Westside Automotive

Archive for January 2021

In the Hot Seat (Repair and Maintenance of Seat Heaters)

Posted January 31, 2021 9:00 AM

It's chilly outside. You flip on that switch that looks like a picture of a seat with little heat waves rising from it. You expect soon you'll feel that warmth but… wait! It's not getting warmer. Oh no, what's wrong with my seat heater? There could be lots of reasons it's not working, and it could be as simple as a fuse or as major as the heating element itself. But it's something to leave to a pro to diagnose and repair.

Let's say it turns out to be a blown fuse. Simply replacing the fuse may not fix it because there was a reason the fuse blew in the first place. It's possible the on-off switch has worn out or corroded. Perhaps the wiring connection isn't completing the circuit (could be corroded or full of dirt) or the voltage reaching the heating element isn't correct.

There's a little sensor that keeps track of the seat heater's temperature called the thermistor. When the seat is hot enough, it will stop the juice from heating it any more. Sometimes those fail. But if all of these components are healthy, you may need a new heater element.

Those seat-heating elements are made up of wires that get sat on. A lot. That can put significant strain on them. Putting something heavy on the seat can break them. Or, if you put your knees on the seat cushion as you're getting something in a rear seat, that can also damage the element. Sometimes they can be repaired but often they have to be replaced. And here is where the technician's expertise comes into play. That heater element is attached to the seat's fabric and replacing it can be tricky. It also can require disassembling a lot of the seat to access it.

Seat heaters are a wonderful feature and they make your vehicle oh, so much cozier. So keep them working and enjoy the warmth!

Westside Automotive
12510 Oxford Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77082
281-589-8984
http://www.houstonwestsideautomotive.com

Combustion Choreography: Timing Belt Replacement at Westside Automotive in Houston

Posted January 17, 2021 7:13 AM

Have you ever seen a ballet performance? Have you wondered how all of those dancers manage to travel all over the stage jumping and twirling and never crash into each other? That's the job of a choreographer.

Our auto engines are also highly choreographed. Pistons travel up and down inside cylinders. Valves at the tops of the cylinders open to let air and fuel in or exhaust out. These valves have to open and close at precisely the right time or the engine will run poorly if at all. The movement of the valves and pistons must be in harmony with each other. This choreography is the job of the timing belt or timing chain.

Timing belts, or chains, rotate the shafts that control the opening and closing of the valves. Timing chains are metal and durable enough that they may never need to be replaced.

Most vehicles, however, use a timing belt. Timing belts are tough and flexible, and considering the work they do, they last a long time for Houston auto owners . But they do wear out. If they break, the consequences for Houston drivers can spell disaster.

No matter what kind of engine you have, a broken timing belt will cause the engine to shut down or will lead to major engine damage. But in some engines, the valves protrude down into the cylinders enough that if the timing belt breaks, the pistons can smash the valves, bending or breaking them. If the engine is spinning fast enough, the broken parts can then shred the cylinder head. This adds to thousands of dollars of engine damage.

The only way the damage can be avoided by Houston auto owners is by replacing the timing belt on schedule. Most vehicle manufacturers recommend replacing the timing belt at 60,000 miles (100,000 kilometers), but others can go as long as 90,000 or 100,000 miles (145,000 to 160,000 kilometers). Check the schedule for preventive maintenance in your owner's manual. If you're due or overdue for a timing belt replacement, don't put it off. Get it done now at Westside Automotive in Houston.

Your friendly and knowledgeable Westside Automotive technicians probably aren't great dancers, but they can offer you some great auto advice on how to keep your engine properly choreographed. Don't hesitate to consult them about replacing your timing belt or any other car care concerns you may have.

Westside Automotive
12510 Oxford Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77082
281-589-8984
http://www.houstonwestsideautomotive.com

Fuel Injection Keeps Getting Better for Houston Motorists

Posted January 1, 2021 7:10 AM

Houston residents know that engines burn fuel to operate. Fuel is pumped from your fuel tank to your engine where it is squirted—or injected—into your engine's cylinders. This is the function of the fuel injectors.

There are two ways to inject fuel into an engine. Fuel needs air to burn, so in the first method, fuel is injected into a port and allowed to mix with air—and before it is drawn into the cylinders. In the second method, fuel is injected directly into the cylinders and mixes with air after it enters the engine.

Direct injection engines burn fuel more efficiently than conventional engines. Some models can deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6.

For example, in one family of engines, the conventional version (a V6) delivers about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version delivers over 300 horsepower and gets about the same . The turbocharged version delivers 350 horsepower.

Why the big difference in power? Direct injection systems allow fuel to be squirted into the engine at hundreds of times the pressure of a conventional engine. This atomizes the fuel better (breaks it down into tinier droplets), which means more of it gets burned, which translates to more power for your engine. It also results in cleaner emissions and improved fuel economy.

Fuel injectors are precision instruments. They have to deliver the right amount of fuel at exactly the time the engine needs it. They are also engineered to inject fuel with a specific spray pattern. This spray pattern allows for maximum fuel efficiency and proper atomization.

Direct injection engines require a much higher degree of precision than conventional engines. For this reason, they are equipped with more sophisticated computers.

When fuel injectors get dirty, their precision drops off. The spray pattern won't be precise, and the timing of fuel delivery may be off. This decreases fuel efficiency and fuel economy for Houston drivers as well as delivering less power to the engine.

Fuel injectors are not cheap to replace. Direct injection fuel injectors are even more expensive. And we're talking a mortgage payment to buy a set of new fuel injectors for a diesel engine.

So keeping your fuel injectors clean is just good auto advice for Houston residents. The best way to do this is to change your air and fuel filters regularly and practice other habits of good vehicle care and preventive maintenance at Westside Automotive in Houston. Cleaning additives in your fuel can also help.

If you do end up with gum or varnish in your fuel system, you'll need a professional fuel system cleaning. This will clean out your whole system, including the injectors. The good news is that with proper maintenance, your fuel injectors will last for a long time.