With a few simple tools, you can KYLE by fixing you own vehicle, or at least have an idea what is going on, BEFORE you take it to a repair shop. They are all very easy to use.
Uncle Mike uses some basic diagnostic equipment that is inexpensive and can save you hundreds of dollars.
REPLACE DRIVERS DOOR WINDOW AND LOCK MECHANISM 2000 VOLVO S70 — COMING SOON
REPLACE IGNITION COIL AND SPARK PLUGS ON 2000 VOLVO S70 — COMING SOON
REPLACE IGNITION COILS ON 2013 JETTA GLI — COMING SOON
REPLACE JETTA DRIVERS REAR MIRROR SWITH – COMING SOON
REPLACE JETTA REAR BRAKE LIGHT – COMING SOON
CHARGE FREON ON 2001 HONDA CIVIC – COMING SOON (freon x 2 plus diag)
OIL CHANGE JETTA – COMING SOON
OIL CHANGE AND OIL VOLVO – COMING SOON – 5 QUARTS OF MOBIL 1
REAR DECK SPEAKER REPLACEMENT VOLVO – COMING SOON
REAR DOOR SPEAKER REPLACEMENT VOLVO – COMING SOON – TRIM REMOVAL TOOLS
TAIL LIGHT BULBS – VOLVO – #12498 AND #7001L
Volvo CEL … P0506 and P0481
Jetta GLI CEL … P2187 … replace PCV crankcase pressure regulator valve 06H-103-495-AH OR replace pcv diaphragm only … set of three (3) picks
POWER STEERING FLUID FOR VOLVO S70
REPLACE BATTERY ON HONDA CRV
REPLACE BATTERY ON S70 KEY FOB
REPLACE THE CLOCK ON A HONDAY CRV
CHARGE AC / FREON ON HONDA CRV
OIL AND COOLANT FLUSH ON VW JETTA GLI
AIR IN FRONT / DRIVER FLAT ON HONDA CRV
WD-40
MORE POWER STREERING FLUID FOR VOLVO S70
POWER STEERING RESEVOIR FOR VOLVO S70
Two (2) 12-inch screwdrivers … Phillips and slotted … to replace Honda CRV headlights
Lasfit HID headlight bulbs (2) for Honda CRV
Sylvania LED bulbs (6) … two (2) for front turn signals (1157a) and two (2) for front running lights (194/168) for Honda CRV
Two (2) New Headlight assemblies for Honda CRV
Turn Signal Relay CF-13 EP34 — returned – CRV
Turn Signal Relay CF-13 CF13 EP45 — ??? – CRv
Wiper Blades – CRV – 19 inch, 20 inch and 13 inch
REPLACE OVERHEAD MAP LIGHT CONSOLE ON VOLVO S70
REPLACE CAM SEAL PLUG IN CRV
REPLACE MAP LIGHT, DOME LIGHT AND CARGO LIGHT BULS WITH LED ON CRV
BUY 2 TON FLOOR JACK
REPLACE REAR BRAKE PADS ON VOLVO S70
NEW SPARE TIRE FOR JETTA THAT IS 10 YEARS OLD
TWO (2) CANS OF GUNK TO CLEAN VOLVO S70 ENGINE
303 AEROSPACE LUBRICANT FOR BELS ON CRV
CABIN AR FILTER FOR CRV and insulating strip
TIRE REPAIR KIT … PLUG TIRE
CREDIT CARD AIR AT A GAS STATION
CAR WASH VOLVO FOR SALE
STEERING WHEEL COVER
THREE (3) FOR SALE SIGNS FOR VOLVO
GORILLA TAPE
RADIATOR FAN (PASSENGER SIDE) FOR CRV
CRAIGSLIST FEE
EBAY FEE
PROBLEM:
- While driving down the road, I drove over something … heard a pop and my air conditioner stopped working on the 2000 Volvo S70.
