Tips: How to use the emission test result

Most of the people think that the emission test is for pollution control, it is true, however the engine condition can also predicted from the emission test result. Herewith some of information that we can get from the emission test result (base on EURO II spec) :

CO content (maximum 2.5%)
CO content is depend on mixing composition between air and fuel. If the result more than 2.5%, check the following:

• Air filter, probably dirty
• Throttle choke, clean it from carbon deposit
• Adjust the air-fuel mixing in the carburetor or check the CO sensor for an fuel injection engine.
• If your car still using carburetor, clean the intake.
  
• Check and clean the injector

HC (Hydro Carbon) content, maximum 400 ppm
This one related to combustion process. If the result exceeds 400 ppm, try the following step:

• Check the spark plugs, spark plug cables and ignition coil
• Check and adjust the spark timing, advance timing could rise the HC content.
• Measure the combustion chamber compression (with compression meter), if the result lower than it should be (read the vehicles manual), probably there is a leak in compression.

O2 (Oxygen) , 0.5 – 2 %

The O2 is burn during combustion process, so the test result should be as low as possible. If higher than 2%, it sign of leaking in exhaust system

• Check the muffler condition
• Check exhaust manifold gasket for leak
• Check the exhaust pipe connection for leak

CO2 (Carbon dioxide), > 12%
A perfect combustion will produce high CO2 with little bit water. If the CO2 content lower than 12%, we can suspect some problems:

• The composition of air and fuel mixture was not balance, too rich of fuel or lean of fuel.
• Compare the CO2 result with HC and CO results.

Lambda 0.95 – 1.05
Lambda is a number showing the mixture of air and fuel. Lambda 1 is perfect number, that mean the mixture is 14.7 (air) : 1 (fuel). If the Lambda more than 1.05 , that mean fuel percentage less than it should be, the engine will knocking, less power and tend to be overheat. If the lambda number less than 0.95, the fuel consumption tends to be higher.

Tips: Cooling System, problem symptoms and solution

• The engine temperature rise when the AC turn off. Check the thermoswitch, probably not normally functioning, the cooling fan only run when the AC turn on.
• The temperature rise in high speed. Radiator clogging, go for service or replace with a new one.
• The engine still cold even for long distance. The thermostat valve always open, replace the thermostat.
• Coolant fluid decreasing constantly. Probably leaking, observe the cooling system (radiator, hoses, reservoir, engine) while engine running, find the leaking location.
• Reservoir full of coolant, and less coolant in radiator. Probably cause of abnormal function of radiator cap, change the cap.
• Bubbles in radiator while engine runs. Compression leaking, can be in the cylinder head gasket, or water jacket. Go to the workshop immediately for complete diagnose and repair.
• Coolant fluid mix with oil (like a milkshake). Warning!! This is a serious condition, it could be leaking in cylinder head gasket, water jacket or transmission oil cooler. Drain all fluid immediately (coolant and engine oil). Small amount of water can start rust inside the engine.
• Dirty coolant fluid (brown). Rust inside cooling system. Change the coolant fluid, put a radiator flush before drained.
• The cooling fan always running in any temperature condition (for engine powered fan). Check the viscous coupling.
• Temperature rise in slow speed or traffic jam. Check the electric fan, check the wiring.

Tips: Cooling System, parts and potential problems

Vehicle cooling system works basically is simple: to absorb the heat produced by combustion chambers by circulating fluid inside the engine. After absorbed heat in the engine, the coolant fluid circulated to radiator for releasing heat and as result the coolant temperature goes down.

The cooling system parts and its potential problems.

