Celebrity News of the Hour

Kanye West Tops Grammy Nominations (its whopping 7)

Here is a full list of nominations for The 54th Annual Grammy Awards,2012.

Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey sing a deut song "All I Want For Christmas Is You (SuperFestive!)

Celebrity News of the Hour

Bruce Willis Spending Thanksgiving In Paris with his daughters.

Jennifer Elia gets Proposed by Chaz Bono on Being Chaz.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher tweeted on Thanksgiving breaking there silence since "the divorce statement".

Lindsay Lohan exceeding expectations and dissapointing puns by doing exceptionally well at morgue duty.

Selena Gomez is going to be a Big Sister soon.

She tweeted saying "“Momma [Mandy Teefy] and [step-father] Brian are finally letting me share the news. My mommy’s carrying my baby brother or sister :) I’m the happiest girl in the world!”.

Celebrity News of the Hour

• Kris Humphries not going to sue Kim Kardashian after their 72 day marriage ended.

• George Clooney , Stacey Keibler are off to Cabo to spend Thanksgiving.

• Paris Hilton gets herself a brand new Ferrari.

• Dr. Conrad Murray prosecuters lobby for maximum possible jail term. He will be sentenced next tuesday.

• Prince Harry off to Hollywood on Thanksgiving Holiday.

All photos Los Angeles Auto Show 2011

Auto Show in Los Angeles (USA) open to visitors in 10 days, from 18 to 27/11. Product of the car manufacturers from around the world were displayed and presented on a total area of ​​71,000 m2.

Annual exhibition lasts for 10 days and took place at Los Angeles Convention Center.

Products of a car waiting to be covered the opening.

First day open to the public, the firm launched a new product before the media.

Shop by Porsche.

Nissan to bring both cars to sell food.

Booth Lincoln - luxury brand of parent company Ford.

Kia launches prepare the media.

Dodge - American car brand of parent company Chrysler.

Ford Shelby GT500 before the guests.

Escape Ford unveiled the new generation.

Jaguar XKR-S Roadster and Mila Kunis, actor in Hollywood movies such as "Max Payne" and "The Book of Eli".

Launching Honda CR-V generation.

What is Drive by Wire ?

Cars advance as quickly as cell phones nowadays, the moment you buy the newest latest and greatest…it is outdated. The technology in cars is becoming staggering when compared to cars of 10 years ago. Cars like the Toyota Prius use electric power steering rack units but will soon use a drive by wire system. The electric rack and pinion is actually a manual rack with an electric assist that eliminates the need for the power steering pump. This may seem strange as the electric draw on the motor would be huge but the gains are more impressive.

The power steering pump is a belt driven pump which means that it creates a parasitic draw on the motor at all times. By removing this draw the electric and gas motors in an electric or gas car can be minimized. This means that the engine can perform more efficiently and thus deliver better mileage from the power supply.

Drive by wire is also a term that can apply to a system that uses no physical connection at all from the steering wheel to the rack. This system uses electrical connections to communicate the input from the driver. This system is not only applied to the steering but also the throttle and soon the brakes as well. While this system shows efficiency over the actual mechanical connection it does show some concerns. The system is powered by an electric current but what happens when the battery goes dead? Will the car lose all control and not be able to steer, stop or go?

These are all questions that the auto industry is trying to cover with safety and back-up systems. Drive by wire will be showing up more and more in the auto industry, so it is something we will all have to get used to. Just like any other new technology there will be excitement and failures in the field but it will work out in the end, just look at Blu Ray. Blu Ray hit the market with so many issues that no one thought it would ever work but now it is the way of the future. Drive by wire will be the same as the technology gets better the cars will get more and more efficient.

Honda Accord Steering Moan Fix

In 2003 Honda introduced the new Accord with classically elegant lines and a few new upgrades to the interior. A new power steering rack and power steering pump were just a few of the updates. The car was a sales success selling hundreds of thousands of units but with great success comes great responsibility. When the accord begun to develop a steering moan on cold starts Honda was scrambling to find a solution that would not break the bank.

