SEAT BELT/STARTER INTERLOCK

By law, all late model cars are equipped with starter interlocks in conjunction with shoulder and lap belts. The starter interlock, prevents the engine from starting until all front seat passengers have been seated and buckled their belts.

TROUBLESHOOTING: STARTING SYSTEM

TROUBLE: STARTER CRANKS ENGINE SLOWLY

Possible Cause

1. Discharged battery or defective cell.

2. Excessive resistance in starter.

3. Excessive resistance in cranking circuit.

4. Engine oil too heavy for prevailing temperature.

5. Excessive engine friction.

Correction

1. Make specific gravity and load tests. Recharge or replace battery.

2. Disassemble and check for bent armature, or armature dragging on field poles. Straighten or replace armature.

3. Make voltmeter or ohmmeter checks at cable connections, solenoid or relay, and at ground connections. Repair or replace units as required.

4. Change oil to suit conditions.

5. Check the tight-fitting engine bearings, pristons, rings, etc.

TROUBLE: STARTER INOPERATIVE

Possible Cause

1. Loose or corroded battery terminals.

2. Discharged battery.

3. Dead battery.

4. Open starting circuit.

5. Inoperative solenoid or relay.

6. Faulty ignition switch.

7. Defective starter.

8. Inoperative neutral safety switch (cars with automatic transmission).

Correction

1. Clean battery posts and cable clamps. Tighten clamps securely.

2. Recharge battery.

3. Replace battery.

4. Check cable connections, ignition switch, solenoid or relay and writing. Repair as required.

5. Use heavy jumper cable to bypass unit. Replace faulty solenoid or relay.

6. Replace switch.

7. Disassemble starter and inspect parts. Repair or replace starter.

8. Check operation of switch. Adjust or replace switch.

TROUBLE: STARTER TURNS BUT DRIVE DOES NOT ENGAGE

Possible Cause

1. Broken teeth in fly wheel ring gear.

2. Rusted starter drive shaft.

3. Defective starter drive.

Correction

1. Replace ring gear.

2. Clean, lubricate shaft.

3. Replace drive unit.

TROUBLE: STARTER DOES NOT DISENGAGE

Possible Cause

1. Faulty ignition switch.

2. Short circuit in solenoid.

3. Stuck solenoid contact switch plunger spring.

4. Broken solenoid plunger spring.

5. Faulty starter relay.

Correction

1. Replace switch.

2. Replace solenoid.

3. Repair solenoid.

4. Replace spring or solenoid.

5. Replace relay.

 

CHRYSTAL SPEED CONTROL SYSTEM

The speed control system used on Chrysler Corporation cars is electrically actuated and vacuum operated. A slide switch mounted on the turn signal lever has three positions: OFF, ON and RESUME SPEED. A SET SPEED button is located in the end of the lever.

To disengage the speed control system, the driver makes a light or normal brake application. This disengages the control unit without erasing the speed memory. If the driver moves the slide switch to OFF, or turns off the ignition switch, the system is disengaged and the speed memory is erased.

The RESUME position of the slide switch is used after the driver has applied the brake pedal. As mentioned, braking disengages the control unit without erasing the speed memory. Pressing the RESUME button, then, allows the vehicle to return to the previously memorized speed.

To increase the designated speed, the driver accelerates the vehicle to the higher rate of speed, then he momentarily depresses and releases the SPEED SET button. Or, if he wants to increase the rate of speed by small degrees, he can tap the SPEED SET button while the speed control unit is engaged and vehicle speed will rise slightly per tap.

To decrease the designated speed, the driver taps the brake pedal lightly to disengage the speed control system. When the vehicle decelerates to the new designated speed, he depresses and releases the SPEED SET button until the desired lower speed reached. Then, he releases the SPEED SET button, and the speed control system takes over at that speed.

As with other speed control systems, Chrysler’s system permits the driver to accelerate at any time. When the need for greater speed is no longer necessary, the driver releases the accelerator and the vehicle returns to the previous setting.

 

The onlookers who suggested the BMW X1 has more than a passing resemblance to the 3 Series Touring wagon did not know how to close to the truth they really were.

