Brakes?

So, Connor was supposed to do a brake write up Tuesday. Yea...

-G-

How to Improve MPG

Hey everyone. This time I'm going to be giving you 5 helpful tips to getting better mileage.

1. Keep your maintenance up to date. A clean engine will run better on less than a dirty one.

2. If you drive an older car, get regular tune ups. This is only necessary if your car has a carburetor. Most modern computer controlled cars don't need this.

3. Keep tires inflated to the recommended pressure. This reduces drag.

4. Clean out the inside of your car. The more weight you haul around, the more energy it takes to move.

5. Rev limit. Keep RPMs low to use only the power and fuel you need.

Or just get you one of these:

Don't forget to comment and follow us. I need something to do. Connor won't stop listening to Bieber!

-G- 

Road Trip Prep

Hey everyone. My friends and I have been talking a lot about going on a couple of road trips once the weather warms up a bit. The best thing you can do to make sure everyone doesn't get miserable on the trip is to ensure that you won't have a breakdown. Here's a list to help prep your car for your next road trip.
1. Check the fluid levels in your car. If they seem low top them off. If you haven't changed the oil recently and it's coming up on time to change it, go ahead and do it. Bring extra fluids if your car is prone to leaks.

2. Check your tire pressure and tire wear. If there are excessive cracks or tread wear, it's probably time to replace them. This goes for the spare too.

3. Make sure all lights function as intended. There's no reason to get pulled over for a tail light being out.

4. Check safety equipment. This could be a first aid kit in the trunk, wiper blades, the jack, etc.

From here on out it get's optional, but recommended.

5. If you're taking a classic car, bring spare parts. They could save your bacon.

6. Don't take 500+ hp muscle cars. They'll overheat.

7. Flush the cooling system if you do take a classic.

8. If you have an option to bring one of multiple classics on a road trip go with the lighter one. A Nova will be easier to push than a Cadillac.

9. Never Cannonball to your destination unless you can get there in 18 hours. You could get into a sleep deprived accident, get killed, or at the very least hate your life by the time you get there.

10. If travelling with friends or family, bring snacks. People tend to be a lot less annoying with a fist full of Gardetto's or jerky in their gob.

Hopefully this will help you plan your next road trip. As always, don't forget to comment and follow us. And at some point Connor will post again.

-G-

Sorry guys

He everyone. I'm having to study for class and I'm sick today. Connor has tons of stuff he's working on so we will be back in full swing tomorrow with a new Cutting Edge. Sorry for any disappointment.

-G-

Fuel Additives

Hello guys and gals. I get asked by a lot of my friends if fuel additives really do anything to help your car. So today we're going to be going over some of the fuel additives that I think work and some that I think are complete snake oil.
There are a lot of different additives out there, but some of the biggest cons are products like octane booster. That is the one of the products I have the most hatred for. They claim to boost the octane level of your gas and they convince you that it will boost it by a large percent. In reality the marketing boys just sold you on a product that may only raise the octane rating by .001. The only products that I have found that work are all simply detergents. There are three that I use frequently.
The first one is a fuel additive called RxP. It's usually at the front counter of parts stores and is about $7 a bottle. What it is, is an engine decarbonizer. That means it cleans the carbon out of anywhere fuel goes, mainly in the combustion chamber. This is great for routine use in older cars which have a lot of carbon buildup from all the little explosions in the cylinders over however many thousands of miles. All of the cars, that run, at my house have this on their last tanks before an oil change simply because they're pretty clean and I don't want old carbon floating around in the oil.
The second one is a similar product RxP. This product is Chevron fuel treatment and says Techron right across the label. It's a bigger bottle than RxP and It's practically the same stuff but it might be a little more diluted per ounce. Think of it as putting almost 5 bottles of RxP in your tank but you get about the same result as putting one in. It actually costs about $1 more than RxP. Personally, I like RxP better but it's completely up to you which one you get. Each seems to work about as well as the other.
The last one I'm going to talk about is my personal favorite. It's called Sea Foam. Most people have heard about it by now and if not, YouTube search it. When I say it's a fuel additive I mean it can be used as one. Most times it works the best if you take the vacuum line of the brake booster and let it atomize in there. It deep cleans all the crap out of your engine and when you start it you see it working. Most of it is water which makes it steam up and look like you just blew every valve seat and piston ring when you're going down the road. Every time I use it the car runs way better. I highly recommend Sea Foam.
Be careful what you put in your tank. These three products are great but many are just cons and will either do nothing and make you burn money or potentially do damage to your engine over time.