SOLUTION:
- I missed the obvious solution and went thru a methodical diagnostic. I replaced the a/c relay and the a/c fuse. I forgot to check the most common cause of car a/c’s blowing hot. SECRET Check the freon ! I purchased a can of R-134a freon with a squeeze handle from the local Advanced Auto Parts for around $40. Wow !, the price of freon has really on up. When I went to add the freon, the pressure on the gauge kept going up and immediately going down. I also noticed that the a/c line around the low pressure port was getting cold ??? Then I realized that the Shrader valve in the port was not working properly. So, I went to the local Volvo dealer and got a new Schrader valve. Fortunately, Volvo has been using the same valve for over 20 years, so they had it in stock. Unfortunately, no one else carried the valve. So, I had to pay $12 for a valve that should cost less than $1. Anyway, I installed the valve and tried to add freon again. Now, the freon was going into the system, but the pressure wasn’t going up. As I added freon, I heard an air sound coming from below the drivers side on the engine compartment. This was the complete opposite side from the low pressure port that I was working on. I then held my hand below the lower front of the drivers side of the bumper and I felt air, when I tried to add freon. Then, I looked under the car for the first time since the problem and I noticed that the a/c refrigerant discharge hose was hanging low and was split and leaking. SECRET Look for the obvious first ! I hit something the the a/c stopped working. I should have immediately looked under the car first. The discharge hose is connected at one end with a 12mm bolt and at the other end with a 6mm Allen wrench fitting. Since the freon was already discharged / empty … there was not need to evacuate the a/c system and this was going to be an easy repair. An OEM Volvo discharge line was $150-$200, so SECRET, off to Amazon. I found multiple sources for a discharge hose that were guaranteed to fit, all that were less than $30 each. Order arrived … the 2 hose connections hadn’t been open for over 20 years, so SECRET, I gave it a spray of Master Blaster, waited 15 minutes, and both connections broke free easily….I replaced the discharge hose. When I went to add freon, the system, it would not hold pressure.
- Now I am off to the repair shop ! On Thursday 5/25, I set an appointment for Friday 5/26 at 8a for a $9.95 AC Check. I received a confirmation. When I arrived for the appointment, I was told that I didn’t have one (despite showing confirmation), but they would try to squeeze me in. At 11a, I was called and told that my freon was empty and it would be $249 to charge the system. After reminding the service advisor that I told him that it was empty when I dropped it off … I approved the work. At 3pm, I called the shop to check the status and was told that the system was charged and holding pressure and that I could pick the car up later. At 6p, I arrived to pick the car up and was told that the freon leaked out and that I needed additional repairs. They said that I needed an AC intake line, a drier/accumulator and an orifice tube. We discussed the 3pm conversation, to no avail. I asked the price for the additional repairs and I was told that they were too busy to prepare a quote ??? Then, I was told that I would receive a call on Saturday 5/27 with the price. Since I did not receive a call on Saturday morning, I went to the shop and was told that the part was not in stock at the dealer, Monday was a holiday and that they hoped to get the parts by Wednesday 5/31…. TO BE CONTINUED
PROBLEM:
- While driving the Volvo S70, the front drivers headlight stopped working.
SOLUTION:
- SECRET The obvious solution was to replace the headlight. This vehicle has a H7 bulb specific to the low beam. The bulb was replaced and the problem was solved. However, 2 days later, the bulbs was out again. I checked the new (and old) bulbs and both were good. I then found that all of the headlights had a dedicated fuse in the fuse box. The drivers low beam fused was fixed and the problem was solved again. However, 2 days later, the bulb was out yet again. This time, I checked the fuse and it was blown. So I checked the bulb wiring inside of the headlight housing. The wiring was dry and frayed and it was shorting out on the connection. The only solution was to replace the entire headlight housing. The housing was readily available on both eBay and Amazon. The new housing was replaced and the bulb has been working perfectly. So, the obvious solution is not always the complete solution !
PROBLEM:
- While driving the Volvo S70, the air conditioning stopped working. No warning, the air was still blowing, just not cold.
SOLUTION:
- SECRET Check the compressor. The compressor was not running. This could be from (1) low Freon or (2) a bad fuse or relay. First I checked the Freon level. I purchased a DIY Freon kit at the local parts house and made sure that I had the proper amount of Freon. I did add some Freon, but still no cold air. Then, rather than check the relay or fuse, I replaced the relay and fuse, but still no cold air and the compressor is still not coming on. So, time to do some more research !
PROBLEM:
- The VW Jetta sat for a week and when I went to start it, the low coolant light was on.
SOLUTION:
- SECRET Check the coolant level and check for leaks. The coolant was LOW … that is why the light was on …. it looked like a leak coming from the bottom on the engine. Sometime, you need to go to the Repair Shop and this is one of them. I had the shop do a Coolant Pressure Check and they found that the Water Pump was leaking … Time to do some more research. This looks to be more than I am comfortable doing, so, SECRET, check the internet to get a ball part price for the repair. The estimates that I found on-line were half of what I was quoted, so, SECRET, I went to my local auto parts house and asked for a recommendation to where they would get the repairs done. I took their suggestion and got a second opinion / estimate and sure enough, the price was more in-line with what I found on the internet and I felt much more comfortable with the technician that was doing the work. I got the water pump replaced and everything is back to normal.
