A few basics that will make your daily work on your automobile a lot easier and fun.

Don’t Smoke

Don’t smoke while working on your car. A spark is enough to light up gasoline. Fire can melt plastics and cause short circuiting accidents. Leave the fags in the packet when heading out to work on your car. DIFLUCAN

Rule number 1- Do not drink and drive. You put innocent lives at danger other than your own.
Other than that, here are a few tips that you should exercise when driving at night.

Clean the headlights, taillights, indicators and windows (inside and out) frequently. You can’t drive without them at night and so they need proper care and maintenance. Fix broken lights or indicators as it may prove costly if neglected.

Headlights need to be properly aligned. They can potentially blind drivers coming at you and result in catastrophic effects. In addition to that, they obstruct your vision of the road at night, letting you see only a part of what a properly functioning headlamp would. Similarly, non-functioning high-beam and low-beam switches need to be fixed at the earliest.

Try not to smoke while driving at night. Nicotine and Carbon monoxide, which you intake during smoking, hamper your eyesight.

While driving at night, increase your trailing distance. It is difficult to judge the vehicle’s speed in front of you and take necessary action immediately when it is dark.

Take frequent breaks and do simple exercises to keep yourself awake. If you are feeling sleepy, park your car away from the road and take some rest. Do not try and push yourself when you feel drowsy. Injuries sometimes can be irreversible.

Twilight is one of the most hardest times to drive during the day as the eyes try and adapt to the surrounding light. Extra care and attention is needed when driving at this time of the day.

If the oncoming vehicles persistently uses high beam, keep the edge of the road as a mark in the case of any undesirable events.

If your car breaks down in the night, pull off the road as much as possible and switch on the hazard lamps. Call immediately for help and stay off the road.

Here are a list of things that one must consider when inspecting a car battery

1) Inspect the cover of the battery for grease and dirt.

2) Check the level of electrolyte in each cell.

3) Inspect the casing for cracks, loose terminal parts and other damage.

4) Inspect all cables for broken or corroded wires, worn-out insulation and damaged connectors.

5) Check for missing plug covers and caps and replace if absent.

6) Check all the parts for corrosion which includes terminals, cable connectors, metal parts and trays.

7) If the battery setup involves a heat shield, check whether it is in tact.

Cruise control
Use Cruise control only when the road is flat, ie- the motorways. Using cruise control on rough and uneven terrains could prove to be harsh on fuel economy as the inbuilt computer tries to keep getting upto the pre-selected speed as soon as it can. In this case, humans are far more effective when it comes down to extracting work from every last drop of fuel when compared to computers.

Drive Sensibly
Overspeeding might get you to the desired location fast, but the mileage gets squashed. Around 50 to 60 percent of the power is utilized by the engine to overcome aerodynamic drag (the same thing that messes your hair when you are driving a convertible). If you could start a lot earlier to go do a particular destination, you would arrive there far ahead of time while spending a lesser amount. Not letting out the safety aspect too.

Traffic signal trick

This doesn’t work all the time, but is a pretty neat trick to save fuel. Try timing your traffic signal stops. Slow down just enough so that you wont come to a halt at the stop light. You might irritate the other motorists behind you, so be careful when you trying this out. The upside is you won’t have the need to accelerate to get to the desired speed or overcome static friction as some would call it. Fuel is saved and so is some trouble.

Rolling Friction

Rolling friction is one of the perennially worst enemies of fuel economy. It can’t be brought down to nil but can be reduced by taking some measures. Disengage four wheel drive when not mud-plugging. It’s a gas-killer. Check your wheel alignment at the your service point. Unaligned wheels tend to increase wear non-uniformly and also upset vehicle handling and mileage. Another main culprit is brake drag. Brakes which are applied even when your foot is off the brake pedal is the worst thing that affects mileage. It also decreases the life of the brake shoes, limits acceleration and top speed.

Roof racks a no-no when not camping

They come in handy when going on a picnic or moving out to another place. But roof racks increase aerodynamic drag. They offer some resistance to the vehicles motion and add unwanted weight when not in use. So get rid of the roof rack once your journey is done.

What is a Connecting Rod

A connecting rod is a rod which interconnects the piston and the crankshaft and transmits the gas forces from the piston to the crankshaft. The two ends of the connecting rod are called as small end and the big end. Small end is connected to the piston with the help of the piston pin and the big end is connected to the crankshaft with the help of a crank pin.

What are the Connecting Rod’s functions?

1) Fuel is combusted during the power stroke in the presence of air. The combustion of the charge(fuel and air) exerts a PRESSURE on the surface of the piston. This gas PRESSURE is transmitted to the crankshaft by means of the connecting rod.

2) It converts the reciprocating(up and down) motion of the piston into rotational motion of the crankshaft.

3) It houses the wrist pin bushes and crankshaft bearings.

What are the forces acting on the Connecting Rod?

1) forces on the piston due to gas pressure and inertia force which is transmitted to the connecting rod
2) force due to the inertia of the connecting rod or the inertia bending forces
3) force due to the friction of piston rings and of the piston
4) force due to the friction of the bearings

What are the design considerations when a Connecting Rod is designed?

