For U Solution

You can adjust the parking brake on your Chevy Lumina right from your home garage, saving yourself time and money. The parking brake can be adjusted from inside the vehicles center console. You just need a couple of tools from your local auto parts retailer and about a half hour of time to get the job done. You will know its time to adjust the parking brake if your vehicle starts to move while parked on a downhill slope with the parking brake set.

Accessing the Parking Brake Cable

Release the parking brake lever. Locate the two screws on either side of the center console cover between the driver and front passengers seats. Pull up on the release lever and remove the screws on the console with a screwdriver. Pull straight up on the console cover to remove it.

Adjusting the Parking Brake Cable

Locate the two nuts on the parking brake cable. Turn the nuts in a clockwise direction with a wrench to tighten the cable. This adjusts the parking brake.

Finishing Up

Put the console cover back into place and tighten the screws with the screwdriver. Pull up on the parking brake lever. It should pull up a maximum of six clicks or less.

Restoring an old car involves cleaning and repairing every area of the vehicle, including the steering wheel. Vintage steering wheels feature a metal or plastic wheel with a plastic, vinyl or leather covering. Steering wheels go through a lot of wear and tear from routine use, which results in cracks, scratches and other damage to the outer covering. Restoring your old vintage steering wheel repairs those cracks, making the wheel look new again.

Instructions

1

Remove the steering wheel, and place on a flat surface covered with old newspaper. Open the epoxy, and mix the two parts, following the manufacturers recommendations. Dip the craft stick into the mixture, and smooth over any scratches, dings or chips on the wheel.

2

Rub the epoxy areas with 100-grit sandpaper, once the epoxy cures for at least 24 hours. Smooth the edges of the epoxy, before moving to the 220-grit sandpaper. Use the higher grits until the epoxy sits flush and even with the steering wheel.

3

Turn the steering wheel over in your hands, looking for any imperfections on the wheel. Cover those areas with a thin layer of auto primer. Once the primer dries, lightly sand the surface with 220-grit sandpaper, creating a smooth surface.

4

Paint the repaired areas of the steering wheel with auto paint or epoxy paint. Lightly feather out the edges of the paint with your fingers, making the new paint blend with the original color of the cover on the steering wheel.

5

Dip a piece of aluminum foil in distilled white vinegar, and rub it briskly across any chrome or metal decorations on the steering wheel. The combination removes any rust, pitting or other damage on the chrome and gives the steering wheel its naturally bright and shiny appearance.

The correct procedure for setting the fork oil level on any FLH, including the FLHX, is arcane. You put the right amount of oil in and then, using a special tool that looks like a bicycle pump, you take just a little bit out. Worse, the tool is sold only by Harley-Davidson. When a clever service writer really wants to snooker you he will tell you something to the effect of your right fork taking 11.2 ounces of oil but your left only taking 11.1. The numbers he gives you are the product of the arcane official Harley procedure, not any mechanical difference between your forks.

Instructions

1

Measure 11.2 fluid ounces, which is 300 milliliters, of Harley Davidson fork oil or the equivalent into a measuring cup. Pour the fork oil into the top of a dry FLH fork from which you have removed both the fork cap bolt and the fork tube plug but not the fork spring.

2

Push the fork tube into the slider several times to remove trapped air from the fork tube.

3

Loosen the metal set ring on the front fork oil level gauge by loosening the thumbscrew. Measure 125 millimeters from the end of the oil level gauge tube with a metric ruler.

4

Adjust the metal ring on the front fork oil level gauge so that the bottom of the ring is exactly 125 millimeters from the end of the gauge tube. Tighten the thumbscrew.

5

Push the fork oil level gauge handle all the way into the gauge. Set the metal ring on top of the fork and insert the gauge tube into the fork.

6

Pull the fork oil level gauge all the way up to suck out any excess oil in the fork tube. Expel the excess oil into a drain pan and repeat the process for the other fork tube.

Its not difficult to replace the pump for a 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. In fact, replacing a pump should a priority since a deteriorating pump is generally the root of poor fuel economy and lackluster vehicle performance. The Monte Carlos engine wont even operate if the pump isnt working. The pump located inside the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo is accessed through a panel in the trunk.

Instructions

1

Use the socket wrench to remove and take out the fuel pump relay. Its attached on the engine compartments right side near the fuse panel. Turn on the engine. Let it run until it stops so that the fuel pressure will be relieved.

2

Take out the trunk liner. Remove the cars spare tire. Youll now see the cars access panel which will allow you to access the pump. Take of the bolts which hold the pump in place. Take off the panel.

3

Inspect the pump assembly. Clean out any dirt or debris from around it. Unsnap the fittings which keep the lines in their place. Disconnect the electrical connector. Unlatch and remove the large ring which holds the pump assembly.

4

Take off the pump assembly. Replace it with the new one. Put the latch back into its original place. Carefully plug the electrical connector back in. Put the spare tire back in and reinstall the access panel.

