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All About the Iron Wagon

DIY Auto Care: Preparing your car for summer and winter

Just as you would prepare yourself with the changing seasons, so does your car. You need to do some extra measures in order for it to withstand wear and tear and in order for you to drive safely and smoothly on the road.

Follow these simple steps to maintain your car’s pristine performance as you go through the seasons.

1. Summer

Schools out and time to party! The time for vacation, summer means a lot of traveling, family picnics, days at the beach or spend time at the games. Take note that before going out on your sojourns this hot time of the year, you need to check on a few things to make your car roadworthy.

1. Check for tire pressure and rotate your tires if necessary. See to it that your tires are properly inflated to the recommended pressure level to avoid blow outs. If you see uneven thread on your tires, you need to rotate them to extend thread life.

2. In case you might have skipped your car’s last tune up schedule, you need to visit your mechanic first and have a tune up before going on long trips. Have the mechanic also check your radiator for leaks or cracks which could cause engine temperatures to rise.

3. Check your engine coolant level and place more if needed. Due to high temperatures, your car could overheat so its best to maintain the exact amount of coolant every time. If also needed, have the radiator flushed and add in new coolant.

4. Inspect the air conditioning system of your car and replace worn out or damaged belts.

5. Change your car’s oil.

6. Check your car’s breaking system. With higher temperatures, your brake pads will wear quicker. It is best to have them checked to see worn outs and replace if necessary.

7. Always have the emergency kit on handy. See to it to have the toolbox with you including: flashlight, motor oil, windshield wiper fluid, coolant, tire inflator, jack and medical kit with you at all times for sudden road trouble shoots or mishaps.


2. Winter

Remember that the drop of temperature will take its toll on your car. Below are some preventive measures which will keep your car in top notch condition while protecting it from all the ice and tough road conditions.

1. Protect your car’s finish and water proof it by applying wax and constantly buffer polishing cream. This will help protect your car from moisture and corrosion while on the road.

2. Protect against engine freeze. Use anti-freeze coolant instead of the regular coolant for your engine. This will prevent engine freeze and eventual cracking of engine components.


3. Have your car tuned up. Visit your mechanic and have a tune up for the season. Have your belts, spark plugs and wires check for deterioration and change them if deemed necessary to avoid untoward road mishaps caused by a wore out belt etc.

4. Check your brakes. See to it that all brake pads are working at their maximum and replace worn out ones if necessary. This time of the year, maximum braking power is surely needed.

5. Replace your regular tires with winter tires. Depending on the graveness of road conditions, winter tires are a good investment to bank on for optimum safety.

6. Prevent gas line freeze. Use a winter fuel system cleaner for the prevention of gas line freezes in extreme cold weather conditions.

7. Use winter specialized washer fluid. Regular blue washer fluids will freeze up in the reservoir. Winter fluids will stay liquid in the washer reservoir at temperatures as low as 30 *F.

8. Always have your emergency kit on handy as well. Although routine maintenance may make your ride secure, bringing your emergency kit will certainly help in giving you peace of mind.

9. Remove snow and ice build up from your car before driving. To prevent visual obstructions while on the road, it is best that you thoroughly remove snow, fog and ice build up on your windshields before taking a ride.

10. Be updated with weather, road conditions and traffic reports in your area. Be in the know of alternate routes in heavy traffic or do not force yourself to drive if experts advise not to during severe weather conditions.

Look with caution for motorcycles which could suddenly cross your path.

Jovir Amatong

All About the Iron Wagon

DIY Maintenance- Washing your car’s engine

Be it be for cosmetics, maintenance or to stop deterioration, you need to clean up your engine once in a while so you can detect untoward problems such as belt wear and tear or the build up of grease in the engine compartment, which could pose thousands of dollars in losses just for repair in the future.

To soften things up a little bit, start your engine and let it warm for a few minutes and shut it off. You need to warm up your engine a little bit (just enough to put your hand over it) then as the engine cools to proper temperature, use the time to cover the few openings on the motor that needs to be waterproofed. Among the key areas to watch out for include the air intake / air filter, distributor, the coil and oil stick.

Materials you’ll need:

1. Plastic baggies
2. Rubber bands
3. Absorbent Rags / Towels, Paper towels
4. Commercial Engine Degreaser
5. High pressure hose / sprayer
6. Rubber protectant
7. Lubricant

You can use plastic baggies and rubber bands to cover the air intake / air filter(s) and the distributor / coil. Double the layers of bags on the air intake and place them securely with rubber bands. Use a pair of two gallon sized baggies to cover the distributor and plugged wires around the distributor cap. Though this might be difficult to seal, you need to see to it that the distributor has been thoroughly sealed to prevent shorting of the distributor. Check the tightness of the oil filler cap, power steering cap, windshield washer cap, the oil stick, battery filler caps before cleaning them.


You can then proceed with spraying the entire engine / engine compartments with a commercial engine degreaser spray from the bottom going up, this way you will not have the chemical dropping on your face as you clean the underside areas. Allow the degreaser about 3-5 minutes to work and using a soft brush, rub gently to clear out heavily soiled areas. Repeat the process in areas if necessary, depending on the heaviness of the build up.

