Tranny's usually have a life span of 150k to 300k+ miles. It depends on a couple of factors.
1. How hard do you run your car?
Like an engine, trannys can overheat as well. If you run your car at mach 2 then you should consider putting an external transmission cooling unit on your auto. They are really inexpensive and the cost is much cheaper in comparison than buying a new tranny or rebuilding it due to damage from overheating.
2. I didn't know anything about servicing my transmission. How often should this be done?
You should have your transmission serviced at 30,000 miles. What happens when you get it serviced is they hook it up to a machine that takes the old fluid out. Then the filter is cleaned with a chemical compound that flushes through it. After this they refill your transmission and you are ready to go.
Whenever you do this, your transmission will last for years to come. My 95 Chevy that I just recently totaled out had over 400,000 miles on the original transmission.
To get more auto tips and solutions, visit http://www.askthecartech.info/.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Q&A: Changing rear end from 2001 Chevy K1500 to 1993 Chevy K1500
Q: I have a 1993 Chevrolet Z71 that the rear end housing broke on. I also have a rear end out of an 01 Chevy Z71 that is making severe noise. Is it possible to Frankenstein the two and put the 01 housing on my truck? -Dr. Frankenstein
A: Dr. Frankenstein, the answer to that is it is possible. Here is what you are going to have to do. You are going to have to make sure that the ring and pinion in the 01 housing is okay or else you will have to buy a new ring and pinion. As far as the other components in the two, they will work. Also, make sure that your front end is the same ratio as the rear or you will break your transfer case. Typically the 01 has 3:73 ratio and the 93 will have either 3:73, 3:42, or 3:08. You can determine this whenever you take the two housings a part and remove the ring and pinions. Look at the pinion gear and you will see a number engraved on it. 11X41, 12X41, 13X41 stamped on it. If it is 11X41, the formula to determine it is divide 41 by 11. You get 3.73. 41/12=3.42, 41/13=3.08. Once you determine that they are the same and you have a good ring and pinion for the new posilock unit, put the ring gear on the posilock.
You need a new crush collar for the pinion. You will put the pinion in first and make sure you have it seated well. Then you put the posilock in. Once you have it in place, turn the yoke and make sure it seats well. Replace your axles and c-clips that hold them in place then the diff cover. Fill the differential with 80-90 weight oil and it is best use a tube of the additive while you are at it. This helps keep the oil from breaking down as quick.
Now comes the fun part, you should've removed the housing from the truck already. This is done by disconnecting brake lines and the 4 U-bolts that secure it to the leaf springs. Now you need a hydraulic press or jack to spread the leaf springs. There is about 2"-3" of difference in the size of the housings as you probably have already determined from the size of the axles that you removed from both housings.
Put the new housing on and bolt it to the truck. Re-install your brake lines and you are almost all set. Last thing that you have to do, the 01 rear end has disc brakes and the 93 has drum brakes. You need to replace the master cylinder. This should be done with no modification needed. Once you have the new master cylider on, bleed your brakes, replace your wheels and you are now ready to drive.
Have a question for the car tech, send a message to askthecartech@gmail.com. Also be sure to check out a no cost, no obligation insurance request from our sponsors.
A: Dr. Frankenstein, the answer to that is it is possible. Here is what you are going to have to do. You are going to have to make sure that the ring and pinion in the 01 housing is okay or else you will have to buy a new ring and pinion. As far as the other components in the two, they will work. Also, make sure that your front end is the same ratio as the rear or you will break your transfer case. Typically the 01 has 3:73 ratio and the 93 will have either 3:73, 3:42, or 3:08. You can determine this whenever you take the two housings a part and remove the ring and pinions. Look at the pinion gear and you will see a number engraved on it. 11X41, 12X41, 13X41 stamped on it. If it is 11X41, the formula to determine it is divide 41 by 11. You get 3.73. 41/12=3.42, 41/13=3.08. Once you determine that they are the same and you have a good ring and pinion for the new posilock unit, put the ring gear on the posilock.
You need a new crush collar for the pinion. You will put the pinion in first and make sure you have it seated well. Then you put the posilock in. Once you have it in place, turn the yoke and make sure it seats well. Replace your axles and c-clips that hold them in place then the diff cover. Fill the differential with 80-90 weight oil and it is best use a tube of the additive while you are at it. This helps keep the oil from breaking down as quick.
