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HO2S diagnostics for measuring engine performance

Since the early 1980s, oxygen sensors (O2S) and heated oxygen sensors (HO2S) have played a key role in the efficient operation of electronic fuel injected vehicles. In a modern vehicle, the powertrain control module (PCM) relies on information from the oxygen sensor to achieve optimum air/fuel ratio, good engine performance and control exhaust emissions. Understanding fundamentals of oxygen sensor operation, as well as new changes in technology, can help technicians quickly test and diagnose this increasingly important sensor.

Burning gasoline in the combustion chamber of an engine is a chemical reaction with fairly predictable results. Cylinder misfire, poor engine efficiency and high exhaust emissions can be the end result of too much or too little fuel in the combustion chamber. An oxygen sensor can effectively measure these combustion results. Changes in air-to-fuel ratio affect the amount of oxygen (O2) consumed during the combustion process. The best air/fuel ratio for complete combustion and emissions is a stoichiometric 14:7:1 ratio. A rich (or excessive fuel) air/fuel ratio will consume most of the oxygen during the combustion process, resulting in low exhaust oxygen content. Leaner air/fuel ratios will result in somewhat higher exhaust oxygen content. By monitoring oxygen content of the engine exhaust, the PCM can determine the ideal air/fuel ratio and adjust fuel delivery accordingly. (more…)

admin
July 31, 2011
Engine
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Back to 2006 : Paint technology

What does the climate look like when it comes to new paint technologies in 2006? The impact of ever stringent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, the growing pressure to reduce cycle time and the demands of a varied consumer market are driving the products and strategies of automotive coating companies today.

Growth of Waterborne Technology

Although waterborne technology is not new, its growing importance, spurred by new environmental regulations in California and possibly other parts of North America, is driving the need for more waterborne basecoats in the next few years.

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Europe unveiled a new volatile organic compound (VOC)-compliant line of products in Europe last year in an effort to meet new European Union VOC regulations that will take effect Jan. 1, 2007. Besides the reduction in VOCs, waterborne technology is popular for its fast-drying applications, which can help reduce cycle time. (more…)

admin
July 25, 2011
Car
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Scion for dealers: Online sales for customer’s benefit

Toyota’s Scion division wants dealers to consider adopting Amazon.com-style online retailing tactics that would appeal to the brand’s youthful customers. The idea is for a shopper to configure the vehicle, find it in the regional inventory, get credit approved, and make the purchase at a no-haggle price–all without setting foot in a dealership. The vehicle could even be delivered to the customer’s house.

Scion Vice President Jack Hollis said he has had several conversations with the Scion dealer council about how to implement the plan, which is still in the concept phase. The plan would not require dealers to sell exclusively online. But Hollis said he believes the Gen Y customers targeted by Toyota’s youth brand use the Internet to such an extent that finding and buying a car online is not far-fetched.

“People shop for homes online when they are moving. People buy boats online. So why not a car?” Hollis said in an interview at the press introduction of the Scion iQ subcompact.

(more…)

admin
July 20, 2011
Car
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BMW i released concept of electric car

BMW revealed two new electric car concepts that will be launched under its new i brand in Germany early this morning. The BMW i3 city car and the BMW i8 will be the auto manufacturer’s first production vehicles designed from the ground up as electric or plug-in hybrids, rather than starting as an existing model and swapping the gas engine for an electric motor.

The BMW i3 is an electric vehicle designed for urban environments. Formerly called the MegaCity Vehicle, the EV is powered by a 125 kW electric motor that offers drivers an 80-mile electric driving range. The BMW i3 has a 0-60 mph time of less than eight seconds, which is on par with other electric cars on the market, and its high-speed charger achieves an 80-percent battery charge in just one hour. (more…)

admin
July 15, 2011
Car
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Preparation for long distance drive

HERE’S A HELPFUL PRE-TRIP CHECKLIST TO HELP YOU CHECK YOUR VEHICLE OUT BEFORE MAKING A LONG-DISTANCE DRIVE.   CONSULT YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL OR SPEAK TO YOUR TECHNICIAN FOR   ADVICE IF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH ANY OF THESE PROCEDURES:
1.     ENGINE OIL LEVEL
2.     COOLANT LEVEL
3.     FAN AND ACCESSORY DRIVE BELTS (visual checks: cracks, frayed?)
4.     RADIATOR HOSES (visual checks: cracks, blisters — two years or older?)
5.     TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL
6.     BRAKE FLUID LEVEL
7.     BATTERY (visual checks: corrosion, dirty? Check the label for the battery service life; most batteries today otherwise indicate “maintenance-free.” If your battery doesn’t say “maintenance-free,” then you should ask a technician to assist you in checking the internal acid level (if you proceed to check further wear eye protection).
8.     HORN
9.     LIGHTS (headlights — both high and low beams, turn signals, parking lights, running (side) lights, brake lights, back-up lights, emergency flashers. (more…)

admin
July 10, 2011
Traffic
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Guides on car brakes

If you saw a deer step out in front of you on the road ahead, at 55 miles per hour in a typical automobile it would take you approximately 228 feet to bring your car to a stop. What percentage of the total distance it takes to stop your car would you estimate will be due to your own reaction time? Maybe 20 percent of the distance, or as much as 40 percent?

The fact is that most drivers would take about 50 percent, or half of the emergency stopping distance just to react. That means by the time you have recognized an emergency situation, processed the decision to hit the brakes in your brain, and then planted your foot on the brake pedal — you’ll already have traveled more than 100 feet. Now, if your brakes are in good working order they’ll go to work to mechanically stop the car during the next critical 128 feet.

How about if your car has marginal brakes — brakes that are worn down, or poorly adjusted? Then how far before you stop? According to statistics, about a third of the vehicles on our highways have unsafe brakes. With more than 150 million vehicles on the road, that means there are 50 million vehicles on American roads with the potential for brake failure. (more…)

admin
July 5, 2011
Car
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How to maintan car’s paint

As we are into a new century, it is easy to reflect on the advancements that have occurred since 1900 and how significant advancements are in science, medicine and technology that are reported virtually every day.

Just a few decades into this past century several of the world’s most visionary individuals used to spend hours together camping and recreating away from their stellar careers.  As they were enjoying the chances to witness their achievements reaching the masses, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone used to sit for hours together socializing in the humble outdoors.  During those visits, each one of them reportedly coveted their shared openness to ideas about what the future of technology would bring for humanity.

To a certain extent, the contributions of each of these individuals helped prepare subsequent generations for the incredible succession of inventions and “possibilities” that would follow in this century. (more…)

admin
July 1, 2011
Car