I have a 1964 Ford Falcon Futura 4 door that my mom bought in the late 70s as just a cheap around-town car. When I was about 13 or 14 Mom said she was thinking of selling it. Of course, that was MY car! I'd had my eye on it forever and I spent a … Continue reading In The Garage: The Falcon (Part 1)
Broken/Stripped Bolts
Back in the day of cast iron heads and engine blocks, stripped bolts were not a super common concern. Now with all aluminum engines in an all-out quest for weight reduction, we're seeing more and more stripped and broken head bolts. A couple of common occurrences that I've seen recently come from a 2.4 Toyota engine … Continue reading Broken/Stripped Bolts
Chevy S10 4.3 No Start
Starter Relay wiring Red - 12V constant Black - ground Purple - starter feed Yellow - control signal (ignition switch) We had a '95 Chevy S10 towed in to the shop for a no start the other day, and I started with the usual; checked the battery cables for tightness and corrosion, booster pack to … Continue reading Chevy S10 4.3 No Start
2016 Car Shows (so far)
NAPA Car Show, Alcoa - 6/25/16 Hurst C10, maybe a '69-'70 signed by Linda Vaughn, Miss Hurst! No patina? Make your own! This was a slick little '56 Chevy Apache. Patriotic Edsel Villager. Wouldn't you rather haul your kids around in this than a Mercury Villager? Just saying.... Super clean Chevelle. Big Block!! Holy cow! … Continue reading 2016 Car Shows (so far)
Tech Tip Tuesday: Spark Plugs and Wires
A while back, I wrote an article about the importance of using dielectric grease when changing spark plug wires. What happened in the picture below is another reason to use dielectric grease. These spark plugs and wires were original in a 2008 Chevy Suburban 5.3 and were being replaced as normal periodic maintenance. Sometimes it's tempting … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Spark Plugs and Wires
2000 Dodge Ram 2500 Axle U-Joints
These are a fairly common failure item on these trucks, especially if they see water, salt, mud, or heavy use regularly. Another reason these seem to fail more often than axle joints on vehicles with manual hubs is that the u-joints are constantly turning, even when not in 4WD. You don't have to have a u-joint … Continue reading 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 Axle U-Joints
It’s Bristol Baby!
I got some free tickets for the Bristol Night Race (NASCAR) from a friend of mine, and it’s always been a dream of my Dad’s to see a race at Bristol Motor Speedway. His birthday was a little less than a week away, so the timing was perfect! I’ve never been a huge NASCAR fan, … Continue reading It’s Bristol Baby!
Tech Tip Tuesday: What is a “Tune Up”?
Back in the day, you took your car in every 20-30,000 miles to have her “tuned up.” That meant Goober at the local filling station changed your oil and filter, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs and wires, distributor cap and rotor button, replaced/adjusted/filed your ignition points, and maybe replaced the condenser. That was considered … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: What is a “Tune Up”?
2014 Chevy Sonic Intake Boot
2014 Chevy Sonic 1.8 (non-turbo) Codes: P0101 MAF Sensor Flow, P0171 Bank 1 Lean Symptoms: Surging at idle, poor power, MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) on We had a fleet-owned 2014 Chevy Sonic 1.8 come into the shop the other day for an oil change and complaint of a MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light or check engine … Continue reading 2014 Chevy Sonic Intake Boot
Tech Tip Tuesday: Making Brake Pads Fit
Have you ever been doing a disc brake job and you just couldn't get the new pads to fit in the bracket right? Perhaps you even read through my front disc brake walkthrough or my rear disc brake caliper service posts looking for a clue and didn't find anything. Sometimes when new brake pads are manufactured a … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Making Brake Pads Fit
The Service Station Blog 