• Radiator coolant. Water can act as coolant fluid, however the water boiling point is not to high compare to engine temperature, and in other hand, a poor quality water can produce rust inside cooling system. Normally, a modern car use a special coolant fluid, this fluid has higher boiling temperature and will not make rust or corrosion inside cooling system. Inspect the level of coolant fluid regularly. Replace the coolant fluid as required in your vehicle owner manual.
• Radiator. Is the place for the coolant fluid to release the heat. Most of modern car radiator made by aluminum. Clean the radiator surface regularly, especially after crossing a muddy road.
• Radiator Cap. Radiator cap act as a valve triggered by pressure, normally 0.7 or 0.9 bar. That mean the valve will open above the above pressure number and the fluid will flowing from radiator to the circulation reservoir. If you find the reservoir if full and the fluid is not back to the radiator when the engine is cold, that indicated the radiator cap not functioning normally.
• Radiator Fan / Cooling Fan. There are two types of radiator fan, first the electric powered fan, and the second is the engine powered fan. The electric fan controlled by thermoswitch, as a sensor of coolant fluid temperature. The engine powered fan normally equipped with viscous coupling. The engine powered fan it self is rarely broken, most of the time the problem came from the viscous coupling. Far the electric powered fan, the problem can be arise due to fan motor damage or the thermoswitch is not functioning.
• Water pump. To circulate the fluid from the radiator to the engine vice versa normally use an engine powered water pump. Some times the water pump seal worn and leaking, it will cause loosing fluid and engine temperature increase due to slow/less circulation or pressure build by the pump.
• Thermostat. Thermostat working as a one way valve that start opening in certain temperature (87 – 96 deg C). This part will keep the engine work in optimum temperature (not to low).
• Radiator hose. This hose connected the radiator and the engine. Usually there are two hoses, in and out from the radiator. The hose quality will decrease by time, become harder and at certain point will broken. Check your radiator hoses regularly, especially if your car have been use more than 3 years.
• Reserve Reservoir. Observed for leaking.
• Water Jacket. Water jacket is a small hole for circulating fluid around engine block.
• Cylinder head. The water jacket also goes through cylinder head. A leaking can be occur around the cylinder head gasket or in the wall of the cylinder head itself. This leaks could be triggered by overheat.
• Oil cooler. Automatic transmission car equipped with oil cooler. Some times this cooler is leaking and the oil mixed with water. It is a serious condition, the water can hammered the piston.

Tips: Engine Oil Color

Knowing engine damage earlier could prevent issuing more cost. Can you imagine if the car overhead because its lubricant decreased, continued running on the road? Possibly all the rubbing component will be damage.

To know the engine condition, evidently could be detected through the color of the engine oil. The change in the color of engine oil could determine whether the component inside was still healthy or already have much damage. Engine oil color observation could give us a preliminary diagnostic of the engine condition.

Yellow (clear and transparent)
This is a new oil color, or new oil pouring to the engine. The engine has not start yet or just start for short time.

Brownish Yellow
The engine had been used to go. The condition was still being considered to be normal, probably the car have been used for 1.000-2.000 km. Did not need the change.

Black
Engine oil was black as a result of the car has gone around 3.000-4.000 km. Better be replaced with that was new when the interval have been reach, maximal the use normally around 5.000 km up to 10,000 km (depend on engine oil specification) . More than that, interval the engine temperature could be raised due to poor oil quality and as a result could damage the engine component. If the engine oil became black only after few weeks or short distance, it could be a problem inside the engine. The problems might be caused by amount of sludge especially for vehicles that use for more than 5 years. Engine flushing is recommended for this type of problems.

Dirty Black
This color indicated that the engine oil was mixed with oil sludge and metal component as result of engine component friction. It is a danger warning sign, the engine component and lining probably have been worn. Try to change the oil immediately, if the results still the same, inspect the engine interior component, probably needs an overhaul.

Milky Brown
This is resulting from oil mixed with water. It can be happen for several causes i.e:

• Leaking top head gasket
• Leaking/damage oil cooler
• Or improper oil filter installation

This milky brown color is a serious warning indication. Do not start the car (can cause a water hammer), drain all fluid (oil and coolant) from the engine immediately. Late action can cause rust developed inside the engine. See my previous posting about water inside the engine.

So, what are you waiting for? Check your engine oil color.

Tips: Cleaning Your Car Wheels

Have you washed your car correctly, clean and dry? Most off us will answer, yes. Probably not for the wheels. This component usually have many indentations and bars. If not thorough, many parts that were not yet dry and if being left for long time will be spotty, fleck, or might be fungus.

During cleaning, the dirty area most often was seen around nipples and the wheel interior, As a result the waste and dirty fleck built up in this place. To eliminate this we can use soft white compound, or using a especially anti fungus for wind shield to clean the wheel dirty spot.



This time I’m writing tips for using ant fungus liquid for the windshield as a wheel cleaner. The process of the removal of the fast fungus and the price of the liquid was not too expensive. Lets start clean your wheels:

• Poured the liquid to the soft brush.
• Quick wore to the wheel. Continued brushing until foamed. Note: this liquid should immediately wipe before it dried.
• Do not apply the liquid too much, it is a strong chemical compound, it can damage the wheel varnish
• After the foam change to brown or was seen dirty, stop applying the liquid, and wipe the cleaning area until dry.
• Wash the wheel with clean water to remove all dirt and the anti-fungus liquid, then dried the wheel with clean cloth.

