We take our cars for granted. When you think about all the moving parts that work together, they are amazing inventions. What we find the most interesting, though, is how the cars handle vibration. We’re talking about thousands of small parts that are rattling around in the body of the car continually. You’d think that … Read more
With a vehicle, there’s a lot of power under the hood. We’re not talking strictly about horsepower, but rather energy output in general. The energy that the car needs is supplied by the fuel and by the battery. You need plenty of power to keep the engine running. For smaller systems in the vehicle, you … Read more
You might think that all spark plugs are the same. After all, the general purpose of a spark plug is to generate an electric current for igniting the compressed air and fuel in the combustion chamber. However, there are some differences when it comes to spark plugs. Certain ones are more efficient and perform better … Read more
The engine control unit (ECU), also referred to as the engine control module (ECM), is an electronic module that controls the function of the engine. This is done through a series of electronic components and sensors which compute data back to the engine. Based on what this data indicates, the engine will perform a specific … Read more
Your car is made up of several moving parts, such as the alternator, water pump, power steering pump, and AC compressor. For your vehicle to function correctly, these parts all need to work in unison. The serpentine or accessory drive belt connects to your power steering pump, alternator, air conditioning, and sometimes, the water pump. … Read more
Every disc braking system relies on brake pads to create the necessary friction needed to slow down the vehicle. The brake pads are positioned within your brake calipers. Whenever you step on the brake pedal to slow the vehicle down, the brake pads will press against the spinning disc brake rotors and create friction. The … Read more
As you probably know, the internal combustion engine of your vehicle needs the right balance of air and fuel in its cylinders for a successful combustion to take place. This will generate the proper amount of power needed to satisfy the demands being placed on it by the accelerator. This is all managed by the … Read more
Just as every skeletal system has cartilage to cushion and align bones at a joint, every vehicle has control arm bushings at the joints between the upper and lower control arms and the vehicle’s frame. These bushings are comprised of a cylinder of rubber or polyurethane bonded to a larger and a smaller cylinder of … Read more
A vehicle’s engine produces a lot of vibration when running. Without a specific component, the vibration would transmit to the entire car and make it very uncomfortable to the passengers inside the car. This very important component is called the motor mount (or engine mount). Below, we’ll go over how an engine mount works, what … Read more
It may seem like all tires, especially new ones, are perfectly symmetrical with with no faults and should lead to an ultra comfortable ride. The truth is that no tire is perfect and when rolling at driving speeds, even tiny imperfections can feel like major defects. This is why having your tires balanced is so … Read more