Archive for October, 2014

Ferndale, Arkansas Drivers: Is It Time To Replace Your PCV Valve?

Friday, October 31st, 2014

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Improved fuel economy has two benefits for Little Rock motorists: less fuel is necessary and fewer emissions are released. Ferndale, Arkansas cars and trucks run cleaner than ever. Little Rock drivers may not realize that the first federally mandated pollution control device came out almost fifty years ago.

Arkansas auto owners that were around in the early 60’s may remember that the PCV Valve came out on 1964 model cars. PCV stand for Positive Crankcase Ventilation. Ferndale, Arkansas Drivers: Is It Time To Replace Your PCV Valve?The crankcase is the lower part of the engine where the crankshaft is housed and where the engine oil lives. The crankshaft is connected to the pistons that power the engine.

When fuel is burned in the truck engine, it pushes the pistons down and the crankshaft rotates and sends power to the transmission. Some of the explosive gases from combustion squeeze past the pistons and down into the crankcase.

Now this gas is about 70% unburned fuel. If it were allowed to remain in the crankcase, it would contaminate the oil and quickly turn it to detrimental sludge. Sludge is like Vaseline and clogs passages in the engine leading to damage.

Also, the pressure build up would blow out seals and gaskets. So in the old days, there was just a hose that vented the crankcase out into the air. Obviously, not good for our air quality in Little Rock.

Enter the PCV valve. It’s a small, one-way valve that lets out the detrimental gases from the crankcase, and routes them back into the air intake system where they are re-burned in the engine. Fresh air comes into the crankcase through a breather tube. This makes for good circulation in the crankcase. And that gets the detrimental air out. As you can imagine, however, the valve gets gummed up over time.

Ferndale, Arkansas drivers that skip oil changes now and then will notice that the PCV valve gets gummed up even faster. If the PCV valve is sticking in your truck, the gases won’t circulate as well, leading to increased pressure in the crankcase. That, in turn, can lead to oil leaks. Fortunately, the PCV valve is very inexpensive to replace at Parkway Automotive in Little Rock. Some can even be checked by your honest Parkway Automotive advisor.

Your truck manufacturers usually recommend they be changed somewhere between twenty and fifty thousand miles. Unfortunately, PCV valve replacement is left out of some truck owner’s manuals, but at Parkway Automotive, we will make sure your PVC is replaced if needed.

All of us Ferndale, Arkansas car owners can do our part for the environment. Watch that lead foot, stay on top of our important automotive maintenance and don’t forget to replace our PCV valve.

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What Is A Differential And Do You Have One?

Friday, October 24th, 2014

With front-wheel drive being so common these days in Little Rock, Arkansas, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Little Rock auto owners don’t even have to think about it. And rear-wheel drive differentials don’t need to be serviced for years, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind for our Little Rock customers. So it’s not uncommon for drivers to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

Call Parkway Automotive in Little Rock at 501-821-6111 for information about differential service, or stop by our Little Rock, Arkansas auto center at 708 Kirk Road 72223.

To better understand what a differential does, think about our local Little Rock high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

It’s a very important function for us Little Rock motorists. When you think of it, all the power to get a vehicle moving goes through the differential. Most cars in the Little Rock, Arkansas area weigh between three and six thousand pounds – trucks even more. The power from the engine goes through the transmission and then through the differential to the drive wheels.

That’s a lot of work and requires very heavy duty parts. And those critical parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool.

The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that breakdown over time. So manufacturers recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your honest Parkway Automotive service specialist will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. Then he’ll replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Your Parkway Automotive service advisor can look up the automobile manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your owner’s manual. Give us a call at 501-821-6111 for more information about your differential service.

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Check Engine Light Diagnosis At Parkway Automotive

Tuesday, October 14th, 2014

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Hello Little Rock car owners. Have you ever had your check engine light come on? Did you panic? Or just scowl and ignore it? What should you do? Pull to the side of the road and call a tow truck? Or just keep driving? What does that little light really mean for Little Rock motorists?

First of all, the Check Engine or Service Engine light does indicate that something is wrong. That’s why it is called a warning light. But the something that is wrong might be a loose gas cap, or it might be serious truck engine trouble. That’s why Conway, Arkansas drivers often don’t know how to respond to it.

The check engine light has two modes: it flashes or it stays on. A flashing light is serious. You need to get your vehicle to Parkway Automotive in Little Rock ASAP. No, you don’t need to call a tow truck, but, yes, you can’t wait to get your car serviced. If your check engine light is on and flashing, you should not tow trailers, haul heavy loads or drive at Arkansas highway speeds. Any of these could lead to serious damage that could result costly repair bills for Little Rock drivers who ignore it.

