Have you ever driven a vehicle without power steering? If you have, then you probably appreciate how much easier it is to drive today’s modern vehicles. Before power steering, all of the force to turn a vehicle had to come from the driver’s arms. That’s why old cars had such large steering wheels: they needed…
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Hi Evanston residents. Let’s talk fuel injectors. A fuel injector is a valve that delivers fuel to a vehicle’s engine. It has to deliver the precise amount of fuel to precisely the right place, precisely when the engine needs it. The fuel also has to be mixed with air before it can burn in the…
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The serpentine belt tensioner applies pressure to the serpentine belt, maintaining optimal tension to drive the accessories like the alternator and A/C compressor. At Doc Able’s Auto Clinic we know that the service life of the belt tensioner is the same as the belt itself, so they should always be replaced together. A worn tensioner…
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You may have had a friend whose vehicle was the victim of hungry rodents. After all, mice, rats and squirrels—even rabbits—have been known to gnaw on wires in engine compartments, causing vehicle electrical systems to go haywire. They can disable a vehicle completely and be very expensive to fix. In 2017, some drivers noticed their…
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Most Evanston folks occasionally have days when they’ve got a bunch of errands to run. Yesterday was my day off and I needed to fill the gas tank, pick up some groceries at my Evanston market, swing by the ATM and get the kids from school. I could have made four trips . . ….
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When it comes to preventive maintenance on our vehicles, most of us Evanston drivers remember to get our oil changed. But services that occur at longer intervals — like transmission service — sometimes get overlooked. Yet transmission service is part of car care. A poorly maintained transmission will fail and lead to repairs. The transmission…
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Synthetic motor oil has been around for a long time, and more and more new vehicles are leaving factories with synthetic in their engines. But a lot of drivers don’t really know much about it. Let’s start with conventional oil – the kind folks are used to. Conventional oil is made up of naturally occurring…
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Evanston, Skokie, Rogers Park and other area drivers realize it is pretty amazing how auto makers have been able to consistently build more powerful engines in vehicles that get better fuel economy while at the same meeting increasing environmental standards. One of the little miracles that helps make this happen is the Exhaust Gas Recirculation…
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The timing belt in your engine controls the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves. Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, etc. drivers need to replace it on a schedule to avoid failure. Timing belts are very difficult to get to, requiring quite a bit of labor to access. Timing belt replacement is one of the…
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Simple Answers for Service Intervals Question: My battery keeps going dead. I had it tested and it is fine – what could be the problem? Doc Able’s Auto Clinic, Inc. Answer: Well, it could be caused by several things. Let’s start with a likely suspect: your alternator. The alternator is like a little electrical generator….
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