Hi fellow Steemians / DIY enthusiasts!
My first video I've ever done and produced! It was certainly a daunting task, most people don't like to listen to their own voice never mind critiquing it, I'm certainly in that category. I figured I should give it a go though, so here we go! Tips on things I should do next time are welcome; was I speaking loud enough, pointing the camera in relatively the right spots? Let me know!
The history of this post/project is I was driving my car to work one morning and if your car ever says "Service Engine Soon" instead of just the good ol' check-engine light, then you should typically pay attention to that!
I quickly pulled over, turned the car off and grabbed my handy-dandy OBD-2 scanner to see what was amiss. I couldn't recommend buying one of these more to someone, it cost 100$ when I bought it at the time and it has paid off several times over, over the years! It really helps give you some peace of mind when you see those unwanted signals popping up on the dash.
It was an engine cylinder misfire so it isn't something one can just ignore.
Particularly when the thing says "Permanent"! Unfortunately these things never happen when it's convenient so I had to turn around and grab the wife's car to get to work, with plans of researching later.
Take a watch of the attached video if you can, I tried to go into as much detail and tips as I could without taking too much time, I was working in between thunder storms here so I didn't have the luxury of lots of time.
Some things I forgot in the video:
I briefly go over the spark-plug "gap" in the video. The gap is the distance the tip of the spark plug is away from the metal hook, which is how far the spark has to travel. There's a happy medium of gap for all plugs, makes and models of cars. The manufacturer will always tell you what the gap is so if you are changing plugs on your vehicle, research the gap it needs to be and pick up one of these little tools. I think the tool was $1.50? Cheap money for something as important as it is!
The gap on these particular spark plugs was between .030 and .040, with each end being on the periphery of what they recommend. I typically try to go right for the middle if I have to adjust the gap myself but these spark plugs came pre-gapped so I didn't need to adjust them at all. I did however make sure to check each one of them to be sure, sometimes can't trust a manufacturer to be accurate with all of them.
If you had to gap the plugs yourself, there are a few ways in which you can do it. I typically use a pair of pliers that have a thicker end on them to give yourself a good grip on the metal hook. I bend the hook forward with some weight (but not too far, don't want to break the tip!) and then put the gap tool in it to see how far it is. I then use the pliers to gently but securely bend it backwards a bit until I get to the right gap. I repeat the process as necessary, sometimes you don't get it to the right gap the first time, just be careful not to do it too many times or the hook will break.
Lastly there's an image of the 4 junk plugs that I took out versus a brand new one. You can see the wear and tear on the old plugs but they lasted about 70k miles so I definitely can't complain! I always use Iridium-tipped spark plugs because they last very well. They cost a bit more but time and labor to change them is more important to me than saving a few dollars!
DIY Tomago Cages ; Securely Hanging a Cabinet ;
Joint Compound on Ceiling ; Washing Machine Drain Pump ; Bubble wrap insulation on a wall ; Finish work in the bathroom ; Bubble wrap on windows ; Laminate floors in a bathroom ; Ball joints on a car
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That is a rare category of post in steemit since long time, may my ignorance or the items in my feed never came shown such a different, something related to automobile secrets. May be people I am following are not into this category.
Whether it would work for me or not, I would like to appreciate for this effort. Frankly speaking I never heard about the automobile scanner. By the way I am in India or I am an Indian and normally since quite long time used to drive relatively new one. But I remember the good old days when the breakdown of a car means then you would have to leave it at the place it happened. I wonder who will like to go under the bonnet to check these stuffs now a days. People primarily have no time at all or even the common men have more than one car in home such that the breakdown of a car does not make struggle for them.
This scanner will give you all the troubles or only engine related stuffs ? Is it easy to use or even some expert advice required. Do people still uses it and also easily available? Anyhow thank you for posting this...
Have a nice day
Thanks for stopping by!
I try to bring different type of content when I can, but there are a lot of great posts that are included in the diy tag, you should check them out!
The OBD-2 scanner is very good to have, it is how automobile mechanics find out what is wrong with a vehicle. There are different levels of scanners out there, from basic to advanced so it depends. I would recommend picking up an intermediate level scanner so you can get some basics. The scanners will be able to give you good information such as diagnostics (check engine light, anti-lock brake system light) as well as some computer related information such as engine temperature, oil pressure, oxygen saturation.
We do thankfully have 2 vehicles in our home however in order to keep having 2 vehicles and save money, one of them is an older car that I do repairs to in order to keep it going. It is cheaper than buying a new car for sure!
I really forget to reply this and sorry for the delay. I was unaware of this DIY tag, but the fact is als such that the time is a critical issue to visit all these interesting blog here.
It is good to hear about these easy managable instruments, I doubt many mechanics in my places are aware about these stuffs. I would like to buy one for sure. Hope it is easy to learn about the basics.
Thanks again for this post..
Nice post dude! You sound like Joe 😂
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Ahaha thanks man, makes me feel old lol
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As I do not know anything about cars, I confuse many things haha but it is good to see this explanation as I learn little by little, thanks for being so precise and concrete when saying how to do it :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Learning little by little is how you do it; I remember the first time I tried this on this car I was wicked nervous that I would break something. I ended up having my friend help me do it all because he was more experienced than I was. Several years later when I did it again this past weekend I was glad I had him help me. Start with simple things like changing your headlight bulbs, brake lights, and fuses to get some confidence and it grows from there.
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Hi cmplxty,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Awesome thanks! I’m honored!
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First of all I watched this video and didn’t hear a single hint of an authentic Boston accent, who are you and what have you done with the real @cmplxty
I’m kinda jelly watching you get under the hood and get your hands dirty I used to have a 1995 opel Astra which I would work on when I had spare time I would even take it drag racing but then it was time to grow up and I eventually sold it and got a VW polo like all the rest and now I don’t think about getting under the hood because these new cars are so covered in plastic it’s just a mission to get into anything, they kinda just force you to take it to the dealership
I think once I have more free time I’ll buy an old car and turn into a project for fun with a few of my mates
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Hahah sorry to disappoint, @swayzilla can attest but since we stopped skateboarding all the time my accent has disappeared. I’m not around any of the rascals any more so I don’t have that influence but when I’m with them it comes out full swing lol.
I love tinkering on cars man, it’s a hobby of mine but I hear you the cars just get less and less car and more computer. Not sure if you live anywhere near him but @nelkeljdm has some pretty fun tinkering videos and he lives in South Africa as well.
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STOPHey hey I clearly remember that cabinet hanging post of yours, it was a good one and something that everyone can relate to. But this makes me feel now its all about nut and screws and some weird equipment - too tough to understand :( but yeah something that I have not read before. And your voice is good in video -it is good :):) believe me. Congrats on your curie vote :)
Thanks for stopping by and the feedback!
Car repairs can certainly be challenging but it's progressive, you start with small things like changing light bulbs such as headlights or brake lights, then you gain more confidence and expand to other jobs. Have to start somewhere!
Hmm hmmm have to start somewhere sounds cool and then make your own car in the end hehe. :P :)
Congratulations @cmplxty!
Your post was mentioned in the Steem Hit Parade in the following category:
Awesome, thanks!