How to Adjust the Timing on a 4.3L

Ever since General Motors added the 4.3L to its 90-degree V6 family of engines in 1985, several models, including full-size sedans, pickups and vans were fitted with the new machine configuration. The engine saw several modifications until its final production year in 1996. Many of the early 4.3L models allow for synchronization inspection and adjustment as part of their maintenance schedule. This means that you can adjust ignition timing in your garage and restore engine performance to your 4.3L engine model in a matter of minutes.

1

Locate the adjusting timing scale above the crankshaft pulley on the front and bottom of the engine. Wipe off dirt or grease from the timing scale marks with a shop rag and trace the marks with a white marker to make the numbers and dashes more visible during timing adjustment.
2

Locate the small groove mark on the crankshaft pulley. You will find it on the edge of the pulley as it rotates right in front of the timing scale. You might need to set your transmission to "Neutral" and rotate the crankshaft pulley clockwise with a breaker bar and socket to find this mark. Once you find it, trace it with the white marker to make it more visible during the timing adjustment.
3

Drive your vehicle for about 20 minutes on the highway, to make sure the engine reaches operating temperature, and go back to your driveway. Turn off the engine, set the parking brake and block the front and rear wheels with four wooden blocks.
4

Open the hood and connect a timing light to the engine. The two cables with the alligator clip terminals on the timing light hook up to the battery. The red clip connects to the positive (+) or red battery cable and the black clip connects to the ground (black) battery cable.
5

Connect the third cable on the timing light to the spark plug wire on the No. 1 cylinder. This third cable on the timing light has a clip that fully encloses the spark plug wire. The No. 1 cylinder is the closest to the front of the engine, the side where the drive or serpentine belt is located.
6

Unplug the thin rubber hose from the distributor advance. The advance is the metal, spinning top-shaped component on one side of the distributor. The distributor is where all the spark plug wires connect. Plug the thin hose opening with a screw or golf tee. If your 4.3L model does not come equipped with this distributor advance, look for the electronic spark timing (EST) connector, a small plastic cylinder with a single wire on each side. You may find it under the floor carpet on the passenger's side or near the brake booster inside the engine compartment on the driver's side or passenger side.
7

Find the emission label on the engine compartment, a small square label with tuneup information for your specific vehicle, and find the required engine speed or RPM for the engine during timing adjustment and the number indicating the correct timing for your specific vehicle model. Otherwise, look up the information in your vehicle service manual or call your local dealer.
8

Make sure the timing light wires are out of the way of the cooling fan, drive belts or other moving parts inside the engine compartment. Start the engine and have an assistant slightly step on the accelerator, if necessary, to speed up the engine to the required RPM.
9

Activate and aim the timing light at the timing marks on the crankshaft pulley. The strobe light will let you see the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley pointing to one of the numbers on the timing scale above the pulley. If the mark is pointing to the incorrect number on the scale, go to the next step. Otherwise, go to Step 11.
10

Loosen the bolt holding the distributor base to the engine using a wrench. Ask an assistant to grab the distributor body and slightly turn the distributor left or right, so the mark on the crankshaft pulley moves to the correct number on the timing scale. Tighten the distributor-mounting bolt and double check the pulley mark is still pointing to the correct number on the scale.
11

Shut off the engine and disconnect the timing light. Connect the distributor advance or EST electrical connector. Close the hood and remove the four wooden blocks from the wheels.

How to Make Gear Knobs

The gear knob, or shift knob, is what a manual transmission car has on the top of the shifter rod. These are usually color matched to the rest of the car's interior. The gear knob is easily twisted off and replaced with an aftermarket one if you so desire. Making your own gear knob is easy, as it is only a round piece of material with a cylindrical opening on the bottom where the thread from the shifter rod can catch.

