There’s That Mustang

Most of us, those younger than 43 (that includes me), grew up with Ford Mustangs. You probably remember those kids in high school or college, I sure do, who had that cool car. Mustangs are more than just cars, they are status symbols.

What you may not remember is that Mustangs were first introduced to us at the New York City Exibibition in 1964, the same year I was born! From what I’ve been told the car was instantly a highly desired car and more than 20,000 cars were purchased THE first day that they were available and nearly a half million were sold their first year on the market.

Just before I got my license I remember my dad had a 1972 Mustang convertable. I can still visualize it, a beautiful bright yellow with a long hood and a licence plate ‘72 PONY’. I only got to drive it a few times before he sold it, … it really bummed me out, I thought that surely he was planning to give it to me!

www.squidoo.com/fordmustangs

by Juble

The oil in your engine is as essential to the health of your car, as water is to the health of your body. The purpose of oil in your engine is to basically keep the metal parts of the engine, from grinding together, and ripping each other apart. The engine oil also aids the safe conduction of heat, throughout the engine, and collects the waste products created by combustion. The engine parts must remain lightly coated with oil in order to continue operation smoothly, and fluidly.

Tell me, what is sludge? Sludge is the sticky, icky black goop that is found in engines without proper maintenance, or that have been given the wrong type of oil. Over time, as the oil is heated, and cycles its way through the engine, the chemical compounds in the oil oxidize, and then break down and the additives separate. This leaves the thick, goopy residue we refer to as sludge.

How do I avoid it, or eliminate it? Cleaning this out of the engine used to involve the time consuming, and tedious chore of taking the engine completely apart, cleaning off each and every piece, and putting it back together. Since most of us regular people would have no idea how to do this, we had no choice but to hand our car over to a professional mechanic, who charged us a small fortune to accomplish this task for us. However, the wonders of modern science and technology, have given us flushing agents, which we simply add to the oil already in the engine. The purpose of a flushing oil is to remove all the residue and build up left in the engine, clogging up the works. But it is not recommended to drive with a flushing oil in the engine, they were not meant to withstand that type of continued use. Let your car idle for about 20 minutes, to run the flushing oil through the engine, and then top off the engine with your regular engine oil.

And if I don’t change the oil in my engine, what happens? If the oil in your engine is too minimal, too dirty, or is of sub-standard quality, then the entire engine will suffer for it, and parts will become sluggish, clogged, or break apart. Using the correct type of oil for your engine, using high quality oil, cleaning, and changing the oil in your engine are crucial to the running of your car, and also extend the life of your car. Each automobile manufacturer notes the recommended engine oil for each particular engine. Use the oil that your engine was designed to consume, or speak with a qualified mechanic, about suggestions for a better grade, or quality engine oil. Also, keeping up to date on the recommended mileage and maintenance checks for your car is a very good idea. By taking your car in, or changing your oil when you are supposed to, sludge is not the only problem you will avoid.

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ExactlyHow Important Is Engine Oil?

by Juble

If you want to know just how important the brakes on your car really are, then you only need to ask yourself how important the lives of your family and your own self really are.

Faulty brakes are the cause of many accidents, especially in winter. Slick, icy roads and unreliable brakes do not make for a secure feeling, or safe driving.

How do I know if my brakes are bad? There are quite a few ways to tell if there is something wrong with your brakes, aside from the actual brake light going on in your dash panel. The following list are pretty sure signs that you may want to have your brakes looked at.

-> The vehicle pulls to one side when the brakes are applied. This could mean that the brakes are out of alignment, and need to be adjusted.-> When you apply the brakes, the pedal sinks with a mushy or spongy feeling. The likely cause for this is either, too much air in the brake line, or too little brake fluid.-> You hear a squeaky noise when you implement the brakes. Any noise when using your brakes is frightening, and squeaking is probably because the brakes are dirty, or wearing out.-> The squeak has been replaced by a grinding noise. This sound more than likely means that your brake pads have completely worn through and what you hear is metal rubbing against metal.-> It is hard to depress the brake pedal. If your car is equipped with power brakes, a hard to push brake pedal means that there is a leak in the vacuum assist unit. With regular brakes, it could mean that the brake line is pinched, or cracked.-> When you press down on the brake pedal, you feel a pulsing, or a vibrating. This is a likely sign that your brake rotor and pads have become worn or damaged.

Ok, I have seen the signs, what do I do now? Any one of these signs could mean that you are in potential danger. Even if the brakes are still working just fine, regardless of the seemingly minor annoyance of a noise, or the apparently trivial inconvenience of having to start every stop a little sooner, the next time you try to stop could be the one where the brakes fail entirely. The surest sign that it is past time to have a service technician or mechanic take a look at your brakes, is this one.-> The brake pedal hits the floor, but the car has not stopped. Too late, your brakes are done, just gone. Good luck.

Before this occurs, you need to have those brakes serviced. If you feel comfortable in your own automotive knowledge, then fixing some of these problems is actually relatively easy. Replacing the brake fluid or the brake pads is pretty easy. But other issues such as hydraulic leaks or airline damage are something that only experienced persons should attempt. Luckily, these types of repairs are not that expensive, and also do not take very long to accomplish.

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Ensure The Safety Of Your Brakes With Proper Maintenance.