Cars Simplified

Some early automotive designs didn’t use water pumps to move coolant around, and instead counted on a clever design to keep coolant flowing! Thermosyphon systems may not be made any more, but their basic design serves as a great introduction to cooling system function!

Your fuse box contains more than just fuses! It is a hub of protection for your vehicle and protects most of the electronic components in it in the event of a fault. What Does a Fuse Do? Fuses protect circuits and fail when amperage gets too high, so you can replace an easy-to-access and inexpensive fuse rather than whatever expensive part it was protecting!

Replacing a shifter knob and bezel can not only improve the look of your JK Wrangler, it also gives you a more solid shifter feel, since the stock shift knob gets loose quickly due to the way it is attached without threads. That also makes removing the shift knob tricky, which is shown in both the instructional video and this outtakes video: Normally the outtakes are a fan exclusive, but there were a lot of them this time, so we’re sharing them with everyone this time!

OBD 2, which stands for the second iteration of On Board Diagnostics, standardized the plug and codes that the first OBD systems used, so that one scan tool connector would attach to any make/model, and the codes would all have the same number, description, and meaning. It was a super helpful change for DIY users, because one scan tool would be able to scan any of their cars made after 1996, no mater who made the car!

Dex-Cool is the type of antifreeze most General Motors cars have used since the 1996 model year, and altered the original coolant formula to extend the lifespan of the coolant. At least, that was the plan… While Dex-Cool wasn't the first coolant to stray from the traditional formulation, it did greatly help push other manufacturers to switch to modern formulations. Between 1996 and 2005, most manufacturers made a coolant formula switch.

So you’re upgrading your brake light bulbs to LEDs, and your vehicle has red lenses as most do. Is there a difference between buying an LED that emits a white light or a red light? What about reverse lights; do you want the light to be aimed straight out, or reflect off of the lenses in the assembly?

While enjoying a sugary treat is the fun intention of the day, I like to take the day to remind people to check on the less tasty donut in their car, and I’m not referring to the one you lost in under the seat a year ago. But since we are mentioning it, you really should clean that up, too.

Recently, Steve flushed the power steering system in his GTO, and decided to go with DEXRON VI instead of the DEXRON III it calls for. In this video, Steve gives a little history on DEXRON fluids, and then talks about how the new power steering fluid is working out.

While many people on this site probably want a lower vehicle, they probably all know people that don’t, and/or have a daily driver that remains unmodified. If a car needs to be at stock height, this video will explain how to see if the height you have is correct, and how to discover the source of the issue.

You may have been recommended bulb grease by the parts counter guy, and you probably turned it down. Here is what protection you are missing out on!

Have you ever seen a smaller spark plug? Do you have an engine that uses one this small?

I feel like most people on Car Throttle will know this already, but it’s the first episode of Season Two. Looking forward to covering more advanced topics! Have any requests?