Road trips are fun if Car doesn’t break down. Partsavatar presents maintenance tips that will keep you on right track!

Conducting proper maintenance on your vehicle can extend the life of your car and save you a lot of money down the road. ~ Care for your car at parts avatar Auto replacement parts!

Proper maintenance of car is very essential for hassle free trips.  It is often frustrating to encounter any form of car trouble particularly when you are in hurry or are far away from auto repair shop. Regular car maintenance can help prevent the possibility of you being stuck in such situations. Let’s take a look at some of the car maintenance tips suggested by parts avatar.

Choose proper Fluids for brakes, cooling and transmission systems

It is very important to use manufacturer’s recommended fluid for your vehicle for it is better performance. Be careful while you choose car’s coolant/antifreeze or automatic transmission fluids as fluid contamination can affect a car’s performance adversely.

Transmission and other components often tend to become noisy and perform poorly if you use bad quality fluids for your vehicle.

Make sure while filling coolant that the radiator is not contaminated. If you see burning smell or dark brown color of coolant, then you might need to flush out the radiator and fill it with new clear coolant. If ignored, it will cause engine overheating problems.

Check the tires

Tires act as interface between car and ground. If your car’s tire is not having enough tread, you won’t be able to stop quickly or handle slippery roads. Check the tires regularly for proper inflation. Under inflation not only damages the tire but also causes accident on the road if you keep on driving. Under-inflated tires are also a risk for your car’s fuel economy. It is better to install TPMS sensors to check tire pressure as tires are very expensive to replace.

There is also a short trick by which you can determine whether your car’s tire needs replacement. Place a dime in one of the tire’s grooves, with the bluenose’s sails pointing down. If you can see all of the sails, then tires probably need replacement.

Check vehicle’s recall status

Recalls identify potential safety issues. So, visit your automakers website and check each vehicle’s recall status.

Automakers provide free repair services for the recalled vehicles, and most of us are oblivious of this fact. About 20 percent of car owners do not take advantage if there vehicle is in recall list because they don’t know such clause.

This is not advised to get a free maintenance. You will also get to know why the vehicle was recalled and which auto part is faulty.

Replace your Brake fluid every two years

Brake fluids help lubricate the moving parts within braking system, protect metal components from rusting and corrosion and also ensure that the hoses and seals remain in good condition.

It is one of the most neglected fluids in cars yet it is very important for a safe drive. The water contamination inside the brake system often leads to brake failure. Check your owner’s manual for instructions and bleed your car’s brakes by replacing brake fluid timely.

Check your car’s battery

Without battery, your car just won’t start. It would be even harder for you if you have to drive in extreme cold region. On an average a car battery lasts for four years. This average lifespan will fluctuate depending upon extreme temperature exposure or whether or not it goes through full charge cycles.

Check your car’s battery and replace it timely for better driving especially in cold weather.

Use premium quality fuel

Some sportier models require grade quality fuel which ignites more evenly in their higher compression engines. Regular fuel will result in sluggish performance of vehicle.

So choose premium quality fuel for optimal performance of engine.

Listen to your car’s noises

You can easily notice issue with any auto part by judging the noise coming from car. If you hear grinding, squealing noise coming out of brakes, then check and replace car’s brake system parts .

Clunking noise can be heard when you turn the steering wheel or it can be noisy exhaust. Your car’s wheel bearing is demanding lubrication if you hear humming noise.

So, the bottom line is, decipher the noises and act accordingly. Ignoring the noise will only increase your repair bill so think wisely.

Go long

Engine cannot heat up enough to remove condensation during short trips of car. If the engine won’t heat up properly then engine oil won’t be able to lubricate and protect the moving parts. As a result engine auto parts will start showing signs of premature damage.

If you take a drive lasting at least 45 minutes and change your car’s oil every three months, it would be best for your engine’s health.

Wash your car

If you are living in cold regions like Canada then do yourself a favor and use a self serve car wash to remove salt from your vehicle’s underside until the water runs clear after every winter.

Otherwise buildup can corrode the electric wiring or brake lines.

Check air filter

For a better mileage and fuel economy, check your car’s air filter at every oil change. Dirty or clogged air filter will prompt the vehicle to use more fuel than usual. For better mileage install new air filter for car.

If you notice decrease in gas mileage or engine performance, you may have to replace your car’s air filter. If ignored your car may have to face the problem of engine misfiring in worst case scenario.

So, never let the air filter get dirty and check it regularly.

