Tire rotation and balance helps protect tires against uneven wear by moving the tire location on the vehicle. Most tires will exhibit some form of wear based on numerous factors including: wheel alignment, miles driven, driving style and habits, and tire location on the vehicle. By moving or “rotating” the tires as recommended by the vehicle manufacturers, tires may wear more evenly; helping extend the life of the tires.

Alignment:

Alignment generally refers to the adjustment of a vehicle’s front and rear suspension parts. Proper alignment ensures that your vehicle handles correctly and will help increase the life and performance of your tires.

The alignment of your vehicle can be knocked out of adjustment from daily impacts such as potholes and railroad crossings, or by more severe accidents. You should have the alignment checked if:

• You know you have hit something.
• You see a wear pattern developing on the shoulders of the tires.
• You notice a difference in your vehicle’s handling.

Happy and Safe Driving Everyone!

Taking a small break from the Association of Diesel Specialists (ADS) convention. There are o many great products coming out for your diesels. The turbochargers look amazing. Look for them soon on our website. The reason I am here is to take pictures of the new test bench from Bosch. The new test bench will give us the ability to test common rail injectors. We will have the ability to rebuild them in the near future. After our rennovations are completed.

From our friends at Purolator:  via: http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/

 Oil Filter ‘Capacity’: It’s Not Just About How Much Oil It Will Hold

  BROADVIEW, IL, April 22, 2011– It would be easy to think of oil filter ‘capacity’as the amount of extra oil you need to add when changing both your oil and your oil filter. But, in industry terminology, that’s not the true meaning.

“The real intention,” said Chuck Kerrigan, Director of Marketing for Purolator Filters, “is to describe the amount of debris an oil filter can hold before it becomes obstructed and causes the filter’s bypass valve to open. When this happens, the filter allows unfiltered oil to reach critical internal engine components, which is better than no oil at all, but not much.”

When choosing a replacement oil filter one should be certain that the filter has sufficient capacity to capture and hold all the debris it’s likely to encounter during its service life, explained Kerrigan.

The longer an engine oil filter is in service, the more debris it will hold. And, eventually, the filter can become completely obstructed, causing the bypass valve to open and, as described above, direct unfiltered oil to the crankshaft, engine bearings, and other precision components. The result can be catastrophic.

So how much debris should an oil filter be able to hold, and where does it come from, anyway? “To answer the second question first,” said Kerrigan, there are a number of potential sources of particulates inside an engine. Casting flash can break off of the inside of the engine block, or even the crankshaft, connecting rods, and even off of the pistons and valve train components.”

“Sources of non-metallic debris include dust and dirt, pieces of gasket material that may become dislodged over time, pieces of disintegrating valve stems seals, and even bits of hardened carbon that can build up on, and then break off of, valve train parts and other oil-wetted internal parts that are subjected to high temperatures that can bake oil into hard carbon deposits,” added Kerrigan.

All of this can add up to substantial amounts of debris that can build up over the thousands of miles that elapse between oil changes, making it essential that one choose and install an oil filter with substantial capacity.

How substantial? Consider this: a Purolator PureOne premium oil filter will capture and safely hold up to 13 grams of debris before directing the bypass valve to open. And how much is 13 grams? That’s the equivalent of 31 standard size paper clips – a huge volume of debris by anyone’s standards.

Sure, there are other features to consider when choosing an oil filter. ‘Efficiency’ is one such. Efficiency is a measure of the percentage of particles of a given size a filter is able to capture. For example, a Purolator Classic oil filter, on average, can capture 97.5 percent of particles larger than a thousandths of an inch in diameter. And a Purolator PureOne premium oil filter captures, on average, 99.9 percent of these same filters. So, both types of Purolator oil filters are able to remove most particles very efficiently.

“And so,” said Kerrigan, “select an oil filter that you can be confident will safely remove all the debris it might meet inside the engine, while maintaining its ability to continue providing properly filtered oil where it’s most needed – between highly-stressed moving parts in the heart of the engine.”

Southwest Diesel & Electrical now carries the purolator filters. Please see our catalog to get your filter today.

-Diesel Diva

Filters and fluids

Your vehicles filters are very important to the longevity of your vehicle and interior comfort.  Maximize your investment by replacing or cleaning your filters regularly. (I say cleaning because there are some great lifetime filters, both air and oil). 

Why?… The oil filter traps contaminants, allowing oil to flow through the engine unrestricted. The fuel filter separates harmful contaminants that may cause problems with carburetors or fuel injectors. The air filter traps dirt particles , which can cause damage to engine cylinders, walls, pistons and piston rings.  The air filter also plays a role in keeping contaminents off the airflow sensor (if applicable).  The cabin filter helps trap pollen, bacteria, dust and exhaust gases that may find their way into the vehicle’s ventilation system.  By the way if not changed can cause your vehicle to smell extremely bad when the air conditioning or heat is used. I know from experience.  The previous owner of my vehicle never changed the cabin filter and had to own at least one giant and stinky dog that frequently rode in the car. 