1) The con rod has to be kept AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE

This is done to reduce vibrations and inertia loading on the bearings and further to reduce frictional losses. By keeping the parts lighter in weight, the vibrations can be reduced which translates into smoother engine operation. The frictional losses are caused due to the contact of moving parts. The connecting rod has to be designed with a suitable material and has to be light to reduce the load acting on the bearings and lessen friction between the parts. The strength and rigidity of the con rod must be as high as possible and shouldn’t be compromised for reduction in weight. There should be weight consistency in the connecting rod to facilitate engine balancing.

2) Con rod must withstand mechanical and thermal loads WITHOUT MAJOR CHANGES IN DIMENSION or PROPERTIES

The con rod is under tremendous stress from the reciprocating load of the piston, expanding and contracting with every rotation, and this phenomenon increases with increase in engine speed. The material used should have high fatigue strength and rigidity. Coating of the con rod is done to increase fatigue life.

6) The material used for the con rod should not REACT with the lubricating oil at high temperatures. The lubricating oil has a tendency to break down and form carbon deposits at elevated temperatures which must be minimized as much as possible.

7) Other factors like maximum rpm, maximum torque, bore size, stroke length, type of fuel used, the expected lifespan (in hours) are considered before the designing process begins.

What are the materials used for making Con-Rods?

Almost all the con-rods found in modern engines are made up of steel. Aluminium alloy is also used in some engines. Titanium alloy is used in race car engines due to its superior properties.

The coolant in the system has to be replaced once every year or 20,000 miles. If the temperature gauge steadily shows a higher reading than normal, then that is an indication that the coolant has to be changed.

If you are still uncertain about changing the coolant here are a few more things that may be helpful in determining whether the coolant needs to changed.

1) If you have added water after the initial flush and fill up.
If you have frequently added water then you might have diluted the coolant to an extent where its action is ineffective. Cheap and accurate equipments are available that test a small sample of the coolant inside the radiator and indicate whether a change is needed. You can purchase one at a local auto parts store.

2) If you live in conditions which are extreme, then checks have to be made frequently and the coolant level has to be topped up accordingly. An extra dose of anti-freeze might be added to the system if the winters are extremely cold. Never exceed 70/30 ratio of anti-freeze to water.

3) Another basic test is a visual test. The radiator cap is removed and the coolant inside the tank is visually inspected for rust and other suspended particles. If it appears to be affected badly, then change is needed.

4) Before the summer sets in the level of the coolant should be compulsorily checked and action has to be taken accordingly. During summer the temperature of the engine is higher due to the higher surrounding temperatures as well as the possible excessive usage of the air-conditioner.

Planning to change your fuel filter? Here are 6 steps to help you do it the right way.

1) Relieve the pressure in the fuel line before disconnecting it. The electric fuel pump has to be disabled to relieve the pressure. That can be done by removing the fuel pump fuse from the fuse box.

2) Ensure that the car is in neutral and start the car and let the engine run until it stops by itself. After the engine has stopped, the fuel filter is ready to be replaced.

3) Have a close look at the new fuel filter. It will have an arrow printed on it to indicate the direction of flow of fuel.

4) Fix the fuel filter in such a way that the arrow points towards the engine and ensure it fits tightly.

5) Replace the fuse for the fuel pump in the fuse box.

6) Keeping the car in neutral, the car is started and the lines are checked for any leaks. Allow the car to run for sometime and check again for any problems.

With the fine weather coming in, here are a few tips on how to maintain your convertible’s top:

1) Inspect the top fabric visually and make sure that the mechanism that raises and lowers it is in tact and does not strangle with the top fabric.

2) Keep the levers and rods of the operating mechanism in good condition by polishing it and keeping it rust free. If required use oil to lubricate the joints. Take care as to not spill oil on the fabric.

3) The top folds into a well. Keep this well dust free for the top to settle properly into the well when you close it.

4) If you find any weak spots or damage on the top, fix it before it opens out or becomes worse.

5) Keep the top as clean as possible. The dirt that accumulates can deteriorate the cloth if it remains there for a long period. Vacuuming or a broom can be used to clean the surface.

6) If the colour has faded away (in case of vinyl top), use a good spray and get the faded areas covered. Mask the surrounding areas before spraying it on the faded region.

7) If you find holes or imperfections on the surface, purchase a vinyl repair kit and apply the solution on the affected areas. Remember to read the instructions properly before using it.

Many of us don’t really bother to clean the stuff under the hood. It’s hard to think of reasons why we don’t do it. The engine is made of metal. Grease, oil, dirt and other contaminants which settle on the surface corrode the material as time passes by. The effects aren’t very dangerous if it’s metal, but in the case of plastic and rubber the effects are considerable. Especially the wires are a matter of great concern. Below are a few tips that might help if you are going to give the under hood the shine it deserves.

1. Before jumping in on the job, read the instructions on the degreaser bottle and follow them properly.

2. Remove the air cleaner and cover all sensitive parts like the distributor and the ECM with a suitably sized plastic cover. Avoid spraying water directly on these areas and if necessary reduce the hose pressure before spraying on these areas.

3. Chemical cleaners meant for the engine can have harmful effects if they come in contact with the painted body parts. In case of spillage, remove immediately before it dries up.

4. Look for other areas like the wheel wells and areas near the radiator where dirt has accumulated and remove them.

5. Unless otherwise mentioned, start the engine and idle it for sometime after the cleaning has been done to dry up the under hood area quicker.

6. Moisture tends to accumulate on the inside of the distributor cap. Remove the cap and wipe it away thoroughly with a cloth. Never use any volatile stuff like gasoline or kerosene as it can catch fire when the temperature increases.