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When I purchased my Acura CL-S from the original owner a couple years back, I continued to use the OEM battery that was installed. Since I didn’t get to drive the car much, the battery had gone dead several times already and after jumping it and recharging it so many times, I felt it was probably about time to replace the battery. Plus, it would be nice to get a battery that had some more cold-cranking amps (CCA’s) to help with cold starts.

The serpentine belt (also known as the drive belt) is a reinforced rubber belt that delivers power from the crankshaft to multiple accessories of a vehicle such as the air conditioning, alternator, water pump, etc. Since it drives critical components of a vehicle, it is important to perform regular inspections of the serpentine belt and to replace it when it is required to do so. he replacement of the serpentine belt can be a quick and easy job if you are aware of a couple things that could possibly throw you off-course.

Some folks have gotten used to the start-stop feature while others are adamantly opposed to it. For those who can’t stand auto start-stop, there are a number of ways to permanently disable the feature. These methods vary in cost, ease of installation, and have varying effects on other features of the vehicle. I’ve compiled all of the ways to permanently disable auto start-stop on the 13th gen Ford F-150 and I hope it helps you determine what is best for you if you choose to do it.

The spark plug replacement on a 4th generation Toyota 4Runner is a job that you will need set aside 2-3 hours for. The replacement of the spark plugs themselves doesn’t take long, but most of the time will be spent removing components in the engine bay to get access to the spark plugs. I recommend using a step stool to get some additional height as you will be working closer to the middle and back of the engine bay; this is especially needed if you have a 4Runner that has a lift on it. This guide is written for the 4.0L V6 (1GRE-FE engine code) on the 4th Generation Toyota 4Runner.

My new 2020 Ford F-150 has been babied over the past year and a half having only driven about 2,000 miles on it so far. Many folks suggest changing out the oil at 1,500 miles if its a new vehicle as you may have more deposits and metal shavings in the oil from driving a new engine. Because I tend to agree with this concept, as well as the fact that it has already been over a year, I decided to change the oil and oil filter. In this write-up I performed the oil change using Ford’s recommended Motorcraft Synthetic Blend motor oil and Motorcraft oil filter.

Depending on your trim level you may have a different size information display, or as Ford calls it a productivity screen. The XL trim has a 2.3 in. productivity screen, the XLT trim has a 4 in. productivity screen, and Lariat and better has an 8 in. productivity screen. The instructions below apply to the 13th generation Ford F-150 (model years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.)

Replacing the brakes on a brake drum and shoe system can be a bit overwhelming upon first glance as there are quite a few different parts to work with. To successfully replace the brake drums and shoes on the rear brakes (in this case a 1st gen Toyota Tacoma), it is important to work methodically and keep track of your progress. I found it very helpful for the brake job to document the process along the way, but you may also reference this guide to help you with the removal and installation of the brake drums and brake shoes.