Auto Repair Guide
Auto Mechanic Mark
I wrote a book about my experiences in the auto repair business. It’s 68 pages of true stories told from my jaded point of view. You are welcome to download it and read it on your own personal computer.
We respectfully ask if you would like to share this information with friends and family you do so with the share button below. You can bookmark or share with all the major social networks, send an email or just add it to your favorites from the button. This will be a big help and assures the auto repair information blog will continue growing.
And here is the link to the main page where you can find out what is covered in the auto repair information guide. You can also get your own copy of the free guide to auto repair.
Good Morning
I have a 1994 chey pick up with a 350
its leaking transmission fluid, seems to be running down the pan
where is the first place i should look
i put a quart in and she drives fine, then it just has a steady
stream right out. its the left side not in the middle
Paula: With the age of your 94 Chevy pick up the trans leak could be from many places. Two popular places to check that “Will Leak” from the sides is the selector shaft seal and also the dipstick tube seal.
Thank you for your answers, I will check those 2 places first.
Is it possible to be profitable running an honest automotive repair business?
i have a 1994 honda civic eg 3 door hatchback, when i replaced the carburetor due to accident. now, the car is running in a low performance. is there a guide how can i put the tubes exactly where they should be?
tommy: A good way to find out where the vacuum hoses belong is to visit a junk yard and find your exact model car (94 Honda civic). Take some pictures of the layout of the hoses. Not only is this free but is also a great way to get your vacuum diagrams.
long story made short ok? any questions asked and i’ll be sure to give a long answer whatever ya need… my LS430 2003 engine seized while on the highway. the dealer is telling me everything checks out…oil is in the car water etc… the only recourse? they say culprit must be in the engine block assembly… 14K is the cost. i’m getting a second opinion of course meanwhile i’m paying on a rental from enterprise and thinking about an atty. this car has been maintained with ONLY this lexus dealer regularly… every time we received a notice for upkeep, it went in the shop within a week total cost of the upkeeps? 10379.06
I have a 97 Olds Bravada. Im having issues with no fuel to the injectors, I think. I`ve changed the spark plug wires, plugs and the fuel filter . I know I have good spark. There is suposed to be apoint on top of the intake for fuel pressure check. Thats what I`m checking next but am unsure of this point.
Lonnie: There is a port to test fuel pressure in the rail leading to the injectors on your model. It is a shrader valve fitting at the rear of the plenum. It usually has a green or black screw on cap covering it. Note that 2 common problems for your vehicle would be fuel pump failure and CPI injector problems. Of course these might not be an issue on your vehicle but I thought I would mention that they are common problems. There is No substitute for hands on diagnosis.
I have a 2000 chev corvette with air conditioning problem. Purchase compressor, dryer and orfice tube, paid to have installed and it failed within 50 miles. Went to a second repair shop but question their knowledge as they have removed the water pumb and front of air intake. Found old orfice had not been replace, would this cause the new compressor to fail and should they have taken off the water pump, air intake.
Gerry: Not sure if it is necessary to remove the water pump on your model but it does sound strange. When your original compressor failed it was very important to replace the orifice. It is standard procedure to also use a liquid flushing agent to flush any metal partials out of the system before installing the new orifice tube and related parts.
I put together a page about how to properly replace an ac compressor. It outlines 10 steps that should be performed when replacing this expensive part. If your 2 shops have not performed these steps your problems may continue. Here is a link to my compressor article. http://www.youfixcars.com/car-ac-compressor.html
Thank you Mark for your input. The auto parts store is not willing to warranty the compressor or dryer as the original orifice tube was trapped in the line by a mechanics wrench denting the line while removing. PARTS COST $287.00 PLUS $250.00 LABOR AT FIRST SHOP. Second repair shop quoted $359.00 plus tax to replace the compressor, dryer, orifice, this is the shop that removed the water pump etc mentioned above.
The second repair shop said that the parts supplier was at their garage when the line was removed seeing the old orifice tube and claimed that the condenser needed to be replace also or there would be no warranty on the new parts, which turns out not to be true, as they only require the dryer and orifice tube replaced. The labor cost increased to $609.00 plus tax from the original $359.00 and the new parts $475.00. The parts store hearing this story suggested that I pay the second shop for the work to date and they would have a car hauler pick up the car and take it to a reputable shop.
I paid the second shop $136.00 for the labor and collected the parts remove. The third shop called the say that the cost to replace the compressor, dryer and orifice tube $406.00 plus tax even though they don,t have to remove the compressor or water pump. To date I have $673.00 in parts, labor repair and plan to have the car hauled from the third shop to home and fix it myself. By to time that this is over and hopefully my car repaired I will have over $1,000.00 invested, what a nightmare.
I cannot wholeheartedly agree with all of the conclusions in your e book. I am a diligent and honest mechanic. Not perfect but when I make an error, like you, I correct it.
Ford white collar guys nixed the engineers recommendations on transmission service on mid-1990′s F150s. This resulted in torque converter lockup shudder. A conversation was had directly with the Ford engineers to obtain this data. The white collar guys knew better than the engineers and recommended do trans service at any interval. They were wrong. Manufacturers do not always have correct recommendations.
I know a lot of good honest mechanics. I know a few stooges as well. Shops that I have worked for for any prolonged period have been honest and reputable. At one shop run by a 35 year veteran with me as his only tech, we virtually never replaced any major components. I attribute this to the good work we did, following manufacturer recommendations on viscosity, diligently selling them valid work which I noticed needed to be done and really staying in communication with them regarding what they were experiencing with their vehicles.
On occasion we had owner diagnoses which we would talk them out of. We would only repair what we could observe, diagnose and honestly would have done for our own vehicles. Of course, I did work for 2 small shops that were less than honest sometimes. I left them. Your book is essentially doing a good thing but some revisions are due. I would love to work with you on it.
Ultra: I appreciate you taking the time to read the book and commenting about it. For the record it is just my opinion. You also have to remember that I am a mechanic and not a writer. In fact the book was written in 2006 and I give it away for free because it is far from perfect! I would like to rewrite it someday but right now I am to busy wrenching.