Working on the PT Cruiser

Well, a few weeks ago we picked up a 2001 PT cruiser from the auction.  I did not follow all of my auction rules as close as I usually do and I got bit a little on it.  There was some major work that we missed.  So with the typical minor work we figured we would do it ourselves. 

First up the battery was kind of weak. After removing it we discovered it was bulging on the sides, which is a good indicator that the plates are not where they are supposed to be.  To replace the battery is a little bit of struggle and an exercise in 3D tetris.  From looking at the air filter the battery is right in front of the air box under the air intake ducting.  On other vehicles that I have worked on the battery is held in with a strap that goes over top of the battery, well not in this instance.  For the life of me I could not figure out how to get this out on my own.  Well a quick trip in to the computer and a view on YouTube I discovered that you had to pull out the air box with a good yank to get at the anchor for the battery.  After this it was smooth sailing to get the battery replaced.

Next up was the rear brake light.  That was simple, just a torx screw and the light assembly comes out.  Just twist out the bulb and replace.  This was a 3157 bulb.

Now to the front driver side signal light.  Learning from my previous experience I did a quick search on YouTube to see how to change the bulb.  To access the bulb, one needs to turn the wheel in and from the wheel well there is an access hatch in the molding of the wheel well housing that needs to be pryed open to gain access to the rear of the front light assembly.  After some cajoling I gained access to the lights and it was a simple twist and change of the 3157NA bulb.

So the moral of the story to me is that if I am to do work on the PT cruiser is to either YouTube search my query before I start the work so that I can be prepared for what I need to do before I begin the job. 

Share in the comments section some of your questions or insights on working on a PT Cruiser. 

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