Category Archives: Oil Maintenance

Oil change maintenance is important to long engine life.

Chevy Truck Repairs, My engine runs rough.

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1997 Chevrolet truck with a 4.3 engine runs rough.

The owner has maintained the truck very well, but with 300,000+ miles on the clock you would think it would be all worn out, but it’s not. This is why maintenance is critical to the long life of your car or truck. This truck looks and drives great because the owner loves his ride. The rough running condition was not setting any codes.

(This was a No Code, Driveablity Condition) 

It was not related to the ignition system or engine compression. It was caused by a faulty fuel pressure regulator on the fuel injection unit. The only way to spot an issue like this is to know fuel delivery basics.

The failure was not computer related.

Some engine parts go bad slowly over time. The client did not know that anything was wrong. The client only said it felt rough at an idle and to check it out. This little monster below is the fuel injection unit from under the intake manifold. It is hidden from sight. So when it has a leak, you do not smell it or see it, but your fuel economy will drop when it is going bad.

The client may have noticed that the engine was using more fuel, but he does not check the fuel mileage regularly. The easy way to check fuel usage is to zero out your trip meter when you fill up the gas tank. Then at the next fill up, divide the miles traveled by the fuel used to re-fill the tank. Presto, you just found out what your fuel MPG is. Now, do this at every fill up and if you notice your mileage drop over 20% suddenly, you may need repairs or lighter feet.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Full Service Gas Stations 85016

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A long, long time ago… Full service gas stations?

I remember the days when you could find a full service gas station in every local neighborhood. I worked the full service island at a Chevron station near my home town high school. Just about every kid in the auto shop worked at one of the local service stations. It was crazy fun and 5 gallons of free gas every week.

The owner had a great hook, fill up before 9:00 am weekdays and you would get a 16oz hot coffee and a car wash for free. The coffee was average and the car wash was just a basic wash, but people lined up for it. It was a hook.

Today it is hard pressed to find a full service gas station any place in the country. Full service gas stations are gone, a thing of the past. Anyway who would pay extra money for a gallon of gas just to have someone pump it for you?

The gas station I worked at had dozens of regular clients stop in every day for full service fill ups. Young or old, people just did not want to get dirty. Clients liked the personal attention. Everyone liked that we checked the car at every fill up. Checking the fluids, belts and hoses, airing up the tires and washing the windows. We took care of the clients ride.

Cars today still need attention. Waiting till it goes in for service every 4 to 6 months is way too long. Many things can happen in just 30 days. If you have a 6-year-old car or older you should be checking it regularly. Once a month you need to check the under hood fluids, air up the tires, toss out the trash and maybe give it a wash.

If you are in the neighborhood, stop in and let me take a look under the hood. I charge nothing to take a look. If I find something needing attention. I can give you an estimate for the repairs. The important part is to take a look. If your ride needs repairs, it’s better to fix it before you break down on the side of the road.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Are you ready for the “Summer Heat”?

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It’s March & almost summer time. It’s time to get ready for the heat!

Everything inside, outside and under the hood of your car will see extra stress because of the extreme heat in Arizona. If you haven’t noticed it yet, Phoenix is a desert climate, dusty and hot. Every summer I see many cars that are not ready to take on the Arizona heat.

If you live outside Arizona and plan on traveling through Phoenix mid summer, this applies to you too.

The cooling system is a great place to start. Inspecting everything on the engines cooling system is very important. Leaky hoses, water pumps and radiators will let the coolant level drop slowly in the cooling system. Low coolant levels can quickly turn into an over heating condition ruining your engine. Reduced air flow due to bugs, trash or faulty cooling fans can lead to over heating just as easy as low coolant levels. Engine failure can be prevented with a visit to the shop for a full inspection of the cooling system.

You need air-conditioning to keep you cool in your car. let’s check it! Is the output temperature correct, do all the controls work correctly, is your cabin air filter ready to get the job done? Do you have any leaky hoses? Let’s take a look.

Have you thought about reducing the heat to the inside of your car? If you have regular clear glass. Window tint will help cut the heat load to everything inside the car. A high quality tint will reduce the heat inside the car by rejecting the sun’s UV rays.

A summer time inspection can be included with a regular oil change service. Waiting till you are at the side of the road is too late to act. Stop in today.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Check Your Oil!

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When was the last time you opened the hood & checked your oil level?

Why wait, check it today!

A low engine oil level will cause internal engine parts to wear. Waiting till you go in for service may be too late to prevent wear from taking place. You can’t see the wear that takes place inside the engine, but it may be the difference between replacing the engine at 60,000 miles vs 200,000 miles.

I have seen car owners bad mouth a brand or product line just because of a failure related to poor maintenance.

This car is a pile of @!^&*!!

The truth is the car owner didn’t do his maintenance. Ignorance is bliss. Good car ownership starts with maintaining the things that wear on the car.

Tires, brakes, ignition & fuel systems, fluids, filters, belts, hoses, lights and wiper blades will wear out some day. Why wait till you are broken down at the side of the road to take action?

maintenance is ongoing and the key to the long life of your car.

I know in our rush, rush world. You may never stop long enough to remember about checking your own oil level, unless the engine makes ugly noises or the genie lamp turns on. Why wait, checking your oil level may save you from an engine failure.

If you are in the area, stop in at the shop and I can check the oil level for you. If your oil level is low often. You may have an oil leak. even a small oil leak can cause the oil level to be low in less than 30 days. Always fix oil leaks as soon as possible to prevent engine wear due to oil loss.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013