So Fix it

The car alarm on your 1997 Honda CR-V can be very annoying if you are trying to replace your battery or make a repair to the vehicle. You can disable the car alarm in your 1997 Honda CR-V by taking the negative lead off of your battery. This takes the electrical power away from the alarm and leaves it dead. Once the valet switch is enabled, the car alarm will be disabled, allowing you to make your repair.

Instructions

1

Pop the hood to your Honda CR-V.

2

Locate the battery under the hood. This is to the right of the engine.

3

Determine which of the leads is the negative lead. The negative lead will have a "-" sign next to it.

4

Loosen the terminal with a socket wrench.

5

Pull the negative lead off of the battery to disable the car alarm.

The Chevrolet Tahoe is a full-size sport utility vehicle, or SUV, thats virtually identical to the GMC Yukon. A 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe most often has an 8-cylinder, 5.7-liter engine with 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive. This vehicle has sequential fuel injection, which requires a fuel pump that delivers fuel to the injectors at high pressure. The fuel pump in a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe is in the fuel tank, so you must remove the fuel tank to replace the fuel pump.

Instructions

1

Disconnect the cable to the batterys negative terminal with a socket wrench. Loosen the filler cap on the fuel tank to relieve the pressure in the fuel tank. Drain the fuel tank by siphoning the fuel into a gasoline container with a hose. Raise the rear of the vehicle with a jack and support it on jack stands. Release the clamps on the hoses for the filler neck and vent tube of the fuel tank. Support the fuel tank with jack stands and detach the support straps for the fuel tank. Lower the fuel tank slightly and disconnect the electrical connections and hose on the fuel tank. Remove the fuel tank from the vehicle.

2

Turn the retaining ring on the fuel sender assembly counterclockwise with tool J-39765. Remove the retaining ring. Lift the fuel sender assembly out of the fuel tank and pull the fuel pump into the attaching hose while holding the bottom support of the fuel pump in place. Discard the O-ring on the fuel tank.

3

Install the new fuel pump into the attaching hose of the fuel sender assembly. Use care to avoid bending the fuel strainer since this will restrict fuel flow. Place a new O-ring on the fuel tank and install the fuel sender assembly into the fuel tank.

4

Place the locking ring on the fuel sender assembly and turn it clockwise with tool J-39765 until the ring locks into place.

5

Install the fuel tank by reversing step 1. Pressurize the fuel system by turning the ignition on for two seconds and turning it off for 10 seconds. Turn the ignition on and check the fuel lines for leaks.

A typical front end alignment consists of adjusting caster -- forward or rearward tilt of the steering axis; camber -- inward or outward tilt of the top of the tire; and toe -- inward or outward tilt of the front of the tire -- to prevent excessive tire wear, improve handling, and straighten an off center steering wheel. Many manufacturers, like Toyota, do not provide adjustment for caster and camber from the factory. In the 1997 Toyota Camry the toe angle is adjustable on all four wheels and, while caster is not adjustable, camber can be adjusted using aftermarket bolts in the struts.

Instructions

1

Apply the parking brake and start the engine. Center the steering wheel and turn off the engine. Apply the brakes and lock them in place using the brake pedal depressor. Clamp the alignment machines targets securely to all four wheels and level the targets using the built in bubble level. Compensate for wheel run-out according to the machines procedure.

2

Determine which wheels need a camber adjustment by comparing the initial readings of the alignment machine with the factory specifications. Remove the upper strut-to-steering knuckle mounting bolt using a wrench, socket, and ratchet.Install the adjustable aftermarket bolt in upper bolt hole and tighten it securely.

3

Loosen both strut-to-spindle mounting bolts on the right rear strut. Rotate the upper, adjustable aftermarket, bolt to adjust rear camber until it is within specifications. Rear camber in the 1997 Camry should be -.75 degrees +/- .75 degrees. Camber should also be equal on both sides. Tighten the strut bolts to 145 psi using a torque wrench. Adjust the left rear camber in the same manner.

4

Adjust the right rear toe angle by loosening the jam nuts on the right rear toe arm using a 21 mm wrench and twisting the adjuster nut until the toe is within manufacturers specification. The rear toe on the 1997 Camry should be .10 degrees +/- .05 degrees. Tighten the jam nuts securely. Adjust the left rear toe in the same manner.

5

Adjust the front camber to -.8 degrees +/- .75 degrees in the same manner as the rear camber and tighten the strut bolts to 156 foot-pounds using a torque wrench. Loosen the jam nut on the right front tie-rod and rotate the tie rod to adjust toe to 0 degrees +/- .05 degrees and tighten the jam nut securely.

