If you are planning to flush the cooling system, you should probably look into the manual or approach a service station. But if you intend to do it yourself, then this is how you should go about it. You need to purchase a bottle of coolant and know how much water should be mixed with the coolant. Using equal parts of both is fine except for the winter season.

1. Park your car in the shade and allow it to cool down. Ensure that the car is in neutral and the hand brake is engaged and the engine is switched off.

2. Place a bucket that can hold at least 2.5 gallons of fluid under the radiator drain valve at the bottom of the radiator.

3. Open the drain plug slowly and allow the fluid to drain into the bucket. Wait till the entire fluid is drained.

4. Close the drain valve tightly.

5. Dispose the collected fluid in the bucket safely as it is toxic and can harm living things.

6. Open the radiator cap and fill it with clean water.

7. Run the engine with the heater at full blast for about ten to fifteen minutes.

8. Allow the engine to cool again and drain the water from the system following steps 2 and 3.

9. Refill the system with equal parts of coolant and water till the max level is reached.

10. Replace the pressure cap and run the engine for sometime and check if the temperature gauge shows normal reading.

Tires are the only contact points between the vehicle and the road. The wear on the tires depend on various factors like,

1) The average speed at which you drive. Higher speeds means higher rate of wear due to higher temperatures

2) The condition of the suspension and the brakes. A less effective suspension means the tires have to bear the extra grunt and thus leading to more wear.

3) Tire inflation and wheel alignment.

4) Road surface temperature. A hotter road surface leads to more tire wear.

Tire Size codes:

There is something like this written on the side walls of your tires: P206/76R-13. These are what the letters and numbers mean.

P: means “Passenger”. It refers to the applicable size of the vehicle. Other codes include LT meaning “Light truck”.

206: Refers to the tire section width measured across the tread from one side wall to another in millimeters.

76: Refers to the aspect ratio. Aspect ratio is the ratio of the height of the sidewall to its width. In this case the height of the sidewall is 76% its width. Tires with aspect ratio lesser than 70 are referred to as “low profile” tires which are often seen in racing cars.

R: Tire type which in this case is “Radial”. Other types include B meaning “Bias-belted” or E meaning “elliptic”.

13: Refers to the tire diameter measured in inches. In this case the diameter of the wheel is 13 inches.

Before heading out and buying any specified part for your car, here is the list of things that you need to know before doing so.

1. Vehicle make(Mazda, Honda, etc)

2. Vehicle model(RX-8, Accord, etc)

3. Year of manufacture(1992, 1985, etc)

4. Number of cylinders and type of arrangement(V6, In-line 4, Flat 4, etc)

5. Engine displacement(2000 cc, 40 cubic inches, etc)

6. Kind of fuel system(fuel injected or carbureted)

7. Whether the car has an air-conditioner

8. Type of transmission whether manual or automatic.

If the engine is considered as the heart of an automobile, then the piston can rightly be considered as the heart of the engine. They are an integral part in reciprocating engines and have been an area of constant research. Engineers are thriving for better designs and materials to build pistons which can perform more efficiently and live a longer life.

What is a piston?

A piston is a solid block shaped like an inverted bucket, which slides freely inside the cylinder. It also supports the piston rings and the piston pin. One end of the piston is fixed to the bearing of the connecting rod, while the other end which faces towards the cylinder head, is exposed to the gases.

Tips to drive the Eco-friendly way

1) Do not warm up the engine after it is started. Drive away once the engine is started as prolonged idling periods only waste fuel and pollute the air. Idle only if the manufacturer has instructed you to do so.

2) The first few minutes after starting are the periods when the engine efficiency is on the lower side. Drive away by accelerating slowly and gradually increasing the speed through the gears. The first mile of operation after the engine is started is when the mileage is least and hence careful driving might get the most out of the fuel.

3) Adjust the seat according to your comfort and make sure you are in a comfortable driving position before you start driving. A comfortable driving position lets you have a lighter leg on the gas pedal there by saving fuel.

4) As far as possible, stick to the same lane. When you shift lanes to overtake, acceleration is necessary which leads to increased fuel consumption. Avoid lane switching as far as possible.

5) Build up speed gradually before you get to a hill and keep the gas pedal steady when climbing. This helps in reducing fuel usage. While coming down a hill, coast with the help of the vehicle’s momentum and the earth’s gravitational force!.

6) Use overdrive. Using overdrive results in upto 10% increase in fuel efficiency. Shift into higher gears whenever possible and do so without lugging or over revving the engine.

7) Avoid over speeding and keep the engine at speeds where its performance is the highest. This will result in better fuel efficiency, smoother engine operation and longer engine life.

Talk about the journey to all the passengers before you start. You know you’re all going to be in the car for quite some time, so agree not to argue (or at least agree to try not to argue!!) and keep a sense of humor.

Take audio discs to listen to. Let everyone have their own choice of music or radio station for an allotted time.

Prepare games or activities to keep the children occupied. Hand-held computer games are good (if they have headphones attached), but try books and card games also and keep them engaged.

Travel sickness can be a big problem. Symptoms can be eased by keeping the car cool and well ventilated, driving steadily and keeping the sufferer distracted. Sitting in the front seat helps sometimes. Avoid too much food and fizzy drinks.

If you are taking a pet with you don’t forget they have special needs too. Make sure they are comfortable, sensibly restrained and that they get an opportunity for a drink and to ’stretch their legs’ along with the rest of the family. Its vital to give the pet a good bath before he joins you in the car.

Most important of all, enjoy your trip!