The solution came in the form of a 30 cent O-ring and about 15 minutes worth of work. The fix is simple and as elegant as the car itself. What causes the moan is air that has slipped into the system while cold and it creates bubbles or foam in the steering reservoir which will cause the pump to moan due to the added stress. The noise tends to go away once the fluid has warmed up but still the response "it's just noise" was not good enough for owners.

The process for fixing the issue is simple and will be covered in most cases by the deals but the owner must ask for consideration before beginning of the install. When the repair is performed the first step is to remove the inlet joint bolt and place a shop towel under it to catch leaks. Twist the inlet joint back and forth until loose and carefully disconnect the joint. Point the tube upward and remove the old inlet joint O-ring. Now apply power steering fluid to the new O-ring and with the new O-ring in place re-install the inlet joint. torque the bolt to 8ft-lbs and top off the power steering fluid as needed.

With this simple 15 minute install the moan will stop and no longer be problem, in the case that the noise continues check the levels of the steering fluid. The system may need to be bled to remove excess air that may have entered the system. If all the air is bled out and the system still moans you may actually have a failing steering pump and it is time for a more major repair.

What is a Knock Sensor

The knock sensor is the unit in the car that protects against incorrect timing issues. It allows the engine to run with the timing advanced as far as possible without damaging the motor or loss of power. Unlike oxygen sensors or the air fuel ratio sensor the knock sensor will not allow the car to run incorrectly. A knock sensor feed info to the ECU and if the car is knocking too much to be adjusted by timing to will send the ECU into a safe mode which will stop the engine all together.

The knock sensor works by responding the knock caused by pre-detonation of the air/fuel mixture. When the fuel mixture in a cylinder is ignited there is a flame front that moves out from the source of the spark. When this pressure wave hits the cylinder walls it makes a noise and this is detected by the Piezoelectric element in the sensor and communicated to the ECU.

When the ECU detects these that are not at the correct time it triggers an adjustment in the motors timing. If the knock sensor fails it can cause the vehicle to run very rough or not start at all. When failure occurs a trouble code is triggered which may show as the sensor or as something else in the motor. A huge factor to remember with ECU codes is that they only show the source of the code, not the issue. In other words the code may be caused by a loose wire but it says knock sensor, it is important to remember this when diagnosing an issue.

Information about the Car - Get Rid of that Squeal from under the Hood

There are lots of noises that come with operating a vehicle, from the hum of the fuel pump to the whine of a supercharger. The whistle of the turbocharger or the quiet roar of the tires on the pavement they are all sounds we get accustom to. The one sound that is common that most of us cannot stand is a belt squeal. The noise is created either by the belt in the groves of the pulleys in which it rides. There are a few different causes can be associated with the source of the squeal. When the sound comes after a rain or driving through a large puddle it means that some of the water has reached the back of the belt and is causing slippage which is the source of the sound. 

 

Belt squeals are caused by the belt not being tight enough and slipping on the pulley, when the rubber of the belt slides on the pulley it causes the sound. A huge concern on this is that the belt will wear faster and could snap leaving the drive of the vehicle stranded.

Belts become loose for a few reasons in a vehicle, one is that over time the belt has stretched due to tension. Another factor can be physical movement of the belt driven part itself, all belt drive accessories are bolted to the motor on sliders. If the bolts that hold these units become loose the belt tension will lower and slippage will occur.

Belt squeals can be fixed in a number of ways, a new belt can be installed and the problem will be solved though this can be expensive at times. The more popular solution is to just simply tighten the belt, this is a simple process of loosening the bolts that hold the accessory causing the sound and moving the unit till the belt is tight. Then secure the bolts and the sound should be stopped, it is important to not over tighten the belt as too much tension can cause the belt to snap. As with all car maintenance it is important that this be done properly by someone who knows that they are doing. With proper attention a car can last well into the half million mile marker without major issues.

How to Choose the Proper Tire Size ?

Tires like people come in all shapes and sizes, from monster trucks to lawn mowers they all take some sort of tire. There can be so many choices when buying tires it can be confusing. Tires are not like a wheel hub assembly or wheel bearing assembly there are tons that can fit on the same car. Some tires are able to fit under a car but are too large to allow the car to turn and others are too small making all the gauges in the car inaccurate. Not to mention tires that are too small will lower the performance of the car. 

