Company Affair

It can be a really scary thing when you start your Ford Expedition in the morning and billows of smoke come pouring out of the tailpipe. It is only worse if there is also a puddle of oil or transmission fluid under the vehicle too. These are signs of a blown gasket, and can mean big trouble for your car and will need immediate attention.

The purpose of the head gaskets is to seal the combustion chambers so that there is no loss of high temperature exhaust gases and to block any oil or coolant from leaking into the chambers. The tricky part about this is having a seal that is tight enough to prevent the gases from escaping, but usually once there is a leak, the easiest way to check it is to look for oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil as they will soon start to mix. To do this, make sure you look in your Ford Expedition repair manual for instructions. Usually, when either the oil or the coolant leaks into the other chamber it will often turn to steam. This is what makes up the while cloud that pours out of the vehicle. The head gasket breaking can mean the end of your engine, so it is best to make sure you look into it as soon as you notice a sign.

There are usually only three reasons a gasket would bust. Poor engine design is one of them, and is something that you should talk to the manufacturer about. If they are unwilling to help you, you may be able to contact a lawyer about the malfunction. Improper gasket installation is another possibility and in that case, if you went to a good mechanic to install the gasket he should have it covered by warranty and be willing to install a new one. If your gasket came with the vehicle, you should be able to talk to the dealer, or the manufacturer about the malfunction. The last reason is one you can control, and that is overheating your engine. You can look in your repair manual to find out some of the causes that would overheat your car. If this is your reason, you have no one to blame other than yourself.

Please remember that a Ford Expedition repair manual will be different from a Chevrolet s-10 repair manual. I have a friend who blew out a gasket treating his Ford like a Chevrolet.

During the years I lived in Chicago, I owned two different vehicles, a small sized Chevy Geo Tracker, and a full sized Ford Expedition.  I must say that the car you drive through the winter will make a huge difference.  The Tracker was an extremely light vehicle, and the soft top was affected by the winds in just about the same way a boat sail is affected.  This led to some somewhat precarious and scary situations.  I no longer had my repair manual for the track, just the two manuals for my roommates cars, a Pontiac Sunfire repair manual and a Chevrolet Cavalier repair manual.

Both of these manuals suggested adding extra weight to my Tracker so I went and bought about two hundred pounds of rock salt.   I immediately noticed the difference, and I knew I could use the salt in the future if necessary to melt the ice and the snow.  Front wheel drive is better that back wheel drive, and the best case is a four wheel drive, which is what I had for the next winter.  This was a dream come true, as that was the year I got snowed in one night, and I do not think my Tracker would have been able to get out, but now I had a Ford Expedition, repair manual and all.

Aside from being a heavier car and the convenience of the four wheel drive, my Expedition was automatic transmission, and this was one aspect of the two cars that I had no idea would make such a big difference.  The Tracker was a stick shift, and combined with the stopping and starting on busy Chicago streets and the snow and ice, sometimes my wheels would just spin.  The ease of the automatic shifting removed that annoyance and that danger.  I was not very well informed, the Expedition was just a very good deal, and one that I was fortunate to luck into.

Years ago, it was customary for myself and few friends to frequent a small fishing town, San Felipe, on the Baja Strip of Mexico.  This was a relatively long trip from Phoenix, Arizona…about 8 or 9 hours in all, most of that time spent driving on a deserted high way through a deserted section of the Mexico desert. We were always prepared for minor break downs, bringing along our small engine repair manuals, flashlights, spare hoses and belts and of course, spare tires.  This was a caravan of friends, each driving in cars and jeeps, and one friend on his ,motor cycle.  Manuals on how to fix things in the middle of nowhere were a necessary item on all of our camping supply lists.

All of the trips had their own stories, and one of those stories happened on the 4th of July.  We were camping on a relatively quiet section of the beach, whereas usually we camped on the main beach.  It was a bit nerve wracking to sleep in tents, while all terrain vehicles were flying by, driven by people who had been ‘celebrating’ a bit too much.  So my boyfriend and I, not finding sleep decided to walk down the the beach.  We came upon a few locals, who had tied a rope to the rear axle of their older model Ford pick-truck.  They were intending to sit there all night, holding the truck from falling down the sand dune, onto the beach and into the Sea of Cortez. They had no cell phone and consequently had no way to get a hold of a tow truck.

One of the men had borrowed the truck from the another, and drove it with a broken front axle onto the sand dune.  We spoke enough Spanish to figure this out.  Lacking the necessary knowledge on do it yourself auto repair, we offered one of the men a ride to town so that his neighbor could come and tow the truck back home.  Our reward, fresh seafood.  We brought it back to the campsite, and had a feast as the tow truck driver pulled the Ford to safety.  That was one of the most memorable trips we ever took, South of the border but right where we should have been.

Anyone who has lived in a region wherein snow storms are a common occurrence in the winter time, knows that there are not many things more beautiful, than freshly fallen snow.  For driving conditions however, this can created challenges.  During one particular snow storm in 2004 in the US city of Chicago, the snow feel so fast and so hard, that twenty minutes commutes turned into two hour nightmares, and many drivers with cars not equipped with the high performance Toyo tire,  (a general tire company with a vast array of discount tires to choose from) were left with no other recourse than to simply leave their cars on the sides of the highways.

