OVERHEATING IN CARS

Last week Friday I hanged out with some of my friends and had a lot of fun but on our way home one of my friend car started to overheat while we were waiting for the temperature of his car to cool down it started to rain all we could do was to sit put and chat during our conversation I could not help but notice that he kept calling is mechanic to ask what he could do so I thought to myself if my friend does not know what to do when is car overheated that means a lot of people out there does not know what to do too.
So that why this posting is about proper diagnose of overheating and what you should do.
First:
Check if there is enough coolant in the radiator? Don't just look inside the plastic overflow bottle, but remove the radiator cap (when the engine is cold) and look inside the radiator. You should be able to physically see the fluid level if it is at its proper level. Most cars and trucks will hold 1 ½ - 2 gallons of coolant and water mixture. If you have to add more than a pint of fluid you should have the cooling system pressure tested for a leak. If you see any obvious fluid loss on the ground or in the engine compartment, you should also have the system tested for leaks.
Second:
If no coolant leak or low fluid level is present, then determine when the overheating complaint occurs if the engine overheats while at a stop or idle only:
Most front wheel drive cars use an electric cooling fan motor located in front or behind the radiator. The function of the cooling fan is to improve airflow across the radiator at stops and low speeds. The fan is controlled by sensors that regulate the engine temperature and additional load that might be placed on the engine.
The air conditioning compressor will require the cooling fan to operate at idle as long as the compressor is on. A quick way to check the cooling fan operation is to turn on the air conditioner. The cooling fan should come on with the air conditioner compressor. Some cars will have two electric fans, one is for the radiator and the other is the air conditioner condenser fan. Usually the radiator fan is closer to the middle of the radiator. The radiator fan is responsible for engine cooling, and the condenser fan is responsible for increasing air conditioning efficiency at idle and low speed.
If your vehicle does not have an electric cooling fan on the radiator it will have a belt driven fan blade and fan clutch. This fan should be pulling a large amount of warm to hot air across the radiator onto the engine. What you want to determine with either fan situation is that there is ample airflow across the radiator at idle. The radiator is the primary heat exchange for the engine, and airflow is crucial.
When the engine overheats while at high speeds on the freeway?
Again, airflow and coolant circulation are crucial. At 100km/h we can assume you have ample airflow across the radiator, so proper coolant circulation is the thing to inspect. Let’s compare overheating at 100km/h to jogging with a sock in your mouth. The faster and longer you jog, the more air you are going to require, and with a sock in your mouth you are going to have to breath extra hard to maintain the proper amount of air to keep you going. At 100km/h the water pump is pumping a large amount of hot coolant throughout the cooling system.
If there is a restriction in the system like a kinked radiator hose, a restricted radiator, or a stuck thermostat, it will produce the same affect as the sock in the mouth scenario. Rust and water calcification can accumulate in the radiator and drastically reduce the flow of coolant at high speeds. Removing the radiator from the vehicle for disassembly and cleaning or radiator replacement are the only two real cures for a clogged radiator.
Using a can of "radiator flush" additive might help as preventive maintenance, but will probably just be a waste of time and money trying to correct a restricted radiator.

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Autonomous Cars

Millions of drivers all over the world drive millions of miles to different destination and this have been the case since the cars took over from horses. Now there are faster cars with smooth, lovely driving experience and comfort. When thing go wrong it can be disastrous that’s why for some years now automobile engineers have been working on autonomous cars (cars that can driver themselves).
There have been predictions that autonomous car will be on every streets before the end of the decade starting will taxicabs.
These cars will obey all traffic rules.
They will take the most efficient routes and drive through city traffic without any problem.
They will be able to determine the seed of other cars on the road and communicate with them
Most importantly get the passengers in the cars to their destination safely.
Technology that is already available
Ford and Toyota have self – parking systems installed in some of their cars.
Mercedes vehicles steer themselves to keep you in your lane.
Volvos hit the brakes for you when a collision is inevitable.
Some vehicles have night – vision technology that uses heat sensors to detect other beings in drivers path when their driving.
So In the nearest future we should be expecting a safer and more efficient ride.

Hybrid cars in Nigeria

I once told a friend of mine that I saw an electric car at Maryland area of Lagos and he said I was lying. His argument was there is no way anybody in Nigeria would buy an electric car because we do not have constant electricity so how would they charge it for eight hours when the battery is low? And how come is always the one that sees this entire thing with no one to be my witness?
Now the car I saw at Maryland that day was a Honda insight which is a hybrid car and that means I was half right and my friend was wrong because a hybrid means the combination of two things so the car I saw is powered by both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. That means an electric car is in Nigeria regardless of the power situation.
Now how does the electric part of the car get charged to full power when it’s low? That’s the beauty of a hybrid it charges itself so you do not need constant electricity or wait up to eight hours for it to be completely charged.
HOW HYBRID CARS WORK
There are different types of hybrid and I do not want to behave like Mr. know it all so I had to go Wikipedia and Ehow to know more about hybrid cars and I got this below
Petroleum Fuel Engine Assistance
This model of hybrid relies mainly on its internal combustion engine, with the electric motor being capable of only low speeds. Typically, this model will use the electric motor when idling, and then use it to accelerate up to about 20 or 25 mph. Then, the gasoline-powered engine will be automatically started and take over for providing propulsive power. The Toyota Prius is an example of this type of hybrid.
Electric Engine Assistance
This model of hybrid uses a lower power internal combustion engine, geared around maximum fuel efficiency. In order to achieve extra power for things like climbing hills or hard acceleration, the car has an electric motor which kicks in to provide the added power. Honda hybrids work on this principle.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)
This Hybrid model is an attempt to circumvent the limits on a purely electric, battery-driven car. It relies entirely on its battery for motive power during the first several dozen miles of driving. When the battery is exhausted, the internal combustion engine on board is then used to either recharge the battery, or for a short trip to a recharging station.
To know more on Hybrid Cars you can checkout the following links below
file:///D:/Users/Scott/Desktop/How%20Does%20a%20Hybrid%20Car%20Work%20%20%20%20eHow.com.htm
file:///D:/Users/Scott/Desktop/Hybrid%20vehicle%20-%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.htm