Note: the anti fungus liquid for wind shield is a strong chemical compound, wear your safety glove and glasses when worked with it.

Turbo for all Mercedes Benz line-up

All Mercedes-Benz line-up will use the machine turbocharger within two half of the year in the future. This assurance was sent by the member and the development of the research council of Daimler, Thomas Weber, on Thursday (17/7), in Dusseldorf, Germany.

“We will install the machine turbocharger to all of our vehicle product as soon as possible before the year end 2010,” revealed Weber.

This decision, was said by Weber, was part of the effort of Mercedes-Benz was free from the pressure the increasingly high regulation of the limit of vehicle emissions that

immediately will put into effect in Europe and the United States. To be learnt, during 2012 Europe planned to carry out the reduction in the emissions threshold from 178 gram per kilometer to 138 g/km.

Beside rumors of emissions, the market request would the increasingly big vehicle of the energy opinion also provided a basis for the new strategy of this Mercedes-Benz. According to Weber, now the consumer needs the method was cheapest overcame the height of the price of the fuel.

Therefore, Weber considered the increase turbocharger became the appropriate choice. Apart from being easy to be installed, the device turbocharger did not increase the vehicle weight significantly. Now with turbocharger the efficiency profit and the increase in the performance of the vehicle could be maximized. Weber also explained that the first step in his side faced the emissions pressure and the price of the increasingly high oil will be followed by the middle stage strategy. In this stage of Mercedes-Benz will speed up the mass production of the vehicle hybrid. His step personally immediately will be realized when the sale of the premium sedan of S-class hybrid in began in 2009.

While responding to the long-term plan the German government appointed zero-emissions in his country, Weber confirmed Mercedes-Benz also was ready in this condition. In order to faces this demand of Weber said his side prepared the technology vehicle fuel cell and the electric power. During 2010, for example, Smart— Mercedes-Benz alliance —will began produce the mini vehicle ForTwo electric powered vehicle.

Tips: Buying A New Car

Most of people who wish to buy a new car have a clear picture in their mind of the type of car that they want, or at the very least some idea of whether they want a saloon or a hatchback. However by the time they have visited the showroom they can leave the driving court away with something very different from what they envisaged. The reason behind this could be the salesman persuading you away from what you know is the right choice or you simply buy on impulse only and then realize your mistake later.

Here are some practical tips to help ensure you don’t make a big mistake when it comes to purchasing your car.

1. The size of the car; factors to take into consideration here are the size of your garage. If you have a family then purchasing a small two seated model is probably not the right choice. The same applies if you have limited space as then you aren’t going to be able to fit a big car into it. The size is also determined by the build you are, for example if you are a tall person then you will have to ensure that you have adequate room.
2. The car purposes. Are you going to be towing a caravan or attaching a trailer to it on a regular basis? If you are then you should consider a car with a bigger engine such as a four wheel drive. If you only want something to run about in the city then your choice might be better suited to a smaller hatchback model. The car you choose should fit in with your lifestyle.
3. Insurance cost. The size, make and model of the vehicles are all factors that are taken into consideration when it comes to determining the quote for your premium for the car insurance.
4. Type of fuel, you have the choice of going for a petrol or diesel model; there are many advantages to choosing a diesel model rather than petrol. The diesel engine is considered to be more reliable and the fuel is more economical. However there are bad points too and these include the engine of the car being worked harder which means a major overhaul.
5. The last important one, consider the budget and the car prices range.

Mitsubishi Pajero

I post this article originally for my other blog the 4WD-fourbyfour.blogspot.com , however I think this article also relevant for this blog.

The Mitsubishi Pajero is a sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. It is known as the Mitsubishi Montero in the Americas and Spain, and as Mitsubishi Shogun in the United Kingdom. In this post I would like to discuss the third generation Shogun/Pajero (1999 - 2006) with 3.2 liters diesel engine.

Mitsubishi Pajero is one of few real off-road workhorses, in the market it has competitors like Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Although the has superb exterior and interior design, Pajero can’t compared to the premium brand likes Range Rover or BMW X5, Pajero is thougher, real workhorse with bullet proof engine.

Pajero brief fact:
- Engine: 3200 cc four-cylinder diesel
- Output: 158 hp at 3800 rpm
- Torque: 275lb ft at 2000 rpm
- Transmission: 5 speed auto
- Fuel consumption: 26 MPG
- Weight: 2155 kg
- Top speed: 106 mph

Engines and Performance
The Pajero 3.2-litre direct injection diesel produce 158 bhp and 275lb ft torque. Although the power is slightly less than its competitor, however the high torque made Pajero is more flexible. The engine bit noisy, especially from the outside. While power is on the low side, the engine delivers tons of torque at under 4000 rpm, good for off-road driving and climbing steep grades. Fitted with Mitshubishi’s new INVECS-II five speed auto transmission, the Pajero has optional fully automatic mode or sequential manual shift. The quality of the automatic change reduces the temptation to use the manual option, although it can come in handy for accelerating hard out of junctions. The manual changes would benefit from being less hesitant.

