happenings

The Battery

    Hi, its been a while sense I added to the under the hood assessment.  I now will look for engine and tuning items.  The first thing is the ignition system, starting with the battery.  Is the battery the right size?  Many times the battery is replaced with a smaller size to save money.  This usually means that the battery tie-downs do not fit or are missing completely.  Sometimes the battery is loose or tied down with many things, rope, wire, bungy cords and sometimes it is loose and has been bouncing around.  I have found arc marks on the underside of the hood from the battery bouncing up and shorting out on the hood metal.  I look to see if the battery is topped of with water in the cells if it is a battery that has caps that can be removed.  Some batteries have a sight glass that informs you of the condition of the battery if the battery caps can not be removed.  I look at the date of manufacture on the battery if it is available to see the amount of battery life left.  I feel the battery should be replaced one year before the expected battery life ends.  A five-year battery should be replaced after four years.  The way I look at it is, it is cheaper to replace the battery in the shop then to do a service call for a car that will not start.  A service call means that I go to the car to check it out, then to the parts store to pick it up versus calling the parts house from my shop and asking them to deliver it to me while the auto is already taken out of service.  If the battery is still serviceable I check the battery terminal for corrosion and color.  Yes, color.  A dark battery cable terminal means that it may be overheating due to not being tight, poor contact, long cranking time or corrosion between the post and the terminal.  If necessary I remove the terminal and scrape the inside with a special tool, not a brush, and then re-cut the profile of the battery post with a tool. Then I spray the two parts with a battery terminal corrosion protector. Then reinstall, align the cable and tighten the clamp nut.
    This brings us to a problem when the battery is disconnected to service the terminals and posts.  If I disconnect it from the car I would cause a lot of problems.  Sometimes it sets off the alarm system when reconnected and the lights and horns will go off until the system is reset or I use the key control.  Some cars need a code to reset the radio antitheft device and sometimes the customers have only given me the key and have not left me the alarm button.  In some cars when the battery is disconnected it erases the short-term memory in the computer, such as pending or existing engine codes.  Well, this is what I do!  I have an adapter plug hooked up to a battery and I plug it into the lighter socket.  This only works if the socket has electricity in it with the ignition key in the off position.  In some cars the socket is only hot (a term for electricity present) with the key in the on or accessory position.  If this is the case, then I apply 12 volts to the battery terminals before removing them from the battery.  I then follow the negative or ground cable to the point it attaches to the body, engine or transmission to complete its circuit.  I then look for a loose connection and any rust or corrosion.  Lastly, I follow the positive cable to the starter and inspect it for tightness.  This is a first hand look at the starting system which is necessary to turn the engine over to start it.  If you think I have spent a lot time on the battery, you are right, this is the heart of the ignition system as I see it.  Next time, what happens when the engine starts turning over or the crankshaft starts rotating?

Free Money

yes. it is true. the reason I don't work is because I get so much free money from helping out random people who send me email that not only do I share it with all my loyal readers - but even show you my emails that confirm I have received money in the past that also encourage me to take even more. How can I resist.

My Dear Friend,
 
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With My Best Regards,
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Under the hood...

