Advertise on Motorsport Zone!

Motorsport Zone is always looking for more advertisers for all over the site, wether in the side bar or in a post; text, photo and animated adverts are all a possibility. Please do not hesitate to contact me and begin negotiations.

motorsportzone@hotmail.com

Below are download links to my sites statistics and and explanation of the advertising possibilities and a rough price guide although i very much decide price on a case-by-case basis so please get in touch. I do not use spamming advertisers or auto generators like google ad-words, i prefer to have targeted advertising from people who find my site. If you found this page people will see your ads!

My posts are available now in Multi-format. Whether on a PC, Mac, iPad or iPhone you can now view motorsport zone in an easy to read format (Magazine style for iPad). If you choose to advertise in post, your adverts will be seen on all of these platforms!

»»  read more

How To Bleed ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes)

If you have any problems with your break systems, like callipers or wheel cylinders, then the brake systems must be bled to remove the air to ensure that the brake pedal remains firm. If you get air trapped in you system braking becomes less solid and pressure to the pedal will provide soft braking, which can be quite dangerous, increasing the cars stopping distance. Firstly ALWAYS read your cars handbook and whatever information you can get about it before trying! a lot of good car repair and service handbooks can be found at charity shops and second hand book stores, well worth it.

Good diagram of location and basic workings of the braking systems of a standard car

Bleeding is a fairly simple operation on most vehicles, assuming no air bubbles have found there way into the ABS modulator assembly. The air in the system can be compressed, so when brakes are applied, the air must be compressed first before the liquid can slow the car, hence the feeling of soft brakes.

Tool exist especially to bleed braking systems, and it can be done fairly simply with a power bleeder, injecting tool or vacuum bleeder. All of these systems are equally effective, the idea is to flush the air out of the systems by pumping them with fluid.

So where do you start? The common place to begin bleeding your brakes is to begin with the ones furthest from the master cylinder, then the set on the same hydraulic circuit. You then follow this ending with the closest to the master cylinder. These solutions are fine, assuming you either just want to bleed you brakes to remove air bubbles, or you need to replace any of the system components which come after the modulator; calipers, wheel cylinders, brake lines or brake hoses. But if you need to deal with a component which is upstream from the modulator then the operation is slightly more difficult, although the above method will work, it is not 100% effective on the parts before (and including) the modulator.

The modulator has a lot of little places which air can become trapped in small cracks, and flushing it out has no effect, to solve this, you will need to consult a mechanic from a garage which specialises in your car, or find out exactly how to do it for your exact model, as the systems can be very different from car to car.

The modulator can contain 8 - 10 Anti-lock or traction control valves, aswell as other dead end ports and check valves. Some cars have special bleed screws built into the system which make this whole process a lot easier, allowing the air out of all the trapped areas. Others do not have bleed screws and needs a scan tool, which can cycle through the valve system whilst you bleed the mechanism, allowing all of the air to escape

If you are not experienced with cars and mechanics, do not try this! you can make it worse and then end up spending alot more money than you previously had to with a qualified mechanic. The best advice i can give you is to always read the book on your cars systems before trying ANY repairs yourself!

»»  read more

How to Change Front Shock Absorbers

How to change a cars front shock absorbers (left or right)

Shock absorbers are there to ensure handling ride comfort in cars. They are effectively dampers which lessen the effect of the bounce experienced when a car hits a lump or object in the road, it is and important part of the automotive system and ensures a safe and comfortable ride, when they become worn the lack of damping can damage some of the components in the car. It can also lower the MPG rate and efficiency of your car, costing you a fair bit in petrol in the long run, not to mention the extra adverse effects to our enviroment. Luckily, the process for changing them is fairly simple for a relatively knowledgable person and is exactly the same for left and right shock absorbers, so here is a simple step by step guide:

Chevy Shock absorbers

1. Prepare the car:

Park your car on a level surface and jack up the car, make sure you place the jacks against the frame of the car and not the suspension system, prolonged periods of holding the cars weight can damage the system. Ensure you place wedges behind your rear wheels to prevent the car from moving, loosen you wheel nuts and remove the wheel.

2. Removing the old shock absorbers

locate the lower attachment bolts and or screws of the shock absorber (consult your car handbook if in doubt to which ones), Remove them whilst clamping the shock absorber piston rod in a vice grip. Using a wrench or other tool, remove the upper attachment bolts/screws, your shocks are now removed from the car, remove it carefully.

3. Replace worn parts (bushings and grommets)

The key things to replace is the grommets and rubber bushings. Get the first grommet and put it concave side down onto the shock absorber piston rod. Then, slide the rubber bushing onto the piston rod, moving it down so it is in contact with the convex side of the grommet. Put a second grommet onto the shock absorber piston rod, sliding it down (convex side down) so it sits snuggly to the bushing. If there is a plastic strip around the shock absorber, remove it.

4.Installing the new shock absorber

Place your new shock between the upper and lower suspension arms, pushing the shock absorber piston rod through the hole in the upper suspension arm, tighten the upper fixing nut. Compress the shock slowly, until it lines up with the lower mounting holes on the shock and the suspension arm. Insert the lower bolt through the bottom mounting holes and the bottom of the shock absorber and tighten.

That's it!

»»  read more

How to Fix Window Wiper Fluid Leaks

How to fix windshield wiper fluid jets and check for leaks!

Window wipers - vital in modern motoring

It can be very irritating and often dangerous when your wind shield washer jets break, especially in cold weather, without a clean wind screen you can have a job seeing, especially in bright sunlight. So what could cause them to break?

If your wind shield fluid jets aren't working properly the chances are you have a leak in the tank, there are very few things which can go wrong with the actual system because it is so simple. A good place to start is not over looking the obvious. Check your tank, does it have fluid in? if it doesn't and you have filled it recently there is obviously a leak somewhere, in cold weather the plastic of both the tank and the tubes which carry the fluid can contract and crack. If you have water still there and your jets still do not work then you have a slightly different problem but i shall explain non the less. For a good video of checking for leaks, take a look here.

Unfortunately if this is the case you have little chance of creating your own water tight seal again so you will be better off buying new tubes or a new tank and fitting it yourself, or having a mechanic do it. But this isn't the only reason you washer jets don't work, if there is water in the tank and it still doesn't work then you can try this:

Unplug the tube from the jets and press the button, if water comes out of the pipe, then your jets are clogged, you can clean them with wire or wire brush to allow the water back through, or you can blast them with compressed air. At this point It would probably be a good idea to remove the reservoir and give it a good clean and remove anything which could cause it to get clogged up again.

If water didn't come out of the tube when you pressed the button you may have a pressure problem. You can use a test light to make sure that the the switch is sending a signal to the reservoir pump, if this doesn't work you can change the fuse. If the problem still persists then im afraid it is the job for a mechanic as the trouble lies with the electronics of the pump.

FINALLY: a few tips. Make sure that when you are pressing the switch that your ignition is ON! The pump is powered by the battery and wont work if you have the car turned off. The most common place on a car for leaks is the barber plastic fittings on the tubing, to source the leak just follow the tubes from the jets to the resevoir, checking for them as you go, especially at joins in the tubing.

»»  read more