How to start my car?

If you turn your car key and get nothing, or get anything less than an engine roaring to life, you might be in for a bad day. Starting problems can be very frustrating because there are so many things under the hood that can keep a car from starting. Heck, pretty much everything under the hood can keep the car from starting.

In order to troubleshoot a no-start problem, you need to start at the beginning of the line, the battery, and work your way back. Some tests for a no-start problem are simple, others are a pain in the neck and a technical nightmare. Nonetheless, you need to figure out why the car won't start, so we'll try to help. If your key won't turn in the ignition, try this fix.

Electrical No-Start Problems

• Check Your Fuses: Few cars have a fuse associated with the starting system, but before you go monkeying around with everything, check your fuses to be sure it's not that simple.
• Battery Corrosion: Over time your battery connections can become dirty, or corroded. This corrosion breaks the connection your battery has with the rest of the car, and it won't start. Trycleaning your battery posts and try to start the car again.
• Dead Battery: The most common reason your car won't start is a dead battery. If you have a battery tester that can measure cranking amps, test your battery to see if it's weak. If you can't test it yourself, you can test the battery indirectly by jump-starting the car. If it starts right away, your problem is most likely a dead battery. Replace the battery, and clean the battery connections to ensure good contact.
• Bad Igntion Switch: If your battery checks out, but the starter is still silent, it may be a faulty ignition switch. Turn the key to the on position (not all the way to start). If the red warning lights on your dash don't light up (and your battery connections are clean), the ignition switch is bad. If they do light up, turn the key to the start position. The dash warning lights should turn off at this key position (most cars). If you're not sure, turn on the headlights. When you try to start the car, the lights should either dim (a lot) or turn off completely. If they do, your ignition switch should be ok. If not, the switch will need replacement.
• Bad Starter Connection: Corrosion can not only keep your battery from connecting, it can affect any electrical component, especially the ones exposed to the elements like the starter. If you have a helper, you can test the connection by holding a circuit tester lead on the wire that engages the starter. This is the smaller of the two wires connected to the starter. Be sure no part of your body is near the moving parts of the engine - it could still start at any time! Have a friend turn the key and check the current. If you're getting current to the starter but it ain't spinning, it needs replacement.

If your starter spins freely when you turn the key, the problem lies elsewhere. Now you begin to check the other systems that could keep it from firing up.

With the starter-related causes of your no-start problem out of the way, we continue the search for why your car won't start. If the engine can't get spark, there will be no fire. But don't crawl into the hole just yet. Spark is created by your car's ignition system (ignition means "to ignite). Ignition system troubleshooting isn't too difficult when you're looking for a no-start problem. The first place to check is your coil.

• Coil Testing: To properlytest your ignition coil you'll need a multimeter that can measure impedance. If you don't have a multimeter, there is an easier test you can perform using simple hand tools. Test your coil and, if it's bad, replace it.
• Distributor Cap: Your no-start problem probably isn't caused by your distributor cap, but occasionally, especially during wet weather, a faulty cap can keep your car from starting. Remove your distributor cap and check the inside for moisture. If there is even a drop or mist of water inside, wipe it out with a clean, dry cloth. Inspect the cap for cracks and replace it if necessary. Once its dry, though, it'll work.
• Coil Wire: The starting problem could also be due to a broken or shorting coil wire. Inspect the wire to see if there are any obvious cracks or splits, then test for continuity using a circuit tester.

Did it start? No? Ok, on to the fuel-related possibilities.

If the starter is spinning and the sparks are flying, your no-start problem has got to be related to the fuel system. If your vehicle is fuel injected, there are a number of sub systems that could be the culprit. It will take some serious diagnostic work to figure it out, but there are some things you can check in the garage that will narrow it down, and could save you some money by avoiding a trip to the repair shop. Here are some things to check:

• Electrical Connections:There are plenty of electrical connections in your fuel injection system. Each fuel injector has a connector on top. There are connections on the air side of the intake and on the cylinder heads. Basically you should check every electrical connection you can find under the hood to be sure it's tight.
• Fuel Pump and Relay: To check your fuel pump, you can do a fuel system pressure test - if you have the equipment. Since most of us don't have that type of thing, we'll first check the electrical connections. Test the positive side of the fuel pump for current with a circuit tester. Be sure the key is in the "On" position. If there's current, move on to the next step. If not, you should check the fuse. If the fuse is good, your problem is the fuel pump relay.
• Fuel Filter: If the fuel pump is working properly and fuel is still not reaching the engine, the problem could be a clogged fuel filter. You should be replacing your fuel filter every 12,000 miles or so anyway, so if you suspect it could be clogged, go ahead and replace it.

the above items are things you can check yourself easily and with everyday automotive tools. There are many other elements of your fuel injection system that require electronic diagnosis. Unless you are familiar with this and have the right equipment, it is best to leave this to the pros.

