How to keep your car running smooth

Lots of people don't know how to maintain their car to keep it running smooth so this is a good couple of tips to help out.

The Engine
 

Oil is very important to your engine and should be changed every 30,000 miles or 3 months to keep your car in good shape. if you drive in stop and go traffic or in dusty areas you may need to change your oil more than that or the oil filter or fuel filter may need changing. You should also check the spark plug and spark plug wires to make sure the are fine to.

The Transmission

The transmission helps your car shift power to the wheels and regularly checking up on your transmission fluid will keep the car running smoothly.

The Battery

Batteries are needed to start the cars engine. To maintain the battery make sure it is clean and secured including its connections and checking the water level if necessary.

The Emission

The emission system runs all the way down the car and is responsible for removing gases from the engine. To keep your car running smooth it should be checked up on once a year.

The brake system

the brakes are responsible for slowing your car down and frequent issues with it are normally found by the brakes making irregular noises and a low pedal could indicate air in the hydraulic system.

Basic Info: Car Engines

How do Car Engines Work?

Here I am going to cover the basic ways an engine works including engine cooling, air intake and start up systems for people curious and interested in cars.

The cooling system in most cars consists of the water pump and radiator. Water circulates through passages around the cylinders and then through the radiator to cool it off. In a few cars, motorcycles and lawnmowers the engine will be air cooled instead . Air cooling makes the engine lighter but hotter and generally decreases engine life. This is why the engine stays cool but there are other reasons air circulation is so important. Most cars are normally aspirated which means the air flows through a air filter and into the cylinders. High-performance cars are either turbocharged or supercharged so the air coming into the engine is first pressurised. The amount of pressurization is called boost. Now I'm going to cover what happens when you turn the key to start your car. The starting system consists of a starter solenoid and an electric starter motor. When you turn the ignition key the starter motor spins the engine a few revolutions so the combustion process can start. It takes a very strong engine to turn a cold motor and it must overcome all of the internal friction from the piston rings and and the compression of any cylinder in the compression stroke, the energy needed to open and close valves with the camshaft and all of the other things connected to the engine. because so much energy is needed because a car uses a 12-volt electrical systems, hundreds of amps of electricity must flow into the starter motor. The starter solenoid is the big electric switch that can handle that much current and it is activated when you turn the ignition key.
 
To keep your car engine running make sure your MOT is up to date!

What can go wrong with Car Engines

Lots of people experience this car trouble but not many know how to fix the engine themselves so I'm going to tell you about the three main issues that can cause your engine to not start. These are a bad fuel mix, Lack of compression and lack of spark.

Bad fuel mix

There a few reasons this can occur such as being out of gas so the engine gets air and no fuel. The air intake is clogged so there is fuel and not enough air. The fuel system may be giving too much or too little fuel so combustion does not occur properly or they may be impurities in the fuel like water that stops it burning.

Lack of Compression

If the charge of air and fuel cannot be compressed properly so combustion doesn't work like it should te combustion process may not work properly . It can occur because the piston rings are worn allowing air/fuel to leak past the piston during compression. The intake or exhaust Valves could not be sealed properly which would allow a leak during compression.

Lack of Spark

The spark may be weak or not there at all for a few reasons. If the spark plug is worn or the wire leading to it is worn the spark may be weak. If the wire is cut or missing or the system that sends the spark is not working properly there wont be a spark. If the spark happens to early or late then the fuel wont ignite at the right time and can cause problems.

Other possible reasons

If the battery is dead you cannot turn over the engine to start it. If the bearings that allows the crankshaft is turned the crankshaft cannot turn so the engine won't run. If the valves don't work or if their timings are off air may not be able to get in and exhaust can't get out so the engine won't run. If your tailpipe is covered then exhaust cannot get out so the engine won't run. If you run out of oil, the pistons wont move up or down and the engine will seize.

As you can see engines have a lot of problems that can occur and prevent it from starting .