A number of techs have taken me to task on ethanol and its ability to remove water. Ethanol can hold water in suspension but only .05 percent by volume or about 3.2 ounces or .025 percentage of volume. This works out to a gallon in 200. In other words not much. The major problem comes from the fact that ethanol attracts water and when it reaches the saturation point it drops it to the bottom of the fuel tank where your pump picks it up and you have problems. NASCAR is taking many precautions as they make the switch to ethanol this year to protect it from water contamination. I don’t think it would cause a freezing problem as most fuel systems have too much pressure to freeze but it could easily freeze a injector more so a TBI than multi port. Still it could create a major problem. I have removed several defective injectors that were rusty and the majority of them used ethanol. In hindsight I wish I had asked more owners if they used ethanol or not when I found these injectors.With the cost and less mileage with ethanol being a trade-off I just don’t see any value in using it on a regular basis. I will use a tank now and then to remove any water I may have accumulated and also there are some fields of thought that it aids in keeping your engine free of carbon. As I put a lot of in town miles on in the winter I do think this helps some. No conclusive evidence as of yet but I feel there soon will be. The major drawback to ethanol is that once there is an abundance of water being burned it causes the formation of formic acid which can be very damaging to your engine over time more so with the use of synthetic oil. There is some evidence to support this, and I think more will be forthcoming, as we tear down engines and find problems from formic acid. Of course then it will be too late as the damage will already be done to your engine. I don’t think the damage will be significant more of a shorter engine life span. It may also be hard to prove the source, I am sure many will blame it onto longer oil change intervals when using synthetic oil.GMs new oil is supposed to address many of these problems. They also use the computer to calculate your oil life. I think this is a great idea; I use the oil life indicator on my wife’s Bonneville to figure oil change intervals I just run it through twice. I do change it twice a year, spring and fall and use 5-30 year round. With my pickup I also change it twice a year Spring and Fall. 5-30 in the winter and 10-30 in the summer.
All posts by John
HFO-1234yf
Here we go again with another replacement refrigerant. This one is called HFO-1234yf, also known as 2,3,3,3- Tetrafluorpropene. Can’t wait to hear the nicknames techs will come up with for this one. For most of the public there will be little difference except they may notice a slight increase in mileage, when using A/C.It has a global # of 4 compared to 1200 for R-134a or a life span of about 2 weeks compared to 10 plus years for R-134a. It is more efficient and is a drop in replacement for R-134a and is also highly stable when compressed. It is claimed that the hotter it is the more efficient it becomes. It is not going to be cheap, $50 + for the average dealer cost for replacement and as of yet no one has built a plant to manufacture it. Most of the present product is coming from pilot plants and until more major manufactures announce, I doubt if any will be built. Several sources have announced that GM will use it in 2013 but I have not seen anything from GM officially. When the plants are opened the chemical companies will try to recoup their investment in a hurry as they don’t know when the next replacement would become available. Plants could be converted to R-134a but have to be built from scratch for HFO-1234yr. It is also slightly flammable, how can something be slightly flammable?This is going to force all shops that do A/C work to use a identifier before doing any A/C work as they should be doing now. No word if totally new equipment will be needed but I would think it will. R-12 was around for years and R-134a was supposed to be the savior for the atmosphere and now HFO-1234ya is the answer. Who are we to believe, is this a scam for the chemical companies to show a profit and will another better product be forthcoming? Why do all the formulas start with caps and end in small letters, and why are the names so confusing, why not call it rip off #1 and #2 and so on?
2011
A Happy New year to one and all
Increasing DIY Repairs
PEP Boys revenue increased 5% last year and this is only sales from parts through there store and does not include any labor or parts sales from their shops. Many other aftermarket suppliers are showing comparable or higher results. RockAuto has grown by leaps and bounds the last few years. When O”Reilly bought up CSK I thought they were making a huge mistake but in retrospect it was a smart move. I thought dealerships would try to become competitive to increase their absorption, the amount of total expense it costs to operate, thus decreasing the markup needed on vehicles sales . Sadly the opposite has happened. They have tried the overselling route. I have seen estimates of $500 to $700 repairs suggested and even needed to continue the warrant on vehicles with 30 to 40K. Except for some repairs, and there are very few, no service should be required for the first 80 to 100K. I have run vehicles well over 200K with no problems. I seem to have a problem with heater motors but otherwise no serious repairs.One instance was with a 3.8 Buick, my wife was putting on a bunch of in town miles, a valve picked up a chunk of carbon and rather than clean up the valves I replaced the engine. A slight case of overkill but she loved the car and I gained some major points with her. With labor rates running over a hundred dollars an hour in many places it is no wonder more and more DIY are doing their own repairs. The one problem they are having is equipment such as scanners and lab scopes among other special tools required to do the repair. I think this was planned by the manufactures to eliminate any at home repairs. The same as they are trying to keep the independent shops from certain information. The freedom of information act is an important for independent shops to survive. Hiring of qualified techs is also a problem but with perservance this can be resolved.
