The Citizen, 1996-10-09, Page 8SERVICE SPECIAL
'24.95*
includes: Oil Change
Oil Filter
Lubrication &
10 Point Check
* Cars and Light Duty Trucks excludes diesel engines.
SENIORS' DISCOUNT
Every Wednesday save
10% off labour and parts in
our service department
WINTERIZE SPECIAL
u Lock De-Icer J Check Wiper Blades
u Test Antifreeze j Check Washers
D Check Washer Fluid i Check Heater &
D Check Al( Belts Defroster Operation
u Check Hose
$9.95*
* Parts Extra
J.L. McCUTCHEON
MOTORS
Brussels (519) 887-6856
Toll Free: 1-888-351-9193
PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1996
1996 Fall and Winter Car Care
The care and feeding of your transmission
The pistons in your engine are
pounding up and down, turning a
crankshaft. And your wheels are
turning — at a different speed. But
what exactly is the transmission?
The transmission is what
transforms the power of your
engine into useful power on the
road. It regulates the speed that the
engine needs to turn (revolutions
per minute, or RPM, if you have a
tachometer) to deliver the speed
you want over the road.
Another factor comes into play —
torque. Torque is the twisting force
that gets your car rolling, and many
of today's smaller engines develop
less torque than the old monsters
we used to drive. That means that
the engine has to work at higher
RPM to deliver the needed torque,
resulting in more shifting by the
transmission.
Your transmission's worst enemy
is heat, because excess heat will
cause the transmission fluid to
carbon up and lose its
effectiveness, eventually leading to
the dreaded transmission rebuild —
expensive, and definitely to be
avoided.
After the long, hot summer,
check on your transmission fluid to
ensure you won't have any
unpleasant surprises during the
dead of winter.
Car Care Canada offers the
following tips for looking after
your automatic transmission:
1. Don't shift into park or reverse
while the car is moving — come to a
stop and then shift.
2. Do check your transmission
fluid regularly, and replace the
No, we're not talking about a new
device for firming your waistline.
We're talking about Anti-lock
Braking Systems (ABS), which
have been called the greatest safety
innovation since the seatbelt. There
are more and more cars on the
market with ABS as an option or
even as a standard feature. But
there are many who don't
understand how the system works
or what it can and cannot do for a
driver in bad weather.
Here's a quick quiz from
Car Care Canada to see if you
understand ABS:
1. Even with ABS, on a slippery
road I should pump the brakes for a
maximum stopping power.
True or False.
2. The main advantage of ABS is
that it allows me to retain steering
control while applying maximum
braking.
True or False.
3. When I press down on the
pedal on a slippery day, I feel the
pedal press back against my foot
and I hear a humming noise. This
means the brakes are failing.
True or False.
4. The ABS warning light comes
on. This means I have a total brake
failure and I must not drive the car.
True or False,
ANSWERS
1. False. The ABS system will
pump only the brake or brakes on
wheels that are slipping. The other
brakes remain fully applied, so
you'll stop faster. The ABS system
can pump the brakes that need to be
pumped many times a second.
2. True. Because your wheels
never lock up, you retain steering
fluid according to the schedule in
your owner's manual. Watch for
any darkening in colour or black
specks in the fluid — that's carbon
and it means your transmission is
taking too much heat. Get it
checked before a small problem
turns into an expensive rebuild.
3. If you do any towing, use the
gear selector — don't just put it into
overdrive and forget it. Run mostly
in third, or whatever your highest
non-overdrive gear is, except when
you're on the highway and really
cruising. Even then, help your
transmission out in hilly terrain.
You should also consider adding a
transmission cooler to keep the
transmission from overheating.
4. Consider using friction
reducing products on the market for
your transmission. Many of these
products contain a polymer called
polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE
(AKA Teflon). These particles
bond to transmission parts to
reduce wear, which is very
important if you like to keep youi
car for a long time.
5. Regular check-ups. You go to
the doctor, you go to the dentist —
your car needs preventive
maintenance, too. Preventive
maintenance is just that — you
spend a little now so you don't have
to spend a lot more down the road.
How do you know if you have a
transmission problem? You may
feel the shifting get jerky instead of
smooth, or maybe it won't shift at
all. It may be reluctant to shift up
as you accelerate, or down as you
slow down. Or it may slip, instead
of shifting smoothly and rapidly
control. This gives you the option
of steering around an obstruction or
stopping before you hit it.
3. False. This is normal, and tells
you that the ABS system is
Working. Use a firm steady
pressure on the brake pedal.
The temperature outside is one of
the most important factors affecting
your car's fuel consumption. On
short trips in cold weather a
gasoline engine will use up to 50
per cent more fuel than in warm
into the next gear.
Checking your transmission
fluid is always the first step. The
hardest part about it, usually, is
finding the dipstick, but car
manufacturers are getting better
about labelling them. As with ;
almost all maintenance, the first
place to look is in your owner's
manual, which will tell you where
the dipstick is and how to check the
fluid level.
Here's how you do it:
1. Drive the car around the block
to get everything flowing.
2. Park on a level place, apply the
parking brake, and shift through
each gear in turn, holding it for a
second or two in each gear.
3. With the engine still running,
pull the dipstick, wipe it clean,
reinsert it all the way, and then
pull it out again.
4. The level should be in the
appropriate range on he stick.
Wipe a little on a clean white
cloth, or a piece of tissue, and
check the colour. It should be a
light reddish pink. If there is any
black in the fluid, you have a
problem.
What if you drive a standard?
Many of the same facts are true.
You also have to consider the
health of your clutch, so don't hold
your car on a hill by slipping the
clutch. What you're doing is
allowing two plates to grind
together without letting them grip,
so they are wearing out.
Standard or manual,
4. False. The ABS warning light
means an ABS system problem —
your brakes will work normally,
unless the brake warning light is
also on. However, you_no longer
have ABS, so get that system
checked as soon as possible.
weather. At -.2.0°C, for example, the
average engine needs at least five
kilometres of driving to warm up
completely.
Exhaust emissions from a cold
Continued on page 9
transmissions also need lubrication
to prevent metal to metal contact.
Just as for automatic transmissions,
additives are available, specifically
formulated for manual
transmissions, that will bond
to the metal and leave a protective
coating.
All it takes is common sense.
Follow a preventive maintenance
schedule that includes periodic
fluid replacement, and your
transmission will reward you with
long and faithful service.
Pumping your abs
WINTERS COMING!!
SPECIAL
• Inspect hoses,belts,wiper blades
lights,tires,brakes,front end parts.
• Cooling system service. Anti-freeze
strength,engine fan operation.
• Function test interior heating system.
$44.99 plus taxes
Specializing in:
Alternator, Starter, D/C Motor Rebuilding
Vt--- Wiring and Electrical Repairs
0— Automotive Computerized Systems
▪ Driveability Diagnostics and Repair
IA' Air Conditioning Service and Repair
• Fuel Injection -0— Brake Service
Call: 357-3100
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