Category: Maintenance

Your Vehicle Identification Number, most commonly known as the VIN, tells you a lot about your car. Each car’s VIN is unique, much like a social security number is for a person. Your VIN is actually not just a number. It is a combination of letters and numbers each that have something to do with your vehicle.

Components of Your VIN

Your VIN is not just a bunch of random letters and numbers thrown together like a serial number. Each section of the VIN has a specific meaning. The first three units identify the country in which the vehicle was assembled as well as who manufactured your vehicle. The second six units include information about the make and model. It also includes information about air bags, seat belts, parts used and the class of the car. The eighth digit normally represents the type of engine. The last eight units are what makes your car unique as it is different on every vehicle.

Importance of your VIN

Your VIN is one of the most important numbers on your vehicle. If there are safety recalls on your car, your VIN can identify if your car should be included. It can also help first responders gain some information about your car if you are involved in an accident and unable to communicate. If you are considering buying a used car, the VIN can be used to get a report on the car which would include accidents, service and other information. If your car is stolen, the VIN will be used to identify it should it be discovered as it is not unusual for thieves to remove license plates.

Where to Find the VIN

There are many different places to locate your VIN. Off your vehicle, you can check places like the title, registration card and insurance documents. Many body shops will include the VIN on repair records as well. You may find it in your owner’s manual and, if your car was ever in an accident or stolen, it will be on the police report. On the vehicle, the VIN is placed in several different locations. One of the reasons it is located throughout the car is to deter thieves from trying to remove the VIN in order to hide the fact it was stolen. Common places on the car to find the VIN include:

• Inside of the driver’s side doorjamb near the side-view mirror
• Lower-left corner of the dashboard in front of the steering wheel
• On the front of the engine block
• On the front end of the car frame near the windshield washer fluid container
• On the inside of the driver’s side door near where the door latches
• Rear wheel well directly above the tire
• Underneath the spare tire

Once you have located your VIN, it is recommended that you record and store it somewhere away from your car. This will help if your car is ever stolen, you need to sell your car or you plan to register your car in a new state after moving. If you have more questions about the VIN, contact us today by phone or fill out the easy form online.

There is no question that American’s love their cars, especially those that go very fast. Speed is attractive to many in this country to the point we turned running from revenue agents during Prohibition into a sport loved by many, NASCAR. High performance engines fit in small sports cars and movies with fast-moving cars always do well at the box office. One way to speed up an engine is to add turbochargers or superchargers. However, it is important to understand the difference between them.

What is a Turbocharger?

 

 

Forced air induction gives a car more power and one way to do this is by tapping into the mechanical energy of the exhaust gases. This is a turbocharger. A turbocharger spins at a high g-rate and compresses air as it flows into the engine. This allows more air to be pushed into each cylinder as well as adding more fuel. When the mixture explodes, it is more powerful and doesn’t add engine weight since it uses the exhaust steam coming from the engine.

 

What is a Supercharger?

 

There are three different types of superchargers available compared to just one type of turbocharger. Named for Philander and Francis Roots, the Roots supercharger uses meshing lobes to blow air into the intake manifold. The Twin-Screw slams air together at decreasing speeds until it is deposited in the intake manifold. A Centrifugal uses an impeller to draw air in and uses centrifugal force to spread high-speed low-pressure air into the manifold.

 

Differences Between the Two

 

Turbochargers are complex and require skill to maintain. It sits on the exhaust manifold so that the turbine is spun by the exhaust. This is a weakness as you have to wait for the exhaust to pass through after stepping on the gas to get it started. It is shaft-connected to a compressor between the manifold and air filter, with the compressor adding between six to eight pounds. A turbocharger adds between 30 and 40 percent more power without adding to exhaust pollution. It is usually quieter than a supercharger and works best at high engine speeds. A supercharger uses the crankshaft for power which means it provides power to the engine almost immediately. The Roots supercharger is connected by a belt, chain, gear or shaft to the engine so it looks more impressive. It is also fuel-hungry and tops out around 50,000 RPM, using fuel the entire time to maintain its RPMs. It provides 46 percent more power at lower speeds which makes them a good option for trucks and diesel engines.