With the major systems checked out, there are a number of other things you can check to see why your car won't start - if you have the patience.

• Loose Starter: Loose starter bolts will cause it to dance around and wiggle, failing to turn the engine over.
• Bad Injectors: A bad injector can throw the whole fuel system off and keep the engine from firing, especially when the engine is warm.
• Faulty Cold Start Valve: A failed cold start valve will keep your car from starting when the engine is cold. It can also malfunction and keep your car from starting when it's warm!
• Chipped Flywheel or Ring Gear: Your starter's gear connects with the gear teeth on your flywheel or ring gear (depending on transmission type). If one of these teeth becomes worn or chipped, the starter will spin. You'll hear loud screeches, scrapes, squeals and grinding if this is the case.
• Bad ECU or MAF If your engine's main computer or any part of the system's electronics go bad, your car won't start. Unfortunately you'll need to leave this type of diagnostic work to a qualified repair shop.

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How to Fix a Leaking Roof Rack

A leaking roof rack will cause damage to the interior of your vehicle. Over time, a leak will ruin the head liner, carpets, and seats. Fix a leak in the roof of a vehicle immediately after you notice itto avoid permanent damage. Holes drilled for mounting a roof rack should be waterproofed to prevent or fix a leak.Automobile adhesives and sealants are made for waterproofing and securing bolt and screw holes typical in a roof rack installation.

1. Remove all mounting hardware, including bolts and screws, from the cross-rails and stanchions, using a ratchet and screwdriver. Place all hardware in a can or bucket so you don't lose the pieces. Having the assembly instructions on hand will help with this process.

2. Wrap each bolt and screw with thread seal tape. This tape makes the bolts thicker while keeping the exact thread pattern of the hardware. Do not overwrap the threads or use tape that's damaged and wrinkled.

3. Clean the roof to remove dust and debris, using a rag. Dirt and grit will prevent a good seal on the mounting hardware.

4. Place a small amount of clear automotive silicone sealant on top of each mounting hole on the roof. A dime-size dollop or less will provide adequate waterproofing.

5. Replace the mounting brackets, and stanchions. Apply a bead of clear sealant to the underside of each bolt and screw head.

6. Place the bolts or screws in the proper holes and tighten them until they are hand-tight. To tighten all bolts and screws, turn them clockwise. Do not overtighten as this will damage the threads.

7. Reinstall the cross-rails, following the manufacturer's installation instructions.

Source: ehow.com

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5 Auto Repairs You Don't Need

There's a sucker born every minute, and possibly a new automotive related scam to go along with it. Everything from fuel line magnets to tornado air intake systems to protoplasmic generators have been pushed upon the hapless driving public at large since the birth of the automobile. Henry Ford himself became rich, but also enabled thousands of others to do the same selling worthless car products. For anyone other than an engineer or automotive mechanic, a vehicle is an inherently complex machine that's full of mysterious parts and systems. Let's walk through a few common types of auto repair that you probably don't need on your car. -Gas Savers: Unfortunately, scientists have actually NOT discovered a secret device that will save you hundreds of dollars in gas every year. This is one of the areas that not only will offer zero benefit, it may actually cause gas mileage to become WORSE. Magnetic devices actually have no ability to re-arrange gas molecules into a more combustible substance. Tornado vortex air intake systems that mix gas into a powerful cyclone also offer nothing. Due to increasingly stringent government regulations, vehicle manufacturers spend millions of dollars in research every year to improve fuel economy. If sticking a 25 cent fridge magnet to your fuel line actually worked, they would have been installed on every car years ago. If you're really interested in substantially increasing your fuel economy, Google search the term "Hypermiling" for legitimate ways. - Oil Additives Many people may remember a popular infomercial from the 1990's touting the benefits of a product called 'Prolong'. Among the highlights of this infomercial was a vehicle being driven around Los Angeles with (supposedly) no motor oil in the engine. Many oil additive products will make similar claims or boasts to extreme performance. Although some motor oil additives do offer a small performance increase, most are nothing more than glorified motor oil. Changing your oil as recommended by the manufacturer will keep your engine working perfectly with no need for expensive additives. -Engine Flushes A popular upsell at drive-thru oil change facilities. After opening the hood and doing the initial inspection they claim that the engine is full of sludge and deposits that they can see built up underneath the oil cap. They inform you that it can be fixed while you wait, for only $89.95. Unfortunately, these products often cause more harm than good. The can of quick engine flush is actually a strong solvent that sometimes loosens large chunks of engine gunk that can clog critical internal engine orifices. Even if the engine hasn't had frequent oil changes, it's better to stay away from flushes. -Fuel Injection Cleaning An expensive service often sold at the dealership level. Although this service can sometimes be helpful for dirty fuel injectors that are causing the engine to run poorly, it's best to skip it if the engine is running OK. Many dealerships tout this as something that needs to be performed annually, often at a cost of hundreds of dollars. Save yourself the money and pour a bottle of $5 fuel system cleaner in the tank once a year. -Transmission Flushes Modern transmissions are filled with hundreds of small components, sensors, and orifices. Running transmission fluid at abnormal pressure levels through the transmission to "clean it out" can actually cause more harm than good. It's important for the inside of the transmission to stay clean to perform correctly, but it's better to keep it that way by making sure to change the transmission fluid every few years. Also, many transmission flush machines use a "one brand fits all" generic transmission fluid that may not perform up to manufacturers specifications. When it comes to auto repairs, choose wisely! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5347147

