Great Parenting + Steve McQueen Lightning = Awesome Build

INFO: Maintenance on a 6 cylinder vs Turbo 4

Comparative informative post on:

Maintaining a 6 Cylinder Engine

Compared to a Turbo 4 Cylinder Engine 

Day dreaming about upgrading to a bigger car and it got me thinking about the cost to own a car with a bigger engine versus one with a smaller one. Talking with fellow Joe's, most of us tend to want certain types of cars at different stages of our lives. The natural progression would be the older we got, the more money we would make, the more car we could afford. This post briefly the cost to own a 6 cylinder engine vs a 4 cylinder by analyzing oil changes.

4 Cylinder Engines
Average displacement: 2.2L
About 3.5 US quarts of oil per oil change

6 Cylinder Engines
Average displacement: 3.4L
About 8.5 US quarts of oil per oil change

8.5 - 3.5 = About a 5 US quarts difference. Say for high performance vehicles you use synthetic and buy motor oil from Walmart.
Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-40 5qt. Full Synthetic Motor oil would be about $26 rounded down.
Change oil every 3.5k miles, say vehicle lasts 225k miles, that would be about 65 oil changes over the lifetime of the car.

Without Tax: 65 x $26 = $1690 additional to a 6 cylinder.

Again this is when you change the oil by yourself, rounded down & without tax. The true cost to own of any particular vehicle would be different and this is a very general overview of one factor in the difference in pricing of ownership. The reason why I would mention turbo 4 is because they closely match horsepower to a 6 cylinder. Nevertheless great food for thought.

D.I.Y. MAINTENANCE: Fixing a Windshield Wiper Nozzle

Do-It-Yourself car maintenance on,

Fixing Windshield Wiper Spray Nozzles

Spray nozzles often collect dirt or dry windshield wiper fluid. This causes the nozzles to spray unevenly or might even stop fluid from getting through at all. Usually a simple fix and a good way to fix it will be explained here)

Fig 1: Nozzle comparison of malfunctioning nozzle (left) and working nozzle (right)

1) Open the hood and set it fixed open.

2) Most nozzles for Joe's can be removed by popping the nozzle out of the car, away from the engine. Depending on certain models, a flathead might be used to unlatch hooks on the nozzle. Check the service manual for your car to see if it is necessary.

Fig 2: Example of a nozzle that requires a flathead tool

Fig 3: Nozzle unlatched from hood

3) Twist the nozzle off from the hose. Clip the hose with some sort of clamp to hold it in place.

Fig 4: Clipped nozzle spray hose

4) Soak the nozzle in a bowl of water for a couple seconds. Wait till all the air bubbles get out and clean the nozzle in the bowl of water. Soaking the nozzle helps loosen contaminants and you'll be able to see how much dirt is cleaned out. After soaking, use a toothpick and rub the walls of both openings of the nozzle.

Fig 5: Nozzle being soaked in water (left). Visible dirt from nozzle (right)

5) Using a a dust buster, spray the nozzle dry, as well as spraying through all openings of the nozzle.

Fig 6: Dust buster and windshield spray nozzle

6) Reattach the nozzle back on the hose and hood.

Fig 7: Windshield wiper nozzles fixed

INFO: Units of Measurements for Different Car Brands

General car information on,

Units of Measurements Used by Different Car Brands

For consideration when buying tools, or already owning a set of tools and looking for an additional car to work on.

Metric / International System of Units (SI) [ie 6.5 mm]:
BMW / Mini
Honda / Acura
Hyundai
Nissan / Infiniti
Mazda
Mercedes Benz
Mitsubishi
Subaru
Toyota / Lexus / Scion
Volvo 

SAE / English / Imperial / US Customary units [ie 7/32"]:
Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge / Ram / SRT
Fiat
Ford / SVT/ Lincoln
General Motor: Buick / Cadillac / Chevrolet / GMC
Tesla

Please kindly make note if I categorized a brand incorrectly

D.I.Y.: Making a buffer pad storage out of CD casings

A Do-It-Yourself post for organizing buffer pads,

Making a Buffer Pad Storage Box out of Multi-CD Casings

Used some applicator pads for headlight restoration and wanted some place to store them. Since there were a couple of multi-CD casings laying around, thought it would be perfect for storage.

Fig 1: Common CD casing for blanks discs

Fig 2: Sawed off center stick from base

Fig 3: Hole punched top for ventilation

Fig 4: Rubbing Compound buffer pad storage

Fig 5: Stack of buffer pad storage casings

The last figure, figure 5, shows a stack of the modified casings. The bottom casing of the two in figure would be ideal for compound product storage, as well as the the buffer pad.

