As an ever-faithful reader of the blog, I'm sure you remember this article about checking and replacing your belt before terrible things happen. One quick tip during a service like this is to make sure the new belt is the same length as the old one. Most of the time belts stretch with age, so … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Checking Belt Length
Belt
Basics: Belt inspection
If you get a horrible banshee-esque shriek from under your hood when you start your car on a cold morning, you may need a new belt! Sometimes you can get away with just tightening the belt a bit, but most modern cars have a non-adjustable spring loaded belt tensioner. When this tensioner wears out, it … Continue reading Basics: Belt inspection
In the Shop: Windstar Belt, Tensioner, and Alternator
In the shop today, we had a 2001 Ford Windstar come in with a bad alternator. Normally, alternators fail by NOT charging. Not this one! Nope...this one was overcharging! Hooking up the voltmeter showed the alternator was putting out over 15 volts (normal is about 13.5-14ish)! Obviously there was a strong sulfur odor under the … Continue reading In the Shop: Windstar Belt, Tensioner, and Alternator
The Service Station Blog 