Welcome to the Jalopnik Spring Tune-Up, Where You Can Improve Your Car and Yourself

Bob Sorokanich

March 19, 2023 at 2:53 PM·7 min read

Image: Photo: Getty Images / Ghislain & Marie David de Lossy; Illustration: Vicky Leta

Do you feel it? The air is warming, the ground is thawing, the sun may even still be visible when you get out of work. Springtime is around the corner, and here at Jalopnik, that can only mean one thing: It’s time to get into some DIY car projects, or just teach yourself exactly how an automobile works.

See, over the nearly two decades that Jalopnik has been obsessing over automobiles, we’ve published a ton of articles geared toward helping you get the most out of your car — from how-to guides on car buying and basic maintenance, to overviews on the best ways to modify and improve your ride, to deep-dives that explain the inner workings of the modern (or classic!) automobile. You say you’re not interested in turning wrenches? No sweat: We’ll also show you the best ways to keep your car neat and clean. Now that the fun driving months are approaching, we figured it’s a great time to brush up your wrenching skills and learn something new about exactly what’s going on under your car’s hood.

Throughout March, you’ll see updated and expanded versions of some of our best articles on DIY car maintenance, upgrades and mods, and the science that powers our beloved vehicles. There’s something here for everybody, whether you’re a newbie who’s never checked their tire pressure, an experienced amateur looking to take your wrenching skills to the next level, or a seasoned shadetree mechanic ready to learn the masters-level stuff.

Of course, we’ll be writing about wrenching, modding, DIY maintenance and car tech all year round, but now that winter is fading in the rearview mirror, we wanted to put all this knowledge in one place. If there’s a topic you don’t see here, a question you’ve always wanted answered, or anything else you want out of Jalopnik’s Spring Tune-Up, let us know in the comments below. Keep checking back all month. No matter who you are, or how much wrenching you’ve done, I guarantee you’ll learn something you never knew before.

How to Remove a Locking Lug Nut Without a Key

Lug nuts hold your wheel to your car, so you’ll need to take them off to change a tire or work on your suspension. That’s easy unless one of your lug nuts is a special “locking type.” Oh, yours is? And you lost the key? Don’t sweat it, we’ll show you how to get that sucker off anyway.

Here’s Exactly How Far You Can Drive With Your Gas Light On

There’s something strange I’ve noticed about human psychology when it comes to the “you’re almost out of gas” dashboard warning light. I have two vintage cars that don’t have the yellow low-fuel light, and two slightly newer ones that do. On the vintage cars, I’ll usually fill up when the gas gauge is roughly around empty. Sometimes I’ll push it until that needle’s really hugging E (or R, as the Germans like).

Here’s What Those Black Dots at the Edge of Your Windshield Do

Image: Photo: David Tracy; Graphic: Vicky Leta, Jalopnik

Recently, while looking at the vibrant lights of Hong Kong through a bus window, I noticed for the eleven-millionth time those little dots and that black band running along the edge of the glass. “What are these?” I wondered. So when I got home, I called up a major automotive glass manufacturer to find out.

I Accidentally Put Diesel in My Gas Tank! What Do I Do Now?

Photo: Photo: Axel Heimken, AP; Graphic: Vicky Leta, Jalopnik

It’s thankfully a rare problem, but a horrifying one: An unwitting driver accidentally pumps diesel fuel into their gasoline-powered car, somehow bypassing the built-in safety feature where the diesel fuel nozzle won’t fit in the gasoline car’s fuel filler. This is disastrous for your engine, so if it happens, here’s what to do next.

Why You Should Never Run Your Car Low on Gas

Sometimes it’s tempting to try to eke out as many miles as possible from a tank of gas. But you shouldn’t do it. This video showing the innards of a fuel pump will help you understand why.

Why You Should Never Take Your Car to an Automatic Car Wash

Every winter, it’s important to get road salt off your car as soon as possible if you don’t want it turning into rusty dust. The best way to do that is to just wash it all off, but heaven help you if you go to an automatic carwash. We spoke to an expert to find out why.

How to Clean Your Dirty Engine Bay Without Breaking Your Car

Image: Photo: Freddy Hernandez; Graphic: Vicky Leta / Jalopnik

I have a cluttered bedroom. To me, it’s a place where I lay down to check if there’s a new episode of Roadkill on my laptop and not much else. But my cars have to be damn near spotless. To help with that, here’s how to clean your car’s engine so the whole area under the hood is spotless. It’s not hard, but there are a few tips you’ll need to follow.

How to Diagnose an Engine That Won’t Start

Image: Photo: Andrew Collins; Graphic: Vicky Leta / Jalopnik

Every truly crappy day begins with a car that won’t start. We’ve seen it in the movies, we’ve read it in books, and that’s just how it is. So here are some simple steps you can take to nip that crappy day in the bud. Let’s figure out why the heck your car won’t run!

How Electronic Fuel Injection Works

Image: Photo: simazoran (Getty Images), Illustration: Vicky Leta / Jalopnik (Getty Images)

New cars are confusing — intimidating even. With all the computers, sensors, and gadgets, and now, even hybrid technology, it may seem like there’s some sort of magical witchcraft taking place under the hood. We’re here to lessen the mystery and show you how modern automotive computer control systems work. Today, we’re talking electronic fuel injection.

How Does Variable Valve Timing Work?

Image: Photo: Timitrius (Other), Illustration: Vicky Leta / Jalopnik

Back in the day, a car’s intake and exhaust valves opened a specific amount at a specific point in the four stroke cycle, and for a specific amount of time. It was that simple. Nowadays, however, many engines can not only change when their valves open, but also how much they open and for how long – that is, new cars can change valve timing, valve lift, and valve duration. Let’s have a look at how variable valve timing (VVT) works.

How a Carburetor Works

Image: Photo: Anze Furlan / psgtproductions (Getty Images), Illustration: Vicky Leta / Jalopnik

Okay, so almost no new cars use carburetors (but some two-wheeled vehicles, mostly dirt bikes, still do). Still, it’s important to understand how engines got to where they are today. It all began with the good ol’ carb before everything went more... digital.

Should You Swap Your Headlight Bulbs for LEDs?

Image: Photo: Jalopnik; Illustration: Vicky Leta

LED headlights throw extremely intense light with very little draw on your car’s electrical system. Now that they’re trickling down to the aftermarket, you can buy a simple plug-in “LED retrofit kit” that straight swaps your halogen bulbs. We installed a set to see if that’s actually a good idea.

Why You Don’t Want to Buy a Rebuilt Salvage Vehicle

Image: Photo: Lalita Chemello / Jalopnik, Illustration: Vicky Leta

Ever been tempted to buy a Rebuilt Salvage vehicle? Formerly wrecked but now legal to drive, the former salvage vehicle might be substantially less expensive than another similar vehicle without that designation. I would caution you: Rebuilt salvage vehicles are the fool’s gold of the automotive world.

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