Drivers of various ability can have a difficult time navigating their vehicle on snow piled streets.  There are a few winter driving skills and techniques that can make this a less daunting tasks, ways to avoid spinning out, skidding or car wrecks.  As well as getting out of parallel parking situations in which one has literally been buried in by the snow plow.  Icescrapers and brushes are an absolute necessity for one thing.

And not only does one need to remove the ice and snow from the windows of the car, it is necessary to remove it from the headlights and the tail lights.  It is necessary to make certain to remove all of it from the windows, not something one may have patience for when it is terribly cold and the snow is freezing one’s hands.  Visibility is so limited when all of the snow is not removed, and in some cases a police officer will write tickets out to those who did not take the time to comply with the safety measures.

Another fact is that snow will be least likely to stick on clean windows, should the storm continue, than on windows that are left with patches of it.  It is also imperative to keep an eye on the washer fluid, and to make certain that is the kind of fluid that is meant for thede -icing of windows.  This is a huge help when while driving, the snow begins to fall again.   It is not terribly frightening to drive in a storm, when one is confident that their vehicle is in top form, and is aware of the necessary precautions.

Car tires. Every American driver has four of them and when it comes time to replace them it can be costly. But what happens to those tires that you get rid of? Tires can be recycled but it is costly and difficult to do so. So here’s a glimpse of how they get rid of your old truck wheels.

On the nice end, some tires end up on the playground. They are shredded and used to make the rubber surface that you can find on some playgrounds. But not many tires meet this kind of fun end. Most end up in land fills or into factories that have to burn them, which is not too nice for the environment.

So to reduce your environmental impact when it comes to tires, you should make sure not to need to replace your tires very often. It’s all about tire maintenance. You need to make sure your tires have proper pressure and alignment and have them rotated often.

There are websites like Earth911.com where you can find places in your area where you can take your tires to be recycled. You can even turn old tires into a fashion accessory with Vulcana. The company makes shredded tire handbags and other accessories. What an eco-statement!

I bet you didn’t know the rubber that surrounded your truck rims could be so important in how it effects the environment. If you are considering getting new tires, think about if you really need them, or if you can make your tires last longer. You never know, it may just be that your tires are not properly inflated or just need to be aligned. Also think about just having your tires rotated to get the most out of your tires.

Think about how your tires are impacting the environment, it’s a worthy worry.

Michelin has come up with an airless see through tire that they hope will be out for consumers in the next year or two. What does this mean?

* no more air valves…
* no more air compressors at gas stations…
* no more repair kits…
* no more flats…

Michelin’s revolutionary new “Tweel” is a combination of tire and wheel that rides on rubber permanently attached to flexible spokes fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock.

Wikipedia has this to say about the Tweel:
“Potential benefits of the Tweel include the obvious safety and convenience of never having flats. Also, the concept has the potential for true performance gains. Eventually it may be able to outperform conventional tires and wheel packages since it can be designed to have high lateral strength (for better handling) without a loss in comfort since the design of the spokes allows the vertical and lateral stiffness to be tuned independently. Because the tread around the circumference would be disposed of when worn as opposed to a whole tire, the environmental impact should be less.

The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on an Audi A4, is within five percent of both the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires which means the fuel economy should be within one percent of the OE fitment. Additionally, the test tire on the demonstration Audi has lateral stiffness five times that of the OE tire, providing exceptionally responsive handling.

The Tweel does have several flaws, however, the worst being vibration. Above 50 mph, the Tweel vibrates considerably. That in itself is a big problem, but it also causes two other things: noise and heat. A fast moving Tweel is unpleasantly loud [Source: CBS News]. Also, long-distance driving at high speeds generates more heat than Michelin engineers would like, which might lead to premature failure. Additionally, the Tweel can also withstand a police spike strip, making it hard for law enforcement to catch a suspect with Tweels.”

The East Riding of Yorkshire is an area of England situated in the county of Yorkshire. It is also known as North Humberside and East Yorkshire. It ranges from the Yorkshire Wolds in the north, to the North Sea in the east, and from the River Humber in the south, to the River Derwent in the west. It’s area borders South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.  Major cities and towns include Kingston upon Hull, Selby, Doncaster, Ryedale, York and Scarborough.

The East Riding of Yorkshire has some beautiful scenery and so it is a great place to travel through.  If you are visiting the area you may decide to rent a vehicle.  If you are a resident to may want to seek out an East Riding car dealer. Hiking and rambling are also popular activities in the area.  And in coastal areas there is fishing and other water sports to attract your attention.

Truck accessories are a great way to make a vehicle a personal statement. There are plenty of ways to make this happen, and many different accessories to use. Yet, perhaps the most important part of the process is having the right pieces for your truck. I regularly check out my Chevrolet Silverado’s owner’s manual, which you can find at the website for any information I need.

For my work truck, I use ladder racks as a must have accessory. You just have to have it to provide yourself with safe storage as needed. Then again, I like to give a bit of personalization to the truck too. To do this, like to use chrome accessories. Chrome just speaks to me and it looks great against the dark blue truck I have.

It gives you the tools you need, of course, but it also gives the truck some character and personality. There are plenty of accessories to choose from today, too. You’ll find a wide range of sizes and styles. Truck accessories need to be selected with care, so that each one fills your needs and gives off that personal charm. I’ll continue to update my truck with accessories each year.