 

There are numbers that are listed on the side of a tire that will indicate the diameter and thickness. These numbers are listed in a very specific order which as an example would be something like a 205/40/85R. This code can be broken down by section the 205 is the width of the tire. The 40 refers to the height of the sidewall and the 85R will refer to the compound of the tire and the speed rating.

The width of the tire will decide the contact patch on the road, this is the area where the tire is actually resting on the road. This is also the only area where the horsepower of the car is actually transferred to the pavement. The height of the sidewall will dictated the comfort of the ride since the sidewall is the area that absorbs the small bumps in the road. The sidewall also protects the rims from dents due to large impacts. The speed rating literally dictates the speed at which the tires will begin to fall apart. Exceeding the speed rating of any tire is dangerous and potentially fatal due to the chance of failure and the resulting accident. The compound rating will tell the stickiness of the rubber used, while a stickier tire will give more grip it will wear out much faster than other tires.

Selecting the correct tire is essential to the ride and handling quality of the car and is best left to the professionals. If you are going to buy your own tired be sure to study up on the suggested tires for your individual ride.

What Can Debris Do to Your Car ?

Each one of use knows that when it comes to cars we all know that debris on the road can be dangerous to our ride.  A shredded semi tire can hurt the body of a car as much as a collision with a pole and sometimes it can be worse. The other day a couch fell off the truck in front of me but these are all obstacles that can be avoided if the driver is paying attention. Making sure your steering rack and pinion or steering gearbox is in good shape is a great way to be sure you can maneuver out of the way of these road hazards.

Road debris is for sure a hazard but what about engine debris? The kind you cannot see, the kind that floats around the engine causing issues from spot to spot. Debris can be thought of as any particles in the motors systems that are not supposed to be there. In other words a metal flake in the ac system, dirt particles in the intake or even rust in the fuel tank. It is all debris that can cost a driver hundreds if not thousands of dollars. 

 

Debris in the AC system is a time bomb just waiting to go off, The reason being is the whole system is under a great deal of pressure and even the smallest metal shard can shred a seal and make the whole system leak. Not only could debris cause leaking but it can lodge at places in the compressor that will cause it to seize up. But debris in something like the fuel system can cut off the flow of fuel to the engine then the car cannot even run. Debris in the steering system can cause the steering pump to fail or lock in a single direction which can cause an accident.

While debris in the system may not be as immediate as hitting a couch in the middle of the road or running into a pole parking your car, it is an issue. A lot of these issues are unavoidable due to the nature of the issue debris usually enters these systems while work is being done. To be sure that this does not happen to your car make sure that the mechanic doing work on sensitive areas of your car knows what he is doing.

What is a Crank Position Sensor

Modern engines run by using a number of specialized sensors such as Air Fuel Ratio Sensor or O2 Sensor units. While the air flow in an engine is extremely important there are other factors that need to be measured such as the position of all the parts of the motor at any given time.

The way this info is calculated is through sensors such as the crank angle sensor and the cam angle sensor. These units measure where the rotation angle of the crank and the cam shafts respectively. The cams and the crank must be kept in specific positions to each other since if they are not the valves will be smashed by the pistons. 

 

The ECM controls the engine and if it detects that the cams and the crank are not in the specific location it will retard the timing or kill the engine all together. The ECM will do this to protect the motor from damage, if the timing gets too far off it can potentially damage the engine internally.

Timing also dictates how much horsepower the engine makes and how the fuel is burned. If these sensors fail the combustion of the engine can get all out of whack which is potentially dangerous. Besides the fact that the pistons can impact the valves there is the factor of detonation. This occurs when the fuel mixture is wrong and the explosion in the cylinder is not in the correct location and it takes place faster than it should. There are some instances where the combustion of the fuel takes place to quickly and in a specific location on the cylinder wall which will cause damage to the block itself. This detonation can even cause holes in the block or melting of the pistons. For all modern cars it is a good idea to check all these sensors when the car is in for service. They do play a pretty major factor in the life of a vehicles motor.

How to Center a Power Steering Gearbox

When installing a new power steering gearbox there are a few crucial steps that need to be followed in order to have a successful installation. Before installing a power steering gearbox or manual steering gearbox, it is important that the unit is centered. Many mechanics will assume that the unit is centered when it arrives, however usually it is not. Gearboxes can shift in transit, causing it to be misaligned. In order to center the unit before the install, follow these easy steps.