Now comes the fun part, you should've removed the housing from the truck already. This is done by disconnecting brake lines and the 4 U-bolts that secure it to the leaf springs. Now you need a hydraulic press or jack to spread the leaf springs. There is about 2"-3" of difference in the size of the housings as you probably have already determined from the size of the axles that you removed from both housings.
Put the new housing on and bolt it to the truck. Re-install your brake lines and you are almost all set. Last thing that you have to do, the 01 rear end has disc brakes and the 93 has drum brakes. You need to replace the master cylinder. This should be done with no modification needed. Once you have the new master cylider on, bleed your brakes, replace your wheels and you are now ready to drive.
Have a question for the car tech, send a message to askthecartech@gmail.com. Also be sure to check out a no cost, no obligation insurance request from our sponsors.
Q&A: Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Q: What are the benefits of having a fuel cell and how do I install the fuel cell? -Dennis J, Jackson, MI
A: Dennis, those are two great questions. To the first question, the benefits of having the fuel cell is that you are going to see an increase in your fuel efficiency of at least 30-40%. Now this is off a genuine fuel cell, not the junk that people try to sell you that includes a ball jar and household chemicals and tap water. That is garbage.
Also, having a fuel cell, you will save on your income taxes because the IRS gives special breaks to individuals who have vehicles with Hydrogen fuel cells.
The second part of your question is a little more technical. Here, I am actually going to copy from my tech notes on the fuel cell as this maybe easier than for me to explain it:
Hydrogen Boost Installation Procedure
Installing the Hydrogen Boost System is a matter of installing four components on gasoline
vehicles and only three on diesel vehicles. The hydrogen generator also known as the electrolyzer, the fuel heater, the engine treatment, and the electronic control circuit comprise the gasoline system. The diesel system has no electronic control circuit. Here I will briefly describe the installation procedure, which is described in detail in our installation manual.
The hydrogen generator is usually installed in the engine compartment or under the front fender. It is usually placed in position where it rests on something sturdy and it is held in place with a mounting bracket that bolts to the vehicle. The wiring to the hydrogen generator is a separate circuit installed from the vehicle battery, through a fuse holder, an ammeter, and a relay, to the center electrode of the hydrogen generator, which is grounded by the mounting strap and/or a separate ground wire clamped to the outside of the unit. The relay is activated by a single wire from the fuel pump relay. The wiring kit supplies all the wire and connectors needed for installation along with the fuse holder, relay and ammeter. The wire does need to be cut to size, stripped, and terminated with various wire connectors crimped to the end of each wire. We have recently also included a multi-meter electrical tester used during installation.
The fuel heater is a simple heat exchanger that is installed in a convenient location and is plumbed to the cabin heater hose circuit and the fuel line coming to the injector rail. For some vehicle application the factory hosing will not reach, you may need to purchase a few feet of heater hose, fuel line and clamps to install the fuel heater.
The engine treatment is simply added to the oil sump and for gasoline engines we give you a free upper engine lubricant treatment that is added to the gasoline. The engine treatment is permanent and never has to be repeated. On diesel vehicles we also include a permanent transmission treatment and a permanent differential treatment that is simply added to the lubricants in each. The treatment, lubricant and the Scan gauge are not needed to get the system operational. However to improve the system and gas mileage it is included in the kit.
Synthetic oil is recommended as part of the system but due to shipping restrictions we recommend the customer purchases the synthetic oil locally. Even though we recommend the synthetic oil, it is not required. This is the reason why we include the treatment. The upper cylinder lubricant is not a permanent treatment like the engine treatment but it lasts about three months and shows the customer whether or not it is worth repeating the procedure on his particular vehicle. The treatment or the Hydrogen Boost System will not harm the engine like many of the oil additives out there will such as PTFE, MoS2, and halide additives. You can read more about XCEL PLUS (currently returning to its 1970's label name of Lubrilon) at www.xcelplus.com
The electronic control circuit is a simple potentiometer (variable resister) that is installed on a couple wires run from your cabin into the engine compartment and attached to the MAF (mass air flow) sensor signal line or MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor signal line. The potentiometer (dial) is installed in a convenient location where the driver can adjust the air/fuel ratio to a leaner setting than normal while driving. All wire connectors and wire are included with the system. During operation the upstream oxygen sensor is unplugged. The oxygen sensor is operational, the reason it needs to be kept unplugged because otherwise it will overwrite the adjustment of the electronic control circuit by increasing the fuel injected as it senses to extra lean air/fuel mixture. If you keep it unplugged it will not overwrite anything and the system will work smooth. If you have inspections in your state, you will have to plug the oxygen sensor back in place for the initial inspection and unplug it afterwards.