NASCAR In 2011
Rick Hendricks changed pit crews for the Championship which I agreed with, he put all his marbles’ in one basket and I am sure the professionals his employees are they agreed with him maybe not happily however.Now he is switching crew chiefs. Mark Martin and Lance McGrew will team up he who was with Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon’s crew chief Steve Latarte will go to Jr and Gordon will get Alan Gustafson who was Martin. I believe this is a last ditch effort to get some wins for Jr. He is also switching garages, 48 and 88 will share a shop and the 24 and 5 out of the other shop. Seems like a little overkill, but Rick is a very successful owner, 5 Championships in a row. He did leave the 48 crew the same, don’t mess with success. In 2012 Kasey Kahne takes over the 5 car I am sure he will be a winner for Rick.I think this is a last ditch effort trying to make Dale Earnhardt a winner. I donr think it will happen Jr is a decent driver but he can’t communicate with his crew chief what the car needs during a race. No matter how will the car performs at the beginning it seems to fall off during the race maybe Steve Latarte is the answer but I doubt it. What is going to Happen to Danica Patrick? She never really had that much success in open wheel. Her only win was in Japan and that was a fuel mileage win. She has been in the top ten in several races but a real win has escaped her. I know Jr has a lot of cash but with the money in Nationwide how long can he continue fixing her car? Go Daddy must have really stepped up to the plate with some cash if they could both start winning it would be a sponsor pot of gold but the key word is if.Next year could be interesting there are a number of drivers out looking for rides. RPM has finally emerged from his money problems, or so he says, and will go with 2 cars. The difference between winning and losing is so close luck still pays a big part.
DEXOS 1
As if the oil market is not confused enough with pure synthetic, synthetic and a synthetic blend, now a new oil is being introduced. To add to the confusion it will also have different designations. The API will be SN and the ILS will be GF-5. GM will also use the same oil with more testing. It will meet the Mercedes Benz sludge test and Opel’s aeration test. This testing will meet European standards. To be certified SN it must only pass a series of chemistry and engine tests. Dexos 1 as GM will call there oil leads me to believe this is just the first of a series. There is a Dexos 2 for diesels. They have been working on this oil since 2006. GF-5 will be available in both conventional and synthetic but Dexos 1 will only be available in synthetic. Oil companies have oils on the market that meet or exceed the Dexos 1, GF-5 specifications. Shells Pennzoil Platinum and Quaker State Ultimate Durability are the first ones on the market. Mobil 1 also meets Dexos standards as do several others but they are not listed by GM.GM will not specify an oil change interval as Dexos is designed to work with the oil life monitor to increase the mileage between oil changes. Ford claims a 10K between oil changes as they claim they have made major improvements in the materials and technologies it uses in its engines. Dexos 1 will be in every GM and Ford vehicle in 2011and not using it will void the warranty. GM claims it will be backward compatible and will be an excellent choice for older vehicles. My first questions will my 2005 Pontiac oil monitor work correctly and if not is there a way to make it. Presently I run it through 2 change intervals and then change the Mobil 1. Let the discussion begin, I have never seen a new oil introduced without a million opinions. Remember the first Mobil 1. As I have said before ask any tech about his choice of women’s hair color and you will get many different opinions, Dexos 1 will have as many or more responses.
