A TENURED mechanic advises drivers to keep a $7 product nearby in case of sudden engine stalls or malfunctions.
Diagnosing the problem before accepting it can save on diagnostic and labor fees.
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Scotty Kilmer, aka the “people’s mechanic” on YouTube (@Scotty Kilmer), gained his 6.2 million followers by sharing his 50+ years of automotive service experience to post free DIY tips.
He also covers industry news and product reviews for those who want to keep their car at home.
On a video posted five years ago, Kilmer discussed a product he keeps within reach: WD-40.
WD-40 is a tried-and-true spray lubricant used to loosen stuck bolts on cars, boats, trains, and more.
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It can lubricate door hinges that squeak or stick at home, cart wheels, roller skates and skateboards.
It is also famous for helping to contain the build-up of rust and corrosion or for removing adhesive residue from various surfaces.
Kilmer also likes to keep it on hand to help him with these purposes – but he let DIY mechanics know that there’s another clever use for the $7 product.
Leaning on the hood of one of the many used Toyotas in his fleet, he said it can help diagnose engine problems before they get out of control.
“Let’s say your car is running poorly or you’re getting a code for running too lean,” Kilmer said.
“Take this thing and start spraying it around. Everywhere. Into the air intake system and see if it gets sucked in.”
Kilmer begins spraying the top of the engine near the spark plugs, intake manifold, and exhaust.
“If the idle starts to change, you know there’s a leak somewhere.”
As he sprayed the back of the engine, his spectators could hear the idle speed increasing and decreasing, indicating a leak.
“The idle speed goes up and down as you spray the product because the air leak brings air and WD-40 coming in, and that will change the idle speed,” he said.
“If you spray near the base of the collector and the idle speed changes, you know you need a new collector.”
He addressed some common concerns that many of his customers have expressed when suggesting or mentioning the use of WD-40.
“It’s relatively flammable,” he said, demonstrating with a lighter that spraying an open flame does not catch the fluid on fire.
What can you use WD-40 for?
Scotty mentions a few uses for WD-40 that might be useful for DIY mechanics.
Other uses he mentioned in the video:
- Identifying Intake or Exhaust Leaks
- Water dispersion in wet electronics
- Preventing rust
- Squelching noisy suspension parts (such as rubber mounts or ball joints)
Scotty notes, however, that drivers should never ignore problems fixed with WD-40. Instead, he said it should be used to diagnose parts that need fixing when time and money are available.
“It just pushes, it won’t cause the engine to explode or anything. Now, if you did that with starting fluid or carburetor cleaner, it could start a big fire.”
He mentioned that if drivers accidentally drive through a deep puddle and the engine starts to run rough, they can use WD-40 to prevent rust.
“If your battery gets wet, or your spark plug wires or any other electronic component gets wet, just spray it with this stuff and it will disperse the water and prevent rust,” he said.
He advises drivers not to use WD-40 to ignore major problems encountered when using the product – instead, it can be used to help save money when drivers take it to the shop for repair.
“It won’t solve the problem, but it’s a great diagnostic tool,” he said.
“You can suck it up and tell them what’s wrong and save hundreds to pay a mechanic to play around for hours to figure out what’s wrong, and then only take an hour to fix it. You can use these things to figure out what’s wrong , even if you’re not going to do the repairs yourself.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