After the engine compartment has been cleaned, remove all the plastic baggies and rubber bands. Using a rag or towel, dry all the puddles and dry the battery with paper towels. Proceed starting your engine and allow it to warm up, this will help dry the rest of engine parts and evaporate any moisture left in the more sensitive parts.

Provided that everything has completely cooled and dry, apply a coating of rubber protectant to the rubber hoses, rubber, plastic shields and rubber gaskets.

Wax the painted areas of your engine compartment. If the uncoated aluminum areas are dull or have whitish corrosion deposits, metal polish will help restore the finish. See to it that the battery terminals are clean. If they’re not however, disconnect the cables and clean both the cable terminals and battery posts using a wire brush. Reconnect all terminals and tighten.

Spray all hinges, throttle cables, cruise control cables and hood shocks with lubricant and you’re done!

Note: See to it that you have removed all extra debris such as plastic baggies, rubber bands etc. before capping the hood.

Buckle up when you're driving… Heaven can wait.

Jovir Amatong

All About the Iron Wagon

DIY: Care and maintenance of your car’s transmission system

One of the hardest to maintain and detect when it comes to problems is your car’s transmission system. Fixing transmission problems could mean time consuming repairs as in most makes and models, it is embedded deep into the engine bay and that parts of the engine needs to be overhauled before you can access the clutch.

It is therefore important that you know how to care, maintain and diagnose problems early to avoid costly and timely repairs.

Provided you know what’s under the hood of your car- if it is on automatic clutch or stick shift, these are some of the parts you need to be introduced. The bell housing is a conical metallic cover housing the gears and axles. The gears are the ones that connect the engine to the wheels. Transmission fluid runs through the entire setup to lubricate and the oil filter ensures no damaging particles enter into the system.

Here are a few indicators that tell you of problems in your transmission system that require immediate attention. When you notice that your car’s engine will start and will run smoothly, but when put into the pedal, won’t budge at all. Or when your car will move all right, but in a slothful manner- When you step on the pedal it feels as if power is not thoroughly transferred to the wheels.

Here are the preliminary diagnostic tips you can follow so you’ll know what your problems will be.

1. Check the fluid level. Check gear oil level for you need to replace the fluid if it falls below the minimum indicator level. Loss of gear fluid could mean friction and damage to your transmission system.

2. Check the filter for clogs. Debris and build up could run through the gears after a period so it’s best you have your transmission fluid filter replaced first if you think there are transmission problems.

3. Check for leaks. If you notice spill marks on your driveway or garage on the spot where you usually park your car, then this could indicate that your transmission is leaking. Check in possible sources for leak such as: between the gearbox and the engine, the drain hole under it, the selector shaft connecting the stick shifter to the gearbox and the fluid filler tube base. If you spot a leak in any of these places, then you need to have the gearbox checked by a mechanic.

4. Check for sticky shifters. If you find it difficult to shift gears (manual transmission), or if the car is jerky whenever the automatic transmission shifts up or down, then it would be best to have your transmission checked as the problem could be because of the transmission oil.

5. Listen for grinding sounds. When you’re running at a normal speed but hear grinding sounds or if your car vibrates too much when starting from a stop, then it’s about time you have your transmission checked or repaired.

It is always better to maintain you car’s transmission system and diagnose it once you experience the problems above. This way you’ll pre-empt time consuming and very costly repairs.

Never drink and drive.

Jovir Amatong

All About the Iron Wagon

DIY- Maintenance: Getting better mileage for your car

Naturally if you’re keeping a car these days, chances are you’re doing ounce of saving measures so you can save on gas while keeping in touch with your daily activities.

The compromise of savings against that of comfort (like it or not) is certainly a serious factor, with the skyrocketing cost of fuel, maintenance added with the world market slump where just about everything is folding.

Fuel efficiency should be considered in every household so as to help out with the family budget and following the steps below will increase your car’s efficiency ratio by 20 or even up to 40 percent!

1. Regular maintenance counts. Always see to it to gradually change oil and replace your air filter. Clog and strain in your engine will certainly increase your fuel consumption.

2. Constantly check for uneven tire pressure and always inflate your tires to the standard set by the manufacturer. Under- inflated tires can contribute to your fuel consumption as they will resist rolling and therefore strain your car to pump in more gas.

3. Check and make sure you gas cap is locked up tightly after loading. If it’s not closed properly, gas could be evaporating without you knowing it.

4. Do not let your vehicle idle. Supposing you’ll have to make a stop for only a minute or two, do not turn off car’s engine because it will certainly require burning more gas to turn it back on again; more than the gas used up in the idle time.

5. Don’t be an aggressive driver. Always maintain driving in a steady pace and avoid sudden gear and pedal shifts.

6. Minimize the use of your car’s air condition (A/C). Whenever driving conditions permit it, turn off your A/C and open your windows. Your car’s A/C is another guzzler which you need to control to become fuel efficient. If you deem it unavoidable to use the air conditioning, then set it in a “Recycle” setting so as to lock in the cooled air.

Follow these simple tips and get the load off on savings.

Buckle up.

Jovir Amatong

All About the Iron Wagon