Checking Green Car

Eco friendly vehicles are best for fuel economy and emit less volume of carbon compounds in the atmosphere as compared to conventional cars but that doesn’t mean that they don’t require maintenance.

If you own a hybrid car which operates on both battery and gas, hybrid engines require oil changes like the regular cars do.

While electric cars don’t contain oil, you should have their brake System components and steering system components inspected at least once a year.

Check the belts

Broken belts are one of the most common reasons for roadside assistance calls. Visually inspect all the belts for any damage or crack. Replace the belts, radiator and hoses of car easily from any aftermarket store at affordable costs.

Check the exterior lights

Exterior lights are easy to check and inexpensive to replace. You can easily buy automotive lighting accessory from aftermarket auto store based on your owner manual specifications.

Operate the turn signals, brake lights and backup lights and check for reflection in the rear view mirror. Perform the same inspection on front turn signal lights, headlights, high beams and running lights. You should not avoid inspecting the lights especially if you drive mostly at night. Lights are not only for your proper vision and safety on the road but they also notify other motorists on the road of your presence.

Properly maintain your car and have a safe trip without any car issue. Update your car with aftermarket auto parts at parts avatar performance auto parts with free shipping.

Is your Engine’s fuel economy degrading ?? Smoke coming out of Tailpipe ?? Shop Top quality fuel injectors at Partsavatar Canada.

Get rid of bad fuel injectors and save your engine parts from getting ruined by shopping for high quality auto engine parts from Partsavatar Car parts Canada.

Fuel injection is the most common way which the modern internal combustion engines use to deliver the fuel. Almost every auto vehicle is equipped with fuel injectors.  Car Fuel injector is a pivotal component of vehicle’s fuel system as it helps to spray the fuel into engine with the help of injector nozzle.

Any problems with fuel injectors can cause malfunctioning of engine and its components. Under worst condition it may stall your car. For a better fuel economy and optimal performance of vehicle’s engine it is very important for the fuel injectors to work properly.

What is a Fuel Injector?

Fuel injector sounds to be quite a complex terminology but it isn’t. They are the components that are responsible for the final stage of fuel delivery in fuel injection systems. Fuel injectors are mostly controlled by car’s ECU and fuel injectors are activated by this ECU or auto fuel injector module when the high pressure fuel is passed to the injector. 

There are few types of fuel injectors. They all differ in design while the working is still the same. Let’s have a look at main 3 types of fuel injectors in detail.

1. Built into car's Throttle body/ throttle body injectors

2. Centrally located/ central port injection

3. Located at each cylinder/ multiport injection

Throttle body injection

In throttle body injection system, the fuel injector is built right into the throttle body. This simplest single point fuel injection system consists of a single injector that slot into the throttle body.

Throttle body injector is similar to other standard fuel injectors but it is responsible for delivering the fuel to entire engine rather than just one cylinder.  When it is activated, it sprays a mist of fuel into the throat of throttle body where it mixes with air and passes to the intake manifold.

This air fuel mixture plays vital role in engine’s internal combustion process.

You can simply replace old or worn throttle bodies with new throttle bodies by simply unbolting the injector.

Central Port Injectors

Unlike throttle bodies, in central port injectors a single maxi injector is used to provide the fuel to all cylinders. It is sometimes termed as hybrid port injectors as its central injector is connected to each intake port via nylon fuel lines.

Major components of central port injectors are:

1. Poppet Valve Nozzle

2. Nylon fuel lines

3. Fuel pressure regulator of car

It has one drawback. As the injectors work as a single unit, so if any component fails, the entire unit will have to be replaced instead of the single component.

Multiport Fuel injectors/Direct Port Injectors

Most of the diesel and gasoline engines today use multiport or direct fuel injectors which both use similar fuel injectors. These injectors are responsible to deliver fuel to single cylinder. The major difference between auto multiport injectors and direct injectors is that the multiport injectors deliver fuel to the intake at each intake port and direct fuel injectors spray the fuel into each combustion chamber of the engine.

How does a Fuel Injector work?

Fuel injectors can be further differentiated into Poppet valve Fuel injectors and Pintle valve fuel injectors.

Fuel injectors that operate using pintle valve use solenoids to function. The ECU activates the solenoid which causes it to undergo linear movement and this linear motion causes the pintle to move away from its position. A mist of highly pressured fuel then begins to spray from the pintle nozzle.

