car engine today

Cleaning Your Car's Engine Bay

The engine bay of a car is very often overlooked when it comes to cleaning as it may be considered a 'non essential' and the fact that the vast majority of the time nobody can see under the bonnet or hood means that often little attention is payed to it compared with other areas. Cleaning your engine bay and keeping it clean should be considered though, for a number of important reasons.

Under the bonnet/hood there are a number of components that can become very dirty, very quickly due to the location of these parts and the nature of the things they do. Keeping your engine bay clean ensures that excess grease, oil and dirt is unable to build up and accumulate in and around important or sensitive parts. Components critical to the operation of your car will perform better and be more reliable if kept clean and maintained.

Like washing your car, cleaning the engine bay helps you to 'get to know it' and that means that you can catch any potential problems earlier on before they have the chance to develop into something more serious. For example whilst cleaning you will become aware of any loose plugs or connections, corroded contacts, worn or perished piping or fluid/oil leaks. All of these things can potentially lead to more serious and costly problems later on in your cars life if neglected and allowed to develop.

There is also the important factor of resale value. Keeping your engine bay clean will almost certainly help with the resale value of your car and will be viewed by potential purchasers in good light, especially if other similar cars that have been viewed were dirty and neglected. A clean engine bay suggests that the rest of the vehicle has also been properly maintained and treated with care during its lifetime.

Once your engine bay has had a thorough clean it should not need properly cleaning again for a good period of time. When regularly washing your vehicle you should dry off any excess water from the shuts and similar areas under the bonnet/hood and give the main surfaces a general wipe over to keep it appearing fresh and well maintained. A good idea of when to give your engine bay a thorough clean would usually be to do so when your car has just been serviced.

The most important thing to consider when cleaning your engine bay is that any important or sensitive components are covered with a suitable material to avoid any water penetration. This would include parts such as the alternator, fuse box, battery terminals, air intake, and any electrical plugs & connections. A shrink wrap or cling film type product is a good choice to use as it is thin, transparent and can be worked around awkward areas fairly easily to provide a water tight seal.

The main product required for cleaning would be either a designated engine bay cleaner or a diluted all purpose cleaner which can be used to clean all areas. Soft bristled detailing brushes should be used to work cleaning products into hard to reach areas and ensure dirt, grease and oil is effectively lifted from surfaces.

For rinsing off your engine bay you can either use a pressure washer but be sure to use it on a light pressure setting if possible, or a hosepipe with a suitable light sprinkle nozzle can be used. In either instance even though sensitive parts should have been covered its very important to ensure you do not excessively over wet the engine bay, or drive water into and around these sensitive areas.

Micro fibre towels should be used to effectively dry off all parts the engine bay as much as possible after cleaning.

Micro fibre or sponge applicator pads can be used to apply dressing or protectant products to plastic and rubber components and to also apply either a normal paintwork polish or a designated chrome/metal polish to applicable parts if necessary.

Fine wire wool may be required when polishing metal details to help remove any oxidation or ingrained dirt and again micro fibre towels should be used to remove any polish residues.

Clean Your Car's Engine

Most people don't clean their engine often and it's a shame, a properly cleaned engine is a thing of beauty. Even if your engine is bone stock it will still look better with a fresh coat of clean. There are a couple of ways you can clean your engine, one of the easiest is at a DIY power wash.

• Disclaimer Attempt at your own risk, things can always go wrong.

Avoid spraying the ECU or battery directly, but these parts get wet when it rains so a little water wont help them. You can use the foaming cleaner and then spray rinse that most DIY spray car washes offer and that's it, you may need to apply a little silicon to your hood latch and actuators to keep them from sticking.

Gather the following:

• Simple Green
• Hose with spray attachment
• Q-tips
• Turtle Wax Tire Foam and Shine
• Sea foam spray
• Old rags

This works best if the car has not been run recently; a hot engine dries up the cleaner to fast before you can rinse it off.

1. The first step is to spray down the exterior of your car, this will keep the simple green from taking the wax off your paint. Now pop open the hood.

2. Spray down the entire engine with a generous coat of Simple Green. Avoid hitting the serpentine belt, battery and ECU directly. If some splashes on them don't worry.