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How Does An Alternator Work?

By Matthew Wright, About.com Guide

Your engine runs on air, fuel and spark. The spark is the center of it all, and for that we need electricity. Your battery supplies electricity, but only enough to get you a few miles down the road. We need more. That's where the alternator comes in. The alternator continually charges the battery so that we never have to worry about that whole "running out of juice" problem. Your battery is 12 volts, but to keep the battery 100% charged and run all of your car's electrical doo-dads at the same time, the alternator has an output of between 13.5 and 14.8 volts. We'll learn more about that in a second. The alternator has three main components: The Stator, Rotor, Diode and a voltage regulator. When the alternator belt or V-belt spins the pulley on the alternator, the rotor inside the alternator spins ... fast. The rotor is basically a magnet or group of magnets that spin, with all that speed, inside a nest of copper wires. These wires are called the stator. I won't go into all of the details about why a magnet spinning within a bundle of copper produces electricity, but it does. (If you want some more technical details, check out this great article on How Electric Motors and Generator Work from my buds at Alt Fuels.) The next step in the chain is a diode assembly that changes the electricity from AC to DC current that your battery can use. There is a final step in the chain, the voltage regulator. In modern alternators, this is a built-in component. Back in the day voltage regulators were big black boxes that had to be bolted somewhere under the hood and wired into the system. The voltage regulator is basically a gatekeeper that will shut off the flow of juice to your battery if the voltage goes above a certain level, usually 14.5 volts. This keeps your battery from getting overcharged and cooked. That's it! As your battery is drained, current is allowed to flow back into it from the alternator and the cycle goes on and on.
Source: About.com

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Auto Air Conditioning Repair

Auto air conditioning repair is often compared with the detective. Problems can occur when a portion of the AC and is sometimes not possible to precisely identify the nature of the problem, so we need to consult with a mechanic who is fluent in the repair of air conditioning systems.
Auto air conditioning can be damaged by leaks in the system, low levels of refrigerant, blockage in the capacitor, and compressor failure. Some problems are simple and can be treated themselves. Several other people have the engineers to the task. To facilitate this, a number of garages are available. Along with basic mechanic tools, some specialized tools required, depending on the type and the room where repair services are required. air conditioning repair manuals become an ideal friend if repairs are needed.
There are certain facts one must know about car air conditioning repairs. A / C is designed to cool the vehicle. repairer must be familiar with the five major components such as compressors, chillers, condenser, expansion valve and dryer or evaporator. On some vehicles, batteries and a tube hole not the expansion valve and dryer. Someone must have a thorough knowledge of all the mechanisms involved in air conditioning systems.
A good mechanic can check leakage without drawing in addition to engine parts. In addition to basic components, other accessories such as switches, fuses, wires, and fan belts checked as part of the automatic air conditioning repair.
Auto air conditioning repair is very expensive. Most auto parts stores sell air conditioning units at high cost. Therefore, high spending, even if the repair is done by the owner of the vehicle itself.

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Tips to save your fuel

Get better gas mileage - improving your fuel economy

They used to say that you could only rely on two things in life - taxes and death. Not true. There's three things. Taxes, death and the cost of petrol sprialling forever upwards. So consider this page your guide to making the best of a bad situation. Follow these tips and you should be able to improve your mpg - miles per gallon. Better fuel economy = more money in your bank account.

