6/15
Car Won’t Start
If you turn the key in the ignition and hear a single click or rapid clicking but the engine doesn’t turn, chances are you’ve got a weak or dead battery or corroded battery terminals. Since you probably won’t have the right tools with you when your engine won’t start, here are two easy ways to get up and running.
Warm Up the Battery
Car batteries make power through a chemical reaction and that reaction slows down in cold weather. If you can warm up the battery, you can increase battery output. You can warm up the battery simply by turning the key to start several times, with a 5-minute rest period between each try. Here’s how to do it.
- Turn the key to the START position and hold it in that position for about 5 seconds.
- Turn the key to off and wait 5 minutes.
- Repeat up to six more times.
The Shoe Trick
If it doesn’t start on the last try, move on to this shoe trick.
- Remove your shoe and tap each battery terminal with the heel.
- Then try starting the engine. If it starts, clean the battery terminals as soon as you get home.
7/15
Fix a Sticking Hood Latch
Hood latches are pretty simple mechanisms, but they’re constantly exposed to water, salt and road grit, and that can make them gum up, rust and stick. Sometimes the problem is so bad you can’t even pop the hood. Here’s how to fix a sticking hood latch.
- Buy a can of aerosol rust penetrant and a can of spray white lithium grease.
- Start by soaking the latch mechanism with the rust penetrant.
- If you can’t open the hood at all, slide the spray straw into the grille and aim it up toward the latch.
- Then shoot about a half can of lube onto the latch.
- Let it soak for an hour. If it opens after that, move on to the next step. If not, repeat the procedure.
- Once the hood opens, soak the hood latch mechanism with white lithium grease.
- Then close and open the hood multiple times until the latch works smoothly.
- Apply fresh grease every year before winter.
8/15
Fix Poor Acceleration
Your car’s computer relies on the Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) to detect the volume, mass and temperature of the air entering your engine. It then calculates the proper amount of fuel to add. However, if the sensing elements inside the MAF are dirty, the computer gets skewed readings and miscalculates how much fuel to add, and that causes performance issues.
Most MAF sensors can be restored to full operating condition with a simple cleaning. To clean your MAF sensor, buy a can of MAF Sensor Cleaner from any auto parts store. Remove the sensor from the air duct by loosening the worm drive clamps with a screwdriver or socket. Then aim the spray cleaner directly at the sensing elements inside the MAF housing. Soak the sensing elements but don’t touch them with your fingers, rag or brush—they’ll break. Let the solvent dry, then reinstall the MAF.
If a dirty sensor was causing your acceleration problem, the cleaning should put you back in the groove. If not, get it checked out by a pro.
