Interstate Ford Blog

Mar 2012 2

Car Care: Help Your Car Recover from Winter

Spring cleaning for your car.

Photo: Help Your Car Recover from Winter Harsh winter weather, salt and grime can easily cause premature aging of your ride if left to accumulate. The end of winter is a good time for a good spring cleaning.

First and foremost, the salt and sand that road crews apply to help you stay on icy roads generally don’t mix well with the way cars and trucks are constructed. When mixed with bare steel, salt deposits are the feeding ground for corrosion. On leather and fabric upholstery, salt and grit can cause fading, rotting and wear.

Fortunately, modern car and truck bodies are generally made of galvanized steel that is much more resistant to rust, but that doesn’t mean they are completely impervious. Sand and stones that get thrown up from the road surface can eventually wear through paint and other coatings exposing the metal and making it more susceptible.

To minimize the effects of salt, it’s a good idea to get regular car washes throughout the winter and especially in the spring. The spring wash should really focus on the underside of the car and around the wheel wells.

Rust isn’t the only potentially nasty byproduct of road salt. Your engine is constantly drawing in air through a filter as it runs. In the winter, the moisture in the air can contain substantial amounts of salt. That salt gets deposited on the filter as the air flows through and, as it dries, the filter can become plugged. Spring is an excellent opportunity to swap out the filter.

Cold temperatures, salt, sand, ice and snow buildup can also cause a lot of wear on rubber windshield wiper blades, too. By the time the snow has melted, odds are pretty good that your blades are doing more streaking of the water on the windshield than actual wiping, so a fresh set of blades can keep the view clear on rainy days.

As the salt is washed from the roads and the exterior of your ride, it’s an excellent opportunity to head over to your local dealer and take advantage of the many spring service and detailing specials they offer. Along with the usual oil changes and topping off of fluids, there are plenty of other things to take care of.

If you’ve opted to run on dedicated winter tires for maximum traction in the snow, now is the time to replace them with all-season or summer rubber. Winter tires are specially formulated to work great in cold weather with special tread patterns and rubber compounds. Running these tires in warm weather will cause them to wear out prematurely and give you degraded handling.

If you have a second set of wheels mounted with tires, ask about storage services for your tires during the off-season. Whether or not you are changing your tires, the change of seasons is an excellent time to rotate the tires and get a full inspection of the running gear.

Dealership service technicians can check for uneven tire wear, which may be an indication of an alignment problem or suspension damage. The freeze and thaw cycles that are typical of late winter cause chunks of pavement to pop out, producing potholes. When you hit the sharp edges of those craters at speed, it can cause bent wheels, bent or broken suspension links and even tire damage. Curbs, parking blocks and railroad tracks can all knock wheels out of alignment, too. Factory-trained service technicians can recognize and correct subtle, and not so subtle, alignment problems to optimize your handling and tire life.

While the wheels are off for changing or rotation, a full inspection of the brakes is recommended to make sure your stopping power is up to snuff. The sand and grit that come off the road during the winter can get jammed between the brake pads and rotors and create extra wear. A single small stone can cause a substantial groove to be worn into the rotor surface. A technician can quickly replace or refinish worn or damaged brake components to restore your stopping capability and make sure functions like Traction and Electronic Stability Control can work as they were designed to help keep you safe.

Once all the mechanical stuff has been taken care of, it’s time to pay some attention to the space inside. Snow, slush salt and sand get tracked inside your vehicle all winter, and you may even find that telltale white salt residue on your carpets or upholstery.

A thorough detailing that includes carpet and upholstery cleaning will remove damaging salt residue and leave you with fresh and renewed carpet and upholstery, conditioned leather and sparkling clear windows. A dirty or filmy windshield is especially dangerous when driving into the sun in the morning or evening. A visit to the specialists at your dealer can get your interior all cleaned up and refreshed so it feels like new.

Stop by today to learn about the services we can offer. Your car will appreciate it, and so will you.

Tags: interstate ford service, Mark Stanton
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Feb 2012 21

Ford Joins with Cambridge University to Study the Effects of Visual Impairments

New software is helping the automaker design better tools for its aging drivers.