But in case of fuel injectors that operate using poppet valves, fuel pressure is used instead of solenoid. The maxi injector receives constant amount of pressurized fuel which is delivers to each cylinder with the help of nylon lines. After reaching sufficient level of pressure, the poppets are forced to open which results in fine mist spraying into intake port. When the pressure decreases, the valve poppet valve closes again.

When to replace Fuel Injectors?

When a fuel injector begins to fail due to contamination, it typically needs to be replaced. Let us look at some common symptoms to look for when you need fuel injector replacement.

Restrictions in the fuel injectors

A restriction of 8% to 10 % in a single fuel injector can lean out the fuel mixture and will eventually cause an engine misfire. Direct fuel injectors are prone to restrictions as the precise amount of fuel is injected into combustion chamber.

Increase or Decrease in long and short term fuel trims

If a fuel injector becomes too clogged with fuel varnish deposits and fails to deliver its normal dose of fuel the PCM may not be able to increase the injector. Sometimes fuel pressure can also be affected by weak fuel pump or leaky fuel pressure regulator.

This phenomenon will eventually result in a lean air fuel mixture and will ultimately cause misfire.

Engine Misfire and decrease in fuel economy

It is one of the most common symptoms of a failing fuel injector. You will start noticing performance issues with engine whenever the fuel injector starts malfunctioning.

Performance problems often arise if the air fuel mixture is tampered due to bad fuel injector. You will notice certain symptoms like car's engine misfiring, loss in power, decreasing fuel economy and stalled engine in worst case.

Vehicle won’t start with full tank

Fuel contamination also results in failing fuel injectors. Symptoms of contaminated fuel can include hard starting, stalling, loss of power and poor fuel economy. The symptoms of fuel contamination appear immediately after refueling. In this case, you will also notice the fuel gauge needle pegged on full which is not a good sign.

Check Engine light appears

A lean mixture may trigger misfire code and turn on the check engine light. There are various symptoms of check engine light’s appearance on dash. Call your technician to decipher the misfire code and determine exact cause for the appearance of check engine light.

There may be clogged fuel injectors or electrical issues with the computer that are triggering the check engine light to alert you. At this moment, it is best to get your computer scanned by the technician for trouble codes.

Strong fuel smell

As the fuel injectors hold very high pressure while delivering fuel to chambers, this high pressure could cause them to develop leaks at the nozzle. A leaky fuel injector will pass fuel into the chamber while leaky seal will leak fuel at the base of injector. It will produce a strong fuel smell. Smells are not good for engine’s health.

So as soon as you notice fuel smell get your car checked by a professional.

Neglected maintenance may also lead to failing fuel injector. Contaminated fuel, not changing oil, damaging PCV system can damage fuel injector as well as fuel pump camshaft lobe.

Shop for high quality Remanufactured fuel injectors of cars from partsavatar auto parts and get the benefit of free shipping.

For a safe and more relaxed car ride, update your car’s power brake boosters @Partsavatar auto parts!

Buy power brake boosters with confidence at Partsavatar because trust and product assurance is here! ~ Parts avatar Auto Brake parts !

Power brake boosters provide assistance to the car’s braking system. So you won’t have to put in extra force for the brakes to engage. The brake booster is generally located between the brake pedal and master cylinder of car and it uses vacuum to overcome brake pressure.

Brakes are very important for your safety on the road. Any tempering with the brakes or its functionality will result in accident because you won’t be able to stop the car at right moment.

So if you notice that your car is taking more than enough time to stall, brake pedal is difficult to push, power brake booster is definitely failing. Don’t play with your safety. You will find almost everything you need to know about Power brake boosters here.

What is a power Brake booster?

Power brake booster is the device that is used to assist the car’s brake system as it reduces the amount of force it takes to apply the hydraulic brakes. Mostly power brake booster uses vacuum but some may use hydraulic pressure and use power brake hydraulic motor pump of car to accomplish this task of braking.

 Combined with the power of your foot pressing the brake pedal, the shaft (which is pushed forward when the brake is depressed) helps push a piston inside your brake master cylinder which in turn displaces brake fluid through your braking system.

In a typical power brake booster, the brake pedal is attached to the booster via mechanical linkage (in case of vacuum) and brake master cylinder is bolted directly to its other side. When the pedal is depressed, vacuum actuated plunger activates the master cylinder.

How do they work?

As you depress the brake pedal, your pedal linkage causes a shaft to move forward in response to your foot. As this shaft moves forward, it gets in touch with the master cylinder and brake booster. The diaphragm in the brake booster divides it into two parts with both in a partial vacuum.

