Time For A Road Trip

Summer is here which also means summer vacations. Majority of people drive to their summer vacation spots, whether it be one long trip or several small ones throughout the summer. Making sure your vehicle is ready for the trip is just as important as making sure your destination is ready for you.
Seven simple items can make or break your vacation:
Flush Radiator: this should be done once a year to help prevent corrosion and failure.
Replace Air Filter: Your vehicle needs to breath just as much as you do.
Check Tires: Poor tread depth can greatly reduce traction, especially during summer rain.
Windshield Wipers: Winter is hard on wipers and by summer they can be dry & cracked.
Brakes: A quick check during the oil change is well worth it.
Battery: Cold weather can cause corrosion build up.
Headlights: You are sometimes the last to know your headlight is out. Better to find out now than after the police stop you.

Following the above tips should improve chances of something going wrong with your summer driving vacation. There is always more you can have checked out but atleast doing the above will help. Drive safely!!

Morning Sickness

Do you have morning sickness? No, not you! Your car! If the power steering of your car feels stiff when you first start it and once you've driven a while it loosens up, it has what is callled "morning sickness." GM vehicles are most notorious for this situation. It is caused by wear in the spool valve housing on the power steering rack.

When a car is started the rack is cold and clearances in the spool valve are great. Hydraulic pressure from the power steering pump leaks past the grooves worn into the aluminum spool valve housing which causes a loss of pressure and makes steering more difficult. Once the car is warmed up, the clearances decrease, which increases the pressure making steering easier.

In order to eliminate this problem, you need to replace the rack. Your best options are ones with a cast iron spool valve housing or a remanufactured rack with a stainless steel sleeve pressed into the aluminum housing.