Not-So-Smooth Operator (Transmission Signs of Trouble)

May 28, 2023

You are heading down a flat, newly paved street when all of a sudden you feel it. Your vehicle jumps a little bit when you're accelerating and changing gears. You know it's not the surface of the road because it's smooth as silk. So what did you just feel? That kind of jumpingor grinding or sl... More

Shifty Letters PRNDL (Transmission)

September 11, 2022

You probably figured out those shifty letters. They're what you see on your automatic transmission shifter and stand for Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Low. Your automatic transmission is one of the great automotive inventions; here are some ways you can keep yours working well. Maintain you... More

Smooth Shifting in Lockport, Illinois: Transmission Service

August 25, 2022

So you have some exciting plans for the weekend. You're going to take some of your friends out on the boat for some water skiing. Of course, you've gotten the boat all ready. And you haven't forgotten about your tow vehicle. You've gassed it up and even vacuumed it out. However, there is somethi... More

Automotive Tips from Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport: A Broken or Damaged Timing Belt

November 22, 2020

The timing belt rotates the cam shafts which open and close the valves that allow air, fuel, and exhaust to flow through the engine as it powers your car when you drive around Lockport.An old timing belt can lose a tooth in the belt allowing it to slip. The engine could stop or misfire. Timing be... More

Transmission Care in Lockport, Illinois

July 19, 2020

Do you have any plans around Lockport, Illinois, for the weekend? Maybe you and some friends are taking the boat up to the lake. Maybe you'll be having a lot of fun water skiing and doing a little fishing.You got the boat all ready. It's all gassed up. You packed lots of snacks and the cooler's ... More

Ask Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport: What Happens When a Serpentine Belt Breaks?

May 3, 2020

The serpentine belt is aptly named since it snakes around under your hood. It may lack its namesake's fangs, but it sure packs a wallop when it breaks.The serpentine belt powers a lot of engine systems. It runs the alternator, which charges the battery; the water pump (on some vehicles), which co... More

The Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport Guide to Caring for Your Transmission

November 3, 2019

Most vehicles have automatic transmissions, yet a lot of Lockport drivers only have a fuzzy understanding about what a transmission does. Think back to the last time you rode a bike in Lockport. You started out in a lower gear and shifted to higher gears as you went faster. Down shift for hills,... More

Automotive Tips from Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport: Timing Belt Overview

October 7, 2018

In your engine, valves over each combustion chamber open to allow fresh air in, close during the combustion event, and then other valves open to let out the exhaust. All of this happens over and over thousands of times a minute when you are driving around Lockport. The timing belts important job ... More

Combustion Choreography: Timing Belt Replacement at Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport in Lockport

September 16, 2018

Have you ever seen a ballet performance? Have you wondered how all of those dancers manage to travel all over the stage jumping and twirling and never crash into each other? That's the job of a choreographer.Our auto engines are also highly choreographed. Pistons travel up and down inside cylinde... More

Gear Up: Transmission Service at Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport in Lockport

July 16, 2018

The transmission system in your vehicle allows you to change gears. Lower gears are power gears. They get your vehicle moving and get it up hills. Higher gears get the vehicle up to speed and get it rolling faster. If you have a standard transmission, then you have to do the work of shifting gea... More