Friday, May 31, 2013

Double Jeopardy Feds Wont Rule Out Second Fine For Toyota


Despite levying (and receiving) a record fine from Toyota for failing to promptly report issues with sticking gas pedals, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wont rule out additional fines for the same offense.

LaHood made those comments in Japan, with Akio Toyoda standing next to him.

Toyota paid the $16.4 million without admitting to the governments accusation, and said it did so to avoid "a protracted dispute".

But that apparently put blood in the water for the feds to smell. LaHood says by paying the fine, Toyota accepted responsiblity for the violation.

Full details from Automotive News.




Wednesday, May 29, 2013

New Car Review 2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport



Black 2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport front 3/4 view parked
The 2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport.
When I first started professionally TireKicking (reviewing automobiles) 15 years ago, things were pretty predictable. Most of the major manufacturers made sure one of every model they sold wound up available at least once a year. Sometimes more often. If a model was long in the tooth and about to be replaced, it might skip a year. But by and large, you could pretty much count on yearly refreshers.

As the economy got more challenging, manufacturers got a bit more selective...sometimes only putting vehicles into the press fleet that were all-new, significantly refreshed or that had added some bit of standard or optional equipment that had not previously been available.

And then theres the Honda Ridgeline. I first drove one seven years ago...the summer it was introduced. It was also the last time I drove one. Thats right...somehow, the Ridgeline has sat out six years worth of local press fleet duty...until now.










2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport
The 2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport rear and side view.
Honda has pretty much left the Ridgeline alone all this time. The differences between the 2006 and 2012 models are largely cosmetic and even those are extremely subtle. The Ridgeline was a bit of an odd duck in the summer of 05 (it was an early 06 model...introduced in March)...a smaller-scale Chevy Avalanche with a carlike demeanor, one medium-powered V6 engine and decent fuel economy.

Today? Well, the world has caught up with the Ridgeline in a lot of respects. It now seems an infinitely more sensible vehicle than the Avalanche...in the same way that the Pilot now is more in tune with the times than the Tahoe.

Price certainly works in the Ridgelines favor. The new for 2012 Sport model was the one Honda sent our way for a week, and its MSRP is $29,995. That is also (save for an $810 delivery charge) where the price sticker ends. Ours came with zero options. The Sport model includes black 18-inch alloy wheels, a black honeycomb grille with black surround, black headlight housings and black taillight housings (pass on the Sport model and the RT costs only a bit less, at $29,350).

The 3.5 liter six makes 250 horsepower and is paired to a five-speed automatic. EPA estimate is 15 city/21 highway. Theres a heavy duty automatic transmission cooler, four-wheel drive, four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension and a heavy duty power steering cooler.

It accelerates briskly, handles well, rides nicely. And the storage space below the bed is a major plus. If it were being introduced today, we might be using terms like "re-thinking the modern pickup truck".



The 2012 Honda Ridgeline interior
The 2012 Honda Ridgeline interior.
Its behind the wheel where you find that while the world has caught up with the Ridgeline in some ways, its blown right past it in others. The dash design and textures are clearly from last decade. The column-shift automatic too easily lands in "2" when you want "D"...which you discover a minute or so later when you see that 55 miles per hour is getting you 4,000 RPM on the tach.

And no matter how much money you spend, you cant buy connectivity in the RT, Sport or RTS model. A USB connection? Not available in any Ridgeline. Bluetooth? Only if you go all the way to the top-of-the-line RTL with navigation...which starts at $37,280.

If you want any other Ridgeline, you can play your iPod/iPhones music through the perfectly adequate 6-speaker AM/FM/CD unit (SiriusXM is also reserved for the RTL), but you cant charge it via USB and youre stuck with aftermarket solutions for hands-free phone calls. Not a big deal for some folks...but a very big deal for others. And with hands-free becoming a legal requirement in many states, I tend to view Bluetooth as a must. The number of cars Ive tested in the past year that dont have it I could count on one hand.  If the Ridgeline is going to soldier on (rumors of a new one for 2016 abound), then its time to make the relatively small investment behind the dash to add Bluetooth and USB capability.

How to Take Care Car Radiator

Car Radiator
Car engine ignition system in working with the hot conditions. Combustion of gasoline in the combustion chamber generates heat that will produce mechanical energy to drive the piston and rotate cruck as (crank shaft) and then channeled to the wheels.

