Long Beach Car Starter Repair

Okay, so far on Orozco’s Auto Blog, we’ve covered tires, brakes, timing chains, and more, but this week we’re gonna talk about a very small, simple part of your engine that, nevertheless, can keep your car off the road and cause you a whole lot of inconvenience. Another part which many people don’t think about until it’s too late, we’re gonna introduce your car’s starter motor. This week, we’ll be talking about what a starter motor is, what it does, how it works, and why you should trust Orozco’s Auto Service in Long Beach to fix any issues with your car’s starter motor.

First off, there are actually several reasons why your car may be failing to start. Your car’s fuel pump may be failing, the computer may malfunction, the alternator may be dead, the battery may be dead, there may be other electrical problems such as corrosion or a loose cable, you may simply be out of gas, or a number of other common causes. However, besides a dead battery, a bad starter may be the single most common cause for ignition failure in your automobile.

Modern cars use electric starters, which in essence is a relatively small motor which is driven with higher voltage and current than would be reasonable for continuous operation, allowing it to deliver enough power to crank the engine to start it. At such a high voltage level, a starter motor would burn out in a few minutes of continuous operation, but not during the few seconds needed to start the engine.

There are a few separate Components to a starter motor – one which most commonly fails is the starter solenoid. The started solenoid acts like a relay, engaging a lever that engages the starter and closing high-current contacts for the starter motor circuit. Because of the high-voltage characteristics of an electric starter motor, to save weight and cost, they are designed to operate for typically around 30 seconds at maximum before overheating. For this reason, it is advisable to pause for at least ten seconds after about ten seconds of trying to start an engine that is not starting.

How can you tell if you have a bad starter, as opposed to a bad battery or another component failure?

Sometimes, the symptoms of a bad starter are actually similar to those of a bad battery. Your car’s headlights or dashboard lights may get dim when you crank the ignition, and your engine may turn over very slowly. If your car makes a steady clicking noise but does not turn over, then you most likely have a dead battery. However, if you turn the key to start and either nothing happens or there is a single, quiet click, your starter is most likely worn out. The metal brushes inside of the starter wear out, causing bad electrical contact. It is possible that, after waiting for a time and letting the starter cool down, it may start again. Another way to get your car started is to tap on the starter with a hammer, which can knock the brushes back into place and let your starter work again. It may even continue to work for several weeks without much issue. However, it will inevitably die completely, and as soon as you encounter starter trouble it is advisable to get it replaced instead of risking your car not starting in a critical situation.

It is impossible to prevent your starter motor from wearing out eventually. But when it does, Orozco’s Auto Service in Long Beach is here for you. We can fix or replace your starter, and keep you from being stuck without a ride.

If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding Car Starter Repair visit Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

Long Beach Oil Change

Oil Change? So last time on Orozco’s Automotive Blog we covered your engine’s timing belt, which is undeniably one of the most important Components in keeping your engine running smoothly – but this week, we’re gonna talk about something more basic, something that everyone is familiar with, or at least has heard of: the oil change. What does your motor oil do? How often should it be changed? And of course, why should you choose Orozco’s Automotive in Bellflower and Long Beach to work on your car?

First off, what is an oil change? Well, an oil change actually involves changing both the car’s motor oil and the oil filter. Old, worn-out oil is drained from the engine and the crankcase is refilled with new oil, and the used, dirty oil filter is also exchanged for a new one. It may sound relatively simple and easy, but for some cars the operation is actually rather hard, and in addition, there are several areas where it can easily go wrong, leading to much bigger problems.

An engine is a massively complex, precise machine, which operates on hundreds or even thousands of moving parts, and the fact is that if one of these parts is installed incorrectly or wears out, especially something as critical as motor oil, the entire engine could potentially become useless. It is not an uncommon occurrence for somebody to try to change their own oil and put on the wrong filter, forget to take off the old gasket, forget to put on the new gasket, or even forget to put on the new filter, all of which could lead to expensive engine damage or, in the worst case, a destroyed engine.

