This picture shows some side dash bolts with trim removed.

© DenLorsTools.com Summary: Common cause of 2002-2005 (Third Generation) Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer low airflow issues covered. Broken recirculate doors can affect airflow from the blower fan if the main air inlet door has fallen. A Ford Explorer that has a full charge of refrigerant and is cooling, but is not quite cool enough may have a broken fresh air door, preventing proper recirculation. The fresh air door is also called a recirculate door, max air door or main air inlet door.

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Some of our most requested tools lately has been specialty tools for aligning cams and cranks for timing chain alignment. In the past changing a timing chain or timing belt only required basic tools to get the job done. The camshaft and crankshaft sprockets only went on one way due to the design that used a key-way which only allowed the pulley to go on one way. Alignment marks for the cam and crank were aligned per directions from the service manual. Now many engines have no key-way and the pulleys are pressed on. Since the key-way is not used in increasing number of vehicles, specialty automotive tools are required to properly Align the cam and crank.

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Will a $150 hydrogen generator turn a 97 Saturn (Beater) into a miracle water car!?

Myth Busting.  Those of you who read our last post titled Is Hydrogen the Answer to America’s Rising Fuel Costs? know that I am skeptical of the claims found on the Internet, like Run your car on water and Save 57% Fuel & Double Gas Mileage. But after speaking to the aftermarket warranty inspector mentioned in that post, that thought it was plausible and he was willing to install a hydrogen generator on his 08 Civic, I figured I would give it try as well. Although the guys he talked to are sure that their hydrogen generators definitely work, for me seeing is believing. Even Popular Mechanics is also going to be testing a hydrogen generator to see if increased mileage claims can be verified or debunked. Even grown men have to play sometimes, right?

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The Internet is littered with seemingly unbelievable claims, like “Run your car on water”. What does this mean? Pour water in my fuel tank? I must admit, until recently I’ve been a skeptic and have attributed all this Internet hype as another scam that only the gullible would fall for. After thinking about it though, all major car manufacturers are developing and testing hydrogen cars today. Most talk of the need for infrastructure providing hydrogen filling capabilities at gas stations. At the time of this post there are only a few filling stations that dispense hydrogen in the US.

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When working under the hood, one of the most frustrating things is to knock removed nuts and bolts off their precarious perch, to fall somewhere into the great abyss we call….the engine compartment. All mechanics have done it, we knock bolts off the air cleaner, the battery, the inner fender etc. And when we hear the nudged bolt hit the floor safely, it is a sweet sound. Because if it reaches the floor, we know we won’t have to waste our time searching for it somewhere on the sub-frame by the rack-n-pinion, or wedged between the inner fender and the the power brake booster.

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Predicting future oil and gas prices is highly uncertain with the volatile global markets.  The puzzling question today on everyone’s mind is if the time has come to lift the ban on US oil and gas drilling and if the risk is worth the potential reward.

With gas prices currently sitting at $4 a gallon, Congress is again wrestling with proposals to allow drilling in now-restricted portions of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific.  President Bush estimates that an extra 18 billion barrels of oil – equivalent to the nation’s current oil production for the next 10 years would be available from drilling in areas currently banned.  Although there’s uncertainty as to how long it would take to begin production, this would allow us to reduce our growing dependence on oil imports.

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Recently my brother had a dead battery, so I took my jump box to his house to jump start his car. It’s funny how some things are second nature when you’ve done it a thousand times. He had already tried using his new bargain booster box that he had just bought at a local parts store. The less expensive jump boxes usually only have continuity on one jaw of the cable clamp.

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My wife and I visited our local Lowes home improvement store, looking for a new ceiling fan. While looking up at the ceiling fans, I walked around the end of the aisle in-between a guy and this tool box. I actually walked right in front of him, while he was trying to snap a picture. The guy was all giddy, had his cell phone out and was snapping a shot of a tool box. He looks at me and says “It’s got a fridge”.

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Has a slowing economy along with climbing gas prices affected auto repair shops for better or for worse?

As gas prices increase along with almost everything else, most people will inevitably be keeping their cars longer and that means more vehicles with more repair needs.  But, does that mean automotive repair shops will have an influx of work to do?  That depends.

Shops rely on people to bring in their vehicles for oil changes where they hope to find additional auto repairs that will help them turn a profit.  However, with tougher economic times encroaching, many people who would normally bring their vehicle in for a simple oil change will be choosing instead to change the oil themselves and save a few dollars.  People will be more willing to drive their vehicle without air conditioning or take the rise of not getting extensive brake work as long as the vehicle stops.  Bare minimum crucial fixes combined with a hope-for-the best mentality will keep many repair shop’s profits down.

On the flip side, because more people are driving older vehicles, many are making repair purchases with more of a preventative mentality by keeping their car in good working order so it will last. So although there might be less work to be had, the shop owner who is able to offer competitive pricing along with having an honest reputation will most likely be the one who drives more people into their shop.

Should your car repair business honor aftermarket extended warranty policies? If you are willing to process the claims, there is great potential for additional business to be gained.

Car owners can elect to purchase coverage for mechanical break-downs with some exclusions. Some policies cover drive-train only. Maintenance like oil changes, tires and brake pads and shoes are commonly not covered. But for the average person that wants to budget a set amount for expenses extended warranties make good financial sense. For example, a transmission replacement might cost several thousand dollars.

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