This is usually located in a small gap in the transmission bell housing. You are looking for a gap with short marks perpendicular to it. The marks will be numbered to eight or twelve, with zero in the middle. The word "Before" and "After" may also be stamped into the metal near the gap. Sometimes the gap is covered with a plastic or rubber cap. This keeps dirt out of the bellhousing. This is the plug you should use to check engine timing. You can look in your owner's manual or service manual if you are unsure which spark plug is number one on your vehicle. It is not necessarily the first one on either end of the block. Make sure that your car is parked safely and that it will not move while you are working. You should let the engine warm up before checking the timing. This will yield the most accurate results. Clip the lead over the plug wire and turn on the light. Be sure that you are using the number one plug, otherwise your readings will be incorrect. When the spark plug fires, it will cause the strobe on the light to flash. This will show you what number the timing mark is on at the time the piston fires. Record these numbers. The numbers represent degrees from top dead center (TDC) of the piston in the number one cylinder. What this means, is that the mark indicates how far from the top the piston is when the spark ignites the fuel. If your numbers are in the range specified in your owner's manual or service manual, your timing does not need adjusted. If not, you will need to adjust your timing to fix the knocking.

Summary: Find the timing mark on your engine. Identify spark plug number one. Set your park brake. Turn on your engine. Connect your timing light to your number one spark plug wire. Aim the timing light at the timing mark. Interpret the results of your timing test.

As soon as the blister pops, tears, or opens, wash it well. Use warm water and soap. Any dirt in the blister should wash away with the soap. If something is lodged in your skin, visit your doctor to have it thoroughly cleaned and treated. If the skin over the blister tears off partially or completely, that's okay. However, don't try to pull off the overlying skin. Leave as much skin intact as possible. Don't pick at the edges of the exposed skin. You can use a plain ointment like petroleum jelly to keep the blister hydrated and comfortable, but using an antibiotic ointment can also help prevent infection. Apply a large enough dab of ointment to cover the whole raw area of the open blister. If you prefer a natural alternative, use calendula cream. Apply an adhesive bandage over the blister or, if the blister covers a large area, a sterile gauze pad held in place with medical tape. Change the bandage every day, or if it gets dirty. Apply more ointment every time you change the bandage. You can also use a hydrocolloid dressing, which may provide more relief than a sterile bandage. You can get these from most pharmacies. Continue to change your dressing daily until the blister stops being tender. Then trim the dried, dead skin. Use small nail scissors or nail clippers that have been sterilized by rubbing them with alcohol, boiling them for several minutes, or holding them over an open flame for about one minute. Do not pull the dead skin, as this can cause further injury to the tender area. Clip the skin carefully.

Summary: Wash the open blister with soap and warm water. Leave the overlying skin in place whenever possible. Apply an antibiotic ointment. Apply a clean bandage over the area. Trim the dead skin once the blister is no longer tender.

A liquid diluent is one product on the market that softens unworkable clay. Many diluents are manufactured by the companies that make polymer clay, and they are made specifically for rejuvenating old clay. Use liquid diluents if warming and kneading the clay doesn't work to soften it. Add in liquid diluents a drop at a time as you knead the clay. Adding too much can make the clay mushy. Liquid diluents can be used as a glue, and therefore may add stickiness to your clay. If your clay is becoming too sticky, wrap it in a paper towel to absorb some of the stickiness. There are also several clay softeners that come in bar form. Instead of being liquids that you add, the bars are made of a neutral mixing compound that helps your clay become more workable. Use one part of solid clay softener to five parts of clay. Warm the clay, then add the bar clay softener and knead until the clay and the clay softener are mixed. Bar clay softeners are whitish colored and therefore work best with highly saturated clay. Be aware that adding too high a ratio of bar clay softener can dilute the color of the clay. Liquid polymer clay is another material that can be used to make hard clay more pliable. Use liquid polymer in a similar way as you would the diluent, adding it drop by drop and kneading the clay in between drops until the clay has reached the right consistency. Try to use uncolored liquid clay so that it doesn't affect the color of the clay. You can also use tinted liquid clay, but it will slightly change the original color. Even though mineral oil is not made specifically for helping to soften clay, it does work wonders to soften and improve the texture of polymer clay. Add in a drop of mineral oil at a time, kneading in between each drop until the clay is workable. Petroleum jelly is a common household product that you can use if you don't have access to commercial clay softeners. To use petroleum jelly, dab a small amount on your fingers and rub it into the clay. Then knead the clay to mix in the petroleum jelly. Keep adding more until you reach the optimal consistency. Another option that you have is to simply tack on fresh clay to the hardened clay, then knead the clays together. The more new clay that you add, the softer the combined clay becomes. Be sure to add clay of the same color unless you don't mind the colors mixing. Knead the clay with your hands until the clay feels consistent throughout.
Summary: Add in a liquid diluent. Use a bar of clay softener. Add in liquid clay. Add mineral oil. Rub the clay with petroleum jelly. Combine hard clay with fresh clay.