A lot of discussion about serpentine belts lately. They were the most oversold item. As they became harder to install ,due to lack of space in many of today’s engine compartments, they have been replaced by various fluid replacements and the ever fearful cabin air filter. Don’t get me wrong many fluids due need to be replaced as do cabin filters but if I was having my car serviced and someone came at me with a bunch of vials filed with various colored fluids I would say no before they spoke a word. I have never seen a serpentine belt that failed due to wear usually it is from a driven accessory failure. They have to be really in tough shape to fail I mean they can have chunks missing and be frayed at the edges and still perform. Usually they will make some noises before failing I think this is why I have seen very few fail due to wear.Replace the belt when it has cracks the entire length or it is frayed and then check the pulley alignment.
Ready For Winter
Snow covers your car. After 10 minutes of shoveling snow and ice from the roof and windows (not to mention 30 minutes of shoveling the driveway), you’re ready to go to work. Twisting the key languidly brings the engine to life, much to your relief. But … the windshield wipers leave streaks, the washers drizzle fluid inches short of the glass, the battery light flickers and the heater fan blows little air of any temperature. Not a particularly good day for even a late-model car that’s been neglected. Winter Takes Its TollThe traditional tuneup is gone. Newer cars are largely self-tuning, and don’t have ignition points or carburetors to tweak. Factory-fill radiator coolant in some new cars is rated for 100,000 miles, far longer than many people keep a car in this age of low-monthly-payment leases. Cars are still imperfect, mechanical contrivances, however. Although many maintenance requirements are reduced, there ‘s still plenty of stuff that can break or fall off. An afternoon of preventive maintenance will greatly reduce the possibility of bad things happening. It’s autumn—the leaves are falling, but the weather is still relatively warm. A couple of hours of maintenance will be a lot easier to take now than a couple of hours of repairs when you have to shovel your way an extra 50 ft. to work in an unheated garage. The Easy StuffClean. Clean out the interior and the trunk. Shampoo the carpets and the seats, because a winter of slush and melted snow will infiltrate dirt deep into the fibers, there to remain forever. Dump the ashtray. Clean the wheel well arches and undercarriage of mud and road dirt, so that salty slush doesn’t soak into them, providing a perfect environment for rust. ElectricalWhile you’re cleaning, clean the battery with warm water. Remove the terminals and wirebrush them and the battery posts with warm water and baking soda. Reattach the terminals and coat all exposed metal with petroleum jelly. You’re not done yet -— using some sort of household cleaner, clean all traces of dirt and oil from the battery’s top and sides, particularly near the terminals. Traces of dirt can trap moisture, especially during damp winter days. This moisture acts as a conductor along a path that normally doesn’t conduct electricity at all, and can leak enough current between the battery posts to prematurely drain your battery. In fact, consider replacing your battery if it’s more than four years old. Newer cars tend to use smaller batteries to reduce weight and improve mileage, and, combined with high underhood temperatures, that spells an earlier demise than you may have gotten 10 to 15 years ago. While you’re at it, check all the electrical connections for looseness and corrosion. That may mean getting underneath the car to see the ground strap and solenoid/starter motor connections. Check all light bulbs and replace any that aren’t working. The days are short during the winter, and you’ll depend on these bulbs for visibility a much larger proportion of the day. News source: Men MSN Underhood In GeneralStill in an electrical mode, check the alternator connections and mounts for looseness and evidence of overheating. High electrical demands for lights, heater fans and rear-window defrosters, as well as recharging a