Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Why is an Intercooler so Important to a Turbocharged Car

The internal combustion engine found in today’s cars is basically the world’s most mass produced heat pump. It converts what are basically the remains of dinosaurs into heat through the process of combustion. The combustion is used to force the pistons in the motor downward creating a torqueing motion on the crankshaft. This motion is converted by the transmission into usable power at the wheels of the car. A car equipped with a turbocharger or usually referred to as turbos for short uses an external device that is considered a power adder. A turbo is basically an air pump that forces more air into the cylinders of a vehicle.
When a turbo begins to build “boost” which is the slang term for the pressure that the turbo build in the engine a large amount of heat is created.  This heat can be damaging to a motor is not removed from the system and it robs horsepower from the motor as well. The more heat the air carries the more space the air will need to occupy. The device used to cool the air that is compressed by the turbo is referred to as the intercooler, this unit is basically a radiator that cools air.



The basic idea of the intercooler is that compressed hot air is spread out across a larger area than the pipes in the intake system. Once spread across this larger area the air will deposit its heat on the surface of the intercooler where it is released into the air. To add to the cooling ability fins are placed on the channels where the air travels, these fins allow the heat to be transferred more efficiently out of the system.
Once the air has been super cooled it is returned to the normal pipe size and it continues to the motor. The cooler air also needs less space which means that even more air can be forced into the cylinders of the vehicle. The more air, the more fuel that can be added to the cylinder and a more powerful combustion stroke can be achieved. A more powerful explosion in the cylinder means more power to the crank shaft and thus more horsepower at the wheels of the car. 

Friday, August 26, 2011

Why do Bigger Brakes Perform Better?

New car models all seem to have larger brakes each year but what makes that such a good thing? Performance enthusiasts always seem to change the brake calipers and brake disc on their cars to something different but why? The fact of the matter is that the brake system on a vehicle is one of the most important parts in the car. Even if a car has a blow engine it can still start rolling on a hill and if the brakes are gone it won’t be easy to stop.
The key to big brakes or just an overall great braking system is to match the system to what the vehicle is intended for.  The idea of larger brakes is that larger brake pads can be fitted and more contact can be made between the pad and the disc. Big discs are not the only factor in better stopping power, evenly spaced and properly positioned pistons for the calipers are a huge factor.
The disc is very important to the braking as it must be vented for proper cooling and slots can be added for even more. There is a down side to slotted or drilled rotors and that is when the drilling or slotting is done it reduces the surface area of the disc and thus lessens the cars ability to stop. Many times it will be seen on the road when some car owner bought the “upgrade discs” for their car and now it can’t stop as quickly.
The key to brake upgrades is to go larger and also add slotted or cross-drilled rotors to reduce brake fading over time. There is not really a cheap way to get better braking in a car so be sure before ordering a set of “upgraded” discs that there is a plan to do a complete brake system upgrade. Lastly don’t forget that the tires are the only part that touches the tarmac so if they are bad the brakes won’t help.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Fuel System Issues

Any car can be crippled with a fuel issue and it doesn’t matter how well you care for your car. The main issue to remember it may not always be the fuel pump or fuel pump assembly that is to blame. Many people get the news that their engine is not getting enough fuel and assume a fuel pump issue. In fact most mechanics will give the old “fuel pump don’t work” but believing this can be an expensive mistake. There are many parts in the fuel system that can cause an issue from leaking to low pressure.
If the fuel pump is bad there will be no pressure coming from the pump even if the mechanic were to hook direct power to the unit. A low pressure system may be caused by a blockage in the system or even low voltage from the alternator. A major cause of fuel issues is the FPR or fuel pressure regulator which is a unit that controls the flow of fuel to the injectors. If this unit were to function incorrectly it would cause low fuel pressure at the injectors and the car would have issues running and starting.
Cracks in the fuel lines and bad seals in meeting points can cause fuel leaks that can not only cause low pressure in the fuel system but can also be dangerous due to the highly flammable nature of the fuel.  If there is a fuel leak in the system it could be caused by old dry rotted line or cracks in the system from impacts of rocks and other debris from the road.
If the issue is tracked back to the fuel pump it may be a much smaller issue than the whole pump. If the wiring has a short and cannot get the proper voltage to the pump then the electric motor cannot function at full power and will not provide the correct pressure. Sometimes the voltage sent from the alternator is just too low and cannot power the pump unit enough. In the end it is better to check out the cause of the issue then just throwing in new parts and hoping it fixes the issue.