A windshield wiper is a mechanism which moves a rubber blade back and forth to wipe the windshield, operated electrically, by vacuum or by compressed air. However, all present-day automobiles are equipped with electrically operated wipers. Wipers are used to remove rain water, moisture and dirt from the windshield. Usually there are two synchronized radial type arms which help in doing the above. Mercedes-Benz created a system called the ‘Monoblade‘ in which a single blade could do the job of two blades. The wiper arm extends outward to get closer to the top corners, and pulls in at the ends and middle of the stroke. Thus one blade was enough to sweep across the entire surface area of the windshield. In some cars, smaller wipers were used to clean the headlights.

Vehicles with air operated brakes use air powered wipers. Here, pressurized air is used to power the motor. In earlier times, intake manifold vacuum was used as the power source. But the main drawback was that the wiper speed was fully dependent on the throttle position. At wide open throttle conditions, the wipers would stop working due to loss of manifold vacuum as the manifold pressure would be almost equal to the atmospheric pressure. Other manufacturers tried powering the wipers by the engine. They connected the wipers directly to the transmission. But the wiper speed was dependent on the engine speed and at idling conditions, it wouldn’t work properly.

The wiper blade is connected in six to eight places to the arm. This ensures proper and uniform cleaning across the windshield. The speed of the wiper is controlled by a switch on the side of the steering column and the time delay between the blade movements can be controlled. In some modern cars, the wipers work automatically when it rains. In this system, a rain sensor is used, which uses hygroscopic material to activate a switch. In other systems, optical sensors are employed which sense moisture on the windshield and control the wiper speed accordingly. All these systems come with a overriding switch.

Tips for highway motoring:

• Check your car’s engine oil level – make sure you have extra oil in your boot in case of problems.
• In case your car has an automatic transmission, check the automatic transmission fluid.
• Check your engine coolant levels. If coolant levels are too low, it may cause your car to overheat.
• Check your “CV-joint boots”, visually looking inside the front wheel arch from the front of the car with the wheel turned outside.
• Check the amount of tyre wear. Also ensure proper air pressure in all tyres before starting the journey. It’s likely that you’ll need to increase tyre pressures if you’re carrying a full load.
• Check wiper blades. Make sure the screen wash tank is full to cope with all the dust and dirt you’ll encounter on a long journey.

The above maintenance procedures may seem routine to most, but according to experts, many people simply do not take the time to properly maintain their automobile. Not only will your car have tremendous re-sale value, but you will also get better mileage and performance.

Combustion of fuel produces nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapor, particulate matter and other hydrocarbons. These by-products have to be collected and let off some place else.

An exhaust manifold does exactly that by collecting the exhaust gases from the cylinders and passing it on to the one common pipe called the exhaust pipe.

The manifold should also be as light and compact as possible. Materials used for exhaust systems need to be corrosion resistant and have to withstand the heat and moisture produced by the engine. Thus the exhaust manifold is usually made of cast iron or tubular steel which can combat both pretty well. In-line cylinder engines use one exhaust manifold for all the cylinders. V type cylinder engines use of two exhaust manifolds, one for each bank of cylinders.

It is a common practice to coat the exhaust manifold with a special material. The coating material sometimes appears to be red in colour. There are many reasons for coating the manifold. The first reason being protection from corrosion as mentioned previously. The coating also acts as a thermal barrier, thus keeping heat generated by the exhaust gases within the manifold. There are a number of advantages by doing this. First, by keeping heat within the manifold, the exhaust gas velocity is going to be more(forcing it out quicker) which reduces the back pressure on the engine. Next, the surface temperature of the manifold is reduced. This means that the heat radiated by the manifold under the hood or into the engine compartment is lesser. This reduces the underhood temperature which, again, reduces the temperature of near by parts, such as the alternator and the starter motor. It also reduces the temperature of the air that is drawn through to the engine as the intake duct is placed under the hood and lower air temperature means better engine performance. There are a variety of coatings that can be used to coat the exhaust manifold.

Oxygen sensors and heat riser valves are sometimes mounted on the exhaust manifold. Poorly designed exhaust manifolds may affect engine performance as they can prove to be a major source of back pressure. The exhaust gases from one cylinder build up pressure in the manifold which affects the next cylinder that uses the manifold. Engine power is considerably wasted in the whole process.

Washing your car on a monthly basis will remove highly corrosive materials like salt. Waxing your car helps to protect the paint and minimizes the harm of chemicals. It also protects and prevents the colour from fading away. Hence the car will appear shiny and new.

Dust and dirt get into the car. To get rid of the dust, use a vacuum cleaner and reach under the seats, around the pedals and the area between front seats and central console. Try to vacuum those spots and other areas where dirt accumulates easily, such as the foot area or the boot. Always park your car in the shade when you clean it.

Clean your car’s carpets with a proper sanitation spray. This means there is cleaner air to breathe in your car.

Wipe down leather and vinyl with a quality cleaner. Do not use it on the steering wheel if it’s slippery.

Wash windows with recommended glass cleaner and paper towels or a cotton cloth. Wash both the inside and the outside of the glass. Clean windows are not only nice to look through, they also increase safety and visibility.

Clean the wheels with a wheel cleaner that removes the brake dust, which often blackens the front wheels. Application of these cleaners varies and so stick to the manufacturer’s advice.

Tires require regular cleaning. Rubber naturally oxidizes with time. That oxidization causes the tire to appear like they are cracking. Scrub tires four times a year with a recommended scrub and cleaner to remove the impurities. If after scrubbing, the tire still appears to be cracked, take them in to be inspected.

Many times, water gets into the cabin area, damaging the carpets and flooring. In this case, place old mats on your car floor, so that they soak up the dirty water. It would be a better option to use fabric mats rather than rubber ones.