Copyright 2008 - 2009 by Andrew Mackinnon.  All rights reserved.

• The label on the underside of the front of the bonnet of your vehicle titled, ‘Vehicle Emission Control Information’, records details about the engine in your vehicle and its tune-up specifications which can relied upon, such as spark plug gap, ignition timing and idle speed, provided that the engine in the vehicle is the original, factory-fitted engine or one identical to it (such as a reconditioned engine of the same type).  The specifications for the vehicle’s engine on this label under the bonnet will generally be consistent with the specifications for the engine in the owner’s manual for the vehicle.  However, due to the fact that some vehicle models are available with different types of engines, the specifications for the engine in the owner’s manual for the vehicle can sometimes differ from those on the Vehicle Emission Control Information label.  If they do differ, it is the specifications on the Vehicle Emission Control Information label that should be relied upon, because those specifications relate directly to the engine mounted in the vehicle, provided that the engine in the vehicle is the original factory-fitted engine or one identical to it (such as a reconditioned engine of the same type).

• Obtain a high-quality workshop manual specific to your vehicle which provides detailed information on the procedures for maintaining and repairing your specific vehicle.  This can be obtained from your local automotive parts shop and generally provides more detailed information than can be found in the owner’s manual which came with your vehicle.  The owner’s manual generally doesn’t provide highly detailed information on workshop-oriented car maintenance and repair procedures.  A workshop manual such as this, written with the home mechanic in mind, will enable you to see clearly what is the most advantageous way for you to maintain and repair your vehicle by outlining all the different routine car maintenance procedures and non-routine repair procedures required for the different systems and parts of your vehicle.  The car maintenance schedule in a workshop manual is usually highly comprehensive and will lead to a highly-reliable motor vehicle if the advice and instructions in that schedule are followed.
  
  It is worth obtaining a workshop manual even if you don’t intend to do any repair work on the vehicle yourself.  By having the workshop manual on-hand as a reference, you will be able to better diagnose what the problem is if something goes wrong with your car.  This will enable you to better ensure that the mechanic to whom you take your car for repair doesn’t do unnecessary work on your vehicle.  The workshop manual will also help with your on-going familiarisation of how your vehicle works as it can be readily used as a reference book depending on what you need to find out about at any particular time.
  
  If you want to safeguard the workshop manual you obtain from quickly becoming dog-eared and worn with use (often being handled around oily or greasy car parts), it is a good idea to cover it with clear, adhesive, plastic covering.

• If you work on your vehicle yourself, it is a really good idea to only use six-point sockets wherever possible when unfastening bolts or nuts, rather than twelve-point sockets which can tend to slip and round the heads of the bolts or nuts (ie. damage the heads by knocking the edges off), making them more difficult to unfasten the next time around.  A six-point socket has six corners inside the open face of the socket and can be placed on the same-sized bolt or nut in six different rotational positions.  A twelve-point socket has twelve corners inside the open face of the socket and can be placed on the same-sized bolt or nut in twelve different rotational positions.  A set of 3/8 inch drive and 1/2 inch drive six-point sockets of adequate quality should be available inexpensively from your local automotive parts shop or tool outlet.

• Replace bolts or nuts on the vehicle with rounded heads or other damage as you come across them.  Bolts or nuts with rounded heads are difficult and problematic to unfasten, requiring a lot of time and causing a lot of irritation for you or your mechanic.  It really is best to never put a bolt or nut with a rounded head back in its same position but rather to replace it with a new, genuine bolt or nut if available.  (If a bolt or nut is not available as a genuine part, some companies specialise in providing a range of bolts or nuts to match.  It is simply a matter of taking the damaged bolt or nut to the company so that they can match it.  Having done this, it’s best to keep the damaged bolt or nut in a labelled snap-lock bag so that other matching bolts or nuts can be purchased in the future if required.)

• One of the biggest obstacles facing people who are new to car maintenance or working on cars is that they tend to over-tighten fasteners like bolts and nuts.  This is understandable since they have a correct perception that it is important that the bolts or nuts don’t come loose and threaten the safety of the vehicle.  (This is certainly the case with wheel nuts.)  However fasteners generally don’t have to be tightened as much as is thought.  Obtaining a torque wrench and learning to observe the torques specified in the owner’s manual and other manuals such as a workshop manual for the vehicle will assist in developing a correct understanding of how tight fasteners need to be.
  
