August Air Quality Tip of the Month

Let the “check engine” light work for you

That “check engine” light on your dashboard is not a decoration. In
cars made in 1996 and after, the light is a sign the fuel system is no
longer closed or emissions controls aren’t working, and those problems
mean the vehicle is releasing too many pollutants.

In Fond du Lac County, 52 percent of the nitrogen oxides in our air
come from vehicles. The chemicals irritate respiratory conditions and
form ground-level ozone. But the good news is that drivers can reduce
vehicle pollutants by keeping their vehicle regularly maintained.
Efficient engines run cleaner.
Chuck Willinger, service manager at Pete’s Auto, Repair & Sales in
Waupun, said that driving with the “check engine” light on prevents
the car from doing additional diagnostic work; other problems could be
masked because the light can identify just one problem at a time.
Willinger said that engines work at peak efficiency when tires are
inflated properly, the air filter is replaced every 15,000-20,000
miles and the fuel filter is replaced regularly.
“We’ve had customers say they didn’t know their engine was supposed to
run that smoothly after we’ve finished their engine work,” Willinger
said.

Corporate budgets and vehicles also benefit from regular maintenance.

“With well over 200 pieces of equipment, we take maintenance very
seriously,” said Fond du Lac Director of Public Works Mark Lentz. “It
saves taxpayer dollars by improving vehicle efficiency and decreasing
fuel usage, and also extends the life of the equipment. We pay careful
attention to exhaust and emissions to ensure compliance with state and
federal laws.”

Each city vehicle has a maintenance schedule based on number of hours
used and number of miles driven, Lentz said.

The August Healthy Air Tip is a project of the NEW Air Coalition, a
group of representatives from Fond du Lac County government, business
and education working together to improve air quality and the health
of county residents. Share your air quality best practices and learn
more about countywide efforts at www.fdlhealthyair.com.