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Lance's Service Garage, Inc. |
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Here are some of the services we provide at Lance’s Service Garage. Please contact us if you don’t see what you are looking for—Call or E-Mail for Estimates. |
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When do I need a Transmission Flush? |
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For more information about this service: |
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Transmission Flush |
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When do brake pads wear out? |
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For more information about this service: |
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Braking Systems |
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O2 Sensors can cause problems. What does that mean? |
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For more information about this service: |
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Oxygen Sensors |
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Why winterize my car? |
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For more information about this service: |
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Winterization |
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Transmission fluid is vital for today’s automatic transmission vehicles. Although most people assume they drive under normal conditions, the opposite is true.
Stop-and-go city driving, driving in hot weather, rocking a vehicle stuck in mud or snow, mountain driving or trailer towing are all considered severe driving conditions where more frequent transmission fluid changes are essential – once a year or every 12,000 miles.
Overused transmission fluid will oxidize at high temperatures and form sludge and varnish that can result in not only hard or rough shifting, but also complete transmission breakdown.
Test your transmission fluid today! It should be pink or red in color. If the fluid is dark brown and smells like burnt toast, your filter and fluid needs to be changed immediately!
In addition to transmission fluid, most automatic transmissions have a vacuum modulator that needs to be checked regularly. If it fails, complete transmission failure could result.
Keep your transmission “in the pink”. Have it checked today! |
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Braking Systems |
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Do you suspect that your vehicle may have a leaky brake system? Is your brake fluid level just a little bit low? Well, one explanation for the low fluid level may be relatively simple: If your vehicle has worn brake pads or brake shoes, the fluid level in your brake fluid reservoir will be low. But let's say you have relatively new brake pads and you recently topped-off your brake reservoir only to notice a few days later that the fluid level has dropped noticeably. If that's the case, it's a good bet you have a leak somewhere in your brake system -- which means that you likely have bigger brake issues than something as simple as worn brake pads. |
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Oxygen Sensors |
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Every new car, and most cars produced after 1980, has an oxygen sensor. The sensor is part of the emissions control system and feeds data to the engine management computer. The goal of the sensor is to help the engine run as efficiently as possible and also to produce as few emissions as possible.
A gasoline engine burns gasoline in the presence of oxygen. It turns out that there is a particular ratio of air and gasoline that is "perfect," and that ratio is 14.7:1 (different fuels have different perfect ratios -- the ratio depends on the amount of hydrogen and carbon found in a given amount of fuel). If there is less air than this perfect ratio, then there will be fuel left over after combustion. This is called a rich mixture. Rich mixtures are bad because the unburned fuel creates pollution. If there is more air than this perfect ratio, then there is excess oxygen. This is called a lean mixture. A lean mixture tends to produce more nitrogen-oxide pollutants, and, in some cases, it can cause poor performance and even engine damage.
The oxygen sensor is positioned in the exhaust pipe and can detect rich and lean mixtures. The mechanism in most sensors involves a chemical reaction that generates a voltage (see the patents below for details). The engine's computer looks at the voltage to determine if the mixture is rich or lean, and adjusts the amount of fuel entering the engine accordingly. The reason why the engine needs the oxygen sensor is because the amount of oxygen that the engine can pull in depends on all sorts of things, such as the altitude, the temperature of the air, the temperature of the engine, the barometric pressure, the load on the engine, etc.
When the oxygen sensor fails, the computer can no longer sense the air/fuel ratio, so it ends up guessing. Your car performs poorly and uses more fuel than it needs to. |
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Winterization |
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Old man winter is coming. In his weathered luggage he's carrying cold, snow and ice, and he's rarely just an overnight guest. If you and your car aren't ready for his arrival, you may want to start thinking about the handful of tools and tasks that can keep his patented brand of frozen corrosion at bay.
Your car's cooling system deserves a seasonal assessment. Keeping your engine coolant from freezing in the wintertime is the job of the antifreeze. Keeping this vital fluid up to snuff requires an annual flush and regular maintenance.
Windshield wipers and washer fluid are two tools that keep the road in plain view. Their proper operation is imperative if you expect to keep the windshield clean and free of ice and salty residue. Replace your wiper blades every two years if wear and tear doesn't demand it sooner. Keeping your washer fluid reservoir full is the best way to make sure you don't lose visibility at critical times this winter.
While it may not be something you think about in terms of winter car care, brake maintenance is among the most important upkeep items this time of year. Because braking efficiency declines when roads and brake systems get wet, winter is when you can expect troubles to turn up. Now is the ideal time to get your brake parts and brake fluid.
Check your battery. This simple test can be performed by Lance’s Service Garage in a matter of minutes and save you from being unnecessarily stranded for hours out in the cold.
Taking these few simple steps today can make all the difference in the world when old man winter arrives. |
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Your braking system is comprised of series of rubber and steel hoses, check valves, pistons and cylinders. They're all joined together, and work in concert to slow and stop your vehicle. It may help you to understand it all a little better if you imagine your brake system as a cardiovascular system, pumping blood to several different areas of the body. The vehicle's master cylinder acts as the heart and pumps brake fluid through brake lines to the extremities, in this case, the calipers and drums. This is where a lot of brake problems originate. At all four corners of your vehicle, brake lines -- with fittings that serve to connect the master cylinder to the different parts of the brake system that actually slow or stop your wheels -- quite simply, can leak. In fact, every part within the braking system that connects to another part has the potential to become yet another leak. Parts can become worn out or punctured or even pulled apart by road debris. Whatever the situation, if you have a brake fluid leak, you need to find and repair it as soon as possible.
To properly diagnose a brake leak, you must first locate the leaking point. The best way to do this is by parking your vehicle on a level surface for a couple of hours, then observing the position of the brake fluid that has accumulated beneath the vehicle. This will give you an idea as to which fitting may be the culprit. If you find that the puddle of brake fluid is beneath the rear of the engine -- not near one of the wheels -- you may have a leak somewhere in (or near) the master cylinder.
Bleeder bolts, sometimes called bleeder valves, are located on the brake calipers and are designed to allow brake fluid to flow out of the system. If you've recently had some brake work done on your vehicle, it may be that one of your bleeder valves was inadvertently left a little loose. If that's the case, it's a simple matter of tightening the valve to stop the fluid flow.
Perhaps you have a brake problem that includes a mushy, or soft, brake pedal. If you experience a brake pedal that goes straight to the floor with little or no resistance, you can quickly pump the pedal to build pressure. If you are unable to build pressure after several quick pumps, you may have a serious leak. It's possible that one of your vehicle's brake lines has been punctured or one of the fittings has failed. Both of these are easily fixed, but you must address them immediately -- your safety and the safety of other drivers depend on it. Remember, brake fluid is essential for the brake system to operate properly. Leaks in the system release fluid, causing reduced (or even complete loss of) brake pressure. If you don't address the problem, your vehicle will eventually run out of brake fluid; however, chances are you won't get to that point, as the brakes won't continue to work after the fluid level drops beyond a certain level. |