  A torque wrench is a socket wrench that allows you to select what torque you want to apply when you tighten a fastener such as a bolt or nut.  Torque is mostly measured in Newton metres or foot pounds.  The higher the torque, the tighter the fastener will be tightened.  You select the torque you want to apply on the torque wrench and proceed to tighten the fastener.  When you hear the torque wrench produce an audible ‘click’, you know that the fastener has been tightened to the torque you specified.
  
  Personally, I always use a torque wrench on a fastener like a bolt or nut when there is a torque specified in the workshop manual for that fastener.  It eliminates guesswork.  Where no torque is specified for a particular bolt, there is generally information available in the workshop manual to specify what torque should be used on bolts of different diameters.  (It is worthwhile obtaining a pair of inexpensive, plastic vernier calipers from your local automotive parts shop or from your local hardware store in order to accurately measure the diameters of different bolts.)
  
  It is important, however, to be aware when tightening bolts or nuts that have a rubber washer or bush underneath the head of the bolt or the nut, that even if a torque is specified and a torque wrench is used, the torque wrench will often fail to ‘click’ at the right torque due to the rubber washer or bush compressing as the bolt or nut is tightened.  The result is usually a snapped bolt or stud due to over-tightening.  (It makes a really loud noise when it snaps, like a bomb going off!)  Having had this happen to me a couple of times, I have learnt my lesson.  Although it is quite exciting to snap a bolt, it is best avoided.
  
  A snapped bolt needs to be removed from the place into which it is screwed in using a screw extractor.  You drill a hole into the face of the snapped bolt which matches the size of the screw extractor you are using.  You then screw the screw extractor into the bolt in an anti-clockwise direction since the thread on the screw extractor is a reverse thread.  After the screw extractor is tightly inserted into the bolt, you keep turning anti-clockwise so that the actual bolt itself begins to unscrew and until the bolt is removed.

• If you work on your vehicle yourself, it’s a really good idea to get into the habit of scoping out the work that needs to be done fully before commencing the work so that you even have a clear idea of which bolts or nuts (with rounded heads) or other parts will need to be replaced during the course of the work.  While it will not always be possible to anticipate every part that needs to be replaced, some time spent thoroughly scoping out the work, making some notes on parts required and obtaining those parts will go a long way to saving time when you commence the work and will ensure a higher-quality outcome.

• It’s a really good idea to obtain some clear, stackable, plastic cartons which have their lids held closed by the handles (for protection from dust) in which to store parts and consumables associated with your vehicle.  They cost about $10 each from a bulk, warehouse-type retailer and are an enormous help for keeping organised, whether or not you have a garage.  Following are the cartons that I use to store items associated with my vehicle:
  
  
  • Carton labelled ‘Motor Vehicle – Consumables’:
    Contains consumables such as all-purpose grease, silicon lubricant for rubber window tracks, upholstery shampoo and stain removers, brake cleaner, spare plastic funnels, engine oil, coolant, automatic transmission fluid et cetera.  (The cartons I use are not high enough to store engine oil and coolant (that I purchase in tall 5L containers) with the lid on properly so I put this carton at the top of the stack of cartons and put the lid on loosely as protection from dust.)
  
  
  
  • Carton labelled ‘Motor Vehicle – Spare Parts’:
    Contains spare oil filters that I purchased in bulk on ebay, a spare rocker cover gasket that I didn’t end up using, spare vacuum hose, damaged original bolts that have come off the vehicle that have since been replaced with non-genuine matching bolts (due to lack of availability of genuine matching bolts), spray paint to match the vehicle’s colour et cetera.
  
  
  
  • Carton labelled ‘Motor Vehicle – Tools’:
    Contains fragile automotive tools such as torque wrenches, and miscellaneous automotive tools such as brake dust mask, brake caliper piston depressing tool, brake bleeding kit, battery charger, timing light, soldering iron et cetera.  Tools such as the brake system related tools which can become contaminated with brake dust or brake fluid should be stored in snap-lock bags to ensure that the other tools in the carton are not contaminated by brake dust or brake fluid.  This keeps everything in the carton tidy and orderly.
  
