| Maintenance |
| A well maintained vehicle speaks volumes about you as an owner. More importantly, it will not desert you when you need it most. Read on for tips on specifics. |
| Engine Oil: To prevent engine deterioration, it is imperative that the engine maintains the amount of oil it is programmed to receive. Negligence in this aspect will lead to a deteriorating engine performance, resulting in falling mileage. |
| Fuses: Most Indian cars are made with an integrated circuitry system that use fuses. Knowledge of the system would help when you are stranded due to a blown fuse. |
| Lights: It is important for the lights to be properly focused, for your own and for the oncoming vehicle's safety. Travel on low beam so that it does not obstruct your view instead of helping you along. |
| Tyre Pressure: The required amount of air pressure needs to be strictly maintained if your car is to get the right mileage and pick-up. |
| Water: If your engine uses water for cooling, take care to ensure that it is regularly changed. Water can also be used for cleaning the windshield. |
| Some other tips... |
Get your vehicle serviced only at authorized service stations |
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Check the engine oil level once every two weeks. Also check the levels of coolant and water in the radiator and battery. |
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Always use genuine spare parts. |
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Give your vehicle anti-rust coating before the monsoons. |
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Avoid accelerating and braking abruptly. |
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Shut off the engine whenever you expect to wait. |
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Drive at a moderate speed of 45-55 km/h to maximize fuel efficiency. |
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Use air-conditioning only when necessary. |
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Avoid riding on the clutch pedal, and release the clutch pedal fully while driving. |
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Maintain optimum air pressure in your tyre to improve mileage. |
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| A basic idea about Valves and Cylinder heads |
| Valves : The Passport offices of the engine, or the Valves, are usually made from an alloy, either as a mixture of steel and nickel, or steel and silicon. There are both inlet valves and exhaust valves, for the entry of fuel and release of the gases of combustion respectively. |
| Exhaust valves need to bear extremely high temperatures, of almost up to 815 degrees Celsius (1,000 degrees Fahrenheit) without incurring any damage. The positions is like that of a lock and key and the valve face must smoothly sit into the valve seat in the cylinder head to prevent any spilling out from the cylinder during the compression and power strokes. The movement of heat is across the face and seat of the valve and draining into the coolant passage. Due to the extra effort undertaken by the exhaust valve, they have helping hand in the form of a sodium coating that regulates the heat faster. The seating or joining angle is variable between either 30 deg. or 45 deg. There is of course the helping hand in the form of the valve guides in the cylinder head, which support the valve stems, made from a hardened cast iron. It comes in a bronze variety too. To control the amount of circulating oil, there are specially designed umbrella-type seal surrounding the valve stem. If the valve guides and seals are old and worn out, they will cause excessive oil consumption. The valve has a spring cap which holds it closed. |
| Valves are designed to rotate as they open and close, a rotation cap helps the valve to rotate. On aluminum cylinder heads, a spacer is usually located between the spring and the head recess. Many cylinder heads have one exhaust valve and one intake valve in each cylinder. Also there are engines with two intake and two exhaust valves in each cylinder are becoming increasingly popular. These engines also called as four-valve (4-V) engines. |
| HANDLE WITH CARE: Sodium will burn when it touches anything moist so even by mistake never cut open a sodium-filled exhaust valve. |
| Cylinder Heads : Traditionally cylinder heads were made from pure cast iron. However, modern engines are equipped with the more advanced aluminum cylinder heads. Since aluminum cylinder heads are much lighter than cast iron heads, they provide a significant weight saving and improved fuel economy. The cylinder head is fixed on top of the engine block. On overhead valve engines, the cylinder head contains the valves; it's guides, the springs, and rocker arm supports. There are combustion chamber recesses on the lower side of the head. Threaded openings in them attach to the spark plugs. The valve seats are located in the combustion chambers, with the valve guides above. Some valve guides are pressed into the cylinder head, but others are cast in continuum with the head. To keep the cool are the various coolant passages surrounding the combustion chamber and spark plug. |