1) Place the unit somewhere it can be braced down and cannot move or fall.

2) Cover the spline with a cloth to prevent damaging the splines during the centering procedure.

3) Attach a wrench to the input shaft and turn until it stops. (never force the unit) This will be the extreme for this direction. (for this install turn clockwise first)

4) Once the unit is at extreme clockwise rotation, mark the unit or move the wrench to a position where the number of return rotations can be counted easily.
5) With this position marked, begin to rotate the shaft back clockwise and count the number of rotations. Be exact on this! Once the rotation stops clockwise, the complete rotations for the unit are known.

6) Divide the number the number of rotations in half and rotate the shaft that many turns back. At that point, the gearbox will be centered and can be marked for center, so that the center is not lost during the install.

7) Once the box is centered, follow the proper procedure for the gearbox installation.

When these short steps are followed carefully, the gearbox will be centered and there should be no issues with the vehicle’s steering.

How to Drive a Manual Transmission Vehicles ?

When it comes to being a car enthusiast there is not much important than the car you drive but no matter how who you are the manual transmission is a staple. A stick shift in a car is more important to a real driving experience then a great power steering rack or power steering gearbox. A manual transmission allow a car to be driven in a different way then a car that came equipped with an automatic. Manual cars can be driven with heal toe which means that the driver can hit the clutch, brakes and gas all at the same time to enable the car to be driven in a more efficient manner. Before any fancy stuff basic handling of the clutch must be known.

To drive a manual the clutch pedal is a very important part of controlling the car, the first step is to understand how to set a car moving. First the shifter has to be placed into the 1st gear position and slowly sliding the clutch pedal out to allow the cogs inside the tranny to allow the clutch to put the power of the engine to the wheels. Once the car begins to move the clutch can be released and the RPMs (rotations per min) can raise to the desired amount. Once the car is to the desired shift point the clutch can be disengaged and the shifter can now be moved to the next gear.

When driving slows the shifter can be placed in a lower gear to slow the vehicle. This can be a tricky to motor brake the car with the motor since the exact RPMs that the car needs for the lower gear must be matched. If the shift RPMs are not matched correctly the engine will jerk and cause an uncomfortable ride for the passengers. The great part about the use of engine braking is if it is done right the engine will completely cut the fuel flow and use no gas at all. In times of $4 a gallon gas this is a great way to save a few drops.

What is an Electronic Actuator for a Turbo Wastegate

Many cars, trucks and SUVs on the market today are going with more fuel efficient small engines. There are many theories of how to make these motors more efficient, some use a supercharger and others use a turbocharger. With a turbo come many different options of how to control the boost levels and what the most efficient boost levels will be for the vehicle. 

 

The wastegate is the unit on the turbo which reacts to the boost levels and releases excess pressure to control the amount of pressure or PSI (pounds per square inch) also referred to as “boost”. When the boost levels hit a certain point the spring on the manual actuator is over powered and the wastegate door opens to the exhaust and the built up boost escapes the turbo system. An electronic wastegate is a unit that controls the wastegate door with a sensor which reads the boost and then opens the wastegate door electronically when the boost needs to be controlled.

Many times when a vehicle with a turbocharger is said to be faulty it is actually the actuator that has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Many a vehicle owner has ended up spending their hard earned money to buy a turbo only to find out it was not the issue. Many a person has had to spend time on the phone trying to get their money back for a $1000 part that they ended up not needing. The issue here is that most companies will not take a part back once it is installed…in fact none of them will. The other issue is most electronic actuators cannot be purchased alone and can only be acquired with the OEM new turbo unit. Just be sure that before you buy just the turbo to fix your vehicle that there is not another issue that will keep your car on the lift for a whole lot longer.

Fuel System Issues- information about the Car

Any car can be crippled with a fuel issue and it doesn’t matter how well you care for your car. The main issue to remember it may not always be the fuel pump or fuel pump assembly that is to blame. Many people get the news that their engine is not getting enough fuel and assume a fuel pump issue. In fact most mechanics will give the old “fuel pump don’t work” but believing this can be an expensive mistake. There are many parts in the fuel system that can cause an issue from leaking to low pressure.

