Stock's Underhood Specialists

Tuesday’s Trivia

Paul — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:40:03 +0000

Tuesday Trivia: Name this company logo…

10 Things Disappearing from Today’s Vehicles

Paul — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:00:33 +0000

Technology is adding many features and benefits to our vehicles each and every year, but is anything disappearing? The answer is “yes”. So we created our Top 10 list of things that have disappeared or will soon.

Hub caps and steel wheels. These are only found on the base economy cars today. The hub cap and steel wheel combination is heavy and reduces fuel economy.
Spare tire. Rambler was the first car company to include a full-size spare tire in it’s vehicles. Once again, the steel wheel and tire assembly was heavy and took up valuable space, and so manufacturers substituted the space-saver emergency tire. Now that is being replaced with a can of sealant and a air pump.
Passenger door lock. About 10 years ago, the car companies stopped installing a door lock on the passenger side door because of the popularity of the remote key fob. And to add insult to injury, they made the lock on the driver’s side poorer. Because the key fob battery will last 4-5 years, reserved for driver’s door lock has become the emergency access. The rub is that with the quality of the lock and the lack of use, many won’t work when needed.
Window crank. The electric window has been around since 1948. Only a few budget cars have window cranks.
Cigarette lighter / ash tray. The lighter appeared in cars around 1925. The lighter element is no longer supplied, but the power supply is still there and now used for electronic devices.
Drum brakes. Drum brakes were the staple for the rear brakes but have slowly been replaced with disc brakes. I believe drum brakes will totally disappear when we convert to electronic brakes (because disc brakes will be easier to motorize). Then the master cylinder and related hydraulics will disappear.
Power antenna. The power and whip antenna will be replaced by satellite radio.
Serpentine drive belt. The large single belt adds a great deal of friction. Water pumps and air conditioner compressors have been electric for a while. Power steering pumps and hydraulic hoses will be replaced by motorized steering racks or columns. The alternator and starter can be combined with the flywheel. Electric drives make sense because computers would have greater control.
Manual transmissions. Computerized automatic transmissions have won favor with consumer, and engineers. Advanced electronics have improved performance and fuel economy. And as a society that likes everything at its finger-tips, there is paddle shifting (the manual levers that allow the driver to shift the transmission at will).
Incandescent light bulbs. LEDs take far less energy and are brighter and faster (LED brake lights reach the eye faster then regular bulbs, giving the the trailing driver more response time). With so many onboard computers (30 to 209), tLED technology saves them some valuable electrical power.
Shade-tree Mechanic. Cars have become complicated. Virtually every component and vehicle system is being monitored by a computer or sensor. Gone are the days of bailing wire, hammers and tongs. Today’s technician needs a sound foundation in computers and electronics. So, the next time you see your mechanic, ask him or herwhen was the last time he or she was in school. If it wasn’t within the last 90 days, you may want to reconsider.

There is more to engine oil then just the weight

Paul — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:57:49 +0000

Last night we were in class learning about engine oils. Today’s engines are not created equal and each manufacturer has their thoughts on how technology will advance. And with that being said, neither are the engine oils they’re recommending. Just because it says 5w30 on the bottle does not mean it is the correct oil for your engine. Some engines use a thick 5w30 oil and some need a thin 5w30 oil. In fact there are some 5w20 engine oils that are thicker then 5w30! And pouring the wrong oil for the application into your engine can cause long-term damage. Beware of the fine print. For instance, some oils say they are approved for Honda fill but that only means for topping off. That oil has not been approved to be used in a complete oil change. As with everything in our society, regardless of what’s on the front of the label, it may be modified by the small print on the back. Do you buy oil for your vehicles?

Paul — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:55:03 +0000

Tuesday’s Trivia: who’s company logo is this?

Tuesday’s Trivia

Paul — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:03:38 +0000

Tuesday’s Trivia: Name this car manufacturer.

Belt the one you love, your engine

Paul — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:26:53 +0000

The heart of winter is nearly upon us and timing belt season begins. As the temperature turns cold rubber hardens with age and soon things break. Don’t be caught out in the cold. The news today stated that 40% of drivers have delayed much of their automotive maintenance and another source stated that unperformed vehicle maintenance has increased from $54 billion in 2009 to $62 billion in 2010. That’s a lot of neglect! The underlying cost is damage that’s done because of maintenance that has been neglected for too long. Share this with others, it’s important to know.

The undetected coolant (antifreeze) leak

Paul — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:37:19 +0000

Nothing was found on the garage floor or driveway. The previous mechanic didn’t find any signs of leaks but antifreeze was being added from time to time. Hummmmm, where did it go? We pressure tested the system and it kept leaking down and we didn’t find any visible leaks either. So, that means that the leak is internal and the engine is hemorrhaging. We know that oil sits on top of coolant (antifreeze), therefore it should be the first thing we see when we loosen the oil pan drain plug. Sure enough, coolant came first followed by the engine oil (we got it on video to be released to a YouTube channel near you). Over time antifreeze and oil will combine under the pressure of the oil pump and form a milky substance. This milky substance (shown in the red circle) collects in the engine like moss or cholesterol and hampers proper lubrication. Like cholesterol, this sludge can be a silent killer to your engine. And by the way, this vehicle only has 46,191 miles! The lesson here is that you should never be loosing any fluid without knowing where.

Things are not always as they appear

Paul — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:16:49 +0000

Engine stalled and was towed. Preliminary diagnosis showed that the engine had lost fuel supply and the pump was no longer running. For many, the diagnosis would have stopped there, for a while anyway. But there is one more step. Do you have power at the pump? We did not. Found a blown fuse and replaced. Engine started and ran for some time. Hummmmmm. Why the blown fuse? Many would have considered that to be the fix. But a long-story short; we found a wire that had rubbed through and was barely touching the bottom of the floor board of the vehicle. This bare wire (see pink wire in center of the photo) is known as an intermittent short (touches every now and then) to ground (bare metal). There is over 3,000 ft of wire on today’s vehicles and as they rattle and roll down the road, this has become a more common problem. It just goes to show that things are not always as they appear.

High-Mileage Vehicles

Paul — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:23:30 +0000

LARGE numbers are in. Our society has held the belief (for too long) that a vehicle is worn out in 125k miles. But people are keeping their vehicles longer. We have been demonstrating for years through our preventive maintenance club that a well-maintained vehicle can go the distance economically. With good vehicle maintenance large numbers are the new reality.

Restricted catalytic converter

Paul — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:59:05 +0000

What your looking at is a bird’s eye-view down the inlet side of a catalytic converter. The debris at the bottom is the honey cone shell broken up due to a melt down. This did set a code P0430 for catalytic converter efficiencies low on Bank 2.