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Short trip driving can be dangerous to your engine's health
From CanadianDriver:
April 3, 2002
Short trip driving can be dangerous to your engine's health
by Jim Kerr
Has your vehicle developed an oil leak during the winter's cold weather?
Have you recently travelled on the highway and your engine started using oil? Your engine may be the victim of "short trip" driving and it can be harmful to your engine's health.
A "short trip" can be defined as any time your vehicle is started without letting your engine's oil reach full operating temperature. Depending upon outside temperatures, it may take only a few minutes or up to half an hour before your engine oil is fully warmed up. Most private vehicles driven in the city would fall into the "short trip" category.
Water is the culprit in your engine's problems. Each time you start your vehicle, air inside the engine is warmed up quickly and water vapour condenses on the inside of the cold metal engine block. These water droplets dribble down the inside of the engine into the oil pan. A similar effect can be seen whenever you take a cold glass jar from the refrigerator and place it on a table. Water vapour condenses on the surface of the jar and runs down onto the table. While water may be essential in the engine's cooling system, it can be harmful inside the engine crankcase.
If the engine oil reaches full operating temperature, the water inside the crankcase evaporates and is pulled into the intake manifold by the engine's crankcase ventilation system. Then the water passes through the combustion chambers and out the exhaust system. Part of the fog we can see out the exhaust of a vehicle during cold weather is water vapour.
When the engine oil never reaches operating temperature, the water collects in the bottom of the oil pan and low spots in the crankcase ventilation system. I have seen several "short trip" vehicles that have had more than one litre of water sitting in the bottom of the oil pan. This isn't seen on the engine dipstick because the oil floats to the top. A long trip on the highway will evaporate this water and it appears as if your engine is suddenly using a lot of oil. In reality, your engine has been using a little oil for a long period of time (a normal condition) but the level on the dipstick has remained constant because the water has replaced it.
Water that collects in low spots in the engine's crankcase ventilation system can freeze when the vehicle is turned off. The next time you start your vehicle the ventilation system cannot work and air pressure that normally builds up inside the crankcase cannot be released. The result is oil forced out past engine seals and gaskets. Enough oil can be forced out and engine damage can occur in less than 100 kilometres of highway driving due to a shortage of oil. Replacing the seals and gaskets may repair any current oil leak, but it will not cure your problem.
There are ways to prevent engine damage. One way is to change your engine oil frequently during cold weather. Changing oil every 3000 km may seem excessive, but it also removes any water with it.
Another precaution is to have your engine's crankcase ventilation system checked. Replace the positive crankcase ventilation PCV valve as indicated in the maintenance recommendations in the owners manual and check all the hoses for low spots where water could sit and freeze. A mis-routed hose can cause problems but even hoses that are routed correctly can sag and create a low spot. Sometimes a hose needs to be repositioned slightly. If the system is plugged, water vapour and fumes cannot be pulled from the engine crankcase.
Finally, the most economical method of preventing engine trouble is to change your driving habits. Combine several short trips into one longer trip. This allows the engine's oil to warm up fully and evaporates any water in the oil. It can also save you a bundle on fuel costs because the vehicle has to be warmed up only once.
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Off-Beat Tricks to keep your Car Shining
From SoftCom:
9 Off-Beat Tricks to Keep Your Car Shining
1.To remove surface rust from a bumper, spray the affected area with WD-40, then rub the rust off with a fine steel wool until the shiny bumper is revealed beneath.
2.Clean and brighten tarnished metal gauges and switches by rubbing on a white toothpaste such as Crest. And while you've got your mother-in-law's toothbrush out: Whitening toothpaste also works wonders on scratches on the plexiglass covering the gauge readouts.
3.Clean chrome that is severely pitted with #00 Bronze Wool. If that doesn't do the job, dunk it in Penetrol for added effect, then give the job some old fashioned elbow grease. After you've restored the chrome to a showroom shine, coat with a durable clear acrylic, available in most auto supply stores.
4.To remove bumper stickers from a chrome bumper, coat the sticker generously with a petroleum based solvent, let sit for a few minutes, then scrape off with a plastic ice scraper.
5.Use a standard bottle cork to clean particularly stubborn rust or metal discoloration spots. Dampen the flat edge of the cork first, so that it absorbs some of the metal polish, then apply more polish and rub away. Rub the cork over the spot. Its flat surface and naturally abrasive properties will do the rest.
6.Metal gauges and surfaces sticky from a soda or beer spill? Pour vinegar or straight lemon juice onto a sponge and wipe down the goop. Let the vinegar or lemon juice sit for a few minutes to cut through the residue, then wash off with soap and water.
7.Restore aluminum that is pitted and dull, by scrubbing until it's smooth again with a soapy Brillo pad. Rinse, then wax thoroughly with car wax to retard further damage.
8.To remove tough build-ups on stainless steel, rub on alcohol and kerosene. Use a 100% cotton rag. The kerosene will return it to it's near-original shine.
9.An easy way to wax your bumpers is to put an old sweatsock over your hand, dip it into the wax and go. By curving your hand around the bumper you'll be able to cover more area, more completely in less time.
When dealing with paint especially, it is best to first test and practice any procedure on an unobtrusive spot. If you have any questions regarding the viability of the above suggestions on your particular vehicle's paintwork, check with your local dealership, body shop or the vehicle manufacturer first.
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10 More Tricks to Keep Your Car Shining
From SoftCom
1.Bugs on your paint, grillwork and windshield? Dip a rag in cooking oil and saturate the buggy area, let sit for 10 minutes. The dead insects slide right off. This also works for bird droppings and tar stains.
2.To remove the gooey build-up that kicks up from the road and accumulates on the lower door panels, use tar remover.
