Slime Tire Gauge

About a year ago I purchased a Slime brand tire pressure gauge, the round type with a needle to show the pressure in the tire. It broke after only a few uses, so I contacted Slime and they replaced the gauge free of charge.

Last month, the tire pressure light on my car came on. This didn’t surprise me because it happens when the temperature drops. So I check the tire pressure and three of the tires were a few psi low, and one was about 10 psi low. I pumped up the tires and everything was good.

The next week the tps light illuminated again. I checked the tires and only the one was about 10 psi low again. I figured there was a slow leak in the tire, so I took it off and searched for a leak. I couldn’t find anything. I took the tire to the local garage and they couldn’t find the leak either. I put the tire back on and figured I would see what happens.

The tps light didn’t come on for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would check the tire pressure again. Sure enough it was about 10 psi low, but the tps light didn’t come on, so I figured something was wrong with the tire and tps. No big deal, I’ll just check the tire pressure each week to see what is happening.

After a couple of weeks, I got tired of dragging out the compressor and extension cord, so I purchased an air tank to top off the tires. This was much easier. I found all the tires on both of my cars were reading different air pressures each week. Each week I would pump them up to the proper psi.

Finally after almost two months, I decided to try a different tire pressure gauge. All of my tires should be 33 psi per the manufacture. When I used the Slime gauge they were reading 23 to 28 psi each week. When I used my craftsman digital they read 40 to 45 psi! I got a cheap pencil gauge and it was also reading in the 40 to 45 psi range.

Unbelievable, I was furious. I spent weeks messing around with my tires and even bought an air tank all because of a stupid, inaccurate tire pressure gauge made from a company that sold a defective product from the beginning!

The scary part is I used this tire gauge on my motorcycle too! Having an under or over inflated tire isn’t as dangerous in a car as it could be on a motorcycle.

In the past I have written to consumer reports and popular mechanics regarding tire pressure gauges. A couple of times a year they harp on the importance of proper tire pressure in your vehicle. They usually even state something like, even 1 psi off can make a difference in fuel economy and handling. Well, I have used multiple tire gauges on my cars and have gotten different results repeatedly. So, I asked them to do a report on tire gauges to see which one is most accurate. As you can imagine, no response and I have yet to see a report testing them.

Moral of the story, I will be using two tire gauges to check the pressure in my tires from now on. I suggest everyone else to do the same.

2008 Suzuki SX4 Cabin Air Filter

I have never changed a cabin air filter on any vehicle I have owned. I figured it was just a gimmick and waste of money. However, while I was ordering the spark plugs from amazon, I decided to throw in the cabin air filter as well.

Materials Needed:

Cabin Filter (FRAM CF10559) $15

The cabin filter is located behind the glove box. Remove the connector on the right side of the glove box. Squeeze in the sides of the glove box so the glove box will hang down, giving you access to the cabin filter.

Remove the old filter and install the new filter. Press the glove box back into place. Reattach the connector on the right side of the glove box.

DONE!

Here is a picture of the old cabin air filter!

2008 Suzuki SX4 Change Transfer Case Oil

Change Transfer Case Oil

This operation was a little more challenging to do, only because of the location of the transfer case.

Tools needed:

Socket Wrench

80w90 Oil - 1 Qt

Rags

Empty container

Jack

Hand pump for gear oil

The transfer case is located at the back of the engine. Picture your radio but only underneath the car and that is where the drain/fill plugs are at.

The easiest way to get at the drain/fill plugs is to jack up the front of the car. Use the socket wrench (just the wrench, no socket is needed) to loosen the fill plug (top plug). It is at an awkward angle, so you need to make sure you can loosen it before you drain it.

Once the fill plug is loose, remove the drain plug (bottom plug). While the oil is draining into your empty container, clean the drain plug and prepare the new oil to be pumped or squirted into the fill plug. When the oil is done draining, reinstall the drain plug.

I have found using a hand pump to squirt the gear oil into the transfer case was the easiest method. Keep adding gear oil until it drips out of the fill plug. Reinstall the fill plug. Remove the jacks from the car and clean up. Done!