On gasoline vehicles we also include the Scan gauge monitoring system, which is simply plugged into the OBD-II connector under the dash by the driver's knee. This component is not needed to run the Hydrogen Boost system but is a real nice tool to keep track of your mileage and to read and reset any engine diagnostic trouble codes that may come up.
The above is not intended to be a complete and detailed instruction manual for installation. The complete and detailed manual is included with the system on computer disk and can be printed out on your computer printer if needed in the shop.
Distilled or de-mineralized water is added to the hydrogen generator once every tank full of fuel and is usually done when checking your oil. If the water is not added no damage is done to the engine or to the hydrogen generator (electrolyzer). Mineral water should not be used because the minerals will stay behind in the electrolyzer and eventually you will have mud inside. Distilled water can be purchased at Walmart for 64 cents per gallon. Rain water can be used, as well as air conditioner drippings. It only uses 12-16 ounces of water every tan full of gasoline. If you use mineral water, it will cloud up, get muddy and cause the electrolyte to need rinsing or cleaning out in weeks or months. You can use de-mineralized tap water if your city pipeline gets filtered.
It typically is planned to take one full work day for installation (8 hours). If you are hiring a mechanic to install the Hydrogen boost system you should have the mechanic read the manual thoroughly and give you a price by the job, rather than by the hour. $200 to $500 should be reasonable for installation depending on the vehicle and how accessible the following components are under the hood: cabin heater hoses, fuel line, MAF sensor or MAP sensor, upstream oxygen sensor, fuel pump relay, battery and location for mounting the electrolyzer. Installation can take between two hours and eight hours depending on how much time you spend looking for the components listed above.
The Hydrogen Booster extract hydrogen from water. There are no explosive chemicals or danger materials in this system. There is no way for the Hydrogen Booster to damage your engine unless the installation is done improperly and safety pre-cautions are not taken. If water runs out from the Hydrogen Booster System, it will not damage the system or the car. The less water is in the Hydrogen Booster tank, the less the system works. The system will just eventually stop working until it is filled up with water again.
A: Dennis, those are two great questions. To the first question, the benefits of having the fuel cell is that you are going to see an increase in your fuel efficiency of at least 30-40%. Now this is off a genuine fuel cell, not the junk that people try to sell you that includes a ball jar and household chemicals and tap water. That is garbage.
Also, having a fuel cell, you will save on your income taxes because the IRS gives special breaks to individuals who have vehicles with Hydrogen fuel cells.
The second part of your question is a little more technical. Here, I am actually going to copy from my tech notes on the fuel cell as this maybe easier than for me to explain it:
Hydrogen Boost Installation Procedure
Installing the Hydrogen Boost System is a matter of installing four components on gasoline
vehicles and only three on diesel vehicles. The hydrogen generator also known as the electrolyzer, the fuel heater, the engine treatment, and the electronic control circuit comprise the gasoline system. The diesel system has no electronic control circuit. Here I will briefly describe the installation procedure, which is described in detail in our installation manual.
The hydrogen generator is usually installed in the engine compartment or under the front fender. It is usually placed in position where it rests on something sturdy and it is held in place with a mounting bracket that bolts to the vehicle. The wiring to the hydrogen generator is a separate circuit installed from the vehicle battery, through a fuse holder, an ammeter, and a relay, to the center electrode of the hydrogen generator, which is grounded by the mounting strap and/or a separate ground wire clamped to the outside of the unit. The relay is activated by a single wire from the fuel pump relay. The wiring kit supplies all the wire and connectors needed for installation along with the fuse holder, relay and ammeter. The wire does need to be cut to size, stripped, and terminated with various wire connectors crimped to the end of each wire. We have recently also included a multi-meter electrical tester used during installation.