Motor oil does exactly what it sounds like – lubricates. It is designed to lubricate the moving parts of the engine so that they operate more smoothly and last longer. Without motor oil, an engine’s parts would grind together and quickly fail, and it would only last a small fraction of the time that it is designed to.

But why does motor oil have to be changed? Why doesn’t it last forever like the canola oil in your kitchen pantry? Well motor oil, due to the high operating temperature of a car engine, suffers from thermal breakdown which diminishes its effectiveness as a lubricant. Most motor oils also contain additives designed to neutralize acids, which are used up and become ineffective over time. Finally, the oil will absorb dust, dirt, metal particles, and other debris from the engine’s operation, which, if the oil is not changed regularly, can remain in the engine and begin causing corrosion.

Oil is one of the easiest and most important Components that you can take care of to maintain your engine’s performance and longevity, and dirty oil is much less effective than clean oil. An oil change is relatively cheap, especially compared to the problems which will arise from putting off an oil change for too long and having to perform major repairs.

How often should a car’s motor oil be changed? As with most maintenance items, every manufacturer’s recommendation is different, but a good general rule to follow is to change your oil around every 5,000 miles. It is true that the improved technology and more durable synthetic oils used in modern cars can last longer – some people say that you shouldn’t need an oil change for 8,000 or even 10,000 miles or more in a late-model car – but you can’t go wrong changing it at least every 5,000 miles. Wouldn’t you rather spend a few extra dollars every few months and take the precaution instead of risking a several thousand dollar repair bill to save not that much money? Depending on your driving conditions, vehicle, and oil type, sometimes it is even advisable to change your oil every 3,000 miles, but in the end the best way to determine what is best for your vehicle is to consult your owner’s manual.

In addition to regularly changing your engine’s motor oil, it is important to check your oil level by checking the reading on the dipstick every few hundred miles. If your oil level seems to be decreasing, you most likely have an oil leak or your engine has started burning oil. Both of these can be signs of very serious problems, and you should call us as soon as possible to schedule an appointment to diagnose your problem.

At Orozco’s Automotive, we are happy to help you. We can change your oil quickly for a good price, and help with any other questions problems you are having with your motor oil. Our team of professionally trained and certified mechanics will work with you to figure out what your car needs and get it done with service you can trust. If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding an oil change visit Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

On Orozco’s Automotive Blog, we’ve already covered brakes and tires, both of which are important for avoiding accidents and keeping your car in control and safe. But what about keeping your engine running and preventing potential expensive damage? This week, we’re gonna cover timing belts – the single most important maintenance item in an automobile’s engine. A car’s timing belt is one item whose failure could very likely lead to the catastrophic destruction of your car’s entire engine.

A vehicle’s timing belt is a ribbed belt which runs in a certain way through several gears on one side of a car’s engine to keep the crankshaft and camshafts timed properly. Basically, it keeps the top half of your engine (camshaft and valves) in sync with the bottom half (crankshaft). If your car is more than 15 years old, it almost definitely has a timing belt. Some new cars, such as Audis and Hondas, still use timing belts, but several manufacturers have switched to metal timing chains that can theoretically last for the lifetime of the engine. The most definite way to determine whether your car has a timing belt or not is to check the owner’s manual. If there is no reference for timing belt service, your engine has a timing chain. The manufacturer’s recommended service schedule for timing belt replacement differs between cars, but a good general rule is to replace your timing belt every 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Timing belt failure can be catastrophic to your vehicle’s engine.

There are two types of engine configurations which use timing belts: interference and non-interference. An interference engine is when the valve’s stroke and piston’s stroke occupy the same space in the cylinder at different times, and the timing belt keeps them from colliding with each other. If the timing belt fails, the cylinder and valves will most likely end up hitting each other, which will almost definitely lead to bent valves, but can also easily result in more serious damage such as cylinder head or camshaft damage, or possibly even piston and cylinder wall damage. It is possible, but extremely unlikely for a timing belt to snap on an interference type engine and not cause any damage, at least a few bent valves. On a

non-interference engine, pistons and valves never occupy the same space, so theoretically no valve or cylinder damage should occur if the timing belt snaps. In this case, replacing the broken timing belt should revert your engine to its normal function. Whether a car’s engine is interference or non-interference type is usually not listed in the owner’s manual, so to be sure what type of engine you have, you should Google it.