  
  
  • Carton labelled ‘Motor Vehicle – Parts for Pending Work’:
    Contains parts being collected for specific, upcoming work on the vehicle.  My carton currently contains rear brake hoses, brake shoes and wheel cylinders for an upcoming overhaul of the rear drum brakes, an oxygen sensor, as well as other miscellaneous parts relating to different aspects of the vehicle.

• It is critically important to check what the correct specification is for each type of fluid in your vehicle (ie. engine oil, coolant, automatic transmission fluid or manual transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake fluid and power steering fluid) by reading the owner’s manual that came with your vehicle and then choosing a brand and type of fluid that corresponds with the specification for each type of fluid.
  
  Always choose the highest-quality brand and type of fluid that you possibly can.  It will pay big dividends because it will give your vehicle the best possible protection.
  
  It is quite useful to make a list of the correct specification of each type of fluid in your vehicle, together with the brand and type of fluid that you decide to use for each type of fluid.  If you keep this list on-hand with you in a place such as in your PDA (personal digital assistant such as PalmPilot or BlackBerry), you can refer to it whenever you need to.

• Do not mix brands or types of fluid in your vehicle in relation to engine oil, coolant, automatic transmission fluid or manual transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake fluid or power steering fluid.  Once you decide upon a certain brand and type of fluid for a certain aspect of your vehicle such as engine oil, only use that brand and type of fluid.  If you decide to change the brand or type of fluid used, it really is best to drain off all of the existing fluid and even use a flush in the case of engine oil and coolant, before changing to another brand or type of fluid.
  
  It’s simply not good practice to mix brands or types of fluid in your vehicle.  The manufacturers of these fluids design them to have specific properties in order to protect your vehicle from wear.  The effectiveness of these properties in protecting your vehicle from wear is diluted or, at worst, negated by mixing the fluid with another brand or type of fluid.

• It’s a good idea to keep two drip trays (side by side in the case of a front-wheel drive vehicle or end to end in the case of a rear-wheel drive vehicle) underneath the drive-train of your vehicle (ie. engine, transmission and differential) in the place in which it’s normally parked at home.  This will quickly bring to your attention any fluid leaks from the vehicle (such as engine oil) because you’ll be able to see the leaked fluid in the drip tray.  (Even the most fastidiously maintained vehicles can develop fluid leaks.)  You will then be able to fix the leak quickly instead of being ignorant of its existence and letting it develop into a larger and more expensive problem.

• It’s vitally important that no fluid in the vehicle be allowed to fall below its minimum level which can lead to damage to the part of the vehicle that is meant to be protected by that fluid.  This applies to:
  
  
  • Engine oil
  • Coolant
  • Automatic transmission fluid or manual transmission fluid
  • Differential fluid
  • Brake fluid
  • Clutch fluid for manual transmission
  • Power steering fluid
  • Battery electrolyte

• The following fluids should be checked on a weekly basis, either at the dipstick or visually:
  
  
  • Engine oil - At the dipstick when engine is completely cold
  
  
  
  • Coolant - Visually in plastic, coolant reservoir when engine is completely cold and by taking the radiator cap off the radiator ONLY when the engine is completely cold to avoid being badly scalded or burned by hot coolant under pressure.
  
  
  
  • Brake fluid - Visually
  
  
  
  • Clutch fluid for manual transmission - Visually
  
  

  (Please see subsection 7.1 Engine oil of section 7 Engine for critical information on how to avoid the trap of over-filling the engine oil which will inevitably lead to crankshaft oil-seal leaks which are expensive and inconvenient to fix.)

  The automatic transmission fluid level should be checked at the dipstick every 3 months or 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometres), whichever comes first.  It should be checked strictly according to the manufacturer’s instructions in the owner’s manual.  Where a fluid leak is suspected or the vehicle is being driven more than usual, it should be checked more frequently.

  The power steering fluid level should be checked at the dipstick every 3 months or 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometres), whichever comes first.  It should be checked strictly according to the manufacturer’s instructions in the owner’s manual.

  The battery electrolyte level should be checked every 6 months or 6,000 miles (10,000 kilometres), whichever comes first.

  The manual transmission fluid level should be checked once every twelve months or 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometres), whichever comes first.  (At that time, it is recommended that the fluid should be replaced altogether since it is almost as time-consuming to check the manual transmission fluid level (which requires jacking the entire car up so that it is elevated and level) as it is to replace the fluid altogether.)

