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Car Medics Tech Question:
I’m Alex. My Check Engine Light came on in my pickup. I’ve tried several things to make it go off but nothing has worked. What should I do?

Car Medics Answer:
Like Alex, most of us Kingston drivers have experienced a check engine light coming on suddenly. We’re frustrated because we don’t know why.

Of course that’s perfectly understandable: There are hundreds of reasons for the check engine light to come on – and there’s only one light.

Alex said she tried several things to get the light to go off – but it didn’t work. Her goal was to get the light to turn off. I would suggest that the goal should be to find out what caused the light to come on in the first place – and fix it.

You can search the internet and find millions sites with tricks to get your pickup check engine light to turn off. But what good does that do – whatever caused the light to come on is still wrong. Not getting to the bottom of the problem can lead to other problems for Kingston drivers – some minor and some more serious (and costly).

Your friendly Car Medics service professional can get you started down the road of properly diagnosing the problem and getting it repaired – try him first next time.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

Today’s 
Car Medics post contains a quick overview of the fuel system. It starts with the fuel tank. The fuel pump is located inside the tank and pumps fuel out to the engine. Somewhere along the way is a fuel filter whose job is to filter out dirt before it hits the engine.

Then there’s the fuel intake system and the fuel injectors that deliver the fuel to be burned in the engine. Our focus is to discuss how to make the various components of your fuel system work well and last as long as possible. Now the best thing you can do for your fuel pump is to use good quality fuel. Top tier 
Kingston gas typically has fewer contaminants and more detergents to keep things clean. Using good gas, or adding a fuel system cleaner to your tank, can prolong the life of your fuel pump. Because the fuel pump lives inside your tank, it’s pretty expensive to replace, so helping it last as long as possible is a worthwhile goal.

The fuel filter catches dirt and contaminants. When it’s clogged, your pickup engine may not be able to get enough fuel and could sputter. Many fuel filters have a bypass valve that allows unfiltered fuel past when the filter’s clogged. That prevents your engine from dying while you’re driving around Kingston, but it can’t protect your engine from dirty fuel. Check your owner’s manual or talk with your friendly Car Medics service professional about when you should replace your fuel filter.

Now fuel will cause gum and varnish to build up in the fuel intake system. A professional fuel system cleaning at Car Medics will remove the gunk to keep fuel flowing freely and help prevent contamination from reaching your fuel injectors and your engine. Fuel injectors squirt fuel into the engine. The fuel must be delivered in a precise amount, at a precise time, under precise pressure and in a precise pattern. Pressure can range from 45 pounds per square inch to 45,000 pounds per square inch depending on the engine.

As you may guess, fuel injectors cost a lot in the Kingston area. Allowing them to get gummed up will not only hurt your performance and gas mileage, it will cause the injectors to wear out much more quickly than they should.

A professional Car Medics fuel system cleaning will keep injectors clean and working correctly. It’ll also clean deposits from the inside of the combustion chamber and off the intake valves giving you optimum performance and mileage. Check with your friendly Car Medics technician and see when he recommends you get a fuel system cleaning.

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At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

A lot of Kingston drivers want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting your Car Medics tire professional can ensure you get the right fit. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your car, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Kingston folks like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Kingston motorists don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s, the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong sensor information.

If you go with a different rolling diameter, your vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in ON. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Car Medics tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your tire specialist see your vehicle in person so mistakes are not made.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

Kingston auto owners often ask questions about the cooling system – the system that cools your pickup engine and keeps it at the proper operating temperature. Let’s examine the topic in two areas: first the coolant itself and, second, the parts that make up the cooling system.

The coolant is the mix of water and antifreeze that circulates through the engine to draw off heat. First, you need to have the proper amount. If you don’t have enough coolant it can’t keep your pickup engine cool.

You also need the right kind of coolant. Different makes of vehicles require different coolant formulation to protect against corrosion.