When the brake pedal is depressed, it causes the valve inside the booster to open which in turn makes way for the air to enter one side of the booster. This difference of pressure on one side helps to push the piston inside the brake master cylinder in response to the brake pedal which in turn slows down the vehicle.

Without brake booster, even simple act of slowing your car would require substantially higher amounts of effort and incur greater amount of fatigue. So brake booster is a helping hand for you.

There are auto remanufactured power brake boosters and new auto power brake boosters in aftermarket stores like parts avatar Canada. Choose your specifications and buy one if you have worn power brake boosters.

Symptoms of Failing Power brake boosters

It isn’t really a good idea to drive a car with failed power brake booster. Though it is possible to drive the car without properly working brake boosters but mind you it’s not at all safe. It becomes very difficult and you will need to press the brake pedal way too hard to stall your car.

It is wise not to drive the vehicle with damaged power brake boosters. Following symptoms can alert you if there is any problem with power brake booster of your car.

Hard Pedal

It is the most common sign of a failing power brake booster. If it is becoming hard to push the brake pedal, brake booster is certainly a problem. The most obvious cause for the hard brake pedal is simply not enough vacuum.

Do not drive a car with hard pedal, as it would become too hard for you to halt your car with such pedal condition and troubleshoot auto hard pedal problem. Call your mechanic, and get your car’s brake system inspected thoroughly.

Replace your ruined power brake boosters with new power brake boosters or even better you can use remanufactured power brake boosterwith master cylinder of car or remanufactured auto power brake without master cylinder after consulting with your mechanic and friends.

Remanufactured items are fully inspected of their warranties before they are added into the product catalog at parts avatar by expert technicians. So if you want to buy remanufactured products then do choose partsavatar.ca as your auto store.

Engine Stalls

Not enough vacuum will obviously result in hard pedal as read above. Failing power brake booster can draw excess vacuum from the engine. If the diaphragm inside the brake booster starts malfunctioning and allows the air to bypass the seal, the engine will stall when the brakes are applied.

This is quite dangerous as stalling engine can cause grave problems and there are various other causes of a stalled auto engine. Avoid driving that car with such issues and waste no time in calling a professional technician.

Longer Stopping distances

As it becomes hard to pedal, you won’t be able to get power assistance from failing power brake boosters to stop your car.  So, it will take longer than usual to stop your car with much force and fatigue on your side. It is dangerous if you are driving on highways or you are stuck in bad weather.

As always, look for your mechanic as soon as you discover this symptom.

Test the booster at home

You can test your car’s power brake boosters at home too. This will not be as risky as it is on the road. With the engine off, all you need to do is to pump the brakes about five to six times. This depletes the stored vacuum. Turn the engine on while pushing down lightly on the brake pedal. If the brake booster is failing, nothing will happen in this case and brake pedal will push back against your foot.

DIY – Replace Brake Boosters

Replacing brake booster is an easy task. You can take extra help while replacing old brake boosters with new power brake boosters.

1. First step is to disconnect the brake lines. Entire brake system is quite complex so start with removing brake lines from master cylinder. Use the tube nut wrench to slowly remove each line and mark it for easy identification when you are placing them back.

2. After disconnecting the brake lines, take out the master cylinder. You can also check the master cylinder for any sign of damage.

3. The brake booster is connected to the brake pedal. Using wrench unfasten the bolts that attach the brake booster to the engine and remove it completely.

4. Place the new brake booster to its place and secure it with bolts. Reconnect it with diaphragm, engine and brake pedal. Now in the reverse order, reconnect the master cylinder and then the brake lines.

So never ignore any symptom that alerts you for failing power brake booster. And do yourself a favor and use other safe means of transport other than the one with failed power brake booster for your safety.

Visit parts avatar aftermarket auto replacement parts for a better deal in auto parts across Canada.

Save on your Car’s Blower Motors and resistors with great deals @ Partsavatar auto parts Canada !!

Is your car’s heater/Air conditioner not working properly? Check out symptoms and how to repair a failing blower motor ~ brought to you by Partsavatar Auto parts.

Blower motor is considered as the heart of most HVAC systems as these components are responsible for delivering both hot and cold air though heaters and car air conditioners respectively on demand. car's Heating and ventilation is important for a comfortable ride.

Almost every vehicle on the road is equipped with heating and air conditioning system components to keep the passengers comfortable inside from the harsh weather outside the car. Car Blower motor serves as main component that blows air through the vents which is usually controlled by auto blower motor resister and auto blower switch.

