Q: I have a 2003 3/4 ton Chevy Suburban with the 6.0 V8 engine. I am doing a transmission fluid and filter change. How many quarts of transmission fluid do I need?

A: If you have the 4L60 transmission you need 5 quarts. The 4L80 uses 7 quarts. This should be in your owner's manual. 

Q: In an emergency I used a CO₂ regulator to pump up a tire on my work van. Is this bad for the tires, or better than O₂?

A: I’d reserve the CO₂ for emergencies, and I’d bleed and refill that particular tire with compressed air 3-4 times as soon as you can.

CO₂ + H₂O (from moisture in the compressed air lines and already in your tire) = carbolic acid

It’s not going to rot your tires or wheel right away, but it’s more corrosive than plain air. Yes, there’s CO₂ in compressed air, too, so save the letters. 

Q: One of the windshield wiper fluid spouts in my 1998 Nissan Maxima will not give out fluid, but the other one does. How do I fix this? 

A: Probably clogged. Remove the hose from the back of the nozzle and squirt some washer fluid for a few seconds to clear any junk out of the hose. Then blow some compressed air into the windshield side of the nozzle to clear any junk out of there as well.

Oh, no compressed air? If the washer fluid hose is long enough, run it up above the hood and stick it over the spout while someone else turns the washers on to achieve the same end. Cover the other nozzle while doing this, because that fluid really stings when it gets in your eye. Don't ask.

Q: My 2007 GMC Sierra SLT (5.3L) has failed to start on several occasions after sitting overnight. When I get in the truck in the morning the ignition is dead and there is no electrical power (Interior lights do not work). If I hook up the battery charger and immediately get in the truck the interior lights come on and the truck starts. No wait time for battery charging is needed. It's obviously not the battery as I have purchased a new one and had the same problem. I have taken it to the GMC dealer and they can't find anything wrong. Any idea what might be causing this problem? So far it has only occurred after sitting in my garage overnight. 

A: If the truck will start on its own with the battery charger only connected for a few seconds, then the battery isn't dead. And the fact that there's no power at all anywhere means it's the battery connection to the truck, not just a bad starter circuit.

So I'm thinking its a loose connection. Hooking up the battery charger disturbs the flaky connection just enough to make the connection. And after the truck sits for a while, the oxidation builds up.

Try chasing voltage drops between the battery posts and the vehicle. When it won't start, leave the key, and maybe the running lamps on to draw some current--even if they won't light, Check the voltage across the connection from the positive post tot the clamp, from the positive post to the wire where it exits the clamp, to the other end of the cable where it goes to the solenoid or starter or wherever and so on. If there's battery voltage everywhere, start checking for voltage drop in  a similar fashion along the negative cable.

This is usually caused by a poor connection between the battery post and the clamp, but I have to assume that the installation of a new battery was done properly. 

Q: i purchased a 49cc gas stand up scooter with a top speed of 35mph. How do I modify it to make it ride slowly?

A:  The simple way is to just loosen the throttle cable a little. Instant slow.

Actually, what you probably wanted was to restrict the top speed, not just make it accelerate it more slowly. That's more difficult. To restrict top speed, make the front sprocket smaller, the rear sprocket larger, or both.