Ride and Handling
In the asphalt road Pajero is quick and comfortable, body roll appears during cornering. The steering is good, its accuracy and a relative quick rack helping you make correction off road. As the result of fitting a multi link rear axle, Pajero lack of ground clearance. The traction system was rarely problem. The four-wheel drive system is switchable, operating as rear-wheel drive under normal conditions. The Pajero off road capability slightly less than its competitor Toyota Land Cruiser. The Pajero's soft suspension is generally forgiving and smooth on the highway. Road feel is never very lively in 4x4s, but the Pajero's rack-and-pinion steering is a big improvement over the previous model's setup. Road and wind noise make an appearance at moderate highway speeds. Cornering response is predictably ponderous, with pronounced side-to-side roll. Let's just say cornering quickly with the Pajero is not a very good idea. The Pajero features big ventilated disc brakes front and rear, necessary to haul this truck down from highway speeds, and they work adequately well in conjunction with ABS.

On rippled gravel surfaces, the Pajero exhibited little bounce thanks to the Pajero's fully independent suspension. Mitsubishi's compliant springs and shocks soak up most of this motion, producing a very smooth ride during mild offroading. Mitsubishi also does away with the classic body-on-frame construction of most 4WDs and opts for a unit body construction. This generation of the Pajero is the first to be built on a unit body, ditching the older body-on-frame design while also leading to a stronger structure that does not rattle over bumps. On really steep descents and climbs, the Pajero's torquey V6, low-range transfer case and brakes work together superbly, allowing good control when going downhill and providing plenty of torque for climbing back up.

Interior and Driving environment
The cabin is not complicated, is comfortable, robust and roomy. The quality is moderate. Pajero has seven seats. The third row of seats fold out of the floor, a neat system that creates valuable spaces when the seats are not in use. The shogun’s boot is narrow and tall, although with the rear seat folded it’s more usable. Driving position is good, visibility is excellent. The design of centre console is modern, however the fake wood in the dash look ugly. The Pajero dials composition and design is out of date.

LWB or SWB 4WD?

After 20 years using various 4WD vehicles in various terrain, a basic question arise; which one better, short wheel base (SWB) or long wheel base (LWB) 4WD?

1. In muddy road:
A light weight short wheel base vehicle like Suzuki SJ410 is the best for this kind of terrain. The Suzuki will “float” above the mud. Some times a medium weight long wheel base vehicles like Defender 110 or Daihatsu Taft Hiline LWB are also good for this road. The muddy road condition is always not homogen, the opportunity to get hard ground is better with a long wheel base 4x4. The full size 4x4 likes Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol will become the first vehicle stuck in the mud.

2. Gravel road.
LWB vehicles will give a better ride in this condition as long as the rocky road is not to rough. Riding a SWB 4x4 in this terrain will make your back pain getting worst.

3. Sandy dessert.
Both LWB and SWB are ok for this terrain. If you driving fast, LWB is better, more stable compare to the SWB vehicles

4. Rocky road
In this condition, a SWB vehicles with high departure and overhang angle will give an advantage to pass a rough rocky road. Suzuki SJ410, Wrangler Jeep and Toyota FJ40 will meet this qualification.

5. Steep hilly road.
The stability of LWB vehicles will take an advantage in this condition, especially when downhill.

For myself currently I choose a 4x4 to compromised all terrain above, Jeep Cherokee XJ. The wheel base is not short like Wrangler or SJ410, but still shorter than Land Cruiser or Nissan Patrol. With 32” tire, I can manage almost all obstacles and still feel comfortable while driving.
So, what 4wd vehicles wheel base is good for you?

More articles in 4wd tips are available in my other blog: 4WD-fourbyfour

Honda CX500 CDI Schematic (2)

Ok, lets continue my previous post about the Honda CX500 schematic.

As before, this post refer to old posting by George in NC. He made two CX500 CDI prototypes and I've tried to made the second prototypes and its works!!. I made it twice, the first one was works for more than 3 years and the second one works for one years, its failed at the same time with stator/rotor problem (see my first posting about Honda CX500 by clicking here).