Photo: Ford Joins with Cambridge University to Study the Effects of Visual Impairments According to the World Health Organization, 285 million people around the world suffer from some form of visual impairment. About 65 percent of these individuals are over age 50. For many automakers, visually impaired drivers may not be a priority or even a consideration – but at Ford, such WHO statistics are a source of motivation. With a rapidly aging population spurred by the baby boomer generation, the need for technology that assists with visual weakness is vital. Fortunately, Ford has teamed up with England’s prestigious Cambridge University to help acquire a better understanding of the issues and potential solutions at hand.

As people age, their ability to see fine details decreases, especially in dark settings. This means that even with corrective lenses, it can be difficult to read the instrument cluster while driving. In addition, ocular conditions like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which are prevalent among those over 50, can complicate matters on the road.

“Visual impairment is a natural part of ageing and affects many millions of people around the world,” said Angelika Engel, Ergonomics Attribute Specialist at Ford of Europe. “But because it is such a gradual process, it can often go unnoticed for many years. We tend to subconsciously look around the problem until it reaches a point where it is so severe that it can no longer be ignored. Even conditions like AMD and glaucoma can come on very slowly.”

In an attempt to alleviate the driving complications of gradual vision loss, Ford has turned to Cambridge’s Engineering Design Centre. The experts there have created a Vision Impairment Simulator to help automotive designers and engineers gain a better understanding of the impact of several types of visual impairments.

As software developer Sam Waller explains, the software “allows you to simulate visual impairments on any image. You load in an image, select a visual impairment and it lets you see the image as someone with that impairment would see it.” For example, if someone has age-related macular degeneration, they experience loss of central vision; the software simulates this blind spot so designers and engineers can have a better idea of what it’s like to have such an impairment. Waller notes that users can also load in other designs and instantly compare the effects, or they can change the impairment to see how a vehicle’s design stands up to different problems.

Ford is using the software to optimize the design of its instrument displays, so displays can be read safely and comfortably by as many drivers as possible. Engel notes that the software “is a big leap forward because it lets us simulate so many different impairments and levels of severity. For example, if we were to load in an image of a display and process it for red-green color blindness, you might instantly see that some numbers and letters become a lot harder to read. We can then change the design accordingly.”

Of course, many visual impairments restrict individuals from being able to operate a vehicle altogether; for those who have less severe degrees of vision loss, however, Ford is helping them stay independent and safe while on the road.

Tags: aging drivers, chuck george, Interstate Ford
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Feb 2012 14

Rewriting History

The most historically inaccurate films of all time.

Let’s be honest for a second – real life isn’t always as interesting as it is portrayed to be in movies. Characters in films never spend a solid 40 minutes trying to figure out online banking or sitting in traffic. It’s no surprise then that many a historically based film had to jazz up a thing or two to get people into the theater. Because let’s face it, who is going to pay to see Bill Brings his Daughter to Soccer then Does Some Light Yard Work Before Catching the Last Half of RoboCop on TBS?

Gladiator was, without a doubt, one of the biggest films of the 2000s, but it is also one of the most inaccurate films ever made. Maximus Decimus, the lead character played by Russell Crowe, didn’t even exist. However, Emperor Commodus and Marcus Aurelius very much did. Although portrayed in the film as a strange, incompetent and slightly incestuous ruler whose reign lasted but a few months, Commodus was actually quite a capable ruler who lasted over a decade on the throne. He also did not kill his father, Marcus Aurelius. That rather dubious honor was actually earned by a case of chicken pox. As for his own death, it was not the ceremonious sendoff he received in the gladiatorial arena; Commodus was actually murdered in his bathtub. Director Ridley Scott did get one thing about Commodus right, however – he was a heck of an alcoholic with a terrible temper.

