What Can Happen if Your Tires Are Going Bald

There are millions of cars on the road and millions of drivers, most of which know what to do to keep a car safe. Keeping parts like the steering rack and the steering gearbox in good shape is something everyone makes sure to check out but what about the small parts? Well not really the small parts but the tires…they are ignored waaaay too often when it comes to car repair.

Tires are the contact patch on the road and are the only way that a vehicle can move around. If any driver were to stop and look around a bit at the tires on other cars around them they may think twice about getting on the road. It can be seen that one in five cars has tires that are beyond what would be considered bald and one in ten is to the point where failure is a serious concern. When a tire is new the rubber is stiff and has good grip in the road, as a tire loses tread it beings to soften due to less rubber in the wheel. Softer tired walls mean slower reaction time. Slower reaction time can be the least of the worries with balding tires. While a bald spot on a man may be cause for a comb-over, on a tire it is a serious situation. The tread on a tire has been specifically designed to help grip the road just like the tread on a shoe.

When tires are bald the grip they can provide is compromised and the stopping power is also reduced. The tread is designed to take advantage of the friction between the spaces in the tread and when it is missing the tires are useless. Bald tires also run the risk of bursting due to the reduced amount of material on them. The Tires are extremely important and should never be over looked, so next time you head out to your car take a min to check out the tires. 

What is a Knock Sensor

The knock sensor is the unit in the car that protects against incorrect timing issues. It allows the engine to run with the timing advanced as far as possible without damaging the motor or loss of power. Unlike oxygen sensors or the air fuel ratio sensor the knock sensor will not allow the car to run incorrectly. A knock sensor feed info to the ECU and if the car is knocking too much to be adjusted by timing to will send the ECU into a safe mode which will stop the engine all together.

The knock sensor works by responding the knock caused by pre-detonation of the air/fuel mixture. When the fuel mixture in a cylinder is ignited there is a flame front that moves out from the source of the spark. When this pressure wave hits the cylinder walls it makes a noise and this is detected by the Piezoelectric element in the sensor and communicated to the ECU.

When the ECU detects these that are not at the correct time it triggers an adjustment in the motors timing. If the knock sensor fails it can cause the vehicle to run very rough or not start at all. When failure occurs a trouble code is triggered which may show as the sensor or as something else in the motor. A huge factor to remember with ECU codes is that they only show the source of the code, not the issue. In other words the code may be caused by a loose wire but it says knock sensor, it is important to remember this when diagnosing an issue. 

What Causes an Engine Fire and What Should Be Done

Car and trucks move by harnessing the power of fire, the combustion in the motor is a controlled explosion that moves the pistons. Inside the motor the fuel injectors and fuel pump work together to add the correct amount of fuel to complete the combustion process. Any form of combustion is going to create heat that will need to be dispersed but there are lots of heat sources in an engine besides the motor. 

The systems that run the motor all create heat through movement and electricity. When the heat in an engine bay gets to be too much for the coolant system to handle it is just a matter of time before one of the elements in the system reaches the point of fire. When the coolant begins to slow its movement due to a weak pump or a blockage in the system it becomes a very dangerous thing. Not only will the coolant begin to expand very quickly but it also reaches its flash point, which means the temp is so high that if it touches air it will ignite. This is the first source of engine fire which can usually be seen by what seems to be liquid fire dripping under the car. The coolant over flows and starts to catch fire, this can be caught early and stopped. 

The second main cause of engine fire is when wiring has become exposed and the spark created by the open loop creates enough heat to catch the wire on fire. Electrical fire will have no signs before-hand so they can be devastating to the vehicle.

In the event of a vehicle fire do not try and extinguish the flames without proper equipment. Many times the fuel in the car can ignite and that will cause a very large flame which can be dangerous. If an engine fire is suspected do not open the hood, the fire may be contained and not getting enough air but once that hood is opened the flow of air will cause a very large explosion. If an engine fire is suspected touch the hood with the back of your hand in the same fashion that is used to check for fire on the other side of a door in a building.  If the paint on the hood has begun to bubble it is a tell-tale sign of an engine fire. The best use of a driver’s time when an engine fire occurs is to get everything of value out of the car and then get some distance. Engine fires are no laughing matter and they should be handles by the fire department. Even though losing your car due to fire can really suck it is better than losing your life.

An Introduction to Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems

Since 2006 most car have been fitted with a TPMS or tire pressure monitor system to check for issues with the tires. The basic idea behind the TPS system is that the tires pressure can effect the movement of the car. Just like an oxygen sensor or air fuel ratio sensor the TPMS sensors are crucial to the proper operation of the car.

While the tire pressure may seem like a trivial element but when the facts are examined it become a lot more interesting. Tires that are 10% low on air will result in a 1% decrease in gas mileage which can start to show in your wallet later on.

The main issue with the TPMS systems is that the sensors in the wheels are all battery powered which means over time they all have a failure rate of 100%. When the TPMS systems fail they will turn on a light on the dash which will alert the drive and also cause the vehicle to fail a state inspection. The good thing about these parts is that they are cheap and can be replaced when a set of tires is installed on any vehicle. Each one of the the sensors relays info to the central computer and will be standard equipment on all civilian vehicles from 2012 on.

