Flooded in the driveway is a real problem, not so unfamiliar to RX8 owners.

Summary: Mazda RX8 is a great sports car with a bad flooding problem (cold starting problems as well). The Rotary engine tends to be flooded very easily if the car is turned off before the engine fully reaches operating temperature. This happens typically when the car is started up and only moved a short distance. There was a recall to recalibrate the PCM, plus a revised leading spark plug number mentioned in this TSB, however the problem still persists in some cars that have had theses updates. Reduced starter life and damaged catalytic converters are a few of the casualties brought on by this car’s flooding problem.

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Image courtesy of MustangForums.com

Heli coils are used in many applications when threads are damaged, but what happens if you need to remove one? If the depth of the threads is too long or not long enough there could be a need to remove the Helicoil and install one with the correct length. Also if the threads are rough or you’ve found a better insert to install, removing the Heli-Coil insert could be an obstacle.

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Jeep Liberty rear door panel.

A Jeep Liberty window is falling down into a door at the alarming rate of one every minute! Kidding aside the Jeep Liberty does seem to have problems with a weak design for the window regulator. Typically the motor can be heard and the window can be raised by hand and temporarily taped in the up position until a replacement part can be purchased. The good news is that it is a really simple job even for a do it yourself-er (DIY), see the tips below.

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Image courtesy of Jeep-Offroad

Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee differentials seem to have the highest failure rate compared to other makes and models. I’ve found this to be true in my years working as a master auto technician. Many technicians shy away from rebuilding rear ends even though they are quite accomplished otherwise. The actual R&R of the parts isn’t really that hard…it’s setting the rear end up so that there is no noises when your done.

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Cam solenoid is missing screen at X position

© DenLorsTools.com Summary: Many Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pick ups are having problems with P0014 and/or P0017 codes. This has to do with the correlation of the camshaft and crankshaft as the computer sees them. Idle can be affected and the vehicle can even stall. The culprit is almost always the camshaft actuator solenoid valve, not the crankshaft position sensor or a cam position sensor. There have been reports of rough idle and fluctuation as well. The solenoid affects the variable cam timing control. One of the tiny screens can wear and be disintegrated causing everything to go awry.

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Car cranks over but doesn’t start.

OK, so you don’t have a Model T like in the picture but all your car does is crank over and does NOT start. I’ve been writing some articles geared more for the weekend mechanic and publishing them on a different site. Since this auto repair blog is mainly for professional technicians, I generally don’t post the more basic auto repair tips and tricks articles here. But I realize that not everyone that reads this blog is a professional tech, so I wanted to provide this link to one of my articles I originally posted at EzineArticles.com.

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Expedition body is raised for easier cylinder head removal.

Summary: If removing a cylinder head on an Expedition or Navigator, many professional technicians will do a “Body Off” procedure which makes the engine much more accessible. Although this appears to be over dramatic and an over-kill, it really doesn’t take that long to raise the body once you know what to do. Flat rate technicians make their money by getting the job done in the shortest period of time. And if that means seemingly going to extremes, so be it! Find out how to avoid going through all this trouble for a failed helicoil, by clicking here.

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Recently, I had a blog reader with a blown spark plug on a 2002 Mazda Tribute, she may have found us by using the search engines for blown spark plugs, even though our articles are mainly for specific Ford engines that do have this problem. She asked my advice about what she should do with her Mazda. While this is not a common problem with 3.0 engines, like in some Ford 4.6 and 5.4 engines I offered my advice. More than likely the spark plug had either been left loose or was cross threaded at some point and it blowing out was the end result. Below is what this reader had to say and my response.

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Lisle Auto Tools manufacturing company was started in Clarinda, Iowa in 1903 by C.A. Lisle. The first tool his company manufactured surprisingly wasn’t an automotive tool at all, it was water well drilling equipment powered by a horse! Subsequent products were not automotive related either, remember old ringer washers? And how about the old style manual push mower? Some twenty years after the Lisle Corporation was first started, the tool company made its first automotive product.

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2005 Corvette AC & Heat control door resembles a vertical blind.

Corvette has some amazing engineering! Who needs real doors to control airflow in the HVAC (Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning) system, when you can have this material that rolls on spools. This is a masterfully designed system that lasts in most cases until the car is just out of warranty. Kidding aside, if you’re experiencing a problem with your Corvette’s air conditioning, this could be the issue. Codes can be stored and attempts at resetting or calibrating will fail. The weak point is where the material attaches to the spool, on the one pictured it was ripped clean away.

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