Times Advocate, 1993-05-05, Page 13Green Ideas save money and the environment
As recycling,
buyieg - earth -
friendly prod-
ucts, and par-
ticipating in
neighbourhood
clean-ups has
become commonplace for Canadi-
ans, it is fitting that drivers learn to
make their cars environmentally
friendly.
B canoe the car has become such
an integral part of daily life, it is an
obvious place to start a "green rou-
tine" - one that will save your
, pocketbook as well as the environ-
ment.
The key to environmentally
sound and cost-effective driving is
to keep your car properly main-
tained and to reshape some bad
habits, says automotive expert Bob
Sikorsky, author of Car Tips for
Clean Air.
First, Sikorsky recommends that
you don't let your car idle in the
driveway to warm up. This is un-
necessary, wastes gas, and spews a
cloud of pollutants into the air.
The best way to warm your en-
gine is to let it sit no longer than 15
seconds, put it in gear and use slow
.to .;moderate speeds for the first
mile. This methocdis easier on your
engine and the envirgtment.
Changing your oil frequently is a
crucial step in maintaining your
car. Ask for "Energy Conserving
II" motor oil to further improve
your gas mileage. And never forget
to recycle used motor oil at any au-
tomotive shop that offers this ser-
vice.
At oil change time, Sikorsky says
to replace one quart of oil with an
engine treatment containing a solid
lubricant. Such products, like top-
selling Slick 50 Engine Formula,
treat engine parts to help reduce
wear, giving your engine more pro-
tection than motor oil alone.
"Slick 50 Engine Formula treats
internalmechanical engine parts to
reduce engine wear at start-up,
when 70 to 80 percent of all engine
wear occurs," says Rob Vail, vice
president of marketing at Petrolon,
Inc., makers of Slick 50.
Another important step in your
car's "green routine" is making sure
your air filter isn't clogged. A dirty
air filter will force the engine to
use more gasoline, reducing your
miles per gallon and increasing the
amount of pollution. Change your
air filter every time you change the
oil.
Under -inflated tires cause unnec-
essary engine wear and !villein
by making your engine work hatter
than it has to. Check your ores eve-
ry two weeks to ensure proper in-
flation and you may be surprised at
your increased miles per gallon,
says Sikorsky.
Finally, the less unnecessary driv-
ing you do, the better off everyone
will be. Short trips, with multiple
start-ups, are the hardest on your
engine. Map out your route mental-
ly, choosing the most efficient path
to your destinations, and try to
combine trips.
Also, avoid the popular parking
lot hide-and-seek game. Pull into
the first available space; a little
walking never hurt anyone. Ima-
gine the amount of gas this country
would save if nobody worried
about having the closest parking
space.
Just a few easy changes of habit
and implementing quick mainte-
nance ideas can make you an envi-
ronmentally friendly driver and
help reduce your car maintenance
expenses, too.
e extinguishers should be mandatory in
cm due to the high incidence of vehicle fires
TORONTO - Fire extinguishers
should be -mandatory .in all auto-
mobiles due to the high incidence
and high cost of vehicle fires,
says -First Akrt,_the;nation's_icad-
ing supplier .of : fire safety Vinod-
. ucts. Acing to the Ontario
Fire Marshal, more than 7,000 vehicle fires were re-
ported in Ontario in 1990, causing morethan 336 Mil-
lion in damage.
"For maximum safety, cars should be equipped.with
a specially designed fire extinguisher," says Jim,Hind,
general manager of BRK Electronics Canada, makers
of First Alert products. "Vehicle fires are a common
car emergency which most motorists are unprepared
for. A vehicle fire extinguisher, stowed in a convenient
location, can help reduce damage and prevent injury."
According to the Ontario provincial office of the
Fire Marshal, a fire extinguisher should only be.used
to put out fires that erupt inside the car's interior, and
not for dealing with more serious engine fires.
Should fire erupt, follow these guidelines:
4,- At the fust sign of fire drive the:car off the -road,
stop as quickly as p ble ander ignition off.
• Get out of the_car quickly - do not pause to remove
valuables.
• Grab the fire extinguisher on the way out of the
car, and use it while outside the car. Try to put out the
fire if it's coming from the car's interior, but if the fire
continues to spread, or if it's ramming from the engine,
call the local foe department at once. Use your com-
mon sense to determine when to employ a fire extin-
guisher.
• Move away from the .vehicle. Be aware that there is
always a possibility of explosion.
Of the more than 7,000 vehicle foes reported in On-
tario in 1990. almost half were caused by mechanical
or electrical failure. i Arson, accident and vandalism
were among other leading causes. There were 85 inju-
ries and four people killed by vehicle fires in 1990.