The shock absorber springs on a motorcycle have nothing to do with lowering the seat height, which is what riders are usually trying to accomplish by lowering the rear end. Some motorcycle shock absorbers have visible springs encasing the damper tubes, and some have only damper tubes. Whatever the brand, model or year of your motorcycle, it came with shock absorbers that are exactly the length your bikes manufacturer recommends. And, regardless of the bike, shock absorbers sold as "under standard length" in 1/2-inch increments are readily available. Just install a set of shock absorbers that are 1 inch under standard length.

Instructions

1

Raise the motorcycle to be fully upright and level by either placing the front wheel of the bike in a motorcycle chock, clamping the front wheel in a motorcycle vise on a motorcycle lift, or slightly raising the bike on a motorcycle jack.

2

Remove the lower then the upper shock absorber mounting bolts on the right-side shock, using a standard or metric hex socket, Torx socket or Allen socket and a socket wrench. The socket you will use depends on the manufacturer, model and year of your motorcycle.

3

Remove the right-side shock absorber. Unfasten the same four bolts on the left side of the motorcycle and remove the left shock absorber.

4

Clean the bolts, nuts and washers you remove with a rag and light oil. Apply a few drops of thread locker to the old bolts.

5

Replace the old shock absorbers with new, shorter shock absorbers on both sides of the motorcycle using the old bolts, washers and nuts.

6

Remove the bike from the chock, motorcycle vise or motorcycle jack.

7

Sit in the saddle. Bounce up and down. Ensure the shocks work properly.

Hydraulic relief valves limit the maximum system pressure to protect system components. The valves also limit the maximum output force of the hydraulic system. Although they have a number of variations, all valves work by balancing the hydraulic force with an adjustable spring force. Heat is created whenever the relief valve opens in response to a predetermined pressure. A correctly adjusted relief valve will enable the system to operate as designed while controlling the amount of heat generated.

Instructions

1

Refer to the machine drawings to determine which circuit requires adjustment. Locate the relief valve for the circuit. Relief valves are always piped in parallel to the pump and are normally as close to the pump as possible.

2

Locate and remove the hydraulic hose or hoses on the system side of the relief valve. Cap off the hose and valve with the correct JIC caps or plugs as required. Do not cap off the return or tank side of the relief valve. Capping off or plugging unused hoses and fittings prevents the loss of hydraulic fluid and the introduction of contaminates into the system. Using any other method of capping or plugging a hose other than with the proper JIC plug or cap is unsafe and should never be attempted. This deadheads the hydraulic circuit in order to isolate the system to just the pump and relief valve.

3

Connect a 5,000 psi pressure gauge between the relief valve and the pump. Most equipment will have a port already installed for this purpose. If no port is already installed, then use the correct adapter to install the gauge.

4

Loosen the pressure relief valve adjustment all the way out. The relief valve will normally have a locking hex nut and either an Allen head adjuster or hand wheel adjuster. Start the equipment and activate the hydraulic circuit. The pressure reading on the gauge should be close to zero.

5

Adjust the relief valve by turning the adjuster clockwise until the reading on the gauge builds to the pressure indicated on the machine drawings. This is what is known as the valve "cracking" pressure, which is the pressure at which the relief valve starts to open. Tighten the adjuster lock nut securely, being careful not to disturb the valve setting.

6

Shut down the machinery and allow the pressure to bleed off. Remove the JIC plugs and caps, and reconnect any hoses that were removed in Step 2. Start the machinery, and test the relief valve by actuating the circuit. The pressure reading on the circuit should not at any time rise above the pressure that was set on the relief valve.

Your vehicles exhaust noise is determine by the engine size, engine type, exhaust piping, muffler and muffler location. The engines combustion gases are ported out the exhaust manifold through pipes into the catalytic converter (if installed), then through the muffler and finally escaping through the tailpipe. The largest contributor to your exhausts sound profile is the muffler. Mufflers that dampen the sound may have multiple chambers and baffles that reflect and absorb sound waves. Mufflers with straight-through designs allow much of the exhaust sound to pass through to the tailpipe.

Sound-Dampening the Cabin

Muffler sound, which is felt and heard in the cabin, can be controlled by installing sound-dampening material. Mats of sound-dampening material should be placed under the carpet, against metal surfaces and in the walls of the doors to reduce vibration.

Muffler Change

Exchanging a muffler for a different style will allow you to alter the exhaust sound profile. For increased sound and resonance, glass packs, straight pipes and mufflers without chambers should be installed. For reduced sound, consider mufflers with sound-dampening baffles and chambers. Increases in pipe size (which will increase the volume of noise) can also be considered when changing the muffler system. Pipe sizes different from stock size should be investigated to determine the effect on engine performance.

Exhaust Tips

Tips that are lined with fiberglass or sound-dampening layers of material are referred to as "resonated tips." Resonated exhaust tips are installed on the tailpipe and reduce the amount of noise the exhaust system produces at the tip.

Tip shapes and styles (such as flared, beveled, dual-walled, and diameter-changing tips) may also affect the loudness of the exhaust and the tone.

Sound-Dampening Exhaust Wrap

To dampen the vibration and resulting escape of sound waves from the exhaust system, consider installing high-temperature exhaust wrap on the exhaust pipes and muffler. The wrap may also be insulating, reducing the overall temperature transferred to the vehicle. Use caution when installing exhaust wrap as moisture collection may result in accelerated decay of the underlying metals.