Wednesday, September 21, 2011

How to Check Your Engine

The nice thing about the engine of a car is how easy it is to work with. You don’t generally have much going wrong with it. It’s a piece that’s designed to propel your vehicle across hundreds of thousands of miles of travel. They’re made to last.

Provided, of course, that you take good care of them.

And the thing is, it really isn’t that hard. The engine isn’t hard to diagnose. If it’s working well, you’ll get to where you need to go. The preventative maintenance is relatively easy too - make sure you get your oil changed when the specialists tell you to. If the check oil light comes on, open the hood of your car, and use the dipstick to see if the level’s where it needs to be.

Now, if your check engine light comes on, you may have a problem. That light comes on if you have a problem getting fuel to the tank, or if it’s something serious. It can be anything from a loose gas cap - which is easy - to something worse or more expensive.

The best thing you can do is take it to a mechanic to have it checked.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

What are Transmissions For?

So, we specialize not only in engines, but also in transmissions as well. We tend to think an awful lot about the engine. We say that we know about the transmission.

But do we really?

If you walk up and ask a regular person what an engine is, they’ll explain it: it’s the thing that makes the car go. If you ask about the transmission, they say that it’s part of the engine. The explanation doesn’t really go much further than that.

So, what is the transmission, then?

The simplest definition is that the transmission is the part that transfers power from the engine to the rest of your car. Not electrical power - remember, that’s the battery - but locomotive power instead.

This is necessitated due to the mechanics of the engine. The internal combustion engine achieves between 6000 and 7000 revolutions per minute at its optimal range, while wheels can only handle between 0 and 1800 revolutions. Additionally, the engine achieves optimal power when it’s cruising, but needs power the most when it’s starting from a stopped position.

The transmission is the part that regulates that transfer of power to meet the needs of the vehicle.