The more heat engine, the more efficiently it works. But the heat is limited by the heat resistance of the piston and head are usually made of aluminum or cast iron dai. Most machines today are designed to work optimally at normal working temperature of about 195-2200 F, ideal hot conditions that will generate maximum performance and fuel consumption are ideal.

When experiencing a overheated engine, the first thing that happens is the engine feels ngelitik or coughing, and began to lose power. This is caused by a combination of heat and pressure that exceeds the engine room of our fuel octane. The combination was able to cause severe damage to pistons, piston rings, and rod bearings. Additionally, excess heat and pressure can bend the head, especially those made of aluminum.

What the hell, the cause of overheating? Radiator could be because the content is less, leaks in the radiator and radiator hoses and water-jacket (in the engine cooling water channels) filled with dirt. Thermostat can also be triggered by conditions that do not mebuka maximum cap, water pump does not work optimally, the radiator cap which was ugly then an extra fan to death.

If this happens, check the thermostat. The working principle is to drain the water thermostat at an ideal temperature, 80-90 degrees Celsius. So this thing will open and drain the water to circulate from the engine coolant to the radiator so the engine temperature is optimally maintained.

How to check it out, boil the thermostat until the temperature reaches 80-90 degrees Celsius. When opened, the normal means. But when opening partially or even not open at all, please replace with new.

No harm in seeing conditions thermoswitch. Usually mounted on the radiator. This sensor will work at a temperature of 80-90 degrees Celsius and will turn on the extra fan to cool the radiator. If you see any problems, try to boil the water reaches a temperature of 80-90 degrees Celsius, Measure its resistance with a multimeter. The resulting figure should be zero which means it works well.

Next, check the extra fan. See if an extra fan to work properly. If necessary replace the fans with extra blades more weeks to get a better cooling effect. Check also if the radiator cap is still in good shape, because the pressure is reduced as a result of a bad radiator cap to suppress boiling point of water cooling.

Water pump works to download Circulate the water from the engine to the radiator, usually the blades on the water pump gradually eroded, until his work was not optimal. After that, check the radiator grille. Objects made of aluminum that serves as a coolant. Make sure that the radiator is not clogged, the radiator can be brought into service to be scraped or cleaned.

Water Jacket is a water channel in the machine that serves to drain the water that will cool the engine. Use a radiator flush to clean the crust that accumulates in the water jacket. (*)

Tips:
  1. Combine the water with the radiator coolant. Could be 50/50 or 70/30 mix of maximum.
  2. Note the sign lights overheating.
  3. Stop the vehicle, parked until normal conditions return.
  4. Do not force run the vehicle if the lights lit overheat.
  5. Never remove the thermostat.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Podiums with his own hands the WHA in 2114

The idea of ??every car enthusiast who likes to spend time upgrading my car, wants to wants to give your car unique. Tuning is generally considered a matter of troublesome, but when the result exceeds all expectations, then spent it already does not care. For those who have not yet faced with the installation of sound system in the car, it is necessary to clarify that midbasa at the front podium - is the main part of the entire audio system. In this case we are interested in installing a podium in a car VAZ 2114. The challenge for playing high-quality sound, you need to install the speakers at the correct angle. To this end, the entire area of ??the wooden podium will be deposited makrofleks, and then he pasted frame with glass. Materials for making the podium will need the following materials: plywood, 8 mm thick with an area of ??0.8 sq. m. thick cardboard hardboard fiberglass thickness of 0,25 mm and an area of ??2 square meters, uglelenta epoxy putty EHP polyester with glass emery cloth with a rubber holder cutter plasticine PVA glue spray makrofleksa screws nails rubber gloves Safety work should be performed in thick rubber gloves. Work to determine the size of a podium carved layout of the paper. Then, focusing on the layout of plywood with the cutter sawed the bottom of the podium, the range for the most dynamic and lateral struts on which it will be fixed. In order for the final assembly of the podium was easier to customize the details of the size, preferably all components of the cut immediately in duplicate. Then, using PVA glue and nails, he is going to the podium. The inner diameter of the ring to do with the stock and let it be outside butt. Pocket can be drunk from plywood, and you can use already available. It should be just unscrew from the hull and podpilit that it accurately adjoined to the bottom of the podium. The whole construction fill makrofleksom. Layer should be thin, otherwise it will be a long time to dry. After drying process the outer layer: First, cut away all the excess and then oshkurivaem and the podium is almost ready. Now combine the frame at the base of the whole area. To do this, cut out of hardboard one additional item, the so-called rear panel. If this item is missing, try to increase the thickness by means of thick cardboard. Attach the resulting "flat" to the plywood with glue PVA .. Then, using putty and a putty knife to give details of the status of a whole. Again, wait until dry and again oshkurivaem medium grit sandpaper. Before installing ready-made podiums can be painted or vinyl obtyanut and the work is completed. Despite the result that the finished equipment VAZ 2114 does not imply the existence of a powerful speaker system, with adequate tools and imagination, a Russian man will not give in to the seeming at first glance, a daunting task. The owners of domestic cars will always find a way out and from the car will be heard loud music.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Nissan Silvia S15 Service Manual