The X1′s proportions–length, width and the lower visual height of the greenhouse–do give it a wagon-like visage.

However, the X1 and the Touring share more than just a passing resemblance stylistically–the X1 is based on the Touring’s platform. Ditto many of the mechanical bits. Regardless, the X1 has a style and significantly more refined drive than one expects from a sport-ute, BMW or otherwise.

The X1′s 2,760-millimetre-long wheelbase delivers both substance and plenty of cabin space. Rear-seat space is generous and easily up to the task of supporting a pair of adults in comfort.

It also delivers on the utility demanded of an SUV. With the 40/20/40-split/folding rear seat upright, the X1 offers up 14.8 cubic feet of space. It will folding all the three portions bumps the capacity to a generous 47.6 cu. ft.

The tester arrived with all the desirable power toys, a good navigation system, solid sound system and BMW’s iDrive controller.

Backing up the X1 up provides the only exception as the tall tail all but it will mandates the need for a backup camera. The visibility is also surprisingly good.

At the X1′s production preview, all test vehicles were powered by in-line six-cylinder engines. And I am really impressed by the power at play and smoothness in which the six delivered it goods.

The disappointment lasted just long enough for the transmission to shift from first into second.  The 2.0-litre four-cylinder is just as sweet as the six and its power production is every bit as robust.

The 241 horsepower is impressive; the torque generated more so. Tis little mill twists out 258 pound-feet at just 1,20 r.p.m..

If you drive it as though there’s an egg between your right foot and the gas pedal and it lips into its economy mode, with the engine barely pushing the tachometer needle over 1,400 r.p.m.. Even at elevated highway speeds, the four still loafs along at surprisingly low revs. The test average fuel economy of 9.7 litres per 100 kilometers–and it certainly was not being driven with an eye to economy.

Power is relayed to the road through BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system. It sends 40 per cent of the power to the front wheels; the rest goes rearward. As with BMW’s other xDrive offerings, the X1a system is both seamless and proficient.

In the ride department, the X1 again succeeds, being more wagon-like than SUV. To begin with, there is enough compliance in the suspension to deliver a cosseting ride.

 

To further retard the boiling point of the liquid in the cooling system, the entire system is placed under pressure. This pressure generally runs between 7 to 16 pounds per square inch (psi). As the pressure increases, the boiling point rises well. This combination of pressure plus coolant gives the liquid in your cooling system the capability to resist boiling at temperatures that can rise as high as 250 degrees Fahrenheit or more in some new vehicles.

To keep the lid on the pressure in the system, and to provide a convenient place to add water and coolant, each radiator has a removable radiator pressure cap on either its radiator filler hole or its coolant recovery system.

The pressure cap has two valves: a pressure valve and a vacuum valve. The pressure valve maintains a precise amount of pressure on the liquid in the system. the vacuum valve allows the liquid to travel back into the radiator from the recovery reservoir when the engine cools down.

Pressure caps are relatively inexpensive, but if you have a cap that isn’t working properly, or if you have the wrong type of cap, you will be amazed at the amount of trouble it can cause. For example, if the gasket (rubber ring) inside the cap isn’t working, the pressure in the system will escape, allowing the liquid to boil at a lower temperature. A modern cooling system that’s been designed to operate normally at temperatures over 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and that is filled with liquid and in perfect condition, will still continually boil over if the radiator cap isn’t operating efficiently. That boiling liquid will be forced into the overflow system, and your vehicle’s engine will overheat. This can cause an inconvenient highway breakdown and possible danger to your engine.

Although most vehicles come equipped with a safety pressure cap, which features a little lever that releases the pressure before you remove the cap, some older vehicles have a cap that lacks this feature. If you have one of these caps, replace it with a safety pressure cap immediately. Doing so can keep you from burning yourself if you have to remove the cap while there’s still some pressure in the system

 

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A coolant recovery system is just a clear plastic container with two little hoses coming out of the cap. One hose leads to the radiator, and the other serves as an overflow pipe for the container. The container holds an extra supply of water and coolant, in case the system lose any.

