Category: Automotive Tips & Tricks

10 Ways to Keep Your Truck Working Like New

Posted on by Samuel

You love your truck, so here are ten ways to keep your truck working like new. 

1. Regular Maintenance: Schedule regular maintenance for your truck. Follow the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule to keep your truck running smoothly.
2. Oil Changes: Regularly change your truck’s oil and oil filter. This will help to protect your engine and keep it running smoothly.
3. Check Fluids: Check all the fluid levels in your truck, including the coolant, brake fluid, and transmission fluid. Make sure to top them off if they are low. We recommend J&G Transmissions to flush your transmission fluid every 30k miles.
4. Clean Air Filter: Clean or replace the air filter regularly. This will ensure proper airflow to the engine and improve fuel efficiency.
5. Tire Maintenance: Keep your truck’s tires properly inflated and aligned. This will help to reduce wear and tear on the tires, increase fuel efficiency, and improve handling.
6. Brake Maintenance: Check and maintain your truck’s brakes regularly. This will ensure proper stopping power and improve overall safety.
7. Keep it Clean: Keep your truck clean, both inside and out. This will help to prevent rust and corrosion and extend the life of your truck.
8. Driving Habits: Practice good driving habits, such as avoiding hard acceleration, braking, and maintaining a steady speed. Avoid Potholes and curbs. This will help to reduce wear and tear on your truck.
9. Watch for Warning Signs: Pay attention to any warning signs that your truck may be experiencing problems. Take action immediately to prevent further damage.
10. Follow Instructions: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your truck, such as towing capacity, weight limits, and recommended maintenance schedules. This will help to ensure that your truck stays in good condition for years to come.

For transmission service in Salt Lake City or Murray, UT, visit J & G Transmissions.

Fastest Way to Defrost Your Windshield

Posted on by Samuel

 

You’re late for work and you have to defrost your windshield fast. Well, please allow us to make you a defrosting ninja. Here is the fastest way to defrost your finshield:

1. Turn your heater on.
Start your engine, and using the defroster setting, crank the heater up all the way to absorb excess moisture within your vehicle. Remember: Hot air can hold more moisture.
2. Press the A/C button.
This may sound counterintuitive to the whole heater thing, but really what you’re doing is activating a setting on your car’s A/C system that helps dry the air within the cab faster with the help of the coils in your A/C system.
3. Turn air recirculation off.
You need fresh air to enter the car as well. Winter air is cold, and as it does not hold much moisture, it is dry. Bringing it into your car ups absorption capacity to more quickly dry the saturated air trapped within.
4. Crack your windows.
This helps exchange the humid air in your car with dryer outside air, speeding up the process.
5. Defrost Windows.
While the above defogging action is taking place, de-frost your windows. This is an entirely separate process that should NEVER (EVER) include hot water. Defrosting quickly takes a minor amount of pre-planning, but saves a snow-capped mountain of headache later. If you can’t stand scraping, put together a solution of 2/3 cup Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol and 1/3 cup water, pouring the mixture into a spray bottle. This solution will not freeze (rubbing alcohol has a freezing point of 138 degrees below freezing), and can be stored easily in your car, allowing you to easily spray away windshield ice wherever you’re stranded.

For transmission slipping, transmission not shifting or transmission shifting hard, call J & G Transmissions, the best transmission repair shop in Salt Lake City. 801-262-2321 www.jandgtransmissions.com
Contribution Content Providers and credits: Glass Doctor

How To Tell If Your Tires Need To Be Replaced

Posted on by Samuel

Quick Tip:

It’s important to inspect your tires every month for damage or wear. To gauge tread depth, you simply need a quarter. Put George Washington’s head into one of the big grooves of your tire tread. If the top of his head is flush with the tread, you have about 4⁄32 inch of tread left, meaning you have some grip remaining for rainy or snowy conditions. That’s the time when you should start shopping around for new tires. If you can see space above Washington’s head, you may need to replace your tires right away. If the tires are bald or you can see a material other than rubber on your tires, they need to be addressed immediately.

There are lots of good tire choices, but the right one depends on your vehicle, where you live, your driving needs and style.

If you need a recommendation for a tire repair shop, ask the best transmission repair shop in Salt Lake, J & G Transmissions. www.https://jandgtransmissions.com

 

What to Do When Your Car’s Engine Overheats

Posted on by Samuel

Want to know what to do when your car’s engine overheats? Or what to do when your temperature gauge needle jumps to 3/4 of capacity? Here are some simple tips to save you money.

