Archive for the ‘Easy Fuel Efficiency Articles’ Category
Car Repair Prices: Fuel Injection Services, Are They Worth It?
Fuel injection services are growing in popularity for the following reasons in the order of motive.
1) Increases service center’s profit
2) It’s an easy sell with today’s gas prices
3) Offsets manufacturers’ maintenance reductions
4) Poor gas quality
5) Poor adherence to vehicle maintenance
Notice that “It’s required” did not make the list. That’s because fuel injection services are not required the majority of the time.
However, injector services are at times beneficial, even necessary. See the following frequently asked question and answers…
What do they do?
Depending on the product, injection services clean naturally forming carbon deposits from the fuel injectors and fuel rails—some will even clean the fuel tank, and valve carbon deposits.
Do they work?
In short, yes. Provided it’s a premium product (such as BG), and the service is performed correctly. Fuel injection services can do amazing things. They can improve fuel efficiency, increase horse power, and repair some performance concerns, although these benefits are rare.
Whether or not fuel injection services will do all the above “every time” for your car is another story.
I have even seen fuel injection services quiet horrendous carbon knocks—a knocking noise from the engine due to excessive carbon build-up coming in contact with internal engine components.
Are they worth it?
Maybe. It really depends on the condition of the vehicle. If the service achieves any of the advertised claims, it may be worth it. In truth, most cars don’t need it. The consistent use of quality fuel, and proper vehicle maintenance should be all that is necessary to keep a car running properly.
However, consistent use of cheap gas and poor adherence to an auto maintenance schedule, as well as certain driving styles can significantly increase the accumulation of carbon deposits. Thus the possibility of poor fuel efficiency, decreased horsepower, and performance issues increases—all of which could be helped by injector maintenance.
The other factor to consider is the expense. How much fuel savings justifies the cost of the fuel injection service, and how long is the pay off. BG claims that their product will pay for itself in a year’s time. However, remember that the condition of the vehicle is a big variable! If the car doesn’t need it, there’s no benefit.
How often should it be done?
It depends on the product, but generally between 15,000 to 30,000-miles.
Are they necessary?
It depends: See the discussion under Are they worth it?
Can a fuel injection service do any damage to my engine or car?
Not if done correctly. Done incorrectly, anything goes. A technician could conceivably hydro-lock your engine, or blow a hole in the piston—although both scenarios are rare.
If anything does go wrong, there is usually an underlying problem, which gets exacerbated by the fuel injector auto maintenance.
Why doesn’t my manufacturer recommend fuel injector cleaning auto maintenance?
No manufacturer recommends fuel injector cleaning auto maintenance under normal operating conditions. From a manufacturer’s viewpoint: take care of your car right (i.e., as the manufacturer dictates) and you’ll be fine.
However, depending on the problem, some manufacturers will recommend fuel injector cleaning auto maintenance as the cure—especially carbon knock. With the wide variety of fuel qualities available, manufacturers are reconsidering fuel injector cleaning auto maintenance.
How much does fuel injector cleaning auto maintenance cost?
Prices vary depending on the service center and the actual procedure performed, and product used. The procedure you want should clean the entire fuel system including the tank and should not cost more than $150.
Also, make sure the service is actually performed as fuel injector maintenance is a common scam across the industry.
Lastly, fuel injection maintenance is often presented in such a way as if it is the magical cure for all your car’s quirks—it not!
When in doubt, don’t do it.
Originally published here.
Theodore Olson
Top 10 Regular Car Care Checks By Car Care Made Easy
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Top 10 Regular Car Care Checks By Car Care Made Easy
By: Alex Moss
Posted: Apr 04, 2010
1. ENGINE OIL
Without question this is the most important car care check and one you should be making on a regular basis. Try and check the oil level every other time you fill up with fuel to avoid unnecessary engine wear and overheating problems. Remember the oil warning light isn’t your reminder to top up, it’s telling you the oil level is too low so make sure you check your oil before it rears its ugly head!
