Car Tire Repair

How To Repair Car Tire 

A flat tire on your car will cause a great deal of aggravation, but it does not have to be an overly costly issue. There are ways to make temporary and permanent car tire repairs to small punctures that can extend the life of your tire without the cost of replacing one or more tires.

In the event that you sustain a large gash in the tire, you will need to replace it. Keep a spare tire and a jack in your car for these situations. And depending on the amount of wear on the remaining tires, you may need to replace both the damaged tire and the one next to it (both front tires or both rear tires) for even handling.

Tire Sealant

A good car tire repair product to have on hand is a can of tire sealant. In the event of a small puncture or slow leak, you can use a tire sealant to inject a liquid polymer directly into the tire that stops the air leak and lets you continue driving. You can find cans of tire sealant at virtually any auto parts store or tire shop. They are very inexpensive and a great way to keep your tires intact.

Tire Patches and Tire Plugs

Tire patches and plugs are another effective car tire repair method that will repair minor damages to your tires for just a few dollars. Tire patches are placed on the inside of the tire over the damaged area. The tire patch is then heated until it melts to the inside of the tire and becomes part of the tire. This method of car tire repair takes longer because the tire must be removed, but it is effective on small, irregular-shaped cuts in the tire. Tire plugs are better for round tire punctures, such as one that would be caused by a nail. Plugs are inserted into the damaged area and melt into the tire once they heat up while driving.

New tires start around $60 each, and high-end tires for passenger vehicles can be more than $200 each. That does not include mounting, balancing and disposing of your old tires. With tires costing so much, it only makes sense that you would want them to last as long as possible. Car tire repair kits such as tire sealant, tire patches and tire plugs make that possible.

Common Auto Air Conditioner Repair Problems

Car A/C Problems And Troubleshooting

Auto air conditioner repair is an inconvenience that no one wants to experience. Unfortunately, the uncomfortable feeling of driving to work during the summer with a broken AC unit is all too common. If your car’s air conditioner is causing you to feel the heat, then there are a number of possible root causes. Some of the most common types of vehicle AC repairs are listed below:

Leaking Coolant

Coolant is the liquid in your engine that produces cold air. As this liquid is pumped through a series of tubes and hoses via an AC compressor, it passes through an expansion valve that causes the coolant gas to expand and cool. If insufficient levels of this coolant are present in the AC system, then the result will be inadequate cooling. The most common cause of low coolant levels is a puncture or leak in the AC system.

Rubber hoses and connections are prone to punctures, and will result in a loss of coolant as it flows through the system. An easy way to spot a leak is by looking for a puddle of coolant that collects under your vehicle after it has been parked.

Faulty Cooling Fan

Proper air flow is necessary to properly cool Freon. Much of this critical air flow falls on the shoulders of an electric cooling fan that resides near the AC condenser. If the electric cooling fan has stopped turning, or is turning insufficiently, then it will likely be the focus of your auto air conditioner repair.

Other issues that can result in insufficient Freon cooling include a blown fuse, broken compressor or improperly working magnetic clutch.

Overheating

Sometimes, an inefficient air conditioning system is the secondary result of a more serious matter. Specifically, an overheating engine can result in a number of issues, including an improperly working AC system. This is because the high temperatures caused in the engine lower the ability of the coolant to properly flow and be cooled. If your vehicle is experiencing overheating, there may be a problem with the radiator or electric cooling fan.

Electrical Problems

Faulty wiring or an electrical malfunction can cause AC issues on newer vehicles. For example, many cars feature a temperature sensor that regulates the interior atmosphere of the vehicle. If this sensor is inaccurate, then an auto air conditioner repair may be necessary.

Chip Tuning vs. Performance Tuning

Chip Tuning vs. Performance Tuning

When it comes to getting more out of your engine, two of your big options are chip tuning and performance tuning. These are both types of engine tuning, each with their own benefits, and their own costs.

Chip Tuning

Originally, chip tuning meant that the chips in the ECU (Engine Control Unit) were removed and replaced with chips that had different software. The introduction of diagnostic ports to car computer systems opened the door for engine remapping, or rewriting the software without having to replace the chip. When a lot of people refer to chip tuning today, they actually mean remapping.

On the low end, you can simply buy a chip module that plugs into the diagnostic port to change the programming. This can have unpredictable results, since the module isn’t specifically made for your car and driving conditions. For the best results, chip tuning should be done by a professional. After installing a high quality chip, they’ll often put your car on a rolling road. They’ll run a series of diagnostic tests using precise machinery while the car’s running, then adjust the software accordingly.

Performance Tuning

While chip tuning deals exclusively with the software, performance tuning mostly concentrates on the physical parts of the engine. The vast majority of these hardware modifications or improvements concentrate on the powertrain, such as the cylinders, exhaust, transmission, and more. Performance tuning is almost always focused on getting more power out of the engine.

Performance tuning can be done by car owners in their garages, but they really have to know what they’re doing. Actions like boring out the pistons, installing a custom exhaust system and changing the compression chamber size are very complicated procedures that have to be done to very narrow margins. Owners will often find that they get the best results when they have the performance tuning done by a professional shop.

