Yesterday we talked about the Civic GX being available and a great alternative fuel vehicle. Read the article to learn more

Now we ask what is it going to take to get some adoption of this vehicle?

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So with all the discussion about alternative engery fuels, whether it is ethanol, bio diesel, electric etc, etc. The one that always gets left out is Natual Gas. I don’t know why.

I am going to do my part to push Natural Gas.

1. They are not ‘cars of the future’ , you can call Honda and order a Civic or Accord in Natural Gas today. The picture below is the Civic GX, the name of the nat gas civic, and gets 33mpg.

2. Natuaral Gas is about the equivalent of $2.15 a gallon. With very large domestic stores of nat gas, we are not dependent on foreign oil. 

3.  Comparing to other options it is still cheaper.  The civic hybrid gets 45mpg, the GX would still be cheaper to run. I’ll do the math for you. 15k miles a year, $3.90 gas, Hybrid=$1300, GX= $977

4. Lots of refueling stations in California and New York. You can also buy a home charging station for about $2000 and dropping.  With home Nat gas less than stations, it is easily covered in a year or two by fuel savings.

5. All the good of Green Energy. Natural gas is a true clean vehicle with zero Emissions. Drive in the carpool lane, get energy rebates, be saving the envrionment, etc, etc.

So why don’t you hear more about this? With a million CNG (the official nat gas name) vehicles in South America, there is no good answer. If more people rally behind it, we’ll get more stations and more publicity. Your comments please.

So we got some questions about our recent discussion on steering assist. The questions was, why only to the right?

The answer is that it can be to either side, that just happened to be the the example we used. If you are getting no assist to just one direction, left or right, then it is the rack valve.

If you are getting no assist or too much assist to both directions, it could be the rack, but more likely it is the steering pump. The pump does not know which way you are going, so if it happens to both sides, usually the pump is to blame. Larger shops have a steering pump tester to measure the pressure, this will quickly tell what the problem is.

So you are driving along and the you make a right turn but the Porsche Steering rack (or any other car) seems to have no assist that direction. You turn to the left and it turns normally. A little bit scary as you wonder what is going on. Can this even be possible?

Not only is this possible, its more common than you think. Fluid enters the steering rack and goes into the valve. The valve actually has a left valve and a right valve depending on which way you want to go. It is actually more common for one of these to become clogged or fail rather than both. So you could lose steering to either the left or the right side. Neither side is more common.

The picture below shows the actual valve inside of a volkswagen steering rack. You would only see this if you took it apart. The picture shows the two different valves and as the valve rotates with the direction of the vehicle the assist changes. Pretty clever engineering, especially when you consider that steering valves were invented in the 1950’s.

If your vehicle does not steer to one way or another, you will need to replace the whole steering rack.

We have discussed previously about the dessicant element in the air condtioning compressor system, but more questions came up. When is it used and how and when do you change it?

So the first question is when do vehicles have it. Starting in the late 1990’s Toyota a/c compressor began using the dessicant element instead of the drier. Most manufacturers like Honda began using it shortly after, while some like the Isuzu AC Compressor never used it. It really depends on the vehicle and if you look at a AC Catalog like discountacparts.com you will be able to find out what your vehicle has.

The other part is how do you change it. Most cannisters use a 10mm hex nut on top. You pop off the top and change it over. Usually you should flush before you change the ac drier, but since the flush could cause the bag to tear or rip, I recommend removing the dessicant, then flushing. Once it is clean you can add the new bag in.

So I was asked recently what is the deal with an EVO on a Lexus Steering Rack. Do I need that? Can I buy one with out? What is Servotronic?

First off, what is a servotronic unit? A servotronic unit, often referred to as a EVO or variable assist steering module is a computer assisted steering rack. The rack is not electric, it is still powered by hydraulic pressure coming from the steering pump, but the amount of pressure or assist coming from that pump changes depending on the speed of the vehicle. Drive faster and you need less assist. Make a turn in a parking lot and you need lots of assist.

