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Correcting Your Car’s Steady Pull

Under normal circumstances, you should be able to let go of your steering wheel while moving forward without your vehicle drifting to one side. In reality, millions of drivers own cars that have a steady pull. They’re not built that way. If your vehicle is pulling to one side, there’s a problem somewhere. You can compensate for the drift by applying constant pressure to the steering wheel, but that can become tiring. Ideally, you should identify the issue and have it resolved.

Below, we’ll take a look at a few factors that may be causing your car to drift. Most of these problems are relatively easy for any mechanic to fix.

Camber Misalignment

This is a measurement of how far your tires slant vertically when you’re looking at them from the front or back. A negative camber means the top is tilting inward (or toward the engine). A positive camber means the top is slanting outward. If any of your tires have a positive camber (even by a half-degree), it can cause a pulling problem toward that side.

There are a lot of things that might contribute to a positive camber, including bent struts and spindles, damaged springs, and a misaligned engine cradle.

Caster Misalignment

Caster measures how far the steering axis tilts forward or backward. If it tilts forward, the caster is said to be negative. If backward, positive. Your car will pull toward the side that has a negative caster. If both sides do, it will pull toward the side that has the lowest – or, most negative – caster.

Caster misalignment can be caused by the same factors that can lead to a positive camber (bad struts, bad spindles, etc.).

Problems With The Rear Axle

If the tires in the front are aligned properly, it is still possible that the tires in the rear are misaligned. This is often due to excessive toe in the rear axle. Toe measures the amount that the wheels are turned inward or outward. When they point inward, they are said to have a positive toe (or, toe-in). If they point outward, the toe is negative (or, there is toe-out). Other problems might include a bent or curved axle, or an issue with the chassis.

Dragging In The Brakes

Occasionally, the pulling may be caused by a drag in the brake system. This can include the parking brake, a sticky caliper, or even too much fluid in the master cylinder. You can usually tell whether the brakes are causing the issue by propping your vehicle up and spinning the tires with your hands.

Each of the problems described above is simple to fix once it has been diagnosed. If you’re noticing a pull to one side while driving, take your car into a repair shop. The mechanic can easily check the camber, caster, rear axle alignment, and the brakes to find and fix the problem.

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Why Your Car’s Engine Overheats

Your vehicle’s engine cannot tolerate temperatures that exceed 220 degrees Fahrenheit for prolonged periods. Under such circumstances, it will overheat and quickly lead to expensive damage. Most drivers are aware that the problem will typically leave them stranded at the side of the road, but they’re uninformed regarding the root causes.

Today, we’ll explore a few of the most common reasons for overheating. I’ll explain a few details that will help you troubleshoot the issue, or at least identify why it’s happening. I’ll also describe some of the potential consequences.

Is There A Leak?

Antifreeze or coolant is added to your car’s radiator to maintain your engine’s internal temperature. If a leak develops and coolant escapes, the temperature will rise. To check whether your vehicle is leaking coolant, let your car cool before taking the radiator cap off. You’ll be able to see the coolant inside your radiator if it is leveled off properly. If you’re unable to see it, add more. But, keep an eye on the levels over the next few weeks. If they drop again, have a mechanic identify and fix the leak.

Are The Fans Blowing?

The area which surrounds your vehicle’s radiator sustains enormous heat exchange. Most cars today are equipped with a cooling fan that sits near it – either in front or behind it. One of the fan’s main purposes is to blow hot air across the surface of the radiator when you’re driving at lower speeds or have completely stopped. Sensors monitor the temperature of your engine and trigger the fan. If the fan – or the sensor that triggers it – fails, airflow may become constricted leading to overheating.

Is There A Circulation Problem?

It’s possible for your vehicle to overheat while you’re driving at high speeds. Because airflow is rarely constricted at such speeds (air should be moving freely over the radiator), the problem is likely due to the coolant not circulating properly.

This might happen as the result of a kink or stoppage forming in the radiator hose or a thermostat malfunction. If it’s a stoppage in the hose, rust can collect. When that happens, the only effective solution to prevent your car from overheating is to either replace the radiator, or disassemble and clean it.

Potential Consequences Of Overheating

When temperatures climb far above 220 degrees Fahrenheit within your vehicle’s engine, it will begin pinging and lose power. If you try to continue driving, and the pinging persists, the rod bearings and pistons can be damaged. Another effect of overheating is the head gasket can swell and rupture. This will usually be followed by a reduction in torque. Finally, in older vehicles, aged parts and hoses that are less tolerant to extreme heat can burst. At that point, replacing your car’s engine may be the only viable option.

If your engine overheats, take your car to a mechanic immediately. Even if the issue is only related to a coolant leak, have the problem repaired as soon as possible. Otherwise, the potential damage could reach several hundreds of dollars.

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How Your Car Slows To A Stop

When it all comes down to it, the master cylinder is one of the most important parts of an automobile. If it fails, you are going to have to be able to understand exactly what’s going on. The master cylinder is a prevention tool that has been put into place for the braking systems on vehicles. It is a remarkable creation, considering that it helps prevent the brakes from failing. Below, I’ll explain the basics regarding how this part works.

Basic Operation Of The Master Cylinder

Each set of wheels is broken up into their own circuit. When one circuit fails, the other one will still work which allows the vehicle to be able to stop on one set of brakes.

The master cylinder is what pressurizes each circuit. When a brake pedal is depressed, this part will use a linkage in order to push on the primary piston. When the primary piston is pushed, pressure will begin to increase in the master cylinder and brake lines. How much pressure is built depends upon how far down the pedal is being pressed. The primary and secondary piston work together in order to compress the fluid into the secondary circuit. If your brakes are working correctly, the pressure within both circuits will be similar.

When a circuit leaks, that line won’t be able to hold pressure. Even though the other circuit will be able to work, the driver may just have to push down a little bit further on the pedal in order to trigger it effectively. If you have a leaking circuit, it is crucial that you get it fixed urgently.

Learning About Your Vehicle

The fact that so many people are unaware that the master cylinder even exists – much less understand its operation – is a testimony to the low level of knowledge that most motorists have about their vehicles. As you know, my goal in these articles is to slowly develop a core of automotive information that you can draw upon when your car is experiencing problems. Too often, drivers are unwilling to challenge the suggestions of mechanics, even if those suggestions make little sense.

In future articles, we’ll continue to dig under the hood to examine other car parts that are an integral part of your vehicle’s operation. In most cases, people stand to gain enormous benefit from educating themselves. Occasionally, their safety on the road may depend upon it.

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