A steady check engine light is less serious, but that doesn’t mean it can be ignored by Ferndale, Arkansas motorists. You should plan to get your vehicle inspected at your local Little Rock automotive service center the first realistic opportunity. Not the first convenient opportunity, but the first realistic one.

Before you take your truck in, however, check the gas cap. A loose gas cap can trigger the check engine light. If it is loose, twist it until it clicks three times. If that was the problem, your Little Rock engine light will reset after several days. However, if it stays on, then you need to schedule an inspection at your Little Rock auto repair center center or Parkway Automotive.

Modern automobiles have a computer in the engine that monitors and controls many of the engine functions. When the computer senses something wrong, it first tries to fix the problem itself by adjusting the truck engine. If the problem persists, the computer signals the check engine light to come on.

This process stores a trouble code inside the truck engine’s computer. Your technician scans the computer and reads the code. This does not tell the service specialist exactly what is wrong with the car, but it gives him a good idea as to where to start looking.

It is NOT good auto advice to deal with a check engine light by disconnecting the battery. Yes, this makes the light go off, but it doesn’t solve the problem. It’s rather like trying to put out a fire by disconnecting the smoke detector. Also, disconnecting the battery will erase your truck’s computer memory. An engine’s computer, over time, learns to adjust for peculiarities of the specific truck engine, for driving conditions in your Bryant, Arkansas area, and for your driving habits. Losing its memory means it has to learn and adjust for these things all over again.

Also, don’t buy a cheap consumer scanner or get a trouble code read at your nearest Little Rock auto parts store, then try to fix a problem yourself — unless, of course, you are a trained Conway, Arkansas mechanic. Today’s auto repair equipment is fairly high-tech and knowing a code is only an indication of where a problem might be, not the answer to what is wrong. Trying to save a little money by doing it yourself may end up costing you big in the long run.

Of course, the best thing to do is to keep that pesky check engine light from coming on in the first place. Good car care and routine preventive maintenance go a long way to keeping your truck out of your Little Rock auto repair shop. But, if that light does come on, be smart. Take care of the problem early, and take care of it professionally.

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Busted: The Maintenance-Free Myth In Cabot, Arkansas

Friday, October 10th, 2014

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There’s a segment of the Cabot, Arkansas population that’s not committed to proper vehicle maintenance. Mistaken perceptions have crept into the Arkansas area over time. Many Cabot, Arkansas motorists think the root lies in the fact that modern cars are so reliable. Reliability has improved dramatically in recent years. Quality surveys report fewer problems with new cars than ever before.

Back when cars spent more time in the repair shop, Cabot, Arkansas drivers were more mindful of routine service. Now, it’s much easier to put it off.

Take tune-ups for example. In the days of mechanical ignition systems, an engine needed to be tuned-up every couple of years. The ignition points had to be replaced, spark plugs and coils replaced and the timing adjusted. If your engine was out of tune, you knew it. It ran poorly and got bad fuel economy.

Ferndale, Arkansas The Maintenance-Free MythNow, the ignition system in your truck is electronic and controlled by the engine management computer. Spark plugs rarely get fouled and will last for as much as a hundred thousand miles. So tune-ups used to force you in to Parkway Automotive for service and while you were there you just took care of whatever else was on the list.

Also, in recent years, a large percentage of new cars in Cabot, Arkansas have been leased. These folks plan on turning the car in after two or three years, so they haven’t focused on the maintenance that helps your car last longer.

Given all that, what’s the benefit to keeping up with factory scheduled maintenance? Well, your truck will perform better and return better fuel economy.

Those benefits pay for themselves as they go along. The big plus is that major repairs are prevented. And these aren’t just repairs that are a long ways off. Modern truck engines are far more sophisticated and have many parts that are in critical need of proper lubrication. Missing just one oil change can allow oil sludge to start forming. Sludge clogs small engine passages, robbing parts of the lubrication they need. An expensive failure could easily occur within two or three years.

And modern engines require more sophisticated fluids. Because of the different types of materials that are used to make auto parts, things like aluminum, plastics and steel, different types of additives are required to protect automotive components from corrosion. These additives deplete with time as well as with use.

For example, your truck engine coolant could actually become so corrosive that it eats holes in your radiator or other cooling system parts. Of course, that could lead to massive engine damage, all for the want of replacing the coolant on schedule.

Taking care of the little things now prevents big problems later. At Parkway Automotive, we have been taking care of all those little things for 13 years. Your truck still needs to be taken care of – it’s just that some of those points of care have changed with automotive advancements. The need for proper maintenance in Cabot, Arkansas did not go away.

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