Emission Controls

The goal of the emission control system is simple, minimize pollution.

PVC Valve

The first emission control device was the positive crankcase ventilation valve, also known as the PCV valve.  It was federally mandated in 1963.  During the compression stroke a small percentage of the raw air/fuel mixture squeezes between the pitons and the cylinder walls and goes into the crankcase.  This raw mixture of air and fuel is very polluting.  Before 1963 these gasses were vented into the atmosphere.  With a PCV valve, these raw gases are put back into the engine where they are burned.  This reduces pollution while marginally increasing gas mileage.

EGR Valve

In 1972 the government mandated “Exhaust Gas Recirculation” valves, also know as EGR valves.  This valve opens when the engine is warmed-up and turning faster than the idle speed.  It allows a predetermined amount of burnt gases to be recycled back into the intake.  Over 98% of the exhaust gases are inert since they were ‘burnt’ in a previous combustion event.  Nitrous oxide is the main component of “Smog” and is caused by high combustion temperatures.  Mixing raw air/fuel with inert gas from the EGR valve decreases the combustion temperatures, preventing (limiting) the production of nitrous oxides.

Catalytic Converter

In 1975 catalytic converters were introduced.  Catalytic converters are very effective means to reduce air pollution.  When you burn gas, you produce H20 (water), carbon dioxide (C02) and Carbon Monoxide (C0) and some gasoline remains unburnt (HC).  H20 and CO2 are desirable results of combustion, but HC and C0 are very polluting and therefore undesirable. The catalytic converter converts CO into CO2 and converts HC into H2O and C02.  Catalytic converters can be destroyed instantly with leaded gas.  When they were introduced, the gasoline manufacturers also introduced lead free gas. 

Oxygen Sensor

Oxygen sensors are used to fine tune the air fuel mixture.  The ideal mixture is 14.7 parts of air to one part of gasoline.  This ratio is called stochiometric.  A rich running car means there is too much fuel for the amount of air, and a lean running condition means there is too much air for the amount of gasoline.  A very rich or very lean running engine will ruin a catalytic converter.  To keep the engine close to stochiometric, manufacturers added sensors to measure the amount of air going into the engine.  Knowing how much air is going into the engine, the computer can add the proper amount of gasoline.  The Oxygen sensor is a feedback device which tells the computer if the mixture is too lean or too rich.  Since the oxygen sensor helps the computer maintain stochiometric mixture it reduces pollution and increases gas mileage.

EVAP System

The EVAP system was introduced around 1996.  This system is designed to prevent gas vapors from escaping into the atmosphere.  Gasoline in your gas tank naturally vaporizes.  In older cars this vapor was vented into the atmosphere.  Since 1996 these vapors are collected in a canister filer.  When you are moving above a predetermined speed, two valves open up allowing the vapors in the canister filter to vent into the engine where they are burnt.  This devise increases gas mileage and decreases pollution. 

Be Paid $538 per month or $6256 to Keep Your Car In

Sounds too good to be true, but it is…. Let me explain.

A few months ago my niece sent me an article which stated the average car on the road is about 11 years old.  This is a record.  The article hinted that this was due to the recession.  It is NOT because of the recession!   

Let’s get started…. Growing up in the 70’s my parents, who were middle class, bought a new car when their existing car had about 60,000 miles.  This wasn’t because they wanted the new features, or they liked car payments, or they just wanted a new car. They bought a new car because they had to.  The existing car was falling apart. Inside and outside everything was breaking. 

Since then the quality of cars as skyrocketed.  What I call revolutionary, not evolutionary quality improvement.  I opened my business in 1986 and I saw first hand the quality improvements. 

My 1993 Oldsmobile, with over 230,000 miles, ran like new – until an Audi rear ended my car – it was parked.  My 1996 Oldsmobile similarly runs like new and all I ever do is maintenance.

Cars made after 1995 were designed to run like new, with just regular maintenance, for over 200,000 miles.  This isn’t pie-in-the-sky praying, this is for real.  I see it every day.  Cars with over 100,000 miles are the new normal, not unusual.  I believe in a few years, cars with over 200,000 miles will be the new normal as well.

So how do you get paid $538 per month or $6256 per year NOT to buy a car?

Insurance on a new car is at least $600 more than insurance on a 6 year old car.  Cars over 6 years old, on average, cost $500 per year to keep in like-new condition.  Since you save $600 on insurance, it is like the insurance company is paying you $100.00 per year NOT to buy a new car.

