{"product_id":"the-pep-boys-auto-guide-to-car-care-and-maintenanceisbn-9780345476852","title":"The Pep Boys Auto Guide to Car Care and Maintenance","description":"Okay, so you’re not a gearhead, but like most folks, you want to keep your car in peak condition. For more than eighty years, the Pep Boys–Manny, Moe, and Jack–have been “the three best friends your car ever had.” And now, with \u003ci\u003eThe Pep Boys Auto Guide to Car Care and Maintenance,\u003c\/i\u003e any Tom, Dick, or Harriet can learn how to keep his or her car running smoothly and looking its best.\u003cbr\u003eThe ideal car care guide for do-it-yourselfers, this is your one-stop source for everything from the basics to the hard stuff (so you’ll know what to tackle yourself and when to call in the experts). Inside you’ll discover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• a simple anatomy of your car and a handy glossary of terms\u003cbr\u003e• accident prevention measures and how to handle emergencies on the road, from jump-starting your engine to changing a flat tire\u003cbr\u003e• key seasonal and monthly maintenance tasks–including checking oil levels and battery life, tire rotation, and monitoring tread wear\u003cbr\u003e• tips for improving fuel mileage \u003cbr\u003e• how to diagnose major and minor problems–and how to fix them\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStraightforward and easy to use, \u003ci\u003eThe Pep Boys Auto Guide to Car Care and Maintenance\u003c\/i\u003e will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to keep your car in top condition.\u003cb\u003eE. J. Braswell\u003c\/b\u003e, the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Pep Boys Auto Guide to Car Care and Maintenance,\u003c\/i\u003e comes from a long line of car tinkerers. He divides his time between New York and Vermont.A Tutorial of Your Car and How It Works\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLearning How to Drive\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSure, you know how to put the key in, shift into drive, and pull  away-but do you really know exactly what goes on inside the car when  you're out there on the road? You will by the end of this section! When  you're done, you'll no longer think of your car as a Big Black Box, but  as a logical sum of its fairly simple to understand parts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNote: If you find this next part confusing or the terminology a little  alien at first, don't worry. Continue to read through the next section  on all the different systems in your car-and we'll go through all of  this again. It will make sense-we promise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen you put your key into the ignition and turn it, you close a switch  that allows electricity to flow from the battery to the starter, an  electric motor that starts turning the crankshaft. As the engine spins,  the pistons and the fuel start pumping and the valves start opening and  closing. Compression is achieved, the spark plugs fire, and the engine  itself takes over. The starter then disengages itself from the process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fuel pump delivers gas to the cylinders of the engine through  intake valves, where it is mixed with air and compressed by the  pistons. This highly combustible mixture is lit by the spark plugs and  explodes, forcing the pistons down, which then turns the crankshaft.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe crankshaft connects to the transmission, which determines with how  much power and at what speed the wheels should turn. To shift gears,  the car must first release the transmission from the crankshaft, and  this is done by a clutch if it's a car with a manual shift. Power is  converted hydraulically through a torque converter in an automatic,  transferring engine power by the use of fluid.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn rear-wheel-drive vehicles, the driveshaft continues from the  transmission on to the rear of the car, with a hinge on each end called  a universal joint (or a CV joint in a front-wheel-drive car) to keep  the whole thing flexible and from snapping like a twig when the car  hits a bump.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA differential (sometimes called a rear end) at the end of the  driveshaft delivers the turning power of the shaft and converts the  power through a ring and pinion gears \"sideways\" to the two rear wheels  and determines the difference in speed that each wheel must have in  order for you to execute a turn. When turning, the outside wheel must  turn faster than the inside wheel or you would break the axles or  gears. The differential is what allows this to happen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn front-wheel-drive cars there is a transaxle instead of a  transmission, which handles gear-shifting as well as the individual  speed of the left and right front tires for when you want to turn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOil keeps everything lubricated and operating quietly and properly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e. . . Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOkay, it was. So now let's break down your car system by system and go  through each one simply and clearly. We'll put it all together at the  end of this section again-and you'll be amazed by how much you've  already learned.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBreakdown: Your Car, System by System\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOkay. This is actually a far simpler thing than you might imagine.  Relax, take a deep breath and imagine yourself in a tropical paradise .  . . on a bicycle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the same way that bicycle pedals go up and down, the crankshaft in a  car pumps up and down, transferring rotation and power to the wheels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut instead of legs (and feet), a car engine has pistons that push down  on the crankshaft. The pistons are propelled downward by an explosion  above them in the cylinder. So the more cylinders you have, the more  pistons you have; the more feet pedaling on the bike, the faster and  more powerful the bike-er, the car. This is why a V8 is so much more  powerful than a V6 or a four-cylinder engine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(The V refers to how the cylinders are set up. Either they're in line  and called an inline 4, 6, or 8, or sort of alternately positioned like  the two tops of a V. They can also be directly opposing each other in a  flat design, as in old VWs.