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Lubricate Driveshaft

See if any of these are happening to your vehicle.  You feel it vibrating excessively underneath when it’s running, or you hear strange clunking, grating, or grinding sounds coming from beneath.  Maybe it’s hard to turn your vehicle, or you can hear squeaking when you’re going slow.  Perhaps you feel a shudder when you step on the throttle.   Any of those could be signs that your vehicle’s driveshaft might need lubricating, and it’s important to have one of our technicians check it out. Your vehicle’s engine puts out a lot of twisting power.  That force is called torque, and the driveshaft is the part that handles the job of transferring all that torque from your engine to the wheels.  If it’s a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle, it will have driveshafts front and rear.  Some driveshafts have different segments which are connected by couplings called U-Joints.   So that everything can glide along fine ... read more

Categories:

Drive Train

Making Sense of the O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor Replacement)

As you know, today’s vehicles rely on a lot of computers in them to keep them running clean and efficiently.  Those computers depend on information delivered by several sensors throughout the engine and exhaust system.  And one of the most important is the oxygen sensor.   Known as the O2 sensor for short, it looks for too much unburned oxygen that has made it into the exhaust. That signals something isn’t right with the engine’s air-fuel mixture.  The sensor sends signals to the engine’s computers, which can then make adjustments to make sure the engine is running as it was designed to. Some vehicles can have several O2 sensors, and since they can measure oxygen at various points in the combustion/exhaust process, the computers can pinpoint where the problems lie.  For example, an O2 sensor can detect how much oxygen is coming out of the engine’s combustion chamber, and another one can measure oxygen coming out of the catalytic co ... read more

Categories:

Exhaust

U and your U-Joints (Lubricate U-Joints)

If your vehicle’s power goes to the rear wheels, then you have something called U-joints in the drivetrain. U-joints are connectors that allow the rotating power from your vehicle’s engine to deliver its power through a driveshaft to make the rear wheels rotate.  You need U-joints because the surfaces you drive on aren’t perfectly flat, and the driveshaft has to allow for some flexibility when you are traveling over uneven surfaces. As you can imagine, the U-joints have to move and flex a lot as your vehicle is going down the road.  They have bearings in them to allow that flexibility, and those bearings are lubricated when your vehicle is made.  Some U-joints have lifetime lubrication and are not designed to be serviced.  When they fail, they have to be replaced.  Others have grease fittings on them that need periodic lubricating by a technician at intervals recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer.  There are signs you can look ... read more

Categories:

Steering

Putting a Stop to Brake Problems (Brake Service)

It's safe to say that most drivers take their brakes for granted.  You press on the brake pedal and the vehicle slows down or stops.  It's easy to see why it is so important for your vehicle's brakes to be working correctly.  Brakes are an important safety feature of any vehicle. When it comes to your brakes working correctly, maintaining them regularly will ensure that you will always be able to slow or stop your vehicle in any situation, whether on a sunny day on dry pavement or a bad weather day on slippery surfaces.  And that is why regular brake service is such a sound investment for all drivers. The combo of brakes" and "surprises" doesn't usually end well. You might already know about some of the parts of your braking system.  Terms familiar to you might be pads, rotors, and calipers. In short, the calipers press the pads, which in turn contact the rotors.  The resulting friction slows your vehicle.  Another type of brake uses a drum and brake ... read more

Categories:

Brake Service

Motor Oil?The Synthetic Advantage (Synthetic oil vs Conventional)

You’ve probably already heard that regular oil changes are extremely important for the health of your vehicle’s engine. That’s sound advice.  But what you might not know is when it comes to motor oil, the real thing may not be the best thing for your engine. There are different types of motor oil:
•    Conventional oil, extracted from the ground and refined.
•    Synthetic oil, manufactured from high-quality base oils and artificially-made chemical compounds.
•    Synthetic oil blend, a mixture of conventional and synthetic oils. The first thing you need to know is that most new engines require synthetic oil.  If synthetic oil is recommended for your car – you MUST use it. For the rest, there are many advantages to using synthetic oil over conventional oil.  •    Synthetic oil provides better protection for your engine while helping it to perform better.
•    Co



... read more

Categories:

