We love our engines
Quick Answer: Your car’s air intake system delivers clean air to the engine for combustion. A clogged air filter or leaky intake tract can rob power, hurt fuel economy, and trigger check engine lights. Replacing an air filter takes 10 minutes and costs $15–$40. Ignoring intake issues can lead to $500+ repairs. The Day a … Read more
It was a Tuesday morning in late October, the kind where you can see your breath in the shop before the heaters kick in. A customer pulled up in a 2015 Honda Civic with 87,000 miles, complaining about a rough idle and occasional stalling at stop lights. “It feels like the car wants to die,” … Read more
Quick Answer: An engine compression test measures the pressure in each cylinder to diagnose issues like worn piston rings, leaking valves, or a blown head gasket. A healthy engine should have compression between 125-175 PSI per cylinder, with no more than 10% variation between cylinders. The Day I Diagnosed a “Dead” Engine with a $40 … Read more
Quick Answer: Timing belts typically need replacement every 60,000-100,000 miles and can cause catastrophic engine damage if they fail. Timing chains last longer but can develop noise and wear issues. Watch for symptoms like ticking noises, oil leaks near the timing cover, or Check Engine lights with cam/crank correlation codes. Opening: The Day Everything Stopped Cold … Read more
It was a Tuesday morning in February, about 15 degrees outside, when a panicked customer rolled into the bay with his 2011 Chevy Silverado 5.3L. The oil pressure gauge was sitting dead at zero, and he’d driven three miles that way before noticing. I pulled the dipstick—bone dry. The engine was ticking like a time … Read more