battery abused by coaxing a reluctant engine to life, can make a marginal connection overheat. ZoomCheck accessory belt condition and tension, because that extra electrical demand will strain a marginal belt. Many modern cars have a single serpentine, automatically tensioned belt, but it still can fray and come off. Check all rubber hoses. Five years, in these times of air pollution and high underhood temperatures, is a legitimate life span for a radiator hose. If one seems squishy, brittle or just suspect, now would be a good time to replace them all. ZoomCheck the date on the coolant. (Remember many new cars have extended drain intervals -— but not permanent coolant. Read the owner’s manual.) If it’s due to be replaced, use a 50-50 mix of fresh coolant and water. Consider changing your transmission fluid, differential lubricant and brake fluid if your car is more than 3 years old. Lubricants break down, and brake fluid attracts moisture and deteriorates. At any rate, check the levels, and don’t forget the power steering reservoir. Fill the windshield washer tank with washer fluid. Check the pump and nozzles for a healthy, well-aimed spray pattern. Many nozzles can be re-aimed by inserting a pin into the nozzle to use as a handle. Windshield wipers are essential for winter driving, and after a summer of sunshine, the rubber squeegees are probably in sorry shape. Play it safe and replace them. Be sure the wiper arms and springs are in good shape, and that the blade is held square to the windshield surface. You may need to bend it slightly to keep everything square. Check the air cleaner, and consider replacing it and the fuel filter. The fuel filter will tend to trap water, and once it traps enough, it will fail and dump all of its accumulated dirt into your fuel injection system. And winter, of course, is when you tend to find the most water in Fuel at the pump. ZoomWhere The Rubber Meets The RoadDriving in snow demands good tires. Be sure you have adequate tread depth, and consider changing to snow tires if you live in a heavy snow area. Go ahead and pick up a set of inexpensive steel wheels at the local salvage yard for your snows instead of having your tires remounted and balanced every fall and spring. And while the car is up on the safety stands, inspect the suspension bushings, control arms, ball joints and tie rods, and the brakes. Now would be a good time to replace the brake pads if they are more than 60 percent worn. Even if they are not, check carefully for corrosion around the calipers and sliding pins. While the wheel is off, pull the pads out of the calipers and be sure everything is sliding freely. Wirebrush sliding-key ways and pins that let the pads pull back from the disc when you remove your foot from the brake. Exercise the pistons by pushing them back into the calipers and then pressing on the brake pedal once or twice to break up corrosion between the piston and the caliper. Again, it’s a lot easier to look at this stuff on a crisp autumn day than it is to try to fix it some subzero morning when all of your wrenches stick to your fingers like the proverbial dared 6-year-old’s tongue sticks to a frigid flagpole. Rust Never SleepsBefore the salt trucks come out is a good time to get out the touchup paint. Use it to cover all the bare metal at the bottom of any stone chips and parking lot dings. Clean the chipped area thoroughly, and use a toothpick or a match to apply a touch of zinc-rich primer to the bare metal. Allow this to dry, and chase any overlap back to the lip of the scratch with lacquer thinner. Then carefully fill the chip with touchup paint. It’ll shrink, so you may need several applications to build up the level of paint to flush. On The RoadEven a perfectly running car may wind up stuck in a snowbank. So put together a kit of essentials for your trunk. This should include flares, a flashlight, jumper cables (if only to help some unfortunate soul whose car wasn’t winterized like yours), a folding camp shovel, kitty litter for traction, a bottle of gasline drier, and tire chains if they’re legal in your state. If you ever travel outside of urban areas, a couple of blankets and a cellphone or CB radio ought to be on board as well.