6

Start the engine and center the steering wheel. Verify that the front toe angle is within specifications. Readjust front toe, if necessary. Remove the targets from the wheels and test drive the car to verify it drives properly.

The Chrysler Concorde, also known as the sister car to the more popular Dodge Intrepid, came from the factory with two V-6 engine options; a 2.7-liter engine and a more-powerful 3.5-liter engine. Of the two engines, the 3.5-liter engine was noted for its increased reliability over the smaller engine, which was prone to oil sludge problems. To help control and monitor the engine temperature, the 3.5-liter engine contains a coolant temperature sensor, located on the thermostat housing at the front of the engine.

Instructions

1

Start the engine and allow it warm to operating temperature, which is 200-degrees Fahrenheit.

2

Locate the coolant temperature sensor on the top of the thermostat housing. Its mounted vertically and has two wires protruding from its base.

3

Disconnect the coolant temperature sensors two-wire electrical connector. Measure the resistance across the sensors two terminals with a digital multimeter; the specified value is 700 to 1,000 Ohms.

4

Let the engine cool down for three to four hours until the coolant is at room temperature. Measure the resistance again across the terminals with a digital multimeter. The resistance at 70-degrees Fahrenheit should be between 7,000 and 13,000 Ohms. If the resistance falls outside either of the hot or cold values, the sensor must be replaced.

5

Measure the resistance across the pin terminals on the sensors electrical connector. If the resistance is greater than 1 Ohm, replace the sensors connector.

The Z3 made its first appearance in the U.S. in the 1996 model year with only a 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine. In 1997, BMW added in an optional 189-horsepower, 2.8-liter in-line six-cylinder engine to complement its standard 138-horsepower, 1.9-liter engine. The base-level four-cylinder on the 1997 Z3 uses two oxygen sensors, one before the catalytic converter and one after it. These oxygen sensors are responsible for keeping close tabs on the air-to-fuel ratio and harmful exhaust emissions, by testing the oxygen density in the exhaust system. Replacing the 1997 Z3s oxygen sensors is a straightforward task that most DIYU mechanics can complete with relative ease.

Instructions

Removal

1

Lift the front of the Z3 with a floor jack and slide jack stands under its frame rails. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stands.

2

Crawl under the center of the vehicle and find the catalytic converter the muffler-like object just after the exhaust goes from two pipes to one pipe. The upstream oxygen sensor is screwed into the exhaust pipe just before the catalytic converter and the downstream sensor if screwed into the pipe just after the catalytic converter.

3

Trace the failed oxygen sensors wiring upward until you find where it connects to the vehicles main wiring . Unplug the sensors wiring harness from the Z3s wiring harness. Pull the oxygen sensors wiring from the routing clips. Remove the failed sensor, using a ratchet and oxygen sensor socket. Repeat this step for the other sensor, if needed.

Installation

4

Apply a thin coat of an anti-seize compound to the new oxygen sensors threads. Use caution not to get any anti-seize on the tip of the sensor. Thread the new sensor into its respective hole in the exhaust pipe by hand.

5

Tighten the oxygen sensor to 37 foot-pounds using the torque wrench and oxygen sensor socket.

6

Route the oxygen sensors wiring upward toward the Z3s wiring harness, pressing the wiring into its routing clips as you go. Plug the oxygen sensors wiring harness into the Z3s harness.

7

Repeat steps 1 through 3 to install the other oxygen sensor, if you removed it.

8

Raise the vehicle off of the jack stands and remove the jack stands. Lower the vehicle to the ground.

The Lincoln Town Car first reached the market in 1981. In 2003, Ford Motor Company began offering a bulletproof model of the Town Car for security purposes. The Town Car is also one of several models used by limousine companies as a transportation vehicle. The front headrests of the 1997 Lincoln Town Car are adjustable and removable. Remove the headrests from your Town Car to clean, detail or replace them.

Instructions

1

Push in on the retaining tab located on the outer edge of the headrest, near the top of the seat.

2

Hold the retaining tab in while lifting up on the headrest. Pull the headrest all the way up until you remove it completely from the mounting holes.

3

Line up the metal posts of the headrest with the mounting holes to replace it. Push in the retaining tab and insert the headrest. Push the headrest all the way down against the seat, then release the tab.

Removing the battery tray from your 1997 Dodge Caravan may be necessary if the tray has cracks or damage that may compromise the integrity of the tray. The tray is made of plastic, and has to not only support the battery but also retain it to the engine compartment of the van. The battery hold down is an integral part of the tray and if it fails, the battery may come out of the tray, causing damage to the battery, the cables or part of the engine.