2. COOLANT
Coolant is what you get from mixing antifreeze and water and has 3 major functions. The first is to prevent boiling; antifreeze boils at a higher temperature than water so when they are mixed together the higher boiling point stops the coolant turning into a gas. Why is this a good thing? Because gas isn’t very good at transferring heat which isn’t much help if you’re trying to keep an engine cool.
The second major function of coolant is to prevent freezing, stopping the engine, water pipes and radiator from cracking in winter. This lower freezing point is also a benefit derived from the antifreeze which freezes at a much lower temperature than water, usually in the region of -25° to -60°.
The third important function of coolant is to prevent corrosion of the cooling system, which is achieved through the chemicals added to the antifreeze. The cooling system contains a pump which moves the coolant around so the anti-corrosion properties in the coolant stop it seizing up.
The main point you should take away from this is that if you’re topping up your cooling system, don’t just use plain old water!
3. BRAKE FLUID
Brakes work by slowing a car down through the use of frictional materials and this friction creates a massive amount of heat. As a result, brake fluid has to cope with some extreme temperatures without turning to a gas. The brake fluid level will naturally fall over time as the brakes wear, meaning you should add it to the regular checks you make under the bonnet. Over time brake fluid also absorbs moisture from the air, lowering the boiling point of the fluid. This makes the brakes less effective and can lead to a spongy feel from the brake pedal which is why the brake fluid should be changed every two to three years.
4. POWER STEERING FLUID
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Depending on the type of power steering fitted to your car, it may use a hydraulic fluid to operate. The level of power steering fluid shouldn’t drop much, so if you’re having to make regular top-ups the system should be checked for leaks.
These days more cars are coming fitted with electric power assisted steering (knows as EPAS) which is more fuel efficient. In cars fitted with this type of power steering system there is no fluid to check.
5. SCREEN WASH
OK, so running out of screen wash isn’t going to cause a breakdown but if you’ve ever run out in the middle of winter, you’ll know how annoying it is not being able to wash away the muck and salt. Fortunately, it couldn’t be easier to top up; mix up some screen wash from a concentrate or buy ready mixed and simply pour it in until full.
There are two important things you should remember however. Firstly, never use washing up liquid to make a screen wash – the salt and detergents will damage the paint. Secondly, don’t cut corners and just use water. Worst case scenario, the washer bottle could crack, as could any of the pipes that supply the washer jets. Best case is that you can’t clear your screen because the system is all frozen up. Screen wash contains a mild antifreeze to prevent all this.
6. WIPER BLADES
As above, wiper blades in a poor state aren’t going to make the car come to a grinding halt but they are important nonetheless. Old, perished or split wiper blades are worse than useless at clearing away rain or motorway spray. They also tend to screech each time they attempt to clear the screen, which is reason enough alone to throw them away and get a new set fitted.
7. BULBS
It’s good to see where you are going in the dark and it’s just as important that other drivers are alerted when you’re slowing down or about to change direction. Headlights, brake lights and indicators should all be checked on a regular basis and you should also add tail lights and sidelights to that list. Of course, if your car is over three years old it will get picked up at an MOT but then it’s going to cost you a retest over something very simple. Equally, drivers of cars under three years old should definitely be making a regular check on their lighting because the only other people that will do it for you in between servicing are the police!
8. TYRE TREAD DEPTH
New tyres arrive with 8mm tread depth with the minimum legal tread depth of a tyre being 1.6mm across three quarters of the width. That said, the ability of the tyre to disperse water when the tread gets down to 1.6mm is seriously reduced. So much so that it can take up to 50% further to stop the car. The best advice is to change them when the tread gets down to 3mm.
A quick visual check of tread depth can be done very easily by looking for the wear indicator that sit in the grooves of the tyre. The indicator shows the minimum tread depth and when it is reached the tyre should be changed immediately. Driving with tread below 1.6mm is an MOT failure and will cost you 3 points on your licence if caught by the police.