Oil rating and viscosity
Fall is a good time to change oil and filters. Check your owner’s manual for the rating and viscosity, but most cars nowadays use an SJ-service rated oil. This rating is some measure of the oil’s longevity and resistance to oxidation and evaporation. SJ oil is fine for older engines that specify an SG- or SH-rated oil, because the rating always improves when a new one is introduced. The SAE viscosity rating is a measure of how thick the oil is. All modern cars should use a multigrade oil, probably a 5W-30 or 10W-30. The W in these ratings stands for a winter viscosity. A multigrade oil will be as thin as the thinner (5W- or 10W- rating) when the engine is first started. This will allow oil to flow more rapidly and lubricate parts that have had all the oil drain off of them overnight. A thicker oil might not be pumped to remote parts of the engine rapidly enough. On the other hand, a thicker oil (the second number in the rating) will resist becoming too thin when the engine reaches operating temperature. The American Petroleum Institute is an industry watchdog and oils bearing the API emblem can be expected to meet their specifications.In spite of what your brother-in-law the shade-tree mechanic tells you, don’t use a heavier grade of oil just because you used to in your older car. Modern cars were engineered to use 5W-30 or 10W-30 oil year-round. Check the owner’s manual to be sure. The lighter oils are also better on fuel consumption and can significantly improve mileage. News source: Men MSN
Caution When Choosing Shop
There are few things more dispiriting than seeing your car after an accident and trying to assess what the damage will cost you. It is likely that you have a place in mind that you would take your car, if you’ve ever had to have body work done in the past, and assuming the work was finished to your satisfaction. Your insurance company will likely let you know where you can get your car repaired under your policy, if it was damaged in an accident.Quality is Essential If you can make your own decision about which auto body shop to use, keep the following suggestions in mind to help you find a shop that will give you good service. You should pay attention to the quality of the auto shop that you decide to use. Check that the auto shop looks well maintained. Are there cars inside the auto shop that look like they have been there for a long period of time? Do they seem to have a lot of customers? Is the shop busy? The shop should not be keeping cars for long periods of time, and it should appear to be well maintained.Don’t accept repairs as completed unless they have been fully carried out. Make sure that you get what you pay for, that your car gets fixed properly, and your car runs as expected! Do not allow seedy auto repairs workers to con you out of your money due to poor and unskilled work, or by submitting incomplete work. As you are paying for these repairs on your car, you should get what you agreed upon in the first place. The best way to stand up for yourself and your car is to be picky! Credibility is ImportantQuestion the auto shop to find out their objectives and goals. Is quality a high priority to them? Will any service they perform be backed with their name? Have their employees received certification in auto repair work? Let them know how much you rely on your car for day-to-day activities. Can they understand that you need your car to be as good as new? When bringing you car to a repair shop, be sure that they know the specifics or your car. Be sure that the company guarantees its work and don’t be afraid to ask for references. After deciding on a repair shop, it is important that you inspect your car, both before and after the work is done. Preferably, you should do this inspection both on your own and with the shop’s inspector. This will help you to be aware of any differences in your car while it is in the shop. Repairmen may not tell you if they do accidental damage to your vehicle during its repair. Unfortunately, this is a more common scenario than you probably realize. Just think, the money could possible have to come from their own pocket to fix the damage, and the may get into trouble, or even fired. So yes, this is a common scenario.Be wise when selecting a car repair shop. Look for a repaired vehicle on their lot so you can assess a completed example of their repair work. Don’t let dirty or disorganized places work on your car. Do your homework and use common sense. It’s your responsibility to take care of one of your biggest investments. Your car will thank you for it! News source: Sports blog
How a Differential Works
