Boulder Auto Repair

Boulder auto owners may know that most automotive failures in Boulder, CO are tire related, but do you know the second most common cause for vehicle failure? Nope, it’s not teenagers. It is the coolant system. But, if you take good care of your family car coolant system, it will take good care of you. A family car’s engine creates a lot of heat – so much heat, that if it is not properly cooled, the engine can lock up, resulting in massive damage and costly repair bills. But when everything is working right, your family car engine operates at the proper temperature and all is well. Without antifreeze in your cooling system, the water could freeze and cause family car engine damage. This could be very expensive, not to mention inconvenient. The right mix of water and antifreeze is critical and protects the engine against damage from freezing and overheating. Antifreeze also protects the coolant system against corrosion that could cause the system to fail. The thing to r ... read more

Car care is a vital part of auto safety in Boulder. But the most important thing we can do to improve safety on CO roads is to drive safely.Defensive driving is safe driving. And defensive driving is all about attitude. You have to decide that you will be a safe driver in CO, no matter what anyone else is doing. Boulder motorists can start with awareness. Always maintain awareness of your surroundings, the road conditions, other vehicles on the Boulder road or highway and road hazards. Have you ever suddenly realized that you have arrived somewhere, but you don’t really remember driving there? That is unsafe driving. Never assume that other Boulder motorists are paying attention. You be the one on alert. You be the one to take initiative to stay out of the way of other CO drivers. And don’t let familiarity dull your alertness. Remind yourself to pay as close attention while ... read more

Most CO car owners know that their vehicles need regular preventive maintenance like changing the oil and filters, rotating the tires and refilling the washer fluid. But did you know that your air conditioning system needs routine maintenance as well? Taking care of your air conditioning system can extend its life and prevent costly repair bills. Why is it important for Eldorado Springs motorists to get routine maintenance on their air conditioning system? First, the refrigerant contains an added lubricant. As the refrigerant circulates through the air conditioning system, its parts are lubricated. This constant lubrication keeps the parts functioning well. But over time, this lubricant is used up, and without it, the parts will eventually seize up and fail. Boulder folks should understand, however, that the air conditioner will continue to pump out cool air even without the lubricant, so you won’t know the system is sick until i ... read more

Today, we are talking about your PCV valve. The PCV Valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a key job for Boulder car owners. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation. The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the family car engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase. These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel.This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause family car engine corrosion, something we see occasionally at John’s Auto Care. At high speeds on Boulder freeways, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak. Back in the old days, auto makers simply installed a hose that vented thes ... read more

A fuel injector is a valve that delivers fuel to a vehicle’s engine. It has to deliver the precise amount of fuel, to precisely the right place, precisely when the engine needs it. The fuel also has to be mixed with air before it can burn in the engine. Fuel injectors are engineered to spray fuel in a specific pattern into the engine. (The pattern varies by engine type and design.) In order to achieve these spray patterns, the fuel must be pressurized. The pressure in a fuel injection system varies depending on its type. Many gasoline engines use port injection systems, which operate with a pressure of 60 pounds per square inch. Newer direct injection systems operate at 10 to 30 times that pressure. Some diesel passenger vehicles have fuel injectors that operate at 30,000 pounds or more per square inch. Vehicles have one fuel injector for each cylinder in the engine. Your vehicle’s control computer constantly monitors the engine and various sensors in the v ... read more