 

Whether your vehicle is turbocharged or supercharged, if you’ve been involved in a collision contact us today by calling or filling out the easy form online.

When it is time to purchase a vehicle, you have the option of purchasing a gasoline or diesel engine. What you may not know is what the difference is between the two engines. The main difference between he two is in the timing of the fuel delivery system which allows diesel engines to operate more efficiently than gasoline engines. However, there are other differences that can also be important when you are looking at purchasing a new vehicle.

 

Comparing Diesel and Gasoline Combustion Cycles

Both diesel and gasoline engines have compression, exhaust, ignition and intake strokes in their combustion cycles. Both are also designed to convert fuel into mechanical energy once it is ignited. The intake is the first downward stroke of the piston. Both air and fuel enter the piston during the intake stage in a gasoline engine. The mixture then moves to the carburetor and mixed long before it gets to the chamber. If the engine has a port injected system, the fuel is injected just outside of the piston before entry.

In a diesel engine, the only thing entering the piston during intake is air. When the piston moves upward, it compresses the contents of the cylinder. In a gasoline engine, the compression ratios are lower than in diesel engines. During ignition, the compressed air and fuel is ignited in a gasoline engine while diesel engines use direct fuel injection at the beginning of the ignition stroke. Both the gasoline and diesel engine operate the same during the exhaust stroke of the piston.

Fuel Efficiency and Higher Compression

Gasoline engines use lower compression to prevent spontaneous ignition of fuel and air as it creates excessive heat which can lead to engine knocking. Gasoline engines have a compression ratio of between 8:1 ad 12:1 while diesel engines have a compression ratio between 14:1 and 25:1. This translates to more power available to do the work of the engine while operating in a more fuel-efficient manner. This, combined with the higher amount of energy stored in diesel fuel, contributes to the low mileage diesel engines are known to provide.

Cold Starting Issues

Because compressed air within diesel engines must reach a higher temperature than gasoline engines during startup, diesel engines often need assistance in starting when the engine is cold. Most people use glow plugs, or wires that are electronically heated, to heat the interior of the cylinders enough to get the engine started. In newer diesel engines, computer controls are able to delay the timing of fuel injection when the weather is cold, allowing the engine to heat without the need for glow plugs.

If you have a diesel or gasoline engine and you’ve been involved in a collision, we are here to help you get your car back on the road. Contact us today to schedule an appointment by giving us a call or fill out the simple form online.

When you buy a vehicle, the salesman often talks about horsepower. However, they rarely explain what horsepower actually is and why it is important for your car. Historically, horsepower means exactly what it sounds like it means.

What is Horsepower?

In 1781, James Watt needed to convince people to stop using horses and purchase his new steam engine. He measured a horse walking in circles as it turned a mill grindstone. He multiplied the distance the horse walked by the 180 pounds of pulling force, then divided it by the time it took, creating a new measurement known as horsepower. Basically, his calculations determined that a horse exerting 1 horsepower can raise 330 pounds 100 feet in one minute. Today, horsepower can be converted into other measurements. One horsepower is equal to 746 watts or 2,545 BTU. Basically, horsepower is the “power” of an engine.

What is Brake Horsepower?

Brake horsepower is the amount of work generated by a motor under the best conditions. It is calculated without the consideration of an auxiliary compoenent which could slow down the motor’s speed. Brake horsepower is measured in the output shaft of the engine and was originally created to measure the output of steam engines. Brake horsepower is critical for airplane engines and turbiens as it helps with the calculation of engine efficiency.

How Do I Calculate Horsepower?

To determine the horsepower of an engine, it must be connected to a dynamometer which places a load on the engine in order to measure the power the engine produces against the road. The dynamometer simulates starting an engine, putting it in neutral and then stomping on the gas. The dynamometer allows you to measure how much load an engine can take at various levels so that it can be graphed to determine peak horsepower.

What is the Difference Between Horsepower and Torque?

Horsepower is measured when the engine is at higher RPMs while torque is measured at the low-end. A diesel engine may only have 300 to 400 horsepower but could have 1,500 to 2,000 feet of torque. This allows trucks to pull heavy loads. Basically, horsepower is the power of the engine while torque is the rotating force that may or may not result in motion. Torque can be generated without moving something, but when it does move something, it becomes work. The more torque an engine has, the more work potential it has. Torque is important when a vehicle will be towing or pulling objects while horsepower is important when determining how much power an engine has.

