Our general FAQ section provides clear answers to the most common automotive questions that apply to all vehicles, regardless of make or model. From understanding routine maintenance schedules and oil change intervals to learning about warning lights, smog checks, brakes, tires, and general car care tips, this category is designed to help every driver. Whether you’re new to car ownership or just want reliable advice, our general FAQs give you the knowledge to keep your vehicle safe, reliable, and road-ready.
What Are the 7 Main Types of Forces? The seven main types of forces taught in introductory physics are: gravitational (weight), normal, friction, tension, spring (elastic), applied, and air resistance (drag). These categories capture the everyday pushes and pulls that determine how objects start, stop, and move, and they are practical groupings used for analyzing …
What Happens If You Accidentally Drive With the Emergency Brake On Briefly: if you drive with the parking (emergency) brake engaged, you create drag that overheats the rear brakes, leading from minor pad wear and a burning smell to serious damage like glazed pads, warped rotors/drums, cooked seals, and even fire risk. A short, low-speed …
How to Hook Up a 1‑Wire Alternator Connect the alternator’s output stud to the battery positive (or the starter’s battery feed stud) with the correct gauge cable and a fuse or breaker near the battery, ensure a solid ground from alternator case to engine/battery, then start the engine and briefly raise RPM to “wake” the …
What Are “Cams”? Understanding a Word With Many Meanings “Cams” can refer to several different things depending on context: mechanical components that convert rotary motion into linear motion (as in camshafts), shorthand for cameras like webcams and dashcams, complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs), pay-TV Conditional Access Modules, specialized computer memory used in networking, common area …
93 vs 95 Octane: Which Is Better? Neither is universally “better.” Use the octane your vehicle specifies. Note that 93 in the U.S. usually refers to AKI (Anti‑Knock Index), while 95 in Europe/other regions refers to RON (Research Octane Number). They’re different scales: 95 RON is roughly 90–91 AKI, and 93 AKI is roughly 98–99 …
How to Tell if a Car Is a Convertible A car is a convertible if its roof is designed to retract, fold, or be removed entirely; you can usually confirm this by spotting a fabric or segmented hardtop, roof-operation controls inside the cabin, and space where the roof stows. While big sunroofs and panoramic glass …
How Much Is a Half-Ton? A half-ton equals 1,000 pounds (about 453.6 kg) in the U.S. short-ton system, 1,120 pounds (about 508.0 kg) in the U.K. long-ton system, and 500 kilograms (about 1,102.3 lb) in the metric system (half a tonne). In HVAC, a “half-ton” of cooling is 6,000 BTU per hour (about 1.76 kW). …
What Happens When a Distributor Coil Goes Bad When a distributor coil (ignition coil) goes bad, the engine’s spark becomes weak or disappears entirely, leading to rough running, misfires, hard starting, or a no-start condition; continued driving can damage the catalytic converter and worsen fuel economy. The coil’s job is to step up battery voltage …
GVWR vs. GVWR: Is There Any Difference? There is no difference—GVWR and GVWR are the same term. GVWR stands for Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, the manufacturer-set maximum allowable weight of a fully loaded vehicle. People often ask this because GVWR is frequently confused with other ratings like GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) or GAWR (Gross …
What really happens when you keep pumping gas after the nozzle clicks off When a gas pump clicks off, the tank is effectively full; forcing in more fuel can spill gasoline, damage your car’s evaporative-emissions system, trigger a Check Engine light, and create safety and environmental risks. The auto shutoff is designed to stop at …
Can You Still Drive Without a Gas Cap? Yes—most gasoline cars will still run without a gas cap, and you can usually drive a short distance to get a replacement. However, it’s not recommended: you’ll likely trigger a Check Engine Light, release fuel vapors, risk contamination of the fuel system, and could fail an emissions …
Why Americans Drive on the Right Americans drive on the right largely because of 18th-century wagon practices that favored right-side travel, early state rules—such as Pennsylvania’s 1792 turnpike regulation and New York’s 1804 statute—requiring “keep right,” and the 20th-century standardization of automobiles with left-hand steering (popularized by the Model T), which reinforced right-hand traffic nationwide; …
What is the brake force distribution on a car Most cars send the majority of braking force to the front wheels—typically about 60–80% under hard stops—while the remainder goes to the rear. The exact split, called brake force distribution or brake bias, continuously changes with speed, grip, deceleration, load, and electronic control systems like ABS …
How Much Does It Cost to Supercharge Your Engine? Expect to spend about $5,000–$15,000 all-in for most modern cars in the U.S., combining the supercharger kit, professional installation, tuning, and essential supporting upgrades. Entry-level DIY builds can land closer to $4,000–$7,500, while high-end or complex applications (late-model V8s, trucks, and European platforms) commonly reach $12,000–$25,000. …