The fuel heater is a simple heat exchanger that is installed in a convenient location and is plumbed to the cabin heater hose circuit and the fuel line coming to the injector rail. For some vehicle application the factory hosing will not reach, you may need to purchase a few feet of heater hose, fuel line and clamps to install the fuel heater.
The engine treatment is simply added to the oil sump and for gasoline engines we give you a free upper engine lubricant treatment that is added to the gasoline. The engine treatment is permanent and never has to be repeated. On diesel vehicles we also include a permanent transmission treatment and a permanent differential treatment that is simply added to the lubricants in each. The treatment, lubricant and the Scan gauge are not needed to get the system operational. However to improve the system and gas mileage it is included in the kit.
Synthetic oil is recommended as part of the system but due to shipping restrictions we recommend the customer purchases the synthetic oil locally. Even though we recommend the synthetic oil, it is not required. This is the reason why we include the treatment. The upper cylinder lubricant is not a permanent treatment like the engine treatment but it lasts about three months and shows the customer whether or not it is worth repeating the procedure on his particular vehicle. The treatment or the Hydrogen Boost System will not harm the engine like many of the oil additives out there will such as PTFE, MoS2, and halide additives. You can read more about XCEL PLUS (currently returning to its 1970's label name of Lubrilon) at www.xcelplus.com
The electronic control circuit is a simple potentiometer (variable resister) that is installed on a couple wires run from your cabin into the engine compartment and attached to the MAF (mass air flow) sensor signal line or MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor signal line. The potentiometer (dial) is installed in a convenient location where the driver can adjust the air/fuel ratio to a leaner setting than normal while driving. All wire connectors and wire are included with the system. During operation the upstream oxygen sensor is unplugged. The oxygen sensor is operational, the reason it needs to be kept unplugged because otherwise it will overwrite the adjustment of the electronic control circuit by increasing the fuel injected as it senses to extra lean air/fuel mixture. If you keep it unplugged it will not overwrite anything and the system will work smooth. If you have inspections in your state, you will have to plug the oxygen sensor back in place for the initial inspection and unplug it afterwards.
On gasoline vehicles we also include the Scan gauge monitoring system, which is simply plugged into the OBD-II connector under the dash by the driver's knee. This component is not needed to run the Hydrogen Boost system but is a real nice tool to keep track of your mileage and to read and reset any engine diagnostic trouble codes that may come up.
The above is not intended to be a complete and detailed instruction manual for installation. The complete and detailed manual is included with the system on computer disk and can be printed out on your computer printer if needed in the shop.
Distilled or de-mineralized water is added to the hydrogen generator once every tank full of fuel and is usually done when checking your oil. If the water is not added no damage is done to the engine or to the hydrogen generator (electrolyzer). Mineral water should not be used because the minerals will stay behind in the electrolyzer and eventually you will have mud inside. Distilled water can be purchased at Walmart for 64 cents per gallon. Rain water can be used, as well as air conditioner drippings. It only uses 12-16 ounces of water every tan full of gasoline. If you use mineral water, it will cloud up, get muddy and cause the electrolyte to need rinsing or cleaning out in weeks or months. You can use de-mineralized tap water if your city pipeline gets filtered.
It typically is planned to take one full work day for installation (8 hours). If you are hiring a mechanic to install the Hydrogen boost system you should have the mechanic read the manual thoroughly and give you a price by the job, rather than by the hour. $200 to $500 should be reasonable for installation depending on the vehicle and how accessible the following components are under the hood: cabin heater hoses, fuel line, MAF sensor or MAP sensor, upstream oxygen sensor, fuel pump relay, battery and location for mounting the electrolyzer. Installation can take between two hours and eight hours depending on how much time you spend looking for the components listed above.
The Hydrogen Booster extract hydrogen from water. There are no explosive chemicals or danger materials in this system. There is no way for the Hydrogen Booster to damage your engine unless the installation is done improperly and safety pre-cautions are not taken. If water runs out from the Hydrogen Booster System, it will not damage the system or the car. The less water is in the Hydrogen Booster tank, the less the system works. The system will just eventually stop working until it is filled up with water again.