Also, the average car payment is $438 per month.  Keeping your car is like the auto companies paying you $438 per month, or $5256 per year to keep your car.  These are real savings, but you must maintain your car.

Anti Freeze, More Complex than you might think

Your Anti Freeze (also called ‘coolant’)

It has four jobs:

1.        It keeps the engine at a constant temperature

2.       It lubricates the water pump

3.       Cool the automatic transmission oil

4.       It provides heat for the heating vents.

For coolant (water) to work, it must be able to flow from the engine to the radiator and back.  Outside air passing through the radiator cools the ‘coolant’ inside the radiator. 

An anti freeze agent (ethyl glycol) was added to the coolant(water) to keep it from freezing.  Ethel glycol lowers the freezing point of water, which is important in the winter.  Additionally, it raises the boiling point of water, which is important in the summer.  Your water pump cannot pump steam so it is very important that the coolant doesn’t ‘boil.’

Your engine gets extremely hot from burning gasoline.  To maximize gas mileage, and reduce pollution, anti freeze needs to keep your engine at a predetermined temperature, normally 275 degrees Fahrenheit.   If the temperature of the anti freezes gets too hot, the air/fuel mixture will combust too soon, and if the temperature of the anti freeze is too low, the gas does not completely burn.

The temperature of the anti freeze is controlled with a thermostat.  Your car’s thermostat is NOT an on or off type of switch.  It can open up a little, or open up a lot depending upon how much cooling is needed.  Highway driving creates more heat than stop and go driving.

One of the reasons a car overheats is the thermostat does not open up or does not open up enough.  Either way, not enough coolant is allowed to pass through it to the radiator, so the coolant overheats.

If the thermostat stays open, the anti-freeze continuously circulates through the radiator, which means it takes a long time for the engine to heat up to its normal operating temperature.  This causes excess pollution, poor gas mileage, and increases the amount of time it takes for you to get heat out of the vents.

Some of the additives in your anti freeze lubricate the water pump and others prevent impurities from accumulating inside the radiator.  Many cars have engines made of cast iron and aluminum.  With two different types of metal in water (anti freeze), ions from one metal want to go to the other metal.  This causes pitting, and if the pitting gets very bad, the anti freeze escapes the engine through gaps created by this pitting.  Manufactures add a “Dielectric Inhibitor” to their anti freeze to prevent pitting.

A few years ago GM and others introduced a “Long Lasting” anti freeze.  The old standard anti freeze (green) is replaced every two years or every 24,000 miles which ever comes first.  GM’s long lasting anti freeze is colored ‘hot pink’ and Fords long lasting anti freeze is colored ‘yellow.’  Color is added to the anti freeze so we don’t confuse one with the other.  Long lasting anti freeze, we were initially told, is replaced every 5 years or 150,000 miles which ever comes first.  When long lasting anti freeze was introduced it was considerably more expensive then ‘regular’ anti freeze.  Now they cost me about the same.

Sounds good but…..  Under normal condition a small amount of water boils out of anti freeze.  It shouldn’t happen, but it does.  This will not create a problem with the old style green anti freeze.  However, if too much water boils out of long lasting anti freeze, the long lasting anti freeze solidifies inside the engine and radiator.  This prevents the flow of coolant through the engine and radiator causing the engine to overheat.  

The solid mass can be removed, but it is an expensive repair.  Years ago I met with a GM engineer and asked him about this problem. He said GM was aware of the problem, and to prevent this from happening, he said long lasting anti freeze should be changed every two years or every 24,000 miles which ever comes first. 

Transmission Oil

Transmission Oil

Transmission oil does two very important things.             

1.       Inside the torque converter it moves the power from your engine to your transmission.

2.       It lubricates your transmission.

Your transmission is the second most expensive part of your vehicle to replace.  The engine is the most expensive part to replace.  Oddly enough, I rarely replace engines, but I replace 6 to 8 transmissions each year.

It is in my professional opinion that you take good care of your transmission, and all you need to do is change the transmission oil.

Years ago there were two types of transmission oils.  Now it seems like there is a new one each month.   If your car was stuck on the side of the road, it would be okay to use the wrong to get you to the next exit.  As soon as possible, though, you need to have a mechanic flush out the old fluid and replace it with correct transmission oil.