EV Conversions
I wonder how many will try to convert their present vehicle to an electric vehicle. I have to think back to the kit car era some years ago. Many of these were never finished and many companies made a lot of money finishing kit cars. Converting a vehicle to electric is a lot more complicated than building a kit car and also is dangerous when you start dealing with the voltages involved. Stripping the vehicle of the engine drive train, exhaust and fuel systems is not that bad but when it comes to mounting a battery and engines it becomes a whole different ball game. Aligning the engine and drive train with the frame is a task all by itself. Most motor heads that are capable of converting a vehicle would not part with the Fuel engine. Many of these kits are brand specific but they will still require a lot of skill and perseverance.I just don’t see this as a viable alternative but then with the price of an EV it may be the only choice for some as I just don’t see a used car market as an option. I can in vision some aftermarket battery manufacture sneaking in the back door with a cheap battery that will remind us of the Pinto.
Correction Maybe
Several Emails recently that discussed the Crew Chiefs heritage and IQ. Several from ethanol users and one from an ethanol spokesperson or so they claimed. I just don’t understand why users of ethanol are so convinced that it is good for the environment. There have been several studies that determined that it takes more resources to make a gallon of ethanol that is saved. It does not remove water from fuel it will separate water and fuel and deposit the water in the bottom of your fuel tank and that is where it will stay till pumped into your engine and then you have problems. There are several chemicals on the market, depending on the year of your vehicle, which will remove water by dispersing it into your fuel and burning it along with the gas but in small quantities so as not to cause a problem. Do not use the yellow colored heet in any fuel injected vehicle. Methanol alcohol will remove water and when mixed with a dispersant will rid your tank of water. A little prevention is the best cure and that is to stick to a quality fuel from a reputable dealer. Frozen gas lines are a thing of the past I just don’t see how a fuel system can freeze with 40# of fuel pressure. I have seen a throttle body injector freeze but this is normally caused by outside moisture not from moisture in the fuel itself. Ethanol forming formic acid can cause major damage to an engine worse with synthetic oil. The problems with this are just now showing up and I think there is going to be more in the future. Bottom line with no advantage except for maybe a very slight increase in power I see no advantage to using ethanol.Supporters of the Volt also were informative about my ideas. I was wrong on several statements. The volt will charge on a household 120 outlet, it will take about 11 hours and half that with a 220 outlet. No mention of the required amperage. The Volt is also not a plug in Hybrid but an EV with a range extender. GM has spun this range extender until I don’t think they know what it should be called. Personally I think they are bypassing the batteries when the engine is running and partially driving the electric motors directly. The batteries are limited to only using about half their available voltage and not being overcharged this will help meet the eight year 100K warranty. On star will also be free for 5 years so GM can monitor the health of the battery.
Aftermarket Parts & Safety
Consumer reports recently released a report that using aftermarket parts, especially cheap China imports, may cause bodily harm. They were very specific about bumpers and the way they are manufactured may cause delayed or premature air bag deployment. The bumper beam or the piece of steel behind the cover is manufactured from ultra high strength steel whereas the aftermarket is made up of two pieces of mild steel spot welded together. This will make a difference in air bag deployment timing. Ford radiator supports are manufactured of magnesium. The non-Ford copy was made of molded plastic with a sheet-metal rib pop-riveted to it. This part raised red flags with Ford engineers because one of the vehicle’s air bag sensors is mounted to the hood latch support bracket which is mounted to the radiator support. The vibrations from these weaker parts could cause air bag deployment at any time. They also compared bumper isolators and brackets with the same result. No real crash tests were done but computer simulations showed a major difference in performance but without real crash tests no air bag deployment data could be obtained. The test results while only limited to two components demonstrate that where safety is involved only original parts should be installed.
EV Battery Exchange
A few years from now you may stop into a better place battery exchange station and exchange your battery as you stop for fuel now. However it may be quicker then fueling as they claim they can do a battery exchange in 59 secs and they are presently doing this in Japan to taxis. None of the major electric cars manufactures have jumped on this idea with the exception of Nissan. Better place has 350 million in financing in place. The odd thing is that Nissan chose to use an enclosed thermal management system for the battery pack in the Leaf EV in the United States, meaning the car’s battery cannot be swapped. The amount of cash required to get this off the ground is going to be high but I do think it is something the US driver may warm up to. I can see it being used more in an emergency situation then for an everyday charge up. With it being only for emergency I am afraid the cost would be prohibitive, also I think the EPA would have a few things to say about having that many batteries in one location.