Category: Car Care

Keeping Your Cool (Water Pump Replacement)

No matter what the temperature is outside, it’s important for your vehicle’s engine to remain cool, calm, and collected. Well, cool, anyway. If your vehicle has a gasoline engine, it’s powered by a bunch of explosions involving spark plugs, pistons, gasoline, and air. And the by-product of all those things working together? HEAT.

There’s a whole cooling system to keep everything at a tolerable temperature for your engine’s parts, and a key part of that is the water pump. Technically, it’s pumping more than water. It should actually be called the “coolant” pump since the liquid that circulates through the system is a mixture of water and coolant.

Basically, the water pump keeps this coolant moving through your engine, where it picks up the engine heat, and then is pumped into the radiator where it gets rid of that heat. When a water pump fails, the engine heat can build up. When you get a warning light on the dash (either a gauge or a light) that shows the temperature is too high, it could mean a bad water pump.

They can fail for many reasons. They have bearings in them that wear out, as does the seal between the pump and the engine. They’re often driven by a belt or chain that can go bad. Corrosion can spell the end of a water pump, too.

If a technician determines your water pump has failed, it’s time to replace it. In addition, other components of the cooling system will be inspected. The best way to avoid a water pump failure is regular maintenance of your cooling system which includes regular draining and flushing of the coolant.

Just like it’s important for you to keep your cool, the same goes for your vehicle’s engine.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

The Little Valve that Could (PCV Valve Replacement)

It’s easy to get letters like PVC and PCV mixed up. PVC is a plastic that’s used in a lot of things, especially plumbing pipes. And PCV is a valve that helps your engine burn off excess fumes rather than having them pollute our atmosphere.

PCV stands for positive crankcase ventilation. When your engine ignites gasoline in the cylinders, some of the gases produced make their way into the crankcase, where oil is held to lubricate the engine. In earlier days, those gases would be vented out through a hose and go directly into the air. It was a waste of gasoline (since about three-fourths of the gases were unburned fuel) and a nasty source of pollution.

So engineers devised a one-way valve that directed those gases back into the engine’s air intake system to be burned again. After a while, the PCV valve can get clogged up with gummy oil. Not only does that reduce the recirculation of the gases, but it can also cause pressure in the crankcase to increase and possibly lead to an oil leak.

Signs your PCV valve has failed are oil leaks around the engine compartment or under your vehicle and poor engine performance. Your fuel economy will get worse. If you notice those signs, we can check your PCV valve.

At the same time a technician inspects the PCV valve, they’ll also check the vacuum hose that runs back to the air intake. Plus, they’ll make sure the vehicle doesn’t have any other engine problems that might be contributing to your issues.

Many technicians recommend replacing your PCV valve with each major tune-up, so you get ahead of any problems before they develop. Now that you’re an expert on PCV, it may be time to check out those PVC pipes in your bathroom!

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Procrastination Prevention in St. Peter

Every one of us has a little procrastinator inside us. Some put off getting our teeth cleaned. Others put off answering our emails. Yet others put off calling friends and family (sorry, Uncle Joe). And there are those of us who put off getting our vehicle’s service done, whether it’s a repair or regular maintenance. You may make the excuse that you don’t have time, it can wait until tomorrow, you have other things to do.

Well, there are some things you should NEVER put off when it comes to your vehicle because that procrastination could have dire consequences down the road.

The biggest one is changing your oil. Yes, it’s one of those things you may hear somebody nag you about, but changing your vehicle’s oil regularly is probably the one thing that will do the most to keep things running smoothly… and well. It’s the lubricant that keeps metal engine parts from wearing out. Oil doesn’t last forever and it gets dirty, so you have to swap it out for fresh every so often. How often? Your Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor can tell you, and your owner’s manual has the manufacturer’s recommendations, too.

You have to keep the right amount of air in your tires. They don’t inflate themselves! You may have a newer vehicle that has a tire pressure monitor built in and lets you know when a tire is over- or under-inflated. Don’t ignore those warning lights! If your vehicle doesn’t have those electronic monitors, have our pros at Autotronics of St. Peter check your pressure every so often. If your tires have the right amount of air in them, they’ll last longer, save you money and keep you much safer on the road.

Make sure you have the right amount of vital fluids in your vehicle. The important ones (besides oil) are brake fluid, transmission fluid and coolant. Without the right amount of brake fluid, your vehicle may be hard to stop. Without the right level of transmission fluid, gear shifting may be erratic. And without the right amount of coolant, your engine may overheat.

Ok, so if you put off calling your Uncle Joe today, he probably will be ok with that. But when it comes to these important vehicle maintenance points, prevent procrastination… and prevent problems down the road.

We’d love to hear from you. Let us know if you have any questions.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com