Changing an engine’s timing belt is not an easy job to do in a home garage. It is much harder to do correctly than an oil change or basic brake maintenance, and the results of an incorrectly done timing belt job can cost you several thousand dollars in damage. The difficulty of the service differs by vehicle, and getting it done professionally could cost anywhere from about $450 to several thousand dollars.

However, especially on an interference-type engine, much more severe and expensive damage can come from an incorrectly done job.

At Orozco’s Auto Service in Long Beach, we can give you all the information you need about your car’s timing belt and give you the best price for our quality of work. Our certified, professionally trained team of mechanics will work with you to figure out the service that works best for you and keep your car on the road and out of the shop as much as possible. If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding Timing Belt Repair visit Orozco’s Auto Service Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

Today we’re gonna talk about another one of a car’s most important Components: its brakes. At Orozco’s Auto Service in Long Beach, we offer all kinds of brake services, including rotor and pad replacement and replacing brake fluid.

The common adage, “a car that cannot start is an inconvenience, but a car that cannot stop is downright dangerous”, really highlights just how critical a vehicle’s braking system is. Indeed, a car that does not start could cost you valuable time and lead to some heavy consequences, but if your vehicle’s brakes fail, it could easily cost you your life. Some brake problems are best handled by professionals, and basic diagnostics and tasks should be something that every vehicle owner knows, but regardless of your skill level, our trained technicians can work with you to keep your car performing well.
Here are a few simple tests to see if your brakes are in need of maintenance:

• Start your engine, but keep your car in park or neutral with the parking brake engaged. With the vehicle stopped, apply pressure to the brake pedal.
• If your brakes feel spongy, you probably have air in your brake lines.
• If your pedal sinks to the floor, your master cylinder may be defective, which could cause brake failure and should be fixed immediately.
• Release the parking brake and drive around the block, stopping occasionally and taking note of how the brakes feel.
• Notice how much effort is required to bring your vehicle to a stop.
• With power brakes, the vehicle should stop with the pedal more than an inch from the floor, and on older cars without power brakes, the pedal should be more than three inches from the floor.

• If your automobile has power brakes but seems to be taking excessive effort to stop, you may need to replace your power booster.
• If you feel that your brakes are low, pump the brake pedal a few times as you drive.
• If pumping the pedal makes the brakes more responsive, either a brake adjustment is needed or you are running low on brake fluid.
• If you know how to check your brake fluid and find that it is at normal operating levels, it may be a more serious problem. Here at Orozco’s, we can give your vehicle’s braking system a thorough inspection to find and remedy the problem.
• Most vehicles’ brakes self-adjust and should never need to be adjusted, but if any Components of the self-adjusting system get stuck or break, they will wear out faster and need adjustment.
• During normal driving, pay attention to how your brakes are performing.
• If your vehicle is taking a longer distance than usual to stop, it either needs brake adjusting or new brake linings.
• If your vehicle pulls to one side when you brake, you may have a stuck caliper and/or a brake fluid leak.
• If your brake pedal pulses during non-emergency stops, your brakes may be overheating from overuse.
• If your steering wheel shakes when you brake, your front brake rotors may be warped and need refinishing or replacement.
• If your brakes squeal when you stop, your brake pads or other Components may be worn or missing small parts.
• If your brakes make a grinding noise that can be felt in the pedal, they are probably severely worn and should be repaired immediately.
• Further driving could cause much more expensive damage to more major Components of your brake system.
• If your vehicle bounces up and down during a stop, your shock absorbers may be worn out.

Never procrastinate on brake work. If your vehicle is showing any of these symptoms, take care of the situation immediately, if possible before driving again. Brake failure can cost not only your own life, but the lives of others if you hit another person or vehicle.
If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding Brake Repair visit Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

New Tires (Long Beach, CA)

New Tires on Modern automobiles are more complex than ever. Their thousands of parts can be overwhelming to just think about, much less work on. Here at Orozco’s Auto Service in Long Beach, our highly trained team of certified mechanics is here to make maintaining your car a stress-free affair. We offer a variety of services, but one of the most important, and often overlooked. A vehicle’s tires are its direct connection to the road, and the one single component that has the most potential to change a vehicle’s performance in everyday driving.