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow the explosion occurs is where our little human-and-bicycle metaphor  breaks down. It takes four cycles or up-and-downs to make things  happen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.As the pistons move down, a mixture of gas and air is sucked into  the cylinder through the intake valve.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2.As the piston heads back up, it creates compression, and the gas  mixture is lit (or detonated, if you want to be precise) by a spark  plug, which-you guessed it-creates a little spark. It's kind of like  the electric ignition on a gas stove that causes the burner to light.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3.The resulting explosion (in the cylinder, not your stove) pushes  the piston back down against the crankshaft with power, the  transmission transmits this power to the wheels, and your car goes  zooming off.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4.As the piston comes back up the exhaust valve lets out the burned  gases, and the cycle starts all over again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBack to your bike. Even if it's instinctive by now, your brain figures  out which leg pushes down to keep your bike rolling smoothly. If you  tried to push down both legs at once, nothing would happen. The same  thing is true with a car-the pistons have to push down on the  crankshaft in precisely timed movements. Ignition, or spark, is timed  exactly when the piston nears the top so the explosion will force the  piston back down again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElectrical\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe electrical system in your car does three important things:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.It cranks your engine to help it start.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2.It makes your car start once it's cranking by causing the spark  plugs to fire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3.It runs all the electric devices in your car; the headlights, the  radio, the fan, the computers . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStarting Your Car\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen you put your key into the ignition and turn it, you're doing two  things. First, you're closing a circuit that allows a current to run  from the battery to the starter motor. Second, the starter gear  physically moves into and engages the flywheel. The starter is a little  electric motor that jump-starts your car by turning a flywheel that  then turns the crankshaft, causing the pistons to go up and down,  beginning their cycle. When your car has started-and you let your key  turn back-the motor disengages itself from the engine, which is now  merrily chugging along of its own accord.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRunning Your Car\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the same time you start your car and electricity flows to the  starter motor, some electricity also goes to a coil that amplifies the  voltage to about 50,000 volts. (And yes, that's more than enough to  kill you, especially if you have heart problems, so be very careful.)   From there the current runs to your engine through the distributor cap  in an older car or the coil wire on a newer one, sending that  50,000-volt spark of electricity to each of your (yes, you guessed it)  spark plugs. The voltage or pressure of the current is so great at this  point that it leaps across the open space between the two electrodes of  the spark plug in the cylinder. The spark sets off an explosion of gas  and air in the cylinder, and the piston fires, the cycle begins, and  off you go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRunning Other Things\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverything in your car that draws electrical juice-the fan in the  heater, the map light, the computer that controls your engine, your CD  player, etc.-is capable of having its expensive inner parts fried if  there's a sudden overload of electricity, which happens more often than  you might think. That's why the current for each one runs through a  fuse. Think of a fuse as a really weak, badly made lightbulb: The  slightest power surge causes the filament inside to burn out. In the  same way, a fuse blows out if there's a problem in the system to stop  the electricity from traveling any farther up the line and damaging  anything.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fuse box for most of the passenger and driver utilities (radio, map  light, etc.) is somewhere under or behind the dashboard; for the  onboard computer, fuel pumps, and other operational items, the fuse box  is often under the hood in the engine compartment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf a fuse blows, it generally means you have a problem with a component  in that system or that a wire has rubbed up against a metal part and is  grounded out. Merely replacing the fuse generally will not fix the  problem. Never replace the fuse with one with a higher value.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour Battery and Alternator\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe electricity to start your car is stored in the battery, just as the  electricity to power a flashlight is stored in its batteries. Unlike a  flashlight, however, your car battery is recharged every time you run  the car from the power of the engine. An alternator (really a  generator) runs off a drive belt attached to the engine, and converts  this physical power into electricity, sending it to the battery and all  of the other components in the car that require electrical power.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEfficient, no?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn most cars the red-colored terminal on a battery is positive and the  black is negative. Whenever doing any work on the battery, always  remember to disconnect the black or negative side first-this prevents  everything in your car from getting fried if there's a problem.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs batteries age and distribute and receive recharges, they get white  hair just as we do, in the form of a powder that will appear on the  top. Once the battery is disconnected properly this can be cleaned up  harmlessly, but eventually, like all batteries, it will have to be  replaced when it fails to perform.