Bouncing needle, on the speedo that is.

The speedometer needle has started bouncing around and there’s a strange humming noise that gets louder the faster I go. What do you think it could be? What vehicle? 1986 Toyota Pickup, (4wd, 5-speed, Base model) Does it get worse when it’s cold, or get better when the truck warms up? Yes it gets worse…

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Rattle goes the window, but not shut

When I roll up the drivers rear window it rattles a little and won’t go all the way up. It sounds like the motor works well, but that something could be loose in the door. What’s rattling? My questions: What vehicle is it? 1993 Toyota 4Runner (4 door, power windows) Does the window go all…

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Had to pump the clutch to change gears

Today’s question has to do with clutches. The title is a little misleading since some vehicles it is normal operating procedure to double-clutch to change gears. As I was driving to work today I had to pump the clutch to get the Corolla to change gears. When I popped the hood there was no fluid…

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Brakes are locking up, sometimes.

What could it be that when I come to a stop and then let off of the brake it won’t go? Then when I back up it seems like it will release with a clunk. My questions: What vehicle? 1993 Toyota 4runner (V6, Automatic, 4wd, hubs are locked) Any recent work done? I sprayed the…

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Grinding into the driveway!

My truck makes this terrible grinding noise when pulling into my driveway. Is everything OK? OK, a few of my usual questions.** What kind of truck? 1986 Toyota 4Runner (22re, 5-speed, A/C, 4×4) Are the hubs locked when this happens? Yes, I’ve had them locked since the first snow back in November. Does it make…

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6 things you must do to get top dollar when selling your car

 GETTING TOP DOLLAR FOR YOUR CAR As we come closer to summer there are many people who are looking at selling their cars to upgrade to a newer car. Maybe you have a tax refund coming and want to use it to offset the cost of your new or newer used car. Either way here…

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Buzz, buzz goes the starter?

I tend to get a lot of automotive questions. Once someone finds out that I used to work at a dealership they like to ask all kinds of interesting questions. I’ll try to log some of those questions, and the preliminary answers. I’ll call these “Diagnosis by phone”, since you can’t diagnose it over the…

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car battery

Dealing with a dead or dying battery

In the last two weeks I have had to deal with two dying batteries. As a mechanic these are fairly easy for me to see them coming and be able to avoid an inconvenience. To many of you it might not be as simple to see this coming. Let’s go over some of the basics…

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engine bay

Checking fluids under the hood

Checking fluids under the hood takes you a step deeper in your car experience. There are several different fluids that your car has and I’ll go over them here. I’ll also cover generally how to find them and what they look like.   All cars will have brake fluid. If your car has a gas…

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engine bay

4 Easy under hood maintenance checks you can do at home

In another post we talked about some exterior maintenance items you can do at home. In this one we’re going to open up that hood and do some simple under hood maintenance. Again I’m going to focus on things you can do with little money and basic skills. So, let’s pop that hood and get…

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