SCILL Center Students Perform Well on ASE Certification Tests

Posted on Author WKVI
SCILL Center

The students at the SCILL Center recently took ASE classes for certification.

“There were 152 tests that were given over a week’s period of time, which included steering, suspension, brakes, electrical and electronic systems, engine performance, engine repair, automatic transmission systems, transaxles, manual drive line, axles and heating and air conditioning,” explained SCILL Center Instructor, Rod Dawson. “In each of the categories, we had actually 19 students that were taking each one of these tests, and they scored over a fifty percent in each of them with a pass rate. I was quite impressed with the students and it was an excellent showing for the first time around. I felt that the students needed to take all eight areas and it just validates what they actually are doing here for training.”

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Car Care Tip: Check Vehicle’s Exhaust System

Posted on Author WKVI

April is National Car Care Month. SCILL Center instructor, Mark Anderson, says that it may be a good time to check your exhaust system.

“Cars have an exhaust system underneath that is made out of aluminized metal which reacts with the salt that they put on the roads in the wintertime,” said Anderson. “At this time of the year, we see a lot of exhaust systems and mufflers laying along the side of the road, so this is a good time of the year to check your exhaust system. Just go behind the car and give your tailpipe a little bitty kick and see if anything rattles. If it does, you should take it in and get it fixed.”

A Clean Air Filter Increases Gas Mileage

Posted on Author WKVI

Looking for ways to save at the pump? Rod Dawson, instructor at the SCILL Center in Knox, says that a clean air filter can increase your gas mileage.

“This is the time of year when we’re starting to get a lot of bugs, farmers are out in the fields and we’re going to be picking up a lot of dust and dirt and those filters will start to clog up. We start restricting the amount of air that needs to be put into that engine through that air filter,” said Dawson. “When that starts to clog up, it richens the engine up because we’re not getting the air to mix in with it. We start using a little more fuel at that point in time. We’re robbing about ten percent of the air that needs to come into it which can cost us up to about fifteen percent on fuel consumption.”

Clean Spark Plugs Can Help Gas Mileage

Posted on Author WKVI

SCILL Center Instructor, Rod Dawson, is in this week to give us car care tips for National Car Care month. He says we can’t neglect spark plugs

“People don’t realize it, but that spark plug will fire 3 million times within a thousand miles of driving,” said Dawson. “Take a look at what that spark plug actually does. There’s a lot of heat, a lot of electrical, and chemical erosion that happens on that spark plug. It does wear down and it does need to be replaced.”

Proper Tire Maintenance Ensures Better Gas Mileage

Posted on Author WKVI

SCILL Center Instructor, Rod Dawson, has another gas mileage saving car care tip for National Car Care month. Today, he talks tire maintenance.

“Make sure we keep them to the proper OEM specifications on tire air,” said Dawson. “Make sure you rotate them and look the tires over periodically. If you’re running two to three pounds on an under inflated tire, it’s like driving around with your parking brake on. You’re going to lose one to two miles per gallon.”

SCILL Center Instructors Offer Tips for National Car Care Month

Posted on Author WKVI

April is National Car Care month. Rod Dawson, Instructor at the SCILL Center in Knox, is in this week to offer gas mileage saving car care tips with us.

“Three out of ten vehicles have either missing or failed gas caps and nearly 150 million gallons of gas vaporizes because of it,” said Dawson. “A $5.00-$10.00 gas cap is an easy fix for that.”

Mr. Dawson will have more tips for us throughout the week on how we can keep our cars running efficiently and how we can save money at the pump.

North Judson Town Board Approves Special Event Permit for World War II Reenactment

Posted on Author WKVI
North Judson Town Board: Dan Anderson, Wendy Hoppe, Jane Ellen Felchuk, Attorney Cassie Hine and Clerk-Treasurer Connie Miller

On Monday night, the North Judson Town Board approved a special event permit submitted by the Illiana Historical Association. The members in the organization hope to participate in a World War II reenactment event on Friday, June 3rd through Sunday, June 5th, on the old railroad bed property, east of Luken Street, north of the new Firehouse. More details of the event will be available as the event draws closer.

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SCILL Center Students to Attend Chicago Auto Show

Posted on Author WKVI
Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson

SCILL Center instructors, students and several chaperones will be attending the Chicago Auto Show this Wednesday.

“The great thing about the Auto Show is that we get to see just about every car manufactured that there is,” said Instructor Mark Anderson. “These kids are going to be able to see cars that are $1 million Bentleys, Maybachs, and cars that you may not encounter any other time in your lifetime. We’re also going to see engine cutaways and what we’re pushing them for is green. We want them to see all of the electric cars. We really want them to key in on those because by the time they get out of our program and out of college, those are more likely the cars they’re going to be working on.”

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Second Ladies Car Care Session Scheduled

Posted on Author WKVI
Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson

The SCILL Center has rescheduled the second session of the Ladies Car Care Clinic. The second class will be on Tuesday, January 18th, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. CT at the SCILL Center in Knox. The cost of the class is $5.00.

For the ladies who did not attend the first class, you are urged to attend the second class. A brief review from the first class will be conducted at the beginning of this session.

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Knox Kiwanis Food Basket Promotion a Huge Success

Posted on Author WKVI
Members of the Knox Student Council, National Honor Society and dedicated volunteers separate donated food into groups before assembling baskets

A big thank you goes out to many people from the Knox Kiwanis Club. President, Todd Wallsmith, was in Wednesday to thank Knox Community Schools, Knox High School teachers, Dean’s Food of Rochester, the Knox Center Township Fire Department Auxiliary, Community Services of Starke County, the SCILL Center, and members of the Kiwanis, among others.

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SCILL Center Coat Drive a Success

Posted on Author WKVI
(L to R) Instructor Rod Dawson, Lincoln Whisman, Hayden Redlin, Cody Wilson, Jon Duell, Nick McIntosh, Jeffrey Sayer, Brock Bent and Instructor Mark Anderson

The instructors and students at the SCILL Center in Knox recently held a coat drive for those in need this winter season. The coats were delivered Thursday to the Community Services of Starke County building where they will be distributed.

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SCILL Center Staff and Students Encourage Community to Participate in Coat Drive

Posted on Author WKVI
Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson

The SCILL Center staff and students are collecting coats for children and adults this holiday season.

“Anybody that has a good, used coat that they’d like to drop off, rather than take to Goodwill or put in a yard sale, you may donate it during this coat drive,” said SCILL Center Instructor, Mark Anderson. “In Knox, you can drop them off at Community Services of Starke County, Davis Auto, Integrity Skill in the Knox Mall, Starke United, or the WIC office. In North Judson, you can drop them off at Love INC., Bailey’s, or there’s a box at the North Judson Plaza. When we accumulate all of the coats, we’re going to take them to the Knox Schools and they have names of people throughout the community and a lot of students that need these coats and they’re going to disburse them. We’d like to try and end the program on December 5th.”

For more information, call (574) 772-8001.