In a message dated 9/26/2003 4:07:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
breeanna1012000@yahoo.com writes:
Need to know why when I change my oil and drive
it a little then check it that it looks as black
and dirty as it did before it was changed. IT
tends to get thick black and gunkie looking really
quick..what do I need to do or am doing wrong, and
is there something different that needs to be done?
You can try an engine flush product to clean out some of the gunk. Put it in
the oil, drive the car as per the directions, then change the oil again. It
is a solvent, like kerosene, that breaks down the gunk so it can be drained.
With a high mileage engine, it may take a few treatments.
Get in the habit of changing oil every 3000 to 4000 miles and the engine will
get cleaner eventually.
One more question, how do you bleed brakes? Mine
has air in them and it is causing then to get
soft making it somewhat difficult to stop,,not
able to stop sharp and quick but it takes putting
on my brakes hard to get it to completely stop!
A two person job. You need to have:
fresh brake fluid (I use Castrol GT LMA on all my cars),
a small (quart or less) glass bottle,
a piece of rubber or plastic tubing (2 or 3 feet) that fits the brake bleeder
screw,
the proper wrench (a box end wrench works best) to fit the bleeder screw.
Figure out which is the longest brake line from the master cylinder and start
at that corner of the car. (Usually the right rear, except in a Spridget its
the left rear.) Jack up the car and remove the wheel so you can see
everything better. Find the bleeder screw on the rear wheel cylinder or
caliper. Put
the wrench on the bleeder and the tubing on the end of the bleeder. Put the
other end in the glass jar. Put some fresh brake fluid in the jar. Air
bubbles will come out the tube as you bleed the brakes, so you need to see them
under the fluid in the jar.
One person sits in the driver's seat, the other is at the wheel being bled.
Loosen the bleeder about one turn. Do not remove it. Have the other person
slowly push the brake pedal all the way to the floor and hold it there.
Tighten the bleeder. Let the pedal up. Loosen the bleeder, press the pedal
again,
tighten the bleeder, pedal up. After two cycles, check the level of the brake
fluid in the master cylinder reservior. Fill with fresh fluid if low. Go
back and do the process again until no air bubbles come out.
Move to the next furthest bleeder from the master cylinder (the other rear
wheel). Repeat the process there. Make sure the master cylinder reservior
doesn't get so low that you let air into the system, or you have to start all
over
again.
Repeat at the two front wheels.
Some things to remember.
NEVER reuse brake fluid that comes out of the system. It is full of water
and air.
If the brake fluid is older than 2 or 3 years, you should flush the old stuff
out while you are doing the bleeding. I did this on one of my cars and it
was blood red with rust! Just keep bleeding until you see clean, fresh fluid.
It may take 2 quarts of brake fluid to complete, but brake fluid is cheep.
If there is air in the brake system, it may be getting in from a bad master
cylinder or a bad flexible line at one of the wheels. Check the flex lines for
cracks or leaks and replace them if they look bad. Replace them if you don't
know how old they are and the car is a few years old. (Bleed the brakes
after inspection so you only have to do it once.)
Brake bleeding is not a difficult task. One person says "OPEN" the other
person says "DOWN" then the first person says "CLOSED" and the other person
says
"UP" and you have everything fixed in no time! Rhythm is everything!
Allen Hefner
Philadelphia Region SCCA RoadRally Chairman
'75 MG Midget (The Project)
'99 Ford Contour (2.5L 24v V6 SE Sport)
and my Mom's '85 Toyota Tercel in the driveway
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