Perhaps when Mel Gibson was portraying William Wallace in Braveheart, he should have said, “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our word for it.” Many aspects of the Braveheart screenplay are as fabricated as the kilts the actors wore. Actually, those kilts are one of the greatest historical inaccuracies in the film, as kilts were not worn in Scotland until some 300 years after the events in the film took place. The main love story between Wallace and Isabella of France also has some timing problems. According to the film, Isabella was so taken with Wallace during the Battle of Falkirk that the two engaged in a torrid affair that resulted in the birth of Edward III. A few problems with that storyline: First, Isabella was three years old during the Battle of Falkirk, and second, Edward III wasn’t born until seven years after William Wallace died.

Here are two numbers for you – 300 and 10,000. Three hundred refers to the name of the 2007 film based on the very real Battle of Thermopylae. The film taught us that King Xerxes was some eight feet tall (he wasn’t), and that the Spartan Council of Elders was a bunch of 30-somethings (they weren’t). In reality, Xerxes was likely around six feet tall while the council admitted no one younger than 60. The second number, 10,000, refers to Roland Emmerich’s historical retelling 10,000 BC. The tens of you who saw it may have noticed that woolly mammoths were not used to build the pyramids, and they did not exist in the desert. Why would they be woolly if they lived in the desert? Moreover, the pyramids didn’t even exist until 2,500 BC. While audiences are willing to forgo a bit of timeline inaccuracy for a good plot, give or take 7,500 years is a bit of a stretch.

Disney is known for adapting macabre fairytales (like the original The Little Mermaid in which Ariel is rejected by the prince and turned into sea foam) into family friendly fare that ends happily ever after, so it comes as no surprise that Disney would take this same approach to rewriting history. In 1995, Disney released Pocahontas, a delightful love story about a whimsical Native American girl and a handsome British settler. The problem is there was no love story between these two in real life. The film did get a few things right: The two were friendly, and Pocahontas did save Smith’s life…when she was 10. Not exactly the romantic gesture the film made it out to be. That’s not to say Pocahontas didn’t live happily ever after with a handsome British settler named John. She did, in fact, end up marrying such a man, but his name was John Rolfe, not John Smith.

Now, it may not seem like a big deal to fluff up historical events with sappy love stories and the occasional untruth; however, a study from the journal Psychological Science states otherwise. The study shows that when individuals are shown films of a historical nature, they are more apt to remember the history as portrayed in the film rather than what they learned from their schooling. Andrew Butler, a doctoral student in psychology explains, “When information in the film directly contradicted the text, people often falsely recalled the misinformation portrayed in the film, sometimes as much as 50 percent of the time.” So, the next time you catch any of these films, enjoy it for what it is, just immediately check your history books to keep your noggin in the know.

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Feb 2012 7

Ford Hauls Float to New World Record at Rose Parade

Natural Balance Pet Foods lets the F-Series Super Duty do what it does best.

Photo: Ford Hauls Float to New World Record at Rose Parade On January 2, 2012, dozens of large, colorful floats delighted spectators of the 123^rd Tournament of Roses^® Parade in Pasadena, California. Taking the cake, however, was Natural Balance Pet Foods’ Ford powered float. More than 116 feet long and weighing more than 50 tons, the “Surf’s Up” float featured the beloved Tillman who’s certified by the Guinness World Records^® as the fastest skateboarding dog. In addition, surfing dogs and Internet celebrity “Norman the scooter dog” made an appearance on the massive creation.

Pulling the float was the Ford-built, 6.8-liter three-valve V10 gasoline engine that can be found in the automaker’s top-selling F-Series Super Duty Chassis Cab work trucks, E-Series vans and new 2012 F-650 medium duty trucks. The engine is accompanied by a fuel-efficient Ford six-speed automatic transmission and can be easily modified to run on clean-burning compressed natural gas.

“The Built Ford Tough 6.8-liter V10 is one dependable engine,” said George Weber, President and CEO of Ford Component Sales. “Over the last decade, it’s powered nearly half a million Ford trucks and vans. Every day, Ford customers across the U.S. use this 10-cylinder workhorse for commerce and recreation from towing a trailer to a campground to plowing snowy streets.” Now, Ford can add the Rose Parade Natural Balance float to its list of accomplishments.