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Why Should a Visual Inspection be done on your vehicle

Car and trucks are just like people when it comes to health issues. Failure of an alternator or the starter can be seen months in advance just like the signs of a serious illness in a person. Many times the signs for a car can be seen by just taking a close look or listen.  
The tires are the first area to inspect if the tread wear is different on each tire or if the wear is strange on a single tire there may be more of an issue then the wheel itself. A strange wear pattern on a tire can indicate a bad alignment, bent control arm, bad bushing or something even worse. These issues can all be detected with a simple visual inspection which can save hundreds or thousands of dollars.
There are other areas that can be visually inspected such as the brakes or the engine itself. The brakes will show signs if there are going to be future issues, these signs can be as simple as grooving on the discs or leaking from the caliper or lines. Proper brake care is important since they are what slow the 3000lbs piece of metal that we all get around in.
When inspecting the motor it is a good idea to look at all the belts and check for extreme cracks or areas of the motor where there is oil leakage. If a belt were to snap in a motor not only will the car have to be towed to a repair shop but if it were to be the timing belt that was to snap it may destroy the motor. Leaking from gaskets in the motor is a sure sign that some attention needs to be paid to that area. Leaking of oil or coolant will eventually lead to failure if not addressed and can be very costly to the owner of the car.
There are many systems in a car and knowing what to check for can be the best preventive maintenance. Fixing an issue before it happens will always save money and time plus avoiding the headache that will inevitably follow any serious automotive breakdown. 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

What is an Electronic Actuator for a Turbo Wastegate

Many cars, trucks and SUVs on the market today are going with more fuel efficient small engines. There are many theories of how to make these motors more efficient, some use a supercharger and others use a turbocharger. With a turbo come many different options of how to control the boost levels and what the most efficient boost levels will be for the vehicle.
The wastegate is the unit on the turbo which reacts to the boost levels and releases excess pressure to control the amount of pressure or PSI (pounds per square inch) also referred to as “boost”. When the boost levels hit a certain point the spring on the manual actuator is over powered and the wastegate door opens to the exhaust and the built up boost escapes the turbo system. An electronic wastegate is a unit that controls the wastegate door with a sensor which reads the boost and then opens the wastegate door electronically when the boost needs to be controlled.
Many times when a vehicle with a turbocharger is said to be faulty it is actually the actuator that has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Many a vehicle owner has ended up spending their hard earned money to buy a turbo only to find out it was not the issue. Many a person has had to spend time on the phone trying to get their money back for a $1000 part that they ended up not needing. The issue here is that most companies will not take a part back once it is installed…in fact none of them will. The other issue is most electronic actuators cannot be purchased alone and can only be acquired with the OEM new turbo unit. Just be sure that before you buy just the turbo to fix your vehicle that there is not another issue that will keep your car on the lift for a whole lot longer. 

Friday, August 5, 2011

How to Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicles

When it comes to being a car enthusiast there is not much important than the car you drive but no matter how who you are the manual transmission is a staple. A stick shift in a car is more important to a real driving experience then a great power steering rack or power steering gearbox. A manual transmission allow a car to be driven in a different way then a car that came equipped with an automatic. Manual cars can be driven with heal toe which means that the driver can hit the clutch, brakes and gas all at the same time to enable the car to be driven in a more efficient manner. Before any fancy stuff basic handling of the clutch must be known.

To drive a manual the clutch pedal is a very important part of controlling the car, the first step is to understand how to set a car moving. First the shifter has to be placed into the 1st gear position and slowly sliding the clutch pedal out to allow the cogs inside the tranny to allow the clutch to put the power of the engine to the wheels. Once the car begins to move the clutch can be released and the RPMs (rotations per min) can raise to the desired amount. Once the car is to the desired shift point the clutch can be disengaged and the shifter can now be moved to the next gear.

When driving slows the shifter can be placed in a lower gear to slow the vehicle. This can be a tricky to motor brake the car with the motor since the exact RPMs that the car needs for the lower gear must be matched. If the shift RPMs are not matched correctly the engine will jerk and cause an uncomfortable ride for the passengers. The great part about the use of engine braking is if it is done right the engine will completely cut the fuel flow and use no gas at all. In times of $4 a gallon gas this is a great way to save a few drops.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

How to Center a Power Steering Gearbox

When installing a new power steering gearbox there are a few crucial steps that need to be followed in order to have a successful installation. Before installing a power steering gearbox or manual steering gearbox, it is important that the unit is centered. Many mechanics will assume that the unit is centered when it arrives, however usually it is not. Gearboxes can shift in transit, causing it to be misaligned. In order to center the unit before the install, follow these easy steps.

1) Place the unit somewhere it can be braced down and cannot move or fall.

2) Cover the spline with a cloth to prevent damaging the splines during the centering procedure.

3) Attach a wrench to the input shaft and turn until it stops. (never force the unit) This will be the extreme for this direction. (for this install turn clockwise first)

4) Once the unit is at extreme clockwise rotation, mark the unit or move the wrench to a position where the number of return rotations can be counted easily.
5) With this position marked, begin to rotate the shaft back clockwise and count the number of rotations. Be exact on this! Once the rotation stops clockwise, the complete rotations for the unit are known.

6) Divide the number the number of rotations in half and rotate the shaft that many turns back. At that point, the gearbox will be centered and can be marked for center, so that the center is not lost during the install.

7) Once the box is centered, follow the proper procedure for the gearbox installation.

When these short steps are followed carefully, the gearbox will be centered and there should be no issues with the vehicle’s steering.