Posted on 7/7/2024
If you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle, it has components called CV joints which enable you to turn your wheels smoothly. The CV stands for “constant velocity.” In essence, it’s a set of gears that connect a shaft that allows power from the transmission to be sent to the wheels. When you turn the wheels, no matter what angle, the input velocity rotation will be equal to the output. Thus, the name, CV (constant velocity) joint. Other vehicles with 4-wheel drive and all-wheel drive also use CV joints. If one of your CV joints isn’t working right, you may find your vehicle difficult to handle. If one breaks, your vehicle may stop moving. So, it’s important that CV joints be in top working condition. The joints need a lot of lubrication, so they are surrounded by grease. There’s a rubber enclosure around them called the boot which holds the grease in and protects CV joints from the elements.
The bi ... read more
Posted on 6/14/2020
Some people love 4x4 vehicles, the true 4-wheel drive works of engineering like Jeeps and 4x4 pickups that allow you to seemingly go anywhere on the planet. You can climb up a 40-degree rock trail with some planning and skill (always careful to protect the environment, of course), or you can get through the deepest snow. But with that added capability comes additional complexity, drive-train components and other systems that less capable vehicles don't have. And that is why when it comes to 4x4s, you have to maintain them a little differently from those vehicles that spend their lives on pavement. Here are some of the key things to keep an eye on: Transfer case—This transfers power from the engine to the wheels. A transfer case has fluid in it that needs to be changed at intervals recommended by the manufacturer. Your service advisor will let you know how often that is and will keep track of your service dates. You will need to make sure the transfe ... read more
Posted on 10/13/2019
When you feel your vehicle vibrating as you're driving down the road, one cause could be something you may not have ever seen: your driveshaft. It is underneath the vehicle and most drivers don't climb under there to take a look very often. The driveshaft is a cylindrical part that helps conduct the rotational power from your engine to your drive wheels. If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, you may have two driveshafts. The drive shaft has bushings, and when they wear out, that's a likely source of the vibrations. When the bushings are in good condition, they prevent the driveshaft from vibrating. And if you don't get your vehicle repaired fairly soon after discovering vibrations, they'll continue to get worse and cause other components of the drivetrain to wear out. The driveshaft is, of course, only one part of the drivetrain. It includes other parts such as axles, transmission, differentials and joints. They all work together and ne ... read more
Posted on 1/30/2018
Hello Scottsbluff - let's talk differentials. If you have a rear-wheel drive vehicle, your differential is on the back axle. With front-wheel drive cars, the differential is up front. All-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive vehicles have three differentials - front, rear and in the middle. So you see, you've got a differential (or two or three) and it needs service now and then.What does your vehicle differential do? Well, it compensates for the differences in speed between your outer and inner wheels in a turn. Using the dimensions of a typical car, let's compare the distance the wheels travel from the start of a turn through to the completion of the turn.The inside wheel travels about 12.6 feet/3.8 meters. How much farther does the outside wheel travel? About 18.8 feet/5.7 meters – over 6 feet/1.9 meters more. This means the outer tire has to rotate 9 times in the same amount of time that the inner tire has to rotate only 6 times - so t ... read more
Posted on 11/1/2017
The drive train in your vehicle includes all the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. Those components differ depending on what type of vehicle you drive, namely, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The preventive maintenance your driveshaft needs will also differ by what type of vehicle you drive.Let's start with front-wheel drive. In this vehicle, the transmission and the differential are combined in one component, known as the transaxle. The transaxle is connected to two half-shafts (axles), which are then connected to the wheels with a constant velocity (or CV) joint, which is protected by an airtight rubber boot.Twin City Auto service for this type of driveline includes servicing the transaxle and inspecting the CV boot. If the boot is damaged, the CV joint will need to be inspected, and the boot will need to be replaced. If you hear a clicking noise in ... read more
Posted on 8/25/2015
There are a lot of drivers in Scottsbluff who are due for a differential service, but had never heard of a differential before.With front-wheel drive being so common in NE these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Scottsbluff folks don't even have to think about it. And rear-wheel drive differentials don't need to be serviced for years, so it's understandable that it's not something on the top of your mind. It's not uncommon for people in Scottsbluff to not know they have a differential, let alone know that it needs service.To better understand what a differential does, think about a track at any NE high school. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That's to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each ru ... read more
Posted on 10/14/2014
With front-wheel drive being so common these days in Scottsbluff, NE, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Scottsbluff drivers don't even have to think about it. And rear-wheel drive differentials don't need to be serviced for years, so it's understandable that it's not something on the top of Scottsbluff customers' minds. It's not uncommon for drivers to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service. Call Twin City Auto in Scottsbluff at 308.635.7404 for information about differential service, or stop by our Scottsbluff, NE, auto center at 1802 E Overland Suite #4, 69361. To better understand what a differential does, think about our local Scottsbluff high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes ... read more
Posted on 11/26/2013
One Scottsbluff automotive service issue that doesn't get much attention is driveline service. Drivelines don't get talked about very much around Scottsbluff, but they're very important. First let's define what the driveline is:Taking a small step back, the power plant is comprised of the engine and transmission. The driveline starts there and includes all of the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels.That's not really a lot of components, but they handle the full force of the engine. Without the driveline you're not moving. So Scottsbluff residents need to take good care of it. The driveline components differ depending on whether your vehicle has front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all wheel drive or four wheel drive. For purposes of our discussion, we're going to have to oversimplify a bit. If you are ready to have your drive train looked at, give us a call at 308.635.7404. Let's start with front wheel drive. The point wh ... read more
Posted on 6/10/2013
Scratching your head? Don't worry, if you don't know what a differential is – you will in a moment. That fact is that if you drive a car anywhere in Scottsbluff, NE, you have a differential. Whether your vehicle is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, you have a differential. Some Scottsbluff vehicles might even have two or three.Not surprisingly, a differential's job is to compensate for differences; specifically, they're the differences in wheel speed when turning. For instance, imagine taking a corner near your Scottsbluff, NE, home. Your inside wheel has a shorter distance to travel than the outside wheel as you turn the corner. That means that your outside wheel has to turn faster to keep pace with the inside wheel.The differential allows the wheels to turn at different speeds while still providing power to your vehicle. Without a differential, Scottsbluff residents' tires would scrub and hop along the pavement during turns like the early cars.Ever ... read more