Hitting a deep pothole or curb are two common causes of misalignment. Any hard impact to the wheels or collision (even a minor one) can cause it also. Age loosens parts and creates sag in the front frame section and normal wear and tear on your suspension components may also contribute to misalignment.
Things to be aware of when having your car aligned:
If no suspension parts are damaged, loose, or worn, a simple adjustment will do (few $$$).
If the parts are loose, worn, or damaged, they may have to be replaced before a proper wheel alignment can be performed (a little more $$$).
Some alignment settings may not have factory adjustments. If these get knocked out, you may require aftermarket “shims” or “eccentrics” to repair the problem (slightly more $$$).
Cars that have had their body or frame bent in an accident may never be brought back into proper alignment. In this case, technicians will try to align the wheels in the correct position or in relation to one another, if not the car itself (much more $$$).
Any time you buy new tires, get your car aligned. The cost is small compared to the price of the new tires and will help you get the most mileage possible.
Alignments require specialized equipment and should be done by trained specialists.
BATTERY
You just never think about them until the car won’t start.
Your battery’s life depends on the type of battery, where you live, your car type, and how you drive. Typically today’s batteries can be expected to last from three to five years under average conditions and proper use. Extremely cold or hot weather, frequent short trips, and constantly running accessories when the engine is off will wear them out sooner. Electrical system problems such as a faulty alternator can keep the battery from recharging properly.
But all batteries wear out eventually (i.e., they no longer hold a charge) and have to be replaced. Some modern batteries have indicators on them that tell you if they are fully charged: green if it’s fully charged and black if it has lost its charge. Always have the battery checked when your service schedule suggests, and replaced if it’s worn out—but have the entire electrical system checked out by a technician first. A brand-new battery can be discharged if it’s put into a car with an electrical system problem (and an alternator can be damaged if the vehicle is run with a dead battery for an extended period of time).
If you’re going to replace the battery yourself, bring the old one into the shop—they will properly dispose of it for you.
If you’re just having a routine inspection done (no symptom of any sort), the technician will suggest cleaning the terminals of any corrosion or white powder and covering it with a protectant, as well as using a computer to test the starter, alternator, and regulator and seeing if there’s a “parasitic draw” of electricity from the system by a faulty component.
BRAKES
Brakes work by friction and will eventually wear out! All disc brakes will need their pads replaced, and drum brakes will need their shoes replaced. After enough miles the rotors and drums may need to be resurfaced (“cut” or “turned”), but eventually they will need complete replacement. It’s not always obvious when you should do that. As they wear out it may take longer for your car to stop, but because it’s gradual you may not notice anything. That’s why it’s important to stick to the service schedule—even if nothing seems wrong. It’s a good idea to have your service technician take a look at them every time your car is in for service, since it’s already up on the lift.
Many cars require that their brakes be inspected and brake fluid replaced every ten or fifteen thousand miles. A technician will go in and closely examine and measure the brake lines, attaching hardware, brake drums or discs, and brake shoes or pads. If either of the last two are wearing thin they will be required to be replaced to bring the system back to specifications.
Signs That It’s Time to Bring Your Car In for a Brake Inspection
Major Problems:
Suddenly you’re unable to stop normally
The brake pedal suddenly goes all the way to the floor or feels very mushy
The brake pedal feels very hard and high
The brake fluid is very low (could indicate a leak)
Severe squealing or scraping noises
Pulling very hard to one side
If you experience any of these symptoms, pull over immediately and have your car towed to a service station. Do not drive to a garage; you could lose control of your car.
Signs That It’s Time for (Less Immediate) Brake Service
Vibration or pulsation in the pedal when you lightly apply the brakes—and your brakes aren’t antilock
Needing to pump the brakes several times to get stopping power
Brakes lose power after several stops
Brakes don’t stop as well as they used to
Car pulls slightly to one side when braking
Brake light comes on and stays on, or comes on while you’re driving
Brake fluid is slightly low
Scraping, grinding, or groaning noises when you apply the brakes
About the scraping, squealing, grinding, or groaning:
You might hear these noises just after going through a car wash or the first time you hit the brakes after going through a puddle. This is normal and should go away after you make a few stops.
If you hear a slight squealing right after the brakes have been serviced, it’s probably a high-frequency vibration caused by new pads (or shoes) mating to the rotors (or drum). This noise usually goes away as the pads wear evenly—sometimes your technician can use antisqueal parts or chemicals to help make it stop.
Some brakes have wear indicators that are designed to make noise when service is required. See above re: taking your car in to have the brakes checked.