 

Pull Over

 

The first thing you need to do is to pull over and get out of traffic. Move to a safe place as soon as you can. Do not try to drive to the nearest gas station because this may burn up your engine.

 

Turn Your Heater On

 

Turn your heater and fan on high. Open the windows if it is in the summer and turn off the air conditioner. Turning on the heater will transfer some heat from your engine to the heater core. This may quickly bring down the engine temperature.

 

Lift the Hood

 

If you have steam coming from the hood, do not open it until the steam stops. You could be badly burned by it.

 

Open the Coolant Overflow Reservoir Cap After 5 Minutes

 

Do not open the radiator cap while the engine is still hot. It will release steam and very hot coolant which could severely burn you. It could also hit you in the face. Once it is cool (check the temperature gauge), place a rag over the coolant overflow reservoir cap and slowly open it.

 

Fill the Radiator

 

Look over the hoses and check for damage or leaks. If there are none, add antifreeze or water – if you have it. Otherwise, you will need to call a garage for help. In the warmer months, it is a good idea to carry a gallon of engine coolant or water with you.

If your engine overheats after you allow it to cool and add coolant, contact J & G Transmissions for recommendations on engine overheat, engine overheat problems, engine overheat or transmission overheat. 

In the great city of Murray, UT, J & G Transmissions can provide service to ensure your vehicle is ready for a vacation and working properly. For more information, call us today at (801) 262-2321 or visit www.jandgtransmissions.com

Trailering and Towing Tips for Pick-up Trucks

Posted on by Samuel

1. Stay Within Your Limits. Review the towing capacity of your specific vehicle and ensure it’s capable of handling the weight of your trailer. Exceeding the maximum towing capacity can result in dangerous handling, insufficient braking performance, or serious damage to the vehicle’s suspension, engine, transmission and drivetrain. In addition to ensuring your vehicle’s towing capacity is sufficient for your trailer, also make sure your trailer hitch is capable of handling your trailer’s loaded weight. Your hitch should be labeled with the maximum trailer and maximum tongue weights it can safely support. Depending on the weight of your trailer, you should also follow your owner’s manual’s recommendations regarding the use of weight carrying or weight-distributing hitches.

Don’t assume all versions of a certain model line share identical tow ratings. Towing capacities can differ by body styles, bed lengths, transmissions, engines, drivelines, and other equipment installed on the vehicle. Likewise, different hitch designs can handle different weights, and certain designs may be required for trailers over a certain weight. Always check the owner’s manual for the vehicle’s towing capacity.

If you plan on also carrying extra cargo or several passengers, you should also ensure you’re not overloading the tow vehicle itself. Refer to the gross vehicle weight (GVW) issued for your particular vehicle and ensure your loaded vehicle does not exceed the manufacturer’s rating. Likewise, ensure your loaded vehicle and loaded trailer do not exceed the gross combination weight rating (GCWR) set by the manufacturer.

2. Pack your trailer properly. Not only is it incredibly important to stay within the trailer’s maximum load capacity, but it’s also important to ensure any cargo is properly positioned. Not only do you want roughly 60% of the trailer’s load placed over the front half of the trailer, but you also should load it in a way that results in a tongue weight on conventional hitch trailers that is between 10-15% of the total weight of the loaded trailer. Ensure weight is evenly distributed on the left and right sides of the trailer. Once the load is properly distributed and the ideal tongue weight is achieved, all cargo should be secured to prevent the load from shifting.

3. Check your tires. This goes for both your tow vehicle and your trailer. Tires that are not properly inflated can negatively affect handling. Further, underinflated tires can create more rolling resistance, which not only forces the engine to work harder and consume more fuel, but also increases tire temperatures and may contribute to a blow-out. Refer to the tire pressure label placed in the driver’s doorjamb for proper inflation pressures for the tow vehicle. Additionally, check the speed rating on the tires for both your tow vehicle and trailer, and ensure you never exceed that speed while on the road.

Preparing for a long trip? Check the tire pressures of the spare tires provided for your vehicle and your trailer and ensure they’re inflated up to spec. Additionally, consider allowing more time to inspect your trailer’s hub bearings before towing, and ensure they’re in good order and properly greased.

