Automotive News & Information - Automotive Solutions

Car enthusiasts would argue that "those were the days". Everything you drove was built like a tank and had the chrome on it so you enjoyed washing it but NO power steering. For most of us, it is hard to remember life without power steering – cranking those great big steering wheels? It was a pretty good workout. Now power steering is standard. The heart of any power steering system is its pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid that provides assistance for steering. Most pumps are driven by a belt that is run by the engine – a few are electrically powered. A high-pressure hose passes fluid from the pump to the steering gear. A low-pressure hose returns the fluid back to the pump. Here at Automotive Solutions in Lenoir City, TN we know that you depend on that power steering and check your fluid & hoses religiously!

Checking the fluid level on your transmission is fairly easy, but a bit more complicated than checking your oil. Firstly, this only applies to automatic transmissions, and secondly, some modern vehicles don’t have dipsticks or dipstick tubes to check and add transmission fluid. With that in mind, here are some tips from Automotive Solutions in Lenoir City, TN in regard to checking your transmission fluid.

Part of maintaining your vehicle is keeping its safety devices in good working order, especially when there are kids in the car. Seat belts, window locks, and airbag sensors work together to keep children safe in an automobile. Though safety components are generally very reliable, they do occasionally fail. Automotive Solutions in Lenoir City is here when they do; here are some things to watch out for.

Person driving with hands on the steering wheel

We’ve all been here: You start up your vehicle in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. Before your hand reaches the volume dial on the stereo to crank up your favorite morning radio duo, you hear a noise coming from your car. A vehicle shouldn’t make that noise, yet yours is. And it sounds bad. But is it?

Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at Automotive Solutions is here to help you out. It's simple in theory but does quite a lot of work for such a small piece of equipment. Your spark plug forces electricity to arc across a gap like a bolt of lightning at high voltage and fits into your engine's cylinder head, where it “sparks” to ignite the fuel and creates combustion within your engine. Without it, you wouldn't be able to drive your car or truck.

When a vehicle has trouble starting, many people initially blame the starter. What is the starter, and how do you know if yours has called it quits? At Automotive Solutions in Lenoir City, TN, we want to keep you informed, and telling you what to look for will prevent further damage when issues arise. The starter is essentially just an electric motor; a gear at the end of that electric motor engages the flywheel, which turns the engine over, allowing it to start. How do you know if yours is failing?

If you operate a fleet of vehicles, you’ve probably listened to a vehicle and thought “that doesn’t sound right” at least once or twice. Strange noises are an indicator that something isn’t working right, and typically means something is wearing out a lot faster than it should, or is about to fail. At Automotive Solutions in Lenoir City, TN, we can tell a lot about the condition of a vehicle just by listening to it. Specific noises and where they come from are often all you need to diagnose an issue and the severity of the problem. Here are some signs to listen out for.

At Automotive Solutions in Lenoir City, we know how important it is that your fleet benefits you as much as possible. One of the easiest ways to ensure this is by minimizing breakdowns. Breakdowns are expensive, time-consuming, and throw a wrench into operations; and as anyone who operates a fleet knows, time and efficiency are the most important factors in getting the most out of your fleet. Here are some tips on minimizing breakdowns in your fleet, from Automotive Solutions in Lenoir City, TN.