Advice: Things that can go wrong in Winter, and why...

[Thai]

Advice:
Things that can go wrong in Winter, and why..
by Phil Bailey

Air Filters

Air filters are the single biggest villain when a fuel injected car won't start on a cold morning!

Your gas pedal actually no longer controls fuel supply, so stepping on the gas pedal these days is a myth. Your computer controls fuel flow by varying the fuel pressure at the injectors, or the opening and closing of the fuel valves. All you control with the right pedal is how much air is getting into the engine.

If your air filter is dirty, then the throttle positioning sensor will call for more fuel supply when in fact it is not needed. Eventually, other sensors will detect the lack of air and illuminate the engine warning light. But by this time, you may well have been towed to a garage with a flooded engine and have had to have your spark plugs changed as well as a drying out of the combustion chambers with compressed air. So a twenty dollar air filter is a good investment in trouble free cold weather starting.

In extremely wet conditions, with the temperature hovering around the freezing point, an air filter can actually get wet and then ice up. Parked overnight, the dampness turns to a thin layer of ice and the filter is blocked solid. In these conditions, parking indoors whenever possible is a very, very good idea.

Heaters

As autumn approaches, everyone is starting to turn on their heater and there are a few things to watch for. If your heater does not seem to be giving good performance, it could be that the controls are stuck in the cooling mode and will need to be readjusted. Many systems rely on vacuum operated plastic flap valves under the dashboard and during the summer you may not notice that a little bit of fresh cold air is entering the car, but now you will feel a lack of heat and these controls need to be checked.

Radiator cap

A bad radiator cap can also cause your heater to under perform and it is a very simple job to verify that this cheap but essential item is holding pressure. Your thermostat should be checked to make sure it is opening and closing at the right temperatures. If it has stuck open, it will not show up so much during the summer, but a failure to heat up quickly in the fall can damage your engine as well as leaving you with cold feet.

A few minutes at your garage is all that is needed to check these items and make sure you heater works well all winter.

Rear defroster

If your rear defroster isn't working, does it mean you have to replace the glass? No, there are several possibilities. First, if the conducting elements themselves are broken, they can be repaired using a special paint. Very often, we find that the side connections are corroded or broken, which is not a large task to repair. Sometimes the defroster switch itself is defective, even if it lights up, but a quick check with a multimeter can pinpoint this problem.

So don't despair if your rear defroster doesn't work, most likely it can be repaired at quite low cost. You can extend the life of your defroster by turning it off as soon as it has done it's job. Leaving it on for long periods can burn it out and also puts a big load on your charging system. Cleaning the snow off your back window before you drive away, gives your defroster a better chance to work quickly.

Battery

It's time to think about your battery which powers your on-board computer. On the cold mornings of autumn it will be tested more than it has been all summer. If it is more than five years old, most likely it is about to expire. A battery giving low voltage under load can seriously affect the way in which your computer processes information. It's a bit like trying to run your PC on 90 volts - some very weird things can happen.

So when you start your car on a cold morning, the fact that your engine doesn't run well may be nothing more than a lack of voltage to feed the computer. A good battery is absolutely essential to operate the space age systems we are all carrying around in our cars. A good alternator can compensate for a while, but eventually it will also start to let you down, since it will be constantly overloaded. Both these items are very easy to check, using a special loading device at your local garage.

Engine oil

I know that the use of synthetic engine lubricant has been discussed in these pages quite extensively in recent months, but it's worth repeating that if you've never tried synthetic engine lubricant, now is a good time to start. Synthetics last much longer than ordinary oil; give very superior cold start protection by providing upper engine lubrication before oil pressure reaches normal values; flow very easily; maintain their strength when they are hot; are not easily weakened by fuel contamination and will reject the effects of by-products of combustion.

North America uses up to three billion litres of engine oil every year, a good proportion of which disappears into the environment. A switch to synthetics will help your battery last longer, protect your engine and reduce the amount of waste oil to be disposed of. Remember the colour of your oil is not an indication of it's condition. All oils turn dark brown very quickly.

Autumn leaves

Autumn leaves may look nice, but they can cause some problems with your car. Many cars are vulnerable to the debris that falls from trees, because it tends to block off the air intake to your ventilation system. Even if your heater is in fine working condition, no air flow means no heating and even a small deterioration in the amount of air coming into the car can make a huge difference to the total amount of heat available. Cleaning out a system can be quite tricky, time consuming and expensive if a garage has to do it, so that clearing the leaves from your car before you start the heater fan can help prevent blockage of the air intake and in the long run can save you quite a lot of money.

Driving away and allowing the wind to do the job is not a good idea, because even if the fan is not running, natural air flow will cause the same entry of leaves into the air passages. So let your car warm up while you clean the leaves off and save yourself some money down the road.

