Article
Car Service and Repairs in Hackham
Dave Hopkins Auto Repairs is a Repco Authorised Service Centre & RAA Approved Repairer providing car service in Hackham for more than 35 years.
Read moreMechanical problems to avoid
Dave Hopkins Auto Repairs share many of the mechanical issues they see in their Hackham workshop that can occur in your vehicle and why it's important to have your car regularly serviced.
These are issues 'you should be aware of' to keep your car running in the best condition.
Timing Belt Deterioration
The main role the TIMING BELT (also known as Cam Belt) is to control the timing and sequence of when the valves to the cylinders open and close.
To do that, it makes sure that the crankshaft and the camshaft rotate in sync.
- The engine’s camshaft controls the valves, letting fuel and air in and out.
- The crankshaft moves the pistons up and down at the same time.
These 2 actions must be synchronised to avoid damage to the valves, pistons or other engine parts.
It is important to replace the Timing Belt at the correct interval, whether by kilometres, or time.
The following photo's are of a severely cracked Timing Belt that was due for replacement 12 months prior, but had not reached the kilometre interval. This belt could have snapped at any time and without warning.
If the cam belt snaps while you are driving, the engine could seize up, causing steering and brakes to fail. The pistons can hit the valves in the cylinders, damaging the engine resulting in a very costly repair.
Oil Sludge Build up
Normal engine combustion creates gases, water vapor, fuel fragments and acids inside the engine. These are held in suspension in the motor oil. If the oil is changed at regular intervals, most of the sludge particles are drained away with the used oil.
However, if the oil is not changed regularly, over time the by-products form sludge. Sludge build-up within your engine can cause:-
- restriction to the oil pick up
- blockage of the oil filter
- reduced engine lubrication
- a decrease in engine performance
- increase in engine noise
- reduced fuel efficiency
- reduced cooling ability of the oil causing an increased strain on the cooling system
We recommend regular engine oil and oil filter replacement. In vehicles with low regular mileage, we also recommend the use of an engine flush additive before replacing the engine oil. Speak to our team to see what is best for your vehicle.
Inlet / Intake Manifold
The INLET / INTAKE MANIFOLD supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinders. Even distribution of this mixture is important to optimize the efficiency and performance of the engine.
A clogged MANIFOLD can affect the power and efficient performance of your engine.
Carbon build up very evident in this Intake Manifold
Cleaning needs to occur when your engine starts to run rough
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