Automotive News & Information - GC Automotive & Performance

Do you hear a funny clicking sound when you turn the wheels of your vehicle? It could be your car or truck's CV or Drive Axle, and it may be in need of repair. Safety is the number one priority for our customers here at GC Automotive & Performance, and it is our goal to keep your vehicle running smoothly. Driving around with a damaged CV Joint or Drive Axle problem can be extremely dangerous. The axle is a structural component that bears the weight of the vehicle, any cargo, and the acceleration forces between you and the ground. It is so important to have your vehicle inspected regularly by a trained automotive repair professional here at GC Automotive & Performance to ensure its safety.

If you drive a lightweight car, truck, or SUV, the torque converter you have installed is probably just fine. For those of you with more heavy-duty applications, like high horsepower setups or towing rigs, the stock converter may not be enough. At GC Automotive & Performance in Jamesburg & Marlboro Township, NJ, we can help you determine if your torque converter is right for the job you need to be done.

guy carrying a tire to fix it on side of the road

The best way to deal with a blown tire is to prevent it from happening in the first place. However, eventually, a flat tire is going to occur, and it’ll most likely be when you least need it. From GC Automotive & Performance in Jamesburg & Marlboro Township, NJ, here’s what you need to do.

Is your diesel having issues starting up? Do you hear a knocking noise? Is there blue colored smoke coming from your engine? Don't ingore the signs, those could all be signs of engine failure. One of the leading issues that lead to diesel engine failure is fuel contamination. Fuel contamination comes in different forms, but always has the same result - engine trouble and fuel system failures. Here’s what you need to know about fuel contamination with diesel trucks, from GC Automotive & Performance in Jamesburg & Marlboro Township, NJ.

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 GC Automotive & Performance in Jamesburg & Marlboro Township, NJ, 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.

Changing the oil in big trucks and commercial vehicles is an expensive, but necessary, part of keeping your vehicles going. You don’t want to wait until it’s too late to change your oil, but changing it too early can be a waste of time and money. Having your oil tested regularly helps us to hone in on exactly how often your oil needs to be changed, to optimize reliability and efficiency.

Transmissions are one of the more mysterious and unknown aspects of automotive engineering, to most people. In the modern world, this is more true than ever, making technicians with expertise in transmission maintenance and repair more of a necessity than a convenience. At GC Automotive & Performance in Jamesburg & Marlboro Township, our technicians have the skill, knowledge, and equipment necessary to diagnose and repair any sort of transmission issue you may be experiencing with your Dodge, Chevrolet, or Ford diesel pickup.

Brake pads are important - you don’t need them to go, but you do need them to stop. At GC Automotive & Performance in Jamesburg & Marlboro Township, NJ, we like to keep your vehicle stopping exactly as it should - it’s less dangerous, and it keeps insurance premiums low. So, how do you know if your brake pads are going bad? How do they work? What even are they? We’ve got the answers!