Finally, your coolant needs to be fresh. Over time and miles of Kingston driving, the anti-corrosion additives in the coolant are depleted and the coolant can actually start to eat away at the pickup’s cooling system parts. Your owner’s manual and your friendly Car Medics technician can help you with the recommended coolant replacement schedule and make sure you’re getting the right type of coolant.

Now let’s talk about the car owners cooling system components. These will all eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Starting with the radiator, we see them coming into the shop with leaks or clogged with deposits. Depending on the damage,  at Car Medics, we will clean, repair or replace. We also see radiator pressure caps that can no longer hold the proper pressure. We recommend replacing pressure caps when you change your coolant to avoid this problem. We see leaky water pumps and hoses that need to be replaced. There’s also a part called the thermostat that opens and closes to regulate the flow of coolant. Sometimes they stick open or closed and the cooling system won’t work properly.

Engine damage from overheating can be very expensive to fix so it’s important to maintain your cooling system properly with scheduled coolant replacement and periodic cooling system inspections. Certainly come in to Car Medics in Kingston if you suspect a leak and have us take a look.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

Many Kingston motorists have probably noticed a bunch of warning lights on their dash when they start their engine. They flash on to test the circuits and then go off if everything’s OK. One of the warning lights looks like a car battery. Its job is to tell you if your pickup battery’s not charging properly.

Kingston motorists probably know that their battery stores electricity – enough to start the engine and get moving. But that’s about it – you can only get a few miles on battery power alone. You need an alternator to generate enough electricity to run your pickup engine and power your electrical accessories like the stereo, power seats, heater fan, on-board computers, and so on. On top of that, the alternator needs to recharge your battery. So when your pickup alternator isn’t working, there isn’t enough electricity for all of those things. When your alternator fails, you aren’t going very far.

So why would your pickup alternator not work? Usually they’ve simply worn out. Alternators are driven by your serpentine belt and spin 2 to 3 times faster than the engine – that’s a lot of work. The bearings wear out, as do the cooper wire coils and magnets that generate the electricity.

There’s no sense in hobbling along on ON highways with an alternator that’s not working properly. It will fail at some point and leave you stranded on the road. Get a bad alternator replaced as soon as you can. When you come to Car Medics for an alternator replacement, your friendly service advisor will install an alternator that meets your automobile manufacturer’s specifications. Some Kingston auto owners use a lot of additional electrical gizmos in the vehicle, like computers, DVD players, power inverters and such or may regularly tow a camp trailer that’s battery recharges as you drive. If that sounds like you, talk with your service advisor about upgrading to a more heavy duty alternator to meet your needs.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

The following Serpentine Belt video is presented by Car Medics Inc:

The following Serpentine Belt animation is presented by Car Medics Inc:

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It’s called the serpentine belt. The serpentine belt is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn’t it?

If your serpentine belt were to break on one of our Kingston ON roads, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine beltbefore it breaks.

Check your owner’s manual for when it’s recommended that you replace your serpentine belt – or just ask your Kingston ON service advisor at Car Medics Inc by calling 613-547-8473. He can inspect the belt as well to see if it’s in trouble.

You may have been told by a service advisor in Kingston to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn’t crack as often as old belts did. What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt. We have a special little tool at Car Medics Inc that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing.

A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

Now you can imagine it’s important for the belt to be tight, so there’s a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension. The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt.

Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected breakdown.

Hello, Kingston auto owners! Today’s Car Medics auto care topic is the serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems. Let’s go over them.

• First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system.
• Next, the belt powers the alternator.
• The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some Kingston motorists’ vehicles, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.
• And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your friendly Car Medics tech can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

There’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their important job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why Car Medics recommends that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s a key part for the function of your pickup. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Car Medics in Kingston – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

Give us a call

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

Hey Kingston auto owners, let’s talk about winter tires. We’re not talking about all season tires here, but dedicated winter tires.