That is from the tech notes that actually come with the fuel cell. It typically doesn't take 8 hours to do the install, but rather only about 2. My shop is actually certified to do the installs and it takes virtually no time.
If you would like to order a fuel cell, I am selling them at the low price of $1350+$45 to U.S. residents. For international orders, please contact us to get a shipping rate.
If you have a question that you would like answered, please get an insurance rate request and send us an email to askthecartech@gmail.com.
Tips to Help You Save Big Money at the Fuel Pump
-by Scott Daugherty
Doesn't it aggravate you everytime you have to buy gas? For most Americans, there is a way to save money in the long run at the gas pump. Outlined are some very good ways to save money at the pump.
1. Keep your vehicle maintained
Surprisingly enough, statistically the nation as a whole does not do proper preventative maintenance on their cars. Did you know that if your oil is dirty, you are getting less fuel economy? If you don't want to change your oil so often, there are many new oils out now that last for five, ten, even twelve thousand miles before you need to change it. It may cost a dollar or two more per quart but in the long run, you save money.
Also, most Americans don't tune their automobiles up as scheduled. I conducted a private study for one of the companies that I used to work and contacted over 1000 auto dealerships and independent auto shops throughout the United States and Canada. I spoke to the service managers in all of these shops and the answers were the same everywhere I called.
Most people simply refused to have their auto's tuned up on schedule. The customer would have the auto repair that they were there for and simply nothing else done.
Did you know that a cold firing plug can reduce your fuel economy up to 8 gallons per mile? The manufacturer of your automobile placed a schedule of when the auto should have the plugs changed. For most vehicles, it ranges from 12,000 to 30,000 miles. You should have the plugs and wires changed on schedule. If you would like to get plugs that last longer, consider a good set of platinum plugs. You can get Bosch platinum+2 for only a dollar or two more per plug and platinum+4 for a few dollars more per plug.
Change your timing belt on schedule.
It is most important that you change your timing belt as scheduled. There are a couple of reasons for this. Number one, as the belt wears out, your fuel economy gets worse. The second reason is because if your car is a V6 or V8 with duel overhead cams (DOHC stamped on engine), if it breaks, you are going to have very costly repairs in the long run. 9 out of 10 engines that the timing belt breaks in with DOHC bends valves. This causes you to have to rebuild the heads or replace the heads at a very high price.
Change your air filter on schedule.
This is again crucial to the fuel efficiency of your automobile. Just like us, your engine has to breathe. Without a clean air filter, you will burn a lot more fuel because you don't have the proper air/fuel mixture. It is usually recommended to change them every time you change your oil, however, you may consider purchasing a K&N filter or one from one of their competitors that doesn't have to be changed but merely cleaned. This will save you a lot of money over the lifetime of your car, plus if it needs to be cleaned, you merely blow it out with compressed air.
Make sure you have your PCV valve changed on schedule.
For even some of the best people who take care of their cars, this is a critical step that is often overlooked. The PCV valve doesn't cost but a dollar or two and usually last as long as your plugs do.
Do an upper-end cleaning on your engine.
This is where you have your intake and valves cleaned. A few years ago, the intake and valve covers had to come off the vehicle to do this. Now, you can buy the chemical at the auto parts store yourself and clean the intake in about 15 minutes. The chemicals have the directions for how to do it, but believe me anybody can do it, and you don't have to spend up to $600 for a shop to do it for you. It will instead cost you about $8.
Make sure that your tires are in good shape and aired at your vehicle manufacturer's recommended pressure.
The tire may say that you can inflate to 50 p.s.i., however, that is maximum pressure for the tire. If you look inside the driver's door at the inspection tag from the factory, you will find the manufacturer's recommended tire pressure. It is recommended because they have performed many tests to find where the car performs best at and found that the best performance comes from this setting.
Have your transmission flushed about every 30,000 miles.
This keeps the vehicle shifting properly and also allows you to get better fuel efficiency. A standard flush doesn't cost very much and can make your transmission last up to three times as long as it normally would.
Last of all, make sure that you change your belt as scheduled.
As the belt gets older and wears, a certain amount of slippage occurs, ultimately making you have to run the engine harder. It is also a good idea to keep it changed on schedule because of the unfortunate event that it breaks, you lose your power steering, a/c, and alternator.
