Fix It and keep it » Automotive

Toyota Matrix 2003 Air Conditioning Stops Cooling

bcrane1 — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:40:31 +0000

Toyota Matrix, 2003 model had the air conditioner suddenly stop cooling. After checking the refrigerant and seeing that it was ok I checked further and found that the compressor clutch was not engaging. The wires all tested ok and the connections were in good shape so now that all of the easy stuff was checked [...]

Toyota Corolla Door Handle Inside

bcrane1 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:13:34 +0000

Replacing the inside door handle on a Toyota Corolla can be done by removing one screw. Once you have the screw removed you will need to release the clip that holds the linkage to the door handle and then replace it in reverse order. The inside door handle seldom cracks, but it can happen making [...]

2003 Toyota Matrix Door Handle Covers Chrome

bcrane1 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:02:20 +0000

Our 2003 Toyota Matrix has painted door handles and they are always getting black surface marks on them from daily use. The marks look unsightly and they need to be removed with wax every time it happens. To fix this annoying problem with my 2003 Matrix I found some chrome door handle covers and put [...]

2003 Toyota Corolla Door Handle Covers Chrome

bcrane1 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:57:03 +0000

The 2003 Toyota Corolla has painted door handles and they are always getting black surface marks on them from daily use. The marks look unsightly and they need to be removed with wax every time it happens. To fix this annoying problem with my 2003 Corolla I found some chrome door handle covers and put [...]

1995 Toyota Corolla Outer Door Handle

bcrane1 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:40:17 +0000

One of the most important things to do if you are going to keep an older car is to keep it in shape. If it is left to deteriorate and get ugly you will get turned off to it and wind up spending tons of money and tax on a new car. Keep your Toyota [...]

3 Steps To Easily Improve Your Gas Mileage

bcrane1 — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:49:05 +0000

The most popular car question on peoples minds lately is ‘what can I do to my car to improve gas mileage”. Since fuel prices have skyrocketed, and come back down, and soon may skyrocket again with no clear ceiling in sight, drivers are looking for ways to improve their fuel economy until they can afford [...]

1995 Ford Taurus Stalls When Driving

bcrane1 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:46:31 +0000

1995 Ford Taurus engine quits when driving for no apparent reason. The engine was up to operating temperature and the car had just been driven 150 miles and it ran fine. When the car was turned off for around 45 minutes and it was driven down the road it stalled.

After careful examination we noticed [...]

Ten Steps To Save On Gas and Get Better Gas Mileage!

bcrane1 — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:30:33 +0000

Gas prices are getting higher with no end in sight. As worldwide demand for oil and gasoline increases the price increases right along with it. Not too long ago one gallon of gasoline used to cost $1.50 and we thought that was expensive, now at $3.80 per gallon people are starting to look seriously for [...]

How To Repair Your Muffler

bcrane1 — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:25:20 +0000

When you find yourself receiving angry glances from people while you're driving in town, take it as a telltale sign that you are indeed having some muffler trouble. The noise your car is making is not a part of your imagination. Actually, the faster you accept the truth that you need to have a muffler [...]

Diagnose Car Trouble

Bob Crane — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:22:10 +0000

I ran across a great suggestion in Popular Mechanics magazine pertaining to saving your cars computer memory when you change the battery.

When you disconnect the car battery all of the memory that saves the engine performance data is reset to zero or baseline. When that happens you have to drive [...]