Challenger Maintenance

Let's debunk the following 9 tire safety myths. Having TPMS means I do not have to check my air pressure unless the warning light comes on. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is designed to provide a warning of low tire pressure in order to avoid tire failure. It will not monitor and sustain the recommended air pressure. In fact, the TPMS warning light is not required to come on until the air pressure is 25% below the vehicle’s recommended air pressure. This means that you still...

The oxygen sensor, also known as a lambda sensor, was developed in the late 1960s by Dr. Gunter Bauman for the Robert Bosch company. This sensor was made using ceramic coated zirconia and platinum. However, in order to make the O2 sensor more efficient and capable of mass production NTK, in 1990, developed planar oxygen sensors for use in the Honda Civic and Accord. All cars that were manufactured post-1980 feature oxygen sensors. They make modern electronic fuel injection and emission...

The biggest enemy of your Challenger’s body is salt (sodium chloride). It can severely detract the appearance of your car and result in costly body work. Unfortunately, if you live in the northern part of the U.S., and your car is a daily driver in the winter, road salt is unavoidable. Parts most at risk from salt damage include the exhaust system, muffler, coil springs, subframe and hydraulic brake system. When saltwater and metal react, a process called electro-chemical corrosion occurs....

noise in rear end

Early cars did not have batteries, as their electrical systems were very limited. A bell was used instead of an electric horn, headlights were gas-powered and the engine was started with a crank. Car batteries became widely used, around 1920, as cars became equipped with electric starters. The sealed battery, which did not require refilling, was invented in 1971. The Hudson Motor Car Company was the first to use a standardized battery in 1918 when they started using Battery Council...

Before the advent of the starter motor, engines were started by various methods including wind-up springs, gunpowder cylinders, and human-powered techniques such as a removable crank handle which engaged the front of the crankshaft, pulling on an airplane propeller, or pulling a cord that was wound around an open-face pulley. Among these methods, the hand-crank method was most commonly used to start engines, but it was inconvenient, difficult, and dangerous. The Ford Model T relied on hand...

Air conditioning was first offered by Packard, in 1939, in its production cars. These units were manufactured by Bishop and Babcock Co, of Cleveland, OH. Cars ordered with the new "Weather Conditioner" were shipped from Packard's East Grand Boulevard facility to the B&B factory where the conversion was performed. Once complete, the car was shipped to a local dealer where the customer would take delivery. Packard fully warranted and supported this conversion, and marketed it well. However,...

An automotive cooling system protects an engine from catastrophic failure (e.g., blown head gaskets, and warped or cracked cylinder heads or cylinder blocks ) due to overheating. Basically, it consists of the following: A series of galleries cast into the engine block and cylinder head, surrounding the combustion chambers with circulating coolant to carry away heat. A mixture of water and antifreeze in proportions appropriate to the climate. Antifreeze itself is usually ethylene glycol or...

When you pull into a gas station, you usually presented with four options: regular, plus, premium and ultra premium. But, have you ever wondered what those numbers- 87, 89, 91 and 93 mean? Octane is the measure of how much compression a fuel can withstand before igniting. The higher the octane rating, the less likely the fuel is going to pre-ignite (i.e., explode unexpectedly) at higher pressures and damage your engine. That’s why performance cars with higher compression engines require...

Has it ever occurred to you to fill your tires with anything other than air? Because nitrogen is more stable than oxygen, it is commonly used in vehicles that require precise tuning, such as race cars, industrial machinery, aircraft, and spacecraft. That makes some drivers think that nitrogen is a better choice for their daily driver and there could be some truth to that. However, whether or not that’s true for your car depends on a number of factors. Consider that the air we breathe is...

Maintaining tire pressure may seem like a low priority, but keeping the correct air pressure in your tires is an important part of vehicle maintenance. It helps in the following areas: · Safety · Optimizing tire performance · Improving fuel economy · Improving handling and performance while driving · Extending treadwear · Maintaining steering response · Improving cornering ability and stability · Improving steering precision Your tires are properly inflated when they match the...

Threadlockers, as the name suggests, are used to lock the threads of fasteners such as screws, bolts, studs of different sizes which are used in different applications- especially automotive. This type of adhesive prevents loosening caused by vibration, mechanical and thermal shock. Chemically speaking, most thread-locking formulas are methacrylate-based and rely on the electro-chemical activity of a metal substrate to cause polymerization of the fluid. Thread-locking fluid has unique...

Can anyone tell me where i can get the pennzoil ultra ow40 oil very hard to find in Canada,Chrysler changed from Mobil to Pennzoil,would like to do my own oil change when putting away for winter

If you change your own oil, the chances are you’ve got some old engine oil on your shelf. Likely it’s nothing more than an opened 1-liter top-up bottle, or an unused 4-liter bottle. You then wonder, "Does motor oil expire?" WHAT DO THE OIL COMPANIES SAY? There is a general consensus of terminology coming from the oil companies that unused, unopened, and stored in its original container out of extremes of temperature, motor oil will last for an “extended period”. They then go on to suggest...