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Oil leak – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Description Which of the following is LEAST LIKELY to cause an oil leak?A) Torn valve cover gasket B) Worn wrist pin bushings C) Worn rear main seal D) Worn piston ringsMore ASE Practice Questions

Low-mileage JDM automatics: Worthwhile or worthless? (VIDEO)

Description Nick and Lemmy check out a flex plate from an imported Japanese automatic transmission with very few miles under its belt. Even so, Nick explains why nobody really wants these transmissions or parts… and why many of them end up in the scrapyard.

Harmonic balancers – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Description Technician A says a defective harmonic balancer can affect the accuracy of ignition timing readings. Technician B says a defective harmonic balancer can damage the crank. Who is correct?More ASE Practice Questions

Technicians vs. DIYers: How well can you gauge tire pressure? (VIDEO)

Description After seating the bead on a new tire, the valve core needs to be installed and the tire inflated to the correct pressure. Some techs can air up a tire, install the core and land right on the target final pressure… but it’s not as easy as it looks. In this...

A few tips for tow truck operators

A few tips for tow truck operators

At one point in my automotive career, I ran a rollback wrecker.  Those days are getting smaller in my rearview mirror and the game has changed over the years, but I learned a lot of things that I wish someone had just told me. My recovery work is limited to salvage...
Why you should add a spring hook to your toolbox

Why you should add a spring hook to your toolbox

As a young mechaniclet, I fought springs often. Specifically, helical tension springs gave me metaphorical headaches and literal skinned knuckles. I encountered them most often when performing brake jobs on vehicles with drum brakes. I went through a ton of tools,...
Should a customer bring parts?

Should a customer bring parts?

Three words no shop manager ever wants to hear are customer supplied parts. There are some really good reasons for that, and it’s understandable why many shops take a “just say no” position on the practice. But there are also plenty of perfectly reasonable arguments...
The rarely seen control arm-mounted trailer ball rears its head

The rarely seen control arm-mounted trailer ball rears its head

Well, this was a humdinger. Let me explain how I ended up here. I was popping ball joints free from the lower A-arms so I could swing the CV axles out and replace the hub assemblies on this car. The left side freed up with a few taps. This side? Well, this picture is...
Serviceability Hall of Shame: Ford Taurus Spring Shields

Serviceability Hall of Shame: Ford Taurus Spring Shields

The Serviceability Hall Of Shame was born from all the times we’ve looked at a vehicle and realized some usually simple task was going to be nightmarish. It is, ultimately, a response and explanation of the inevitable question, “Good Lord, why?!” Today’s entrant isn’t...
LOF PSA: Don’t forget the lube job

LOF PSA: Don’t forget the lube job

Please forgive me, because I’m about to be a dinosaur and proselytize for a few moments. Many moons ago, I would have customers request an oil change and a lube job. It was so prevalent that the acronym for this, LOF, is still in pretty common use. (That’s “lube, oil,...