Don't forget to comment and follow us! We will be happy to answer any questions you have to the best of our abilities. Besides, I don't think Connor has enough to do.

-G-

Part numbers for these products:
RxP: UPC: 723553002146
Chevron: UPC: 23968677404
Sea Foam: UPC: 18812000019

Email Change

Hello all! To avoid compromising our personal accounts, settings have been changed and buttons have been pushed and whatnot. If you want to get a hold of us, by all means do! You still can, but we ask that you use the email thrownrodsblog@gmail.com and not our personal emails. We will not respond to you otherwise, or will respond requesting you email the correct address.
Thank you for your cooperation!
-C-

Oil Change

Change your own oil to save money in college

Post By: Griffin West

1/28/2014

Image Source: http://www.bronsautomotive.com/services/oil-changes/

Before we get into engine swaps and suspension builds we’ll start with something everyone should be able to do if they want. General maintenance is vital for any car you own, so the next few Tech Tuesdays will spotlight some of the ways you can keep your ride running right and maybe even save a buck or two in the process.

Jack stand (left) and car ramp (right). Source: www.discountramps.com

The first thing you want to make sure of before you do work on anything car related is safety. If your car has to be raised to gain access to the oil drain and filter, use car ramps or jack stands. if you’re using ramps place them so that the wheels are centered on them. If you’re using jack stands place them so that the frame of the car will rest on them and it is a good idea to leave in place the hydraulic jack you used to lift the car and keep tension on it. In both cases put the car in park or top gear and set the parking brake.

Image Source: www.4x4review.com

Now that safety is out of the way we can get into the real reason you came here. before draining the oil it’s a good idea to put down an oil mat to soak anything up that might drip. This keeps your work area cleaner for later use, and is good for the environment. Next, let the engine run for about two to three minutes, this may have been done when you put the car on ramps or moved it to your work area, that way all of the carbon and other junk in the bottom of the oil pan gets suspended in the oil and will come out when you drain it. This will ensure longer life for the fresh oil you’re about to put in.

Source: www.mbzponton.org

Place your oil bucket below the drain and remove the drain plug. Always use a socket and ratchet wrench or box end wrench for this. Monkey wrenches have a tendency to round the heads off bolts so it’s better not to take the risk. Let it drain completely or as completely as you can and replace the bolt and tighten it.

One of many different kinds of oil filter wrenches (Source: www.oreillyauto.com)

Move the oil bucket under the oil filter and loosen the oil filter. It may be stuck on tight but not to worry, there’s an app for that! Or rather, a tool. The oil filter wrench that I use can be bought at O’Reilly’s for $12.49 (PN 19401) and it works great. Carefully set the oil filter on the edge of your bucket to drain and move the bucket out of the way.

Pretty standard looking filter (Source: auto.howstuffworks.com)

It’s now time to put on the new filter. Allow me to digress for a moment. I usually use a NAPA Gold filter or WIX, they’re the same thing. And for oil I use Mobil1 full synthetic in new cars, or that and a zinc additive in classics. Definitely make sure you get the right oil. The wrong stuff can damage your engine. Anyhow, one thing I do to make sure the engine is properly oiled from start-up is put as much oil in the filter as you can without it dripping out before installing it. This makes it so that the oil pump gets oil immediately. Another good idea is to put a thin film of oil around the rubber seal on the filter. This will prevent leaks by keeping moisture in the rubber. Install your filter and make sure it’s tight. I forgot to tighten one once and it coated everything within 40 feet with a film of 30 weight. You’re now ready to add the fresh oil. Check the drain plug once more and start putting in as much as the owners manual says it takes.

Start the car. If you have an oil pressure gauge look to see that the pump is producing pressure. If your car doesn’t have one listen for engine rattles. If it makes no pressure or rattles after 3 to 5 seconds shut it off.

Check for leaks while its running. If there are any shut it down tighten whatever is leaking and check for them again.

Now take your car off of ramps or jacks and clean up your tools and work area. Most part stores will take used oil and recycle it. Just make sure there is no water in the oil. If there is take it to AutoZone. They don’t give a damn.





  *Editors note: Hey, it's Connor. Just want to apologize for the formatting on this one. I'll try to come back to fix it later and make it easier to read. Blogger is being a pain in my ass with the images though.

Here ya go

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