2008 Suzuki SX4 Spark Plugs

Changing the Spark plugs on this car was the easiest I have ever done!

Materials Needed:

4 Spark Plugs (NGK (7418) IFR5J11 Laser Iridium Spark Plug) about $10 a piece

Socket set with Spark Plug Socket and extension (a deep well socket may be needed)

Unclip the air filter canister. Remove the front two screws holding the air cover that sits on top of the engine. The back simply pulls out of a slot, but it does take some force. Remove the air hoses as needed. I was able to simply remove the front one that just slides on without a hose clamp.

Remove the Spark plug ignition coil with the socket set. You don't need to disconnect the wiring, just remove it from the spark plug. Remove the spark plug with a spark plug socket. Carefully, insert the new spark plug. You made need to tighten the spark plug a few turns with the spark plug socket, then switch to a deep well socket.

Reinstall the spark plug ignition coil. Reinstall the air cover and air filter canister.

Start up the car and if no problems, then you are good for another 60,000 miles!

2008 Suzuki SX4 Coolant Change

To change the coolant is pretty easy to do yourself. Notice I said CHANGE not FLUSH. I realize this is not the "proper" procedure as a garage would do it, this is simply how I have done it and it has worked for me and my cars.

Materials Needed:

2 gallons of coolant

Socket Set or wrench

Pliers

Rags

Empty containers large enough to catch at least 5 gallons

Water

Make sure the engine is cool.

Crawl under the front of the car and unscrew the radiator drain plug, you may need the pliers to loosen the drain plug. Have your empty containers at your side to catch the coolant as it pours out.

Loosen the radiator cap and the coolant should flow more rapidly. While that is draining, remove the three screws holding the coolant overflow container in place. Empty the container and clean it with water as needed.

When the radiator is empty pour water into the fill cap and continue pouring water through it until it is draining clear into your container. I used about 3 gallons of water.

Reinstall the drain plug in the bottom of the radiator. Reinstall the coolant overflow container. Fill the radiator with coolant. I used Prestone's 50/50 mix, which was about $10 a gallon at Wal*Mart. Also, add coolant to the coolant overflow container full level.

Done, well not yet. After your first trip in the car, check the coolant level again and add coolant as needed. Always, make sure the engine is cool before opening the radiator cap. Keep checking the fluid level and add as needed after each trip.

Hopefully this helps someone.

2008 Suzuki SX4 60,000 Mile Maintenance

The 08 Suzuki SX4 finally hit the 60,000 mile mark, so it was time to do some maintenance.

Oil/Filter Change

Coolant Change

Tire Rotation

Check Rear Differential oil

Change Transfer Case oil

Change spark plugs

A/C Cabin Filter

Over the years I have posted the procedure to change the oil/filter and the rear differential oil, I will attempt to give and update on the rest of the procedures in my free time in the coming weeks.

2008 Suzuki SX4 Rear Differential Oil Change

A few weekends ago I changed the rear differential oil in my 2008 Suzuki SX4. Here is a brief overview of the process.

Items needed
At least 1 quart of 80w90 gear oil (2 quarts is a better idea)
Socket wrench
Drain container
Rags/newspapers

The manual says to change the rear differential oil at 7,500 miles.

The manual calls for 80w90 gear oil. I like to use synthetic and it was tough to find locally. I ended up with Valvoline Dura-Blend. It is a synthetic blend gear oil.

The process was not hard. It is simply a matter of crawling under the rear of the vehicle.

First, I loosened the fill plug with the socket wrench. Then, I removed the drain plug and let the oil drain out. I noticed the oil was bluish. I replaced the drain plug and added slightly less than a quart of gear oil. It is easy to tell when you have added enough oil as it will start to drip out of the fill hole.

It was easy to squeeze the oil into the fill hole. However, I noticed that when about half the bottle was emptied I couldn’t get anymore out of the bottle. So I took the other quart and refilled the “squeeze” bottle.

I finished filling the rear differential, tighten the drain and fill plugs and then cleaned up.

