Efficient Tire Inflation Techniques for Beginners

[Townsend]

This is excellent advise. You pre-fill all those fingerprint ridges and crannies around your fingernails with the lotion so the grease can't get in and take hold. Otherwise it can be hell trying to get it out.

Depending on the kind of work you need to do it could also be a pain in the neck...I bust enough knuckles without pre-greasing my hands. The best thing is (as mentioned) to just use gloves.

 

[Moonbear]

Its a 01 Pontiac Grand Prix SE. We're going to test the battery and look for any bad connections when it gets cooler outside (103 degrees!)

Another possibility, in addition to those mentioned, if you suddenly have a dead battery and the battery itself is good is to have the alternator checked (that's the thingy that keeps recharging your battery while the car is running). I've also had a Ford (don't know about other makes) that had a neutral switch go bad...it's a switch that ensures an automatic is in park or neutral before you can start the car. (For that matter, double check that the car is fully in Park.) There are a lot of things that can go wrong to give the symptom you have. If you try to jump start the car and you have trouble with sparking, then I'd try Townsend's diagnosis first of the starter solenoid (that was always the tell-tale sign when we had a dead car that we thought was a bad battery and turned out to be the solenoid).

 

[Moonbear]

Depending on the kind of work you need to do it could also be a pain in the neck...I bust enough knuckles without pre-greasing my hands. The best thing is (as mentioned) to just use gloves.

Where do you get mechanics gloves and what do they look like? I'm thinking of all those tiny nooks and crannies you have to get your hands into in an engine and wondering how you could wear gloves and still squeeze your fingers in where you need to get them.

 

[Monique]

Mechanics have a special washing cream/wax that takes the oil right off their hands, I'm not sure what kind of material that is though..

 

[faust9]

Where do you get mechanics gloves and what do they look like? I'm thinking of all those tiny nooks and crannies you have to get your hands into in an engine and wondering how you could wear gloves and still squeeze your fingers in where you need to get them.

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=mechanix gloves&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=wf

I have a few pairs of these, but I find bare-knuckle is much easier. I tend to wear the gloves when working on hot parts---fixing header leaks, changing oil with the engine still hot, yadda yadda yadda.

 

[Townsend]

Where do you get mechanics gloves and what do they look like? I'm thinking of all those tiny nooks and crannies you have to get your hands into in an engine and wondering how you could wear gloves and still squeeze your fingers in where you need to get them.

Mechanix gloves are some of the better ones...they actually help you and I have yet to need to take them off and I was an aviation structral mechanic while in the Navy. The gloves the nav issues are very similar to Mechanix gloves but I would still use my own personal gloves whenever possible.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=mechanix gloves&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=wf

I have a few pairs of these, but I find bare-knuckle is much easier. I tend to wear the gloves when working on hot parts---fixing header leaks, changing oil with the engine still hot, yadda yadda yadda.

Same here, but have you ever racked your knuckles while working in below freezing temps? Man oh man does that hurt! For the longest time and without fail, if we had a big snow storm, I ended up laying in the snow turning a wrench. And I always racked my knuckles...probably because of the cold.

 

[Kenneth Mann]

Where do you get mechanics gloves and what do they look like? I'm thinking of all those tiny nooks and crannies you have to get your hands into in an engine and wondering how you could wear gloves and still squeeze your fingers in where you need to get them.

You might do what a lot of mechanics do these days - - use surgical type gloves. These are very thin rubber and don't impair feel or dexterity. They are quite useful for general work on cars. The only drawback is that they are basically single-use (they usually tear up when you take them off) - - - but then they are also dirt cheap, and come a whole bunch to a box. You can generally get them at auto parts and accessory chain stores (CarQuest, Advance Auto Parts, http://www.autozone.com/, etc.). Then, when you need to do heavy work that might cause skinned knuckles, you just pull a pair of cotton mechanics gloves over them. (You can get those at any auto chain, pharmacy chain or at a place like Home Depot.)

KM

 

[GOD__AM]

It's better to get the tire pressures from your owners manual than to read it off the tire. The owners manual will be more accurate as it takes into account the weight and design of the vehicle.

For Pengwuino that clicking is usually the result of a battery going dead. If it seems to click the first time you try it but not on further attempts it is most likely the case. As far as what caused it, it may be just old, or like someone mentioned a bad alternator. A bad alternator can be easily diagnosed once the car is running (either by getting a new battery or getting a jump) by looking at the gage for the charging system. If the needle is closer to the - than it is the + you need an alternator. If you don't have that gage there may by a dash light that will light up with the letters "alt" or something similar.