And here what George in NC wrote:

Section II: The Prototypes

Prototype 1:

Properties:
• it works
• it's the simpler of the two
• no timing advance
• max revs are roughly 6500-7000rpms
• bike runs rich when this iginition is used

This one will get you home or make a good test unit, but I wouldn't want to use it as a permanent solution...



This is a good example of Prototype 1. The input leads (LtBlue/Orange) are coming in from the left and the Blue and White leads are coming in from the right. You can see that there are two SCR's (one for each side). You can also see that the two capacitors/sides have thier own power input from the Blue wire lead. There is a diode that you cannot see located under the top brown capacitor. The two electrolytic capacitors are the 2.2mFD 450V capacitors. To the right are the 'C' diodes....



Prototype 2:

Properties:
• it works
• it's the better of the two
• timing advance
• max revs are same as original
• bike runs well when this iginition is used
• this ignition requires tunning of varistor 'G' to work correctly

This iginition is alittle tricky because of the tuning required for it to work correctly. My best suggestion is to use a varistor that is about 2000 ohms and start the bike with it set to 2000 ohms. Once the bike is started, slowly reduce the ohms until the bike starts to falter...then turn the varistor back half the distance. This needs to be done for each side. I have had the varistor at both 0 ohms and 2000 ohms and have had no ill effects to the engine so don't be afraid to play around.

There is one thing I would like to change on this schematic when possible. The 'Positive Supply/Blue' should be the same as in Prototype 1. Each capacitor should have it's own diode resistor set without the connection between the two 'L' connectors.


Here is a pcb board for the whole layout...the one on the left is the whole pcb, the one on the right is just the silkscreen for the actual copper layout (so you can print it off and use it as an overlay).



For those wanting to get a general idea of what to expect price wise, here is a list of components I bought to build the CDI boxes...

These prices are really old data from http://www.digikey.com/ and may have changed. You can check all of that out on their online catalog...

Part #	#	description	Price $US	Totals
P5873-ND	2	2.2microF Radial Caps	$0.87	$1.74
E4473-ND	6	.047microF Metal Poly Caps	$0.50	$3.00
E4153-ND	2	.015microF Metal Poly Caps	$0.43	$0.86
470QBK-ND	10	Resistor 470Ohm 1/4Watt Carbon Film	$0.06	$0.56
680QBK-ND	10	Resistor 680Ohm 1/4Watt Carbon Film	$0.06	$0.56
390QBK-ND	10	Resistor 390Ohm 1/4Watt Carbon Film	$0.06	$0.56
2.7MH-ND	5	Resistor 2.7MOhm 1/2Watt Carbon	$0.06	$0.27
1N4004GICT-ND	20	Rectifier 1A 400V DO-41	$0.04	$0.80
S4008V-ND	2	SCR Non-Sensitive Gate 400V 8A TO-251AA	$0.77	$1.54
3306P-103-ND	2	10kOhm 6mm RD CERM ST POT	$0.57	$1.14
			Total	$11.03
			Handling Charges	$5.00
			Shipping	$4.00
			Total Invoice	$20.03

eventually swapped the 10kOhm ceramic pot for a 2kOhm variable resistor. The 10kOhm worked fine, but I wanted to use something smaller.

The wires I used for the prototypes was either 20 or 22 gauge solid wire. In fact that is the wire I have been using through this whole process and it seems to work fine. The connectors I use are the standard automotive type and they work as well.

A PCB kit from your local Radio Shack is about 15.00$US and it has most of what you need. The only other thing you might want to get is a set of Radio Shack's stencils for making the diagram/layout on the PCB. They're realitively cheap and make a MUCH better/cleaner board.

There is also the cost of the soldering iron and solder. If you've never soldered before then you need to search on the internet for some sort of tutorial. There are some out there, that's how I learned...that and practice.

Many thanks to Goerge in NC who wrote this article long time ago. I wonder, does anyone know George current e-mail address, it will be nice if we can discuss about honda CX500 with him.

Note: my PC crash last year and I lost the original schematic files, I apoligize can't send bigger picture anymore.



update:
one of this web visitor give a link for the picture, thank you for RHCE V6.....
RHCE V6 said:
Here are the schematics.

1. this is a very basic circuit that will get you running but has no advance so RPMs are limited to ~6K-7K

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/rhcev6/CX500CDI/NO-Advance.jpg

2. this is the full CDI with advance cuircuit. You can set the trip pots initially at 2Kohm and then adjust as needed above 6K RPMs

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z370/rhcev6/CX500CDI/Full-CDI.jpg