First things first : measuring your gas mileage

It seems obvious but a lot of people just don't know how to measure their average gas mileage. Fuel economy is a total mystery to them. So bear with me - I realise to a lot of you this is the age-old adage of teaching you to suck eggs.
So - a lot of cars nowadays have an mpg readout that you can select from their onboard computer. Whilst these are useful, they do tend to be a bit optimistic. I've found over the past 6 to 8 years that on-board mpg displays tend to over-read by about 7%. Not much but enough to give you a skewed view of reality. So how do you measure your average mpg? It's easy. You need to start with a full tank and always fill your tank to the point where the pump cuts off. It's painful to your wallet, especially at today's prices, but it's the best chance you have.
So first - fill up. Fill your car to the point where the pump cuts off and zero your trip counter. Now you know you're starting from a 'full' tank. I say full because each car has a different amount of dead space at the top of the tank and in the fuel filler neck, but if you let the pump cut off on its own each time, it will generally fill to around the same level each time.
Next time you fill up, again fill the tank to the pump cutoff and importantly, make a note of the number of litres or gallons you put in, and the trip counter reading. Divide one by the other and you get either miles per gallon (mpg) or km per litre. Zero the trip counter again and keep a note of the mpg calculation.
Each time you fill up, fill it to the pump cutoff, and make a note of the amount that went in and the trip counter reading, calculating your mpg or litres per km each time.
Once you have four or five calculations, you can start to figure out your running average using some simple maths, or an online mileage tracker like mymilemarker.com or trackyourgasmileage.com. Below is the ongoing tracker for my current vehicle.

New car or something else?

One of the first things that people think of once they think they're getting bad gas mileage, is buying a new car - not necessarily brand new - perhaps a more fuel-efficient used one or even a hybrid. But be careful - you have to do your homework here. Take into account how much you could sell your existing car for and how much you're going to pay for the new one. It's important because generally speaking, going this route will normally result in a net loss - you'll end up losing money unless you keep the new car for 5 years or more. Better fuel economy will mean that the day-to-day running expenses will be less once you've got the new car. But think about it - the initial outlay to swap cars will likely be huge.
So then you're left with the other option - getting better mpg out of your existing car. In order of ease-of-attainability then, the carbibles.com ten tips for better gas mileage:

1. Your right foot

So simple anyone can do it. If you're caning it away from the traffic lights, you're wasting petrol and your mpg will be down. If you're endurance racing at 80mph on the motorway, you're wasting petrol. Here's the thing - your gas mileage can drop off as much as 15% between driving at or below 65mph and driving above 65mph. Now I love speed as much as the next person but you have to be realistic here - do you want better fuel economy or to get there marginally quicker? I sound like a total wet blanket telling you this of course, but driving slower absolutely will improve your mpg. Why? Because once you get over about 65mph, you're using more engine power to overcome drag, which means consuming more petrol to do it.
What about when you're not on the motorway? Well consider a little less braking if you can. If you can see the next set of lights ahead of you are red, don't race up to them and come to a complete stop. Try to moderate your speed a little if you can do it safely. If you can get there as they turn green and the traffic in front begins to move, you're doing OK. That's because it takes more energy to get you going from a complete stop than it does from a slow roll. So if you can do this, it will improve your mpg.

2. Change octane if you can

Too many people drive around with medium or premium gas in their tank when they just don't need to. If your owner's manual says "regular", it means it. Putting mid-grade or premium in is just wasting money. Why? Unless you have a high-compression engine which could be prone to detonation (pinking / pinging), you have absolutely no need for high-octane petrol. The only thing that higher octane gives you is less probability of detonation. In high-performance cars with high-compression engines, that means allowing the engine management system to work at peak efficiency but for probably 75% of you, your car will quite happily run on the cheapest petrol you can put in it. Not an improvement in fuel economy per se, but a money saving at least.

3. Use the internet

Again - not so much about improving your mpg as saving money; no matter where you live, there will be one or more internet sites that can provide you with petrol prices in your area. Vote with your money. Buy from the cheap ones, and shun the expensive ones. It's not improving your mpg, but it is saving you money, and in the long term, that's what counts here. Apathy in this area is what the petrol companies rely on. To get you going, here's a couple of examples. US petrol prices. UK petrol prices. For others, use your favourite search engine.

4a. Check your tyre pressures

This is a total no-brainer. Check your tyre pressures regularly - make it part of your sunday routine or something. All motoring sites and magazines tell you the same thing and that's for a reason. If your tyre pressures are low, you will be increasing the rolling resistance of the tyre on the road and that will be robbing your fuel efficiency - your gas mileage will be down. So make sure they're up to manufacturer recommended values (at the very least) and watch your mpg get a little better.

