Posted on 5/30/2018
Question: My new car has a “GDI” engine. What does that mean to me and other Fort Collins vehicles with this new type of engine? Kens Muffler and Automotive Answer: GDI stands for Gasoline Direct Injection. It's a type of fuel injection system that is becoming very popular on modern engines. Let's talk about the two most common forms of fuel injection. Port Fuel Injection has been common in Fort Collins vehicles for the last several decades. With this type, there is a small port just outside the cylinder on the engine. • The fuel injector squirts a bit of gas into this area just before the intake valve opens • When the valve opens, air enters the port and mixes with the gas, then flows past the valve and into the engine • The gas and air mixture is compressed by the piston • The spark plug fires, igniting the gas which pushes against th ... read more
Posted on 5/23/2018
Let's talk about cabin air filters. There seems to be some confusion about them in Fort Collins that we should be able to clear up. Much of the confusion starts because cabin air filters are relatively new. Not all vehicles in Fort Collins have them, so some people confuse their cabin air filter with the engine air filter. Every vehicle in CO has an engine air filter that cleans the air going into the engine, but not all have a cabin air filter that cleans the air going into the passenger compartment. It's easy to get mixed up. The cabin air filter cleans out dust, pollen, spores and other pollutants. To give a point of comparison, a grain of sand is about 200 microns across. A cabin air filter can stop particles that are just 3 microns in size. It really does make the passenger cabin a much more pleasant environment. When the cabin air filter gets dirty, you just need to replace it. Your owner's manual ... read more
Posted on 5/16/2018
As your engine runs, dirt gets into the oil. Oil sludge can also start to build up. Fortunately, motor oil contains detergents that clean the engine and gather up contaminates. The oil circulates through the oil filter where clumps of dirt and sludge are captured. An oil filter can eventually get clogged up — so much so that oil cannot flow freely through the filter material. Of course, you don’t want to starve your engine of oil, so a valve opens in the oil filter allowing oil to bypass the filter material. This keeps your engine lubricated, but dirty oil is circulating through the system. Back in the day of 3 month, 3,000 mile (5,000 kilometer) oil changes, this was only a problem if you forgot to change your oil on schedule. Modern vehicles, however, typically have much longer recommended oil change intervals. 5,000, 10,000 and even 15,000 mile (8,000, 16,000 and even 24,000 kilometer) intervals are common. Of course, you need to use the manufacturer recommended type an ... read more
Posted on 5/9/2018
It’s easy to forget about servicing your transmission because it doesn’t need it very often, but proper transmission service keeps your vehicle running smoothly and helps you avoid costly repairs down the road. The transmission undergoes a lot of stress. The grit you see in used fluid is actually bits of clutch material. This grit flowing through your transmission under pressure eats away at seals and gaskets which can lead to leaks. The transmission operates at very high temperatures – much higher than engine temperatures. Those high temperatures eventually cause the transmission fluid to start to break down and loose efficiency. At best, your transmission won’t operate smoothly. At worse, it could lead to costly damage. When your transmission’s running properly, it transfers more power from your engine to the drive wheels and improves fuel economy. That’s why manufacturers have recommended changing your transmission fl ... read more
Posted on 5/2/2018
Battery Upgrades When that car battery finally gives up the ghost and it's time to replace it, Fort Collins drivers have options. First, let's be clear that you should always get a replacement battery that meets or exceeds your vehicle's specifications. But you may have some special needs. When they first put the battery into your vehicle at the factory, they had no idea where it would end up over its life or how YOU would use it where you drive in CO. That battery was chosen to meet the needs of a wide range of motorists. Replacement time is a good opportunity to talk to your service advisor about how you use your vehicle so you can get just the right battery. An obvious criterion is where you live, whether in Fort Collins or somewhere else. Cold starts require a lot of power from your battery. The colder the climate, the more power needed. This comes from a combination of cold sluggish oil and the slower chemical reaction within the battery itself wh ... read more