3.To remove both road salt and sea salt deposits from your truck's paint, wash with a solution of baking soda and warm water. For extra heavy stains, make a baking soda paste and rub on with a damp sponge. Rinse well.
4.To make your tires look as good at the rest of your vehicle, scrub clean with an abrasive household cleaner such as Comet or liquid laundry detergent and a hard bristle scrub brush, then coat with self-polishing floor wax.
5.To keep your windows shiny, wipe down tough spots with a sponge dipped in rubbing alcohol, allow to dry, then clean as usual. Wipe down windshield wiper blades with the same sponge. For ingrained dirt on wiper blades use a low-abrasion scouring powder. Both will make wipers last longer and stop them from streaking across your windows.
6.To remove dried wax from around your trimwork, use a soft-bristled brush which will clean the area quicker and more thoroughly than a rag can.
7.Don't forget to wax in the crevices around and, if possible, under trim pieces, the areas most vulnerable to rusting. A general purpose soft bristle brush or soft toothbrush will help in these often hard-to-reach areas.
8.If you've been too generous with the car/truck wax and now you're having a hard time getting it off, sprinkle on some cornstarch. Cornstarch will absorb the excess wax without damaging the wax finish. Let sit until absorbed, then wipe off.
9.A child's wax crayon can make an effective repair to tiny scratches on your paint. Rub over the scratch, then buff smooth with a clean cloth.
10.To eliminate overspray when repainting a small chip in your truck's paint, cut a hole in a piece of cardboard that is slightly larger than the chip. Hold the cardboard just above the chip so that you don't leave a distinct repair line, and spray the cardboard and hole. For a completely even finish, compound the repair after it dries.
15 Clever Cleaning Tips for Carpeting and Upholstery.
From SoftCom
1.Dilute coffee spills immediately with cool water and blot up with paper towels or clean rags. If a stain remains after the spot dries, spray on a glass cleaner (yes, a glass cleaner!). Soak the area, allow to sit for five minutes, and blot up. Glass cleaner cleans all types of carpeting and upholstery without leaving the soapy residue of most traditional carpet cleaners, which only attracts more dirt afterwards. Glass cleaner normally is effective on even the most difficult stains. Once your carpet is cleaned it's time to Scotchguard to limit further staining.
2.Most greasy carpeting and upholstery stains can be removed by rubbing on paint thinner with a clean 100% cotton cloth. Then cover the stain with salt until the remaining greases are absorbed, and vacuum. Or cover the spot with cornmeal and let it sit overnight, vacuum in the morning. Note: Test the effect of the paint thinner on the colorfastness of the carpeting and/or upholstery in a discrete area first.
3.Hairspray will lift out pen ink stains on carpeting or upholstery. Or you can sprinkle the stain with salt until completely covered, which will also absorb the ink. Allow to sit until the stain is absorbed and brush off. Repeat if necessary.
4.Carsickness stains, from children, pets or adults, should be diluted and neutralized (vomit is acidic) with club soda or a mixture of baking soda & water.
5.Blood stains on carpeting or upholstery, whether animal or human, should be immediately covered with a paste made up of dry laundry starch and cold water. (Do Not use Hot water as it will set the stain.) Allow to dry, then brush or vacuum the residue away.
6.Though you shouldn't be drinking and driving...beer and other alcohol spills on your carpeting should be immediately diluted with cold water, so that they don't permanently change the carpet color.
7.To quickly clean vinyl seats, wipe them down with baking soda on a damp rag. Rinse with dishwashing detergent and water. Baking soda is gentler on vinyl than oil based cleaners which will cause the vinyl to harden.
8.For general carpet or upholstery stains, take a gallon of hot water, a generous amount of liquid dish detergent, then add a cup of white vinegar to your brew. You'll need a hard bristle brush to work the mixture thoroughly into carpet fibers. Let sit for 30 minutes. Blot until dry with clean towels or thick absorbent rags. (This also works for pet accident stains.)
9.To brighten a fading carpet, first vacuum, then use a sponge mop to lightly apply a mixture of 1/2 cup clear ammonia and 1 pint water. Test this mixture on a discrete area of carpeting of first. NOTE: Do Not use ammonia on wool carpeting.
10.If carpeting begins to smell, sprinkle on 20-Mule Team Borax generously, let it sit undisturbed for an hour before vacuuming up both dirt and unpleasant smells. If your dog goes off-road with you, you might be interested to learn that a second application of Borax, which you'll leave on, will kill fleas and their eggs.
11.Carpet edges starting to fray? Paint carpet seams and edges with a liquid resin, found in craft and fabric stores, to hold the fibers in place.
12.Before your vehicle carpets begin to show excessive wear and tear, vacuum them just as you would at home. This will lift the fibers back upright and counteract the long-term ill-effects of the dirt that's been pounded into it. If the situation is really bad, you might consider renting a steam cleaning machine available at most supermarkets. If you do, be sure to bring up all the water when you're done as stepping on a wet carpet will only damage the fibers further.
13.Spraying a mixture of five parts water and one part liquid fabric softener onto your carpets will lessen carpet static and remove the light shock that occurs when you touch metal objects.
14.If objects stored in the back of your Sport Utility Vehicle have left indentations in the carpeting, place a damp towel over the spot and press lightly with an iron on a low setting. The indentation will rise as the towel dries. Be careful not to leave the iron for too long as synthetic fibers can melt.
15.To keep car mats looking new, wax them with a liquid shoe wax polish. This will also make them easier to rinse clean.
When dealing with paint especially, it is best to first test and practice any procedure on an unobtrusive spot. If you have any questions regarding the viability of the above suggestions on your particular vehicle's paintwork, check with your local dealership, body shop or the vehicle manufacturer first.
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