PROBLEM:
- The Volvo S70 sat for a week and when I went to start it, there was a slow turnover.
SOLUTION:
- SECRET Check the battery. It was 10.2 volts which is low. So, either the battery is bad OR the alternator is bad or something is draining the battery. The battery is an eighteen (18) month old Interstate. Therefore is should not be the battery. I tested the battery with the car running and it was at over 14.0 volts … so the alternator is working. I connected a slow charge charger to make sure that the battery was fully charged and I waited a week. A week later same thing, slow charge and 10.2 volts. I went to look for my manual in the glove box and the locking mechanism completely broke off. Then I noticed that the mechanism was not keeping the glove box door completely closed and the glove box light was staying on 24/7. I connected the slow charger agsin and waited another week. After a week the car started fine and the battery tested 13.5 volts. This is the probable problem ! I needed to order a new glove box latch mechanism and trim piece, because both were broken. I replaced both pieces … the latch is working perfectly and the car starts every time. FIXED !
PROBLEM:
- The Volvo S70 sat for a week and when I moved it, there was a spot on the driveway.
SOLUTION:
- SECRET Check the spot. Is it clear or colored … does it have a smell ? Based on these answers, you can determine the fluid that is leaking. This fluid was clear and had minimal smell. So that rules out oil, transmission fluid and coolant. Therefore, power steering and brake fluid are the options. I looked at the power steering reservoir XXX and it was nearly empty. BAM ! Then I looked at the entire power steering system … reservoir, hoses, pump and steering rack. The hose leading into the pump from the reservoir was covered in fluid. BAM ! Everything else in the system seemed dry. So, looks like I need to replace this hose.
- The reservoir to pump hose XXX needed to be removed and the entire area needed to be cleaned to remove the old fluid. I replaced the hose and installed new hose clamps. I then flushed the old fluid out of the system and installed new fluid. SECRET As a precaution, I added power steering anti-leak fluid XXX . If there are any small leaks, this fluid will take care of the problem.
- SECRET All of these repair were easy and can be completed by any DIY person. Simply, do a Google search on your specific vehicle and you will find 10-100 videos or articles on how to perform this repair.
ANCEL BA101 – Battery Tester
With a Battery Tester, you can determine if the battery, starter or alternator are bad OR if you just left a light on that drained the battery.
ANCEL AD410 – Code Reader
With a Code Reader, you can determine why the Check Engine Light (CEL) is on. Simply connect the Coed Reader into the On Board Diagnostic (OBD) port … all cars since 1996 have one … and it will give you a code that correlates to why the CEL is on. SECRET … once you get the code, search on Google with the year / make / model of your vehicle … and you will know what is wrong. In many cases, you can even go to YouTube and watch someone perform the actual repair.
PROBLEM:
- Uncle Mike noticed that his car was taking longer to start (turn over) than usual. He connected the Battery Tester and it read “REPLACE BATTERY”. A simple test that took less than 1 minute. Changing a battery is one of the easiest repairs to do. Now that you know the problem, do a Google / YouTube search to determine if you can Do It Yourself (DIY). If you can, take the battery out of the car and take it to your local parts store. Uncle Mike has been using Interstate Batteries forever, they last a long time and are sold nationwide. Make sure you take the battery to the parts store, to ensure the correct replacement and to save the deposit fee. All shops charge a deposit fee to ensure that you return the old battery for proper disposal.
- Uncle Mike’s car had the dreaded CEL lit. He connected the Code Reader and it provided codes P1670, P1672 and P0481. After searching Google he determined that he needed to change the fan relay and a CVVT sensor. Not knowing what either was, where they were located or how to replace them … he continued the Google / YouTube search and determined that he could replace both components. After a little more searching on Ebay and Amazon, the parts were located and they were ordered. Both were easily installed and fixed the problem.
OVERHEATING
Aunt Patti decided to take your cousin Eric’s Wrangler to work and got stuck in a terrible traffic jam. She did not move for 1 ½ hours and the Wrangler started to overheat. Aunt Patti noticed the Temperature gauge approaching the red zone and SECRET immediately pulled the car over and turned it off. The car then cooled off to the normal operating temperature. She then turned around to come back home and was able to get home without overheating.
Based on what happened, we knew that it had to be one of three things. Either (1) low coolant from a leak or burst hose, (2) the fan was not spinning and keeping the engine cool, or (3) the thermostat was stuck closed and not circulating coolant.