Combine the Tunings

If you really want to get the most performance possible out of your car’s engine, then you’ll probably want to combine both performance tuning and chip tuning. Performance tuning will allow you to switch out parts and tweak engine parameters to get as much as possible out of the engine.

Once you’ve got all of the physical parts fine-tuned, chip tuning will allow you to make sure that the software is lined up to get you the best response possible out of your upgraded engine. In fact, many of the pro shops that can help with performance tuning can also help with any chip tuning or remapping that needs to be done.

A Basic Guide to the Computer in Your Car

Computer Operating Guide  in Your Car

Did you know that modern cars can have over 80 different computers scattered around the car? These control everything from your automatic windows to your stereo to the brake system to your engine. The computers are all hidden behind body panels, in the engine compartment, and dozens of other places. In fact, the only sign of computers most drivers will ever see is the console interface.

Emissions Standards:  The Birth of Car Microprocessors

Car computers really got their start with the introduction of the catalytic convertor and electronic fuel injector. Before these systems, the fuel/air ratio was controlled by the carburetor, which could be more than a little imprecise. A catalytic convertor requires a precise fuel/air ratio (1:14.7) in order to be effective in eliminating emissions. As emission standards got more and more strict, more control was needed.

Enter the first car microprocessors. The chips were nowhere near as powerful as the ones in personal computer, but they didn’t have to be. After all, they have to process a lot less data and programs. These chips made it possible for the fuel/air mixture to be constantly monitored and adjusted to make sure it had the right ratio. As technology got more advanced, the uses for auto computers multiplied.

The CAN

As more and more computers were added to cars, something had to be added to tie them all together. This is where the Controller Area Network, or CAN, comes in. The CAN creates a complex network that connects all of the computers throughout the car. The modern CAN design doesn’t even have a central hub or router. All of the individual Electronic Control Units (ECUs) are linked to the network, allowing them to interact seamlessly.

Parts of an ECU

That network would be nothing without the ECUs. These are the actual workhorses of your car’s computer system. On the outside they tend to look like boxes, but inside the housing is a circuitboard with several different components, including:

Analog-Digital Converters:

Many of the sensors throughout the car are analog, but the chip can only deal with digital data. The converters turn those analog signals into 1’s and 0’s so the chip can use them.

High-Level Digital Outputs:

That digital signal hits the processor, which runs it through programming. Depending on how the programming reacts, the chip will send signals through the outputs to operate things like fuel injector, spark plugs, and more.

Digital to Analog Converters:

Like the sensors, most of the parts in a car are mechanical, meaning they need analog signals to run. The convertors take the digital signal and make it into the voltage that’s needed to power the mechanical parts.

Signal Conditioners:

Sometimes that voltage needs to be adjusted to work with certain parts. These conditioners are circuits that make any necessary voltage changes, and are the last link in the ECU chain.

Diagnostic Ports

There are various ports built into the ECUs and the CAN that allow access to the system. Mechanics will use these to connect diagnostic computers to aid them in finding problems with the engine. They also make it easy to switch out faulty ECUs or parts of the CAN without a lot of network splicing.

But they have another common use. Mechanics and car owners can use these diagnostic ports to connect to the engine control module. That connection can then be used to remap the computer, add performance chips, or tune the software.

Roadside Services and Towing

Roadside Services and Towing: What to Do If Your Car Breaks Down

Car breakdowns can happen when you least expect it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared. Here are some keys tips to remember so you’re ready when the time comes.

Get Your Car Out of Traffic

Your first priority has to be to get your vehicle to safety. If you have time and your car’s struggling along, then try to find a straight section of road to avoid problems with curves. Even if the engine cuts out while you’re driving, you can usually still steer the car to the side of the road while coasting. Try to get it as far off the road as possible.

You can’t always get your car out of the road, for instance in rush hour traffic. If this happens, don’t get out of your car. Turn on your hazard lights and call 911 immediately. The police will send out someone to direct traffic and get your car out of the traffic flow.

Make Your Car Visible

You want to make your car as visible as possible to avoid any further accidents. If it’s during the day, then turn on your hazard lights. At night, these can make it seem like your car is still moving, so turn on your interior light for extra visibility.

If it’s safe for you to get out, there are other things you can do to increase visibility. If you have them, use flares or hazard triangles spaced out leading up to your car. It’s also a good idea to raise the hood to let other know that you’re in trouble.

Call For Help

If you have roadside coverage, then you should give them a call, or call someone who can contact the service. If you’re not safely out of the flow of traffic, then your first call should be to the police. Not everyone has roadside service, though. In that case, then you can call a towing company to come out and help you.

Almost everyone has a cell phone these days, but in case you don’t have one or don’t have service, you should look for emergency call boxes. If there’s one within easy sight of your vehicle, then you should use it. Otherwise, stay with your vehicle until someone stops.

Stay With Your Car

Once you’ve called, you should stay with your car until help arrives. If there’s a barrier, then wait behind the barrier. If there isn’t and traffic is somewhat close to your car, then stay in your car with your seatbelt on.

Even if you didn’t call for help, you should still stay with your car. Highway patrol and state troopers patrol common routes, and sooner or later one of them will spot you. Also, other motorists will often call breakdowns in, especially truck drivers over their CB system.