No matter what kind of advanced safety systems or electronic controls your car has, tires can still make a huge difference – the wrong or worn tires can literally cost you your life in an emergency situation.

There are different types for different types of cars, seasons, and weather conditions, and it is important for car owners to know what is best suited to their needs so that they can make the right choice.

Some important things to consider when choosing are:

It is best to use a tire made for the season you are using it in. In sunny Southern California this is not as important, since we rarely get rain or snow, but it is still beneficial to have more than one set of tires over the year due to the change in road temperature between summer and winter.

Make sure that your tires are not worn. Car tires are considered to be legally worn out when the tread depth is less than 1/16”. An easy test for this is to stick a penny into the tread, perpendicular to the tire’s surface. If any of Lincoln’s hair is visible, your tires are close to needing replacement, and if his whole head is sticking out, you should replace them immediately.

Make sure to choose the right size. You should always refer to your car’s owner’s manual for tire sizing on a stock wheel setup, or consult a professional to determine what tires will best fit an aftermarket wheel/suspension setup.

At Orozco’s Auto Service in Long Beach, we are happy to help choose the best set to suit your needs, repair or replace your car’s tires, and perform vehicle alignments. If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding New Tires visit Orozco’s Auto Service Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

Helping you take good care of your car is our pleasure!

Orozco’s Auto Service Tech Question: Fuel Pump Repair

I was driving on a local LONG BEACH expressway and my sedan started sputtering and then the engine finally quit and I couldn’t get it started. I was towed to a shop in LONG BEACH and found out I had to replace my fuel pump.

What could I have done to have saved my fuel pump?

Orozco’s Auto Service Answer:

This is a tough one for LONG BEACH auto owners because there isn’t any maintenance recommended for fuel pumps. They’re inside the fuel tank and you really can’t get to them without removing the tank. But LONG BEACH auto owners can do some things to make their job easier so they last a little longer.

A lot of vehicles are equipped with a fuel filter on their gas line. This filters out dirt and rust from the gas tank before it gets to the engine. Replacing a clogged fuel filter as recommended reduces the strain on your fuel pump.

Many newer vehicles driving around LONG BEACH have their fuel filter inside the fuel tank so it cannot be changed. A good tip for CA motorists is to not run the fuel tank too low – this can cause fuel starvation that excessively wears the pump. Also, you can’t go wrong using good quality gas with high levels of detergent. This helps prevent the buildup of varnish and gum all along the fuel system.

A professional fuel system cleaning will clean fuel injectors and help remove carbon deposits from the valves and combustion chamber.

If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding fuel pump repair visit Orozco’s Auto Service Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

Hey Lakewood, are your tires worn out? What is the standard for our California streets? How can you tell on your sedan?

While there may be legal requirements for the Lakewood area, there are safety concerns that go beyond meeting minimum replacement mandates.

2/32 is the depth of the tire tread wear indicator bars that US law has required to be molded across all tires since August 1, 1968. When tires are worn so that this bar is visible, there’s just 2/32 of an inch – 1.6 millimeters – of tread left. It’s that level of wear that’s been called into question recently.
We’re referring to the Consumer Reports call to consider replacing tires when tread reaches 4/32 of an inch, or 3.2 millimeters. And the recommendation is backed by some very compelling studies.

The issue is braking on wet surfaces in and around Lakewood. Most of us think of our brakes doing most of the work, but if you don’t have enough tread on your tires, the brakes can’t do their job. When it’s wet or snowy, the tread of the tire is even more critical to stopping power.

Picture this: you’re driving over a water covered stretch of road near Lakewood, California. Your tires must be in contact with the road in order to stop. That means that the tire has to move the water away from the tire so that the tire is actually contacting the road and not floating on a thin film of water.

Floating on the surface of water is called hydroplaning. So if there’s not enough tread depth on a tire, it can’t move the water out of the way and you start to hydroplane.