The float featured a beach scene with “live” waves created by a rolling white-water surfing machine. Atop the waves was a group of brilliantly trained dogs who surfed on more than 6,600 gallons of water. Perhaps the real showstopper, however, was the fact that the float set two new records: Natural Balance broke its own world records for producing the longest Rose Parade float in history and the heaviest float in a parade. In 2010, Natural Balance created a 113-foot-long, 84,300-pound float – but now that’s old news compared to its latest masterpiece.

Leading up to the big event, Joey Herrick, President of Natural Balance Pet Foods, expressed his comfort in knowing that Ford would be at the helm of the float. “Trying to set the Guinness record for the world’s longest and heaviest float is no small engineering feat. That’s why I was so happy that Ford is providing the engine and transmission to make sure our over 100,000-pound float will be ok as it rolls down the street for this year’s parade.”

NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, who races a Ford Fusion, sat up front to help guide the float. Biffle and his wife Nicole are founders of the Greg Biffle Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping animals. Biffle remarked, “It was definitely an honor to be asked to be on the Natural Balance float because we share the same passion for the well-being of animals.”

You may never have to tow the “World’s Heaviest and Longest Float,” but it’s good to know that a Ford F-Series Super Duty is up to the task.

Tags: interstate ford floats, Mark Stanton
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Feb 2012 3

Innovators are Everywhere in Ohio

The state offers attractions that feature famous tinkerers and their big ideas.

From Life Savers to cash registers, Ohio is home to many notable innovations. Not only does the state feature an entire museum dedicated to the art of invention, but also several local landmarks pay homage to great thinkers who once called Ohio home.

Clarence A. Crane grew up in Garrettsville and worked for his father’s maple sugar business. In 1903, he started his own maple sugar business in Warren and eventually transitioned into the chocolate candy trade. After noticing that many customers stopped buying chocolate in the summer (since it would melt easily), Crane decided to invent a new kind of candy in 1912. With a machine that pharmacists used to make round flat pills, Crane crafted a small, circular candy, then punched a hole in the middle so it looked like a life preserver. Known as “Pep-O-Mint Life Savers” due to their peppermint flavor, Crane’s candy was an instant hit. Today, Life Savers come in a variety of flavors, from Butter Rum to Wild Cherry; you can browse the delicious assortment at www.life-savers.com. If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out b.a. Sweetie Candy Company Inc. in Cleveland. Often referred to as the largest candy store in the U.S., b.a. Sweetie is essentially a warehouse full of the world’s most popular treats. Learn more at www.sweetiescandy.com.

For a glimpse into the minds of several famous American inventors, head to the Invent Now Museum and Store, adjacent to the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) School in Akron. The museum features 2,000 square feet of exhibits and the store has plenty of interesting items for purchase. Recent exhibits include Inventive Eats: Incredible Food Innovations, which showcases food-related patents and trademarks.

Visuals include a full-size Mr. Peanut® character costume from the 1960s and 19^th century patent models including a refrigerator, eggbeater, flour sifter and the original Mason jar. Plan a day of discovery at www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/1_5_0_museum.asp.

Patent No. 221,630 belongs to James J. Ritty, inventor of the mechanical cash register. In 1878, while on a steamboat trip, the Dayton businessman became intrigued by a mechanism that counted the revolutions of the ship’s propeller. He set out to invent a similar mechanism to record cash transactions at the saloon he owned with his brother, John. Ritty created a prototype and opened a small factory in Dayton to manufacture his product. The brothers eventually sold the cash register business to what became the National Cash Register Company, or NCR. Learn more about the cash register’s past by visiting Hawthorn Hill. The mansion was aviation pioneer Orville Wright’s home for nearly 35 years until NCR bought it as a corporate guesthouse. After serving NCR for six decades, the home was later returned to the Wright family and is today open for public tours. Find out more about Hawthorn Hill at www.daytonhistory.org/destinations/hawthorn-hill.htm.

Other famous Ohio innovators include Thomas Edison and Charles F. Richter, the inventor of the Richter Scale used to measure earthquakes. To read more, visit www.ohiohistorycentral.org/scrapbook-view.php?rec=135.

