The two roles of the alternator are to recharge the vehicle’s battery once it has started the engine, and then to meet all of the electrical demands during vehicle operation. It does this by converting some of the engine’s rotating force into electrical current, taken off through the accessory belt. Signs that an alternator might … Read more
The thermostat is one of the more important components of an automobile. Think of the cooling system as two parts; the engine assembly and the radiator, with coolant circulating between the two. The thermostat is a valve between the two that closes to allow the engine to heat up to running temperature, and then opens … Read more
The valve cover sits at the top of the engine cylinder head; usually, it is sealed with a rubber or synthetic gasket that fits into a groove in the metal or plastic cover. The gasket is most often replaced when it begins to leak oil, or as a part of other engine work. The valve … Read more
The harmonic balancer is bolted to the front of the engine’s crankshaft. It has two primary parts; the first is a heavy machined inner cast piece and the second is an outer cast piece that drives the serpentine belt. These are joined together with a thick rubber ring. Replacement is fairly simple given the proper … Read more
The belt tensioner holds the serpentine belt under tension; allowing it to grip the pulleys firmly enough to transmit the engine’s rotating force to the accessories. Most often, the tensioner assembly is secured by either one, two or three bolts, and is fairly easy to remove once the serpentine belt is off. If an engine … Read more
For an engine to run the spark plugs must fire, each at exactly the right moment and reliably. On older engine designs the distributor was an important component in that, taking the high voltage output of a single coil and distributing it to the spark plugs according to the firing order. Two parts of the … Read more