What to Call a Motorcycle The most standard and widely understood term is “motorcycle.” In casual speech, people also say “motorbike” or simply “bike,” while “moto” is common in some regions and online communities. Which word you choose depends on formality, geography, and context, and using the right term can prevent confusion—especially with bicycles, scooters, …
What Are the Parts on a Brake Caliper? A brake caliper typically includes a metal body, one or more pistons with square-cut seals and dust boots, a fluid inlet and bleed screw, hardware to mount or slide the caliper, and pad retention/anti-rattle components; rear calipers may also integrate a parking-brake mechanism. Understanding these parts helps …
Cars That Get 50 Miles per Gallon of Gas (2024 U.S. Guide) Several current hybrids top 50 mpg combined, led by the Toyota Prius (up to 57 mpg), Hyundai Elantra Hybrid (up to 54 mpg), Kia Niro Hybrid (up to 53 mpg), Toyota Camry Hybrid LE (52 mpg), and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Blue (52 mpg). …
How to Brake in a Manual Car Press the brake pedal smoothly with your right foot while staying in gear; as speed drops to about 5–10 mph (8–16 km/h), press the clutch to prevent stalling, come to a complete stop, select neutral, and apply the parking brake. For emergency stops, press the brake firmly and …
Where Jaws of Life Are Commonly Used They are most commonly used by fire and rescue teams at roadway crashes to free trapped occupants, and they also see frequent use in disaster zones, industrial accidents, aviation and rail incidents, maritime emergencies, and urban search-and-rescue operations. In practice, these hydraulic rescue tools—popularly known as the “Jaws …
What “Suspension” Means on Your Car In a car, the suspension is the system of springs, dampers (shocks/struts), and linkages that connects the wheels to the body, keeping the tires in contact with the road while controlling ride comfort, handling, and braking stability. In practical terms, it absorbs bumps, manages body motion in corners and …
Why Do They Call It a 34‑Ton Truck? They call it a “34‑ton truck” because the vehicle or vehicle combination is rated around 34 metric tonnes—most often referring to its payload capacity in markets like Southern Africa, and sometimes to its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR/GVM) in other regions. The term isn’t universal: what “34 …
Where Is the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) Located? The anti-lock braking system isn’t in one spot; the main ABS hydraulic control unit and electronic module are typically mounted in the engine bay near the brake master cylinder, while wheel-speed sensors are located at each wheel. In most modern vehicles, additional ABS-related fuses/relays sit in the …
What Does a Car Radiator Do? Purpose, How It Works, and Why It Matters The radiator’s purpose is to remove heat from the engine’s coolant so the engine stays within its optimal temperature range, preventing overheating, protecting components, maintaining performance and emissions, and ensuring reliability in all driving conditions. How the Radiator Works In a …
The Biggest Problem With Rotary Engines The biggest problem with rotary (Wankel) engines is apex-seal sealing and durability: the small, spring-loaded tips on each rotor struggle to maintain perfect compression against the housing, leading to wear, loss of compression, hard starting, high emissions, and shortened engine life. This sealing challenge, more than any other factor, …
Open vs. Closed Differentials for Drifting: Which Works and Why Open differentials let the inside wheel spin freely and tend to kill or destabilize a drift, while “closed” (locked/welded) or a properly set limited-slip differential keeps both rear wheels driving together, making initiation, angle, and transitions far more predictable. In drifting, the more the diff …
How to Fix Under-Inflated Tires Use a tire gauge to confirm low pressure, then inflate each tire to the manufacturer-recommended PSI listed on your vehicle’s doorjamb when the tires are cold; re-check with a reliable gauge, inspect for leaks, and seek professional repair if a tire won’t hold air. Under-inflated tires reduce fuel economy, increase …
What Happens When a Torque Converter Stator Doesn’t Lock If the torque converter stator does not lock, you’ll typically see weak off-the-line acceleration, higher-than-normal engine RPM at launch (elevated stall speed), excess transmission heat, reduced fuel economy, and often a turbine/impeller whine at low speeds. In more detail, the stator’s one-way clutch is supposed to …
How to Fix ABS in Your Car: A Practical, Up-to-Date Guide To fix a car’s ABS, start by reading the ABS trouble codes with an ABS-capable OBD-II scanner, then check fuses/relays, brake fluid level, wheel-speed sensors, tone rings, and wiring; many issues are resolved by cleaning or replacing sensors or repairing harnesses, while pump/module faults …
How Much Does Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) Usually Cost? In most U.S. markets, PDR typically costs about $75–$300 for a small door ding, $250–$600 for larger or more complex dents, and $1,000–$5,000+ for full-vehicle hail damage, depending on severity. Prices vary with dent size, depth and sharpness, panel material (steel vs. aluminum), access, location on …
ABS vs. EBD: Which braking technology is better? ABS is more critical, while EBD is a valuable complement. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) prevents wheel lock-up so you can steer under hard braking—this is the bigger, proven safety win. Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) fine-tunes how much braking each wheel gets to improve stability and shorten stopping …