    Well I now have the car in the shop and I open the hood for the first time.  Pulling the hood release tells me if the hood is aligned by the way it pops up.  If it jumps up with a smooth pull of the release lever then everything is ok.  If it sticks before pooping up, I lube or adjust the latch assembly if necessary, or sometimes I have to align the hood.  I then use the hood prop or the hood struts (look like shock absorbers) to hold the hood up. I check the struts for their ability to hold the hood level. If one has a leak the hood will sage on one side. Inspection of the underside of the hood for tuning and other information is helpful. If its not there, I assume that the hood was replaced from a previous accident. 
    I now grab the cooling hoses and squeeze them while listening for crunching noise.  The crunching sound tells me that the fiber reinforcement in the hose is rotten and the hose must be replaced. Also I inspect for bubbles or soft spots on the hoses.  Inspecting the ends of the hoses for leakage or crystallization of the antifreeze tells me that the hose and possibly the inlet or outlet may also be pitted from corrosion on the engine. If the leak or corrosion is on the radiator side then there may be a split or damaged inlet or outlet of the radiator. Plastic radiators have a tendency to split or just degrade into crumbly peaces while brass or copper radiators are usually damaged by over-tightening of the clamp. I then install a cooling system pressure tester and apply air pressure to the system. I reach down and move the water pump pulley if accessible to check for a leaky water pump seal.  Most engines operate under 13 to 16 lbs of pressure. I check for leaks and tighten all that seem to be leaking, making sure that I do-not over-tighten it. The standard clamps that are on the foreign cars are usually a duel wire clamp and they have a tendency to cut into old hoses especially if the there is oil soaked into the hose. 
    Then its time to check the radiator cap for cracks in the rubber gasket and the condition of the valve that allows the cooling system to suck antifreeze from the overflow tank back into the radiator.  Remember as the engine heats the antifreeze, it expands and after it exceeds the pressure rating of the cap it flows into the overflow tank.  When the engine cools, it creates a vacuum in the cooling system, and antifreeze is sucked from the over-flow tank to the radiator. This balance keeps air from entering the cooling system and preventing the air from causing corrosion and rust. Either of them can clog the radiator or damage the water pump seal not to mention eating holes in the engine block or soft plugs (freeze plugs). Lastly I check the coolant for freeze protection and boiling point. Freeze protection depends on your area that you drive in and the boiling point is the same for all engines. I do-not adjust for altitude. I thought that was the last thing but the last is to check or trash in front of the radiator. 

Mekong Tours

Met a cool guy the other night who runs mekong Tours. Looks like he knows where to take some cool trips so saving this for reference.

Mekong Tours

later

Answer for Noise when Accelerating...

I will answer the last posted problem first, and that is the issue of the scream upon starting sometimes. You diagnosed it correctly.  But I do recommend that you replace the belts at this time.  The slipping belt is probably the alternator belt but I always try to replace all the belts at the same time to establish a time frame. I recommend cleaning the grooves in the pulleys with a wire brush and some aerosol parts cleaner.  Blowing them out with compressed air would also help.  One problem is that only installing a new belt without cleaning the groves would not allow the belt to fully seat in the pulleys, thus causing shorter belt life.

Now on to the engine having problem while going up a hill,  Assuming that the engine is in good tune, spark plugs of the heat range recommended by the manufacture and properly torqued in the cylinder head.  Threads should have an antisieze chemical brushed on them to prevent them from getting stuck in the head. Has the fuel filter been
replaced?  Remember the fuel filter filters more fuel then the engine consumes and returns the unused amount back to the fuel tank, so it filters many hundreds of gallons of fuel every time the car is driven.  Your car may be suffering from fuel starvation as it requires the most amount of fuel when going uphill.  It also could be a buildup of carbon in the combustion chamber that is causing a premature ignition. Last thing I will talk about is the catalytic converter.  A clogged converter will cause lack of power at high engine speeds and a noise coming from the intake system is usually the air cleaner air intake area.  It can still pass the smog test with this condition.  So my recommendation is this, start with some chemicals.  Add at separate times according to the direction on the product.  First I would add a fuel injection cleaner to the fuel tank and give it time to work. This will help clean the fuel delivery system as well as decarbon the combustion chamber.  I would do this two times using a full tank of gas each time.  Then if there is not a change, I would use a product to clean the converter.  The products that I use are:  Sea Foam motor treatment (www.seafoamsales.com) and CRC GUARANTEED TO PASS Emission Test Formula (www.crcindustries.com). Remember this is assuming that your mechanical parts of the engine is maintained and properly tuned.

Noise when accelerating...

The first "Ask My Dad" column reader question:

The car:
1998 Toyota Corolla
4 cylinder engine
175,000 miles
All scheduled maintenance performed

The problem:
For the past few years I've heard an increasing amount of noise (something
like a sputtering) when accelerating up a hill.  The problem has gradually
gotten worse over time and robs power from the car, resulting in me being
the slow car up the hill more and more often.  I originally thought that it
was a problem with the exhaust, but it continues to pass California's smog
tests with flying colors.

I once had the check engine light illuminate for a day and consulted the
manual and internet to determine that it was likely the catalytic converter
had failed, but it went out and hasn't come back yet.  I also had the car
scream a bit when started a few times, which I assumed was a mis-adjusted
belt.  Again, went away after 2 or 3 times (not consecutive) and hasn't come
back.