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Autoblog Maintenance 101: Spark plug replacement

April 5, 2006

Filed under: Maintenance

Now
that carburators have been in the auto industry’s rear-view mirror for nearly two decades, we experience remarkably few
problems getting the correct amount of fuel into the cylinders. Lighting that mixture off has also become an event that
can be relied upon, but it’s still necessary to occassionally pay some attention to one of the remaining wear items in
the ignition system - the humble spark plug. Worn plugs can cause reduced fuel economy, poor drivability and increased
emissions.
The recommended service interval for spark plugs is usually every 100,000 miles. We’d prefer not
to go that long for a few reasons. First, we’ve seen a few platinum plugs that were rated to go 100K, but which had
either experienced excessive wear or had completely shed their precious-metal “pucks”. Second, the plugs’
appearance is one of the best indicators of engine health, and we like to check in on things more often than every time
the odometer’s sixth [...]

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Autoblog Maintenance 101: Differential/axle lube

April 2, 2006

Filed under: Ask Autoblog, Maintenance, Green, Tech

With
fresh fluids in the rest of the drivetrain, it is now time to turn our attention to the axle lubrication. Where as we
stated that the transfer case fluid leads a relatively easy life, the same is not true of the rear axle. The reason for
this is heat; due to the relatively high frictional losses of the hypoid ring-and-pinion gears, axle lube temperatures
can exceed 300F during high-speed cruising. While certain ultra-high-performance vehicles such as the Corvette Z06 have
provisions for axle cooling, most of us aren’t so lucky. Throw in the fact that this lube isn’t filtered and is prone to
contamination by water and other environmental matter, and it’s essential that it be changed on a regular basis (two
years or 25,000 miles isn’t a bad starting point for a recommended service interval). We’ll show you how it’s done on
the 9.5″ 14-bolt axle under the rear of [...]

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Autoblog Maintenance 101: Transfer case fluid change

April 1, 2006

Filed under: Ask Autoblog, Maintenance, Trucks/Pickups, Green, Tech, GMC

With an oil change and transmission fluid
swap out of the way, it’s now time to exchange the oil transfer case lube for some fresh stuff. For those of you
with manual transmission, you’d follow most of the same steps to service that unit, so please don’t feel slighted
(there will be a few in-depth posts on manual transmission service in another month or so).
(Click on through the jump for the full walk-through)!
Continue reading Autoblog Maintenance 101: Transfer case fluid change
Autoblog Maintenance 101: Transfer case fluid change originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Apr 2006 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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