Windshield washers

And although we've covered the subject in recent times, again, it's worth reiterating that it's time to think about your windshield washer system. If you've been using water in your system during the summer now is the time to change over to a good quality minus forty fluid. If the summer fluid freezes, it can damage your windshield washer bottle severely and this is a very expensive item to replace. If the new fluid produces streaking on the windshield, then your wipers may not be up to clearing away such an alcohol-based fluid and most likely they will need to be replaced. The ones to avoid are the bare steel type, which encourage ice build-up on themselves. If your system uses little pipes that run up to the wipers, you can prevent premature freeze-up in the pipes by fortifying your fluid with methyl hydrate. Add one litre to a regular four litres in a larger container and label it accordingly. Methyl hydrate, otherwise known as wood alcohol, is freely available at your local garage parts and hardware supply stores.

 

[Thai]

Preparing for winter
by Jim Kerr

The warm fall days have made procrastinators out of the best of us, but the nights are getting longer and winter is starting to rear its head. When snow and cold weather hit, even the smallest vehicle problems seem much worse. Repair shops are booked for days in advance, tow trucks are busy, and it seems to take longer to go anywhere. Now is the time to get your vehicle ready before the really cold weather arrives. Many of the checks can be made at home or done at low cost by most repair shops. Here are a few items that should be checked every year.

The engine coolant, a mixture of water and antifreeze, should be tested and recycled if necessary. New vehicles usually have coolant mixed for -36 C. While coolant that tests to this level will not freeze, it may still need to be changed. Coolant also protects the cooling system from corrosion and provides lubricant for the water pump.

Auto manufacturers and antifreeze producers recommend coolant changes by time interval. Glycol-based antifreeze has a life span of two to three years. After that time, the corrosion protecting chemicals and water pump lubricants are used up. Glycol-based coolant is usually green or blue in colour. If the vehicle's coolant is orange in colour, it is most likely organic-based coolant.

Organic-based coolants typically have a lifespan of five years. If glycol antifreeze has been added to organic-based coolant, then the lifespan decreases to that of the glycol antifreeze - two to three years. Most repair shops now use antifreeze recycling machines. These machines flush the cooling system, clean out old coolant, and fill the vehicle with rejuvenated coolant and a anti- corrosion and lubrication additive package. Recycling protects the environment and the cost of disposal no longer has to be passed on to the customer.

Coolant strength can be checked with a low cost tester, but be sure to rinse it with clean water afterward to keep it working accurately. Most systems can be tested in the overflow tank but if the coolant is weak, be sure the radiator is also up to strength. Be careful when removing any radiator cap. Releasing the pressure on a hot engine could allow the coolant to boil and badly burn anyone nearby.


Block heaters and battery blankets are not used in warmer parts of the country, but if you need to leave your vehicle parked in cold temperatures, they will help starting. Block heaters also reduce internal engine wear during cold starts. Block heater cords take a beating in the course of a year. Often they flop around in the wind below the front bumper or get bumped against parking curbs. The outer insulation may appear fine, but the wires inside might break. If the cord seems very flexible right next to the plug, a common place for the cord to break, or you notice a hot spot on the cord when plugged in, then you need a new cord. Sometimes the cord can be shortened slightly and just a new plug will repair the problem. Listen for a slight hissing sound when the block heater is plugged in. The heater works the same as an electric kettle and sounds similar. If you cannot hear anything, the block heater should be tested with a meter.

Batteries usually have a maximum life of 6 to 7 years. As they age, the cranking capacity decreases. A battery that works fine in summer can have difficulty cranking the engine in winter because cold temperatures decrease the rate of chemical action in the cells. Battery capacity can be tested in a couple minutes with a special capacity or load tester. Any repair shop will have one. Clean cable connections are also important when starting an engine. A couple minutes cleaning the connections can save the cost of a boost or a tow.

Wiper blades: summer sun and ozone harden the rubber blades. They may look fine but can't clean winter ice and snow properly. New blades only cost a few dollars and can be changed in a couple minutes. You will not believe the difference in wet weather visibility they make!

There are many other checks to be made. Tires, lights, brakes, exhaust system, heater operation, oil levels, and engine tune checks should all be part of regular winter preparations. Newer vehicles require less maintenance but still will require some of these. Waiting till the snow hits the ground can mean long waits for service at repair shops and tire dealers. It is still not too late to beat the rush.

 

[Cleric]

Another tip or two:

A lot of people like to let their cars warm up completely before driving. I was taught in an Auto Tech course that this can be bad as your engine and parts of your transmission will warm up while other parts stay cold. I'm not positive whether this is the case with newer cars, but is something to consider unless you have heard otherwise.

Also, don't use your wipers to scrape icy or snow covered windshields. This seems obvious, but people do it all the time. When parking in the snow, leave your wipers up (off the windshield). Just don't forget to put them back down before driving.


Tire Pressure is another thing to keep an eye on.