A differential directs the torque of an engine to spin the wheels of a vehicle. The differential also helps the gears reduce the revolutions per minute of the engine to the various speeds at which each of the wheels is required to rotate. The wheels need to rotate at different speeds when a vehicle turns. The front and rear wheels have different distances to travel in the same time. This also applies to the wheels in the direction of the turn as opposed to the wheels on the far side. The free wheels can do this but the differential is needed for the 2 wheels on the drive as they both get equal power from the same source.There are many kinds of differentials. The simplest and most common is known as an open differential. It has a set of small gears called pinions and a ring gear in a housing. The input pinion or gear turns the ring gear, while the other pinions are stationery, when a vehicle with an open differential moves forward in a straight line. Both wheels on the drive rotate at the same speed while the other 2 wheels that are not connected to the engine and transmission, free wheel. The set of pinions make the wheel on the drive and in the direction of a turn, move slower than the wheel on the far side, when the driver wishes to turn and change direction. The 2 wheels that are not connected to the drive continue to freewheel. This makes the vehicle turn in a particular direction. The open differential, in this manner, enables a vehicle to either move in a straight direction, or to make a turn.The open differential applies equal torque or turning power to both wheels on the drive. This torque has to be commensurate with the traction or grip that the driven surface provides. The wheels will slip and the vehicle will not move if torque is more than traction. A vehicle in a situation in which one wheel on the drive is on a surface with greater traction than the other, will be stuck, as the wheel to which the differential applies too much torque, will slip. This shortcoming of an open differential is overcome by a limited slip differential.A limited slip differential is an advance on an open differential. A limited slip differential can apply varying levels of torque to either wheel, while an open differential can only apply equal turning force on both wheels on the drive. There are many kinds of limited slip differentials. A clutch limited slip differential has a set of springs and clutches. The springs fix the clutches against the housing of the differential and offer resistance to the gear system that applies different levels of torque to each of the wheels on the drive. This enables a vehicle to continue to move, albeit with reduced power when one driven wheel has better traction than the other, which may have a tendency to slip. Viscous coupling is another kind of limited slip differential used on all-wheel-drive vehicles. This kind differential can distribute or direct torque between all four wheels, depending upon which ones have traction. The Torsen differential is a variant of an all wheel differential, used for specialized application such as movement at high speed on surfaces with varying and low traction.A locking differential uses electric, pneumatic or hydraulic power to bind output gears or pinions in the housing. This enables wheels to rotate at the same speed even when on surfaces of varying and different traction. Locking differentials are used on vehicles that are used on rough or wild terrain without paved roads.Vehicles without differentials would be difficult to turn and would cause great strain and wear on various parts of the transmission and the axles. Such vehicles would also become immobile on surface such as ice that offer very little traction or grip. The differential makes for easier turning, reduces strain on the transmission and enhances the performance of a vehicle in off-road situations. News source: Car Pros
Safety
Now, a few words about tool safety. As with anything, common sense will tell you what is safe and what isn’t. When you turn a ratchet or wrench, try to pull towards you and not push away. If you push a tool, there is a good chance that when the fastener comes loose, it will come loose quickly, and your hand will probably wind up smashing into something. That could result in a skinned knuckle at the least or a broken finger or hand at the worst. You will not always be able to do this, so use extra care when you can’t. Look at the job and see where your hand will go when that nut cracks loose. Then put some rags there to cushion the area in case you do hit it. Keep our wrenches clean, a grease-covered tool will let your hand slip off and cause you an injury. Besides, if you have good tools the grease is not required to keep them from rusting.Never use a screwdriver as a chisel or pry bar. Banging on the end of a screwdriver will force the handle down and the blade can come out of the handle end and, at the very least, ruin a good screwdriver and your hand at worst. If you use it as a pry bar, the tip can break off and go flying somewhere, maybe into your eye. If you need to hammer something, use a hammer. Don’t use your screwdriver handle because the plastic handle can shatter. If your unch or chisel is mushroomed, file or grind it back to its original shape. I