If a vehicle came from the factory with EVO or Servotronic such as the Lexus LS400 steering rack , then you need to put back on a steering rack with the EVO on it. Most late model high end vehicles, such as most Mercedes Steering Rack have these units built in. Since the EVO is tied to the computer of the vehicle, you cannot really add an variable assist setup on the rack.

One more thing to keep in mind. The servotronic unit can be removed from the rack, see below. So often you can buy a rack ’supplied without evo’ and you can swap yours over. Since the EVO’s are expensive, this could save you lots of money if you just have a leaking steering rack or something else not realted to the EVO.

I’m sure you’ve been watching the olympics and all of Michael Phelps Gold Medals. The question I have is about all the GM advertising that they are doing. Is any of it really working? Is advertising the Chevy Volt coming in 2010 really going to help them sell cars? I’m interested to hear your comments and vote, because it is not really working for me.

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Any am I the only one that wonders why they aren’t really pushing the small cars? Who is running that place?

Definately a scary sound when the car makes unusual noises. Car noises can make anyone feel nervous. Brakes squeal can be dangerous and engine knocking can be very bad. Another bad noise is when you get a whining or grinding noise when you turn on the Car Air Conditioning.

There are a number of reasons that you can get noise. If the noise only starts when you turn on the Climate Control and your vehicle A/C is clutch driven, then the bearings in the clutch have gone bad. You can try and replace the clutch, but most likely have to get a new AC Compressor and it will have to be changed. If the system does not have a clutch, then the compressor will definately need to be changed.

If the noise is constant then more research needs to be done. You need to be very sure it is coming from the ac compressor. If it is a always on system like some late model Denso Compressor then the compressor will need to be replaced and the system serviced.

The key thing to be checking in the case of compressor noise is head pressure. If a compressor builds up too much pressure the heat will cause the clutch to melt and the bearings to warp. This will cause lots of problems and make for a noisy system. Do not put on a replacement reman ac compressor without determining the cause of this head pressure. Usually it is a blockage in the system, problably at the condenser and it should be replaced as well.

These days cars are as much computers as they are mechanical. This can throw off alot of people who fell that they are good with automotive parts, but can’t do anything with the computer portions of these. Here are a few tips to handle computers.

Codes – These days its all about the codes. All Car Parts have codes that they can send to the ECU. These codes can be easily read with a Diagnostics Machine. These can either be purchased for a few hundred dollars, but typically you are better off renting one from a local parts store. Call around to see who has them.

Sensors – Codes are sent to the ECU via sensors that are in most auto parts. These sensors tell the computer what is going on. The AC Compressor has a sensor that tells how hot it is running, the brake pads have a sensor to tell how much wear is going on, etc, etc. These sensors can often be reset by removing the power source and plugging back in. This will often fix most problems. Beyond that, you can usually buy a new sensor and replace just that.

Wiring – Wiring is straight forward. Check to ensure that wiring is good and well protected. Exposed wiring can often rust or short with water getting on it. This is straight forward.

Remember, the goal is not to just get the engine light to turn off, that is easy. The goal is to fix the problems.

These days most every fitting on a car is sealed by an o-ring. An O-ring is a circular piece of rubber(usually) that creates a leak proof seal between fittings. In most car parts applications, these are made from polyurethane, which is a high end rubber. This material has shown to provide the best seal between parts and provide the lowest level of leak

Having your car not leak is not only beneficial to your driveway, but also to your performance of your ride. Those fluids need to be in your car to ensure they work correctly. An auto Air Conditioning Compressor will almost certainly lock up and smoke with fluid too low. A Lexus Steering Rack will rust out and break without lubricant.

O-rings are measured by both thickness and diameter. You’ll need to get an exact match and placement to ensure it works correctly. Wrong o-rings can be very frustrating when trying to work on the car. I always recommend taping an o-ring to a piece of paper and writing where it came from. You can put the new ring next to it. This should ensure you get the correct fit. This is not horseshoes, close does not count.