Tight Steering After a Rack Install

Recently the vehicle you drive had a leaking steering rack and it is leaving puddles everywhere you go. You think to your self "great! how much is this gonna cost?" so you find the power rack or power gearbox that you need online for a good price. The install goes well and the mechanic stands behind his work but the car is really hard to turn.  This must mean the part is bad...it is the only new part to the car and the old one turned fine.

After all this time and money the mechanic is telling you that the rack you ordered is bad and he will not warranty the labor cost. So now it is time call and scream at the company who sold the rack. But hold on...is there really issue tor more did the new rack that has exposed a preexisting issue. Many times an old power steering rack is loose and very easy to move, this means very little force is needed from the power steering pump. When the old worn out pump is now coupled with the new rack means that it may not make enough pressure to turn the rack. A tight rack can seem like a binding rack but it will never bind in both directions. An easy way to check for a failing pump is to rev up the motor and see if the car turns easier...if it does, you have a bad pump.

Mechanics don't care about diagnosing the issue most of the time if you bring your own parts but they are happy to charge labor again and again. Be sure that the company who is installing the part knows what they are doing and that they are good people. Every company can smile at you and act like a friend...walk onto a used car lot and you will have a new best friend till you buy a car but its all an act. Make sure the repairs to the steering system are done by a trust worthy company that can determine real issues for you.

Honda Accord Steering Moan Fix

In 2003 Honda introduced the new Accord with classically elegant lines and a few new upgrades to the interior. A new power steering rack and power steering pump were just a few of the updates. The car was a sales success selling hundreds of thousands of units but with great success comes great responsibility. When the accord begun to develop a steering moan on cold starts Honda was scrambling to find a solution that would not break the bank.

The solution came in the form of a 30 cent O-ring and about 15 minutes worth of work. The fix is simple and as elegant as the car itself. What causes the moan is air that has slipped into the system while cold and it creates bubbles or foam in the steering reservoir which will cause the pump to moan due to the added stress. The noise tends to go away once the fluid has warmed up but still the response "it's just noise" was not good enough for owners.

The process for fixing the issue is simple and will be covered in most cases by the deals but the owner must ask for consideration before beginning of the install. When the repair is performed the first step is to remove the inlet joint bolt and place a shop towel under it to catch leaks. Twist the inlet joint back and forth until loose and carefully disconnect the joint. Point the tube upward and remove the old inlet joint O-ring. Now apply power steering fluid to the new O-ring and with the new O-ring in place re-install the inlet joint. torque the bolt to 8ft-lbs and top off the power steering fluid as needed.

With this simple 15 minute install the moan will stop and no longer be problem, in the case that the noise continues check the levels of the steering fluid. The system may need to be bled to remove excess air that may have entered the system. If all the air is bled out and the system still moans you may actually have a failing steering pump and it is time for a more major repair.

The Technical Service Bulletin is shown at this link: http://www.buyautoparts.com/howto/honda-accord-steering-system-moan.htm

What Makes a Car Cool

Cool is a word that can be used to describe many a thing...it can be a mass air flow sensor or alternator that is new and works in a  unique way. It can also be a car that may look ugly as hell but for some reason we all want one....WRX STI anyone. The fact that a car is bad wont even make it loose its cool factor...in fact it may even help.

The cool factor is something that auto makers have struggled with for year and even tried to force on people. The truth is if a car is cool it will be made that way by the general public, it cannot be told to you by the "car hipsters". People tend to fall into crowds of what everyone else likes but many of us like what we like because it is   "cool". This to me means that a car has the "it" factor, there is something about it that i like but i cannot tell you why. This is something that cannot be forced if it is not there. One of the best examples of a missing cool factor was the Pontiac Aztec which was billed as the car of the future and marketed to be the coolest new car. It failed....epically, not only was it one of the single ugliest cars ever made it was also trash in every way that can be compared to a car. On the other hand there are cars that are worthless that are cool like the Nissan 240SX. Not to say that it is not awesome but as a stock car it was a dud.  A small under powered truck motor sat under the hood and while the car looked sporty the suspension was set up for comfort not sport.

The 240 personifies this "cool factor" like the old school civic because they became something very different then they were intended. The cool factor developed from the cars being modified and after a while no one saw the car as just a car. They saw what it could be...and this is the essence of cool. It is the factor where a person sees a car and thinks what if can become which make it just ...plain cool. Of course there is always Aston Martin which is just the epitome and has been since its start.

What Does a Knock Sensor Do?

Knock sensors are the units in vehicles that monitor the pinging in the motor and help control the timing of the engine. The computer uses the input from the knock sensor along with the O2 sensors and air fuel ratio sensor to adjust the timing and fuel mixture in the pistons.

The engine in a modern vehicle has to be kept in perfect timing to ensure the top of efficiency and performance. This is done by toeing the line between running perfect and detonation. The perfect ignition of the air / fuel mixture happens at the exact moment that the piston is about to reach the top of its stroke. The timing is set this way to ensure the pressure has time to begin pushing the piston back down. When the spark plug is fired with the incorrect ignition timing or fuel mixture the pressure waves move out from the flame wall faster than the explosion itself. When this happens they impact the side wall at the incorrect time and a sound wave is created and detected. The element in the knock sensor is designed to detect this sound and alert the computer to adjust the timing.

All sensors in a vehicle are extremely important and are generally overlooked on basic maintenance. During automotive check ups it is important to remember to check the smaller parts such as sensors and filters to ensure protection from future issues.