2. Consider doing a few modifications to your automobile.
There are a few mods that you can do to you auto that will save quite a few dollars at the pump.
The first thing that you can do is replace your muffler with a performance muffler. Yes, they are louder but they also let a lot more exhaust flow through. This ultimately means you pick up horsepower and also fuel efficiency.
Case study: 1995 Chevrolet K-1500. Replaced factory exhaust with Dynomax dual outlet muffler and actually picked up 28 horsepower on the dyno and almost 2.3 miles to the gallon of fuel.
The second modification that you can do is change your air intake system and put a cold-air intake on it. This is going to cost anywhere from $200-$500 for the do-it-yourselfers and $400-$1000 to have it done at a shop. It does increase horsepower and fuel efficiency, but in the long run, isn't really worth the money unless you just want it.
The last modification that you could do is put a hydrogen fuel cell on your car. You can actually Google this, there was a case study performed and the video is on YouTube of a guy with a Saturn. He was getting 37 miles to the gallon at baseline. He installed the cell on his car and actually got over 62 miles to the gallon. That is an incredible increase in fuel efficiency.
You can search around to find where to purchase them and have them installed. They run around $1500, to the best of my knowledge and aren't hard to install. All in all, for under $2000, you can have it put on your car and in the first year save at least that much on fuel.
Scott Daugherty is an A.S.E. certified technician and mechanical engineer with over 14 years auto repair experience under his belt. He has performed contracts for GM, Ford, Chrysler, CNH, Hyster, Caterpillar, and International and has worked many government contracts. He also operates an independent repair shop. Send Scott a question at askthecartech@gmail.com and he will respond as quickly as possible.
Doesn't it aggravate you everytime you have to buy gas? For most Americans, there is a way to save money in the long run at the gas pump. Outlined are some very good ways to save money at the pump.
1. Keep your vehicle maintained
Surprisingly enough, statistically the nation as a whole does not do proper preventative maintenance on their cars. Did you know that if your oil is dirty, you are getting less fuel economy? If you don't want to change your oil so often, there are many new oils out now that last for five, ten, even twelve thousand miles before you need to change it. It may cost a dollar or two more per quart but in the long run, you save money.
Also, most Americans don't tune their automobiles up as scheduled. I conducted a private study for one of the companies that I used to work and contacted over 1000 auto dealerships and independent auto shops throughout the United States and Canada. I spoke to the service managers in all of these shops and the answers were the same everywhere I called.
Most people simply refused to have their auto's tuned up on schedule. The customer would have the auto repair that they were there for and simply nothing else done.
Did you know that a cold firing plug can reduce your fuel economy up to 8 gallons per mile? The manufacturer of your automobile placed a schedule of when the auto should have the plugs changed. For most vehicles, it ranges from 12,000 to 30,000 miles. You should have the plugs and wires changed on schedule. If you would like to get plugs that last longer, consider a good set of platinum plugs. You can get Bosch platinum+2 for only a dollar or two more per plug and platinum+4 for a few dollars more per plug.
Change your timing belt on schedule.
It is most important that you change your timing belt as scheduled. There are a couple of reasons for this. Number one, as the belt wears out, your fuel economy gets worse. The second reason is because if your car is a V6 or V8 with duel overhead cams (DOHC stamped on engine), if it breaks, you are going to have very costly repairs in the long run. 9 out of 10 engines that the timing belt breaks in with DOHC bends valves. This causes you to have to rebuild the heads or replace the heads at a very high price.
Change your air filter on schedule.
This is again crucial to the fuel efficiency of your automobile. Just like us, your engine has to breathe. Without a clean air filter, you will burn a lot more fuel because you don't have the proper air/fuel mixture. It is usually recommended to change them every time you change your oil, however, you may consider purchasing a K&N filter or one from one of their competitors that doesn't have to be changed but merely cleaned. This will save you a lot of money over the lifetime of your car, plus if it needs to be cleaned, you merely blow it out with compressed air.
Make sure you have your PCV valve changed on schedule.
For even some of the best people who take care of their cars, this is a critical step that is often overlooked. The PCV valve doesn't cost but a dollar or two and usually last as long as your plugs do.