PROJECT: Introduction to Solar Panel Project

Introductory post about possible project:

Installing Solar Panels behind Rear Headrests

Dashboard trickle chargers are being introduced to keep the 12V car battery. It would be useful in situations like camping and road-trips but would not be necessary for most Joe's. Nevertheless, solar power might be of some use for a Joe and let's look into it. Instead of the dash, placing solar panels behind the rear headrests of a medium sized sedan seems more appealing. Less clutter and possibly a safer option if wiring is not an issue.

Possible uses for the extra electrical power:
- Running a small fan to cool the car while ignition is off.
- Charging your smartphone (Androids in particular).

PROs:
- Extra power source
- Time is not a concern in charging battery
- Cool factor
- Educating experience

CONs:
- Additional sprung weight
- possible glare
- Costs vs Benefits
- Tinted windows reduce the amount of power received in solar panels
- Time
- safety (ie glare while driving, overheating, fire)

Rechargeable battery life is a priority. Possible places to place the battery would be in the center compartment, glove compartment, or trunk.
These are some options for consideration:
i) Lead / Acid battery packs
ii) Lithium-Ion or Nickel-Metal Hydride (pulled from old laptops or cordless and cell phones)
iii) Wire rechargeable batteries in series

The specifications for the HTC wall charger, battery output to USB cable should be 5V & 1.0A.
Therefore 5 Volts x 1 Amp = 5 Watts maximum should be transmitted to the smartphone.

Suggested specifications of the project:
- With a maximum input of 5 Watts charging a cell phone battery, a solar panel receiving about 5 Watts is sensible. Tinted windows supposedly reduce the power solar panels receive through glass by about 20%. Therefore: 5 Watts / 80% = 6.25 Watts maximum. A 6V / 5W solar panel, like the KS-M200200G, would be a good starting point.
- For a daily driver content with an extra charge in the car, wiring 3 rechargeable D batteries could work (Each battery gives an output of 1.5V, therefore 3 x 1.5 V = 4.5 V).
- Would need to attach a heat sink to the transistor for cooling.

Figure 1: Basic circuit diagram for solar panel project (suggested to me)

USB Layout:

Figure 2: Layout of different Universal Serial Bus receptacles

For 4 pin receptacles:	For 5 pin receptacles:
Pin 1: VCC, +5V Pin 2: D-, Data - Pin 3: D+, Data + Pin 4: GND, Ground	Pin 1: VCC, +5V Pin 2: D-, Data - Pin 3: D+, Data + Pin 4: ID, not connected Pin 5: GND, Ground

Conclusion: Right now the prices of solar panels are too expensive to justify a project like this. If solar panels become cheaper or a great deal for one is found somewhere, this project would be worth considering.

PRODUCT: Example of Turtle Wax Metal and Chrome Polish

Product example of,

Turtle Wax Metal & Chrome Polish

'A picture is worth a thousand words.' The pictures will do the talking for this post.

Fig 1: Turtle Wax Chrome & Metal Polish

Fig 2: Cleaned and dried wheel #1 in the sun (left) and shade (right), BEFORE

After 2-3 applications of the metal polish.

Fig 3: Wheel #1 in the shade, AFTER

Fig 4: BEFORE and AFTER photos of the wheel #1

Fig 5: Wheel #2  i) BEFORE,  ii) initial application,  iii) AFTER 2 applications

INFO: Changing the Wheels & Tire

Information for a simple car project on,

Changing the Wheel & Tire Setup

This project is one of the simplest out there. Wheel and tire (W&T) setups greatly influence the car's appeal because of the amount of exterior surface area W&T's cover. W&T could better performance as well, depending on the sort of performance gains aiming for.

Ideally, the ECU should be changed when changing the W&T setup. This is because the odometer and speedometer are programmed with factory settings, using measurements of the original W&T setup to calculate speed and miles. Changing an ECU is costly and might not worth the $$, so highly recommend staying within a 3% difference in overall W&T diameter.

Great websites to check how different setups compare:

Comparing 4 different W&T setups: 1010Tires - Tire Size Calculator

Comparing Speedometer readings: TacomaWorld - Speedometer Difference

Informative Pictures of W&T Measurements: Discount Tire America's Tire - Tire Calculator

Wheel Offset Calculator: 1010Tires - Wheel Offset Calculator

Starting point for researching wheel technology:
Gravity vs. Forged wheels: Wheel Construction
PROs and CONs of different castings and forgings: Wheel Strength

Starting point for researching performance gains:
Example of BMW 3 series going from 16" to different 17" wheel: Road Wheel Weights...

Shop for deals and recommend using TireRack.com as a general reference for W&T information, pricing, and review.

Things to note about changing W&T setups:

- Most Joe's wouldn't have access to a tire changer or a tire mounting and balancing machine. If purchasing W&T from separate vendors, make sure to factor in the labor costs of mounting and balancing the tires with the wheels from a local shop into the total price.
For example: $(4 x Tire Price) + $(4 x Wheel Price) + $(Labor Price, if applicable) = Total Price

PRODUCT: SuperTech Oil Filter Comparison: ST7317 vs. ST3593a

Informative post about SuperTech oil filters on v6Performance.net, 

Oil Filter Dissection: ST7317 vs. ST3593a

Great read for D.I.Y. oil change maintenance.