  The differential fluid level should be checked once every twelve months or 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometres), whichever comes first.  (At that time, it is recommended that the fluid should be replaced altogether since it is often just as time-consuming to check the differential fluid level (which requires jacking the entire car up so that it is elevated and level) as it is to replace the fluid altogether.)

• When checking any vehicle fluids such as engine oil, coolant, transmission fluid, differential fluid or brake fluid or refilling those fluids when they are being replaced, it’s good practice to prevent, to the greatest extent possible, dirt or other foreign matter from entering the component or system into which the fluid is being poured and which is protected or assisted by that fluid.  In the case of the engine oil or transmission fluid, for example, dirt or foreign matter entering the engine or transmission will exacerbate wear, especially if these contaminants are not quickly filtered out.  The practice of paying attention to very high standards of cleanliness when checking or replacing fluids will pay large dividends in the form of a motor vehicle that develops fewer problems and runs more smoothly.  In fact, this practice goes right to the heart of the mentality underlying the procedures outlined in this book which are designed to keep your vehicle running at its best.  This mentality is about not tempting fate but rather staying as far away as possible from potential problems.

  The kind of precautions that should be observed when checking or replacing fluids are as follows:

  • Use a clean, lint-free rag when wiping a dipstick associated with a fluid being checked and inspect that dipstick for any contamination with dirt or other foreign matter after wiping it and before returning it to its place on the vehicle.  If any dirt or foreign matter is found on the dipstick after wiping it, it should be removed before returning the dipstick to its place on the vehicle.
  
  
  
  • Don’t place a rag, which has been used to wipe a dipstick, down on any part of the vehicle, such as inside the engine bay, after it has been used, where it could easily become contaminated with dirt, dust or other contaminants from the surface it is set down on or from airborne contaminants.  Rather, return the rag to its labelled, snap-lock bag after use in order to protect it from dirt and other contaminants.
  
  
  
  • Ensure that the surrounds of an opening into which a fluid is to be poured are clean before uncovering that opening, in order to prevent dirt, dust or other contaminants from entering the opening.  For example, before taking the cap off the reservoir of the brake system master cylinder, in order to top up the brake fluid level or for any other reason, it is important to first make sure that the cap and the surrounds of the top of the reservoir are clean of dirt or any other contamination.  If they are dirty, they should be washed down with water and that water should be blown off before taking the cap off.  Failure to do this could easily see dirt or other contaminants finding their way into the brake fluid in the reservoir and then in turn into the master cylinder, causing unnecessary wear.
  
  
  
  • When using a plastic funnel to pour fluid into an opening on the vehicle (in order to avoid spillage), make sure that the funnel being used is clean.  The funnel should be free of dirt, dust and other contaminants such as human hair.  If it is not clean, clean it with kerosene, wash it with water and dry it before using it.  In fact, it’s probably easier to simply replace it altogether with a new one from your supply of consumables.  Failure to ensure that the funnel being used is clean could easily see dirt or other contaminants being swept into the vehicle with the fluid being poured.
  
  
  
  • Don’t place a funnel, used to pour fluid, down on any part of the vehicle, such as inside the engine bay, after it has been used, where it could easily become contaminated with dirt, dust or other contaminants from the surface it is set down on or from airborne contaminants.  Rather, return the funnel to its labelled, snap-lock bag after use in order to protect it from dirt and other contaminants.
  
  
  
  • Make sure that the outsides of a container from which fluid is going to be poured are clean.  If they are not clean, clean them by wiping them over with a damp cloth before opening the container and pouring the fluid.
  
  
  
  • Put the cap or lid back on all containers of fluid, from which fluid has been poured, as quickly as possible to prevent dirt, dust or other contaminants such as human hair from entering the container.
  
  
  

• Purchase vehicle fluids such as engine oil, automatic transmission fluid, manual transmission fluid, differential fluid and coolant in the largest-sized containers you can such as five-quart (five-litre) containers.  This will result in a lower cost per quart (litre) of the fluid you purchase and you will save money.  It will also mean that you always have some of the fluid on handto be used when you need it.  It’s really annoying to check your engine oil,find that you need to add 10 fl. oz. (300mL) but then realise that you don’t have anyengine oil on hand.

