Saturday Mechanic Replacing

Saturday Mechanic: Replacing A Battery

Popular Mechanics — As you stumble outside, you realize the absurdity of it all. Now, you know that there is no woodpecker in your car, or anywhere nearby. The pecking sound your significant other has identified as avian in origin is really just your starter ...More…

Saturday Mechanic: Replacing A Steering Rack

Popular Mechanics — It's a crisp morning as you carefully back your car down the driveway. A quick turn of the wheel as the front tire clears the curb will swing your car up the street. But the steering wheel is strangely stiff. Instead of swinging the car's nose ...More…

Saturday Mechanic: Replacing Your Cabin Air Filter

Popular Mechanics — It's Sunday and the big basketball game is this afternoon, but you can forget about getting tickets. So it's gather the crowd and drive to the sports bar. Minutes into the ride, the windshield is so foggy, you've got to hit the Defrost button. ...More…

Saturday Mechanic: Replacing U-Joints

Popular Mechanics — That vibration you've managed to ignore for weeks has finally gotten to the point at which it's hard to keep from spilling your morning coffee on your pant leg. You resolve to make two stops on the way home from work this afternoon--one at the ...More…

Saturday Mechanic: Replacing A Serpentine Engine Belt

Popular Mechanics — It's hot. Hot enough to make the asphalt parking lot gummy under your shoes, but the car's a/c will soon have everything under control. The cool breeze is already cranking out of the dash as you back out of the space. As you pull out onto the ...More…

Saturday Mechanic: Replacing Loose Motor Mounts

Popular Mechanics — Failed engine mounts can let your engine rotate far beyond acceptable limits when you accelerate or decelerate smartly. Friday night. It's yet another traffic light in front of the strip mall. And the pimple-faced hat-backward driving the lowered ...More…

Saturday Mechanic - Replacing Light Bulbs

Popular Mechanics — You've just had a brief discussion with a police officer about not signaling a right turn. And to his credit he didn't ticket you with a moving violation--but you are holding a fix-it ticket for a burned-out light bulb. The ticket says you have .. ...More…

Saturday Mechanic - Replacing Front-Drive Axles

Popular Mechanics — The wheels of your front-drive vehicle are connected to the transaxle via axles that have constant-velocity-type universal joints at each end. There is an inner and outer joint on the left and right axles. All else being equal, the outer joints ...More…

Saturday Mechanic - Replacing Shocks

Popular Mechanics — The first real sign that something is wrong is at night. After you pull out of the drive, your headlights are illuminating parts of the trees you've never noticed before. Then you realize the car rocks fore and aft for a few seconds as you stop ...More…