1
Turn off your vehicle and pull the emergency brake up to secure the car in its spot.
2
Twist your manual gear knob counterclockwise and pull it off. This will reveal the shifter rod thread.
3
Measure the shifter rod's top and drill a vertical recess into the material you want to make the shifter knob out of with the same diameter of the top of the shifter rod. This can be wood, plastic or any other rigid material.
4
Insert the plastic cylinder insert into the recess you made previously. This will act as the thread. As you turn the new shift knob onto the shifter rod, the threads from the rod will make threads in the plastic, holding it securely.
5
Twist the gear knob onto the shifter rod clockwise to tighten it onto your vehicle.

How to Repair & Shape Car Fenders

A fender is the metal part of a car above the front wheels. Because of its location, a fender is often the first thing that sustains damage in an accident. Fixing a dented fender is a challenging task, but rewarding at the same time as it can be very costly to fix the damage through a professional (See Reference 1). Even if you have never done anything like this before you will find that repairing a fender is easier than you think.

1
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Jack up the front of your car. Remove the front wheel where the fender is damaged.
2

Remove all the bolts that hold the fender to the car's body using a wrench. Sometimes you find that the bolts are hidden between the door and the fender or you can only reach the bolts behind the lights.
3

Remove the fender using the suction cups (See Reference 1).
4

Place the fender on the ground or a large table. Straighten or pound out the surface utilizing a rubber hammer (See Reference 1).
5
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Remove all paint and rust by going over the fender's surface with an angle grinder (See Reference 2). Be careful not to cut into the surface of the fender. Sand the surface of the fender using the 100-grit sandpaper. To avoid injury, wear protective goggles and gloves.
6
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Spray paint over the surface of the fender and polish the paint using the buffer. Use paint that closely matches the original color of your car. For safety precautions, you will need to wear a face mask.
7

Replace the fender onto the car's body using the suction pump. Screw the bolts back on using the wrench.

How to Repair a Car Radiator Leak

A radiator is an essential part of an automobile's liquid cooling system that must function properly to prevent the engine from overheating. A leaky radiator can lead to a costly mechanical meltdown, so it's important to discover and repair this problem as soon as possible.

1
Look for signs of coolant leakage on the garage floor, driveway or ground under your vehicle.
2
Check the level of coolant in the overflow reservoir or inside the radiator by removing the radiator cap. The engine must be cool before the radiator cap can be safely removed. If the coolant level in the overflow reservoir or radiator is unusually low, odds are good that you have a leaky car radiator.
3
Inspect the radiator to find where it is leaking. There may be an obvious hole or other defect that is easy to spot, such as deposits of coolant and an orange or green discoloration.
4
Remove the radiator for further testing if the leak cannot be found.
5
Use a radiator pressure test kit to fill the radiator with the amount of air specified by the radiator cap. Submerge the radiator in a tank of water and watch for escaping air bubbles. The source of these bubbles is the leak that must be repaired.
6
Pour the stop-leak additive into the radiator to fix small leaks, following the instructions on the product label.
7
Use a soldering iron to patch larger defects in radiators made of copper and brass, which are frequently found in older models. An epoxy gun may do the trick for the aluminum radiators in newer vehicles.
8
Refill the vehicle's cooling system after the radiator leak is repaired.

How to Disconnect a Car Battery

Car batteries are 12V current and filled with corrosive acid that eats clothing and burns skin; therefore, you need to use caution when handling these batteries. Before you even begin to disconnect your battery, you should have a pair of safety goggles and a pair of long-sleeved rubber gloves to wear to protect yourself. Battery acid burns to the eyes are not only painful, but extremely serious, warranting a trip to the emergency room.

Ascertaining Negative and Positive
1
Look for the symbols you need to know. The positive terminal will either say POS or will show a positive symbol (+); the negative terminal will read NEG or show a negative symbol (-). Green and white ashy substances on and around the terminals and wires are corrosion and must be removed before proceeding to the next step. To remove corrosion, mix a solution of baking soda and water and pour over both terminal ends. The mixture will fizz and bubble and this is normal. Repeat this until both terminals look cleaned up. Wipe up mess around the terminals with a paper towel and discard in the trash.
2
Pick up the 1/2-inch wrench and place it on Unscrew the nut at the side of the negative terminal by turning it with a 1/2-inch wrench. When the terminal loosens enough to remove it from the negative post, stop and twist off the terminal without removing the nut all the way. This prevents losing the nut.
3
Repeat Step 2 on the positive terminal after you have lifted the negative terminal off the negative post. Be extra careful not to let the positive terminal touch any metal part of the car. When both posts of the battery are free of terminal ends, pour more baking soda mixture on those posts and scrub them with a wire brush until shiny. This will make a good contact and ensure proper starting abilities. Next use a wire brush to clean inside and on top of each terminal end to ensure good contact with posts when placed back on.

