HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-04-23, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23,1997
Spring Car Care 1997
Rack and pinion — not a wrestling move
Most cars today use rack and
pinion steering because it's light
and gives precise steering control
with good road feel. More and
more cars also use power assist to
make steering easier, which can
lead to some bad habits.
Without power assist, drivers
learned that it is easier to turn the
wheels while the car is moving,
even if slowly. So that's what they
did, even when wriggling into a
small parking slot. With power, it's
easy to turn the wheels while the
car is motionless. But all the stress
that you would have taken on
yourself is now shouldered by the
power steering assembly. That
stress can lead to breakdowns.
There are two things to keep an
Fix fan belt before it breaks
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
That expression isn't always true.
Some things you should fix before
they break, because if they break, it
can be very distressing. Take a
vehicle's fan belt. Please.
It's a simple thing, just a piece of
rubber. But it runs the alternator,
which provides electrical power
and keeps the battery charged.
Without that electrical power, your
car will run for only as long as the
battery lasts - maybe 10 minutes. If
you're lucky, maybe 30 minutes.
For many cars, other things run
from belts, too. Power steering,
water pump, air conditioning -
with the exception of the water
pump, these are things you can live
without while you limp to a repair
centre.
Some cars have several belts,
Products keep
valves clean
Continued from page 13
sell gasoline that has detergents and
injector cleaners added to keep fuel
injected cars operating cleanly and
efficiently. However, if you take a
lot of short trips, it's a good idea to
help these cleaners along by adding
some fuel system cleaners,
available at all automotive stores.
These products will keep the
injectors and valves clean,
eliminating stalling and hesitation,
rough idling and engine knock.
eye on - fluid and boots.
Power steering fluid, the
lifeblood of the steering system,
takes the brunt of the pressure of
everyday driving. When it works, it
heats up. And when it heats up, it
can break down.
Your power steering fluid should
be a pale amber colour, with a
slight tinge of green. It should also
be clear. If it looks dark, it may be
contaminated or it may have taken
too much heat (the darkness comes
from carbon). That means you need
to get your system checked, and
have it flushed out and new fluid
installed.
There are rubber boots at each
end of the steering assembly. Their
purpose is to keep road dirt, salt
and water out of the steering
others a single, long belt that does
everything. The belts today are
mostly V-shaped. They have cogs
on the underside to allow a better
fit around the pulley and increased
air circulation. The air circulation
keeps them cooler, so they will last
longer.
When you inspect your belts,
look for cracks in the rubber,
frayed edges, missing cogs -
anything to suggest it's getting
brittle or worn. Replacing a belt
when you're having an oil change is
easy. Doing it by night at the side
of the road is not.
Hoses are equally important.
Coolant is carried from the bottom
of the radiator to the engine block,
circulates through a water jacket,
and then returns to the radiator via
the upner hose. A thermostat in the
FUEL INJECTOR i. hexagon fitting
2. fine mesh strainer (filter)
c 3. valve body
1 2 3 4
Wheeler Auto Glass
Div. of Wheeler Bus Lines Inc.
New location 32 Water St., Wing ham
Box 117 Wingham, Ont. NOG 2W0
FREE MOBILE SERVICE - (519) 357-1270 BRIDGE MOTORS LTD
INSTALLER - JIM RIVETT,
MANAGER - GERALD WHEELER
SALES
Highway 86
Just East of Wingham
357-3460
SERVICE LEASING
assembly, and grease or permanent
lubricants in. They do wear out,
crack and tear, so they should be
checked every time your car is
upon a hoist. If your boots need
changing, don't delay.
A popular feature with some cars
is speed-sensitive steering. The
power assist is coupled with the
speedometer, so you can get more
power at low speeds, and less at
high speeds. This means it's
relatively easy to park the car,
while at highway speeds you get a
tight, precise steering feel for lane
changes and cornering. This makes
your power steering fluid work that
much harder, so flushing the
system and putting in new fluid
once a year is really important.
upper hose regulates the flow.
Inspect the hoses every time you
have the hood up. Run your fingers
along the hose to feel for cracking.
Squeeze the hoses to make sure
they remain firm - a mushy spot is
likely to give out at an
inconvenience moment.
Watch the level of your coolant.
If it drops regularly, or if you see a
puddle of greenish liquid under
your car, you could have a leak.
Any pinhole leak in a radiator hose
could turn into Niagara Falls while
you're driving on the highway, and
nobody needs that kind of
excitement.
The hoses are held in place by
clamps. It's a good idea to check
the clamps every so often to make
sure they haven't worked loose due
to road vibration.
How do you know if you have a
steering problem? If you
experience any of the following
•.problems, it's time to get a
checkup:
• fluid leakage
• loose or erratic steering
• loss of power in steering system
• road wander
• loss of power steering during
cold starts
• any play in the steering system
when the car is parked
• steering vibration
• unequal turning effort
• excessive front end noise
• uneven tire wear
• poor steering returnability
(coming back to centre when you
release the wheel)
Where there's power, there's
hydraulic pressure. And where
there's pressure, there's a pump.
The power steering pump is driven
by a belt connected to the engine. It
may have its own belt, or it may be
one of the accessories running off a
long serpentine belt.
If the belt slips, or breaks, there
goes your power assist for the
steering. You can still steer the car,
but you no longer have help from
the engine.
Car Care Canada suggests the
following steps to get the best from
your power steering system:
1. Turn the wheels only when the
car is moving, even when parking.
2. Check the fluid level once a
month.
3. Flush the system and replace
the fluid once a year.
4. Check for worn of cracked
boots every time the car is on a
hoist. - -
-5. Check the power steering belt
for wear at every oil change.
Give Your Car or Light
Truck Expert Care
FUELf®'®
INJECTION
SYSTEM
SERVICE
,._________....
• Cleaning with
a .. x .. x.. —i
Injector cleaner
CM1001|f~ . ------
20,000 km
fill\ III®
Inspect thrott e body ..TA. 7
Motorcraft fuel
inlAr.trtr>.lP«nAr
Recommended every
1995 Buick La Sabre, teal, loaded
1994 Chrysler Concord, black cherry,
grey trim, loaded
1994 Olds Cutlass Supreme SL,
garnet red, loaded
1992 Eagle Talon, 2 door, sport,
automatic, white
1992 Pontiac Sunbird LE, red, good
student's car
1991 Plymouth Acclaim, gold, low km
1990 Olds Cutlass Supreme SL,
garnet red, loaded
1989 Cadillac DeVille, dark blue with
silver, loaded
1988 Chrysler New Yorker, loaded,
black cherry
1988 Mercury Grand Marquis,
medium blue, loaded
1986 Pontiac Parisienne, silver, nice
options
options
TRUCK?
1995 Ford F150 XLT, ext cab, top of
the line, black
1992 Ford F150 XLT, red/grey, loaded
1985 Ford Bronco, 4x4, red, some
Brussels (519)887*9269
SHOCK
ABSORBER
SPECIAL
Applies to most domestic cars
• 2 Motorcraft Gas
Charged Heavy Duty
Shocks
• Parts covered by
Limited Lifetime
Warranty
(Does not Include MacPherson :
strut suspension parts)