4b. Get low rolling-resistance tyres

You might never have considered this, but manufacturers do make tyres designed for low rolling resistance. This means that there's less effort required to roll the tyre along the road surface. Less effort means less load on your engine. Less load means better mpg. When I went for aftermarket alloy wheels and tyres on my Honda Element, my gas mileage dropped by about 1mpg due simply to the change in tread pattern of the tyres.

5. Get rid of the roof rack

You go biking or skiing at the weekends. Great. When you're commuting to work, that empty roof rack is adding aerodynamic drag to your car. More drag means more power to overcome it, which means worse mpg. Take it off when you're not using it. Same goes for those 'aerodynamic' roof boxes - if you're not using it, get rid of it. Yes they look aerodynamic but the fact of the matter is they do induce drag. And to be honest, they look silly. Hey - I know it means getting up and doing something rather than just routinely getting in your car and driving off but we're talking about gas mileage here. mpg. Fuel economy. It's all to do with money. Be lazy? Or save money?

6. Change your air filter

Out of sight, out of mind. I'm guilty of this. Your air filter is what protects your engine from ingesting all the dust, dirt and crap in the air. If it's doing its job well, it will clog up, much like the bag of a vacuum cleaner. Once it clogs up, your engine has a harder time sucking air through it. To compensate for the reduced airflow, the engine management system will richen up the mixture, using more petrol to keep the engine running smoothly. Replace your air filter once a year and you'll guarantee better gas mileage. So why am I guilty of this? At the time of writing I change the three-year-old filter in my car and my mpg jumped by 2.5 overnight. On my car that equated to a 13% improvement for an outlay of $14. Duh! This is one of the easiest ones to do yourself too. Go out to your local parts store and look through their catalog to find the right filter (or use any of a myriad of online retailer who normally have better prices on aftermarket and performance stuff like K&N air filters). It will normally be a simple matter of some plastic or metal clips to get the airbox apart and then you can replace the old duffer with the new hotness.

7. Change your oil and oil filter

Whilst you won't see any massive improvement by changing your oil and filter, you're ensuring that your engine is keeping its 'fresh blood'.

8. Get new spark plugs

Spark plugs work in an incredibly hostile environment. If you've got more than 30,000 miles on yours, change them. Fresh plugs that aren't covered in carbon desposits will certainly help you in your quest to become a fuel miser.

9. Ultrasonic cleaning for your fuel injectors

The only surefire way to clean your fuel injectors is to have them removed and given an ultrasonic bath. This is like those jewellery cleaners you might have seen. Basically it's a small tub filled with detergent solution that is hit with ultra high frequency vibrations or sound waves. The net effect is that any carbon deposits are shaken off the fuel injectors. Clean injectors give a more even fuel-air mix which results in a more predictable burn in the cylinder, which will contribute to improved gas mileage. If your injectors have never been done, or you've got more than 60,000 miles on them, consider getting the professionally cleaned. It won't be cheap but it's cheaper than a new car (by a huge margin) and it will help your mpg.

10. Remapping your ECU - chipping and tuning

Expensive one this, but it might be worth investigating. For the most part, chipping or remapping your engine management computer would normally be done to improve performance. It is possible however to go the other way - trade off some performance in exchange for better gas mileage. Not a lot of places are advertising this yet but as the price of petrol continues to spiral, I wouldn't be surprised to see this happen. For example, a few tuning houses in America have seen some interesting results from flashing European engine maps into US vehicles. It's a bit dodgy because it means those vehicles won't pass the emissions tests, but if you're serious, you could get a dual-map system. For the inspection and emissions, leave it in "US" mode. For everyday driving, use the European map. Of course you didn't get that idea from here :-)

What does all this add up to?

Realistically, if you religiously stick to the above points (from a regime of previously doing nothing special), you should expect to see an mpg improvement of about 15%. Doesn't sound like a lot? Let me put a number on it. Last year I spent around $2600 on petrol throughout the year. A 15% improvement in gas mileage correlates to a 15% decrease in outlay to fill my car. In my case about $400 a year. How useful is that? It's a round trip to Vegas (no hotel). 6 months car insurance. 5 weeks grocery shopping. And so on and so on. So you can keep wasting money if you like, but if you're serious about getting better gas mileage, these simple steps really will help.
Happy motoring, and I hope you see some improvements in your fuel economy.
Oh - and if you're interested, send me your ideas. After my initial blog post, I had some good ones come back straight away so on page 2 you'll find the expanding list of reader-submitted tips.
Source: About.com

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