Instructions

1

Locate the negative battery cable on the top of the battery. Loosen the clamp bolt with a wrench, then remove the cable from the battery.

2

Loosen the clamp bolt on the positive battery cable with a wrench and remove it as well. Isolate the battery cables so that they are out of the way and cannot fall back against the battery.

3

Locate the retaining clamp and bolt near the bottom of the battery on the inboard side of the tray. Remove the nut from the retaining clamp with a socket, extension bar and ratchet. Remove the retaining clamp and lift the battery out of the van.

4

Locate the three retaining bolts that hold the battery tray into the van. There are two in the base of the tray and a third just to the front of the retaining clamp location. Remove the two in the tray with a socket and ratchet then set them aside.

5

Remove the third retaining bolt with a wrench, set the bolt aside, and lift the tray out of the engine compartment.

The neutral safety switch on the 1997 Dodge Dakota prevents the truck from being accidentally started in any other position than park or neutral. This prevents the vehicle from being started in gear and taking off which could cause an accident since the brake pedal does not need to be applied in order to turn the engine over. Like on many other domestic vehicles, the switch on the Dakota also accounts for the back-up light switch. The center terminal in the plug on the switch is for the neutral safety switch and the the two on either side of it is for each back-up light.

Instructions

1

Drive the 1997 Dodge Dakota slowly up onto two car ramps and apply the parking brake. Turn the engine off and remove the keys.

2

Put on a pair of safety glasses and crawl underneath the Dakota and locate the transmission behind the engine (and the transfer case on four-wheel drive models).

3

Locate the neutral safety switch on the drivers side lower housing of the transmission. It will have a wire harness plugged into it and underneath the plug, the switch will offer a hex-head in order to remove it from the transmission with a socket and ratchet.

4

Prep the replacement neutral safety switch with thread seal compound or tape on the threads and set it aside in a handy location without getting the threads contaminated with dirt or grease from under the truck.

5

Place the drain pan beneath the neutral safety switch position in the transmission housing.

6

Disconnect the wire harness from the neutral safety switch plug.

7

Loosen the neutral safety switch with the socket and a ratchet until it can be spun/removed my hand. Place the ratchet and socket down, but do not remove the switch yet.

8

Get the replacement neutral safety switch ready in one hand while removing the old switch with the other hand. Transmission fluid is going to start to pour from the switch port when it is removed. Remove the old switch and hand thread the new one in as quickly as possible to prevent losing too much transmission fluid.

9

Tighten the neutral safety switch to 25 foot-pounds with the torque wrench and socket.

10

Crawl out from under the truck with all the tools. Release the parking brake and slowly back down off the car ramps.

11

Run the engine allowing it enough time to reach operating temperature (inspect the temperature gauge regularly--it could take up to 20-minutes or so). In the interim, hop in the drivers seat and place a foot on the brake pedal while shifting through all the gears periodically.

12

Open the hood with the engine running and remove the transmission oil dipstick (red or black handled--do not confuse it with the yellow handled engine oil dipstick tube. Wipe the dipstick clean and look at the bottom of the dipstick for the hash-mark indicating "Full." If necessary, add transmission fluid through the dipstick tube using a funnel, but only add a little at a time. Allow a few minutes in between rechecking the level of the fluid so the new fluid is allowed to drain down into the transmission pan from the dipstick tube.

The on-board diagnostics computer on the 1997 Volkswagen monitors the engine functions via sensors positioned throughout the engine. When one of the sensors detects a malfunction in the engine, it sends a signal to the OBD computer, which in turn illuminates the "Check Engine" light on your dashboard. You can reset and clear the light by using a diagnostic code scanner. Fix the problem first before resetting the light in order to ensure your OBD computer continues to function properly

Instructions

1

Locate the diagnostic port on the dashboard beneath the heater control panel. The port is the same size and shape as the connector on the diagnostic code scanner. Plug the scanner into the port.

2

Put the key into the ignition and turn the key to "Run." Dont start the engine. This will power on the diagnostic code scanner automatically.

3

Push a button that reads "Scan Codes" (or similar) on your diagnostic code scanner. Wait while the scanner completes its work. It will list the trouble codes on the face of the scanner.

4

Press "Clear Codes" or "Delete" (or similar) on the diagnostic code scanner. When the scanner returns to the menu screen or displays a message to indicate the codes have been cleared, unplug the scanner from the port.

5

Turn the vehicle off and wait a couple of minutes. Turn the engine on and examine the instrument panel. The check engine light should now be off.