If the fuel pump is bad there will be no pressure coming from the pump even if the mechanic were to hook direct power to the unit. A low pressure system may be caused by a blockage in the system or even low voltage from the alternator. A major cause of fuel issues is the FPR or fuel pressure regulator which is a unit that controls the flow of fuel to the injectors. If this unit were to function incorrectly it would cause low fuel pressure at the injectors and the car would have issues running and starting. 

 

Cracks in the fuel lines and bad seals in meeting points can cause fuel leaks that can not only cause low pressure in the fuel system but can also be dangerous due to the highly flammable nature of the fuel.  If there is a fuel leak in the system it could be caused by old dry rotted line or cracks in the system from impacts of rocks and other debris from the road.

If the issue is tracked back to the fuel pump it may be a much smaller issue than the whole pump. If the wiring has a short and cannot get the proper voltage to the pump then the electric motor cannot function at full power and will not provide the correct pressure. Sometimes the voltage sent from the alternator is just too low and cannot power the pump unit enough. In the end it is better to check out the cause of the issue then just throwing in new parts and hoping it fixes the issue.

Why is an Intercooler so Important to a Turbocharged Car ?

The internal combustion engine found in today’s cars is basically the world’s most mass produced heat pump. It converts what are basically the remains of dinosaurs into heat through the process of combustion. The combustion is used to force the pistons in the motor downward creating a torqueing motion on the crankshaft. This motion is converted by the transmission into usable power at the wheels of the car. A car equipped with a turbocharger or usually referred to as turbos for short uses an external device that is considered a power adder. A turbo is basically an air pump that forces more air into the cylinders of a vehicle.

 

When a turbo begins to build “boost” which is the slang term for the pressure that the turbo build in the engine a large amount of heat is created.  This heat can be damaging to a motor is not removed from the system and it robs horsepower from the motor as well. The more heat the air carries the more space the air will need to occupy. The device used to cool the air that is compressed by the turbo is referred to as the intercooler, this unit is basically a radiator that cools air.

The basic idea of the intercooler is that compressed hot air is spread out across a larger area than the pipes in the intake system. Once spread across this larger area the air will deposit its heat on the surface of the intercooler where it is released into the air. To add to the cooling ability fins are placed on the channels where the air travels, these fins allow the heat to be transferred more efficiently out of the system.

Once the air has been super cooled it is returned to the normal pipe size and it continues to the motor. The cooler air also needs less space which means that even more air can be forced into the cylinders of the vehicle. The more air, the more fuel that can be added to the cylinder and a more powerful combustion stroke can be achieved. A more powerful explosion in the cylinder means more power to the crank shaft and thus more horsepower at the wheels of the car.

A Clogged Air Filter Can be a Dangerous Enemy

There are plenty of obstacles on the road in front of all of us…literally. Cars, trees, kids playing in the street and the occasional mudslide but some of the biggest ones are inside our own car. Lots of issues rob our cars of horse power and performance. Cars operate in a tolerance of everything working correctly to achieve proper mileage and performance. Wheel hub bearing must not offer too much resistance and the fuel pump must be working with enough pressure, basically everything make the car run the way it should. People tend to over looks basic maintenance and don’t realize that even the smallest thing can cause a huge issue.

Oil changes can mean the difference between a motor lasting 10K miles and 300K miles, while transmission fluid changes can extend the life of the tranny. The air filter is one of those parts that people tend to ignore but not realize what a filter can do. Think about breathing through a straw, could you run a mile like that…well that’s what your car is doing with a clogged filter. A clogged air filter robs horsepower and gas mileage and can also cause complications in high performance cars. With restricted air flow in turbocharged cars this can cause un-needed pressure fighting the turbo. This pressure can cause the oil in the turbo to leak from the unit or it can cause a loss of the proper air intake amount. This can cause incorrect combustion in the cylinders and even cause damage to the bottom end of the motor. 

Why is the Radiator Fan So Important

There are millions of people on the roads today and most of them understand the basic working of a car. The word “most” is the important part of that phrase. Most people know that a car is cooled by the radiator fan or the cooling fan but it may be shocking to know there are a good number of people out there that don’t. Knowing how a system works is the best way to avoid future issues with the car. It is also a great way to protect against failures that could have been prevented.