Download Free - Silvia S15 Service manual

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Painting drive their own hands

To make your car look bright and different from other machines, you should paint the car drives. After all, we all dream though slightly different from the others. Painted wheels make your car and deliver it to a spectacular brightness on the road. This procedure is very simple, with which everyone can handle. However, the painting of discs requires detailed and careful preparation. The most important thing - to do everything carefully and patiently. Painted wheels better than most, because: you do what you want and like to save as much money, approximately three times. Moreover, having painted wheels of your car yourself, you learn something new. Initially, you need to buy all the materials for painting. They can be purchased at any hardware store. You will need: - two cans of primer - paint four cans - primer - sand paper, (small, medium and coarse) of each of two rolls - three cans of paint - the solvent is a balloon - foil 2 square meters. meter. Film must purchase in order to lay a place to work. Because it could kick up dust, which will ruin your mask and paint. We add that it is very important to acquire materials of one firm to avoid not overlapping, ie rejection of materials. If the primer is light, it drives better than to paint it black, and if the primer is dark, then it is better wheels painted in bright colors. Proceed to prepare disks for painting. Take the wheels, wash them with all the dirt and clean the sandpaper. First, coarse sandpaper, then medium, then fine, make sure you get the perfect surface. Next, thoroughly wash your wheels and degrease them with solvent. Put them in the place prepared for painting. Before we get down to business, cans with primer and paint should be slightly warmed, for example, put them not in direct sunlight. This must be done to perfect the materials lay on the surface of the disc. Now the wheels have to be primed. Apply a thin layer of primer is needed, with an estimated distance of 30 cm, and in the process to move along the radius of the disks. You must then wait 5 minutes, until the primer is not seized, and leave the discs around day dry out completely. After drying, it should be with water and sandpaper to remove any remaining roughness. Everything should work out perfectly straight. Next you can begin to paint discs. In the last stage is painted. You need to repeat the same steps that you did in the previous stage, only this time with paint. Painted wheels should be at intervals of five minutes and apply a thin layer. After the paint dries, drives to lacquering. This should be done at a distance of 40 centimeters. Now, wait an hour to paint dry. Well, perhaps all, painting drive your car over. After painting, disks must be insisted about a week, and then you can safely use the machine. The whole process will cost you $ 35 in car repair, this painting would have cost you $ 150.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Repair their own hands Gearbox VAZ

