Here, "chug" imitates the sound an engine makes while it is starting.
chug chug chug Chug CHUG VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
"On a cold winter morning, Bob tried to start his car. It chugged for a long time, and then started to run smoothly."
"chug into effect" is not a standard phrase. The printing press chugged while it came into effect, and since "chug" sounds similar to "come", the writer replaced "come" with "chug"