Oil Change

Your Vehicle's Other Power Plant (Alternator Replacement)

Your vehicle's engine is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a power plant.  But it has another power source that is vital as well: the alternator. The alternator is what puts out the electricity that powers such things as your lights, power windows, sound system, and navigation.  Maybe you've started seeing those electrical components behaving in strange ways.  Maybe your power windows are going up and down a little bit more slowly than they used to.  Or perhaps your engine doesn't start as easily or is misfiring.   Other signs of a failing alternator are headlights that are either brighter or dimmer than usual.  If your battery keeps going dead, it could be that the alternator isn't recharging it.   The alternator has to get its power from somewhere, and in vehicles with internal combustion engines, that power comes from a drive belt powered by the engine.  Sometimes that belt can fail.  If you hear a whining soun ... read more

Categories:

Alternator

Differential Essential (Differential Fluid Exchange)

What's the dif? To an automotive technician, it's the differential, a part of your vehicle that helps direct power from the engine to the wheels.  The differential is a gearbox that enables the drive wheels to turn at different speeds (they do that when you turn).   Inside the differential is a fluid that makes sure those gears and other parts are lubricated since there are a lot of metal moving parts in there.  (Your vehicle may have more than one differential in it depending on the drivetrain.)  As you can imagine, it's important that the lubricant in those differentials do its job.  Otherwise, the gears may be damaged by heat and friction. The more you drive your vehicle, the more likely it is for that lubricating fluid to break down. So, it's important to have the differential fluid exchanged every so often.  Your vehicle's manufacturer recommends how often your model should have that done, but a common interval is every 30,000-60,000 miles/50,000 km ... read more

Keeping Yourself in Suspension (Control Arm Assembly Replacement)

When you are pointing your vehicle straight down the street, it should go straight.  That’s pretty straightforward, right? Sometimes, though, you may notice you have to keep adjusting the steering wheel to keep going straight.  While that could be caused by many different issues, one possibility is that you have a failing or bent control arm. Another sign is that when you brake, your vehicle pulls to one side or the other.  Sometimes your suspension may sound noisy, especially when you’re traveling on rough surfaces.  A damaged control arm may also make it almost impossible for you to get a good wheel alignment.  The control arms are part of your suspension, and some vehicles have upper control arms and lower control arms.  Not all have the same number of control arms, but one thing is important: If you have worn bushings on your control arms or a worn-out ball joint, the control arm on the other side should also be replaced.  The rubber b ... read more

Categories:

Suspension

Smooth Operator (Shocks and Struts)

Few of us ever drive somewhere without encountering some pretty rough roads, and it's amazing how well our vehicles are able to smooth out the ride. Thank your shocks and struts. The two parts are similar.  Some cars have shocks in the rear, and struts in the front.  Others have struts all around.  A shock absorber uses a cylinder filled with gas or liquid that's connected to your vehicle's frame and axle.  When your vehicle encounters an imperfection in the road, the shock dampens the motion.  A strut is essentially a shock absorber mounted inside a spring and can support more weight than a shock by itself. Shocks and struts take a lot of punishment and wear out.  When they do, your tires are not contacting the road as much as they should, and that can result in a bumpy, unstable ride. Worn-out shocks and struts also transfer the impacts of road imperfections directly to your vehicle's body which can cause further damage to other parts. You can tell when ... read more

No Fueling Around (Fuel Filter Replacement)

A driver called in to the shop the other day saying his European sports sedan had an odd problem.  He was driving when his car started to slow down.  Applying more throttle didn't help.  He pulled over to the side of the road, shut the engine off and waited a few minutes before starting it up again.  It ran fine… for a couple of minutes.  Then the same thing happened.  He was able to finally get home by stopping and restarting, and he was calling to see if we could take a look at it.  Turned out it was one of his car's fuel filters that choked up with debris so badly that enough fuel couldn't get through it.  When he stopped the car, enough fuel could flow through the unpressurized fuel line to supply enough fuel for a couple of minutes when he restarted his car. But then the pressure would cause things to clog again.   There are other symptoms that point to a failing fuel filter. Perhaps your engine misfires, your vehicle is hard to ... read more

Categories:

Fuel Filter
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