Is a Mig Welder difficult to use?

How hard is it to learn how to weld with a Mig welder? I would like to do some basic welding around my ranch. Nothing really fancy, just some body work on my tractor and other odds and ends.

Thanks for your email. Mig welding is probably the easiest of all the different types of welding to learn. If you are a beginner this is the place to start. A mig welder is a wire fed electric welder. This makes it alot more user friendly that oxy-acetylene welding. You can practice on scraps of metal until you get the hang of it and then move on to more difficult projects. Mig welders come in lots of sizes and styles. At first you can purchase one of the less expensive models to learn with. Beware, mig welding can become addicting once you get the hang of it.

• Here is a good article on How to Operate a Mig welder.

Infrared Thermometer or Laser Thermometer question

Is an handheld infrared thermometer and a laser thermometer the same thing or are they different products? I need to purchase one and I am trying to decide which would be better for my automotive garage.


It is a common misconception to mistakenly refer to an infrared thermometer as a "laser" thermometer. Infrared thermometers only use the laser and as aiming reference. The laser beam does not measure temperature. The device uses infrared to acheive this. Some do not even come equipped with a laser. However, I would recommend purchasing one with this option. It is critical you know which surface area you actually getting a temperature reading from. Also, the further away from the object you are measuring, the more inaccurate your temperature reading will be.

A/C Flush Kit question

Is there a product that has all the stuff I would need to do an A/C flush on my truck? I am converting from R12 refrigerant to R134a and it is recommended that I flush my air conditioning system of dirt and the old lubricant before I put the R134a into the a/c.

Yes, there are several A/C flush kits available today on the market that should be able to help with your a/c refrigerant conversion. We also have several r12 to r134a retrofit kits available as well. Click here for some more quick and simple instructions on doing an a/c flush. Your right about flushing your air conditioner before adding more refrigerant. Old r12 lubricant is not compatible with the new r134a lubricant and it needs to be purged from the a/c. This process will also clean your a/c from any contaminants that may have built up in it over time.

Air Ratchet Wrench or Impact Wrench?

I am trying to decide whether to purchase an air ratchet wrench or an air impact wrench. I do lots of basic repair work on my car and the engine in my spare time. Is an air ratchet wrench a cheaper alternative to an impact wrench?

Thanks for the question. Basically they are two different air tools for different applications. An air impact wrench is great for busting off stubborn lug nuts. An air ratchet wrench simply doesn't have the power to break a tough nut. However, if your are working in a tight space like an engine compartment, an air ratchet wrench is great. For one thing, you can't get an impact wrench into a tight space and they are probably too powerful anyway. An air ratchet wrench is great upgrade from your hand held socket set. You can reach down into a tight spot and just squeeze the trigger. The air from your portable air compressor does the work for you. No cranking your handheld socket set smashing your knuckles on the engine block. Here are some articles on the subject too.

• Why use an air ratchet wrench?
  
  
• An Air Impact Wrench Can Over Tighten Your Lug Nuts!

How do I use an A/C Vacuum Pump?

I need to purchase a Robinair A/C vacuum pump, but I am unsure how to select the right size for the application. I also have never used one before on my car's air conditioning system. Where can I find some information on this subject?

We have several informative articles on A/C vacuum pumps that should be able to help with your selection. Below is a list of them on our site as well as some basic instruction on to hook a A/C vacuum pump to your car's system correctly.

• How to Choose an A/C Vacuum Pump

• How to Operate an A/C Vacuum Pump

Looking for information on Portable Evaporative Coolers

I am interested in purchasing an portable evaporative cooler or a swamp cooler and I don't really know anything about them. I have friend who uses one to cool down his warehouse and I have also heard they are a cost effective alternative to convential air conditioning. Can you provide me some more details? How do they cool? Are swamp coolers best used outside, indoors or in a warehous?

Thanks for the email. Portable evaporative coolers are becoming much more popular, especially in states with dry climates. We have collected some informative articles on evaporative cooling. Just check out these links below and if you have any other questions, just email us back.

• Does an Evaporative Cooler really "Cool"?


• How an evaporative air cooler works.


• How to size an portable evaporative cooler.


• The pros and cons of shop evaporative coolers.

Dead Car Battery or Something Else

I'm kind of beating myself senseless for this stupidity but it wasn't entirely my fault. Yesterday morning my car wouldn't start, so after work my friend took me to go get new jumper cables, we ended up having to switch parking spots due to the local of our batteries on our cars. I was pushing and she was steering in my car, I put the cables on my battery and as I was about to pick up the other end of the jumper cable, my kid trips over them causing the ends to touch and spark for a 5 seconds. I decided to try to charge it to see if I could get anything and there was no current at all. Nothing, nada, my car is completely dead, nothing will turn on. What happened? I don't have a lot of money so I'm trying to fix everything myself. Please help! Oh by the way, it's a 1984 Mercury Grand Marquis.

First thing I would do is pull the battery, and take it to a garage , auto parts store or Walmart for a test. If it is still OK then get a car battery charger and charge it back up . Open the fuse box and check a few of the fuses to see if anything blew. If you find blown fuses you need to check fusible links as well. Then install the charged battery , clean and tighten cables and start checking lights, radio etc. Then turn everything off and start the car. Next time you might consider carrying a jump starter or battery booster instead of jumper cables. You won't need another car to jump start your dead battery and your kids won't trip over the cables hanging between the 2 batteries. Good luck with battery!

Do I need a ODB Scan Tool to read the OBD Codes on my 2001 Silverado?

Is there a way to read the diagnostic codes on a 2001 Chevy Pickup without an OBD-II scan tool reader? Several previous vehicles would blink the codes to you if you turned the key
on/off/on/off/on/off rapidly, or pushed the right combination of radio buttons, etc.

My truck (34000 miles) has been hard to start for a couple of weeks. I bought a can of fuel injector cleaner for it last week ago (which I just put in last night. I was waiting for the gas gauge to drop below 1/2 tank.) The SES light came on yesterday morning. I'd like to see what the codes are, especially to compare with some service bulletins for this model. The oil dipstick smells like gasoline, but that could be my imagination.

BTW, the truck has always gotten poor gas mileage (as bad as my old 1974 3/4 ton) but two different dealers checked that out back in 2002 and said it was normal. Other than the poor fuel economy the truck has had no problems at all until now. (so I don't have service manuals, etc. yet)

Thanks, and best regards,

You need at least an ODD II compliant scan code reader to retrieve any stored codes. The really isn't any trick or flashing light that will tell you. The codes are too complicated for that. There are inexpensive models available that will give you the information you need. Equus makes a nice little unit that will work for you. It is the Equus ODB 2 Scan Tool Reader( model EP13030). This model is under a $100 and easy to use.