When your cooling system heats up and starts to overflow, the liquid pours back into the recovery container instead of pouring out of the radiator overflow pipe and onto the ground. When the system cools off,  the pressure drops and the liquid is drawn out of the container and back into the radiator. This process is not only saves you coolant, but it also protects animals and children from sampling puddles of the toxic stuff.

Some of today’s have pressurized reservoirs. In these cases, you find the radiator pressure cap on the reservoir and not on the radiator.

Most recovery systems are considered “sealed” because you can check whether your coolant needs changing- and add water and coolant- by opening the cap on the container. You can also check the level of liquid in the system by seeing whether it reaches the fill level shown on the side of  the container.

 

 

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To keep the water in the cooling system from boiling or freezing, the water is mixed with coolant/ antifreeze (which, in the interest of brevity, I just call “coolant”).

Most coolants contain about 95 percent ethelyne glycol, a chemical that stops water from freezing or boiling, even in extreme temperatures. (Ethelyne glycol is toxic; there are nontoxic coolants that contain propylene glycol instead.  In addition to the ethelyne glycol, coolant also contains rust, corrosion, and foaming inhibitors, so coolant does more than just keep the water in the system in a liquid state: It also helps  to prevent  the formation of rust on the metal surfaces of the engine and the radiator, lubricates the water pump, and keeps the liquid from foaming as it circulates through the system. Since the early 1960s, auto manufacturers have designed the cooling systems of most vehicles  for a 50/50 mixture of ethelyne glycol and water, which is till generally considered the proper proportion of coolant to water for the cooling system of most vehicles.

Today’s engines require specially formulated coolants that are safe for aluminum components. Also, some manufacturers are using new coolant called Dex-cool  that can last about twice as long as other coolants.

If your cooling system is operating properly, you shouldn’t have to keep adding liquid to it.

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When the fuel/air mixture is ignited in the cylinders, the temperature inside the engine can reach thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. It takes only half that heat to melt iron, and your engine would be a useless lump of metal in about 20 minutes. if your vehicle couldn’t keep things cool. Naturally, the liquid (coolant and water) that circulates around the cylinders in the engine block gets very hot, and so it’s continually circulated back to the radiator, where it cools off before heading back to the scene of action.

The radiator is designed to cool the liquid quickly by passing it over a large cooling surface. The liquid enters the radiator through the top radiator hose, which is usually connected to (you guessed it) the top of the radiator. As the liquid descends, it runs through channels in the radiator, which are cooled by air rushing  in through cooling fins between the channels. When the liquid has cooled, it leaves the radiator through the bottom radiator hose. This hose has a spring inside it to prevent it from collapsing when the water pump draws coolant from the radiator.

Additional hoses

There are also smaller diameter hoses also leading from your engine to the heater core. Some vehicles have small bypass hose near the thermostat as well. These hoses are an important part of the cooling system, as they are designed to carry the liquid in it from one component to another.

 

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In This Chapter

• Looking at radiators
• Analyzing antifreeze/coolant
• Concerning coolant recovery systems
• Reviewing radiator pressure caps
• Shooting the breeze about the fan
• Understanding water pumps
• Talking about thermostats
• Exploring heater cores

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

With all that “air, fuel, and fire” stuff going on its engine, your vehicle needs something to help it

keep a cool (cylinder) head! Because water is usually cheap, plentiful, and readily available,

auto manufacturers have found it to be the simplest answer to the problem. (Except for a few

who found that air is even cheaper and more abundant. They designed the air-cooled engine.

If you have a pre-1975 Volkswagen, you won’t find a drop of water in it.)

 

Of course, nothing is simple as it seems. Automakers add a couple of gimmicks to keep the water

from boiling too easily. These include a water pump to keep it moving; a fan and a radiator to

cool it off; a pressure cap to retard boiling; a thermostat to help the engine quickly reach

and maintain the proper temperature; and an antifreeze/coolant to raise the boiling point and

keep the water from rusting the engine and freezing in winter.

Put them all together, and you will have your vehicle’s cooling system.

 

The cooling system is highly efficient. It usually requires almost no work to keep it operating-

just a watchful eye for leaks and an occasional check or change of coolant.

This chapter explores the system part by part.

 

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