Clogged Catalytic Converter?
Question:
Kevin,
I own a 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. It has 130,000 miles on it. It appears to lose power when trying to accelerate when the engine is warm. For example, cruising on the interstate at 70 mph for a short time, engine at normal operating temperature, when I need to accelerate to pass the transmission down shifts, rpm increase, yet speed does not. I think my catalytic converter is becoming plugged. It does not seem to effect acceleration when the engine is cold. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Bernie
Answer:
Sounds like the catalytic converter to me too. If this happens at night, pull off the road to a safe stop and pop the hood. Look at the catalytic converter and see if it’s glowing red. You may have to look under the car, and not under the hood to see it. I had an 86 Corvette that had the same problem and the headers and pipes before the converter would glow red due to the blockage. A technician can diagnose this problem too with a pressure check of the exhaust system before the converter. It will show high pressure before the converter if it’s clogged.
A bad O2 sensor could be to blame, but you should be getting a check engine light too. Also a clogged fuel filter may be causing a lean condition at the high speeds you are talking about. I would have it changed if it has not been as well as crawling under the car to look for the red hot converter.
Good Luck,
Kevin
Posted: 26th June 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Exhaust
Fixing Rust Spots Without Chemicals
Question,
I have a 2000 Toyota Corolla and it’s started to get little tiny rust spots. I’ve read you post about removing rust but I wanted to know if that applies to my situation also. I’ve been told that I can just remove the rust with a flat head screwdriver and then use touch-up paint. Is that process acceptable? Any other suggestions that don’t involve chemicals?
Thanks,
Melissa
Answer:
I would not use a screwdriver. You can tape off the area around the rust spot, go 1/4″ past the rust and sand the area with some sandpaper. You can then prime and paint to keep the rust from coming back. Any auto parts store should have touchup paint and primer for your car. It’s best to take care of it ASAP so the rust does not spread. Additional rust tips can be found here.
Kevin
Posted: 22nd June 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Body
The Basics of Performance Upgrades
It’s every guys dream to have his car, truck or SUV go faster than the next. The problem is, there are no real good roadmaps for every car, and a lot of money can be wasted chasing a few extra horsepower.
Let’s look at a few common upgrades that can gain you some horsepower and earn you some respect on the road. The first upgrade that can make the most difference and make your car sound awesome is the exhaust system. Many aftermarket manufacturers are producing bolt-on exhaust systems, which can help free up 5 – 20 HP depending on how restrictive your factory exhaust is. Most systems replace the pipes and mufflers from the catalytic converter back. These are commonly called Cat-Back Systems and can be had for a price of $250 – $750 depending on materials used. Stainless steel pipes will cost you more, but will last a lot longer than plain steel. If you plan on keeping your car more than 50,000 miles or live in a state that uses salt on the roads during the winter, I would suggest stainless steel. I personally like the sound of Flowmaster Mufflers as well as Borla… your taste may vary.
The next most common way to free up some horsepower is a performance air filter. By helping your engine breath better, the air filter will help you get more air and fuel into the cylinder and thus make more power. Be aware that most aftermarket filters will require some kind of cleaning and maintenance to work properly. K&N is my favorite brand and has been around the scene for a long time.
Related to the air cleaner, a cold air intake relocates the air filter so your engine is breathing cool outside air instead of hot under hood air. Not all cars can benefit from this modification, as it’s sometimes hard to get the air filter in a position to scoop up that cooler outside air. Check at your local parts store to see if they have a cold air intake for your specific vehicle.
Your car came from the factory built for long life and easy maintenance. The engineers at the factory have programmed your engine computer to err on the safe side at the sacrifice of more power. Aftermarket companies now produce computer chips, which will alter your engine computer and help it run at peak efficiency. For a little more than $150 you can pick up 10 – 30 HP by just changing your engine computer chip. Not bad for about an hours worth of work.
The old saying, nothing beats cubic inches is still true today, but unfortunately the new cars available today no longer come with 426 Hemi engines under the hood. Most of today’s cars do not have the room for bigger engines, so what is a car guy to do? Turbo charging or super charging is the answer for today’s cubic inch challenged engines.
Normally aspirated engines use outside air to fill the combustion chamber. To maintain the proper air/fuel ratio to support combustion, the engine can only burn so much fuel dictated by the size of the cylinders. This is why a larger displacement engine can produce more power, since the cylinders are larger, they can burn more fuel. In a turbo or super charged engine, the air coming into the cylinder is compressed and thus contains more oxygen, therefore requiring more fuel to completely burn. This gives you an increase in power, without adding more size to the cylinders. If you can cram twice the air and fuel into the same cylinder, you have just doubled the displacement and power of your engine.
This is a very simple overview of how a turbo charger or supercharger works, and there are some downsides to both systems, but you can now see why this method of making horsepower is used commonly on today’s street machines. If you are interested in adding a turbo or super charger to your vehicle, check around and see what kits are readily available for your vehicle. Start at your local parts store, or on the Internet to do your research. It won’t come cheap, but you can add 50 – 150 HP in about a weekend’s time and have the fastest car on the block.
Posted: 13th June 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Engine, Exhaust
Life expectancy of turbo engine
Question:
I am looking to buy a new car and have narrowed it down to 3. The Mazda3s Grand Touring, the GTI 2.0t, and the Honda Civic si. My last two car’s were tried and true Corolla’s. Both lasted longer than I would have expected (about 300,000) – but I want a change.
I’ve always steered clear of Turbo’d engines thinking that they either burn out over time, or burn the engine up just by their nature. But in all honesty all I know is the concept, and not the actual detail. With the high miles that I intend to put on a car in a short amount of time, should I discount the GTI due to the inevitable failure, or extra maintenance that may be involved in keeping it going?
