Category: Uncategorized

Wheel alignment sounds a bit mysterious, but it really quite simply. I had orginally bought some cheap alignment plates on ebay, but that was not really that useful because there were far too many variables to get repeatable measurements. Eventually I bought the TMR alignment plates. This was sturdy and accurate, made in the USA,…

Looking back, I am surprised why these things don’t break more often given the stress they undergo. I heard a pop when making a sharp tight turn, and then one wheel was pointed in a completely different direction than the other. There was no steering control whatsoever. While this could be catastrophic at high speeds,…

My Kia has had a persisient oil leak for years, which I finally traced down to the crankshaft seal. It is a $5 part, but to get to the seal, all of the following items have to be removed: accessory belts, water pump pulley, timing belt cover (three pieces), timing belt rollers, timing belt tensioner,…

Door lock problems may appear minor, but fixing them is not easy, especially if the door is stuck in the locked position. Getting in and out of the car from the passenger side is a major pain in the rear. With the door closed, it is not possible to remove the panel to examine the…

Brake lines and corrosion seem to go hand-in-hand. Corroded brake lines will leak, which should be immediately apparent by a complete loss of hydraulic braking power, which is exactly what happened to me (luckily in a parking lot).  Replacing these lines can be problematic, mostly because they can be in difficult-to-reach locations, and the fittings…

My Kia Rio would sometimes not turn over when starting, and it would take a several attempts turning the key to get started. Even when it did turn over, the cranking power seemed pretty low, almost like it was a bad battery or a failing starter motor. After replacing the starter motor and battery and…