Triangle Radiator & Auto Service – Jefferson Park Auto Repair – 773-539-5858 – Serving Chicago’s Neighborhoods Since 1966

Will your car, SUV, pick up or heavy duty truck keep you warm and comfortable on the streets of Chicago this winter? If your vehicle’s heating system hasn’t been performing at its best lately, don’t wait until the temperatures get too low to get it fixed – bring your vehicle to Triangle Radiator & Auto Service for affordable Jefferson Park Auto Repair today! We’ll diagnose the heating system and make the repairs necessary to assure that you and your passengers stay comfortable throughout the cold weather this year.

Car Heating Systems – The Basics – Jefferson Park Auto Repair – 773-539-5858 – Serving the 60618, 60641 and 60647 zip codes with professional auto and truck solutions

Contemporary vehicles are typically manufactured to have a steady flow of fresh air moving through the interior even when the windows are all shut. The air is heated by the engine, keeping the windows from fogging and interior at the selected temperature.

Air flow generally goes into a duct at the front of the car, which is positioned there as an entry point for that purposed. From there the air flows to the heater for warming. Then, the warmed air moves into the vehicle’s interior through the foot wells and dashboard vents. Many vehicles are also equipped with vents in the rear too. At the rear of most vehicles there are exit vents to direct air back to the outside, creating a steady airflow that keeps you and your passengers comfortable.

In a water-cooled vehicle, a heater casing will typically contain a small radiator that takes in hot water coming from the engine through a hose. Incoming air goes through the small radiator, gets warmed and flows to the interior for comfort. The vehicle’s fan can also be switched on to direct air through the heating system when the car is not moving or according to your comfort needs.

Vehicle fans can be set to run at variables, while the temperature setting for the air regulated by either a water valve or an air-blended system. With a water valve, the temperature control knob on the vehicle’s dashboard controls a small tap to let more or less water through the small radiator. With an air-blended heating system, there’s a small radiator unit that heats continually. The temperature control simply opens and shuts flaps that mix heated air with cold, incoming air.

At Triangle Radiator & Auto Service, our trained and experienced mechanics can repair any type of vehicle heating system. For affordable Jefferson Park Auto Repair that will have you back on the road quickly and comfortably, call to set a service appointment at 773-539-5858 or contact us through our online form.

Does your car or truck start with no problems even in extreme cold? With winter approaching fast here in Chicago, the starter is one component of your vehicle that must be in optimal condition at all times. If you’ve noticed your vehicle seems to struggle more and more lately when you turn the key, bring it to the experts at Triangle for fast and affordable Jefferson Park Auto Repair. We’ll fix the starter so you’ll have the confidence knowing your vehicle will be reliable all winter long.

Car Starters – The Basics – Jefferson Park Auto Repair – Serving the 60618, 60641 and 60647 zip codes!

For an engine to start, fuel and air must be drawn in and compressed in the engine’s cylinders. To get the engine turning so this happens, a powerful electric starter is required. Its shaft has a pinion – a gear wheel – which then engages with a larger gear ring that goes around the rim of the engine’s flywheel. In a vehicle with a standard front engine design, the starter is located down near the rear of the engine.

To do its job, a vehicle starter requires a heavy electrical current. It draws the current through thick wires connected to the battery. Because a high current is involved, a large switch is required. The switch must be turned off and on rapidly to prevent dangerous sparking. For this reason a solenoid is used where a small switch activates an electromagnet to finish the circuit. A vehicle’s starter switch is most often handled by an ignition key. When the key is turned past the ‘ignition on’ marker, it feeds current to the solenoid. Ignition switchers are made with a return spring, which means that as soon as the key is released it springs back and the starter switches off. When the switch directs current toward the solenoid, the electromagnet’s pull attracts an iron rod, which closes two heavy contacts to complete the circuit from battery to starter. The rod is also equipped with a return spring, so when the vehicle’s ignition switch stops sending current toward the solenoid, is opens the contacts to stop the starter motor.

The return springs are required because a starter motor shouldn’t turn multiple times in order to start up an engine. This is partially because starters draw a lot of electrical current, which can run down a car battery fast. Additionally, if an engine starts and the starter’s motor remains engaged, the engine will turn the starter too rapidly and could cause significant damage.

Jefferson Park Auto Repair

Starter motors are manufactured with a device – a Bendix gear – that serves to engage the pinion with the gear ring on the flywheel while the starter turns the engine. It disengages the pinion from the gear ring as the engine gains speed. This disengagement is accomplished by an inertia system or by the pre-engaged system. An inertia starter depends on the positioning of the pinion and the challenge of getting it to turn. The pinion is not attached to the motor shaft. Rather, it’s threaded on to the shaft like a turnable nut on a coarse threaded bolt.

As an inertia starter turns, the pinion will move along the threads of the motor shaft and engage with the flywheel’s gear ring. When it stops at the end of the thread, it starts to turn along with the motor shaft and, consequently, turn the vehicle’s engine. Once this happens, the engine spins the pinion which actually screws the pinion down the thread and disengages it. Because the pinion returns with so much power, there must be a spring on the shaft to serve as a cushion against the impact.

The repetition of engaging and disengaging an inertia starter can lead to deterioration of the gears. To counter that problem, pre-engaged starters are made with a solenoid positioned on the motor.

And besides switching on the motor, the solenoid also pushes the pinion up the shaft so it engages.

Because the shaft is made with straight fittings instead of a Bendix thread, the pinion will always turn along with it. The pinion makes contact with the ring on the flywheel via a sliding fork, which gets moved by a solenoid with two contacts. The first one serves to supply electric current to the motor to make it turn enough to engage the pinion teeth. After that, the solenoid’s second contact closes, which feeds the motor a higher current to turn on the engine.

For speedy service that will restore your car starter to excellent, reliable condition, call the Jefferson Park Auto Repair specialists at 773-539-5858!