In any case, if your brakes make loud noises and don’t stop very well it probably means that you require new pads, shoes, and/or other brake work. Get it taken care of right away. Replacing worn pads or shoes is relatively inexpensive, but continuing to drive with them can damage the rotors or drums—which is way, way more expensive.
And did we mention that it’s dangerous, too?
TIRES
Tires can last anywhere between 20,000 and 80,000 miles depending on what kind they are, your car, how you drive, how often you rotate your tires, and the roads you travel. When it comes time to replace one, do all four. Do not mix and match tires. Doing so can create problems in handling and braking.
A good way to remember when and how to service them is PART:
Pressure. You can check this regularly yourself. Look on your car doorjamb or owner’s manual for the correct pressures—not on the tire! That number is the max pressure the tire will handle properly.
Alignment. Have your service technician check the alignment periodically, and always after an especially bad jolt from hitting a curb or going over a pothole.
Rotation. Do it (or have it done) when your owner’s manual recommends, or we recommend every 6,000 to 8,000 miles.
Tread. Use the chart on the next page if you notice anything unusual during your “at the pump” visual inspections.
AIR FILTER
You do that yourself now, right? The checking and replacing?
LUBE/OIL AND FILTER CHANGE
Most service centers—like Pep Boys—will include a lot of other minor inspections with this service, such as checking the air filter, the coolant level, tire pressure, etc. Remember to specify if you want normal, high mileage, or synthetic oil.
COOLANT INSPECTION, FLUSH, AND CHANGE
The technician can “take a reading” (just like Mr. Spock) of how weak your coolant is, and whether it should be topped off or completely replaced. As with an oil change, they first drain it all out and then add new coolant, according to the type recommended in your owner’s manual. At the same time the technician will probably (read: should):
Do a visual check of the cooling system for indications of leaks or oil conte
nt.
Pressure test the entire cooling system and radiator cap.
Test the coolant thermostat with a radiator thermometer.
Check the temperature gauge for accuracy.
Clean up the radiator fins, if needed.
Check fan blades and pulleys for alignment and damage.
Inspect all hoses for cracks, swelling, brittleness, and deterioration (but you’ve been keeping an eye on that, right?), as well as all belts and the water pump. Replace the hoses and hose clamps, if necessary—or at the time suggested in the service manual. Do not wait for them to blow, new engines damage very quickly when overheated!
THE “BIG” SERVICES
Whether it’s at 30,000, 60,000, or 90,000 miles (or whatever your service schedule recommends), here is what you can expect to be done on your car, and what you should keep track of in your repair notebook:
All the belts should be inspected and possibly replaced: camshaft, timing belt, alternator, fanbelt, power steering, etc.
All the filters should be inspected and possibly replaced: oil, fuel, air, breather, cabin, etc.
All fluids should be checked and topped-off or replaced: oil, coolant, brake, transmission, power steering, differential, etc.
The entire brake system should be inspected and parts replaced if worn beyond specs or broken: brake lines, pads, shoes, parking brake, hardware, etc.
Steering, suspension, and alignment should all be checked, adjusted, and broken or worn parts replaced
All of the spark plugs should be replaced
The universal joints, whether CV or driveshaft, should be inspected
Wiper blades should be inspected and replaced
Air-conditioning system inspected
Battery tested, cleaned, and replaced if necessary
All wire connections inspected
All gaskets, seals, bushings, etc., inspected, treated if possible, and replaced if old and cracked
Bearings inspected and lubricated
Emissions/exhaust inspected
A computer tune-up analysis. This means two things: 1) They check to see how well all the electronic/computer parts of your car work, from the fuel injection sensors to self-adjusting shocks if your car has them; 2) They actually use a computer to diagnose a lot of your car’s problems that would normally be hard to notice.
Fuel injectors and throttle body inspected, cleaned, and chemical added to the tank to clean all of them
Expect to spend a fair amount of money on these checkups, and to have them a little more often if you drive under what your manual considers “severe conditions.” Do not, however, skip any of them. That will shorten the life of your car and lower considerably its resale value.
Table of Symptoms
This is a basic list of symptoms and their probable causes, so you can either figure out what it is yourself or be able to eliminate some of the possibilities when speaking to your technician.
How to Tell What’s Leaking
Color
Probable Fluid
Clear
Water
Most likely condensation from the air conditioner, generally found under the middle of the vehicle on the right side. Don’t worry! Note: on some cars, air conditioners run whenever the defroster is used.
Usually green or greenish blue, slimy and slightly sweet-smelling. Can also be bright pink or orange.
Coolant (anti-freeze)
From the overflow, radiator or a leak in the system.
