Posts by Mountain View Automotive

MOUNTAIN VIEW AUTOMOTIVE Tech Question: I was driving on the freeway in Colorado and my vehicle engine started to get hot. I turned off my air conditioner and could go the short distance to my meeting and then found a shop in Thornton. It turns out that my water pump was leaking. It cost me…

Hello Thornton drivers! Let’s pretend you have three doughnuts right in front of you for our discussion of upsizing wheels and tires. Hey, don’t eat them now – you’re going to need them later. Many Thornton drivers want to accessorize their cars and make it theirs. One of the easiest ways to get a custom…

As engine technology advances, recommended oil change intervals have gotten longer.  High-quality oil in a well-engineered engine has led to extended intervals. Here’s the problem:  With longer oil change intervals, it’s important to follow them closely.  Back in the day of 3 months or 3,000 miles, if you went an extra month or an extra…

The PCV valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for Thornton and our environment here in Colorado. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation. The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from…

Many people hear the term “oxygen sensor” and figure it must have something to do with sensing oxygen. But they don’t really know much beyond that. Let’s break it down; your vehicle has an oxygen sensor in the exhaust manifold that measures how much un-burned oxygen there is in the exhaust. The sensor reports its…

The cooling system in an engine has five components: the radiator, the radiator cap, the hoses, the thermostat, and the water pump. The water pump is literally the heart of the system. Just as your own heart keeps your blood circulating through your body, the water pump keeps coolant circulating through your engine. The water pump…

Question What can I do to improve my fuel economy? Answer There are many things you can do – some of them are easy.  One of the first things you should do is make sure your tires are properly inflated.  A plate that says the correct tire pressure is on the inside of the driver’s…

As you know, your vehicle has factory-scheduled maintenance items. These range from oil changes to timing belt replacement to brake inspection. These recommendations are usually made for certain mileage or time intervals. For some vehicles, certain recommendations are clustered around major intervals like 30,000/60,000/90,000 miles (50,000/100,000/150,000 kilometers). Following factory-recommended service goes a long way towards…

Suspension systems should continue to operate effectively for many years and tens of thousands of miles/kilometers, holding your tires’ footprint on the road. Eventually, components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive. As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Colorado highways, your…

A driver recently noticed that her garage had begun to smell like gasoline after she parked her vehicle inside. Her Check Engine light had also just come on. This was something she’d never experienced before. So, she called up her NAPA Service Advisor and asked what was causing it. The answer, of course, is that…