In the study a section of a test track was flooded with a thin layer of water. If you laid a dime on the track, the water would be deep enough to surround the coin, but not enough to cover it.

A car and a full-sized pick-up were brought up to 70 miles per hour, or 112 kilometers an hour and then made a hard stop in the wet test area. Stopping distance and time were measured for three different tire depths:

• New tire tread depth
• 4/32 of an inch
• 2/32 of an inch

So what happened with the 2/32 tires on the car? Get this – when the car had traveled the distance required to stop with new tires, it was still going 55 miles an hour. Stopping distance was nearly doubled to 379 feet and it took 5.9 seconds.

Wow! That means if you barely have room to stop with new tires, you would hit the car in front of you at 55 miles an hour with the worn tires.

Now, with the partially worn tires – at 4/32 of an inch – the car was still going at 45 miles an hour at the point where new tires brought the car to a halt. It took nearly 100 feet more room to stop and 1.2 seconds longer. That’s a big improvement. We can see why Consumer Reports and others are calling for a new standard.

Of course, stopping distances were greater for the heavier pick-up truck.

How do you know when your tires are at 4/32 of an inch? Easy; just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You may remember doing that with pennies. A penny gives you 2/32 to Abraham Lincoln’s head. The quarter is the new recommendation – 4/32.

How do people feel about replacing their tires earlier? Well, tires are a big ticket item and most people want to get the most wear out of them that they can. But do you want that much more risk just to run your tires until they are legally worn out?

If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding your tires worn out visit Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

Orozco’s Auto Blog

The business goal of this blog is to earn a prominent spot in your mind. >From that, to earn the occasional opportunity to receive your help with community-focused efforts I support. The secondary business goal is to earn the right to provide automotive repair for you or your organization when you need it.

This blog is written for two purposes:

1.) Educate you about the latest of our ongoing community initiatives.

2.) Gently remind you that I can help you keep your automobile safe.

I want to address safety. This blog is dedicated to educating our community about our commitment to the frequent and ongoing training our technicians receive under the *ASE Blue Seal of Excellence, to keep you and your family safe. It is true that Orozco’s Auto Service isn’t the cheapest auto repair facility.  It is impossible for us to be the cheapest auto repair company and also provide the safest repair services. I invite you to choose what is most important to you and choose your auto repair vendor that way. Orozco’s Auto Service provides dealer quality parts and repair at “almost” independent shop prices while providing peace of mind that you and your family are safe as a result of choosing a quality auto repair partner.  Not only do you get quality service and parts from us, when you do business with Orozco’s Auto Service you are enabling our organization to invest back into the community.

Here is a little information on what makes us special: our technicians are ASE Certified. What is the *ASE Blue Seal of Excellence?

The Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, The ASE, is the only nationally recognized organization in the United States that tests and certifies automotive service professionals. Technicians and other Automotive professionals test their skills and abilities through the ASE. The ASE then gives them certifications so the public and employers can gauge the expertise of individuals.

The certifications are ASE Certified and ASE Master Technicians for the mechanics that service vehicles. The ASE recognizes businesses that have a high degree of commitment to excellence and training. In the entire State of California, the ASE has awarded only 149 Auto Repair companies with their highest honors, The ASE Blue Seal of Excellence Recognized Businesses. Keep in mind, there are Tens of 1000’s of auto repair shops, dealerships, and other facilities in the state, so this is a very significant qualification to our abilities to provide service to your vehicles.

We also provide a two year warranty or 24,000 mile warranty on repairs. We are a NAPA AutoCare Center partner and we are a AAA approved auto repair facility.

If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle or have questions regarding our auto blog visit Orozco’s Auto Service at any of our convenient locations in Long Beach, Bellflower, Garden Grove or Fullerton!

Here are some organizations we donate our time, resources and monetary donations to:

California Heights Neighborhood Association  Kiwanis (through Kiwanis, students from local schools benefit in both academic and sports programs)  Toastmasters  Long Beach Rescue Mission  YMCA  Lydia’s House  Homeless with Dogs  And more

Thank you for taking the time to research a local business. I hope to meet you in-person, in the near future.

Servando Orozco