Plymouth Cuda Parts & Accessories

The passenger side headlight in my Plymouth Cuda vehicle is not working. It won't lit up when I turn on the switch, so I had to drive home very carefully last night with only the driver side headlight working. I don't have any experience working with headlights, so I'm not sure how to go about diagnosing the problem. Can you give me some ideas?

If only one of the two headlights is not working, the problem could be with the bulb of the malfunctioning headlight. Headlight bulbs typically last for only a few years, up to around five to six years. After this period, they will burn out and stop working. This period will be shorter if you usually drive in bumpy roads and subject the headlights to vibrations. Before you rule the bulb as the problem, though, you must check the connection of the bulb—it could be that the connections have corroded. If this is the problem, getting a new bulb won't solve the problem. You will need to fix the connection before you get a new bulb.

A friend gave me a car tool set for my birthday last month, and the set contains a voltmeter. The thing is, I am not really a car guy—I haven't done any work in my car, and I'm not familiar with how car tools are used. What's a voltmeter, and how do I use it?

A voltmeter is used to measure voltage in any given car electrical component. All you have to do is to connect the device (via its probes) to the wires/components being checked, to tweak the setting in accordance with the type of voltage being measured (whether direct current or alternating current), and then select the voltage range based on the component you're testing. This tool is helpful in checking the supply (or non-supply) of voltage to specific components that use electricity in order to run. This is useful in diagnosing the cause of problems in various vehicle parts.

I'm just starting to learn some automotive tasks, and the next I'd like to try is to replace the tires in my Plymouth Cuda. I have seen some friends do the job, and I'd like to try it on my own. I have a general idea about how it's done, but I'm not familiar with the finer details. Can you give me some tips to ensure that I will do the tasks properly?

One thing to remember is that when you raise your vehicle using a jack, you need to ensure that you position each jack on an area in the vehicle that is underneath the steel frame. Do not place the jack on unsupported metal body because the weight of the vehicle might cause the jack to pierce through and damage the body. Another thing to remember is to loosen the lug nuts on each tire before lifting the car, but do not remove the nuts completely. Remove them only when the vehicle has been completely lifted off the ground. Lastly, when tightening the lug nuts after mounting the new tires, follow a star pattern. This will ensure balance in the tightness of all the nuts.