–Jordan
Answer:
I think you have a valid concern about turbo charged engines, especially if you are looking to put on 300,000 miles. I would discount the GTI unless the extra performance outweighs the additional maintenance, that would be a personal decision.
If you do decide to go with the GTI, here are a few things to help it last longer… The bearings of the turbo charger are typically cooled with engine oil, so changing your oil at recommended intervals is very important, also letting the engine cool down before shutting it off, will allow the oil to cool some and not break down in the turbo and turn to sludge. I would also use synthetic oil in any engine, but especially in a turbo charged one.
There are turbo timers on the market which will keep the engine running for a set interval after you remove the key. I used one on my twin turbo Stealth with good luck, you just have to be careful where you park and use the emergency brake. Since you have to leave the car in neutral (if it’s a manual transmission) you are only relying on the emergency brake. If I had to park on a big hill, I would not leave the turbo timer on and rely on just the emergency brake to hold the car.
If you are looking to get 300,000 miles, I would also resist the urge to modify the engine in anyway to get more performance. A high flow filter or exhaust would be ok, but turning up the boost with a chip would not help the life of the turbo.
Also your driving style will dictate to some extent how long your turbo engine lasts. If you are putting on a lot of highway miles with a steady foot, you won’t be using the turbo that much and the life will be extended. If you are racing stoplight to stoplight, then I would be a little more concerned.
Good Luck in your decision,
Kevin
Posted: 9th June 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Engine
Automotive Oil Change
The Automotive Oil Change, a Saturday afternoon tradition for many people. Why spend the money at a quick lube shop, only to drive off worrying if they tightened your drain plug! You can buy your oil and filter and a few cheap tools, and save some money doing your own automotive oil change.
Let’s look first at a list of tools you will need to change your own oil.
1. Automotive Jack and Jack Stands, or a set of ramps. If you have a large truck or SUV, you may be able to fit under the vehicle without raising it.
2. Set of wrenches or adjustable wrench to remove drain plug. Most cars today use metric fasteners, so a metric wrench set will be best. An adjustable wrench will work, but not as well as a properly sized wrench.
3. Drain pan. There are some cool designs out there which allow you to seal up the pan after draining the oil, and haul it to your local oil recycling place. I do a lot of oil changes, so my pan has a spout where I can pour the oil into a larger container. I take my oil to my local garage where they burn it in their heater during the winter months.
4. Oil filter wrench. The style you buy will be determined by your car. If the engineers were kind to you and gave you room to get to the filter, an adjustable band type will work well. If you have little room, the style which fits over the end of the filter may work better. Take a look under your car and see what will work best for you.
5. Shop rags or towels. It can be a messy job, make sure you have something to clean up with.
Now it’s off to the automotive store to buy your supplies. You will need oil, filter and a drain plug gasket. You may not need to replace the drain plug gasket every oil change, but have one around just in case. I won’t go into what brand of oil to buy, regular or synthetic, or what brand of filter. I will include some links at the bottom of this article to other sections of this website which cover all that.
So now you are back to the house with your supplies and tools, let’s get on with your automotive oil change.
1. Raise the vehicle with your jack and secure with jack stands… never leave the vehicle resting on the jack, always use the jack stands to support the vehicle. If you have ramps, make sure they can not slip when driving onto them, and no matter how you raise your vehicle chock the rear wheels so the vehicle can not move.
2. Position your drain pan under the drain plug and remove the plug. Try not to get too much oil all over yourself and make sure the majority of the oil gets into the pan. Some people recommend draining the oil when it’s hot… I am not one of them. Todays multi-weight oils are thinner when cold and when changing oil burn a lot less ! Let the oil drain for a few minutes.
3. Inspect drain plug and remove any debris from the end. Most drain plugs have a magnet in the end to catch metal shavings floating around in the oil. Also check the gasket if your car has one (not all do) and replace if damaged.
3. Locate the oil filter and loosen it. Move the drain pan under the filter to catch any oil which may run down.
4. Clean the gasket mating area where the filter meets the engine block. This is important for a good seal with the new filter.
5. Take you new filter and put some fresh oil around the rubber gasket at the face. You can prefill the filter with oil if your filter mounts vertically, but if it’s horizontal, I would not prefill.
6. Tighten the oil filter. Thread the filter on finger tight then tighten 1/4 turn. Anymore and you will not be able to remove it at the next oil change, any less and you will have oil leaking out as you start your engine.
7. Bring your car back down to the ground and open the hood.
8. Fill engine with oil. Your owners manual should give you the recommended amount of oil for your engine. Once you have put that amount it, check the level with the dip stick to verify.
9. Start the engine, while watching your instrument panel. If you have an oil pressure gauge, make sure you have oil pressure after the first few seconds. If you have an idiot light, make sure it goes out after a few second.
10. With the engine running, look under the front of the vehicle and inspect for any leaking oil. If you tightened the drain plug and the oil filter properly, you should not see any oil slicks under the vehicle.
11. Turn off the engine, wait a few minutes and check the oil level again. Add if needed. It’s a good idea to take a permanent marker and write the total amount of oil you put in the engine on the engine sticker which is located under the hood. This way, the next time you attempt your automotive oil change, you will know exactly how much oil to put in the first time.
12. Celebrate the fact that you saved some money, and got a little grease under your finger nails.
Some good links related to this article….
Everything you wanted to know about oil
https://www.autoeducation.com/autoshop101/oil-change.htm
And if you decide to pay someone else to do it, we have a list of oil change coupons from all your favorite service centers.
Kevin Schappell
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Posted: 6th June 2006 | Author: Kevin Schappell | Category: Oil & Lubrication