9. TYRE PRESSURES
Pumping up the tyres will not only save you money but will make sure the tyre is working as effectively as possible to keep you safe. Remember, tyres are the only things keeping the car on the road and deal with the forces of breaking, accelerating and cornering.
Low tyre pressures increase the load on the engine, wasting fuel and also increase the rate of tyre wear. It’s also worth remembering that if you’re planning to carry a heavy load, you should increase the tyre pressures accordingly (your car manual will advise of the correct pressures). Finally, don’t forget to top up the spare! It may look inflated but may go flat as a pancake when you load the weight of the car onto it.
10. CLEANING
A good clean will look after your paint work and prevent potential corrosion or rust, especially in winter when the road salt and grit gives the bodywork a very hard time. Always clean off bird poo straight away as it will immediately start to burn through the paint and can leave marks that can’t be washed off or polished out.
The inside is more down to your personal preference, some don’t mind it being a pigsty, although you might want to think about cleaning up your act if your friends start refusing lifts! The main thing is not to let it get in such a state that it can’t be made good when it comes to sale time.
Alex Moss – About the Author:
Alex is the founder of Car Care Made Easy. To learn more about any of the 10 points above, head over to the Car Care Made Easy website.
You’ll find invaluable background knowledge, advice on what to buy and easy to follow step-by-step guides taking you through the simple checks that will keep your car in tip-top condition. Ideal for learners or experienced drivers, Car Care Made Easy is the ultimate car care resource on the web.
http://www.carcaremadeeasy.com
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Article Tags:
car, care, made, easy, check, engine, oil, coolant, brake fluid, screen wash, wiper blades, tyre pressures, tyre tread depth, car cleaning, bulbs, headlights, tail lights
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Hydrogen Generators: Water Fuel Cells For Your Car
Did you know that almost anyone can build their own water fuel cells (otherwise known as hydrogen generators) and buy the parts locally for less than $65? What is a hydrogen generator? It’s a gizmo that will make you car burn water and cut your gas bill in half. Sounds amazing? If you can learn to build hydrogen generators, you can stop worrying about the price of gas and focus on other things to spend your money on. Wouldn’t that be nice? You will need a good set of plans and about half a day to build and install a hydrogen generator but the rewards are well worth it.
The high price of gas has many people wondering what they are going to do in the coming months or even years. You should do something now to get your car to use less fuel. This is a very effective way to save money while helping the environment. Get your car converted to burn less fuel and be a step ahead of the crowd. It’s not hard to do, and the parts can be easily bought for a weekend project.
Water is full of energy. What you have to do is harness that energy. Water has to be broken down into its basic elements for this theory to work. The basic elements of water are hydrogen and oxygen. Pure hydrogen will power your car, but it is very expensive to mass produce and you don’t necessarily need it to power your car.
Yull Brown discovered a substance called brown’s gas, commonly known as HHO. This process separates water into two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. This is done by using a small amount of electricity from your car battery. This mix is then injected into your engine and is combined with the gas you already use which results in a 35% increase in fuel efficiency and performance as soon as it is installed. This process is referred to as electrolysis.
Your car only burns a portion of the fuel that is pumped into it; some of it evaporates, and even more either escapes through the tailpipe or is burnt by the cataleptic converter, which was designed to help prevent pollution. It is estimated that around 80% of your fuel is wasted through your exhaust system. If you can learn to how to build a hydrogen generator for your car, you can help stop this waste and buy less gas at the pump and also improve your car’s performance.
Building water fuel cells for cars is not as difficult as some people think, especially when you have the plans to do it with. Learn how to get the energy you need from water and stop padding the pockets of the big oil companies. Almost anyone can build one of these and install it in their car. Remember, the parts are easy to find and can be bought at most hardware stores. Building water fuel cells is a quick procedure that should only take several hours. Learn how to build a hydrogen generator for you car before it’s too late.
Originally published here.
Arthur Maxwell