There should be a date on the battery that shows when it was installed. 4 to 5 years is typical life for most modern batterys.

 

[hypatia]

Moonbear, they sell them at most auto parts stores, like Nappa and AutoZone. You can toss a cheap pair in your glove box. I keep mine in a plastic baggie, to contain the grime.
I also use them when picking up broken glass, handling the blade of my lawn mower and when I need a good grip on power tools. They fit like a lycra bodysute for your hands.
Ivan, the winter weight ones work ok too, you just half to MAKE yourself get use to them..

but somehow I suspect men like to bleed and shout cuss words into the fallen snow

 

[Pengwuino]

For Pengwuino that clicking is usually the result of a battery going dead. If it seems to click the first time you try it but not on further attempts it is most likely the case. As far as what caused it, it may be just old, or like someone mentioned a bad alternator. A bad alternator can be easily diagnosed once the car is running (either by getting a new battery or getting a jump) by looking at the gage for the charging system. If the needle is closer to the - than it is the + you need an alternator. If you don't have that gage there may by a dash light that will light up with the letters "alt" or something similar.

The clicking happens every single time and the lights in the car do start up. Something had to have failed, there's no signs that something "wore out" or is depleted or anything like that. We're going to check it in a few hours.

 

[Townsend]

but somehow I suspect men like to bleed and shout cuss words into the fallen snow

No way...well the cuss words maybe

 

[Kenneth Mann]

I went down to the gas station and found the airhose, but it had no gauge. Then I went to another gas station, and that airhose also had no gauge. (This must be a California thing?) So, anyhoo, I went and bought a cute little dial gauge to try out. I noticed that the instructions said to only check cool tires, and it's blazing hot outside, so maybe I should wait a little while?

Basically, "cool tires" means those on a car that hasn't been driven for a while, for any appreciable distance. Tires heat up when used; the idea is to have them inflated for generic conditions, regardless of the temperature outside. By the way, always use your own gauge. Never trust the ones on air pumps; they are all over the place when it comes to readout.

KM

 

[GOD__AM]

The clicking happens every single time and the lights in the car do start up. Something had to have failed, there's no signs that something "wore out" or is depleted or anything like that. We're going to check it in a few hours.

It could be the seloniod as someone said , but I would try to jump start the car first if you have access to jumper cables. Lights and radio don't take much power to run so a low battery could still act that way.

 

[Moonbear]

Thanks to the several people who replied about the mechanics gloves. I'll look into those...looks like I might have multiple uses for them.

You might do what a lot of mechanics do these days - - use surgical type gloves. These are very thin rubber and don't impair feel or dexterity. They are quite useful for general work on cars. The only drawback is that they are basically single-use (they usually tear up when you take them off) - - - but then they are also dirt cheap, and come a whole bunch to a box.

I use those types of gloves all day long in the lab, but can't see how they'd be any good on a car. Grease and oil would eat right through the latex, and they don't have much strength...I gave up wearing them in the barns because after a few sheep, I'd break through the fingers anyway. Besides, I've been gradually developing a latex allergy from using them too much, so avoid them whenever possible now (pretty much only for sterile surgeries where it's the only option I have). I've switched over to mostly nitrile gloves in the lab, but sometimes those are really a hindrance...they don't stretch as well as latex, so I can never get a good fit...the XS ones are too tight and cut off circulation to my fingers, and the S ones are a bit too big and flop off the tips of my fingers so I get them caught in everything (if I have to have good dexterity and can't afford to risk spilling something...either because it's precious and expensive or because it's hazardous...I have to wear the smaller size and just change gloves every so often to give my fingers a chance to breathe). I'm not sure how well the nitrile gloves hold up to petroleum products though...I haven't really looked into it or had reason to find out.

 

[faust9]

Same here, but have you ever racked your knuckles while working in below freezing temps? Man oh man does that hurt! For the longest time and without fail, if we had a big snow storm, I ended up laying in the snow turning a wrench. And I always racked my knuckles...probably because of the cold.

Winter of 1993---very cold---I had to replace the water pump on a 69 Fairlane in a parking lot and a week later did a 84 Dodge Omni in same parking lot. One was mine and the other was a friends---both broke down outside my apartment. I had three sets of tools, one in the oven warming up to 200F, one on the counter fresh out of the oven and the set I was using. I rotated the sets about once every 5 minutes or so. My friend acted as tool runner for both ordeals. I tend not to bash my knockles that much because I never wrap my fingers around a wrench unless I absolutely have to. I push with the meat of my palm keeping my fingers out of harms way.

