Fix a flat, jump a battery and fill up a radiator

By FRANK WAGNER Copley News Service

Published on February 15, 2008

In the best of all possible worlds, tires wouldn't go flat, batteries wouldn't lose their charges, cars couldn't overheat. But in our world, they do, even if less frequently than in the past.

If you are smart, you'll join an auto club so someone else will fix these problems for you. If you are wise, you'll learn to do them yourself anyway, just in case you break down outside the range of normal help. And you'll consult your owner's manual to make sure these procedures apply to your vehicle.

Flat tire

Tools and materials: Tire jack, tire iron, four-way lug wrench, spare tire; maybe a rock.

1. Pull off the road; try to make it to flat ground (no hills or inclines). Put the car in park (if it's a standard shift, put it in gear), apply parking brake and turn on hazard lights. Get all tools and materials out of the car.

2. Place a wheel chock or a large rock behind (if facing uphill) or in front (facing downhill) the diagonally opposing wheel to prevent the car from rolling. Do this even on a slight incline. With the tire iron, pry off hubcap; set it aside to collect lug nuts. Using your four-way lug wrench, loosen (but do not remove) all lug nuts by turning counterclockwise. This may take some work, since shops love to over-tighten nuts using power wrenches. (Service managers deny this over-tight theory, but they never volunteer to hand-loosen lug nuts). Pull up on the lug wrench; you may have to step on the opposite arm of the four-way for leverage.

3. Jack up the car - carefully. Check your owner's manual for the correct and safe place to put the jack. Jack the car higher than necessary to remove the old tire so there is room for the new, full tire.

4. Remove lug nuts all the way. Set them in the hubcap so you can find them later. Leave the top lug nut (one closest to 12 o'clock) for last. The flat will be hanging from the threaded studs now.

5. Remove the flat; grip tire at 3 and 9 o'clock; pull. Set it aside.

6. Place the new tire onto wheel studs (the valve, where you add air, always faces out). Align holes in the spare's center with bolts on the car; lift and position spare on the threaded bolts. Note: The spare may well be much smaller than standard tires if you have a newer car - it's only meant to get you someplace where they can fix or replace the normal tire.

7. Replace lug nuts on the bolts.

Start with the top lug (one closest to 12 o'clock) and hand-tighten clockwise (no wrench). Move one nut over, and do the same.

Work around the wheel but do not tighten adjacent nuts consecutively. Once in place, tighten a bit more with the wrench.

8. Slowly lower the jack and remove it.

9. Tighten lug nuts again (clockwise) as much as you can.

10. Replace hubcap; put flat and tools in the car. Remove the chock or rock if you used one - and ease on down the road.

Practice this at least once when you're not on the road so you know the whereabouts of tools and jacking points, how hubcaps come off, etc. A four-way lug wrench usually doesn't come with the car; they're available for about $10 (and up, of course) wherever auto parts stores are sold.

Make sure you get one that fits your car (they come in metric or American - SAE - variations).

Dead battery

Tools and materials: 12- to 18-foot jumper cables, a car that's running; maybe a flashlight and steel wool.

1. Pull a car with a charged battery next to the car with the dead battery. Get the two batteries as close together as you can but don't allow cars to touch.

2. Turn off all accessories in the "dead" vehicle and both engines; pull out the keys; put both cars in park (or in first gear if they have stick shifts); engage emergency brakes and open the hoods and remove any plastic or rubber covers to battery posts.

3. Attach a red-handled/positive jumper cable clamp to the positive terminal (the one with a "plus" sign) of the working car's battery. Don't let cable clamps touch during the jump. Be sure the connection is strong and that the clamp securely "bites" onto the battery terminal.

4. Connect the other end of the positive cable (red) to the positive battery terminal on the dead vehicle (again, confirm that a "plus" is next to the battery terminal). If terminals are corroded on either vehicle, you may have to scrape them with an abrasive such as steel wool to get down to metal and make a solid connection.

5. Attach the negative (black) cable to the negative post (with the "minus" sign) on the good battery.

6. Attach the other end of the negative cable to a clean, unpainted spot on the engine of the car with the dead battery.

7. Start the car with the good battery and let it idle; attempt to start the car with the dead battery. You can rev the engine slightly on the running car while the other car is attempting to start.

8. Keep both cars running and turn on the headlights of both cars.

9. Disconnect the cables in the reverse order of how they went on: negative cable from engine, negative cable from good battery; positive cable from dead battery, positive cable from good battery. (Don't let the cable clamps touch until all are disconnected).

10. Turn off the headlights.

11. Don't stop the car with the dead battery. Let it run for a while, preferably at highway speeds to charge the dead battery.

Batteries contain hydrogen and oxygen - flammable gasses. When jump-starting a car, there is a remote possibility of explosion. It's unlikely, unless the battery has been sitting for a long time and little or no air has circulated in the area. Prevent Blindness America suggests wearing splash-proof polycarbonate goggles when jump-starting a battery. Goggles should have a Z-87 label on the frame. The association also stresses not smoking when working on a battery. And never to jump-start your battery if the car's fluids are frozen.

Overheated radiator

Tools and materials: Rag, funnel, coolant (half antifreeze, half water; in an emergency just water will do).

1. Turn off the engine.

2. Wait. If engine is steaming, don't open the hood. When engine cools, open the hood.

3. Check the coolant reservoir tank first. It's a plastic jug that has a small hose running to the radiator. The reservoir can be filled when the engine is hot; add coolant (water and antifreeze) to the reservoir, using a funnel to avoid spilling. In a pinch it is OK to add only water or only antifreeze. (On some cars, it is difficult to see the full line on the coolant reservoir. Bounce the car up and down while looking to see how full the reservoir is). Put cap back on the coolant reservoir.

Note: On German and Swedish cars, the plastic reservoir is also under pressure, so don't open when the engine is hot.

4. Open radiator cap with a rag. Remember: open it only after the engine has cooled completely. If you're not sure, don't open the cap. If you open the cap while it's still warm, you may burn yourself with steam or hot coolant. Open the cap slowly, as if you were opening a bottle of soda that has been shaken.

5. Examine the radiator. Look inside and see if there's coolant left. If needed, fill to the top of the radiator.

Fill radiator with antifreeze or water if it's empty, and close the cap.

6. Check to see that the upper or lower radiator hose, or any of the heater hoses, haven't burst.

7. Restart the engine.

8. Watch the temperature gauge. Don't let the needle go into the red. Turn off the engine if the gauge approaches the red zone.