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Archive for December 2022TCB your PCV (PCV Valve Replacement)Posted December 25, 2022 8:36 AMYour gasoline engine goes through some exhausting work. Yes, it's truly exhausting, as in: it produces exhaust! And when your engine starts behaving like it's exhausted, such as running poorly or getting lousy fuel economy, the trouble may be something called a PCV valve. Did you know it's a series of explosions that creates the power in your engine? The spark plugs ignite a mixture of gasoline and air and BANG! A whole bunch of those and you're engine is humming away. Leftover vapors from those explosions go into your crankcase, which is also a place where engine oil goes. Those vapors still have a lot of unburned fuel in them, and if they had nowhere to go, they'd turn your oil into a thick mess called sludge, not good for a smooth running engine. Engineers came up with an idea. Re-direct those gasses building up in the crankcase into the engine's air intake and mix them with fresh air. That way the unburned fuel could go through the engine again and produce power. It also means the unburned fuel doesn't pollute the air. The part that makes that happen is called the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve. Besides reducing pollution and preventing the oil from turning to sludge, the PCV valve also relieves pressure in the crankcase, reducing the potential for oil to leak. One of the reasons you should get your oil changed as frequently as your vehicle's manufacturer recommends is that it helps reduce chances for problems with the PCV valve. After a while, the PCV valve can itself get gummed up and stick, and the driver may notice oil leaks, reduced power or engine hesitation. That's why it's important to make sure the PCV valve is operating like it should, and often it can be diagnosed during a visual inspection by our technicians. Replacing a PCV valve is usually quick and inexpensive. After it's done, your vehicle will run with the performance and fuel economy you're used to. Goodbye exhaustion! KPS Princeton Garage When Metal Meets Metal (Wheel Bearings)Posted December 18, 2022 11:16 AMWhat part of your vehicle has little metal balls inside that are lubricated and allow you to cruise on down the road? They are wheel bearings, and automotive designers might argue they are human beings' second greatest invention of all time (the first is, of course, the wheel!). You have a wheel bearing at each wheel. They allow your wheels to turn freely, minimizing friction that would ordinarily slow you down when metal meets metal. When one of your wheel bearings starts to go bad, it lets you know. A wheel bearing does its work quietly when it's in good health but starts getting noisy when it isn't. People describe the noise differently. Sometimes it sounds like road noise, a pulsating, rhythmic, sound. That pulse speeds up when your vehicle speeds up. Here's what's happening when you hear that sound. As mentioned, the bearing has these little metal balls inside a ring. They have a lubricant inside to reduce friction between the balls; modern wheel bearings are sealed and they're intended to do their job without any maintenance. Wheel bearings take a beating; you hit some rough potholes or go over some uneven railroad tracks. Sometimes water can get into a bearing and reduce the ability of the lubricant to do its job. Time starts to take its toll, too. When the lubricant isn't reducing friction like it should, the bearing can heat up. One of those little balls can start shedding pieces of metal and soon those shards start grinding up the other balls. Friction takes over and soon your wheel isn't turning smoothly. That's what's causing the sound. If a wheel bearing is not fixed, it could eventually seize up completely, and you can be stranded. It's a lot easier if you heed the early warning signals, that pulsating noise. Now, sometimes a similar noise can be caused by a bad tire, but in either case, it's important to have it checked out. Our KPS Princeton Garage technicians will be able to tell you fairly quickly what the problem is and offer a solution. Wheel bearings generally don't fail often and usually last from 85,000-100,000 miles/140,000km to 160,000km. But consider them a long-term maintenance item that, once fixed, will keep you heading smoothly to the next destination. KPS Princeton Garage Wipe Out! New Wiper Blades for Princeton DriversPosted December 11, 2022 11:19 AMWhen people in Princeton talk about vehicle safety, they think of tires and brakes. But do we think about our windshields? Isn't the ability to see a prime safety factor when it comes to driving around NJ? Yet we often don't even notice our windshields until we can't see through them or our wiper blades fail. KPS Princeton Garage
Keeping Your Princeton Air Fresh When Driving With a Clean Cabin Air FilterPosted December 4, 2022 11:40 AMPop quiz: What is a cabin air filter? A. A filter for your Princeton house? Clever you, it's C. Cabin air filters make driving a lot more pleasant for people in Princeton. Your vehicle can be a haven during our NJ allergy season with very little dust and pollen getting into the cabin. Of course, like all filters, the cabin air filter eventually gets clogged. When this happens, your heating and air conditioning flow can become restricted. The filter can even get kind of smelly. Check your owner's manual for replacement guidelines. If your vehicle owner's manual doesn't mention your cabin air filter, ask your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at KPS Princeton Garage for a recommendation. It's usually every year or 12,000 miles /19,000 kilometers. Change it sooner if you drive in dusty conditions around the Princeton area, or if you start to notice a funky smell coming from your vents. Come by and we'll take a look at your cabin air filter for you. KPS Princeton Garage
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D Ward, 04/05/2024
Took my classic car to KPS, the best car repair experience! They kept me very well informed and did quality work! The car runs excellent ( pure American muscle)! Kudos to Mark and the crew!