Before removing the gearbox from the car VAZ first need to install it on a rack or a viewing hole. Fix a car with recoil pad. Before starting work merge of gearbox oil, to prevent it from filling. To this end, turns away the cork in the bottom of the crankcase, first established by his capacity for oil. Disconnect lever gearbox. To do this in the car pripodyav rubber boot lever and pressing a screwdriver locking sleeve, remove the sleeve from the slot and pull the lever. Do not try to remove the lever by removing the locking nut as it can be broken. Omit the parking brake lever to its lowest position, and by removing the two screws on the cover handbrake lever, remove it from the lever. After removing the front mat car, remove the two screws attaching the cover to the floor and remove it. Coming off a battery disconnect negative lead. From the sensor switch reversing lamps located on the right side of the gearbox disconnect the wires. Disconnect the speedometer drive shaft flex, and if a car equipped with an electronic device, then disconnect from the speed sensor connector. Remove soft tube, the transfer warm air to the air filter housing. Turns the starter mounting bolts to the clutch cover, and remove it. Unplug the fastenings to the body of the muffler, disconnect additional silencers. Unscrewing the nut intake pipe muffler to the exhaust manifold, remove the bottom receiving tube car. Remove the bracket safety driveline and removing bolts elastic coupling to the flange of the gearbox, take them out one by one. Disconnect the drive shaft, together with an elastic sleeve on the gearboxes, took him aside. Removing bolts clutch cover, remove the spring washer. Bringing into focus the gearbox, remove the nut of the cross all the way to the body, clear the puck. Now carefully take out the stress and adhere to the gearbox, which drops down. Emphasis now fix the front part of the powertrain. Turns away the upper mounting bolts clutch housing to a motor vehicle. This operation is very inconvenient and it would require cardan joints and extensions. Remove the spring washer. Then he turns away the lower crankcase bolts, and also remove the washer that will interfere if you disconnect the gearbox from the powertrain. Following procedure should be performed with an assistant, as the gearbox has enough weight and it can not hold and damage. The assistant will hold the rear portion of the box. Moving the gearbox first car back before the primary shaft of the clutch, and then down to remove it. Should not rely on the input shaft diaphragm spring clutch, what would they do not deform. Set on a new car or repaired gearbox in reverse order.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Cabin car doors with their hands

Edging doors of your vehicle is fully applicable to the changes that have impacted positively on the aesthetic rather than functional status of the car. This is done primarily to please the eye motorist, and of course those who are in the car. Often lining car doors make for increased noise insulation properties. At first glance it may seem that most sheathe the door - still quite quick and simple thing, but it is not so. After all, no wonder there are so many services that deal with skin. Attach to a standard door and sticking a piece of it - is far from meaning to sheathe the door. However, to assert that sheathe the car door with his hands, too, should not be impossible. This process will require you to have enough free time, the necessary materials, tools and, of course, a creative approach that would make some kind of punch line, a piece that makes your car does not look like their brothers of iron. It is the latter features a trim doors with his hands on the same process in a specialized studio or service, even a very elite. For covering the door is most commonly used leather, whether it be a natural material or a good substitute. The most essential feature to be selected for cladding material - sufficient ductility, it is necessary to avoid not want wrinkles and sagging skin. Also, care must be taken and the presence of foam, if you certainly want to improve the sound insulation upgraded doors. Of course, you will need glue, which also requires little choice - the glue should not eat the skin, and especially the foam. Often on the casing of the door thinking motorists who purchase a powerful sound system. The question arises as to place correspondingly more powerful speakers in the doors, usually the front. For this we have apart cladding material to prepare the material of which will be made the podium for the speaker, most often in this role serves thick plywood or particle board. To facilitate the construction of manufactured catwalk to drill a large number of holes that would not affect the structural strength. To not make the podium entirely of wood (it is very difficult and time consuming) use construction foam, which is applied in the framework of the podium, and after it dries cut it too much quantity, grind. Thin plywood or hardboard is not suitable, since they are prone to various changes in form, whether bending or swelling. It certainly will affect the appearance of the date of the car's interior, and, exactly, no one is happy. So far one of the key values ??is the quality of select materials. Perhaps this is the most crucial moment, as in the preparatory work and in the skin of doors in general. Job of covering the doors in the home (garage) conditions, it is more convenient to hold together, because often there will be a need for something to hold, tighten, fix, and so on. We should not forget that not everything can happen at once and, ideally, be patient. The adage about the first pancake is not born from scratch. However, about the fact that nothing is impossible to forget, too, should not be.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

2012 Nissan Sunny Side Review

2012-Nissan-Sunny-Side - Concept and Release

At the 8th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. unveiled an all-new sedan model “Sunny”. The Nissan Sunny was first introduced in China in 2003 and was significant as the first locally built model from the new Dongfeng Nissan partnership.

The all-new Nissan Sunny is expected to appeal to young
families in their 30s looking for a medium sized sedan that combines a dynamic upscale design with the space, quality and features associated with the Sunny and Nissan brand. The 2012 model projected class leader in fuel economy.