How to Clean Fuel Injectors

There’s really only two ways to clean your car’s fuel injection system. Do it yourself or take it to a professional. Ok, ok, so I’m a wise-guy! No really, that is the choice, and dependent on the complexity of your car, truck, boat, RV, or whatever it is, on the “do it yourself” side, you really also only have two choices, a) dumping in a pre-made product into the fuel reservoir, or b) dis-assembly and the use of either an injection type cleaning solution, or real down-and-get-your-hands-dirty take the whole thing apart and clean the crap out of it (caution – for real men only).

If you are like me, you are probably the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” type of guy, especially considering the complexity of today’s internal combustion engines, and you probably also got a limited resoure of tools, time and sufficient space to become “Joe Mehanic” for an afternoon, or a day, or maybe even a week dependent upon how much you pay attention to what you are doing, how many parts you loose or get mixed up, and how far the chain of screwed up parts or broken bolts on the engine you encounter. I could give you many examples of that last situation but I am sure you have probably already “been there done that” too, and that’s why God created professional auto mechanics.

The simplest solution is to take your car to one of the local franchise auto parts stores, have them put it on the scanner and tell you exactly what’s going on with the air/fuel mixture, RPM, idle speed, etc, usually the resultant code printout will give you a decent enough game plan on how complex your fuel injection cleaning has to be, and usually I end up letting them sell me two bottles of the “dump in the tank” fuel injection cleaner, and I head out onto the highway (with radar detector in hand) and “open ‘er up” to let the magic juice do it’s thing.

I used to be real cool and opt for the take the fuel line off and insert the injection type cleaning solution, which usually took about 15 minutes to accomplish, but it seems that in this day and age, the parts stores are not selling these kits anymore, probably because the number of guys that blew themselves up made the corporate lawyers go berserk, so these type of systems are only available to professionals or online, and I preface them with a word of caution. DON’T DO IT. I don’t want to be responsible for you not having any eyebrows for four months, OK big guy?

The last, more complex option is for the real hardcore do it yourselfers. Get out the trusty repair manual or go to your favorite DIY (Do It Yourself) automotive website, take the injection manifold completely off the engine, put it on the workbench, soak it and scrub it with all kinda wierd shaped pipe cleaners and brushes and nasty smelling solvents, put it all back together, and be happy all that expensive gasoline is getting to where it is supposed to be getting and getting there nice and clean (and burning a bigger hole in your wallet right?).

Whichever is your method of choice, it is a very important milestone of regular vehicle maintenance, and if overlooked can lead to other more serious “out of spec” problems, so it should not be forgotten or put off too long.

Where to Find Old Stamps for Your Stamp Collection

One of the best parts of stamp collecting, or any collecting, is the treasure hunt aspect. You get to play Indiana Jones in your own little way. The remote but real possibility of finding a rare and valuable treasure just adds to the excitement.

Dealers are always a good source for old stamps, especially if you are looking for something in particular. If you are going this route then the stamp show is your best bet. Here you will find many dealers in one place which will improve your odds of not only finding what you want but getting a good deal in the process. These also have the benefit of also including a display competition for collectors. This will give you the opportunity to see many examples of stamps you may never see on your own.

Another great way to find old stamps for your collection is searching lots. A lot can be an old collection or a shoebox full of stamps or anything similar. These can be purchased from dealers or other collectors. Many clubs will buy these and place them out for their members to search.

If you are feeling more adventurous garage sales, flea markets and even old attics can be fun searches. Don’t just limit yourself to looking for stamps here though. Look for old letters or postcards or anything else that may have been sent in the mail. Since these may not have been checked for their stamps you could find that rare treasure you’ve been looking for. Remember, the most valuable stamp in the world was once just a letter to someone’s sweetheart.

Good luck and happy hunting!

How to Clean an Old Coin

You can find a number of ways that you can clean an old coin. Below will be some methods that you can use to clean some old coins that you have laying around or that you have found. Before cleaning a old coin that may be valuable you will want to contact a coin dealer as cleaning will cut the value of the coin sometimes by half.

The First Method for Cleaning an Old Coin is Vinegar

The first method is a pretty common method to use for cleaning some old coins. This method can be done with more than one coin at once and will allow multiple coins to be done by simply filling a soda bottle or apple juice container with the coins such as pennies that you want to clean up. Once you have placed all the pennies into the jug pour pure white vinegar past the mark where the pennies are and then shake the container and allow the pennies to sit over night or for at least 24 hours. Then pour the vinegar out and wipe the coins off with a towel that is not used for bathing or showering.

The Second Way To Clean An Old Coin Is Baking Soda

Here is another way to clean old coins, however this method should only be used when you are cleaning a small amount of coins as the method will take some time to clean a bunch of pennies at one time. You will need to have a box of baking soda and you will need to have the pennies placed into a cup allowing the pennies to be wet to allow the baking soda to stick to the pennies. Once the baking soda has sat on the pennies for a few minutes use a tooth brush to scrub the baking soda off from the penny. Once the baking soda has been scrubbed off rinse the coin and then allow the coin to dry. The coin should be clean.

The Third Way To Clean An Old Coin Is Ammonia

I wouldn’t recommend using this method if you have a problem with breathing problems such as asthma or have an intolerance to certain smells. You will need to have purchased some ammonia cleaning solution. Place a small amount of cleaning solution in a small jar and place the coins in the jar and allow to soak. Once the coins have soaked for several hours remove them from the cleaning solution and wipe down with a soft cloth. You may still need to use the baking soda method.

The Fourth Way To Clean An Old Coin Is Jewelry Cleaner

Another method that can be used is to purchase a jar of jewelry cleaner from your local jewelry store. Once you have purchased the jewelry cleaner such as Never Dull. Use the cotton and tear off a small portion of it and use it to wipe off the pennies or coins that need to be polished. Once you have used the padding and wiped the coins off you will need to use a soft cloth to wipe the pennies and coins off once you have done the polishing. You will need to make sure that you have wiped all the cleaner off.

These are just some ways that you can clean old coins and pennies. Most of the methods mentioned can be used to clean jewelry as well. These methods are fairly cheap and easy to do. The methods will not take a large amount of time to complete as well.