Chesapeake Auto Repair

Alternative Fuel Vehicles In Chesapeake Virginia   Let’s talk about alternative fuel vehicles. In their quest to reduce the use of fossil fuels and harmful exhaust emissions to our Chesapeake environment, automakers will have a number of alternatives for us very soon. For instance, Flex Fuel vehicles are already available in the Chesapeake area. Flex Fuel vehicles can run on gasoline or on E85 fuel. E85 is a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The ethanol is made from corn. The benefits are in using less petroleum and reduced pollution. The drawbacks are that E85 gets lower fuel economy and that when gas prices are low, E85 can be more expensive than straight gasoline. You should only use E85 if you have a Flex Fuel compatible engine. Flex Fuel vehicles have special seals and gaskets that can stand up to the high alcohol content of E85. Using E85 in a regular engine can lead to gas leaks and fires. Diesel engines have been around the Chesapeake ... read more

Power Steering Service At West Service Center, Inc. In Chesapeake Many Chesapeake drivers have been hearing about technological advances in power steering, specifically, electric power steering. Some very high-end cars have been featuring electric power steering for a few years now. An electric motor directly provides the power assist to make steering easier. Undoubtedly we’ll see much more of this in Chesapeake as full electric cars and electric hybrids become more common. The vast majority of cars and trucks serviced at West Service Center, Inc. in Chesapeake use a hydraulic power boost system. With hydraulics, fluid is pressurized by a pump which actuates a hydraulic cylinder to reduce steering effort. Some of these pumps are powered by an electric motor. Most pumps are powered by the serpentine belt driven by the engine. Power steering fluid has the necessary hydraulic propert ... read more

Give Your Engine Clean Fuel With A New Fuel Filter From West Service Center, Inc.   Your van requires plenty of clean fuel to run. If your fuel contains contaminants, your fuel injectors will eventually become clogged up. When this happens, your van engine may not get the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure to run at peak performance. This hurts gas mileage and performance as you drive around Chesapeake. It can also lead to the buildup of harmful deposits on valves and in the combustion chamber. That’s why all vehicles, including vans, come equipped with a fuel filter somewhere between the engine and the fuel tank. The job of the filter is to clean out little pieces of dirt and contamination. The filter captures the contaminants and keeps them out of the fuel stream. Of course, like all filters, it will eventually get clogged up and need to be replaced at West Service Center, Inc. in Chesapeake ... read more

Save Fuel By Watching Your Weight Most Chesapeake motorists are all talking fuel efficiency right now. Better gas mileage. Fewer emissions. Virginia folks want to save the environment and our pocketbooks. And we Chesapeake auto owners all know — or should know — that preventive maintenance will help maintain maximum fuel efficiency. But is there something more we can do? After all, some of us Chesapeake car owners can’t cut back on our driving, and others would like to do more to economize. Weight is one major enemy of fuel economy. The more you lug around in your vehicle, the more fuel you have to burn to get from Chesapeake to Portsmouth to Norfolk. And that means buying more gas and producing more emissions. Of course, your vehicle’s weight isn’t negotiable. And you can’t do much about the weight of your passengers. And this isn’t an article about diet and exercise. But look around y ... read more

Drive Train – What You Need to Know In Chesapeake   One Chesapeake automotive service issue that doesn’t get much attention is driveline service. Drivelines don’t get talked about very much around Chesapeake, but they’re very important. First let’s define what the driveline is: Taking a small step back, the power plant is comprised of the engine and transmission. The driveline starts there and includes all of the components that transfer power from the transmission to the wheels. That’s not really a lot of components, but they handle the full force of the engine. Without the driveline you’re not moving. So we need to take good care of it. The driveline components differ depending on whether your vehicle has front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all wheel drive or four wheel drive. For purposes of our discussion, we’re going to have to over simplify a bit. Let’s start with front wheel drive ... read more