Simple process to do. The oil was about $5 a quart and it took less than an hour to complete.

2008 Suzuki SX4 Oil Change Procedure

Below is a brief description about changing the oil on a 2008 Suzuki SX4. The following parts were used during the process:

• 4.75 quarts 5w30 oil (SuperTech Full Synthetic)
• Oil Filter (Fram TG4386)
• 17 mm and 10 mm wrench
• End Cap Oil Filter Wrench
• Oil drain container
• Jack or Ramps
• Latex gloves
• Rags, newspapers

I attempted to change the oil in my car last week, but I was unable to get at the oil filter. This is a more difficult car to change the oil in than I am used to for a couple of reasons. First, the car sits low to the ground and is virtually impossible to crawl under. Second, the oil filter is in a challenging location to get to.

The first step was to jack up the front passenger side of the car enough to slide under the car and work. I was going to attempt using ramps, but the bumper hit the ramps before the tires so I decided to just use a floor jack. Once under the car, I removed the three screws (using the 10mm wrench) holding the plastic engine cover. I did not remove the engine cover, but by simply removing those three screws allowed the guard to flex enough to get my hands up to the oil filter.

The next step was to see if I could get the oil filter loose. The end cap filter wrench I purchased did not fit the OEM oil filter, however, it does fit the FRAM filter which I plan to use in the future. After quite a while of messing around with it, we were finally able to loosen it. It was difficult!

After it was loose, I removed the oil pan drain plug with a 17mm wrench and the oil drained into the drain container. I reinstalled and tightened the drain screw and emptied the oil into another container.

Next, I slowly turned the oil filter until it started to drip out. I gave it another quarter turn and then let the oil drain into my container. After the oil stopped draining, I removed the filter completely and wiped the filter area clean.

I ran a bead of oil around the seal of the new filter and installed it. It was rather difficult to get it started. The threads did not seem to want to align correctly. DO NOT FORCE IT ON. Keep adjusting it until it screws on easily.

After the filter seal touches the bottom of the engine and is finger tight, put the end cap filter wrench on and give it a half to three quarter turn to tighten completely.

Refill the crankcase with about 4.75 quarts of oil. Start the engine and check for leaks. Cleanup and dispose of the used oil properly.

Good for another 6,000 miles!

Another Good Deal!

As many of you know, I am the ultimate cheapskate. However, there is a point where being cheap can also be hazardous to your health! My 1997 Tracker was a good vehicle, but the problems were mounting and I was going to have a nice sized repair bill before the inspection in May. Plus the vehicle didn’t seem to handle the road well when those coal trucks would go flying by me at 90MPH! I was blow off the road into a ditch more than once.

A couple of Saturday’s ago, I decided I wanted to test drive a new Suzuki SX4 Crossover. My requirements for a new vehicle were simple: cheap, 4wd/awd, reasonably fuel efficient, automatic, and cheap. Oh and did I mention cheap.

We head to the local dealership and test one out. The sales lady was ready to sell us a car that day. I just wanted to test drive one. We play the game and give the sales lady our time and attention. They try to sell me the vehicle for $15,200 with my trade-in. I just smile and say no. Then she lowers the price and keeps lowering it until she gets to $13,500. I told her to check with her managers to see if she can sell it for that low.

An hour later she comes back with $14,500. I said no and am ready to leave, but can’t because she has my car keys! That was a sneaky little tactic that I learned. She goes back and talks to the managers again. This time, he comes out and says “Can you give me $500 and go $14,000.”

Nope, $13,500 was the max I was paying for that car if they were going to sell it to me. 30 minutes later the manager comes back and says “You got it.” It took about another hour to complete the deal, but I think it was well worth it.

We got the base model, Azure Gray, automatic, A/C, abs, power everything, and awd. Not bad for $13,500, financed at 4.74% for 3 years.

I did some Internet searching and have not found anyone getting this vehicle for less than $14,200, so I think I did indeed get a deal. I guess it is true, go car shopping when you don’t need one and make sure it is the last Saturday of the month!