3. Now take the rags and q-tip and wipe down every inch, be sure to get the grime off the tops of the fluid canisters (for example the oil symbol on top of the oil add location) this will make your car really POP.

4. Use the rages to wipe off the inside of the hood, not forgetting the actuators, the hood latch, and pretty much any part of the engine that is dirty.

5. Now rinse it all off with the spray hose, again avoid hitting avoid hitting the serpentine belt, battery and ECU directly. You may see some spots you missed, clean them again.

6. Let you car dry, the next step will work best on a dry engine, you can get out more rags and pat down the engine to speed this up.

7. Spray the engine with a tire foam spray, avoid hitting the serpentine belt, battery and ECU directly. Take a rag and spray it with the tire foam spray, wipe down the battery and ECU. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE RAG TOUCH THE NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE TERMINALS AT THE SAME TIME!

8. Turn your car on, your serpentine belt is probably squeaking, spray it down with some sea foam spray, now its clean, lubricated, and silent.

9. That's it, sit back and enjoy your engine!

Human Body Car Engine

On the record, do not be alarmed with the title. Why I named this article as such is simply because my analogy with the digestive system and nutrition can be correlated with the car engine. What am I talking about? But better ask, however, "What is the common denominator between the human body and car engine?" In this case, we are starting to build a connection. For the purpose of this article, the common characteristic between a car engine and the human body is its reception to oil, in the general sense of the word.

The human body needs essential oils. Good cholesterol would not be called good if not for its vital benefits in the human body. Fats, or the solidified progression of oil in the digestive tract, have a number of uses. Fats primarily insulate the body, therefore offering a natural resistance to higher level of cold or hot conditions. It is of no wonder that in general cases, people within the category of "skinny" have the least endurance being exposed to these conditions. Put two individuals in a steam bath chamber, a skinny man and a corpulent man. Normally, the lanky person would be the first to exit the chamber than the fat one. The other good use of fat is that it gives the body reserved energy in case proteins and carbohydrates depleted. Again, when we compare a thin slip of a man to a barrel-chested gargantuan heavyweight, there's a vast perspective between these two individuals if put into the treadmill. The bigger man calls it exercise while the skinny man calls it punishment.

Now let us look at the car engine. Of course, it needs oil for the car to ever function. But the kind of oil used in fueling automobiles is not the oil that was directly pumped out of the rigs. Rather, these are distilled and refined products which what we now call as petroleum, or in layman's term, gasoline. The main reason why crude oil is purified is simple because crude oil contains harmful chemical elements that will endanger the engine at the progression of burning the fuel. Crude oil may often contain sulfur. We all know that in general sense, sulfur may be synonymous to gunpowder. To put something like this in a burning car engine is tantamount to suicide wherein a drunk driver will actually die before he is about to die in a car crash.

The same understanding applies to the human body. Not everything found in cooking oil is good for our body. Eating fried eggs every morning is the shortest way to heart attack for a teenager decades earlier than his or her forty's. There is no way to purify cooking oil but there is certainly a way to attain a cleaner form of diet. It boils down to the kind of meal a person would choose. Instead of cooking oil, one could rather use margarine or the fish oil in a jar of sardines.

More or less a human body is like a sophisticated car engine. However, we do not have the oil refineries the way cars do, in a literal sense. But when we start to be conscious and studious of our health and food intake, the information we have acquired serves as a powerful crucible for bad cholesterol. It has done great for others who treat their bodies like the engine of 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, and they certainly have a physique as wonderful as that of current martial arts superstars like Tony Jaa and Scott Adkins, or celebrities like Megan Fox.

Car Engines for Sale - What to Look Out for

Whenever we invest in a new car, we wish it stays that way forever. However, cars go through a lot of wear and tear daily, which shows up in its performance. Car engines need to be taken care of as they function as the heart of the vehicle. If, over the years, it wears down, you can always find a replacement.

There are many stores that offer refurbishment of your existing engine and also keep car engines for sale. They could be either brand new or second-hand. New engines usually cost more, and can be bought from exclusive showrooms of cars. Those who are on a budget can always go in for a used car engine.