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Jan 2012 27

Car Care: Using Genuine Replacement Parts

The right part makes all the difference.

Photo: Using Genuine Replacement Parts It takes hundreds of thousands of man-hours and several years of design, engineering and testing work to bring a new car, truck, SUV or crossover to the market. With so much work going into developing and integrating every component of a new vehicle, and as one of the most expensive pieces of equipment most people own, it really doesn’t make sense to install replacement parts of dubious origin.

While there are many aftermarket parts from reputable companies that are meant for performance enhancement, many of the generic replacement parts found at auto parts chain stores are little more than cheap replicas of the original parts. Manufacturers of these parts make copies that are the same size as the original, but they are not engineered in the same way and are frequently made of inferior materials.

Sub-standard replacement parts cover the gamut from basic air filters to full body panels. Even though an air filter seems fairly trivial, it’s actually very important. If the filter material is too fine, it can clog up with dirt prematurely, limiting the engine’s ability to breathe and make power and leading to more frequent replacement.

On the other hand, if a filter doesn’t capture fine dirt and dust, those materials can get drawn into the engine where they can scratch and gouge the metal surfaces that have to slide against each other. Dust particles can also get past piston rings to contaminate the oil. When that happens, the oil pump can be damaged and the oil filter can be prematurely plugged. If the oil filter gets clogged, oil pressure can build up and cause a bypass valve to open, allowing completely unfiltered oil to circulate.

By skipping the carmaker’s genuine replacements for generic parts, an owner could end up with damage that can cost thousands of dollars to repair.

One set of parts that eventually wears out on every car and needs to be replaced every few years are the brake pads and rotors. While everyone is probably aware that pressing on the braking pedal will slow down the car, most drivers may not be aware of the other ways that the brakes are used on modern vehicles. Cars and trucks equipped with Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control can automatically apply the brakes at individual wheels to help keep the car going where the driver is pointing the steering wheel. These control systems are calibrated by the engineers based on knowledge of how the brakes work. If the pads are replaced with aftermarket units that have more or less friction than the originals, it causes extended stopping distances and degraded handling.

Insurance companies often try to force body shops to use the least expensive generic replacement parts possible, but depending on your state’s regulations, you may have the right to request original parts. Replacement panels that don’t meet manufacturer specifications can lead to multiple problems. The body panels on modern unibody vehicles form part of the vehicle structure. If a replacement body panel is made from a different grade or thickness of steel than the factory part, it may not hold up as well if the vehicle is in a subsequent accident, putting the driver and passengers at risk.

Since these aftermarket parts are stamped from different dies that “replicate” the original, they might not be dimensionally correct. This can lead to degraded fit and finish after a repair and panel alignment issues. Modern vehicles with steel body panels are galvanized to help prevent rust. The coatings on replacement parts may not be as complete or as effective, allowing premature rust to develop. A bad coating can also cause problems with paint adhesion.

A car or truck is a major financial investment, so it’s worth using the best materials possible to maintain it in proper working order or repair damage. If you want your vehicle to last, then you should take advantage of all the engineering and testing that went into its development by using genuine replacement parts from the original manufacturer. Your vehicle’s trained service and parts advisors here at Interstate Ford can help you make sure you always have the right parts for the job. Whether it’s a Ford, Lincoln, Mercury or some other make.

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Jan 2012 16

Ford Helps Deliver Fresh Food Across America

The automaker combats hunger with two partners and a fleet of refrigerated trucks.

Ford Fresh Food Across America

For the 11^th consecutive year, Ford Motor Company is teaming up with Newman’s Own^® Inc. and Feeding America to distribute food to communities in need across five regions of the country. Over the past decade, more than 100 refrigerated Ford trucks have carried perishable foods to these communities; thanks to a recent donation of five more vehicles, every state will get a visit from a Ford truck or van filled with nutritious Newman’s Own food.