How to Fix a Power Steering Leak

The power-steering system on your car operates under high pressure, making leaks a common problem. To find and fix a leak, you need to inspect several points between the steering pump and steering-gear assembly. On most steering systems, you can follow specific procedures to solve the problem.

1
Park your car in a safe place and open the hood.
2
Find the power steering system on your vehicle by following the part of the steering column assembly that goes through the firewall (the engine compartment wall on the windshield side of your car). Follow the components connected to the steering column all the way to the wheel assemblies and hoses connected to the power steering pump and reservoir.
3
Clean wet and dirty components around the steering system, using shop rags if the leak source is not readily apparent.
4
Start the engine, and rotate the steering wheel all the way from left to right several times to increase system pressure.
5
Turn off the engine and inspect the system from the engine compartment, using a flashlight if necessary. In some cases, you might have to wait a day or two for the leak to reveal itself.
6
Look for possible cracks around the power steering pump. If you find fluid around the pump case, the case is damaged and should be replaced. Some pumps are equipped with internal seals that may be replaced when necessary. Also, look around the reservoir and make sure it is in good condition; a cracked reservoir needs to be replaced as well.
7
Make sure the fittings around the hoses are tight. Tighten clamps using a Phillips screwdriver or ratchet and socket, depending on the type of fitting or clamp used in your system.
8
Check along the hoses for cuts. If possible, run your fingers along the length of the hose to find hidden wet spots. A hose leaking somewhere along the middle will have to be replaced. If the cut is close to the end of the hose, you might be able to cut off the damaged part and reconnect the hose to the component.
9
Check metal lines connecting the steering-gear assembly to other components. A ruptured metal line needs to be replaced.
10
Inspect the rubber boots between the ends of the steering-gear assembly and the arms linking the assembly to the wheels. If fluid is leaking at either end, seals at the ends of the steering-gear assembly will need to be replaced.
11
Raise the front end of the vehicle with a floor jack and support it on jack stands. Inspect the steering-gear assembly closely.

How to Repair Cracks in a Dashboard

Often cheap vinyl fill and color repair kits don't adhere well to the edges of those ugly dashboard cracks, allowing the crack to spread further. If you want to preserve your car dashboard, silicone caulking is a great alternative, as it remains flexible over time, yet is strong enough to stick to the edges of dashboard cracks as they expand and contract. Even better, this form of dashboard crack repair is fast, easy and inexpensive. Read on to learn how to repair cracks in a dashboard

Instructions
Things You'll Need:

* Utility knife
* Painters' tape
* Silicone caulking
* Vinyl paint


1. Use a utility knife to "V" cut the crack slightly. Be careful not to cut too much, shave away just enough to form a "V" shape, to allow easy application of the silicone caulking.

2.Clean well both inside and outside of the crack, removing all dust and loose particles. Allow the area to dry well before proceeding.

3. Mask either side of the crack with painters tape to keep the caulking in the opening and not on the good vinyl dashboard. Silicone caulking dries clear, but shiny.

4.Apply the silicone caulking into the crack and allow it to dry for 10 to 15 minutes, before removing the tape. If the crack is small, simply remove the tape and allow the silicone to dry. If the crack is larger, you can choose to texture the silicone using the texturizing portion of a vinyl repair kit. It is best to texture before removing the tape, however you must texture within 10 to 15 minutes, before the silicone dries too much to take the texture.

5.Paint larger cracks in your dashboard with motor car vinyl paint to reduce visibility. Allow the silicone to dry at least two hours before painting.