 

[Andy]

The clicking that was mentioned is caused by the starter motor not having enough strength to turn the engine over.

I use surgical gloves at work, they are very cheap and don't hinder the movement of my hand or my fingers when trying to get into tight spaces.

And in new cars the gearbox oil is good for the length of time the car is likely to survive, so don't worry about checking that too much. Mercedes benz gearboxes can only be checked by a garage, don't know what mazda are like but i can't imagine it's too different.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I knew I'd get lots of good advice here!

Now I have some dumb questions.. let's say I am low on oil. I go to get an oil change. Do I still need to put oil in the car?
Same with coolant. If I am low on coolant, but I get a coolant flush, do I still need to add coolant?

 

[Moonbear]

I knew I'd get lots of good advice here!

Now I have some dumb questions.. let's say I am low on oil. I go to get an oil change. Do I still need to put oil in the car?
Same with coolant. If I am low on coolant, but I get a coolant flush, do I still need to add coolant?

Nope, when you get the oil change, they should fill it to the proper "full" level. However, if you're noticing you're low on oil between oil changes, you'll definitely want to check more frequently and have someone look at the car to see if there's an oil leak that needs to be repaired.

 

[juvenal]

No on both counts if you go to a place where people are competent.

One horror story - I went to one of those quick-lube places. The guy kept trying to upsell me as all those joints do, with me brushing him off. Anyhow - I drove from the Bay Area down to LA that same day. I smelled oil on the drive down though, but I was too clueless to stop and investigate.

In LA - I think on the next day, I was at a buddy's house and we were washing my car or something, and we popped the hood open to clean out some leaves and other debris. My friend, much more car knowledgeable and observant than me, was like - "Dude, look". The idiot at the oil change place didn't replace the engine oil cap, so I ended up burning off the oil on the drive down, with some of it evaporating into whatever air intake system enters the passenger compartment. The cap was sitting right nearby and managed not to fall out the entire drive down.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks, Moonbear.

Juvenal -- WOW! OMG!

 

[brewnog]

I don't think anyone's mentioned this yet, but it's important.

Used engine oil is rather carcinogenic. If you're planning on not using gloves, use a barrier cream before contact, wash your hands thoroughly afterwards, change out of any oily clothes as soon as possible, and never carry oily rags in your pockets.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Don't eat them, either. No matter how hungry you are. That's one I learned the hard way.

 

[Townsend]

Don't eat them, either. No matter how hungry you are. That's one I learned the hard way.

That is the best advice yet...

 

[Evo]

MIH, I tried putting air into my tires recently and I was afraid (with my history of freak accidents) that I would end up getting the air hose permanently attached to the tire and explode it. After a couple of failed "pffffts" "pffffts", and letting more air out than I put in, I hopped into my car and drove it to the nearest full service gas station and had them put the air in.

 

[edward]

Never inflate your tires to the "maximum" pressure which is the number located on the side of the tire.

Most cars have a small plate usually mounted on the edge of the door near the latch. The plate will list the proper inflation and tire size for your vehicle.

 

[Moonbear]

Never inflate your tires to the "maximum" pressure which is the number located on the side of the tire.

Are all tires stamped that way now? I know mine only have the maximum pressure on them, but I recall tires on older cars having the inflation pressure stamped on them too. Maybe they stopped doing that because people mixed them up.

 

[edward]

Are all tires stamped that way now? I know mine only have the maximum pressure on them, but I recall tires on older cars having the inflation pressure stamped on them too. Maybe they stopped doing that because people mixed them up.

The information on the sidewall is now the maximum pressure .

I gave my daughter one of the gizmos in the link. There are similar ones available at auto parts stores, but I like gadgets.

http://www.drivegreen.com/

 

[Math Is Hard]

MIH, I tried putting air into my tires recently and I was afraid (with my history of freak accidents) that I would end up getting the air hose permanently attached to the tire and explode it. After a couple of failed "pffffts" "pffffts", and letting more air out than I put in, I hopped into my car and drove it to the nearest full service gas station and had them put the air in.

I miss full-serve! We don't have it here!

 

[Evo]

I miss full-serve! We don't have it here!

MIH, I feel so sorry for you. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't just pull up and say "can you also check my oil & coolant"? Of course I only go to the full service pump if I need something done.