SAVING GAS TIPS

This issue "popular" again,

ENGINE WARM-UP

1. Avoid prolonged warming up of engine, 30 to 45 seconds is enough (even in winter time), for old car (more than 6-7 years old) probably needs a bit more time (1-2 minutes)

2. Check/listen to the rpm idle, be sure the automatic choke is disengaged after engine warm up.

3. Don't start and stop engine needlessly. Idling your engine for one minute consumes the gas amount equivalent to when you start the engine.

4. Avoid "reving" the engine, especially just before you switch the engine off; this wastes fuel needlessly and washes oil down from the inside cylinder walls, owing to loss of oil pressure, this process also can damaged your turbo system if equipped

5. Eliminate "racing type" starts. Accelerate slowly when starting from stop, at least for the first 200-300m.

BUYING GASOLINE

1. Don't let your fuel tank close to empty, empty fuel tank store more fuel vapour and increase pressure in gas tank

2. Buy gasoline during coolest time of day - early morning or late evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest. Keep in mind - gas pumps measure volumes of gasoline, not densities of fuel concentration. You are charged according to "volume of measurement".

3. Choose type and brand of gasoline carefully. Certain brands provide you with greater economy because of better quality. Use the brands which "seem" most beneficial.

4. Avoid filling gas tank to top. Overfilling results in sloshing over and out of tank. Never fill gas tank past the first "click" of fuel nozzle, if nozzle is automatic.

DRIVE ECONOMICALLY

1. Never exceed legal speed limit. Primarily they are set for your traveling safety, however better gas efficiency also occurs. Traveling at 55 mph give you up to 21% better mileage when compared to former legal speed limits of 65 mph and 70 mph.

2. Traveling at fast rates in low gears can consume up to 45% more fuel than is needed.

3. Manual shift driven cars allow you to change to highest gear as soon as possible, thereby letting you save gas if you "nurse it along". However, if you cause the engine to "bog down", premature wearing of engine parts occurs.

4. Keep windows closed when traveling at highway speeds. Open windows cause air drag, reducing your mileage by 10%.

5. Drive steadily. Slowing down or speeding up wastes fuel. Also avoid tailgating - the driver in front of you is unpredictable. Not only is it unsafe, but if affects your economy, if he slows down unexpectedly.

6.Think ahead when approaching hills. If you accelerate, do it before you reach the hill, not while you're on it.

GENERAL ADVICE

1. Do not rest left foot on floor board pedals while driving. The slightest pressure puts "mechanical drag" on components, wearing them down prematurely. This "dragging" also demands additional fuel usage.

2. Avoid rough roads whenever possible, because dirt or gravel rob you of up to 30% of your gas mileage.

3. Use alternate roads when safer, shorter, straighter. Compare traveling distance differences - remember that corners, curves and lane jumping requires extra gas. The shortest distance between two points is always straight.

4. Stoplights are usually timed for your motoring advantage. By traveling steadily at the legal speed limit you boost your chances of having the "green light" all the way.

5. Automatic transmissions should be allowed to cool down when your car is idling at a standstill, e.g. railroad crossings, long traffic lights, etc. Place gear into neutral position. This reduces transmission strain and allows transmission to cool.

6. Park car so that you can later begin to travel in forward gear; avoid reverse gear maneuvers to save gas.

7. Regular tune-ups ensure best economy; check owner's manual for recommended maintenance intervals. Special attention should be given to maintaining clean air filters... diminished air flow increases gas waste.

8. Inspect suspension and chassis parts for occasional misalignment. Bent wheels, axles, bad shocks, broken springs, etc. create engine drag and are unsafe at high traveling speeds.

9. Remove snow tires during good weather seasons; traveling on deep tire tread really robs fuel!

10. Inflate all tires to maximum limit. Each tire should be periodically spun, balanced and checked for out-of-round. When shopping for new tires, get large diameter tires for rear wheels. Radial designs are the recognized fuel-savers; check manufacturer's specifications for maximum tire pressures.

11. Remove vinyl tops - they cause air drag. Rough surfaces disturb otherwise smooth air flow around a car's body. Bear in mind when buying new cars that a fancy sun roof helps disturb smooth air flow (and mileage).

12. Auto air conditioners can reduce fuel economy by 10% to 20%. Heater fan, power windows and seats increase engine load; the more load on your engine, the less miles per gallon.

13. Remove excess weight from trunk or inside of car - extra tires, back seats, unnecessary heavy parts. Extra weight reduces mileage, especially when driving up inclines.

14. Car pools reduce travel monotony and gas expense - all riders chip in to help you buy. Conversation helps to keep the driver alert. Pooling also reduces traffic congestion, gives the driver easier maneuverability and greater "steady speed" economy. For best results, distribute passenger weight evenly throughout car.

15. During cold weather watch for icicles frozen to car frame. Up to 100 lbs. can be quickly accumulated! Unremoved snow and ice cause tremendous wind resistance. Warm water thrown on (or hosed on) will eliminate it fast.

EXTRA TIPS

Use public transport ........

originally written by Ernest Miles, modified by Explorer

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.

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.