Trailer Buying Guide:

Thinking about buying a cargo trailer, horse trailer or even a motorcycle trailer but aren't sure which trailer to buy? As you might have realized, choosing a trailer now-a-days can be perplexing. It's not surprising given the amount of trailer manufacturers and different types of trailers available.

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a trailer. One of the first considerations is to choose an established trailer manufacturer. As with most everything, you usually get what you paid for, so try to choose the best trailer that you can afford.

Deciding on what type of trailer you need for your application will help in narrowing down the manufacturers. There are trailers for almost every conceivable type of cargo, from motorcycles to horses to concessions. If you have to haul it, then there's a trailer made to haul it or at least one that can easily be converted to do the job.

After choosing a manufacturer, figure out what size trailer you'll need. Trailers come in several different widths and lengths. If you're considering an enclosed trailer, you'll also need to consider the height of the interior. If your trailer towing needs require that you spend very much time inside the trailer, choose one with enough interior height to keep you from bending your neck or back when standing.

Flush The Cooling System On Your Car, or Truck:

Your cooling system should be flushed every other year. No, I'm not crazy, but with all the new chemicals they use today, it will literally eat up the rubber hoses and deteriorate the heater core, and the radiator core.

Have a drain pan under the drain plug, or the lower radiator hose, to catch the old fluid. EPA doesn't want you to let it run out onto the ground--it will contaminate Earth!

Make sure the engine is cold! Hot antifreeze burns dramatically and it will burn you, too!

If you can get to the drain plug, (sometimes it's hard to get to) you can put a piece of 3/8 inch hose onto it. Put the other end into the drain pan and open the drain plug. This will let the fluid empty into the drain pan--that way all the fluid will go into the drain pan and not spread out and drip all over the place. Remove the radiator cap.

If you want, and it's much faster, you can remove the lower radiator hose from the radiator. Use caution, though, you don't want to break the neck on the radiator--that's a no-no.

Do You Have A Flat Spot?...On One Of Your Tires:

Have you ever been driving on a smooth road, alone, and by yourself, and felt the vehicle shimmy, and shake, and heard a slight roaring noise?

Gremlins! They do that sometimes.

I had a l996 Pontiac Grand Am in here the one day that was doing just that!

The owner told me he thought it was a wheel bearing, or maybe a universal joint.

He said he had thought about fixing it himself but he just didn't have time.

It's a good thing. This was a front wheel drive.

A front wheel drive doesn't have a drive shaft, it has drive-axles.

Plus, he would have been shocked when he took the tire off. No-hub-like-a-normal-hub. :-)

There's a lot more to changing out a bearing in a fwd than it is in a rear-wheel drive (rwd).

Changing Oil and Filter

If you live within a city-limits, be sure to check with the city manager's office to see if they have any regulations about working on your own vehicle in your yard or driveway. Thanks!

Park your vehicle on a level surface and put blocks of wood or bricks behind the rear tires.

Jack the front of the vehicle up enough for you to get under it.

Be SURE to put jacks stands under the body (behind the front wheels) or put some timbers under the tires and let the weight off the jack.

Put a piece of cardboard, or an old blanket, underneath the vehicle to lie down on (I hate working on the *ground*). ?º

Get a pail or pan that will hold at least 6 or 7 quarts of liquid to drain the oil into.

It's a mess having a pan that holds 4 quarts and letting 5 quarts of old oil running into it! ?¼

You will need a wrench to remove the oil pan drain plug. PLEASE, don't use one of those "adjustable" things. All they do is "round" the shoulders on the plug. Get the proper tool.

You need a filter wrench that will fit your oil filter.

So, Your Starter Is Just Clicking:

Does you starter make a *click* sound when you try to start your vehicle?

Each time you turn the ignition switch to start, does the starter just *click* one time?

That is probably the starter solenoid.

If it goes, *click-click-click-click*, and so on, it may just be a low battery.

A low battery that makes the starter *click* a few times doesn't have enough *juice* in it to turn the starter over to turn the flywheel over to turn the crankshaft over to make the engine start...phew!

A simple way to tell if the battery is at fault is to turn the headlights on and turn the ignition switch to start.

If the lights go out, then the battery is probably at fault.

Course, you'll have to run real fast after you hit the start position in order to see if the lights go out...or have someone out there watching for you.:-)

Does Your Car Engine Backfire?

Does your vehicle engine run ok?

Or does it cut-out on you sometimes when your are going to visit your in-laws?

Does it *spit* and *sputter* and *backfire*, then start running ok, again?

Symptoms of this nature can be several things.

o You could have a sparkplug wire shorting out.

o You could have an electrical wire shorting out.

o You may have some water in the fuel tank.

Let's take the most common of these three mentioned.

Over the years you cannot keep they fuel tank full at all times.

With a fuel tank half full, the upper part can cause condensation.

Do You Have A Serpentine Belt? What's That?

Do you have a serpentine belt that drives everything on the front of your engine?

A serpentine belt is the long belt with all the little *notches* on the underside.

It goes around the crankshaft pulley, the power steering pulley, the alternator pulley, the air conditioner pulley, and the water pump pulley.

Whew!

It will probably have an idler and most definitely has a tensioner.

The tensioner does just what it says.

It is what keeps tension on the belt, to keep it tight.

You don't have to loosen any bolts and pry anything to tighten this belt!

It is a good idea to check this belt often.

It is also a good idea to change it after about two or three years.