• Keep the empty containers for engine oil, coolant, automatic transmission fluid or manual transmission fluid, differential fluid and brake fluid when all the fluid in them has been used because they are useful for the following:
  
  
  • Keeping in the boot of your vehicle to hold a small amount of fluid to be used to replenish low fluid levels during regular checks of the fluids in your vehicle.  (The only exception to this is brake fluid.  To minimise the absorption of water from the outside air, brake fluid should not be poured into an empty brake-fluid container.  Rather, it should only be poured from its original container into the brake fluid reservoir on the vehicle.  In any case, brake fluid is generally packaged in small quantities of one pint (500mL) which is an ideal size already for keeping in the boot of the vehicle.)
  
  
  
  • Storing depleted, contaminated fluids drained from your vehicle when replacing fluids in your vehicle as part of your scheduled routine car maintenance.  These depleted, contaminated fluids will need to be disposed of at a waste and recycling facility.  The empty containers are the perfect way to get them there and also provide a means of identifying which fluid is which if you pour used engine oil into an empty engine oil container and used automatic transmission fluid into an empty automatic transmission fluid container.  Et cetera.

    Note that an important benefit of purchasing fluids in larger volumes such as in 5 quart (5 litre) containers for engine oil is that the larger empty 5 quart (5 litre) containers are generally the ideal size for holding all the used engine oil from an oil drain, for example.  The alternative is to use two or more smaller containers which is less efficient and more time-consuming.

• Keeping a few key items in the boot of your vehicle in clear, plastic cartons will go a long way to making it easier and less time-consuming to keep your vehicle in great shape on a weekly basis when checking things such as the oil level in your engine.  (Note that there is no need to use lids on these cartons in your boot since dust is not really an issue in your boot.)  These are the contents of the two cartons that I use:
  
  
  

  1. Carton for all types of vehicle fluids and miscellaneous items for contingencies:

  • Engine oil
    (5 quart (5 litre) container containing only 2 quarts (2 litres) of engine oil for topping up in order to minimise the weight carried in the vehicle and improve fuel economy.)
  
  
  
  • Engine coolant pre-mixed in the correct ratio and ready to be dispensed in a suitable leak-proof container (such as one designed for camping, complete with screw-on pouring spout).
  
  
  
  • Automatic transmission fluid
    (5 quart (5 litre) container containing only 2 quarts (2 litres) of automatic transmission fluid for topping up in order to minimise the weight carried in the vehicle and improve fuel economy.)
  
  
  
  • Brake fluid
    (The normal pint (500mL) sized container is ideal.)
  
  
  
  • Lunch-box sized container containing the following:
  
  
  
  • Spare puncture-repair plugs for repairing punctures in tyres caused by nails or screws on the road, together with the necessary tools for putting this type of plug into a tyre.  All of these items can be obtained from your local automotive parts shop.  Please see section 13 Wheels & tyres for detailed information on the procedure for fixing a puncture.
  
  
  
  • Spare light globes for brake lights, indicator lights and parking lights.
    (A collection of these can be built up over time as the lights fail.  It is also worthwhile making of a list of what types of globes fit which lights, if this information is not already readily available in the owner’s manual for the vehicle.)
  
  
  
  • Spare fuses.
    (Check in the fuse box of the vehicle for the different types of spare fuses you will need to carry.)
  
  
  
  • Cable-ties for fastening electrical wires and stopping them from moving around, particularly in the engine bay, which can lead to broken electrical connections.
  
  
  
  • Two collapsible, cone-shaped, orange, reflective emergency markers for use in the event of needing to change a tyre at the side of a dangerous road, or some other type of emergency situation.  These can be placed sixty metres and thirty metres behind the vehicle to give other road users adequate warning of the stationary vehicle ahead at the side of the road which may be in the path of traffic.  It is highly advisable to turn the vehicle’s hazard lights on in this situation as well.
  
  
  
  • Empty jerry can for collecting fuel in the event of running out of fuel and needing to walk to the nearest service station.  (It is not advisable to actually carry fuel inside the vehicle.)
  
  
  
  • Bendable, metal funnel for dispensing fuel into the fuel tank in the event of having run out of fuel and needing to fill the fuel tank from the jerry can.
  