was working across from a mechanic that was using a well-mushroomed punch and when he hit it with the hammer, a chunk of metal broke off and embedded itself in my chest. So if you think that danger is not real, I’m living proof it is. Wear your safety glasses. You only have two eyes and if you want to continue doing your own repairs, you’re going to need them.There will be many other tools that you will need as your skills improve. Tools you’ll find that you need or just want. I know many mechanics that collect tools the way a stamp collector collects stamps. You’ll find that you need a special tool for a specific job so you’ll go out and get that tool and add it to your toolbox. There is nothing like having the right tool for the right job. You will do the job more efficiently, reduce the chances of stripping a fastener and, most important of all, do it safely. News source: About Auto Repair
Tool Hints
Now that you have an idea of your options as far as brands, let’s talk about what you should have in your toolbox. As a great Scottish Starship Engineer once said; “How many times do I have to tell you lads? The right tool for the right job!” These are the essentials for a good, well rounded tool box. These tools will allow you to do almost any repair on your vehicle. Screwdrivers:There are four basic types of screwdrivers, straight blade or regular, Phillips, Pozi-drive and Torx. You should have four or five different sizes from small to large. When you select a screwdriver for a job, the blade must fit the slot securely with no slop and it must fit with no overhang side to side. This will greatly reduce the chances of destroying the screw slot. You should have three sizes of Phillips screwdrivers a #1, which is a small Phillips, a #2 which is a medium size and most often used and a #3 which is a large Phillips. Pozi-drive screwdrivers look a lot like a Phillips, but are not interchangeable. The patters are different and using a Phillips screwdriver on a Pozi-drive screw will damage the screw and vice-versa. Four lines pointing out from the center of the screw head can identify a Pozi-drive screw. Torx drivers come in sizes from #5 to #55 with #15 the most often used. Ratchets and Sockets:The three most common size of ratchets are 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″ drive with the most common being 3/8″ drive. 1/4″ drive is for lighter duty work while 1/2″ drive is for heavier jobs. A fine tooth ratchet is preferable because you will get more turns per swing than a course tooth ratchet. I would not recommend a ratchet with a knurled handle. One with a contoured handle is much more comfortable and ergonomically efficient.Sockets come in many shapes and sizes, in both metric and SAE (fractional). In 3/8″ drive a good range in SAE is 3/8″ to 3/4″ and metric 8mm to 19mm. Sockets come in deep and shallow styles. The deep sockets are good when you are taking a nut off a stud for example. You will need both styles in your toolbox. In 1/4″ drive, a good range in SAE is 1/4″ to 9/16″ and in metric 4mm to 14mm. In 1/2″ drive, 1/2″ to 1 1/4″ and in metric 13mm to 32mm. You can get sockets in hex (6-point) or double hex (12-point) styles as well. I have found that if you have 6-point sockets, you don’t really need 12-point so I would just recommend putting a set of 6-point sockets in your toolbox. A pair of spark plug sockets is a must if you want to tune up a car. A good spark plug socket has a rubber insert to hold the spark plug from falling out. There are two sizes: 5/8″ and 13/16″.Universal joints allow the use of a socket in areas where you can’t get straight on with a regular socket. Extensions are used to extend the reach of a socket. A good range of extensions is 1″ to 12″. Both of these are a must for your toolbox. Flex sockets are nice to have. They are similar to a universal joint but have a regular socket on one end. They are good for very tight situationsThere are many other types of specialty sockets as well, such as an Oil Pressure Switch socket and an O2 sensor socket. These you can buy and add to your toolbox as needed.Wrenches:There are tons of wrenches to choose from, but for a basic toolbox we can narrow down the choices quite a bit. The most common wrenches are open-end, box and combination wrenches. Open-end wrenches have ends that are, well, open. These are for those jobs where a box wrench will not fit. A box wrench has no open end and fits completely around the fastener. The box wrench is preferable to an open-end wrench because it will grip the fastener on all six sides. A combination wrench is a combination of both, box on one end and open on the other. This is the most useful and eliminates the need for two sets of wrenches. A good range of combination wrenches in SAE is 1/4″ to 7/8″ and in metric 8mm to 22mm. Wrenches come in short styles for tight areas, standard length and long when extra leverage is needed. Another type of wrench is the line wrench. These wrenches are designed to be used on fuel, brake and other hydraulic lines. They are thicker than a regular wrench for more gripping area. One end is open and the other end is like a box end with a cutout to allow it to go over a line and still allow it to grip all six sides of the fitting. A good range is 1/4″ to 9/16″ in SAE and 8mm to 14mm in metric.An adjustable wrench is also handy to have. These have two jaws that are adjusted with a screw mechanism that open and close the jaws parallel to each other. I have both a metric and SAE adjustable wrenches. One is a 6-inch adjustable and the other is a 300mm adjustable. