High Fuel Consumption ..The Exhaust (2)

The oxygen sensor's voltage signal is monitored by the on-board engine management computer to regulate the fuel mixture. When the computer sees a rich signal (high voltage) from the oxygen sensor, it commands the fuel mixture to go lean. When it receives a lean signal (low voltage) from the oxygen sensor, it commands the fuel mixture to go rich. Cycling back and forth from rich to lean averages out the overall air/fuel mixture to minimize emissions and to help the catalytic converter operate at peak efficiency, which is necessary to reduce hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NO_X) levels even further.

The performance of the Oxygen sensor tends to diminish with age as contaminants accumulate on the sensor tip and gradually reduce its ability to produce voltage.  The sensor may also fail prematurely if it becomes contaminated with lead from leaded gasoline, phosphorus from excessive oil consumption or silicone from internal coolant leaks or using silicone sprays or gasket sealers on the engine, sulfur, oil ash and even some fuel additives.. Environmental factors such as road splash, salt, oil and dirt can also cause a sensor to fail, as can mechanical stress or mishandling

High Fuel Consumption ..The Exhaust (1)

So far, we have talked about how cars take in air, its effect on fuel consumption, spark plugs (see earlier posts). Now in this post, we would be dealing with another ignored part of the car that affects fuel consumption a great deal. Just as cars breathe in, they also breathe out. through the car exhaust. The aspect is of great importance as the air that comes out of the car exhaust, if not checked, can be harmful to us humans as we breathe the same air. In order to make sure that the harmful gases are eliminated, the Oxygen Sensor (to check the air/fuel mixture) and the Catalytic Converter (to break down this harmful gases to water (H₂O) & carbon dioxide (CO₂)) are placed along the exhaust pipe. Hence the reason you see droplets of water from the exhaust pipe. Lets start with the oxygen sensor...

Tyre Marks explained

The purpose of the writings that you'll see on the sidewall of your tires is to help you identify the size and specification of the tires correctly and to confirm that the tire has been tested and approved to European and other country safety standards. Each car uses a certain tire specification always stated in the manual. The letters and numbers on the side of your car tires relate to their size, dimensions, composition and capabilities.

Let us take 165/65 R14  79T as an example as shown:

     165 - Tyre width in mm
     65 - Tyre sidewall profile – sidewall height expressed as a percentage of its width
     R - Radial (rather than a cross ply)
     14 - Diameter of the wheel rim, in inches
    79 - maximum load carrying capacity per tire, in this case equates to 437 kg (see charts below)

    T - equates to a speed rating of 190 km/h (approximately 118 mph)  (see charts below)

Fuel Consumption and your Car tires...

When was  the last time you checked your tire pressure YOURSELF? This is another often-overlooked item, and one that should always be on the list. Your tires are everything when it comes to your vehicle, and gas mileage is no exception. The rolling resistance of your vehicle has a direct effect on your fuel economy. The type of tire you use has a direct effect on fuel economy. Some tires are better than others; some have less rolling resistance. You might spend more for better tires, but in the end, you will likely come out on top based on your fuel savings alone.

As for what you should set the pressure at, check your owner’s manual or the tire sticker that should be located somewhere on your vehicle. There are a lot of places they put these things. Mostly I see them around the inside of the driver's door, or sometimes on a sticker in the glove box. Occasionally I find them under the hood. The important thing is to find it and set your tires to that spec.

How does Spark plugs affect your Fuel consumption?

The spark plugs are the business end of the ignition system. They are an integral part of your vehicles motor as they provide the much needed spark that ignites the air and fuel mixture within the cylinders. This continuous ignition is what keeps your car moving on the road. No spark means no combustion, wasted energy, increased emissions, loss of performance, idle roughness, hesitation, hard starting and possibly even a no start if all of the plugs are affected. Spark plugs are normally a wear and tear kind of part instead of an "all or nothing" kind of failure. Over time, they get worn or build up deposits from years of use and they become less effective and efficient.  I have rarely ever heard of a spark plug failing 100% all of a sudden. As it wears out, it would contribute to reduced gas mileage (increased fuel consumption), rough idle, and sluggish performance. They recommend them to be replaced at a certain interval, every 30,000 miles, to keep top running performance. It is a very common part of a "tune up"

Save your Fuel... Let your car breathe in...!

Yes!!! Cars breathe in air. Yes....they are not living things and only living things breathe but for your car to work, it needs a combination of clean air and fuel to function. This happen to be the most ignored aspect of the car and most times treated shabbily. A lot of factors tend to increase fuel consumption and this is on of them. A clogged air filter can reduce gas mileage in cars with carburetor engines by more than 14 percent especially here in Nigeria where most of our roads are dusty. I have heard a lot of people say to me "before I could buy 10 litres of fuel and drive from the mainland to the Island and back but now, the fuel runs out even before begin my return journey". This very common today..