The Partnership for Hunger Relief started when actor, entrepreneur and humanitarian Paul Newman contacted Bill Ford who was then the chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company. Newman’s mission was to improve the distribution of healthy, perishable food including fresh produce to hungry, hard-to-reach communities throughout rural America. Eleven years later, Ford vehicles have delivered more than 176 million meals in both urban and suburban areas, covering approximately 6.7 million miles. Many states even have multiple trucks.

Newman’s Own, Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Indoe is proud of the program’s achievements. “More than 12 Newman's Own

years ago, Paul Newman realized there was a great need to get nutritious food more broadly distributed. With 49 million people facing hunger, we are glad this program continues to help make a difference, especially in the current economic environment.” In fall 2011, the following organizations received trucks from the Partnership for Hunger Relief:

Atlanta Community Food Bank (Atlanta, Georgia)
Dare to Care Food Bank (Louisville, Kentucky)
Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida (Fort Myers, Florida)
Josephine County Food Bank (Grants Pass, Oregon)
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Feeding America is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, and President and CEO Vicki Escarra notes that the strong relationship between the three organizations has helped meet the growing needs of communities. “We have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people seeking food assistance from the Feeding America network. Today, we are feeding 37 million people each year – a staggering 46 percent increase since 2006. The Ford Motor Company and Newman’s Own have been long-time generous supporters of our mission. We continue to build partnerships like this to help our food banks provide more donated food to more people in need.”

The recent donation of five additional Ford trucks is making a big impact in places like Louisville, Kentucky and nearby Indiana – a region often referred to as “Kentuckiana.” Brian Riendeau, Executive Director of Dare to Care Food Bank, feels that Ford’s most recent gift is timely for the area’s families. “We are in a period of unprecedented need for food assistance in our community. This investment by Ford in our capacity to serve Kentuckiana continues the tradition of community generosity that created Dare to Care over 40 years ago.”

At the Ford Louisville Assembly Plant, Plant Manager John Savona is pleased that his workplace has made such a positive impact on the surrounding area. “We are delighted that the truck donated to Dare to Care Food Bank was produced right here in Louisville at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant.”

The teamwork between Ford Motor Company, Newman’s Own and Feeding America has already improved the lives of millions of individuals across the country. Now into its second decade, the Partnership for Hunger Relief promises to continue bringing healthy, fresh food to Americans for years to come.

For more information, visit www.feedingamerica.org, www.newmansownfoundation.org, and www.ford.com.

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Jan 2012 13

Decoding Color Blindness

Interstate Ford

Learn the fact and fiction behind this vision deficiency.

Color vision deficiency, often referred to as color blindness, is often a misunderstood condition. This is partially because there are several different causes of color blindness, as well as a variety of ways the condition develops. Is it true that only males are at risk? Are people born with color blindness? Read on to find out what is fact and what is fiction:

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), color blindness occurs when there is a problem with the color-sensing pigments in certain nerve cells, or cones, within the eye. The cones are found in the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye. Even if just one pigment is missing, you may have trouble telling the difference between certain colors or shades. Symptoms include not only an inability to identify colors, but also trouble seeing the difference between shades and brightness.

Red-green deficiency is the most common type of color blindness, followed by blue-yellow. People with blue-yellow color blindness usually have problems identifying reds and greens, too. The NLM and NIH also report that the most severe form of color blindness is achromatopsia. People with this rare condition cannot distinguish any color and see everything in shades of gray. Achromatopsia can be associated with a number of different conditions such as lazy eye and nystagmus (jerky eye movements).

The Mayo Clinic lists multiple causes of color blindness:

Genetics: Approximately one in 12 males of Northern European descent is born with some degree of red-green color deficiency. Most females possess genes that counteract the deficiency, so less than one percent of females of Northern European descent have this type of color deficiency. In other populations, the prevalence of red-green color deficiency is lower. Blue-yellow color deficiency is inherited by fewer than one in 10,000 people worldwide. Individuals can inherit a mild, moderate or severe degree of the disorder, and the severity doesn’t change over a person’s lifetime if the cause is inherited.
Diseases: Diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, leukemia and sickle cell anemia can all contribute to color vision deficiency. Other eye diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, can impact the ability to see color as well.
Medications: Certain drugs that are used to treat conditions like high blood pressure and psychological disorders can cause color blindness.
Chemicals: Exposure to chemicals like carbon disulfide and fertilizers can cause loss of color vision.
Aging: The ability to see colors can deteriorate slowly as a part of aging.