Buying used car engines needs a lot of thought and homework. You should know exactly what you are looking for, so you can't be duped. Each car comes with a unique engine so make sure of the type your car needs. It should be the same make, same model and even the same year of production as your car. You can easily find this out by reading the manual of your car, provided to you at the time of sale. If, however, you are using a second-hand car, you should get in touch with the dealer you bought it from.

While buying used car engines, always go for one that has mileage less than your current car. This simply means that the engine is used less, so will be in a better working condition than yours. Companies that keep car engines for sale are not necessarily car manufacturers. They buy used or wrecked cars and look for intact parts. These parts are then dismantled and sold.

Before you get a used car engine, remember to get the warranty upgraded. Usually car parts come with a 6 month warranty on used engines but you should make it at least a year or two, by paying a little extra. Also, it is important that you don't end up buying a rebuilt engine so get a VIN check on that particular car to find out its history.

Car Engine Cranks Over But Doesn't Start - Automotive Repair Tips

Many times in the past as an automotive technician, I would be given a car to diagnose that either had a problem that prevented the car's engine from turning over or that prevented the car's engine from starting. These are two completely different scenarios and these problems are approached differently. Sometimes when the service writer would create a work order, he wouldn't convey the REAL problem that the customer was experiencing. If the customer or the service writer would make sure the correct explanation of the problem is written, some unnecessary trips out to the car with the wrong tools would be avoided. For instance if the car doesn't crank over at all, I would need to take my jump box with me. And if the car cranked over but didn't start, I would want my scan tool and some starting fluid.

A car that cranks over but doesn't start, in many cases will be due to a bad fuel pump, a broken timing belt, an inoperative cam sensor or crank sensor. The first step in diagnosing a no start is to scan for codes with a code reader or scan tool. Approximately 40% of the cars towed in that I worked on in the last 25 years, either had a bad fuel pump or the fuel gage read incorrectly and the car was just out of fuel. Yes, some people actually have their cars towed in when all they need is some gas! If the fuel gage indicates that there is fuel in the tank, most people will assume naturally that the car does have fuel. But if the fuel sending unit or gage is off slightly, the car's gas tank could actually be empty. One of the easiest ways to check for a fuel pump related problem is to spray a little starting fluid into the air intake while trying to start the car. If the car starts momentarily, then there's a good chance the fuel pump is not working or the car is out of gas. You can also listen for the fuel pump's humming sound when the key is first turned on. Also if a inoperative fuel pump is suspected, a good technician will always check to verify there is power and ground being supplied to the pump, to eliminate the possibility of a bad relay or electrical issue. Fuel pressure can be checked with a pressure gage and if there is pressure, pulse can be checked at the fuel injectors in several ways including the most common, with the use of noid lights. If the injectors don't have pulse the engine won't start.

Broken timing belts also caused about 40% of the tow ins in my experience. A broken timing belt can fail causing the car to seem as if it ran out of fuel while driving. When trying to start the car though, the engine typically spins over faster than normal due to the engine having low compression from the timing being off and the valves being open at the wrong time. If the timing belt breaks, there sometimes could be a code set in the vehicles ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for no signal from the cam sensor. If this code is present, you can sometimes check to see if the cam is moving by removing the oil cap while someone engages the starter. Also the upper timing cover can be removed to allow access to the timing belt for inspection. Most of the time when a timing belt breaks the teeth (or cogs) are stripped down at the crank pulley the bottom sprocket preventing the belt from turning the camshaft.

Lack of pulse from the fuel injectors as stated before can prevent a car from running. This brings me to the third most common cause of a car that cranks over but doesn't start, approximately 20% of the tow ins that I worked on had the following problem. Many times the cause of lack of pulse is because of a bad cam or crank sensor. If the computer doesn't see either the crank or the cam turning, the fuel injectors won't be commanded to pulse. One quick indication that a cam or crank sensor may be bad is to check for RPM movement on the tachometer (if equipped) when trying to start the engine. If you have a scan tool not just a code reader, the cam and crank sensor data can be checked on many vehicles by accessing the appropriate screen. If no revolutions are shown when attempting to start the car, the respective sensor could be bad.

Obviously there are many vehicle makes, with different ignition and fuel delivery systems that may require a service manual to properly diagnose or to delve deeper. But with the above tips and tricks that I've used over the years you'll be checking the most likely causes, that hopefully will send you in the right direction.