Total Kar; Cars, Trucks and Mechanics

Why do we ask this question? Is it lack of performance or lack of fuel economy? What is our perception of a tune-up?

Let me clarify some issues…  There is a difference between a gas or diesel engine.

There are two reasons for a tune-up.

1)      Maintenance

2)      Poor performance/Poor fuel economy

Understand that not all Vehicle makes and models require the same procedures. For the most part, every aspect of your vehicle is engineered to a certain standard, whether that be, how long certain wear items last or how long the vehicle will.

For all gasoline engines; tune-up items include, Spark Plugs, Spark plug boots, Air Filter and PCV valve. This is about the only common feature all gasoline engines share. However, some Makes and Models still have spark plug wires and replaceable fuel filters.

There is no more timing to be set, no adjusting the fuel system. Now everything has computer controlled fuel and ignition systems. Not a bad thing, just not commonly understood thing. So what I just described is a Maintenance Tune-Up

The aspect I will discuss is poor performance, whether it is no power or engine is missing. I advise caution on Assuming that a tune-up will fix your problem. Tell your technician the symptoms and concerns and let them diagnose your vehicles issues. I had a customer come in once that had spent $1500.00 on parts trying to fix a miss. When I got it, I diagnosed a bad computer connection, it had water in it. A spray of some electrical contact cleaner and pack the connector with silicon dielectric grease and it was fixed.

In conclusion, the upper percentage of vehicles on the road today are using platinum or iridium spark plugs. They will run 80-100,000 miles under normal service. I advise to have the exact same spark plug installed as from the factory. If fuel economy is your concern, also check your tire pressure and have your vehicle aligned once a year.

Drop me a question if I haven’t answered all your concerns

Thanks for stopping by…

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Synthetic oil is far superior to conventional petroleum oil. When we look at the five basic properties of oil, lubricate, cool, clean, seal and absorb shock. Synthetic oil wins in all categories. So let’s start with a little history.

One of the first and foremost introductions of synthetic oil is from the Germans, World War II. Since they had virtually no petroleum, they were forced to come up with alternate’s means of lubrication for the machines of war.  In actuality they designed a better lubricant than the petroleum they were missing.

Now let’s look at the differences.

First: Lubrication- Superiority in synthetic oil is down to the molecular level. Basically petroleum oil is nature made and the structure of the molecules is uneven in size and position.  Synthetic oil was designed in a lab by scientist and the molecules are all the same size and the same position. This uniform molecular structure, gives the synthetic oil better lubricating properties because it gives more surface area for the parts to ride on, thus causing less friction and heat. The result of which is less wear and more power.

Second: Cooling- Synthetic normally flows more freely than conventional petroleum oil. In turn this allows the synthetic oil to carry heat away from engine parts faster than conventional. The other factor here is synthetic oil reduces friction heat to start with.

Third: Cleaning- Synthetic oil additives and base have better cleaning properties than conventional, partially due to their ability to resist acid build up from the engine, in turn not breaking the oil down.

Forth: Sealing- Synthetic oil normally aides in prolonging engine seals. Synthetic oils have very good cleaning capabilities, in some cases on higher mileage engines, we have seen synthetic oil clean the sludge out of a worn seal (we didn’t notice the seal was worn before because the sludge was holding the worn seal together).

Fifth: Absorb Shock- Engines are dynamic machines with a lot of moving parts. A lot of shock and load can be put on the components. The synthetic oil has a better film between moving parts, this more uniformed structure of the oil allows better support on the moving part and in turn helps in absorbing shock and distributing the load.

I personally run Amsoil in my vehicles, I have tested it extensively and I am impressed.  I run Amsoil in my turbocharged as well as my regular truck engine. It works exceptionally well in Diesel engines. I also have Amsoil synthetic in my transmission and rear differential. I have picked up 3-5 miles to the gallon and I have more power. Why, because synthetic oil frees up parasitic load (friction) the engine, transmission and rear differential uses to turn, in turn I get the extra power from the engine. I know when you spill it on the floor; it is a lot slicker than conventional oil, so be careful.

Well I hope this helps with any questions you may have had, drop me a line if you have a question.

Thanks for stopping by…

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