Charley Helvy

How to Use a Ratchet Strap

Secure your cargo safely and quickly with this simple guideRatchet straps are fasteners used to secure cargo during transport. When used correctly, these straps can support many different weights and cargo sizes. In orde...

How to Turn on Your Car Heater in 3 Easy Steps

Everything you need to know about using your car’s temperature controls Are you freezing and need to get your car heater going ASAP? Lucky for you, turning your heater on is as easy as 1—2—3! In this article, we’...

How to Turn Traction Control Off: Instructions for Any Vehicle

Stuck in the mud? Here’s how switching off your traction control system might helpTraction control (TC) is an important safety feature of your vehicle, especially when you’re driving through ice, rain, or any other c...

What Causes White Smoke from Your Muffler (or Engine Bay)?

''Diagnose and fix issues causing white smoke''Seeing a thin cloud of white smoke appear in the rearview mirror on a cold or humid day is normal—in most cases, the smoke is just water vapor. However, if a thick, persis...

How to Fix a Parking Brake Light That Won’t Turn Off

Troubleshoot your stubborn parking brake light with these 5 tips You’re leisurely driving down the road when you see your parking brake light illuminating your dashboard. You swear you put your parking brake down, so h...

How to

Open a Stuck Car Door

Realizing your car door is jammed can be upsetting, but we're here to help! Whether your door is stuck from the inside or outside, we'll walk you through several solutions can you use to get it open again. We'll also exp...

How to

Open Frozen Car Doors

Car doors freeze shut when water seeps between the seal and the car frame, or into the lock itself. To get inside your car, you'll need to dissolve the ice with heat, or with a solvent such as alcohol.

How to

Shift a Semi Truck

Learning to drive a semi truck properly requires lots of training and experience, but if you're curious about the basics of shifting one, you can get a primer on the steps that you'll need to practice if you want to driv...

What Does the Check Gauges Light Mean?

Learn how to troubleshoot and shut off your check gauge indicator While it’s not as serious or ominous as the dreaded check engine light, the “check gauges” light is still a cause for concern. It indicates that the...

How to

Test Glow Plugs

Glow plugs preheat the air in the combustion chamber in diesel engines so that they start faster when they are cold. If your engine is having trouble starting or you see smoke coming from your exhaust, then one or more o...

How to Fix an Oil Leak in Your Car

Learn how to identify and stop an engine oil leakIf your car has an oil leak, it’s essential to repair it right away—luckily, there are a few easy fixes you can do at home for cheap. The first step is to locate where...

How to Tie a Trucker's Hitch: Classic Knot & Sheepshank Variation

Haul a heavy load with this tried-and-true truckers knotA trucker's hitch is an effective knot for securing heavy loads. It's composed of three parts to give it maximum strength and utility: a loop, a purchase, and two h...

How to

Find a Vacuum Leak

When a car has a vacuum leak that means that air is leaking into the engine in places that should be sealed. The leak reduces the engine's overall efficiency and impacts the function of a variety of systems that rely on ...

How to

Replace a Power Window Motor

If one of the power windows in your vehicle fails to function, it may be the result of a broken power window motor. If you have identified the motor as the culprit, replacing it is fairly straight forward: after disconne...

How to

Replace a Headlight Adjustment Screw

If you have ever traveled a dark road at night, you know the importance of having good headlights to light your way. However, headlights are no use if they are pointed at the scenery or worse, at other drivers. Headlight...

How to

Change Glow Plugs

Diesel engines are designed different than gasoline-based engines. One of the most significant differences is diesel engines have glow plugs instead of spark plugs. Spark plugs create a spark that ignites the fuel to pow...

How to

Test an Oil Pump

Oil pumps feed the oil through your engine to lubricate all of the components and help them move against one another without wearing excessively and breaking. However, over time, your pump may start to wear down and make...

How to Install a Gas Cap like a Mechanic

Installing a gas cap is easy with our comprehensive guideInstalling a new gas cap is a very simple procedure, but the exact steps can vary depending on the type of gas cap you have. Before you can install a new cap, you ...

How to

Measure a Bolt Pattern

The term “bolt pattern” refers to the number of bolt holes and the diameter of the circle that they form on your wheels. When you need to update or replace the wheels on your vehicle or trailer, having an accurate bo...

How to

Drive a Tractor

Tractors come in all sizes with different horsepower engines. Tractors make farming easier and more efficient. You can attach a plow or blower and use your tractor to remove snow, attach a bucket and move wood, stone, or...