Oil Filters...the facts!

Sorry for my long absence. It wasn't unconnected to the fuel situation right in the country. This has propelled me to deal extensively on Fuel economy in cars but that would start with my next post as this is also as important. So let's go...

Oil filter is the most common and an important part of the engine. This filter constantly clean the engine oil removing organic and inorganic contamination, soot at high temperature and pressure. These oil filter look simple but they are objects of continual research to make them work better. There are two types of oil filters; The Spin-on filters (shown above) and the oil filter elements. There are two important parts of the Spin-on filters, The filter element inside the Metal casing and also the base gasket

Basic Maintenance 101... The Car Manual

Becoming a car owner is a laudable feat and as drivers, we know it’s important to maintain our vehicles. Maintaining a car can be a daunting task especially when we have to deal with our work, the kids, and the dozens of other things we’d rather be doing but still we have to take care of them to ensure its reliability and prevent breakdowns. Used cars especially need extra attention as they are more difficult the reason been that we do not have the car history, what has been changed, what's needed to be done, sometimes the sellers of these used cars conceal informations about the status of the car just so they can sell. some go as far as removing parts of these cars, selling these parts in the Tokunbo market to make more money. These factors make used cars more difficult to maintain than a new car.

It's a Brand New Car....the Nigerian Setback!!

A brand new day... with a brand new car.  It feels so good to be in one. Air conditioner working perfectly that you can catch a cold even under the scorching sun. Fuel economy is maximum. one can go long hours before you have to refuel. Driving through our roads seem so smooth.  Suspensions and tires are doing a perfect job. The moment you kick start a new car.. depreciation sets in. Some parts last longer than others. Some, for example one strut (shock absorber) goes bad before the others and so on. To keep you car in top shape, giving maximum performance is the sole reason this blog exists. Also how to know, where and when to get genuine parts, diagnosis and repairs

Why use OE, Aftermarket or Tokunbo parts?

Happy Sunday all...

To the question. Why should I use an OE part, Aftermarket or get a Second-hand (Tokunbo) part?

OE car parts are manufactured by world-class, quality-certified factories, and engineered to the most current original equipment specifications. Products that fit right out of the box each and every time. So, when you specify OEM performance parts, you'll always have complete confidence that your customer is getting premium quality products. OE parts come with the manufacturer's warranty  and last longer than Tokunbo car parts but OE parts tend to be more expensive.

We have OEM, Aftermarket.. then Tokunbo parts

Aftermarket

OEM

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer is a term used when one company makes a part or subsystem that is used in another company's end product. OEM refers to the company that originally built a given product, which was then sold to other companies to re-brand and resell. Looking at the picture on the left, the spark plug is the Original part from Toyota Corps but looking closer, you will see that this part is manufactured by Denso for Toyota. In this case, Denso is actually the OEM and this part is made to a standard specification for Toyota. Then it is re-branded and resold by Toyota to its customers.

Cars... Vehicles... Automobiles...

Vehicle from Latin: vehiculum is a mobile machine that transports people or cargo. By the basic definition of Machine,  we mean a device that helps us to do work easily, efficiently and faster. Cars, Vehicles, Automobiles are complex machines with different parts. They have the engines (could be the Internal combustion engine, Electric motor, or a combination of both which is the Hybrid), rotating parts, Vibrating parts etc. For this car (complex machine) to carry out work efficiently, these parts have to be maintained.

Have we ever wondered why the tokunbo cars we import, even though have a very high mileage still runs very smoothly? Even better than a lot of new cars bought here and haven't attained half the mileage on these tokunbo cars? In advanced countries, car owners have imbibed the maintenance culture and it has been integrated into their daily lives. In order for us to minimize break downs of our cars, we too must take the maintenance of our vehicles seriously and should be timely too.

The First of its kind...

Hi all...

I've been thinking about this a long time. It took me so long before i decided to start this. A place where we can talk about how best to maintain the machines, cars, vehicles, automobiles that help us get around through the day. Its effects on us, our pockets, time. How and where to get genuine and original replacement parts. If its advisable and when to go for "tokunbo parts. How to avoid been ripped off by your mechanics. Discuss and interact about certain problems that occur on automobiles. Getting your vehicle documents right...

Basically on this blog, we would be discussing your cars. Easy ways to maintain you cars. How a simple maintenance can save you a costly break down when you least expect it. Why sometimes its okay to get tokunbo parts, aftermarket parts or Genuine OEM parts (all theses i'll define in the coming posts). All these and a whole lot more.