Ford is going to have a tremendous leg up in the mileage race with its new eco-boost engine. They were able to develop this engine because they had money to spend on R&D when the other 2 were trying to survive and pay back the government. They ran this engine in real life conditions, including a stint in a logging camp, and tore it down in front of spectators at the auto show and it showed very little wear. One valve was carboned but this was due to cheap gas I think. The electric car, be it full or not, is going to fill a niche but folks as myself who need to go farther than 120 miles, are going to take a serious look at this option. I live in North Dakota and many here go farther than that round trip to do serious shopping. The 3 cylinder may have a hard time getting started as many are going to be hesitant to buy a 3 cylinder. For years we have been told odd cylinder numbers do not work out and run rough. Remember the Chevy with a 3 cylinder, it was a fiasco.The fact that it is diesel powered may also be a hindrance but I would expect a gas powered model in the near future. Diesel is OK for trucks and pickups but soccer moms shy away from it. Time will tell but I think the eco-boost system is going to be the power train of the future.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Honda has decided that the Fit will not fit into the US right now. The decision was based on the fact that they don’t think the public is willingly to pay the extra dollars for a hybrid.Honda has always been on the forefront by making sound business decisions and have always done due diligence before making a decision such as this, they also do the research necessary to reach a sound conclusion. This does not bode well for the numerous startup companies and a few established ones also that are getting ready to preview a hybrid in the next year. I just don’t see the public stepping up to the plate and spending the extra dollars and then having to install a connection to charge. I don’t think battery technology has advanced to where it is reliable and longevity is still a question. I have been wrong on occasion and only time will tell if the electric car will be accepted

In 1984 an Avion went from Mexico to the Canadian border and averaged 103.7 MPG. The car was far ahead of its time and never took off. The Avion is trying again with another trip. The original vehicle was made from recycled parts. It is going into limited production and should be available soon. No information as to price or if it will again use recycled parts. It requires only 3-6 horsepower to maintain highway speed due to its reduced drag many hours were spent in the wind tunnel to achieve this. It has an aluminum frame and a monocoque body, similar to aircraft construction. I like the gull wing doors and the different configuration for the head lights. A transverse engine mounted behind the passengers. Looking forward to more info on this. [url”>http://www.100mpgplus.com/