The wrong transmission oil, in the short term, may cause your transmission to poorly change gears.  Years ago I did a pre-purchase inspection of a Honda.  The transmission had a slight hesitation changing gears.  Slight, but definitely noticeable.  I called my transmission rebuilder who had me check a few items on the transmission.  He told me he suspected the transmission had the wrong oil and suggested I remove the old oil refill the transmission with the correct transmission oil.  Sure enough, once I changed the oil, the transmission properly changed gears.  Luckily for the owner, I was told, the wrong oil would not cause abnormal wear and tear of the transmission.

In 1986, when I opened my repair shop, we changed the transmission oil by removing the transmission pan.  When the pan came down, about 3 to 4 quarts of oil came down with it.  Often making a big mess of my shirt and my shop floor.  Once the pan was removed I had access to the transmission oil filter which I changed before reassembling the pan and adding transmission oil.

Thanks to some mechanical genius, who saved many shirts and shop floors, we no longer change transmission oil this way.  I now connect my equipment to a transmission line which runs between the transmission and the radiator.  (Transmission oil is pumped to the radiator to cool it.  The anti freeze in the radiator and your oil never mix.  The transmission fluid has its own set of cooling coils inside the radiator.)  Once my equipment is connected to the transmission line, I start your car and the transmission oil is pumped into my equipment rather than the radiator. My equipment pumps an identical amount of oil back into the transmission. 

A transmission can hold up to 16 quarts of oil.  My newer equipment replaces 99% of the oil in your transmission.  The old way only replaced 3 to 4 of the oil in your transmission.

Some transmissions have an external transmission oil filter. These filters screw and unscrews just like an oil filter. 

Most manufacturers recommend changing the transmission oil every 36,000 miles or 3 years whichever comes first.  A few, very few, like VW recommend that you NEVER change the transmission oil.  Your owner’s manual is the best source for information about your car. 

If I use regular oil (non synthetic) how often should I change my engine oil?

Until recently manufacturers and independent repair shops said you should change your oil and filter every 3,000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first.  Recently, manufacturers have stated that the oil should be changed every 7500 miles under “Normal” conditions.

This “Normal” condition statement, in my mind, is a winnie clause.  I say this because of how manufacturers define ‘Normal.”  “Normal Conditions:” engine at operating temperature (What does that mean?) at highway speeds, and in a dust free environment. 

“Severe” condition is defined as: stop and go driving, trips of less than 10 miles, city driving, or extreme heat or cold.

Think about those two conditions…. Where in the USA will you be able to drive in “Normal Conditions?”  I can’t think of any, and for sure NOT in Chicago.

If you drive your car almost anywhere in the USA you will be driving in “Severe” conditions.  Therefore, you should change your oil and filter every 3,000 miles.

In Chicago I recommend you change your oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months. 

Because dirt in your oil can cause severe wear, you are safer changing the oil and filter

too often rather than not often enough.

Your oil is your engine’s cesspool system.  The oil filter stores a limited amount of dirt.  Once you exceed the limit, the oil and dirt bypasses the filter allowing the dirt to cycle throughout your engine.  Nobody knows how much dirt is in the oil, and how quickly it accumulates.  When you get an oil, lube, filter change, mechanics do not inspect the oil filter- we don’t have the equipment to do so, nor would you want to pay for that inspection.  Therefore, we do not know if you really need a filter, or if you waited too long before it was changed.  To prevent severe wear and tear in your engine, you are much better off changing the filter too often rather than not often enough.

Every once in a while I get a car whose oil is rarely changed.  In these cases, the oil has solidified inside the engine.  There are small passageways the oil needs to flow through to properly lubricate your engine.  When the oil solidifies it will not flow through these passageways causing premature engine failure.

Some newer models have a “variable cam shaft.”  Using a variable cam, engineers have been able to increase horse power without increasing the size of your engine.  Oil is used to ‘vary the camshaft.’  If you don’t change your oil often enough, or you use the wrong viscosity oil, the passageways to the variable camshaft ‘plug’ and the shaft doesn’t “Vary.”  This causes the ‘Engine’ light to come on. 

Changing the oil does NOT unplug the passageways.  The only way I know to unplug them is to put a thin metal rod, like a pipe cleaner, through these passageways. Sounds easy, but it is very expensive, and sometimes not even possible.

If you use the proper viscosity oil, and change it on a regular basis, you prevent clogging, and premature engine failure.

Your Engine Oil

There are two basic types of engine oils-Regular and synthetic.  Synthetic oil can be used in all cars, but regular oil cannot be used in cars which require synthetic oil. 