The cooling system in a car is very important to the operation of the car not just on hot days. The Cooling fan sits on the radiator at the front of the car and draws air across the unit to cool it down. The radiator works by spreading the coolant pumped from the engine across a large surface area where the heat can be dissipated. On a hot day the cooling ability of the radiator is compromised and the cooling fan is essential. When the cooling fan fails the amount of air traveling across the radiator is significantly decreased and the vehicle will overheat.

Internal combustion engines work by creating controlled explosions inside the cylinders which force the piston downward. Each of these explosions creates a lot of heat in the system and most of it travels out the exhaust of the vehicle. The metal in a motor will absorb heat and overheat unless the temperature is controlled in some way. Coolant is pumped into the motor through small passage ways in order to absorb the heat and cool the engine. This coolant is then pushed to the radiator where it is cooled and then pushed back into the motor. The process is very simple but can cause detrimental failure if stopped. When the cooling fluid cannot release the heat, it builds up to the point where the motor will no longer work. In some cases the heat can cause fires or internally damage the engine beyond repair.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing but in this case it is not. The more you know about your car, the more you can save yourself from a huge headache in the future.

How to Wire a New Fuel Pump

Installing any auto part can seem like a simple job until you have your whole car torn apart and realize everything is not right. Many a shad-tree-mechanic get the shock of their week when they pull out a fuel pump only to find the wiring to the fuel pump assembly is different than theirs. The first reaction is of course …rage, those sons of $^&*#^’s but this may not be needed. Most modern cars use similar set ups for fuel pumps or updated wiring harnesses that are a simple 5 min wiring job.

Now before you start any job it is essential for you to know that the job is not out of your knowledge range. Just keep in mind this is a machine that will be hurling you down the road at enormous speed. It is not a great idea to be guessing at how it works. So it must be said, if you don’t know how…let someone who does. Oh and don’t ever smoke while installing a fuel pump. When starting the wiring job, determine what colors your factory wires are from the factory harness.  Once you have them you can find a wiring diagram usually supplied by the fuel pump supplier or on their webpage under the help section. 

 

Most new aftermarket and even OEM fuel pumps use a GT280 style electrical piggy back. This unit is a more efficient connection than the older units and has less heat that it creates. The connector was redesigned to reduce the risk of fire and will be easily wired in. Once the wire colors are matched up, attach the wires and use screw on covers to be sure there are no exposed wires. Exposed wires means the chance of spark, spark can mean fire and in the eternal words of Phil Hartman “Fire BAD”.

With the whole new pigtail wired in the installation process is as simple as clicking the new clip into place and lowering the assembly into the tank. Now turn the retaining ring on the pump to secure it and you are good to go.

How to Determine Issues with an Oxygen Sensor ?

Many car issues are easy to determine but others are more elusive. Issues with an O2 sensor or Air Fuel Ratio Sensor can be extremely difficult to determine. Many a time the ECU will determine that the car is having an issue but when it comes to o2 sensors that issue may not be where the ECU says it is. More like the issue is being detected where the O2 sensor is. 
When there is an issue internally with an engine the sensors are the first place that will show the signs of the problem. The reason for this is simple, all of the gasses leaving the engine pass these sensors and if there is excess fuel or burnt off oil it will be deposited on the oxygen sensor causing failure.   A failure of the o2 sensor will require replacement of the unit but it will also require the other issues to be fixed before the sensor is installed. If the other issues are not taken care of the o2 sensor is going to fail again and most parts suppliers will not warranty a part with foreign debris build up on the unit. Many times the issue that are causing the failure of the sensor and much larger than the electrical system many involve the fuel system or oil being burned off in the motor. A good example, when a turbo is failing it may send a large amount of oil though the engine and the left over burnt oil has to go somewhere after the ignition in the cylinder. The oil travels through the down pipe where it hits the sensor and not only gives a bad reading but also cakes on destroying the unit as well. These are just a few of the issues that can cause debris build up on the sensor and it is recommended by almost everyone in the car industry to take you to be inspected by a mechanic before buying parts like an O2 sensor.