Do an upper-end cleaning on your engine.
This is where you have your intake and valves cleaned. A few years ago, the intake and valve covers had to come off the vehicle to do this. Now, you can buy the chemical at the auto parts store yourself and clean the intake in about 15 minutes. The chemicals have the directions for how to do it, but believe me anybody can do it, and you don't have to spend up to $600 for a shop to do it for you. It will instead cost you about $8.
Make sure that your tires are in good shape and aired at your vehicle manufacturer's recommended pressure.
The tire may say that you can inflate to 50 p.s.i., however, that is maximum pressure for the tire. If you look inside the driver's door at the inspection tag from the factory, you will find the manufacturer's recommended tire pressure. It is recommended because they have performed many tests to find where the car performs best at and found that the best performance comes from this setting.
Have your transmission flushed about every 30,000 miles.
This keeps the vehicle shifting properly and also allows you to get better fuel efficiency. A standard flush doesn't cost very much and can make your transmission last up to three times as long as it normally would.
Last of all, make sure that you change your belt as scheduled.
As the belt gets older and wears, a certain amount of slippage occurs, ultimately making you have to run the engine harder. It is also a good idea to keep it changed on schedule because of the unfortunate event that it breaks, you lose your power steering, a/c, and alternator.
2. Consider doing a few modifications to your automobile.
There are a few mods that you can do to you auto that will save quite a few dollars at the pump.
The first thing that you can do is replace your muffler with a performance muffler. Yes, they are louder but they also let a lot more exhaust flow through. This ultimately means you pick up horsepower and also fuel efficiency.
Case study: 1995 Chevrolet K-1500. Replaced factory exhaust with Dynomax dual outlet muffler and actually picked up 28 horsepower on the dyno and almost 2.3 miles to the gallon of fuel.
The second modification that you can do is change your air intake system and put a cold-air intake on it. This is going to cost anywhere from $200-$500 for the do-it-yourselfers and $400-$1000 to have it done at a shop. It does increase horsepower and fuel efficiency, but in the long run, isn't really worth the money unless you just want it.
The last modification that you could do is put a hydrogen fuel cell on your car. You can actually Google this, there was a case study performed and the video is on YouTube of a guy with a Saturn. He was getting 37 miles to the gallon at baseline. He installed the cell on his car and actually got over 62 miles to the gallon. That is an incredible increase in fuel efficiency.
You can search around to find where to purchase them and have them installed. They run around $1500, to the best of my knowledge and aren't hard to install. All in all, for under $2000, you can have it put on your car and in the first year save at least that much on fuel.
Scott Daugherty is an A.S.E. certified technician and mechanical engineer with over 14 years auto repair experience under his belt. He has performed contracts for GM, Ford, Chrysler, CNH, Hyster, Caterpillar, and International and has worked many government contracts. He also operates an independent repair shop. Send Scott a question at askthecartech@gmail.com and he will respond as quickly as possible.
Welcome to Ask the Car Tech
Hi, my name is Scott Daugherty. I am an A.S.E. certified tech with over 14 years experience as a mechanic and mechanical engineer. I have worked contracts for GM, Ford, Chrysler, CNH, Hyster, and International and also operate my own repair/ hot-rod shop.
I have decided to start offering free advice to everybody. Just simply e-mail your question to me and I will answer it as quickly as I can and will post the question on this site. I will give the contact information later in the blog.
This is my first post and I have been asked this question about 100 times over the past 5 years so I am going to post it.
Q: What are the timing specs on an 88 Ford Mustang LX with 2.3 ltr engine? Also, how do I change my timing belt.
A: First of all, this will answer from 88-92 models. The timing specs are 17-18 degrees below top dead center.
Tools needed:
Once the cylinder is close, take a 10mm socket and place it on the crankshaft pulley located at the very bottom of the engine. You will then rotate the pulley until you reach top dead center which is where the piston is at the top of it's stroke in the cylinder.
Once you are top dead center, you will take the phillips screwdriver and remove the screw from the timing cover. At the bottom of the cover you will see a small bolt, 8mm. Remove it as well. Now take the belt wrench and tighten it on the main engine pulley. You are going to take the 10mm socket and place it on the bolts on the main pulley as well. Remove the pulley.
