Dear Mike: Will 3 pounds of sugar in three gallons of gas hurt an engine? I have had four gas cans stolen recently, so I added sugar to one of them.

A: Through the years I’ve flushed out a couple of gas tanks that have been sugared, and there was never any damage to the engine. But the fuel filters plugged up, and the carburetor float bowls had some sugar in them. The tanks had to be removed from the vehicles, flushed with water and dried. The fuel lines also needed to be flushed with water and then with alcohol, and the carburetors had to be rebuilt.

I can think of a couple of things to add to a fuel tank that would be far more damaging. But I don’t think I’ll list them …

Dear Mike: I have a 2003 Buick Century. My low-washer-fluid light will not go off.

Is there a way to reset this?

A: You probably need to replace the sensor. Check to see if it, or the wiring to it, is shorted.

Dear Mike: My check-engine light came on, with the diagnostic code “P0301: 1. Spark Plugs, 2. Spark-Plug Wires, 3. Replace Coil.”

Is it easy to replace the spark-plug wires myself?

A: Spark-plug wires generally are easy to replace, although potentially messy, what with the dirt and grease. Wear rubber gloves.

Simply remove one wire at a time and plug in the new one. Don’t yank on the wire to pull it off, though. You need to pull the connectors off the plug and distributor/coil, and sometimes they can be stubborn. Try twisting instead of simply yanking.

The new plug wires probably have a small tube of dielectric grease in the package. This is to smear on the inside of the boots to make them easy to take off the next time.

Dear Mike: I have a 2003 Honda Civic Si. I try to follow the maintenance schedule to the letter.

This includes changing brake fluid, given brake fluid’s hygroscopic nature and my desire to avoid corrosion in the braking system. Problem is, I seem to have a problem opening the bleeder valves without breaking them off. Easy outs are of limited use, and I usually end up purchasing a rebuilt caliper.

Is there some “magic” way of preventing the bleeder valve from breaking off when attempting to bleed the brakes? I have anointed them liberally with liquid wrench, but that doesn’t seem to matter.

The Honda service department says that they bleed brakes at the banjo fitting to avoid breaking off the bleeder valves. Do you have an opinion on this practice?

A: I’m in the habit of carefully applying anti-seize compound to the threads on the bleeder bolts.

Be careful not to get any of this mineral-oil-based compound deep enough down on the bleeder bolt to get into the caliper itself, though. If you do, the mineral oil will destroy the rubber seal.

Dear Mike: I saw a news article about tire pressure, and I am confused.

The tires list one pressure. The vehicle tag on the door frame lists one pressure for the front and a different one for the back.

Which one is correct?

A: The one on the door frame is the correct one for your vehicle. The pressure listed on the tire is a maximum rating for that tire, regardless of what it’s on.