Although there is no direct treatment for color blindness, specially designed glasses and contact lenses can often help. Many people, especially those with mild color blindness, are able to adjust without much difficulty.

Whether or not you think you may be having problems with color, it’s always good to have regular eye exams with an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They can test color vision quickly and easily, as well as ask questions about your family history, current medical conditions and medications to help identify any possible issues.

For more information about color blindness visit the National Library of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic.

Tags: color blindness, dayton ford dealer
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Jan 2012 1

Get Into The New

Get Into The New at Interstate

What a terrific way to start off the New Year!

There’s a lot of savings and factory incentives going on here at Interstate this January! With up to $8,000 in total savings on a V6 Ranger, $3,000 cash back on Fusions and Escapes, and the 0%APR Financing options available from Ford Credit, now is the perfect time to get into the new Ford of your dreams! Click here for more details.

The Lineup

Tags: Dayton Ford dealerships
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Dec 2011 21

Car Care: Caring for Your Timing Belt or Chain

A little time can save you a lot of money.

The timing belt or chain is one of the most important maintenance items on an automotive engine, yet it is frequently the most neglected. Failure to follow the required maintenance schedule for the timing belt or chain can lead to very expensive repairs to other engine components.

One reason so many drivers neglect timing belts is the long service intervals. Unlike oil changes that typically occur several times per year, timing belts typically last at least 50,000 to 60,000 miles, and timing chains can go 100,000 miles or more before needing replacement.

Why is the timing belt or chain so important? Like a runner, an engine needs to breathe in order to produce power. Athletes alternately inhale air and exhale carbon dioxide. Engines also draw in air and then exhale exhaust gases. Every cylinder in an engine has from two to four valves, half of which allow air and fuel in and the other half providing a path to let exhaust out.

Each valve has a spring attached to it, keeping it tightly closed. The valves are opened by a rotating camshaft with lobes that push down on the top of each of the valve stems in turn. As the lobe passes, the spring pushes the valve back up.

For an engine to work, the opening of these valves must be carefully synchronized with the rise and fall of the pistons. If the valves open too early or too late, the engine can run poorly or not at all. Worst of all, because the valves must open as the piston falls, if the valve timing is too far off, the pistons and valves can collide, causing severe damage inside the engine.

In order to keep everything in sync, the camshafts are driven by the crankshaft.

With just a few notable exceptions, the camshafts on virtually all modern engines are mounted on top of the cylinder heads at the opposite end from the crankshaft, an arrangement referred to as “overhead cam.” The result is a fairly long drive mechanism that is typically either a toothed belt or a chain drive.

Chains have a durability advantage over belt drives, but they are noisier than belt drives. A toothed rubber belt can stretch as it ages; this can leave the camshaft out of sync with the crankshaft. Chains can also stretch or break, but they generally last about twice as long as belts.

Whether an engine has a belt or chain drive, the service interval will be listed in the owner’s manual and manufacturers strongly advise that drivers follow the recommendations. Unlike changing oil or an air filter, replacing a timing belt or chain is generally not the type of service most people can handle at home. It typically requires removing most of the parts at the front end of the engine such as the alternator, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor. In a front-wheel drive vehicle with the engine mounted left to right, this area can be very tight and difficult to work in.

When the time comes to replace the timing belt or chain, it’s best to bring the car to a qualified service facility such as the dealer that sold the car. The technicians there will have special training on how to do this operation and all of the specialized tools that may be needed. They will also know how to make sure that the crankshaft and camshafts are all correctly aligned so the engine runs properly.

Modern engines can run for many miles and years with the original timing belt or chain. When it is time to replace it, however, it’s best to get the job done promptly and properly by a professional who offers a warranty on the work. Whatever option you choose, delay can be costly.

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