If it fails, you can imagine your situation depending on temperature you tolerate. 

Failing blowing motor not only harasses you but will also affect car's window defogger drastically. So, it is very important for the blower motor to keep on working properly for your comfort ability inside the car and also for your clear vision in cold weather as if the defogger disables, you will definitely get into an accident.

Let’s discuss about blower motors and its vital components in detail in this article along with symptoms and repair tips.

Components of Blower Motor and its location

Components of an auto blower motor may differ from one model to another but some of the typical components that are commonly found in every model are:

1. DC Motor

2. Auto Blower Wheel or Fan

3. Housing that can be bolted down.

Blower motor uses following components to control its operation:

1. Blower Motor Resistor

2. Fan Relay

Blower motor’s locations also vary from vehicle to vehicle. Typically they can be located in the heater box while some are buried under the dash. In heavy trucks or passenger cars, heater boxes and blower motors can be found in the passenger compartment while in some instances blower motors can also be found in engine compartments also.

In some large vehicles, there are more than one motor or heaters used which can be located at two different location for instance front and rear end of the vehicle.

Its operation is quite simple. When the voltage is applied to the motor is spins and eventually it causes the fan to spin. Since the fan is located inside the heater box space, so it is able to move large volumes of air at high speeds. The blower motor resistors and fan relays accomplish the task of increasing and decreasing the speed through speed selector’s directions.

The air flow from the blower can be channeled to either heat or cool the passenger compartment. When the heater is preferred air flow is passed through the car heater core that transforms the air into heated one. When air conditioner is preferred, the air flow from blower motor is directed through car air conditioner evaporator to get cool air in exchange.

Symptoms of Malfunctioning Blower motor

There are handful of potential causes that could cause a blower motor to fail. It can be anything from no air circulation to annoying or noisy operation of Heater or car’s A/c. it is very important to locate the fan components before moving further. Fan components can generally be found near the evaporator or heater core of the blower motor. Blower motor is usually mounted in the heater case.

If somehow you are unable to track the location of either blower motor or fan belt, then no need to panic as you have another ally in the form of car’s owner manual. You can easily follow the instructions given by car’s service or owner manual to locate the blower motor.

On vehicles with climate control systems, the fans may not activate until the engine heats up. This is basically done to prevent the circulation of cold air on winter days when you select heat on the climate control system.

Now let us head to the main point and determine the symptoms that can alert the car drivers of problem with blower motors.

Low Airflow from the Vents

One of the very first signals of an aging blower motor is less amount of air being blown out of vents. If when the air or heat is turned on and you notice weak or low air flow out of vents that may be a sign that you need new blower motors. Old blower motor might be approaching the end of its service life and might not be able to produce adequate amount of air flow out of the vents.

No air out of Vents

Not only low amount of air flow is the cause of malfunctioning blow motor. But sometimes there can be no trace of air flow out of vents due to bad blower motor. Blower motor may burn due to short circuit and it won’t be able to produce air flow.

In this case, it is better to replace the blower motor than trying to repair it as the burnt circuits may again cause problem in future. You can also shop for blower motor without wheel at partsavatar.

Motors only functions at certain speeds

Blower motors are designed to work at any speed which is generally operated with the help of blower motor resistor and blower motor switch. If these two components go faulty, they will definitely impact the amount of air flow out of vents produced by blower motor. You will notice air flow being limited to a certain speed.

It’s better to get the car blower motor resistor and switch checked and replaced if needed for your comfort ability.

Fan Cage is Obstructed

A blower motor can fail if the fan cage becomes obstructed. This can be caused if an object falls into the dash vents or a small animal or rodents get into the heater box and pack it full of dirt and debris. You will need to clean the fan cage and the blower will definitely start working again properly unless an internal serious damage is not done to its parts.

Fixing a car Blower motor

The replacement and fixing of car’s blower motor and its components are some of the easier repairs to be performed in automobile world.

However it can be difficult job on a few vehicles due to their complex structure.

Purchase a new resistor module at any auto parts store like Parts avatar Canada. First you have to disconnect the electric connector.

Remove the screws and swap out the resister module. Remove and replace the faulty motor. Confirm the heater or air conditioner is working.

Reconnect the electric connector and you are back in business.

It is recommended to first check the power connector as sometimes simply replacing connector can solve a lot of blower motor issues.

So, for your driving comfort ability, check and replace car’s blower motors and auto blower resistors connector at affordable prices from parts avatar online auto parts store.