Archive for August, 2013

Give Your Engine Clean Fuel With A New Fuel Filter From Parkway Automotive

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Your truck requires plenty of clean fuel to run. If your fuel contains contaminants, your fuel injectors will eventually become clogged up. When this happens, your truck engine may not get the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure to run at peak performance. This hurts fuel efficiency and performance as you drive around Conway, Arkansas. It can also lead to the buildup of harmful deposits on valves and in the combustion chamber.

That’s why all vehicles, including trucks, come equipped with a fuel filter somewhere between the engine and the fuel tank. Give Your Engine Clean Fuel With A New Fuel Filter From Parkway AutomotiveThe job of the filter is to clean out little pieces of dirt and contamination. The filter captures the contaminants and keeps them out of the fuel stream. Of course, like all filters, it will eventually get clogged up and need to be replaced at Parkway Automotive in Little Rock .

If your fuel filter is clogged, the truck engine can’t get all the fuel it needs, and it may sputter at high speeds or quick acceleration. Many fuel filters have a bypass valve that will allow unfiltered fuel through when they are clogged. This keeps your truck engine running, but doesn’t protect it from contaminated fuel.

You may find that you need to change your fuel filter at Parkway Automotive more frequently as your truck ages. Over the years, additional sediment and rust accumulates in the fuel tank and can be drawn into the fuel system. Your fuel filter stands guard at the gates to your engine to protect expensive parts and to maintain performance and fuel economy.

Tracking True In Arkansas: Wheel Alignment In Bryant, Arkansas

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013

Wheel alignment is often overlooked by busy Bryant, Arkansas and Ferndale, Arkansas drivers until serious tire damage has been done. One wheel can be knocked out of alignment by hitting a curb or pothole on a Conway, Arkansas expressway or surface street.

When a vehicle’s out of alignment, one or more of the wheels does not track true and pulls against the others. This causes several serious problems. First off, the tires will wear out faster and will need to be replaced prematurely. It could also lead to expensive truck suspension problems.

Tracking True In Arkansas: Wheel Alignment In Bryant, Arkansas

But the big issue for Bryant, Arkansas, Ferndale, Arkansas, and Little Rock drivers is safety. When your truck wheels are out of alignment, the vehicle will pull to one side, which could lead to an accident. When you’re out of alignment, you should have it taken care of right away at Parkway Automotive in Little Rock.

When undergoing an alignment service at Parkway Automotive, your truck is put on an alignment rack where the tires, steering and suspension parts are checked for damage. Then the alignment is charted and checked against the factory settings.

Precision adjustments are made to bring the wheels back into alignment. This gets all four wheels going in exactly the same direction.

Ferndale, Arkansas drivers should be aware of the signs of alignment problems. These include the car pulling to one side. Also, the steering wheel may not be centered when you’re going straight. If you see the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down, you should have your Conway, Arkansas service center look it over. If you’ve been in an auto accident in Arkansas that involved a wheel, you should get your alignment checked.

Obviously, a big jolt can seriously knock things out of alignment, but Bryant, Arkansas drivers also need to understand that a series of smaller ones can add up.

That’s why car makers recommend periodic alignment checks. If your truck owner’s manual doesn’t specify, once a year might be appropriate. Or check with Mike Mike or your service advisor at Parkway Automotive in Little Rock.

One thing’s for sure: the cost of the alignment at Parkway Automotive is cheaper for Bryant, Arkansas drivers than having to buy a couple of new tires because of neglect.

Serpentine Belt Service At Parkway Automotive In Little Rock

Thursday, August 15th, 2013

If you’ve ever heard a squealing sound under your truck hood, chances are it was your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems in your truck. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in Little Rock.

Serpentine Belt Service At Parkway Automotive In Little RockMore importantly, the belt powers the alternator
. The alternator creates electricity that’s used by your truck’s electrical systems and also charges your car battery. Without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering (some are electric) and power brakes (some use vacuum boost).

And, on most trucks, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within optimal operating temperatures. On some Little Rock cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt.

When they understand what it does, Little Rock drivers realize that if it breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That’s why auto makers outline recommended replacement guidelines in the owners manuals. If this important maintenance component is not included in your owners manual, come see us at Parkway Automotive.

At Parkway Automotive in Little Rock, your service advisor can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon. If the belt has more than three or four cracks every inch, has deep cracks that penetrate half the depth of the belt, is frayed, is missing pieces or has a shiny glazed look, it needs to be replaced regardless of age or mileage.

If it has lost a significant amount of thickness, it also needs to be replaced. There’s a special spring-loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley. Its job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. At Parkway Automotive, we recommend that the tensioner be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

As mentioned, a squealing sound could alert you that the serpentine belt needs to be replaced. It may be loose if you hear a slow, slapping sound when idling your truck.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s is critical to the operation of your truck. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Parkway Automotive – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

All Lined Up: Wheel Alignment Service At Parkway Automotive

Wednesday, August 7th, 2013

When all of your vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday driving in Little Rock can cause your truck’s wheels to be out of alignment.

Driving for an extended time in Little Rock when your wheels are out of alignment results in uneven tire wear. This is dangerous … and expensive. Worst case scenario, you have a blowout on a crowded Arkansas freeway. It can also cause premature wear to your suspension system, which can be really expensive to repair. At the very least, you may have to replace your tires years too early.

Here are some alignment basics from Parkway Automotive:

The first adjustment is called toe or do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next adjustment is called camber or do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.

The ideal alignment for your truck was designed by its engineers. Alignment service at Parkway Automotive starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – to see if anything’s bent or broken. Then your honest Parkway Automotive technician will look at tire condition.

From there, the truck is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to truck car makers’s specifications.

Your truck owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem, get it checked at Parkway Automotive before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.