Automotive News & Information - Kelley's Auto & Diesel Repair

Every year, more and more trucks come equipped with turbochargers. What was once a novelty or a performance option has become increasingly common as stock equipment. What are they for, and how do they work? Kelley's Auto & Diesel Repair in Crestview, FL is here to help.

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 Kelley's Auto & Diesel Repair in Crestview, FL, 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.

When your car, truck, or SUV is burning oil, it can be frustrating and costly. There are numerous reasons an engine will burn oil - these range from an altogether worn out engine to a simple part replacement. At Kelley's Auto & Diesel Repair in Crestview, FL we want to keep you informed, here's what you need to know about why your engine might be burning oil.

Since the first automobiles, there have been radiators. Every liquid-cooled engine on the road has, and has always needed, a radiator; without it, the engine would overheat in no time, causing catastrophic engine failure. While the efficiency of radiators, the materials they’re made out of, and the shape and size of them have changed over time, radiators haven’t actually changed much over the last century or so. At Kelley's Auto & Diesel Repair we know that even though radiators generally last a long time, they do occasionally fail. When your radiator is malfunctioning you can trust our technicians to repair yours and get you back on the road.

Part of maintaining your vehicle is keeping its safety devices in good working order, especially when there are kids in the vehicle. Seat belts, window locks, and airbag sensors work together to keep children safe in an automobile. Though safety components are generally very reliable, they do occasionally fail. Kelley's Auto & Diesel Repair in Crestview, FL is here when they do; here are some things to watch out for.

Dirty Hands Working on a diesel truck engine

Keeping your fuel system maintained will prevent premature parts failure and poor running conditions. Here are some important aspects of diesel fuel system maintenance, to keep your fleet running smoothly. While your system and components should typically be serviced by a professional technician, there are some things you can be conscious of that will go a long way toward keeping your engine in good shape.

Whether you drive a Porsche, Audi, BMW, Subaru, Land Rover, or other performance and luxury vehicles, your ball joints are an essential part of your car or SUVs performance and safety. From us at Kelley's Auto & Diesel Repair, here’s what to watch out for, to make sure your ball joints are in shape and ready to go.

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.