  
  

  2. Carton for all items associated with checking and replenishing all types of vehicle fluids:

  (Every item in this carton is in a labelled snap-lock bag to identify the purpose of the item (eg. ‘Engine oil’).  Snap-lock bags also serve to keep all items clean of dirt and other contaminants and to prevent cross-contamination between items relating to different vehicle fluid types.  When a snap-lock bag for a particular item develops a hole in it due to contact with the pointy end of a funnel, for example, or for any other reason, it is important to not only replace the snap-lock bag with a fresh, labelled snap-lock bag but also more importantly to inspect the item in the broken bag for contamination with dirt, dust or anything else.  Any item which is contaminated should be cleaned or replaced.  Absolute cleanliness is vital when checking or refilling all types of fluids in the vehicle.)

  • Supply of spare snap-lock bags of all sizes in their cardboard containers as replacements for the snap-lock bags in this carton which will develop holes over time and risk allowing dust and contaminants in.  A permanent marker should be kept with this supply of spare snap-lock bags for the purpose of labelling the bags used.
  
  
  
  • General rag for mopping up any fluid spillage such as engine oil, coolant, automatic transmission fluid or brake fluid.  Note that spillages of brake fluid or coolant on paintwork should be washed off with water immediately to avoid damage to the paintwork, rather than wiped off with a rag.  Brake fluid and coolant both eat into paintwork so that wiping them with a rag could smudge and damage the paintwork.
  
  
  
  • Clean, lint-free rag for wiping the engine oil dipstick.
  
  
  
  • Sealable, air-tight container with volume measurements up to one pint (500mL) for dispensing exactly the right amount of engine oil in relation to the engine oil level reading on the dipstick.
  
  
  
  • Plastic funnel for dispensing engine oil into the engine without spillage.
    (Plastic funnels can be obtained inexpensively in a set of funnels of different sizes from your local automotive parts shop.  It is well worth having two or three sets on hand ready to be used as they are indispensable for keeping the fluid levels in your vehicle correct and will inevitably need to be replaced over time.)
  
  
  
  • Plastic funnel for dispensing coolant into the coolant reservoir tank without spillage.
  
  
  
  • Very clean, lint-free rag for wiping the automatic transmission fluid dipstick.
  
  
  
  • Plastic funnel connected to longish 8mm internal-diameter clear, plastic tubing for dispensing automatic transmission fluid into the automatic transmission fluid without spillage.  If you want to really make things easy for yourself, you can make a hook out of wire and fasten it with cable ties to the steel rod that holds your bonnet up.  When you’re not using the funnel and tubing to dispense fluid into the transmission, you can hang it on the hook to keep it upright and to prevent messy spillages of fluid.  The funnel normally has a tab with a hole in it that can be used to hang it on the hook.
  
  
  
  • Plastic syringe of 1 fl. oz. (25mL) volume connected to long 1/8 inch (3mm) internal-diameter clear, plastic tubing for extracting automatic transmission fluid out of an over-filled automatic transmission.  This type of plastic syringe is available from your local pharmacist.  The best way to push the plastic funnel or plastic syringe into the plastic tubing is to heat the end of the tubing up by holding it under a running tap of very hot water with the open end of the tubing pointing nearly vertically down so that no water gets inside the tubing.  This makes the tubing expand and become more pliable so that the end of the plastic funnel or plastic syringe can be pushed far enough into it so that the two won’t separate once the tubing has cooled down and contracted.  If desired, the end of the plastic tubing can also be secured to the syringe with a cable-tie.  However, it is important to tighten the cable-tie very securely so that it won’t come off and potentially fall into the transmission.  Although the risk of this happening is quite remote, the problems it would cause are so great that it is important to safeguard against this happening.  Basically, the entire transmission would probably have to be dismantled to retrieve the circular cable tie.
  
  
  
  • Small plastic funnel for dispensing brake fluid into the brake system master cylinder reservoir without spillage.
  
  
  
  • Plastic syringe of 1 fl. oz. (25mL) volume connected to 1/8 inch (3mm) internal-diameter clear, plastic tubing for extracting brake fluid out of an over-filled brake system master cylinder reservoir.
  
  
  
  • Very clean rag for wiping the power steering reservoir dipstick.
  
  
  
  • Small plastic funnel for dispensing power steering fluid into the power steering reservoir without spillage.
  
  
  
  • Plastic syringe of 1 fl. oz. (25mL) volume connected to 1/8 inch (3mm) internal-diameter clear, plastic tubing for extracting power-steering fluid out of an over-filled power steering reservoir.

Copyright 2008 - 2009 by Andrew Mackinnon.  All rights reserved.