Repair 7

Car door components largely remain the same for any vehicle despite the fact that newer cars include mechanical devices. Each car door part serves the overall purpose of providing passengers with an extra safety layer against accidents. These parts require routine checks for maintenance, as they wear out over time, making it important for drivers to know how each component functions.

Shell

The shell, the most visible component of a car door, holds all other door parts together. Its surface size depends on the cars style. Shells typically incorporate aluminum or steel, although with the advent of environment-saving strategies, the door can also comprise recycled material.

Hinges

Hinges connect a car door to the rest of the car. They allow you to open and close the door without causing it to fall off, and they keep the door at the necessary elevation to close properly. Door hinges periodically require replacement due to wear. Constantly slamming the door will wear out the hinges more quickly.

Adhesive Strips

Adhesive strips help absorb minor impacts to a car door. Usually placed on the outside of the shell, along its rim, strips help prevent scratching due to impact from shopping carts or other car doors. Though you can find a variety of styles and colors, rubber magnet strips are most common.

Latch and Lock

The most vital parts of a car door (and, unfortunately, a favorite target for car thieves) the latch and lock allow the door to close securely and prevent it from opening while you drive. Schedule maintenance checks for your car doors latches and locks regularly, as faulty mechanisms cause thousands of car accidents each year. Newer cars contain a power lock feature that allows drivers to lock all doors from a drivers seat or key-chain remote. Power locking doors securely helps prevent the door from opening mid-travel.

Door Lock Actuator

The door lock actuator allows car doors to hook onto the latch-and-lock component. The actuator features an electric motor that uses gears to turn an actuator rod. When you unlock the door, the gears turn the rod away from the latch; when you lock the door securely, the rod will hook to the latch, preventing the door to from opening.

Window

A car door window displays a view of objects outside of the car. The most versatile car door component, the window also allows for glare-reduction tinting or styling. Newer cars have windows that open electronically.

The 1998 Suzuki Esteem was an economical compact car---available as a sedan or a wagon---offering reasonable space and practicality. The Esteem had an understated generic design, but it offered a solid 1.6L, in-line, 4-cylinder engine capable of delivering 95 horsepower. With its light 2,250-pound curb weight, the Esteem posted very respectable fuel economy figures of 37 miles per gallon on the highway and 30 miles per gallon in the city.

Fuel Pump

The Esteems electronically controlled fuel pump is located in the gas tank. As its name suggests, its function is to pump gas through the fuel lines to the engine compartment.

Fuel Pressure Regulator

The fuel pressure regulator, located under the hood, is responsible for feeding fuel directly to the injectors at the correct pressure. This is controlled by the electronic control unit---or ECU---and is based on several parameters, including driver throttle input and revolutions per minute. The regulator must be in good working order, as failing to feed fuel into the engine at the correct pressure can cause severe issues, such as back-firing or even detonation caused by the improper ratio of air to fuel.

Fuel Injectors

The Esteem is equipped with four small fuel injectors, each responsible for providing fuel to the combustion chamber. The injectors are also controlled by the ECU, which instructs the injectors when and for how long to release fuel. Injectors must be free from deposits or contaminants to operate effectively.

Fuel Filter

The fuel filter screens out any foreign object or debris that may accumulate in the fuel tank.

All types of automobiles rely on a suspension system to attach the body and frame of the vehicle to its wheels. Suspensions serve the important purpose of keeping the wheels firmly planted on the ground. They also make driving more comfortable by reducing shock. Truck suspensions are similar to car suspensions but use larger components that can handle the increased weight or survive the stresses of off-road driving.

Springs

Coil springs serve as the basis of most truck suspensions. The springs rely on a very simple mechanical principle of compression to resist the shocks that the wheels experience. Springs absorb energy to push the wheels down and keep the frame of the truck level.

Struts

Struts are shock absorbers that run through the center of a truck suspensions coil springs. They contain compressed gas or liquid that can absorb energy and keep the trucks body level, much like the coil spring. Struts differ from coil springs in that they include multiple mounting points for attaching to the truck frame and other suspension components. A strut can resist force in an up-down direction, but also from side-to-side. Struts are stronger (and larger) than the shock absorbers on small cars, making them ideal for trucks when paired with a coil spring.

Sway Bars

A trucks sway bar is a relatively large piece of its suspension. Sway bars connect two wheels at the same end of the truck. They are not solid, but instead include a torsion spring that absorbs energy as the trucks makes turns, when force is applied to the wheels unevenly. Sway bars help prevent the body of the truck from leaning as the driver executes a turn and subjects it to sideways (torsional) force.

Tie Rods

A trucks tie rod is a solid metal shaft that runs the width of the front suspension. It attaches near each wheel and engages the steering mechanism. Since the steering components, like the Pitman arm and drag link, are not part of the suspension structure and dont attach directly to the wheels, the tie rod links the steering shaft to the suspension so that the trucks driver can control the wheels independent of the movement of the suspension.

Control Arms

A control arm attaches each wheel to the trucks frame directly. Two control arms form a double-wishbone suspension, which attaches to the wheel via a ball joint that allows the control arm to pivot. Steering linkages affect the motion of the control arm to apply the force that turns the wheel.