Tips & Tricks Archives

8 Questions to Diagnose Your Business Like a Great Mechanic

My grandfather was a top-notch auto mechanic. He could determine what was wrong with your car simply by listening to your engine and asking you a few questions. This was way before fancy diagnostic systems. Before computers. If you were a mechanic back then, you really had to know your stuff. YOU were the diagnostic… Continue reading 8 Questions to Diagnose Your Business Like a Great Mechanic

How to Build an Alcohol Engine

Gas prices are perpetually on the rise, leaving today’s leaders in the automotive industry searching for green solutions. You don’t have to purchase an expensive hybrid or wait for the electric car, though. With the right tools, you can build an alcohol engine in your existing vehicle, and since most of today’s cars, trucks and… Continue reading How to Build an Alcohol Engine

Getting Rid of Grease

Don’t use kitty litter to get grease and gasoline stains off of cement–you will never get it all. Instead, use powdered dishwasher detergent. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, then scrub back and forth with a stiff broom before sweeping it away. It will break down the grease and soak it up at the… Continue reading Getting Rid of Grease

How to Keep Your Door From Freezing Shut in the Winter

Just take paste wax, like for floors, and wax all around the surfaces where the door meets the frame. Don’t use liquid wax, use the old-fashioned paste wax, sometimes sold as “bowling alley wax” in some of the bigger grocery stores. You have to wipe it on and then rub it a lot (like polishing… Continue reading How to Keep Your Door From Freezing Shut in the Winter

Rusted Exhaust Manifold Bolt

Every mechanic has had a few of these. There isn’t any one single trick that will work on all of them, but there are some simple principles that will get you out of the situation if you just don’t lose your patience. If you strain on the end of the wrench or socket handle and… Continue reading Rusted Exhaust Manifold Bolt

Turn a Bookshelf into a Secret Passage

Who hasn’t dreamed of having a mystery-story-style secret passageway? While a trick bookshelf is pretty awesome in itself, this secret passage hides a home office with clever style. Take a look at these pictures and simple instructions to set yourself up with the ultimate in home secret getaway. Lifehacker reader agmk and his girlfriend hated… Continue reading Turn a Bookshelf into a Secret Passage

Used Generators & Engines vs. New What’s Right for You?

A wide range of new and used generators and engines are available to potential buyers in the market today. The buying cycle typically starts out with identifying a need (ie. to power heavy equipment, provide emergency backup, prime or standby power, etc.), then performing research and analysis to determine what your specifications and requirements are.… Continue reading Used Generators & Engines vs. New What’s Right for You?

Training it’s good, It’s free, Do it!

If you stop learning, you stop growing. Trucks are changing at a rate never before seen. It is not going to slow down. As technology advances the changes will snowball. If you stop learning, the world will run you over! It might mot be practical to put life on hold and go back to school… Continue reading Training it’s good, It’s free, Do it!

Cleaning Road Tar From Your Car

There are some items in your kitchen that may be successful in removing tar. Butter, creamy peanut butter, baking soda, or vegetable oil applied to the tar and left for 12 to 24 hours should soften in and make it easier to remove. If that doesn’t work there are a few items from the garage… Continue reading Cleaning Road Tar From Your Car

Finding an Auto Mechanic That You Trust

Over the last few months, I’ve been documenting in depth the various mechanical problems that my truck has been facing and how it’s affecting our decisions with future car purchases. In short, my truck has had four significant breakdowns in the past three months, adding up to a bill totaling about $3,000. When you’re spending… Continue reading Finding an Auto Mechanic That You Trust