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.Then we have an Oil Filter wrench. As the name implies, it is for removing oil filters. It is not used for tightening oil filters because we all know that oil filters should only be hand tightened. There are several different styles, but for the basic toolbox a large or small strap style is sufficient. Wrenches also come in 6-point and 12-point styles. 12-point are more useful for general work, but 6-point wrenches have more gripping power. If I had to chose one style or the other, I would chose the 12-point although I do have complete sets of both in my toolbox.Hammers:Hammers also come in many shapes and sizes. The most common hammer used in automotive work is the ball-peen hammer. A ball-peen hammer has a regular striking face on one end and a rounded “ball” on the other end. Dead blow hammers have a hollow head filled with shot to prevent rebound and direct more force to the object being struck. Hammers are sized by weight, from an 8 ounce tapping hammer to a 20-pound sledge. I once used a 20-pound sledge on an Oldsmobile, but that’s another story. A good range for hammers is 8 ounce to 32 ounce, otherwise known as a BFH.Pliers and Cutters:Nothing beats a pair of plain slip joint pliers. I prefer the ones with soft plastic grips, they are more comfortable in the hand. Water pump of Channel lock pliers are also a must have. These are like slip joint pliers except they have angled jaws and several different grooves for adjusting the jaw size. A large and small pair is good for your toolbox. Needle nose pliers are a pair of pliers that have two thin jaws that come to a point. I would keep a large and small pair in your toolbox. A good pair of wire cutters is a necessary item for any toolbox. I have several different styles, but for the home mechanic a large and small pair will do nicely. A good pair of terminal pliers is handy to have. These will strip and cut wire and crimp solderless terminals. You can get a pair in a kit with an assortment of solderless terminals at any auto parts store. Miscellaneous Tools:Some other tools to round off your toolbox are a good tire ressure gauge. A tire gauge should measure up to 50 psi. A magnetic pick up tool is a good thing to have. This has either a flexible or telescoping shaft with a magnet on the end to pick up those nuts, bolts and tools that have fallen into a nook or cranny that you can’t get your hand into. And since Murphy’s Law states that a fastener or tool falling on the floor will gravitate to the geographic center of the car being worked on, it will extend your reach to get it back. Punches and chisels are nice to have for general use. You can get a nice set with several different sizes. Files are good to have for general de-burring work. A decent digital Volt-Ohm meter is good to have for testing circuits and sensors. A 12-volt test light for checking continuity and power in a circuit is a must. Masking tape and a felt tip-marking pen for labeling vacuum lines and wires is very handy to have.
HondaFuel Pump Replacement
Fuel Pump Test and ReplacementTest1. Remove rear seat.2. Remove access panel (4 screws).3. Disconnect the 2P connector. CAUTION: Be sure to turn ignition switch OFF, before disconnecting the wires.4. Disconnect the main relay connector and connect the BLK/YEL (5) wire and YEL/GRN (7) wire with a jumper wire.5. Check for battery voltage at the fuel pump connector, when ignition switch is turned ON (position II). Attach red test probe to the YEL/GRN wire and negative probe to the BLK wire. If battery voltage is available, replace the fuel pump. If there is no voltage, check fuel pump ground and wire harness.Replacement1. Relieve fuel pressure, by removing fuel tank cap.2. Remove rear seat.3. Remove access panel (4 screws).4. Disconnect fuel lines and connector.5. Remove fuel pump mounting nuts.6. Remove fuel pump from fuel tank.WARNING: Do not smoke while working on fuel system. Keep open flames away from work area. News source: Ask Me Help Desk
Auction Secrets
