Smoke Signals

If your car spits out a cloud of smoke when started, it might be trying to tell you something important. What does a color of the smoke indicate? The exhaust color can give many clues:

• White - If it lasts for a short time, it could be moisture in the cold engine and exhaust system being burned off. if there's a lot of white smoke and it continues, check for an internal coolant leak.
• Blue or Blue/Black - Oil is likely being burned along with the fuel. Have your car checked for worn piston rings or it could be as simple as too low of oil viscosity.
• Black - Excess fuel is being burned.

Number of older vehicles increased by more than 17 million since 2009

Experian Automotive announced that there were 17.3 million more light-duty vehicles seven years and older on the road in U.S. than there were three years ago. Experian Automotive also found that there were more than 245 million vehicles on U.S. roads, and that the age of vehicles increased when compared to Q1 2011, up 1.9 percent to an average age of 11 years.

Man's car nears 3 Millionth mile

Irvin Gordon's 1966 Volvo P1800S, small, red, tow-door, has more than 2,966,000 miles on the odometer, the equivalent of nearly 1,176 times of across the globe. He bought his beloved car on June 30, 1966, for $4,150 and he paid $10 extra to have an AM/FM radio, which, he said, was a big deal. The 72-year-old Gordon drives his Volvo everywhere and he has held the Guinness World Records mark for High Mileage Vehicle since 2002.

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L -- Almost completed

PT Cruiser is all done and it runs like a car with a brand new engine.

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L -- Putting it back together after valves are replaced and the head is resurface.

Effect of Timing Belt Breakage on an Interference Engine

Basically it is named an Interference Engine by the fact that piston and valve paths may "interfere" with one another as a result of incorrect timing in their movements as a result of broken Timing Belt. On the most recent
case, 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser with 2.4L engine had 8 (out of 8) bent intake valves and 4 (out of 8) bent exhaust valves caused by collision with pistons after timing belt breakage. The engine was running at approximately 3000 RPM.

A/C LIGHT FLASHING - MAGNETIC CLUTCH RELAY

A/C LIGHT FLASHING - MAGNETIC CLUTCH RELAY
Reference Number: EL011-05, Date of Issue: June 3, 2005
Affected  2001 - 2004 model year Camry, ECHO and Celica; 2002 - 2004 model year 4Runner
Models:   Corolla and MR2 Spyder; 2003- 2004 model year Highlander, Matrix, Sienna and Solara
Related Ref Number: EL011-05

This bulletin is to provide information regarding countermeasures to the A/C magnetic clutch relay for A/C light flashing (inoperative A/C) issues on some vehicles equipped with a magnetic clutch compressor.

Previous Part Number                     Current Part Number                     Part Name

90987-02022                                  90987-02028                               Relay, Magnetic Clutch

Simple Safety Tip for Summer

One simple thing you can do to save gas and keep your vehicle safe this summer is to maintain correct tire pressure and check it at least once a month. Information on correct pressure can be found on a plate/sticker on driver-side doorjamb of your car.