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOil\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou probably already know a lot about this system already. Oil helps  lubricate and clean all the different metal parts that would otherwise  grind against one another in the engine, destroying your car. It's  stored in the oil pan when the car is turned off; when the car is  running, it's pumped around the moving parts of the engine by an oil  pump, lubricating as it goes. An oil filter cleans out the sludge and  particles. A dipstick lets you check how much oil you have (as well as  its quality), and an oil filler nearby lets you add more when it's  low-or refill completely when you're changing the oil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReading a Can or Bottle of Oil\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe'll say this again later when we talk about checking, filling, and  changing your oil, but we'll say it now just to make sure it's burned  into your head: Only buy the kind of oil recommended in your vehicle's  owner's manual.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike any other liquid, oil is thinner when hot and thicker when cold  (on its way to freezing). This texture or ease of flow is known as  viscosity; high viscosity means thick and sludgy, and low means thin  and watery. Oil needs to remain thin enough when cold to flow and  lubricate everything completely when starting and thick enough to  \"stick\" to the parts it's lubricating when hot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMost oil you buy is multiviscosity, so that you don't have to switch  types at different times of the year. The numbers on a can that say  something like 20W-50 indicate the range; the higher the number (50)  the higher the viscosity, the lower the number (20), the lower the  viscosity. The letter W after a number, usually on the lower end of the  range, indicates that the oil has been winter tested.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe quality of oil for a gas-powered car begins with an S and is  followed by a letter, with A being the lowest. If you have a new car,  your manual will probably recommend SL or SJ. Higher quality oils can  always be used for cars whose manuals suggest lower quality oils; the  reverse, however, is not true. In fact, SA through SH are considered  obsolete now-it's best just to never use them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOil is not the place to begin penny-pinching with your car; always make  sure it's a quality brand that has been certified by the American  Petroleum Institute and says \"Energy Conserving.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(If you drive under tough conditions-towing a trailer, navigating hilly  areas, or just high-speed driving-you may want to consider the added  performance of synthetic oil. Synthetics cost more but can help extend  the life of your engine.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHeating\/Cooling\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor Your Car\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you hadn't already figured it out by now, with all those explosions  going on in your engine, the bigger issue is cooling rather than  heating. Temperatures can reach over a thousand degrees under the hood,  and if left unchecked things could start to melt. To keep this from  happening, your car's engine is equipped with a liquid cooling system  (unless it's equipped with an air-cooled engine).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCoolant is stored primarily in the radiator. When the engine is  running, a pump runs the coolant into a hose at the bottom of the  radiator and through the water jacket around the engine, where the  liquid picks up heat. Coolant is then carried back to the radiator via  a hose in its top. The radiator in your car works similarly to one you  might find in a house: It helps radiate the heat off and out of the  coolant and into the air (in front of the grille), with the help of a  fan when the car isn't moving to flow air across the fins of the  radiator to remove the heat. The now cooled-down coolant gets pumped  back into the engine, and the process starts all over again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere will often be a coolant reservoir next to the radiator; if there  is, you add coolant there instead of directly into the radiator. When  coolant heats up it expands (as do most liquids), and the reservoir  catches the extra when it overflows the system to keep it from leaking  all over the ground. Leaked coolant is actually more of a hazard than a  lot of the other toxic chemicals that could leak out of your car.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCoolant is usually a mixture of water and antifreeze; this fluid has a  higher boiling point than water and a lower freezing point. The  antifreeze is usually ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol tastes sweet and  is deadly poisonous. Dogs love it. Small children love it. Even a  tablespoonful can be fatal. So be very careful where you keep extra and  when you refill the reservoir or radiator-clean any spills immediately.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor You\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHeating is easy! Heat from the engine is carried via the heated coolant  to a small radiator behind the dashboard, and just like the engine  radiator this one dissipates heat and a fan distributes it through the  appropriate vents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAir-Conditioning\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCooling is . . . not so easy. Basically, a liquid called a refrigerant  is pushed through an evaporator, where it absorbs and removes heat from  inside the car. It does this because it has a very low boiling point  (meaning it boils at a lower temperature than plain water), and when a  liquid turns into a gas it picks up heat.","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302546493669,"sku":"NP9780345476852","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345476852.jpg?v=1730751219","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-pep-boys-auto-guide-to-car-care-and-maintenanceisbn-9780345476852","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}