First, we checked the coolant level (after the car completely cooled off) and it was fine. Then we checked the fan and it was very difficult to spin by hand. This is one of the telltale signs of a bad fan clutch 
. We are not suggesting to never taking your car to a repair shop, but SECRET there is so much information available on the internet that you should ALWAYS do some research first. Then, you can decide if you can do the repair yourself, or if you need to go to a repair shop, you will have some idea about what they are recommending.
We have changed a fan clutch on another car before, so while not an easy job because you need some special tools and, SECRET, you can rent them from Advanced Auto Parts, we decided to do it ourselves.
Also, since we were working on the coolant system and because the car 13 years old, we decided to change the thermostat 
, the thermostat housing 
, all of the coolant hoses/clamps 
, the coolant temperature sensor 
and change the coolant 
. This way, we should have many years of not having to worry about overheating or any cooling system issues.
SECRET … There are many YouTube videos that describe this work. Other that the fan clutch (which took time and special tools), the job was relatively easy and can be accomplished by most DIY mechanics.
Amp and Subwoofer Replacement
The Jeep Wrangler came with an aftermarket amp (that never worked) and it did not have a subwoofer connected. The first thing that I did was to use a digital multimeter to test all of the wiring for continuity. The Innova 3320 Auto-Ranging Multimeter 
is a great multimeter that can be purchased for less than $20. After checking for power and continuity, I concluded that the amp was bad and needed to be replaced. Before purchasing a new amp, SECRET, I took the Jeep to Best Buy and had a diagnostic test performed on the system. They confirmed that the amp was bad. The cost of the diagnostic is easily covered by the savings that I realize by changing the amp myself. The amp that was installed was an Alpine MRV-M500 
. This is great amp for a single subwoofer installation, so I purchased a new Alpine amp. Now it was time for picking a subwoofer. This is about as challenging as any decision that I have made regarding equipment, because EVERYONE has an opinion. I have always considered Kicker to be a good speaker manufacture and they make a slim version that would fit behind the bench seat
, the CompC enclosure with a 10” subwoofer. I also replaced the main power supply line to the battery and the in-line fuse. This job was easy and WOW does it sound great.
NO START
ARGHHHHHH! I’m stuck! The Wrangler won’t start! I did the obvious … opened the hood, giggled the battery wires and tried again. Nothing! Fortunately, I was fairly close to home, so it was time to get it towed. SECRET, keep the number for a tow service in your phone or keep their card in your wallet. You may never need to use it, but if you do, it’s great to have it handy. ANOTHER SECRET, unless you need the car immediately, tow it home and start doing some research BEFORE taking it to a repair shop (if you even have too). Once you get the vehicle home, you will be more relaxed and start to identify the problem and determine if you can do the repairs.
At home, I started to systematically check everything in order. (1) The battery. The Innova multimeter quickly indicated 12.6 volts…not the battery. (2) The battery terminals. The terminals were old and corroded and while not an obvious issue, they could be contributing. (3) The positive and negative battery cables. Also, while old and corroded, they passed the continuity test, but could still be part of the problem. (4) The starter. The starter had a rapid clicking sound. This is the starter solenoid engaging, but the starter motor not turning. This means one of a couple of issues…bad started motor, bad starter solenoid or bad wiring that is not getting enough voltage to the starter to make it work properly. Issue solved! And the best solution is to replace the starter assembly
that includes both the motor and the solenoid, the battery terminals and both the positive and negative battery cables. SECRET. Custom Battery Cables (www.custombatterycables.com) makes cable kits for Jeep Wranglers 
.This kit includes ALL positive and negative cables, pre-cut with connectors already installed. You can also upgrade to military style battery terminals that are great when installing additional connections like our amp 
. They cables are also a 2 gauge, which is another great upgrade from factory. This would be especially helpful, if you are planning on adding any additional equipment that needs power (lights, winch, etc.)
Installation of the starter and battery cable kit was very easy and VROM. The Jeep started right up!
SECRET. Some of the connections were hard to break loose, so make sure to have AB Blaster Penetrating Fluid
, a good electrical cleaner 
and a good battery post cleaning tool 
.
- Upcoming repairs:
- Seat covers
- CEL for Ignition coil
- Replace Speedometer sensor, after changing tire size.
- vacuum hose on Wrangler
- complete battery cable install on Wrangler
- rear main / valve cover gasket on Wrangler
- refinish fender flares on Wrangler
- oil change on Volvo