Schedule an appointment today with Elmer’s Auto Body if your vehicle has been in a collision or has suffered damage to the body or windshield. You can reach us through the easy online form or give us a call today.

Torque, like horsepower, is a word that car manufacturers like to use when they promote the vehicles they manufacture. The fact is that torque is just as important as horsepower although it isn’t often given the credit it deserves. In the 1980s, torque was rarely mentioned, in fact. Today’s cars, however, have a significant amount of technology, comfort and safety features which add to the weight of the vehicle. For this reason, torque is important to the engine to get the vehicle moving properly.

What is Torque?

Torque is the engine’s rotational force and is normally expressed in relation to an engine speed. A car feels more responsive when peak torque occurs in low rev ranges, but there are many people who enjoy driving vehicles with engines that must be revved significantly before peak torque is reached. The larger the vehicle, the more important torque is. For example, a tiny Smartcar does not need a lot of torque, but an SUV towing a boat will need a significant amount of torque.

How to Measure Torque

Torque is simply a mathematical equation and is computed by multiplying the force needed to move an object. If it takes you 20 pounds of force to tighten a lug nut on a vehicle with an 18-inch wrench, the equation would be “20 (lb) x 1.5 (ft) = 30 lb” of torque. In other words, tightening the lug nut would require 30 pounds of torque.

What is Braking Torque?

Braking torque is the force applied to the brake wheel to stop something from moving. In other words, braking torque is the power of the braking system. To determine braking torque, multiply the force exerted by the caliper with the effective radius of the system. Braking torque changes with the force applied by the caliper or the radius.

What is the Difference Between Torque and Horsepower?

Torque differs from horsepower as horsepower refers to how quickly an engine delivers work while torque explains how much work an engine can exert. Torque is often referred to as “pulling power” while horsepower is usually referred to as simply “power.” Torque is normally referred to in either Newton metres or pound feet.

Your vehicle is one of your most prized possessions and you don’t want to leave its body work to just anyone. If your car has been involved in a collision, or if you have some minor issues you want to resolve in the exterior of your car, schedule an appointment at Elmer’s Auto Body today by calling or completing the easy form.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The wheel alignment of your car is critical to its performance. It can impact your fuel efficiency, the wear on your tires, how your tires perform as well as the handling and maneuverability of your car. There are some fairly easy ways to tell if the alignment of your car needs to be addressed so that your car is running at its maximum efficiency.

 

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What to Look for While Driving

While driving on a flat, dry road, you may notice that your car is pulling to one side of the road or the other. You may also notice that when you make slow turns, the car makes a squealing sound or that your steering wheel seems to be off-center. Your steering wheel may also vibrate as you drive. If your car is experiencing any of these symptoms, you need to bring it in for an alignment as soon as you can.

Tire Wear is Uneven

Your alignment determines how your tires meet the road. If you have noticed uneven tire tread on your car, it is possible your alignment may be off. Unevenly worn tires can also indicate that your wheel bearings are loose or worn. This can cause the tire to lean, leading to more wear on the inside or outside of the tire. It is also important to keep the right amount of air pressure in your tires to avoid alignment issues.

Alignment Checks

Even if you have not noticed issues with handling or wear on your tires, you should have the alignment in your vehicle checked at least once each year. If you routinely have your tires rotated, the service station should also check the alignment. During an alignment, a trained technician uses machinery known as the four-wheel alignment system to check whether alignment is necessary. Your car is placed on a large platform rack attached to diagnostic equipment. A visual inspection checks for suspension, steering and tire issues before the car is “driven” on the test platform. During the test, the machinery records the measurements of wheel and tire angles before comparing them to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Adjustments are made based on that recommendation to bring your car back into alignment.

If you have noticed handling issues or uneven wear on your tires after an auto accident, contact Elmer’s Auto Body today to schedule an appointment for a vehicle alignment. You can schedule the appointment by calling or completing the simple form online.

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