Maintain your Chevy Silverado with a free repair guide and other helpful resources. Whether you’re a DIY expert or tackling your first maintenance project, find the resources you need for common repair issues. Learn how to tell if you have a bad MAF sensor and how to check your wheel alignment to keep your truck moving forward and operating efficiently.
How To Tell If Your Mass Air Flow Sensor Has Gone Bad
A bad mass airflow sensor affects your engine’s performance. This sensor is used to monitor and measure the airflow into your intake manifold. This information is processed and used to alter your fuel injection system to achieve the optimal air/fuel ratio. Here are some common signs that your sensor needs to be cleaned or replaced:
- Engine hiccups
- Idling lean or rich
- Engine hesitates while idling
- Acceleration jerks or hesitates
These symptoms are all caused by an improper mixture of air and fuel in your engine. To clean a MAF sensor, carefully remove the wiring harness and the sensor from your truck. Don’t attempt to do this while your engine is running or still hot. Use a dedicated sensor cleaning solution to gently wipe the sensor. This will prevent dirt, grease, and other contaminants from affecting the reading.
A damaged sensor needs to be replaced. Shop for a new MAF sensor and other Chevy Silverado auto parts to restore your engine’s performance. A new sensor is easy to install and returns your air/fuel mixture to optimal levels.
Steps To Fixing Your Car’s Wheel Alignment
Your Chevy can take on some serious projects. Whether you’re pulling heavy loads or commuting miles of rough roads, your wheel alignment can suffer. Thankfully, restoring your wheel alignment is easy, with a few steps and the right tools.
The wheels on your truck are aligned with a tie rod. This allows some independent movement between your front wheels without damaging your vehicle or interrupting your forward movement. When your tie rod is too loose or too tight, it can affect your truck’s safety, fuel economy, and convenience.
An improperly adjusted tie rod can cause your truck to wander to the left and right while you’re driving down the road. This may be slow movements or sudden jerks. You may also experience a lower fuel economy and less control of your truck as you drive down the road.
Use a tape measure and the right wrenches to adjust your tie rod. You will also need a front end alignment tool or two pieces of angle iron and an additional tape measure. While your steering wheel is straight, measure the length between your front tires in the front and rear of the tires. You’ll need to adjust the tie rod to achieve the optimal toe in for your truck.
Review a free Chevy Avalanche wheel alignment repair guide for more information on the desired amount of toe-in and other features. Explore free repair guides online and discover how you can find all the right tools and replacement parts to keep your truck operating efficiently.
Featured Image by danvolks99 from Pixabay