Filters are normal wear items in your vehicle that require regular checks and replacement or cleaning. (see aFe or Purolator)

Factors that cause “dirtiness”:

• Mileage
• Driving habits
• Driving and road conditions
• Type of filter
• Vehicle type
• Self-smell factor (for cabin filters)
• Stinky animal factor

I know I sound bitter about the dirty cabin filter but my car smelled of dirty dog for weeks before I figured out that one there was a cabin filter and two that it was horribly dirty and filled with unexplainable particles. =)

And now the finale….

WHY SHOULD I CAR ABOUT THIS STUFF….

If not changed you could experience the following symptoms; poor gas mileage, hesitation while accelerating and again, a musty odor in the cabin. (This is not just one of my issues.)

Please contact me at dieseldiva@swdiesel.com, if you have any questions or concerns

Have a great weekend

Diesel Diva

My diesel friends,

We have been quite busy here at the shop, keeping me from posting. I know nothing should keep me from posting, but things happen.  The biggest thing that has happened, we have sponsored a drag-car racer.  We are now the proud sponsors of Jason Wieck Racing.  We are very excited to help him accomplish his racing goals.  Check for posts on facebook and here to see how his racing is coming along. 

This past weekend I journeyed to Speedworld to watch him race, it was my first time to the track, it was awesome to watch.  The noise of the enignes, the smell of burning rubber, the screech of the tires on the asphalt. I wanted to hop behind the wheel and tear it up down the strip.  The car and Jason ran great!

I want to take this time to thank Jason Wieck Racing for giving us the opportunity to be apart of his family.  I am looking forward to this new endeavour and can’t wait to see where it takes both Southwest Diesel & Electrical and Jason Wieck Racing. 

Racer dreams enroute.

Diesel Diva

For many years diesel vehicles have been shoved behind the “glamorous” gas vehicle.  There was a stigmatism that came with diesel vehicles. “They are noisy.” “They smell.” “They are more expensive to fix.” “They are dirty.” “They give off more pollutants.” I am not saying whether these stereotypes are true or not.  I do want to let you know however, that there is a new generation of diesel out there.  

The new generation of diesel offers buyers a new choice in fuel-efficient and low-emissions technology¹. The new diesels also offer better performance with their improved fuel injection technologies. This includes but not limited to, increased power, improved acceleration and increased efficiency.  The new engine designs have made the vehicles quieter and smoother, along with improvement on cold-weather starting.²

Some of the new vehicles to look for are:

2010 Audi A3 TDI

2011 Audi A3 TDI 2.0

2010 Audi Q7 TDI

2011 Audi Q7 TDI 3.0

2010 BMW 335d

2011 BMW 335d

2011 BMW X5 xDrive35d

2011 Mercedes-Benz E-350 Blue TEC

2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Blue TEC

2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC

2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC SUV

2011 Mercedes_Benz ML350 Blue TEC SUV

2010 Mercedes-Benz R350 BlueTEC Crossover

2011 Mercedes-Benz R350 BlueTEC Crossover

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI Clean Diesel

2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI Clean Diesel

2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel

2011Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel

2010 Volkswagen Jetta SportsWagen TDI

2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportsWagen TDI

2010 Volkswagen Touareg  TDI Clean Diesel

2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel

1 http://www.dieselforum.org/uses/cars-trucks-suvs/diesel-vehicles-currently-available-in-us

2 http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/di_diesels.shtml

Hello my diesel people!

It has been brought to my attention that many diesel owners, who work on their own vehicles, overlook the importance of having their fuel injection pump and the injectors tested at the same time.  It is industry standard to have them tested together. 

Why?!  They are a part of the same fuel system, if there is contaminated fuel in the injection pump that same contaminated fuel has gone through the injectors and will cause problems with them as well.

If you only get one fixed or replaced at a time, the likelihood that your vehicle will continue to see issues is high.  It is more convenient and cost effective to access the injectors when you are already working on the pump.  The lines are off and necessary components are accessible.  Be a wise diesel owner and save yourself time and money by testing the injectors and pump together. 

Tips to remember when doing fuel injection repair tips:

-Change the fuel filter

-Check for contaminants in the tank

-Use Stanadyne Performance Formula* in your tank.

*Stanadyne Performance Formula helps with fuel mileage and adds lubrication to low sulfur diesel fuel.

If you have any questions regarding your pump, injectors or any other diesel parts and issues please call 800-658-5806.

Well summer in AZ is officially here the record high heats have come and so far they are staying. ugh…. But the good news is that when our record heat is over, it won’t start snowing at least not here in Phoenix. =) The mechanics are working hard in this heat but they are surviving and vehicles are getting fixed.

We will be having aFe items on sale in the coming weeks, look for incredible deals on air intake systems.