DIY: How to jump-start a flat battery

By NYC 8 hours ago

Every motorist has at one point or another in their driving history encountered the dreadful dead car battery. But fear no more, we’re here with help, and a quick lesson in how to jump-start your vehicle and be off on your way.

For many of us, dead batteries are a horrible encounter. You go to start your car’s engine, and are greeted only by the sound of a weak starter cranking, or worst, a ghostly silence after you’ve turned the key. Of course, there are many things that can result this way, but more commonly than any other reason, a weak battery is usually to blame. In that case, we’re here to help. Here’s how you jump-start a car.

Tools

• Jumper cables
•  A donor car

Steps

1. Line up the donor car whereby both batteries can be as close as possible.

2. Open the hood of both cars

3. With the donor car’s engine running, clamp one end of the jumper cable to the negative terminal of the donor battery, followed by the other end to the grounded vehicle’s engine block, usually the hoisting point.

Clamp both battery terminals of donor car

* Some recommend an equally effective method by connecting both batteries in parallel (negative-to-negative; positive-to-positive). But because hydrogen is one of the battery’s byproduct, some amount of gas may have leaked out in the case of a faulty battery, creating a risk of igniton should a spark be created during the connection.

For safety reasons, I selected to connect the negative cable to the engine

4. Next connect both positive battery terminals via the other jumper cable. Be careful not to have any of both ends come in contact with any other metal part.

 * There is no specific order of connecting either positive or negative terminals first as long as both do not some in contact with each other

5. Now try starting the vehicle. Once started, give it a few revs to make sure it does not stall

6. Disconnect both cables

Normally if the depleted battery is more than a year old, it is likely to have trouble storing the charged electricity. Unless, you are sure it was discharged unintentionally - e.g. leaving the headlights on when parked, it is best to have it replaced as soon as possible.

DIY: How to change your car’s battery

By NYC 1 week ago

Every car needs one

Thinking about a little DIY battery swap operation on your own? Don’t know how? Absolutely bored out of your mind and have a spare battery lying around? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you’ve come to the right place.

Our cars have 2 main sources for electricity, first is the battery, which supplies power as soon as its connected; and secondly an alternator which charges the battery while providing a constant slightly higher supply of electricity when the engine is running. Most batteries last a little more than a year, and when the time comes a replacement is unavoidable.

“What’s My Battery” by Century

Some battery manufacturers have online applications to help users identify the correct battery model according to the car. Of course a much simpler way is to bring the battery to the shop for a new unit of the exact same specification.

On top of that some shops will accept the depleted unit as trade-in, sparing you a few Ringgit while relieving you the effort of disposing it properly due to its hazardous contents. Here are some instructions on how to remove and reinstall a car battery for most cars.

Tools

• Anti-rust, eg. WD40, RP7 or homemade baking soda and water solution to clean the terminals
• Spanners, adjustable wrench or adjustable pliers for the connecting bolt and nut removal
• Rags or some old newspapers for cleaning

Removal

1. With engine turned off, loosen the bolt and nut on the negative terminal. You might need a spanner or plier to hold the other end at the beginning of the process
2. Lift the clamp off the terminal
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the positive terminal
4. Loosen the nuts of the holding-plate or bar that fastens the battery onto its base
5. If the battery has built in handles, use it to lift and remove the depleted battery. If otherwise, get a firm grip, preferably at its bottom with both hands before lifting it as the battery weighs a few kilograms.
6. Once the battery has been removed, clean both positive and negative clamps with anti-rust from oxidants, oil and rust.

Battery terminal clamp

New battery installation

1. With the location of both positive and negative terminal aligned, place the new battery firmly into its seating position.
2. Reinstall the holding-plate and make sure the battery is firmly held in place.
3. Slide in and tighten the positive clamp firmly over the positive terminal, before repeating it onto the negative terminal
4. Spray some anti-rust onto the terminals as a protective layer against oxidation. Some people might suggest coating them with a layer of white lithium grease for the same purpose.
5. Lastly place the terminal cover over the positive clamp and terminal if available.

Picture from Century Battery Malaysia

Car tips: How to save fuel on long journeys

By Chris Aaron 10 hours ago

Roadtrips! We all love going on a roadtrip but the increasing fuel cost can put a damper on our mood so we end up giving a bunch of excuses when it comes to a long distance journey.

*Words and pictures by Nooralia Zaharin

To ease your burden we’ve got 5 fuel saving tips that can help you improve your car’s fuel economy and take some of the sting out of high fuel prices.

1. Pump up the volume; and those tyres.

This is going to sound really corny but proper tyre inflation beats inflation. The correct tyre pressure is essential to getting the best mileage out of every tank of fuel in your car. Remember this: 20 per cent of every full tank is burned up via frictional losses just to push the tyres across the asphalt.

This percentage climbs dramatically if your tyres are improperly inflated. It’s best to check the pressure when the tyres are cold, but more importantly, make it a habit to inflate them when you fill up your petrol tank before a long journey.

If your tyres are hot when you’re pumping them, add a couple of bars (psi) more to the pump to make up for the expanded hot air in the tyres. And remember, if you car is equipped with a spare tyre in the boot, make use it’s pumped too.

2. Drive smoothly

Traffic jams are the worst culprits for elevated fuel consumption. Stop / start driving is one of the greatest enemies of fuel efficiency because when the average speed of your vehicle changes from 40kmh to 20kmh, the fuel consumption will decrease by 30 per cent.

That’s why your car always records its best mileage when you’re cruising on the open highway so if at all possible, try to avoid situation that requires a lot of stop and go driving, but if you’re unable to, then be gentle on the accelerator pedal. Avoid harsh acceleration, and be as smooth as possible on the pedal.

3. Remove weight

Take note that 3 per cent of fuel will be saved for every 100kg of less weight. So if you’re able to lighten the load of your car, the engine has less of a load to push around and hence uses less fuel.

Whenever possible, do a spring cleaning on your car; remove all the stuff you hardly use from its interior and boot, you’ll be amazed how much junk your car accumulates and even more surprised how much all this weighs.

4. Constant velocity

It takes more fuel to get a car rolling to 110kmh, than it does to keep it rolling at 110kmh, therefore, get your car to its top gear as quickly as possible without over-revving it, and try to maintain a constant speed. You’ll even notice that your revs drop significantly despite driving at a decent clip.

For a car with automatic transmission, the on-board shift computer will figure out the best time to shift gears for you, but for cars with a manual tranny, refer to your owner’s handbook to see at which rpm your car makes its optimum power. If it’s say 3500 or 4000rpm, shift gears 500rpm before that, because anything after is just a waste of petrol.

5. Proper maintenance

Just as how your body would not function properly without proper rest, sustenance and exercise, your car will not perform at its best if improperly maintained. And yes, because the one thing that keeps it moving is petrol, your car will burn more of it unnecessarily to keep itself running if it’s not in the best shape.

Regular maintenance and proper care are essential to getting the best performance from your car, not just in terms of power, but fuel efficiency as well. In addition to getting your car serviced regularly, fortnightly DIY checks are also recommended, if only to check fluid levels. Always see to warning lights that appear on your dashboard warning you about something, and remember, the longer you ignore it, the more expensive it’s going to be.