4. Check your lights. The taillights and marker lights on your trailer may seem superfluous, but they’re quite important. Large trailers or loads may block the view of the tail lights on your tow vehicle. If the lights on your trailer aren’t illuminated, other drivers may not see your vehicle, especially at night. Accidents can occur if the tail lights are not working. Have someone stand behind the vehicle while it is in park to check the turn signals, tail lights and brake lights function properly.

5. Check Your Brakes. Smaller, lighter trailers may not need trailer brakes of any kind, but heavier trailers, or those designed to carry heavier loads, will usually incorporate a trailer brake system. Most truck manufacturers have trailer brake requirements above varying weights.

Regardless of trailer brake type, make sure the emergency “breakaway” cable is properly attached to your tow vehicle. In case your trailer somehow disconnects from the hitch, this cable is designed to trigger the brakes on the trailer and quickly bring it to a halt.

6. Adjust Your Mirrors. Before taking off, make sure your side-view mirrors are adjusted to create a clear view that extends to the end of the trailer. Many manufacturers offer mirrors specifically designed for towing that extend in order to expand the mirror’s field of vision.

Special thank you to GMC Life for the article content

Visit the J&G Transmissions official blog for more how-to’s for your pickup truck.

How to Tell if Your Transfer Case Output Shaft Seal is Going Bad

Posted on by Samuel

Being able to shift on the fly from two to four-wheel drive without having to get out and lock the wheel hubs is a luxury that most of us take for granted, especially during a nasty Utah winter storm. A number of newer vehicles are equipped with part-time four-wheel drive systems, that will engage either manually when the driver selects a two, four low or four high mode. Or, automatically when the onboard computer senses that wheel traction is reduced by weather or road conditions if the vehicle is engineered to do so. The physical part of the vehicle that activates this action is the transfer case, which has an output shaft that delivers power to the drive axle. As vehicles age, the seals that connect these components together can dry up, wear out, or break. If this occurs, they will have to be replaced sooner rather than later to avoid further damages to the vehicle’s drive system.

Where and what is the transfer case output shaft seal?

The transfer case output shaft seal is located on the transfer case of four-wheel drive vehicles. The transfer case physically changes between two-wheel drive neutral, to low four-wheel, and then to drive high four-wheel. Inside the case are a series of gear reductions and chain drives that work together to supply power to the drive axles, giving the vehicle the option of four-wheel drive.

The transfer case output shaft is what connects the driveline to the rear differential or front differential.

The transfer case output seal prevents fluid from leaking out of the transfer case, keeping the internal metal components properly lubricated.

If the seals leak, fluid escapes and cannot properly lubricate the internal components of the transfer case. With time and use the parts inside will wear out and overheat. This can render the transfer case useless and the vehicle will no longer be able to shift into four-wheel drive.

Possible signs your transfer case needs replacement:

Vehicle jumps in and out of four-wheel drive

Sometimes the loss of fluid will cause the vehicle to jump in and out of four-wheel drive without driver activating the switch. This is often caused by broken parts inside the transfer case. If you have a leaking seal, you may notice transmission fluid under your vehicle. More often than not, the vehicle only leaks when it is driving. In this scenario the shaft can siphon and fling the fluid, leaving the driver unaware of the worsening condition. If this is the case, the seal needs to be replaced as soon as possible.

Vehicle has difficulty shifting gears

The seals that keep fluid inside the transfer case and also the transmission, are vital for your vehicle’s ability to shift properly. When fluid leaks from a broken seal, the fluid volume working inside the transmission is reduced. This causes a drop in fluid pressure that is vital for proper operation in an automatic or manually shifted transmission. If you notice that your transmission is having difficulty shifting between gears, you should bring your vehicle into a transmission repair shop for diagnosis as soon as possible. The earlier shifting problems can be diagnosed, often times the lower the cost of the repairs.

Your vehicle makes grinding noises underneath the vehicle

A broken or worn output shaft seal can cause noises under the vehicle. Many times these noises are caused by low levels of lubricants inside the transfer case or metal-to-metal grinding. If you hear noises like this, it’s time to bring the vehicle in for diagnosis.

We are happy to offer a free diagnosis of transfer case or transmission repair issues in our Murray, Utah location.

How to avoid Transfer Case problems

Be vigilant in checking fluids. Even if you do not change the fluids on your vehicle yourself, we still recommend checking the fluids yourself. This practice can save you a lot of money over time.

J and G Transmissions is the best transmission repair shop in the Salt Lake Valley. We are located at 4782 South 500 West, Murray, UT 84123. Call us at 801-262-2321.

 

Other topics: How to tell if your transfer case is bad