Automotive Industry News & Information - Birch's Automotive & Muffler

Your fuel system is comprised of a variety of parts, each tasked with keeping your engine running strong - Chevy, Ford, and Ram all have small differences, and diesel systems have changed over the years with innovation in the field; however, the fundamentals haven’t changed. At Birch's Automotive & Muffler, our technicians are familiar with the differences between models and generations, but for the intents and purposes here they aren’t necessary to know. Here’s an overview of the major components you’ll find in most diesel fuel systems.

Unless you are confident in your abilities as an automotive mechanic, there is really only one rule when purchasing a flood-damaged vehicle: don’t do it. Unfortunately, sometimes sellers aren’t particularly straight-forward with their used cars. Many will try to hide the fact that it’s been damaged by floodwaters at all or try to convince potential buyers that the car is in fact fine. “It has gone months with no issues” or “technically it is flood-damaged but” are two red flags, and while it isn’t impossible for a flood car to be fine, it’s altogether a good idea to stay away.

At Birch's Automotive & Muffler in Arlington, we understand all too well the importance of changing your oil regularly. Three to five thousand miles sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t really take that long to rack them up. The busier you are, the more you probably drive, and the more likely you are to forget it’s time to change your oil. Here are some reasons to pay attention to your oil changes, and help you better understand why oil changes are so important.

The differentials on your Ford, Chevrolet, or Dodge diesel pickup are some of the hardest working components on your truck. At Birch's Automotive & Muffler in Arlington, our technicians are experts in maintaining, repairing, and replacing differentials, keeping your truck working reliable just as much as you do.

Fluid levels, tire condition, dashboard lights, and a variety of other items typically are briefly explored whenever you bring your vehicle in for maintenance here at Birch's Automotive & Muffler in Arlington, TN, where we are good at noticing things that need repair, but the fact of the matter is that only you know your car. You know when your car feels off when it's been serviced last (or that it hasn't been serviced at all,) and have at least some vague idea of what’s going on with your vehicle day to day. Here are some questions you can ask us next time you come by the shop;

In the diesel world, "blow-by" is a term you're bound to run across at some point if your line of work involves diesel-powered vehicles of any kind. What is blow-by, what causes it, and how concerned should you be? At Birch's Automotive & Muffler in Arlington, TN, our fleet maintenance and diesel technicians see it on a regular basis. Here we'll take a quick look at blow-by, correcting it, and preventing it.

What is Blow-By? - Diesel blow-by is a term that describes an event of lost compression into the crankcase. Blow-by occurs whenever a burnt or unburnt fuel and air mixture escape from the cylinder and past the piston rings and into the crankcase. In a perfect world, the piston would be sealed tightly in the cylinder, able to move up and down but keeping all the air and fuel and exhaust that enters or exits the cylinder during the combustion process out of the crankcase. As you'll see, this perfect world doesn't exist, but it is important to minimize the amount of blow-by in a diesel engine.

Your drive belts run everything - your AC, power steering, alternator, and water pump are all dependent on the belts that turn them. At Birch's Automotive & Muffler in Arlington, TN, our goal is to keep your truck maintained, so you’re never stuck out on the road. Drive belts are a critical part of that goal.

Your drive belts are simple but integral components to the function of your car, truck, or SUV. At Birch's Automotive & Muffler in Arlington, TN, belts are one of the first things we assess when looking over a vehicle, as they alone are in charge of operating your AC, water pump, alternator, and power steering.