WHAT IF YOU HAVE A CAR REPAIR EMERGENCY ???
Your driving along on the way to work or an appointment and your car starts to overheat, you have a flat tire or your battery is dead. Usually there are warning signs for these issues but sometimes they just happen without a warning. Many of us these days have very little money to perform regular maintenance on our vehicles and are either too busy or unskilled to do ourselves. Below are a few quick fixes I have learned over the years.
CAR SURVIVAL ITEMS TO ALWAYS KEEP IN YOUR!!
1) GALLON JUG OF WATER OR ANTIFREEZE
2) DUCT TAPE OR SPARE CLAMPS OF ALL SIZES.
3) OLD SOCK, RAG, NYLON OR ANY TYPE OF CLOTH
4) EMPTY PLASTIC JUG THAT CAN BE THROWN AWAY, IT CAN BE A REGULAR GAS CONTAINER OR A WATER JUG (EMPTY OF COURSE)
5) INEXPENSIVE PRESSURE AIR PUMP - CIGARETTE LIGHTER OPERATED
6) AT LEAST TWO EMPTY SODA CANS
7) TOOLS CONSISTING OF A PAIR OF PLIERS, A PAIR OF SHARP SCISSORS OR SNIPS, AND AT LEAST ONE EACH PHILLIPS AND STRAIGHT EDGE SCREW DRIVERS. TRY TO GET MEDIUM SIZE TO FIT MOST SCREWS OR BUY AN INEXPENSIVE SET OF ALL SIZES.
8) A BAR OF SOAP-IVORY IS THE BEST OR DOVE USE NON-DEODORANT WHICH MAY CAUSE MORE DRYING OF THE BELT.
9) A CAN OF WD40
OVERHEATING FROM BROKEN RADIATOR HOSE!!
This has happened to me and as a single mom of course it was while I had my small son with me and at the time no cell phone. Usually cars overheat due to either a leak in a hose, a broken hose or a stuck thermostat. If you live in a high heat zone and keep your car outside all the time, in that case try to check your water level on a regular basis at least every other week.
If you find your car has lost water due to a cracked or broken hose use the following temporary fix. Find the damaged hose, and wrap it with a piece of rag or sock or nylon and tape with duct tape. Cut the top and bottom off of the soda can and wrap around the hose and clamp tightly. Then fill the radiator with either the water or antifreeze. This work long enough to either get to a repair shop or home approximately five to ten miles. As a final note and this may seem weird but if possible pee into the radiator if additional fluid is needed. It will also help clean out the radiator. In the old days when batteries had water in them this was done often when the battery dried out or died to help give it extra life. (The last bit of advice was given to me by my oldest son Yancy Sischo).
WHINING/SQUEALING FAN BELT:
Have you ever started your car or been driving around and heard a loud whinning or squealing sound coming from under your hood? This probably be the sound of your fan felt slipping. An easy but temporary fix is to turn your car off take a bar of soap from your emergency kit and gently rub it onto your belts. As you rub it onto the belt gently turn the belt by hand in order to make sure that the soap covers all of the belt on both sides. As with most quick fixes this should take care of the problem until you can either get to a mechanic and replace the belt. BE SURE TO TURN THE CAR OFF IN ORDER TO PREVENT INJURY.
WD-40 For Car Fixes
Keep dead bugs off car grille:
It's bad enough that your car grille and hood have to get splattered with bugs every time you drive down the interstate, but do they have to be so darn tough to scrape off? The answer is no. Just spray some WD-40 on the grille and hood before going for a drive and most of the critters will slide right off. The few bugs that are left will be easy to wipe off later without damaging your car's finish.
Clean and restore license plate:
To help restore a license plate that is beginning to rust, spray it with WD-40 and wipe with a clean rag. This will remove light surface rust and will also help prevent more rust from forming. It's an easy way to clean up lightly rusted plates and it won't leave a greasy feel.
Remove stuck spark plugs:
To save time replacing spark plugs, do it the NASCAR way. NASCAR mechanics spray WD-40 on stuck plugs so they can remove them quickly and easily.
Coat a truck bed:
For easy removal of a truck-bed liner, spray the truck bed with WD-40 before you install the liner. When it comes time to remove it, the liner will slide right out.
Remove "paint rub" from another car:
You return to your parked car to find that while you were gone, another vehicle got a bit too close for comfort. Luckily there's no dent, but now your car has a blotch of "paint rub" from the other car on it. To remove paint-rub stains on your car and restore its original finish, spray the affected area with WD-40, wait a few seconds, and wipe with a clean rag.
Revive spark plugs:
Can't get your car to start on a rainy or humid day? To get your engine purring, just spray some WD-40 on the spark-plug wires before you try starting it up again. WD-40 displaces water and keeps moisture away from the plugs.
Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
Your driving along on the way to work or an appointment and your car starts to overheat, you have a flat tire or your battery is dead. Usually there are warning signs for these issues but sometimes they just happen without a warning. Many of us these days have very little money to perform regular maintenance on our vehicles and are either too busy or unskilled to do ourselves. Below are a few quick fixes I have learned over the years.
CAR SURVIVAL ITEMS TO ALWAYS KEEP IN YOUR!!
1) GALLON JUG OF WATER OR ANTIFREEZE
2) DUCT TAPE OR SPARE CLAMPS OF ALL SIZES.
3) OLD SOCK, RAG, NYLON OR ANY TYPE OF CLOTH
4) EMPTY PLASTIC JUG THAT CAN BE THROWN AWAY, IT CAN BE A REGULAR GAS CONTAINER OR A WATER JUG (EMPTY OF COURSE)
5) INEXPENSIVE PRESSURE AIR PUMP - CIGARETTE LIGHTER OPERATED
6) AT LEAST TWO EMPTY SODA CANS
7) TOOLS CONSISTING OF A PAIR OF PLIERS, A PAIR OF SHARP SCISSORS OR SNIPS, AND AT LEAST ONE EACH PHILLIPS AND STRAIGHT EDGE SCREW DRIVERS. TRY TO GET MEDIUM SIZE TO FIT MOST SCREWS OR BUY AN INEXPENSIVE SET OF ALL SIZES.
8) A BAR OF SOAP-IVORY IS THE BEST OR DOVE USE NON-DEODORANT WHICH MAY CAUSE MORE DRYING OF THE BELT.
9) A CAN OF WD40
OVERHEATING FROM BROKEN RADIATOR HOSE!!
This has happened to me and as a single mom of course it was while I had my small son with me and at the time no cell phone. Usually cars overheat due to either a leak in a hose, a broken hose or a stuck thermostat. If you live in a high heat zone and keep your car outside all the time, in that case try to check your water level on a regular basis at least every other week.
If you find your car has lost water due to a cracked or broken hose use the following temporary fix. Find the damaged hose, and wrap it with a piece of rag or sock or nylon and tape with duct tape. Cut the top and bottom off of the soda can and wrap around the hose and clamp tightly. Then fill the radiator with either the water or antifreeze. This work long enough to either get to a repair shop or home approximately five to ten miles. As a final note and this may seem weird but if possible pee into the radiator if additional fluid is needed. It will also help clean out the radiator. In the old days when batteries had water in them this was done often when the battery dried out or died to help give it extra life. (The last bit of advice was given to me by my oldest son Yancy Sischo).
WHINING/SQUEALING FAN BELT:
Have you ever started your car or been driving around and heard a loud whinning or squealing sound coming from under your hood? This probably be the sound of your fan felt slipping. An easy but temporary fix is to turn your car off take a bar of soap from your emergency kit and gently rub it onto your belts. As you rub it onto the belt gently turn the belt by hand in order to make sure that the soap covers all of the belt on both sides. As with most quick fixes this should take care of the problem until you can either get to a mechanic and replace the belt. BE SURE TO TURN THE CAR OFF IN ORDER TO PREVENT INJURY.
WD-40 For Car Fixes
Keep dead bugs off car grille:
It's bad enough that your car grille and hood have to get splattered with bugs every time you drive down the interstate, but do they have to be so darn tough to scrape off? The answer is no. Just spray some WD-40 on the grille and hood before going for a drive and most of the critters will slide right off. The few bugs that are left will be easy to wipe off later without damaging your car's finish.
Clean and restore license plate:
To help restore a license plate that is beginning to rust, spray it with WD-40 and wipe with a clean rag. This will remove light surface rust and will also help prevent more rust from forming. It's an easy way to clean up lightly rusted plates and it won't leave a greasy feel.
Remove stuck spark plugs:
To save time replacing spark plugs, do it the NASCAR way. NASCAR mechanics spray WD-40 on stuck plugs so they can remove them quickly and easily.
Coat a truck bed:
For easy removal of a truck-bed liner, spray the truck bed with WD-40 before you install the liner. When it comes time to remove it, the liner will slide right out.
Remove "paint rub" from another car:
You return to your parked car to find that while you were gone, another vehicle got a bit too close for comfort. Luckily there's no dent, but now your car has a blotch of "paint rub" from the other car on it. To remove paint-rub stains on your car and restore its original finish, spray the affected area with WD-40, wait a few seconds, and wipe with a clean rag.
Revive spark plugs:
Can't get your car to start on a rainy or humid day? To get your engine purring, just spray some WD-40 on the spark-plug wires before you try starting it up again. WD-40 displaces water and keeps moisture away from the plugs.
Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!