There are two other factors which differentiate oil:

Viscosity:  viscosity is a measure of the oil’s ability to flow.  As the temperature drops, oil tends to thicken like molasses, and as the temperature rises, oil tends to thin-out like water.  You need oil to flow through your engine when it is zero degrees outside and when it is 100 degrees outside. 

Oil manufacturers added chemicals to their oil so the oil maintains a consistent viscosity through a wide range of temperatures.  Oil companies label their oils, such as 5W30 or 05W20 so you/me know the viscosity.  The automobile manufacturers require specific viscosity oils for their cars. 

The lower number refers to the ability of the oil to properly flow at low temperatures, and the high number represents the ability of the oil to properly flow at high temperatures.  It would have been nice if those numbers represented degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit, but they do not.  In Chicago a “5” as the lower number is adequate all winter long.  In areas where the temperature gets well below zero, Valvoline makes a ‘0’ weight oil.  In Chicago a ‘30’ weight oil is adequate for our summers. 

For reasons not known to me, there are some cars which require 5W20 oils.  Even though the upper number is ’20,’ these oils are fine for Chicago summers.  The proper viscosity oil for car is always in the owner’s manual, and often found on the oil fill cap.  Most of the time, but not always, if your car needs synthetic oil it will say so under the hood.

The last of the equation is the version of the oil.  Oil companies have made tremendous advances in their oil.  When there is a change it is indicated by the letter following the viscosity range.  I don’t know the current letter.  I don’t need to know since I buy Valvoline oil and they always bring me the latest version.  The latest version can always be used in older cars, but you should not use older versions in newer cars.  If you buy oil from any respectable retailer you will be getting the latest and greatest version.  I point this out in the event a friend of yours offers you the oil which has been sitting on the shelf of his garage for the last 10 years.  This ten year old oil, may not be the best for your car.    

Other notes on oil:

The oil manufacturers add other chemicals to their oils.  They add a chemical which isolates water.  Without this additive the water would tend to cause rust inside your engine.  They add an anti-foaming agent.  Without this additive the oil would foam-up inside you engine.  This might sound cool, but your oil pump cannot pump foam, it can only pump a liquid.  And you would not be able to drive very long without being pumped insides your engine.  They have also added friction modifiers to increase gas mileage. 

Next week I will share with you why I recommend you change your ‘regular’ oil every 3,000 miles – and why the manufacturers might say something different, but add a weenie clause to their initial recommendation.

All About Your Car's Different Oils

Your car has many different oils; engine oil, transmission oil, power steering oil etc.  These oils are different.  While many people think auto manufacturers are dumb, which they might be, they are not stupid.  They would not stock different oils if two or more were the same.  The oils are different because they do different jobs, and they are exposed to different environments.  For example, engine oil is exposed to the high temperatures from the engine, while power steering fluid is not exposed to those conditions, so it doesn’t get nearly as hot as engine oil. 

Years ago I was told you could use transmission oil instead of power steering fluid.  If you were stuck on the side of the road, and you needed power steering fluid, you could use transmission fluid to continue your trip, but you’ll need to flush the power steering system as soon as possible.  If you were to run your power steering fluid with transmission oil, you would ruin the power steering components. 

There are many different types of transmission oils.  If you had to, you could use the wrong type of oil to get to the nearest auto repair shop.  Once there, you’ll need to flush the transmission, and then add the proper transmission oil.

Years ago I had a Honda which wouldn’t properly shift gears.  My transmission rebuilder said that was a common problem if the wrong transmission fluid was used.  He said he has fixed many Hondas which had this problem by just using the proper oil. 

There are many different viscosity oils on the market.  In a pinch you could add the wrong viscosity oil, but once again, as soon as possible you should do an oil change.   If you car uses synthetic oil, you should never used regular oil, but if your car uses regular oil you will not do any harm using synthetic oil.  More on this later. 

Of all the oils, the brake fluid is the one which deserves the most respect.  You cannot add anything but brake fluid to the brake fluid system.  NONE!  If you add the wrong fluid to the brake system you can ruin all the rubber seals in the brake system.  That means you will need to replace the brake calipers, master cylinder and the ABS system.  This will cost you over $1000.00.  It is so important I’m going to repeat myself.  Never, EVER, under any circumstances add anything but brake fluid to the brake system.

More on these oils next week.