Pickup Trucks

When you drive, your vehicle’s engine heats up. It can withstand a certain level of heat, but if the temperatures rise too high, the engine can become damaged. Your car has a cooling system to help make sure that doesn’t happen. The water pump is an important part of that system. It circulates coolant throughout your radiator and engine, and keeps the heat down. Unfortunately, like any of your car’s parts, it can fail. When it does, it cannot effectively manage the high temperatures that build around your engine.

In this article, I’ll explain how to replace your vehicle’s water pump. If you have never worked on your car, I recommend having a mechanic perform this job. It’s not difficult, but it can take a few hours and require a bit of experience.

The Preliminary Work

Before you replace it, you’ll need to drain the cooling system and get rid of the residual coolant. Place a large pan underneath the engine to drain the fluid. Next, take the drive belt off (you might need to remove the alternator). In order to gain access to the part, you may also need to take the pulley off.

Finally, take off the hoses which connect to the water pump. Keep in mind that hoses can deteriorate quickly. Since you’re removing them, now is a good opportunity to replace them. It is inexpensive and you are removing them anyway.

The Main Job

You’ll likely notice between six and eight bolts that are connecting the component to your car’s engine. In most cases, the bolts will be in two different sizes (automakers like to make these jobs tougher than they need to be). You will need a socket wrench set to remove the bolts.

Make a note of which bolts go where before taking them off. Then, once you have removed them, slip the water pump off the engine. Once it’s off, replace the gasket. You may want to use a little sealer to ensure that it bonds well. Next, install the new water pump and make sure that it aligns properly with the new gasket.

Screw all the bolts back in place manually before securing tightly with yoru wrench. That way, you insure a even tight and secure fit. Re-Connect the hoses you dismantled and replace any parts.e. alternator) that you needed to remove to gain access. Once everything is put back together properly, add new coolant to the cooling system.

Start your car and let it idle for a few minutes to allow the temperature to rise. Also, look underneath the body to make sure there are no leaks. Then, take the car for a 10 mintue test drive and look for signs of overheating.

Replacing your water pump is not a quick job. As noted, I recommend that most people ask their auto technician to handle it. That said, with a little patience, a few tools, and some experience, you can perform the job yourself.

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Being Savvy With Car Maintenance 

Some auto maintenance tasks are critical to ensure your vehicle runs smoothly and lasts a long time. For example, getting oil changes every 5,000 miles, keeping the right amount of pressure in your tires, and changing your air filter occasionally are important. That said, there are plenty of car maintenance items that are a waste of your time and money.

The problem is that dealership service centers and local repair garages often give advice that is suspect. Much of what they say is to increase their sales rather than making sure your vehicle operates properly.

Because ongoing car maintenance is so important to the life of your vehicle, I’ll describe the tasks you should be doing as well as those which you can do without.

Mind Your Tires

Despite the myriad of parts under the hood, your tires on the only parts that actually contact the ground (hopefully). Check the pressure every few weeks. Tires will leak air over time; Tires should be filled with air to there standard settings. If they’re underinflated, the treads will wear down and you’ll end up replacing them far sooner than normal. Also, rotate them occasionally. The tires in the rear have more longevity than those in the front. Rotating them keeps the tread wear even.

Tune-Ups: Are They Necessary

If you’re driving a vehicle that is less than 10 years old, you probably don’t need a tune-up. The point of a tune-up is to adjust and recalibrate mechanical parts. These days, most of the parts (i.e. oxygen sensor, ignition switch, fuel injection system, etc.) are calculated by a simple computer. As a result, there is very little to “tune up.”

Regular Oil Changes

Years ago, when engines were less sophisticated and motor oil was less advanced, a trip to the oil change shop every 3,000 miles was a good idea. However, that’s no longer the case. Today’s cars only need to have the oil changed every 5,000 miles.

Maintain Your Brakes

Every time you press down on your brake pedal, your brakes experience a little wear and tear. If you neglect them long enough, you’ll eventually hear a painful grinding sound as exposed metal rubs against other metal. Visit a repair shop as soon as you notice any problems. If you catch it early enough, you may only need to have the pads replaced. If you wait to hear gringing, it's too late, the rotor may be damaged and needs replacement.

Change Your Air Filter

Your air filter has an important job: it needs to catch dirt and debris before it enters your car’s engine. Every time you are on the road, it performs it's job dilegently. The problem is that it gets clogged with debris over time. When that happens, air flow becomes restricted which can affect your engine’s performance.

Check the air filter each time you change the oil. Driving on dirty roads will increase the amount of debris you car sustains. They’re inexpensive, so they can be replaced without breaking the bank.

Your vehicle may handle perfectly, but all auto parts eventually are subject to break down due to wear and tear. Invest time on the auto maintenance tasks above to make sure your vehicle lasts as long as possible.

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Unlike Nickel-Cadmium batteries which are more resilient, lead acid batteries are quite finicky when it comes to working in optimum efficiency. They usually suffer a common chemical reaction called battery sulfation. If your car have repeatedly been hard to start due to battery problems, especially in the winter mornings, then your batteries have undergone sulfation.

Inside a battery, voltage and capacitance is generated between metallic plates and a liquid solution where the plates are suspended. In most common lead acid batteries, the lead reacts with the sulfuric acid found in the electrolyte solution and forms lead sulfate. This reaction is called sulfation.

This could happen to any battery. Those who are most prone to this kind of chemical reaction are those batteries who have been left unused for a long time like in storage rooms or just being displayed and not bought in a store.

The symptoms of battery sulfation are usually the same for most batteries. Your car starts with a little voltage then suddenly dies as if drained immediately of all its energy.

The lead sulfate that has formed from the lead and the sulfuric acid is a kind of precipitate which slowly covers the metallic plates in crust. A precipitate is a kind of rust, which instead of eating away the metal it has formed on, just covers it entirely.

Luckily, there are devices in the market that can reverse this chemical reaction. It “shakes” away the lead sulfate compound off of the plates and you’l find your batteries performing like before. You should ask your local mechanic about battery desulfators and don’t suffer anymore from dead batteries.

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