Get to the auction early! I know that sounds really simple ? but then buying a used car at a used car auction is not rocket science. You just have to bear in mind some simple and basic rules of thumb and you should be fine. So, get there early and have a good look around. Take your time finding the car you want and make sure you have your Kelley Blue Book, NADA guide, or Edmunds book if you’re going to a used car auction to get an idea of the car?s value.When you find a car you like, open all the doors, trunk and hood and find the VIN stickers and make sure they match. If they don?t the car is either stolen, was a wreck or has been rebuilt from different cars. In any event, check out the VIN number. Call a friend on your cell phone (or use your pocket PC) and get them to check it out online. There are several services that will give you a report online instantly. Remember the auctioneers have a vested interest in any information you get from them ? so be prepared to verify your facts independently.Of course, there are several types of ?auction? available to you. These include online auctions like eBay and yahoo, police and government car auctions, public auctions, insurance salvage auctions and wholesale auctions. Though the last two are normally only open to dealers.Keep in mind that online car auctions are not so different to public car auctions. Once you have won your bid you are committed to buy. So it pays to run the same VIN checks and it may well be worth setting up an inspection period with the seller. So that you can have a certified mechanic inspect the car and determine if there is anything unsatisfactory about the car that was not disclosed at the auction.Police and government car auctions are not really much different to public car auctions. In other words, you are not likely to get your car ?dirt cheap?. You won?t be the only one there bidding for a ?dirt cheap? and before you know it you can easily end up paying way over the published price. For my money, bearing in mind that these cars may not have been maintained or driven for months, I?d rather not pay more than trade price for a car at one of these auctions. Otherwise, what?s the point of being there?Finally, once you have purchased your car, and despite the pitfalls, there are genuinely thousands and thousands of happy customers out there ? give serious consideration to taking out an extended car warranty. News source: My Car Wizard
Ready for Winter
October is AAA’s car-care month, perfectly timed with the first mountain snowfalls. Throughout the month, the association’s auto repair partners offer all motorists (not just AAA members) complimentary winter-preparedness checks of batteries, tires, wipers, belts, fluids, lights and electrical systems — services valued at up to $60. Advance appointments are required. AAA says the most common winter problems result from improper tire pressure and dirty or low levels of oil, anti-freeze and other automotive fluids. Another cold-weather culprit is a weak or dead battery. AAA reminds drivers to engage headlights in dim winter light, and to use low-beam or fog lights when driving in falling snow or fog. Also, keep the gas tank at least half full to minimize condensation and the chance of freezing gas lines. Hybrid cars have a lot going for them, especially when they are going. They economize on fuel while producing lower-than-average emissions. But some hybrids are not great after periods of down time. Use caution when leaving a hybrid parked at airports, boat launches, trail heads or other spots for more than three days. I recently returned from a 10-day trip to a dead 2007 Toyota Prius. Onboard electronics, such as the dash clock and other functions, had apparently drained the tiny starter battery. A call to my roadside-assistance company brought a tow truck and a technician with training in the special maintenance protocols for hybrids. The guy said that jump-starting short-lived hybrid batteries keeps his tow company jumping. There was no mention of the hybrid battery-life problem during negotiations for purchase of the car, but a call to the Portland dealer confirmed that my car is not unique. The service department concurred with the tow-truck driver’s advice to disconnect the starter battery — located under a panel in the rear trunk area — when leaving the car parked for more than three days. When you reconnect the starter battery, the car’s memory settings will revert to factory defaults, requiring re-programming of the car’s clock and radio stations, but the car will start. Toyota officials say the current generation of hybrid car is more resistant to battery drain than previous models. They say the starter battery should remain trickle charged from the high-voltage battery for up to two months while sitting with the gears in the park position. Clearly, that didn’t work in my case. Hybrid-car drivers should check vehicle manuals, manufacturer’s Web sites and service departments for model-specific advice. PDX customer service reps say they have not noticed a high number of dead hybrids in their long-term parking areas. They do, however, offer free jump starts and flat-tire assistance to any stranded motorists in their lots. News source: kjkkregon Live;l News source: oregon live