Kenvil & Lake Hopatcong Auto Repair

GMC Acadia, Crank But No Start.  Here we have a GMC Acadia with a crank but no start condition. No matter how long you try to crank the engine, the most you may get is a sputter if you're lucky. After running a few diagnostic tests, our technician Jay was able to prove that the SUV has spark and fuel, which leaves only one thing left to test for, compression. After compression testing the cylinders and also adding compressed air into the spark plug holes, (also known as a cylinder leak down test) he was able to confirm that the engine does not have good compression and is also leaking air into the intake and exhaust manifolds. Digging a little deeper proves the engine is out of time, this is a very common issue with these engines as the timing chain stretches and the guides wear down past the point the tensioner can keep the engine in time. Timing in an engine simply put is the synchronization of the top half of the engine (camsh ... read more

2017 Ford Fusion with multiple different electronic issues, from lights and dashboard not working, radio acting weird, and many little random glitches that don't add up. Our technician was able to diagnose the issue and deemed it to be CAN bus-related. These issues are normally very difficult to diagnose or even impossible for some without proper training and experience.     These days, all modern vehicles, from conventional combustion-powered cars to the latest EVs, feature a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. It's the electronic communication system that lets everything  be able to talk to each other including the engine, transmission, body control, and even brakes. It works the same way a computer communicates with its own parts, with 0's and 1's. Literally, multiple pulses or pauses  of electricity (0110101001) just like Morse code. Computers are ab ... read more

For Novembers Repair of The Month, we have a 2014 Dodge Charger 3.6L Pentastar that came in with an underperforming and ticking engine. The ticking sound was caused by a seized lifter which in turn, grinds down the camshaft lobe as you can see in one picture. When this happens, the valve does not open fully which dramatically hurts fuel efficiency and engine performance. If ignored too long a large amount of metal shavings will make their way throughout the entire engines oil system causing catastrophic engine failure. Our technician was easily able to diagnose and identify the issue.  And with a fresh camshaft and all new lifter and rocker arms, this engine was back to full performance, reliability and fuel efficiency in no time! 4 While we were there the customer also agreed to freshen up the timing components, replacing the timing chains, guides, and tensioners. These are common issues with these engines stemming from lack of maintenance, poor design and location of the engi ... read more

Our technicians work tirelessly behind the scenes every day and they certainly have their work cut out for them. Some days are more challenging and exciting than others, but they are always rewarding.  June's Repair of the month: Our super talented technician, Jay worked on this '08 Chevy Silverado 5.3 liter and the outcome was pretty spectacular. Here is a little overview. This '08 Chevy Silverado with 200k miles on it. The Client's complaint was that the check engine light was on and the vehicle was running rough at idle.   After a full health inspection, and code scan Jay was able to read that the PCM (powertrain control module) Had a Code   p0301-Cylinder 1 misfire only at idle. After swapping cylinder one and cylinder two spark plugs and swapping cylinder 1 and cylinder 3 spark plug wires, the misfire stayed in cylinder 1. He then swapped cylinder 1 coil and cylinder 3 coil, the misfire still stayed in cyl ... read more