Now take the 13mm socket and belt wrench to remove the water pump pulley. Once it is removed, take the 15mm socket and remove the idler pulley.
Now take a flat head screwdriver and pop the timing cover loose from the engine. Once you have all the tabs disconnected, remove the timing cover by popping it downward. It should come straight off.
Now with a 22mm socket remove the engine damper bolt. You will then place your harmonic balance puller on it to remove the damper.
Place your new timing belt on the crank gear, and put the damper back on. Put the bolt back in and torque it down.
Now you need to set the timing before going any further. On the camshaft gear, you will see a small mark right on the inside lip. You will line it up with two marks that you will on the bottom left side of the gear on the engine itself.
Once you line it up, put your belt on. Put the timing cover back on and snap it into place. Go ahead and put the 8mm bolt in at the bottom and the phillips screw in the middle. Place your main pulley, your water pump pulley, and your idler pulley back on the engine.
Replace your belt and your number 1 spark plug. You are now ready to start your car.
If you have a question for me, please fill out an isurance request for either auto or health insurance and see if they interest you. The following links will open in new windows.
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Until next time, take care.
I have decided to start offering free advice to everybody. Just simply e-mail your question to me and I will answer it as quickly as I can and will post the question on this site. I will give the contact information later in the blog.
This is my first post and I have been asked this question about 100 times over the past 5 years so I am going to post it.
Q: What are the timing specs on an 88 Ford Mustang LX with 2.3 ltr engine? Also, how do I change my timing belt.
A: First of all, this will answer from 88-92 models. The timing specs are 17-18 degrees below top dead center.
Tools needed:
- A number 4 phillips screwdriver
- 8mm socket
- 10mm socket
- 13mm socket
- 15mm socket
- 5/8" socket or wrench
- Belt wrench (used for oil filters or pipe)
- Ratchet
- Harmonic Balance (engine damper) pulley
To change the timing belt, you must remove 1 of the plugs on the number 1 cylinder. (This engine has 8 plugs on 4 cylinders.) You will then have somebody bump the ignition until the number 1 cylinder is almost at full stroke. You can check this by simply placing a screwdriver in the hole where you pulled the number plug out after the ignition has been stopped. You will now want to take your 5/8" socket or wrench and place it on the fan-belt idler pulley to remove the belt. Be sure that you remember how the belt comes off. If not, there is a diagram that should be located right inside the hood on the left(driver's) side.
Once the cylinder is close, take a 10mm socket and place it on the crankshaft pulley located at the very bottom of the engine. You will then rotate the pulley until you reach top dead center which is where the piston is at the top of it's stroke in the cylinder.
Once you are top dead center, you will take the phillips screwdriver and remove the screw from the timing cover. At the bottom of the cover you will see a small bolt, 8mm. Remove it as well. Now take the belt wrench and tighten it on the main engine pulley. You are going to take the 10mm socket and place it on the bolts on the main pulley as well. Remove the pulley.
Now take the 13mm socket and belt wrench to remove the water pump pulley. Once it is removed, take the 15mm socket and remove the idler pulley.
Now take a flat head screwdriver and pop the timing cover loose from the engine. Once you have all the tabs disconnected, remove the timing cover by popping it downward. It should come straight off.
Now with a 22mm socket remove the engine damper bolt. You will then place your harmonic balance puller on it to remove the damper.
Place your new timing belt on the crank gear, and put the damper back on. Put the bolt back in and torque it down.
Now you need to set the timing before going any further. On the camshaft gear, you will see a small mark right on the inside lip. You will line it up with two marks that you will on the bottom left side of the gear on the engine itself.
Once you line it up, put your belt on. Put the timing cover back on and snap it into place. Go ahead and put the 8mm bolt in at the bottom and the phillips screw in the middle. Place your main pulley, your water pump pulley, and your idler pulley back on the engine.
Replace your belt and your number 1 spark plug. You are now ready to start your car.
If you have a question for me, please fill out an isurance request for either auto or health insurance and see if they interest you. The following links will open in new windows.
Shop and Compare multiple Auto Insurance quotes for free.
Affordable Health Insurance. Get Instant Quotes and Expert Advice.
Once you have done that, please send a message to askthecartech@gmail.com.
Until next time, take care.
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