A. Many consumers today are confused by the 100,000-mile tune up advertisements. Some tell tale signs that your vehicle need attention in this area are: hard starting, stalling, poor fuel mileage, rough running, shaking at idle, and/or poor engine performance. There are also many definitions of a tune up. First of all check your owner’s manual to see what is the recommended service interval for your particular vehicle. Chances are that recommended replacement for items like your air filter, fuel filter, pcv valve and certain ignition components will be every 15,000-20,000 miles. Typically, depending on the grade of spark plug, these will be required every 30,000 to 60,000 miles up to 100,000 miles for the premium grade spark plugs.

 

A. We recommend that the cooling system be serviced every 2 years or 24,000 miles. Car manufacturers say 3 years or 36,000 miles. There are additives in antifreeze that provide alkaline to help neutralize internal corrosion before it begins. We find that after 2 years, the antifreeze starts to lose its corrosion resistance. When having your cooling system serviced, it should be flushed to help remove debris that may have accumulated in the system. It should then be refilled with a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and clean water. This is also a great time for a visual inspection of your belts and hoses.

 

 

A. For many years now, since the arrival of fuel injection, vehicles require much more fuel pressure and volume to operate. Because of this need, electric fuel pumps have been placed in the fuel tanks. The noise you are hearing is probably from your electric fuel pump. You may consider having a fuel pump pressure and volume test performed. This will let you know the condition of your fuel pump based on the vehicle's factory specifications.

 

On a fuel injected vehicle you can take a few preventive measures to protect your electric fuel pump. One is to change your fuel filter every 12 months or 15,000 miles whichever comes first. The other is to keep your gas tank at least 1/2 full. The gas acts as an insulator to keep your electric pump running cool and efficient.

 

 

A. The main purpose of the engine's timing belt is to drive the camshaft. The camshaft opens and closes the engine's valves, as it rotates, at specific intervals to allow the fuel/air mixture in and exhaust fumes out. If the timing belt fails, not only will the motor stop running, leaving your vehicle disabled but may also result in valve, cylinder head or piston damage. This can be very expensive. The reason for this damage is that some engines are built with very tight valve to piston clearances. If the valve timing on such an engine is allowed to vary too much or the belt breaks, causing the valves to open at the wrong time or stay open altogether, the pistons can hit the valves, causing damage.

 

For most cars, the timing belt should be replaced every 60,000 miles or four years, or anytime the belt becomes contaminated with oil or similar fluids. See your owners' manual for specifics. A timing belt is made using rubber which simply deteriorates with time and mileage. When a new belt is installed, the gears, tensioners, camshaft and crankshaft oil seals and possibly the water pump should also be inspected and serviced as necessary. Some engines also incorporate a counter-balance shaft system to reduce engine vibrations. Some of these counter-balance shafts are driven by a separate belt similar to a timing belt. This belt should always be replaced anytime the timing belt is replaced.

 

 

 

A. No, some engines use a timing chain or gears to drive the camshaft. Rotary engines, such as those found in Mazda RX7s, as well as 2-cycle engines, do not have a camshaft and therefore have no timing belt, chain or gears. A failed timing chain or gear-to-gear system will result in engine failure and possible damage just the same as with a timing belt equipped engine. However, timing chains and gear-to-gear drives are in a more protected environment inside the engine's crankcase and receive a continual supply of oil. They generally have a much longer life span than timing belts and can last well past 100,000 miles on a properly maintained engine.