Technicians debate using the min/max function of a digital voltmeter to test the battery and charging system on a customer’s vehicle to determine if the alternator has failed. Who is correct?
Horsepower is a strange measurement, isn’t it? Think about it. When was the last time you used a horse for any kind of work or travel?
Like candlepower, the original horsepower attempted to express the output of a newer technology in comparison to its predecessor. Today, horsepower is one of the most common metrics we use to quantify vehicle performance, yet most of us in the auto repair industry have no experience with real horses at all. And even if we did, how would we meaningfully measure the work potential of a horse? How might that measurement of power translate to mechanical devices?
Thankfully, a clever guy named James Watt did the math for us over 240 years ago while developing steam engines that would kickstart the Industrial Revolution. This old Chevrolet video from 1937 does a fine job of explaining Watt’s journey to the earliest version of the horsepower measurement we know today. (The informational part of this video starts about two minutes in.)
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This British engineer changed racing forever by making cars lighter, not more powerful.
Is this the only car part named after an actress?
A radio show that, hopefully, will live on for years to come.
You may be surprised at how diesels have made a name for themselves in motorsports.
Giorgetto Giugiaro influenced everything from groundbreaking supercars to beloved city vehicles.
Technician A completed a compression test, noting high readings suggest an exhaust restriction, while Technician B says the test checks volumetric efficiency.
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