The Citizen, 2001-10-24, Page 174E Auto Parts Plus
Auto Parts •
Phone 887-8002 Fax 887-8004
Bill Glousher
Res.: 523-9023
Gary McArter
Res.: 887-6027
235 Turnberry St.
Brussels
G & M
McCUTCHEON
Oldsmobile MOTORS "fari/MIT
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Downtown BRUSSELS
887-6856 or 1-888-351-9193
Most Cars & Trucks $ rjp 4.95
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• Check Tires & Exhaust
• Lube Door Hinges
With this Coupon and Lube, Oil & Filter receive
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(value
Coupon Expires Dec. 15/01. (not valid with any other specials.) I
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2001. PAGE 17.
AUTOMOTIVE FALL 2001
Will your car outlive its engine?
Cars are lasting longer, much
longer. It's not unusual, with proper
preventive maintenance, for a vehi-
cle to run 200,000 miles or more
having needed no major repairs.
The first big expense often is the
engine, which may begin burning
oil, clattering or losing power.
Temporary measures can delay the
need for major work, but eventually
overhauling the engine or installing
a remanufactured replacement is
necessary if the owner intends to
keep the vehicle. The latter, a quali-
ty "reman", is an increasingly popu-
lar option.
The costly process of getting into
an engine for valve, piston or bear-
ing service often makes it more prac-
tical to have the old engine replaced
Six fluids that require periodic
replenishment or replacement in
most vehicles are the engine oil,
transmission fluid, anti-freeze-
coolant, windshield washer solvent
and fuel. Number six, the one most
often neglected, is brake fluid.
You've known about topping off
brake fluid, you may say, but chang-
ing it?
According to the Car Care Council
brake fluid in the typical vehicle can
become contaminated in two years
or less. This is because the fluid
absorbs moisture, which works its
way through the hydraulic system.
Under heavy braking conditions,
such as encountered in mountainous
Most of us who have tugged
repeatedly on the starter cord of a
power mower or outboard motor ne
familiar with the stale gas syndrome.
Gasoline does not store well over
long periods of time. After several
months of storage, when it lies dor-
mant in fuel lines or in the carbure-
tor, gas may deteriorate due to oxida-
tion, causing performance problems
and obstructions in fine orifices.
It also can damage rubber and
other polymers in the fuel system.
The extra can of gas you may have
kept around for an emergency also is
Leasing has become a popular
way of acquiring a vehicle.
For .thOse who face the decision
, regarding turning the vehicle in at
the end of a lease- vs, taking owner-
ship, Car Care Council offers a sug-
gestion: invest in a comprehensive
inspection by an independent expert
before the lease has expired.
This is especially important in the
case of a high mileage vehicle.
A vehicle with 50,000 miles or
more may need maintenance and
repair work that can add hundreds of
dollars to the cost of acquisition. The
check list should include such parts
with a factory remanufactured and
warranted engine, says the Car Care
Council. A valve job, for example,
can cost $1,200 or, on some models,
even more.
How does an owner determine the
extent of repairs needed? The first
indications are high emissions, oil
consumption, noisy operation and
poor performance. These clues usu-
ally lead to a consultation with a pro-
fessional. An experienced techni-
cian's procedure may involve either
the "old fashioned" compression
check, cylinder by cylinder or, elec-
tronically, with an engine analyzer.
If the engine needs valve work,
piston rings and/or other internal
parts, a remanufactured engine may
be the answer. Under controlled, fac-
or hilly driving or when towing a
trailer, moisture in the overheated
fluid vaporizes (boiling point of
water is lower than that of brake
fluid) and braking efficiency is
reduced.
Even under normal driving condi-
tions this condition can develop if
the brake fluid is seriously contami-
nated. Not only is the fluid vulnera-
ble to vaporizing, it also can freeze.
Brake fluid must maintain a stable
viscosity throughout its operating
temperature range. If it's too thick or
too thin, braking action is impaired.
Beyond the vaporization hazard,
moisture creates an additional prob-
lem for owners of vehicles equipped
a potential source of fuel system
trouble, especially if it has not had
stabilizer added, which helps prevent
deterioration of stored gas. While
most small engine manufacturers
recommend the use of this kind of
product, they also warn against stor-
ing fuel for more than 30 days.
If you drive a pick-up truck, van or
motor home with dual gas tanks,
remember occasionally to switch
from one tank to the other to avoid
ending up with one tankful of gas
that's gone stale.
Car Care Council emphasizes that
as drive belts, brake pads, filters and
fuel ignition system components.
While few, if any, of these compo-
nents will need attention on most
lease-end vehicles, the possibility of
excessive wear or damage does war-
rant a close inspection.
Even in early stages of a lease, a
damaged rubber CV boot, for exam-
ple, can soon lead to expensive
repairs.
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Help protect the
environment
Reduce, reuse and recycle
tory conditions, it will have been
restored to original equipment spec-
ifications. Further, thanks to
improvements added by the remanu-
facturer, it can be better than a new
engine of the same type.
Among new components in a
quality remanufactured engine are
piston and pins, piston rings, con-
necting rod, main and camshaft
bearings, the timing gear and chain,
valve lifters, oil pump, gaskets and
seals, freeze plugs and pushrods.
Valves, springs and guides, along
with crankshaft and connecting rods
are either remanufactured or
replaced. Cylinder heads are cleaned
and resurfaced, cylinders are bored
and valve seats are resurfaced.
CCC
with anti-lock braking (ABS) sys-
tems. Rusted and corroded ABS
components are very expensive to
replace.
How does a car owner know when
to have fluid changed? Black recom-
mends replacement every two years
or 24,000 miles. Certainly it should
be included with brake pad or shoe
replacement. In between, as a pre-
ventive measure, a professional
brake technician should check the
condition of the fluid with an accu-
rate fluid test safety meter, which is
inserted into the master cylinder
reservoir to record the fluid's boiling
point.
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clean, uncontaminated gas is essen-
tial for fuel-injected engines, whose
tiny orifices are vulnerable to impu-
rities. Buy quality fuel and change
fuel filters regularly, suggests the
council.
Do your homework
before keeping
your leased car
Replace bad brake fluid
to improve driving safety
Storage leads to stale gas