Thanks sumptimwong for allowing me to blog about this.

PRODUCT: Product Comparison, Turtle Wax Compounds & Nu Finish Polish vs Headlight Restoration Kits

Product Comparison for D.I.Y. Headlight Restoration on,

Turtle Wax Compounds & Nu Finish Polish

vs

Headlight Restoration Kits

Option 1: Turtle Wax Compounds & Nu Finish Polish

Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound ($2.47 @ Walmart)

Turtle Wax Polishing Compound ($2.47 @ Walmart)

Nu Finish, The Once A Year Car Polish ($10.19 @ Target)

Total Cost before Tax: $2.47 + $2.47 + $10.19 = $15.13
Note: Application cloths or pads are not included in costs

       PROs:
Can restore a number of headlights, probably will last over many years.
In addition to restoring headlights, these products are useful for general car care.
       CONs:

Costs more than some kits.

Option 2: Headlight Restoration Kit

Headlight Restoration kits at Target

Total Cost before Tax: $10.29 to $22.99

       PROs:
Simple instructions to follow.
Convenient for purchase, no research is necessary.
Value of certain kits.
       CONs:
Would restore a limited number of headlights.
Should only be used for headlights.
Value of certain kits.

D.I.Y. MAINTENANCE: Cleaning Headlights (or plastic light casings)

Do-It-Yourself car maintenance on,

Hazy or Yellow Headlights

Over time headlights tend to get hazy and could start turning yellow.
Great explanation as to why this happens.
Procedures would vary depending on the severity of the oxidation, or haziness, of the headlights. For lightly oxidized headlights (low severity), two rounds of polish should suffice. For a moderate level of oxidation, rubbing compounds would help.

The example illustrated below is of moderate severity.
For a more severely oxidized headlights, try sanding and following these procedures.

3 Products used in this project:
Turtle Wax: Rubbing Compound (using an applicator pad)
Turtle Wax: Polishing Compound (using an applicator pad)
Nu Finish: The Once A Year Car Polish (wanted to use a 3M polish but not a lot of stores stock it)

Problem:

Fig 1: Headlights in the sun, BEFORE

Fig 2: Headlights in the shade, BEFORE

 Step 1:
Pop the hood. Then clean the headlights with water or applicable cleaning solution and dry. Recommend outlining the headlights with masking tape for precaution.

Fig 3: Masked but still hazy

Step 2:
Apply rubbing compound, and wipe off before any excess hardens. Repeat if necessary.

Fig 4: Rubbing compound applied

Step 3:
Apply polishing compound and wipe off before any excess hardens. Repeat if necessary.

Step 4:
Apply polish and wipe off after a light haze appears.

Fig 5: Waiting for the polish to dry.

After doing-it-myself:

Fig 6: Fixed headlights in the shade, AFTER

Fig 7: Fixed headlights in the sun, AFTER

A professional cleaning should get it close to looking new but for a Jane, it'll do.

Note: I have heard of the toothpaste method and have not tried it. Toothpaste should be doing the same thing as the rubbing and polishing compound is doing, which would be removing the oxidation from the headlights. In general with DIYs, the purpose is to get the job done and as long as it works for you and is safely done, win win win. Whichever method is used, I recommend applying some kind of polish as the last step to protect the headlights. In addition it will reduce the frequency of cleaning the headlights, meaning less work in the long run.

Update:
Tried the same procedure on a friend's car later in the evening and here were the results.

Fig 8: Honda Accord DIY headlight fix

References:
Youtube clip: 'Car DIY: Fix for yellowed headlights' and comments.

PRODUCT: Nu Finish, The Once A Year Car Polish (4 oz. more)

Nu Finish, The Once A Year Car Polish @ Target
Price: $10.19

25% more than 16 oz. size (4 ounces more)

Checked today at O'Reilly's, selling the 16 oz. for $8.99.
That means that this 20 oz. could be worth (1.25 x $8.99 = $11.24)

SALE: Meguiar's Gold Class car wash (64 oz.) $5.99 @ Target

Meguiar's Gold Class car wash 64-oz. on sale at Target.
Sale Price: $5.99
Reg. Price: $10.39
Save amt.: $4.40 (42%)

Ends September 8th, 2012. (9/8)

Introduction to the blog

Hello!
Welcome to the blog. This blog is primarily a way for me to document products and projects I come across. I try to be practical and creative, in both projects and expenses, and will occasionally blog about how something is awesome in the automotive industry.

Thanks for reading, and please, if there is something you believe that is worth sharing to the masses, email me.
Ciao!