Modern winter tires do a terrific job for Kingston drivers in a wide range of ON winter conditions. First of all, below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, regular tires become hard and inflexible. That means they don’t provide the road grip Kingston drivers need. Even if you don’t live somewhere in ON with a lot of snow, but it still gets below 45 degrees in the winter, it is critical to understand that you will be safer with winter tires.

In addition, they are specifically designed to more effectively move snow and water. That’s the key to traction on ice, packed snow and wet roads. They use a micro-pore compound that allows the tire to bite into ice and snow. They also use wider grooves that run around the circumference of the tread to expel snow from the tire better. The lugs and grooves on winter tires have a special shape that throws the packed snow out of the tread as the tire turns. The tread is then open when it comes back in contact with the road and can provide good traction for Kingston auto owners.

Winter tires also have a lot of sipes. Sipes are thin slits in the tread. The edges of the sipes grab ice and packed snow to provide tons of effective traction for Kingston drivers and to expel water and slush out of the tread. Winter tires have a rounder casing to cut into the snow’s surface.

The treads on regular summer tires can actually get packed with snow instead and become very slick. Winter tires offer 25% to 50% more traction for Kingston auto owners than all-season tires. And when it comes to key stopping power, all-season tires take 42% longer to stop than winter tires. Sometimes that’s the difference between getting home safely in Kingston or spending the night in a snow bank.

Winter tires provide so much more traction for Kingston car owners than all-season or summer tires, that there’s a huge difference between the traction at the front and rear ends of the pickup if you only put winter tires on the drive wheels.

For example: if you take a corner on an icy Kingston road and the pickup rear end starts to slide out, essentially the rear is trying to pass the front because it’s going faster. If you have high traction winter tires only on the front, they are going to be much more effective at transferring cornering grip and stopping power to the front wheels. This will actually cause the rear end to whip out even more.

That’s why ON tire manufactures instruct Kingston dealers that they must install winter tires on the rear wheels as well whenever they put winter tires on the front end of any vehicle. It’s a major safety concern. At Car Medics in Kingston, we strongly recommend that winter tires be installed on all four wheels on rear wheel drive vehicles as well. The front tires do most of the steering and braking work – it only makes sense that Kingston auto owners provide the front end with the best traction possible.

Many modern cars have traction control and anti-lock brakes so Kingston car owners may not think it is important to have winter tires. But you need traction to accelerate, steer and stop. The tires provide the traction so that the traction control and anti-lock brakes have something to work with.

Look for tires at Car Medics with the symbol of a mountain with a snowflake in it. This means the tire complies with the severe snow standard.

So when the Kingston temperatures drop below 45 degrees, wise Kingston motorists will make sure they have a set of four winter tires for maximum performance in snow, packed snow, ice, wet and dry ON roads. Your friendly Car Medics tire professional can help you find the right winter tire for your pickup and driving needs.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473

At Car Medics we install quality NAPA replacement parts.

Car Medics Tech Question:
I was driving on the freeway in ON and my pickup engine started to get hot. I turned off my air conditioner and was able to drive about 80 miles to my meeting and then found a shop in Kingston. It turns out that my water pump was leaking. It cost me many hundreds of dollars to get it fixed. What could I have done to avoid this?

Car Medics Answer:
This guy’s story really did have a happy ending. When you continue driving when your engine’s overheating you risk a catastrophic engine failure. It really is a good idea to pull over and let your pickup engine cool down before driving again. If you add water or coolant, be sure your engine is cool or you risk serious burns.

Now there’s no way for Kingston motorists to predict when their water pump will fail – they just wear out. This fellow’s water pump replacement was more expensive because his water pump is driven by his timing belt. That requires a lot of hours to get to the water pump and then put everything back on the engine.

A money saving tip from Car Medics in Kingston: if your water pump is driven by your timing belt – replace the pump when you have your scheduled timing belt replacement. That way most of the work is already done and you don’t have to pay for it twice.

Check with your friendly Car Medics service professional about when your timing belt should be replaced.

Give us a call

Car Medics
37 Rigney St.
Kingston, ON K7K 6Z3
613.547.8473