Sunday, July 26, 2009

Tips for avoiding engine failure

Engine failure in cars can happen for a variety of different reasons. The most common reason why an engine would fail is due to lack of routine care. There are components that not only wear down and have to be replaced on a regular basis, fluid levels that have to be checked routinely. Vehicles that aren't maintained properly can cause an engine to fail for a number of reasons.

One reason you should do a routine check is there are many filtering mechanisms on a vehicles engine. These regulate the purity of things like gasoline, air into the carburetor and engine oil. Without changing these regularly they will clog up, making your engine work harder than it has to maintain the same performance. You also have to regularly clean the radiator for both the engine and the transmission.

You have to check fluid levels often. There are many different engine components that require lubrication, coolants and fluids all to maintain a cars performance. More recently made vehicles also have added features like air conditioning units, electronic components, and other things that require even a greater more complex regime. Just checking and maintaining a car's fluid levels either. Build up occurs over time, in the motor, gas tank, radiator, and any other place where deposits will collect. If these systems are not flushed out at least once a year, deposit will build up, making the engine run hotter, and wear out faster.

If a vehicle isn't maintained properly, here just a few of the possible scenarios that can cause engine failure. Too high of a temperature in the motor causes the metal to expand, creating less and less ability for internal components to move. What happens simply is that if your engine gets hot enough for something to stick, like a piston, or a valve, your engine doesn't just stop; the force will cause it to keep going. Something has to give, the side of the motor block, the head, and a number of different ways, depending on where the failure was.

Another way an engine can fail through heat is that when the metal expands, the integrity of the metal itself can be compromised, causing the head to crack or warp. The instant result of this is a sudden loss of engine pressure. Without engine pressure you could have your foot on the gas pedal and only go five miles and hour. You may get lucky on occasion, and only blow a head gasket, or an engine plug. Gaskets and plugs are designed to blow if there is too much heat and pressure, but that doesn't mean that you have done irreparable damage Aluminum heads are especially prone to cracking and warping because they expand a lot faster than as iron cast one.

What can you do to prevent this from happening? While not all engine failure is caused by neglect, you have got to do regular checks, monthly routines, and periodic flushes. This means things like changing spark plugs, wires, and other electrical components on a regular basis. Change and replace filters and motor oil at least according to the minimum requirements by the manufacturer, or more often depending on usage. Flush out fuel systems, brake lines, coolant systems at least once a year. Check your vehicles motor often, maybe at the same time fluid levels are monitored, to see if there are any leaks in hoses, loose belts, or anything else that is out of place. Also make sure that these belts and hoses are still in good working condition, and replace if necessary. Always change out worn belts and hoses all at the same time. If one belt looks worn and needs to be replaced, chances are the other belts may be as well - don't let looks deceive you.

There are many people out there that are unable to do this all themselves. Whether being hurt in an accident, or an older person, or even if someone that isn't mechanically inclined, it still needs to get done. There are several different vehicle services available and many you could find locally. Some offer specialized services, like engine coolant, oil and lubrication specialists. These businesses will check and replace fluids, change filters, as well as many others. Usually they aren't a repair shop so they don't replace hoses belts and the like, but they do check these sometimes as well, and can tell you if something does need replacement.

There are other car specialists that do engine, coolant and heating system flushes, as well as transmissions. Generally, vehicle repair shops are equipped to handle engine and performance issues. They can replace spark plugs, belts, as well as a number of other things.

Friday, July 24, 2009

The Harmful Effects of Engine Deposits and What you can do About Them

At some point or another we all notice that something is wrong with our vehicles. Whether it's slow acceleration, poor performance in general, or just the lack of the old get up and go feeling we use to have, our cars just don't run like they use to. The reasons for this can be one of many but typically there is one in particular that plagues us all. Out of all the problems a car might face engine deposits are just as sever as any car accident, but for the most part overlooked.

Most drivers won't even think to give this reason a second thought, they just think their car is worn out and trade it for a new one till the problem comes around again. Typically only the enthusiasts among us tend to look at engine deposits as the culprit for their beloved vehicles performance drops. The typical driver doesn't even understand what an engine deposit is. This ignorance can lead to bad things happening to the vehicle.

Engine deposits are what are left over from the process of the engine running. Unless you own one of those fancy battery powered cars chances are you use an internal combustion engine in your mode of transport. I say mode of transport because this applies to everything that uses this engine type. Regardless of how new or old your engine is it still follows the same mechanical principal. Fuel and oxygen are injected into the engine, the valves close, a cylinder comes up compresses, and ignites the mix, and then the left overs are sucked out.