Bright blue, no smell
Windshield washer fluid
Amber to black, oily
Engine oil
Amber to light brown, oily
Power steering fluid
Reddish pink, oily
Automatic transmission fluid
Almost clear to light brown or reddish brown, oily
Brake fluid
Black/brown, oily
Differential oil
LIGHTS, GAUGES, AND DIALS
Don’t ignore them. And don’t say, “Oh, that comes on all the time. It doesn’t mean anything.” The warning lights and gauges on your dashboard really can tell you when your engine is headed for trouble.
When you first turn on your car all the warning lights will come on briefly. If any of them stay on or come on while your engine is running it means there is a problem (if nothing else, that the light is broken).
Improving Your Car’s Appearance and Performance
Now for the fun stuff!
(You didn’t skip ahead to this part, did you?)
At the beginning of this book you probably thought of auto parts and accessories stores (such as Pep Boys) as big, scary places that smell of rubber and oil, full of little boxes of things that you didn’t really understand. Now that you know better, go and take another walk down the aisles. Check out the different kinds of oil you can buy, the additives that do different things, and the fantastic tools that you can outfit your garage with.
Additives
Today there are many different kinds of additives available designed to help maximize your car’s performance and help it last longer. Each one is formulated to do a specific job, so it’s important to know the difference between them. Read the labels carefully and follow the manufacturer’s directions—after checking your owner’s manual to make sure they’re approved for your car.
When you read about what each of the additives do, try to imagine the car system it’s for and figure out why it works. For instance, why would a fuel injector cleaner help with your car’s acceleration and power? Answer: because fuel injectors are what fill the cylinder with gas for the explosion—if they get all gummed up, they can’t shoot out as much fuel or as fast, which means smaller, more badly timed explosions.
FUEL ADDITIVES
These are designed to help improve engine performance and clean the fuel system and maintain mileage efficiency.
Octane boosters increase the effective (surprise!) octane of gas to help increase power and help prevent knocks and pings. Higher octane provides a smoother running engine and better acceleration. These additives are primarily recommended for high-performance engines, so it’s important to read the label carefully. The type of fuel that you use will determine the performance of the additive.
Gas treatments and fuel systems cleaners are designed to help clean deposits in the fuel system (duh) and enable the detergents already in your gasoline to work better. By cleaning the fuel injectors, intake valves, and combustion chambers, these products help improve engine power.
Fuel injector cleaners remove gum, varnish, and carbon buildup in today’s highly sensitive fuel injectors, helping to maintain your car’s power and acceleration.
Carburetor cleaners are for older cars, and are usually a blend of solvents that are sprayed on carburetors, linkages, and choke assemblies. They help remove varnish, dirt, lead, and carbon deposits and help restore performance, smooth idling, and improve acceleration.
Fuel antifreeze/water removers are added to gasoline to help prevent ice buildup and gas line freezing. They also help eliminate moisture that can condense in the gas itself, which is especially useful for cars with starting problems in cold weather.
Fuel stabilizers. Gasoline is supposed to be used within one to three months of refining; these additives are designed to help prevent gasoline from breaking down into tars and varnish that will gum up the fuel system and make it difficult to start the engine next time. Stabilizers are particularly useful if you have an RV, lawn mower, chainsaw, motorcycle, or other motorized equipment that is stored away for part of the year.
Lead substitutes. Cars built before the introduction of catalytic converters used leaded fuel, which boosted octane and helped lubricate the valves. These additives are designed to help replace the power and lubrication lost in today’s unleaded gas.
OIL ADDITIVES
These all have the same goal: to help reduce friction between the engine’s moving parts, which provides several advantages:
G
reater power and acceleration
Less engine wear, longer engine life
Quieter operation
Easier starts
Oil boosters are designed to improve oil’s “thickness” (make it more slippery) to improve its performance: Better lubrication helps at cold starts. For engines that burn oil, these additives are designed to help make it harder for the oil to get past the piston rings.
Friction reducers provide additional lubrication beyond what traditional oil can. Some use specialized chemicals for this purpose, like PFTE (Teflon®).
Metal treatments work on the engine itself rather than the oil. They help reduce friction by creating a smoother surface on the metal.
Smoke treatments reduce exhaust smoke and oil burning by thickening the engine oil. They also help give added protection to valve seals, piston rings, and cylinder walls.
Engine oil flush. Even if you change your oil regularly, harmful deposits can form in your crankcase and oiling system. You use these products when you change the oil, which helps remove sludge, gums, varnish, and combustion deposits.
OTHER ADDITIVES
There is a wide selection of fluids to help keep your car in good working order, as well as ones that help solve minor problems and prevent major service headaches.
Stop leak additives … er, stop minor leaks. There are additives for coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and air-conditioning systems. They work by expanding and conditioning seals and gaskets that have dried out or shrunk.
E.J. Braswell Page 7
