Get A Check-Up For Your Car!

Smart Drivers Keep Cars Maintained

If your car is like many on the road, you may be needlessly burning up dollars and damaging your health.

The everyday driving you do can eventually put your engine out of adjustment. Your car then wastes gasoline. It runs poorly. It will wear out faster.

All this costs you money.

Your car also gives off extra amounts of pollutants that affect health.

At least once a year, have your car exhaust emissions checks at a service center or garage. The emission check is quick and inexpensive, and it can save you money and protect your health.

To Save Money, Keep Your Car In Shape

Preventative maintenance is likely to give you:

Mileage gains. Government and industry studies show that tuning cars for emissions can improve their average fuel economy by 5%.

Longer engine life. Improper adjustment can severely damage your engine. Maintain your engine conscientiously. Chances are it will last longer and need fewer repairs.

Air Pollution and Your Health

The most dangerous pollutants your car gives off are:

Carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless and invisible gas, depletes oxygen in your blood, thus reducing the amount available for brain and body cells.

CO puts an extra burden on lungs and heart. This is especially dangerous to babies, the aged, and people with lung or heart ailments. Low levels of CO, widely found in traffic, can make you drowsy. You get a headache. You see poorly. Your judgment and reactions are impaired. CO can drive you into an accident.

Hydrocarbons (HC) enter the air from unburned gasoline, reacting with other chemicals in the air to form photochemical smog (ozone). Smog irritates your eyes, mouth, nose and throat. It gives you headaches and chest pains. It makes it hard for you to breathe.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a gas that can irritate lungs and worsen bronchitis. Its principal harm, however, is that it reacts with HC to form smog.

Emission Inspection Programs

Under the federal Clean Air Act, your state, county, or city may be required to enact an inspection/maintenance (I/M) program to meet the Clean Air Act standards.

I/M programs usually check that your car's key emission controls are installed as designed and then analyze the exhaust to check acceptable control of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. Your car may need to pass an emission inspection for you to purchase or renew license plates.

Standards are set according to your car's model year. If CO and HC exceed those limits, your car will usually pass its retest after minor adjustment, maintenance, or repairs. The repairs may be covered by the car maker's warranty if the car is less than 5 years old and has less than 50,000 miles.

I/M may be one of the best answers to the part of your area's air pollution problem caused by cars.

Exhaust Checks Are Good For Engine Care

Fuel system (carburetor of fuel injection) mixes air and gasoline. If the mixture is too "lean" (too much air or too little fuel), the engine is inefficient. It gives off excess hydrocarbons (HC). If the mixture is too "rich" (too much fuel or too little air), incomplete burning gives off HC and CO. If the cold-starting system or choke malfunction, the excessive fuel will raise CO and gas consumption.

Cylinders contain pistons that compress the air-fuel mixture to a proper firing point. Leaks can waste fuel and cause high HC emissions.

Catalyitc converter assists the chemical change of undesirable HC, CO, and NO₂ into more acceptable carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O) in the exhaust system.

Spark plugs ignite the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder. If a plug is dirty or worn, the engine loses power, wastes fuel and emits increased HC emissions.

Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system recirculates internal engine gases that squeeze past the pistons. If the PCV system gets clogged, high CO emissions and engine damage result.

Oxygen sensor monitors the mixture of fuel and air burned in the engine and signals needed adjustments of their proportions so the catalytic converter works as efficiently as possible. Both the sensor and the converter require only unleaded gasoline be used.

Air filter cleans air entering the engine. Dust and grime can block the fuel system's capability of mixing air and fuel precisely. Result: poor combustion, and too much carbon monoxide (CO), plus added engine wear.

Ignition system sends a timed electrical pulse to the spark plugs. If the pulse doesn't get to the plugs or if it arrives early or late, that can waste fuel and increase emissions.

Evaporative emission control system sends gasoline vapors from the gas tank and the fuel system back to the engine where they are burned. This engine burning prevents escape of the vapor to the atmosphere and eventual conversion to smog.

More Smart Ways to Save Gasoline

Observe the speed limit. You decrease gas mileage about 4 percent for every 5 miles an hour faster you drive on the highway.

Accelerate smoothly. Drive at a steady pace.

Decelerate early for stops. Braking hard wastes gas and wears tires and brakes out faster.

If your car has a manual transmission, shift to top gear as soon as practical.

Don't let your engine idle for more than a minute. It's more efficient to turn it off and start up again.

Use gasoline octane and oil viscosity recommended by the car manufacturer.

Check tire pressure regularly. You use about 2 percent more fuel for every pound per square inch of underinflation.

Follow your car's maintenance schedule faithfully, especially with respect to oil changes.

Here's What You Need To Know About Engine Check-ups:

If your engine is smoking out the exhaust, it may mean:
Worn piston rings Incorrect fuel system Carburetor or fuel injection malfunction Engine control computer problem.

If an exhaust analyzer shoes high carbon monoxide (CO), it may mean: Dirty air filter Clogged PCV system Malfunctioning cold start system Misadjusted fuel system (operating too rich) Misadjusted ignition timing Malfunctioning thermostatic air control Malfunctioning air injection system.

If an exhaust analyzer shows high hydrocarbons (HC), it may mean: Fouled spark plugs Faulty spark plug wires Faulty ignition cap or rotor Incorrect ignition timing Misadjusted fuel system (operating too lean) Vacuum leak.