This is a fairly old engine design and vehicles from all over the world have been using it for well over 100 years. Cars have used them solidly since the early 1900's and even though technology has evolved, it's still using the same process. By this time you're asking what's this got to do with engine deposits? Well I'll tell you if you will be patient.

Engine deposits are the leftovers from the combustion process left inside the engine, typically ignition waste or oil residue. They just start out as small groupings, sometimes to small to see with the naked eye. But they build up over time. As the cylinders continue to compress and ignite the mixture that powers your car, waste will start to build on the cylinder heads, and valves. This results in the cylinders not getting as good of compression, and the valves not releasing and extracting as much as they should.

Not to mention what gets deposited in your spark plugs. Combustion residue can also cover these and make the spark less powerful. For those of us who don't understand car talk, it means that the power and efficiency is decreased. This turns into a decrease in performance over time and can affect fuel efficiency. Oil deposits also can cause issues over time. These can make it thick, and hard to lubricate your engine properly.

This is also a problem for your vehicle as less lubrication means for friction, friction equals heat, and heat leads to engine damage. That's why people tell you to change your cars oil every so many thousands of miles. Deposits can also form in your radiator if you don't keep it flushed properly. These can inhibit the flow of engine coolant; we all know what happens when engines don't get enough cooling. It typically ends with fire coming out of places it shouldn't be coming out of.

There are many ways to keep engine deposits from forming. You can go to your local auto parts store and get some cleaners. These typically work for whatever system you need them to cleanse and basically eat the gunk out. But some of the cheaper formulas have been known to eat through hoses as well. So pick and choose carefully. Another option is to keep up with your regular maintenance and keep good gas in your tank.

Engine deposits happen to every kind of vehicle whether they are a car or other form of motorized transport. Deposits are often made up of waste from the combustion process or oil residue and can cause severe performance drops if left untreated. Remember a car is just like a human body, as it gets older you need to do more than just the usual maintenance and exercises to keep it working right. Remember to take care of your vehicle, and drive safe.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

What To Expect With Engine Demolition

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If you are planning to demolish your car’s engine, there are a few things you should expect, some of which include lots of smelly smoke, sparks, vibrations and even some flames if you leave it long enough. If you are doing this on purpose for some reason and you have an audience, ask people to make guesses at how long the engine will be able to run for. You will start the car and let it run without adding oil to the crankcase. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but if that is what you want to do, this is what must be done! Depending on the engine of the car, it might run for only a few seconds or it can last for minutes. It all depends.

What needs to be done in order to destroy all car parts as well as any car accessories that may be in the car is to firstly warm up the engine while making sure that it is functioning correctly. Once you have it running fully, drain all of the engine coolant as well as all the engine oil from the car. You can even do this as an event and use wrecked vehicles from impounds. As long as you are not harming anyone or anything and you use an area that will not catch alight and all goes well, then there should be no problem. Once you have drained the oil from the engine, close the hood of the car, start the engine, and put a brick on the accelerator. Have a stopwatch handy. Make sure no one is near the vehicle, and have a fire engine standing by.

Nothing will be unusual at first, but after some time the engine will start to rev really high. Then it should start to slow down, and if you haven’t seen this before you will probably think that it is going to be a dud and nothing more is going to happen. But the engine will start to run slower and slower because the bearings are beginning to seize on the crankshafts and the pistons are starting to get stuck inside the cylinders. The engine will slow down to almost nothing at all, and then all of a sudden you should hear a loud BANG!

It might take longer than you expected or it might happen sooner than you expected; you never know. It might not even happen at all! Just be prepared for anything and have people on standby should something go wrong. After the loud bang there should be a few more bangs as car parts and car accessories are being destroyed, connecting rods are being snapped, and holes are being punched into the sides of the engine. If you didn’t drain the coolant when you drained the oil you will have a big mess to clean up, and you surely do not want that. If you are lucky the engine will continue to run on the few cylinders that might be left. It might run with jerks and sobs or it might run smoothly; it all depends. The result isn’t always the same.

Smoke should be seeping from the engine and the gaps in the fenders right about now. Even though it seems like the engine should die, it is likely to keep running. If you have gotten this far in the engine demolition attempt you are probably going for close on five minutes now at this stage. The engine should be making more loud noises soon and the revving just about to surge. This should be the last stage of the event. Once the engine finally gives its last breath of hope before it dies, don’t be surprised to see flames erupt from the engine. At this point you need to get the fire engine involved and have the firemen extinguish the fire before the entire car explodes. Do not let anyone lift the hood when the flames have begun as that will make the fire worse.

So this is what happens in the event of engine demolition. Prepare to watch car parts and car accessories never be the same again! Although it is fun to watch and to guess how long the engine will last before it dies, do not do this without permission and experience as it could become dangerous. Make sure you know what you are doing before you attempt anything.