How to check tire pressure

Welcome back,               
As I mentioned in the previous post I cannot assume my audience knows everything I know, therefore we'll start with some basics. Now that winter is upon us, you might notice your tires seem flatter than usual. This is because of the dropping temperatures which causes the air inside to become dense thus lowering the pressure inside the tire.



There are two places you can check that will provide accurate information: the driver-side door jam of your vehicle.
                                                     


And the owners manual for your vehicle, which is hopefully in your glove-box. You can check online for this information, however I would save that for a last resort.


                                           




If you were paying attention to the illustrations, you'll notice that there is more information in the owners manual than on the door jam. As indicated by the chart in the manual, you'll notice that as the temperature goes down, the recommended tire pressure goes up. Lets check the tire pressure.


                                         


Use a tire pressure gauge to check the pressure by placing the nozzle of the gauge up to the head of the valve stem. Make sure they're lined up and press the gauge gently yet firmly onto the valve stem. You'll hear some air seep out, press firmly to create a seal between the gauge and the stem. If you have a good seal, air should not continue to pour out. It may take a few tries if this is your first time, if you need to, reset the gauge by pushing the pressure indicator back into the gauge and try again.


                                        



In this case, my front left tire pressure is at 33psi. To top it off one will need a pneumatic air compressor. Just plug it in, let it charge up and fill your tire to the correct pressure. In my case I'm going to hold off on topping it off for just 2psi difference. At what level would I fill it you ask? I'll fill it at a 5psi difference. Don't forget to check the other 3 tires.


                                    


I hope you learned something today and thanks for tuning in!

About Me and This Blog

Subaru and Those Who DIY

        Hello everyone! My name is David. When I was 16 I took it upon myself to learn about cars after being ripped off by a mechanic. I had a 1996 Crysler Sebring convertible, it was nice for my first car.. I guess. I had a lot of fun times in it like driving in a blizzard with the top down. Cute girls driving past, laughing and I laughed in turn. Anyway, this car had issues. Sometimes when I would come to a stop sign or red light, it would stall out once I pressed on the gas. I took it to a local mechanic and was ripped off more than once.. Trick me once shame on you, trick twice shame on me. I told myself it would never happen again. If it’s feasible to do it myself, I’m going to at least try. I’ve owned 10 vehicles since I was 16 years old and five of them were manual. I like to drive manuals because I feel like I have more control over the vehicle. 

           I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve preformed some difficult repairs on some of my cars. I had a v8 1998 Chevy Camaro and the oil pump quit out on me. I was only 18 at the time, literally sitting on the ground inside the engine bay wrenching on this sucker. I had a 1999 Jeep Wrangler and the power steering pump was leaking because the 36 inch tires were putting too much stress on it. I read online that a pump from a 1998 Durango would be a significant upgrade. This was a difficult job because of the room that I was given to work with. 

          I currently drive a Subaru Legacy and to say that I love my Subaru would be an understatement. This is my second Subaru, my first was a 2009 WRX. The biggest job I’ve ever undertaken was a transmission swap which took place on the Legacy. Let me tell you, transmissions are heavy so have a trans-jack handy. Having the right tool for the job is crucial. One can improvise but not without risk (damaging what your working on, the tools, or maybe hurting yourself in the process.) This blog will guide you with DIY jobs on your Subaru. You may be able to take some information from this blog and apply it to your own vehicle and experience. To be clear, I'm not a paid mechanic nor did I go to school for this. As you can see I've been working on cars for a number of years and gained some experience along the way. 

          The Legacy below has a ton of mods but to sum up the major ones: STi motor, transmission and differential. This car was originally fitted for a 5-speed and the 6-speed transmission I wanted to upgrade to was meant for a shorter car. So in order to make it compatible, a Spec.b driveshaft, rear axles and master/slave cylinders were used. (Spec.b is to the Legacy as SS is to a Chevy vehicle). If you have a question don’t be afraid to post it or shoot me a pm. Turning wrenches and busting knuckles is what we do, happy wrenching!