night. In a nutshell it’s about a poor excuse for a father that escapes from hell (Nicolas Cage) and with the help of a hot girl named Piper (Amber Heard) chases after the people from a cult organization that killed his estranged Daughter and kidnapped his favorite grandchild.
I was definitely entertained by the movie and overall was pleasantly surprised by some interesting twist and turns (no driving pun intended). Not surprising, when the movie title is drive angry, there was plenty of muscle cars and chase scenes. In my opinion the real star of the movie was a black 1969 Dodge charger with a 440 C.I.D. big block. The beautiful music of the 440 was well done (possibly the actual engine) and more realistic than soundtracks that are added to other movies staring Dodge chargers. Read more
Fuel Cell Vehicles Slipping in Popularity
Fuel Cell Diagram
I am a big fan of alternative fueled vehicles overall but I was always most optimistic about fuel cell vehicles. 5 Years ago I thought this was the automotive power plant of the future. Unfortunately it seems that the research and development of these vehicles has slowed to a crawl.
First let’s clear up what type of vehicle I am speaking of. A fuel cell powered vehicle contains a device that converts fuel directly into electricity to power the vehicle. It wasn’t long ago that fuel cells where seen as the solution to the problems of electric cars. We hoped that the technology would have been able to replace the lithium ion batteries currently installed.
In essence being able to remove the most troublesome part of an electric vehicle and replacing it with a renewable source of continuous electric power that would work in harmony with the electric drive systems that are currently installed in vehicles such as the Nissan leaf and Chevrolet volt.
How fuel cells work
Check for Ford Recalls
Recalled Ford f-150
This is a quick article on how to check for ford recalls on any year or model Ford car or truck. It use to be if you really wanted to find out if there was an open recall due on your vehicle one had to stop by a dealership and get the service adviser to plug the V.I.N or vehicle identification number into the Ford oasis system.
VIN numbers are unique 17-digit serial numbers assigned to all mass produced automobiles. Ford oasis stands for On-Line Automotive Service Information System. When you enter a specific vehicle identification number this system provides a printable report about work performed under warranty and any recalls that where already done. More importantly the report includes any recalls that are still open on that vehicle.
I worked at a Lincoln Mercury dealer as a service adviser for a short time and found this tool extremely helpful. After writing an article recently on my other website about the Ford cruise control recall which I believe is the largest recall in the company’s history, I found out that there is an alternative for owners to plug in the vehicle identification number themselves online to see if there’s any open recalls on that car or truck.
This works for all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury publicly issued recall notices. So without further delay this is where you can check for ford recalls. That text link will take you Read more
Increased Sparkplug Maintenance Intervals
Iridium Spark Plug
Can increased spark plug maintenance intervals put people out of work? We live in a changing world and sometimes we don’t realize what a big impact seemingly small changes have in our lives. When I got into the auto repair business there was plenty of work to go around. This has changed drastically over the last 2 decades. Maintenance intervals have increased and the car doesn’t need as much attention as it use to.
Today I’m going to talk about spark plug maintenance in particular but you could also add to the list of things that changed the automotive maintenance business, synthetic engine oil, extended life anti-freeze, new transmission technology requiring less fluid and filter changes and direct ignition systems that did away with the distributor cap and rotor.
But let’s talk about spark plugs. When you get right down to it a spark plug provides an electrical lightning bolt that ignites the air fuel mixture in the combustion chamber on command. Voltage surges supplied from the coil travel down spark plug wires to the correct plug. Read more
Using snapshot mode on automotive scanners
Actron 9580 snapshot scan tool
I get a few questions about using snapshot mode on automotive scanners. It is one of the features I use often when the diagnosis is getting complicated. It’s one of my favorite features of the tool because it can also be useful in pinpointing intermittent car problems that can be difficult to find using other reliable methods.
Let’s say you have an intermittent problem that is caused by a loose or corroded electrical connection to an automotive sensor. The problem turns on the check engine light or causes an issue when the vehicle hits a bump or slams a pothole in the road. The automotive scanner with a snapshot mode can provide data for diagnosis.
Information from the data stream can be reviewed right before and after the vehicle hits the bump or pothole. I have written some reviews of automotive scanners in several price ranges and a few of them are capable of taking these diagnostic snapshots of the data stream. When it comes to Diy auto mechanics it seems that this feature is underutilized.
The automotive computer is your friend Read more
Answers to Automobile Tire Questions
Cadillac SRX Tires
There are lots of places to go to get answers to automobile tire questions. If you have just read that last sentence I’m hoping that I will get a chance to provide some information to you. As a certified master technician I know a lot about the subject. God I love writing about tires. The way the rubber smells when there freshly manufactured, the little nubs on the treads ( Sorry).
I also recently replaced the original equipment tires on my 2009 Cadillac SRX. Not only are the tires expensive but the vehicle only had about 27,000 miles. The whole ordeal was unexpected and expensive. On my vehicle the rear tires are a different size than the front ones. This prevents rotating them on a regular basis (thanks Cadillac). Due to weight distribution and the steering action of the front axle, tire rotation can actually reduce the overall wear therefore extending the life of the tread.
People often ask me including (very cheap) family members when should I replace tires. Read more
Big Block Model Engines
Big Block Working Engine Model
It’s no accident that I became a mechanic in the auto repair business. It all started with my first big block model engine project. My father bought me this kit when I was about 8 years old. He wanted me to learn how things worked. He thought that it would be an important life skill to be able to fix things including my own car when I was older.
My Mother tells people a different story. She says he pushed me into being a mechanic so he could get his cars fixed for free. Not sure if my Mom was right but it did work out that way. In fact I not only fix the cars of the entire family for parts cost only but I also replaced the engine in my Dads 26 foot boat. So it worked out well for him.
The same exact 1/4 scale big block model engines kit that dad bought me is still available today. I wrote a detailed review for the model engine kit by Revell for the you fix cars website if you’re interested in something like that. Note that it can be challenging to put together and is recommended for humans over the age of 12. Read more
How to Buy Auction Cars
Car Auction People
People who follow my websites have probably seen my articles on how to buy auction cars. I have written several posts on this subject primarily on Auto-Facts.org Since that location now has hundreds of pages of content the really good articles about the car auctions subject have gotten buried in the massive amounts of automotive information available there.
Friends and longtime followers are familiar with my history in the auto repair business but might forget when it comes to auctions I not only attend events, purchased automobiles but also my prior work experience as a management level employee for some of the larger companies.
Since I am familiar with all angles of the process and like to talk about the subject I decided to share some important tips on how to buy auction cars with visitors to the auto repair information blog. One of the most exciting things about auction day to me when I was buying cars was the very real chance to get a genuine bargain.
The Top 5 products a complete surprise!
