Posts Tagged ‘Mechanic’

A Quick Guide to Servicing Your Vehicle’s Transmission

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

The fluid in your car’s transmission should be replaced every 30,000 miles. Over time, the assembly’s friction creates an enormous amount of internal heat. That causes the fluid to oxidize and lose its ability to lubricate the moving parts. Eventually, the lack of lubrication will cause the operational temperature to rise further, leading to varnish, cracked seals, and a loss in pressure. If your transmission fails, you can expect a hefty repair bill.

Below, I’ll quickly take you through the steps involved with changing your car’s transmission fluid and filter (it’s recommended that you do both at the same time). You can pay a mechanic to do the job, but you’ll save time and money by doing it yourself.

Draining The Fluid

If your car has an automatic transmission, it will also have a service pan that contains both the fluid and the filter. On the pan’s underside, there will normally a plug. Remove it and drain the fluid into a catch container. If the pan does not have a plug, you can drain the fluid when you remove the entire pan. (more…)

Recognizing The Warning Signs Of A Sick Car

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Okay, something’s wrong with your car. You know it. It just doesn’t “feel” right.

That may sound lame when you’re talking to your mechanic, but believe me, it’s not something you want to ignore.

Maybe you feel like the car is difficult to handle. Maybe the ride just seems less smooth and stable. Perhaps there’s a vibration that wasn’t there before.

These symptoms almost always indicate a problem.

Is it harder to steer your vehicle? Do you have difficulty steering in a straight line? This might mean your front wheels are misaligned or you have worn steering parts.

Does your car feel like it wants to steer or pull to the right or left? You’ll need to get this checked out. It may only be that your tires aren’t properly inflated. But it could also mean that your front end is misaligned or damaged in some way. That’s nothing to play around with!

Maybe your car feels like it’s vibrating. Your tires may need balancing in this case.

It’s a good idea to check your shock absorbers and struts, too. They might need replacing if the car rides “strangely”.

If you put on your brakes, and your car pulls to one side – that means you need to take in it for repair.

If the brake pedal sinks to the floor when pressure is maintained – same thing. Take it in.

If you hear or feel scraping or grinding when you apply the brake, this indicates a problem that needs to be checked out.

And of course, the no brainer – You need to get your car to a repair shop if the “brake” light on the instrument panel is lit.

Engine trouble is on the menu if you find that your car is hard to start. Other indicators include the check engine light coming on, your car using more than one quart of oil between changes, the car engine running after you remove the key, if the car stalls or idles roughly, and if there’s poor acceleration. Also, getting fewer miles to the gallon is nothing to pooh-pooh. That could mean an engine problem, too.

Say the word “transmission problems” and your wallet being drained of all that’s in it comes to mind. You might have a problem of this nature if there’s a delayed response when shifting from neutral to drive or reverse, if your car doesn’t shift during regular acceleration, or if the engine speeds up, but the car doesn’t respond. If shifting is hard – there could be a problem with transmission, too.

Just for your peace of mind, make sure the mechanic checks to see if it’s just a disconnected hose problem or if maybe the filter is plugged. These repairs are much simpler and cheaper than having your transmission replaced.

When it comes right down to it, you know your car and how it’s supposed to feel when all is well. If something doesn’t quite feel right, get it checked out. You may end up saving money and someone’s life




By: Samuel Murray

Sometimes Your Car Just Does Not Feel Right

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Okay, something is wrong with your car. You know it. It just does not feel right.

That may sound lame when you are talking to your mechanic, but believe me, it is not something you want to ignore.

Maybe you feel like the car is difficult to handle. Maybe the ride just seems less smooth and stable. Perhaps there is a vibration that was not there before.

These symptoms almost always indicate a problem.

Is it harder to steer your vehicle? Do you have difficulty steering in a straight line? This might mean your front wheels are misaligned or you have worn steering parts.

Does your car feel like it wants to steer or pull to the right or left? You will need to get this checked out. It may only be that your tires are not properly inflated. But it could also mean that your front end is misaligned or damaged in some way. That is nothing to play around with!

Maybe your car feels like it is vibrating. Your tires may need balancing in this case.

It is a good idea to check your shock absorbers and struts, too. They might need replacing if the car rides strangely.

If you put on your brakes, and your car pulls to one side that means you need to take in it for repair.

If the brake pedal sinks to the floor when pressure is maintained then that means the same thing. Take it in.

If you hear or feel scraping or grinding when you apply the brake, this indicates a problem that needs to be checked out.

And of course the no brainer. You need to get your car to a repair shop if the brake light on the instrument panel is lit.

Engine trouble is on the menu if you find that your car is hard to start. Other indicators include the check engine light coming on, your car using more than one quart of oil between changes, the car engine running after you remove the key, if the car stalls or idles roughly, and if there is poor acceleration. Also, getting fewer miles to the gallon is nothing to pooh pooh. That could mean an engine problem, too.

Say the word transmission problems and your wallet being drained of all that is in it comes to mind. You might have a problem of this nature if there is a delayed response when shifting from neutral to drive or reverse, if your car does not shift during regular acceleration, or if the engine speeds up, but the car does not respond. If shifting is hard there could be a problem with transmission, too.

Just for your peace of mind, make sure the mechanic checks to see if it is just a disconnected hose problem or if maybe the filter is plugged. These repairs are much simpler and cheaper than having your transmission replaced.

When it comes right down to it, you know your car and how it is supposed to feel when all is well. If something does not quite feel right, get it checked out. You may end up saving money and someones life!




By: Terry Parker