2004 Chevrolet Silverado 4.3, Left Side Marker/Turn Signal Bulb Replacement

(This is not a picture of the actual vehicle we worked on. This is a similar vehicle, a 2004 Silverado. The picture is from: http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/silverado-1500/2004/?sub=regular-cab.)

We did an oil service on a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 4.3. As part of an oil service, we always do a safety inspection on the vehicle. The safety inspection consists of checking things like tire pressure, belts and hoses and the external lights, among other things.

As we checked this one, we found the left side marker/turn signal bulb was not lighting. Many have questions about how to change certain bulbs on vehicles. Some are easier than others. Here is how you change this one. 

First, we had to remove the headlamp assembly. To do this, we had to remove the holding pin. It simply slides out.

Once the pin is removed, the headlamp can be lifted up and moved out of the way. We did not disconnect the headlamp, we just simply moved it aside to gain access to the lower assembly.

Now that the headlamp assembly is moved, we can get to the lower assembly. There is a plastic tab that moved be pressed to snap the assembly out of the bracket, allowing it to be moved to get to the bulb. In the picture below, I am pointing to this plastic tab with my screwdriver.

Once the tab is pressed, gently pull forward on the assembly. Be careful as this is done, so as not to break the plastic tabs. The picture below shows the assembly moved out from the bracket.

Below is another picture of me pointing to this plastic tab, this time with the assembly removed. This gives a better view of the tab.

At this point, it is a matter of replacing the burnt bulb. A simple twist of the connector will free it from the housing, then pull the old bulb out and replace it with a new one. The next picture shows the bulb now illuminated.

We then put the connector back into the housing and snapped the assembly back in place.

When reinstalling the headlamp assembly, you must get the plastic tabs/line up pins in the proper slots. The picture below shows the two tabs on the bottom of the headlamp assembly.

Those two tabs go into two slots. The picture below shows the two slots.

Once these are lined up properly, the headlamp assembly will go back in place and the holding pin can be slid back into place.

Once everything was back together, we did a quick recheck to make sure the bulb was illuminating properly. 

2004 Honda Civic LX 1.7 Replacing the Cabin Air Filter

This 2004 Honda Civic LX with the 1.7 engine, came into the shop for a couple of issues.  One thing that we did while we had it was to change the cabin air filter/pollen filter. (It goes by different names depending on manufacturer.)

On this make and model, the cabin air filter is located behind the glove box. The purpose of this filter is to remove odor from the HVAC system, allowing good, fresh air to come into the passenger department.

First, access the glove box. Open the glove box. In order to get to the filter, you will need to drop the glove box down out of the way.

Below, you will see that Honda did a good job making the process much easier than it is on some other makes. You will notice the tabs on the inside of the glove box on the inside. I have my flashlight shining on these tabs.

Next, pop these tabs out and pull them out of the glove box.  The next picture shows the tab popped out of place.

Next, simply push the tab out of position and pull it out.  Below, is what the tab looks like removed.

Now that the glove box will drop down out of the way, the filter housing is easily accessible.

Next, pop the cover off the housing to access the filter.  Below, is the cover removed.

With the cover removed, you can now see the filter in the housing.  Pull the old filter out.  As you can see below, this filter was very dirty and in dire need of replacing.

In the next pic is the new filter.

Now, place it inside the housing.

Then replace the cover over the filter in the housing.

Reattach the tabs in the glove box. This can be a little tricky.  You have to make sure the glove box is partially closed, so the tabs are on the other side of the stoppers.  Once they are in place, close the glove box.

And that's it.  These filters should be changed regularly according to the maintenance schedule.  Check your make and model's info for details.  (Note: not all vehicles come equipped with a cabin air filter. There are some others that did not come installed with one from the factory, but can be added if you want one . . . a Nissan Xterra comes to mind as one of these.)

Cabin air filters should also be replaced if you are constantly getting odor out of your HVAC registers/vents. Or if your HVAC system is not blowing air out as strongly as it once did, this filter could be the cause.

2004 Nissan Altima Using Oil and Running Rough

We had a 2004 Nissan Altima come into the shop the other day.  The customer complaint was he was needing to add oil to it frequently; as much as 2 quarts every other day!  He also had a complaint for the engine running roughly.

When I checked the oil level, it was barely touching the stick.  First things first, fill it up with oil before doing any checks.  Once the oil was full (and we checked the coolant as well, it was good) we started the engine.  We noticed some oily places under the hood and inspected for any leaks.  We noticed some small leaks here and there.

Next, I went to the back of the vehicle to have a look at the exhaust pipes.  I was pretty sure, based on how much oil the customer was adding, the problem was an internal one.  I was pretty confident it was going to put out a bit of smoke, indicating a problem with the rings in the cylinders.

I had asked the customer if he had noticed any smoke.  He said he had seen some, but really wasn't sure.
We revved the RPM a bit and as we did smoke started coming from the pipes.  It may be hard to see, but the smoke is visible in the picture below (whitish/grayish in color).

 The more we increased the RPM, the more the smoke boiled out.

When we snapped the throttle to red line, WOT (Wide Open Throttle) the smoke thickened even more (my camera wasn't quick enough to capture it) and oil spit out from the exhaust pipes.

The black specs on the floor in the picture above is oil from the pipes.  Below, I got some of the discharged oil on my finger to show.

Long story short, this vehicle is in need of an overhaul or engine replacement.

2004 Chevrolet Colorado 3.5 Gas Smell From Vents

Had this 2004 Chevy Colorado come into the shop with a customer complaint of smelling raw gas fumes when he had his heater running.  He was worried gas was somehow entering into his vent system.

First step was to raise the hood and inspect for any leaking fuel components under the hood.  I had in mind a possible leaking injector, but instead found a leaking fuel pressure regulator, as you will see below.  You will notice the wet spot on the regulator where it had been leaking.

I replaced the faulty regulator with a new one.  There are a couple of torx bolts to remove along with the regulator from the fuel rail and a fuel line.  There are two o-rings that have to be replaced as well.

Finished the repair and no more raw gas smell coming from the HVAC vents.