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A site visitor asked me to post their auto repair story for others to learn from. The lesson to be learned is the power of the second opinion. Let’s see how Dreka saved 50% on her 94 olds cutlass car repairs.
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94 Olds Cutlass
Hello my name is Dreka. I absolutely loved reading your free auto repair book and I want you to know that it has encouraged me even more so to pay attention to my car.

I recently obtained my first car it’s a 94 cutlass supreme Oldsmobile. So of course it being 15 years old I’d imagine will call for a few repairs every now and then.

With this being said I hope to stay in close contact with you in the future if I have any questions.

I must say the things you were able to do for the other people needing your assistance was astonishing! You truly are in a league of all your own.

My auto repair story

I have a story to tell you. Two months ago I went into a chain auto service garage to find out why the brake lights didn’t work.

They hooked my car up to a machine for 75 bucks and said that it was a wiring issue and with labor and everything would cost 600 dollars.

They said they would need to get under my dashboard but really couldn’t help me understand why. I didn’t have the money so I told them I’d come back.
 
 

Often drivers will look at their oil pressure gauge and become concerned with readings that are below the halfway mark.

Keep in mind that the oil pressure gauge is getting its information from an electronic sending unit and there is room for error.

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oil pressure gauge
I have often connected my trusted mechanical gauge and found oil pressure readings that were quite different than what the gauge was saying.

If you are concerned with low oil pressure readings the first place to start is to find out exactly what the specifications are. Your auto service manual will provide oil pressure; specs for at idle, and also part throttle conditions.

In some cases Diy car mechanics may be surprised that very low oil pressure is OK at idle by the manufacturer standard.
 
 

Fuel pumps can be considered high up on the list of common auto repairs. But if your engine does not start and you think it is not getting any gas the first thing to check is your dash mounted fuel gauge.

Just because the gas gauge on your dash is over half a tank does not mean that there is actually fuel in the tank.

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fuel sender
A defective sending unit or a gauge that is not calibrated right may be giving a false reading. Probing the tank with a flexible wire or dowel rod down the fuel filler tube will let you know if there is actually liquid gas in the tank.

If there is lots of good quality fuel in the vehicle the next step would be to listen for the fuel pump operation noise. When the key is turned on the pump should buzz like a hornet for a couple of seconds to build up system pressure of about 60 PSI.

The pump is usually energized through a relay and the oil pressure switch. Protecting against internal engine damage is the reason for this. For obvious reasons the car makers have decided to not let the engine run with no oil pressure present.

This is also a safety feature. If the automobile has been damaged in a collision the engine stalls, the oil pressure goes to 0 and the gas pump stops running automatically.
 
 

When it comes to diagnosing car problems many Diy auto mechanics will ask the same question. Where do I start?

Not only is this a good question but it will have a direct impact on the overall diagnostic time you spend solving the car problem.

automotive engine diagnosis
engine diagnosis
Automotive diagnostics begins with the procedure of problem solving. You begin with a detailed evaluation of the automobile problem.

Take a few minutes before you begin to get a complete understanding of the complaint or malfunction. Automotive diagnostics should be performed in an orderly manner and should not depend on guesswork, taking chances or even educated guessing.

Let's try an example of the above process using a common car problem. Say your vehicle has a left front marker light out. The right side works normally and comes on and off with the headlight switch. The hard facts of our situation lead us to a very logical path of diagnosis.

With the headlight switch working and the right side marker lamp coming on checking the fuses and circuit breakers would not seem to be the right first step. Also the headlight switch seems to functioning OK at this time.

In fact the most common cause of this situation would be a simple blown bulb. But let's not go to the online auto parts store for a replacement bulb just yet.
 
 

I give away my auto repair book for free to site visitors. This is a 68 page report I wrote a few years ago. Some visitors find it helpful and others may feel that it does not apply to their automobile situation. Here is an example of the latter.

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Hello Mark I started reading your free auto repair book because I don't know what to make of the car repairs that are being suggested to me.

I think I'm learning a lot about how the auto repair business is run in some places, but I'm not sure how to apply it to my current repair as I've already approved several.

I took my rebuilt car in to the closest auto service shop I could find because the car had an engine light on for a few months. The car then started stalling in the last two weeks.

But the first day not only did they suggest that the camshaft sensor be replaced to fix the stalling problem but they said the right outer tie rod end should be replaced for safety reasons.