It's a beautiful summer's morning and you're getting ready to head to work. You walk outside to your freshly washed Mazda Miata, get in, pop the roof down and start the car. You head out and...
I've done many interference timing jobs, from Japanese to European vehicles. I've also been working on cars since I was five, trying to "help" my father. When I say "help" I mean I was beating a hammer on a rotor face. Eventually, I started tearing down and rebuilding cars as a hobby and it...
Did I just hear you say, “I don’t need to wait for the car to warm up, just give it a big rev!?” Some years ago I used to be awoken early in the mornings by my neighbor revving his car very loudly in his garage. It wasn't pleasant to hear, especially at 5 am! It was a new car that he...
If you have a phantom rattle in the front or rear of your P2 Volvo (V/XC70, S60, S80) that you can't pin down, it's possible that your sway bar bushings are on their way out. While most manufacturers typically use a sway bar setup comprised of separate components, Volvo designed a single...
Replacing a car's clutch is never a menial task. When done at home, it often involves a few days, a few 6-packs of your favorite beverage, and a few friends. Despite all of the grunt work, it's important to focus on the small steps that will make your clutch replacement a success and save you...
When I was growing up in the Midwest back in the 60s, I spent entire summers on my grandparents' farm. Much like the rest of the farms in the area, it was a small holding of 100 acres and produced only a fair profit at the end of the day. Being such a farm, the equipment used was mostly pre-war...
With almost a limitless number of manufacturers, performance standards, and ratings for the everyday brake pad, choosing the correct set for your vehicle (regardless of its intended duties) can be a bit of a loaded question. Coupled with the fact that I have yet to meet two car guys with the same...
Image Courtesy of Bendpak.com Here's the scenario: You have a brake pulsation in the pedal when applying the brakes and have narrowed the problem down to your front rotors. Tech A says to " cut " or "resurface" the rotors and Tech B Says to just replace them. Who's right? A tough one for...
If you follow FCP's YouTube channel, there's a good chance you've seen me in some of the repair videos. Years ago I was the guy who would take his car to the dealership or a garage to have something simple like a headlight bulb replaced because I didn't know how to do it. Looking back at it, I...
So you want to try and tackle the front brakes on your own? This is a good learning experience for the beginner to get their feet wet. Best of all it's usually not very difficult. Depending on your work environment, should only take you roughly 30-45 min a side and that is being extra cautious...
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