First Alert makes a fire extinguisher designed for ve-
hicle:se. The FE2BCA is equipped with a bracket
which.prevents it from rolling around wider the seat or
in the'tetatk of the car.
Facts you
should
know about
carbon
monoxide
What is car-
bon mon-
oxide? Car-
bon
monoxide
(CO) con-
sists of a
carbon atom and an oxygen
atone linked together. A product
of incomplete burning of hydro-
carbon -based fuels, carbon mon-
oxide is a colourless, odourless,
poisonous gas.
Why is carbon monoxide a
public health problem?
Carbon monoxide enters the
bloodstream through the lungs
and forms carboxyhemoglobin, a
compound that inhibits the
bloods capacity to carry oxygen
to organs and tissues.
Persons with heart disease are
especially sensitive to carbon
monoxide poisoning, and may
experience chest pain if they
breathe the gas while exercising.
Infants, fetuses, elderly persons,
and individuals with respiratory
diseases are also particularly
sensitive. Carbon monoxide can
affect healthy individuals, im-
pairing exercise capacity, visual
perception, manual dexterity,
learning functions, and ability to
perform complex tasks.
How is carbon monoxide
formed?
Carbon monoxide results from
incomplete combustion of fuel.
and is emitted directly from the
tailpipe. Incomplete combustion
is most likely to occur at low air -
to -fuel ratios in the engine.
These conditions are most
common during vehicle starting,
when air supply is restricted
("choke"), and at altitudes where
the "thin" air effectively reduces
the amount of oxygen available
for combustion (except in cars
that are designed or adjusted to
compensate for altitude).
"Free Plugs'
ENGINE TUNE-UP — Includes5 ,Instak
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rotor. adjust
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timing, coil,
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235-1525
FOR OtOMOTIYE
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Plymouth
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Times -Advocate, May 5,1993 Page 13
Vriving into the futons
General Mo-
tors continues
to explore
ways to har-
ness new tech-
nologies to
make its prod-
ucts more competitive and appeal-
ing to customers.
One example is GM's recent re-
sponse to consumer interest in
heightened fuel efficiency with the
development of the "Ultralite" con-
cept vehicle.
Recently displayed at GM of
Canada's exhibit at the Toronto
Auto show, the Ultralite is a fully
driveable experimental automobile
that can achieve a fuel economy of
about 2.4L/100 km (100 MPG) at a
steady-state cruising speed of 80
km/h (50 mph) with a 4 -speed au-
tomatic transmission, while safely
and comfortably accommodating .a
family of four.
The Ultralitc is the latest engi-
neering test bed from GM's Techni-
cal Staffs Group, which involved
engineers, designers and scientists
from the Advanced Engineering,
Design and Current Product Engi-
neering staffs, as well as the GM
Research Laboratories.
The Ultralitc employs a variety
of technologies that are not yet
commercially available, including
a 1.5 -litre, 3 -cylinder, 2 -stroke en-
gine that weighs nearly half that of
a conventional engine producing
equivalent power (110 horsepow-
er).
Despite its ultra -miserly fuel
economy, the Ultralite can go from
zero to 100 km/h in less than eight
seconds and can travel at a top
speed in excess of 210 km/h (130
mph). And the 2 -stroke engine's lu-
brication system eliminates the
need for oil changes.
However, the most futuristic as-
pect of the Ultralite is its reliance
on the same carbon fibre now used
in advanced fighting jets as a pri-
mary building materiaL Although
carbon fibre is as strong as steel
and weighs less, it is currently
about 100 times more expensive
than steel and is more difficult to
work with than steel.
In the process of producing the
Ultralite, GM researchers devel-
oped a new method of "growing"
carbon fibres that could reduce ma-
terial costs substantially in the fu-
ture.
A unique aspect of the Ultralite's
construction is a futuristic rear
power pod. The tubular space
frame unit is pre-assemb1 d and
pre -aligned to actually make it in-
terchangeable, allowing a variety
of powertrains to be tested in the
car.
"We could insert an appropriate
powertrain depending on the mar-
ket for which we would target the
car," says James K. Lutz, GM's Ad-
vanced Engineering Staff program
manager for _ the Ultralite. Other
powertrain possibilities could in-
clude an electric or gas turbine ver-
sion of the 2 -stroke, 1.5 -litre en-
gine.
Technologies for tomorrow
Thanks to ad-
vances in
computer vi-
sion technolo-
gy, coupled
with state -of- '
the -art control
technology, "intelligent" vehicle
systems that use computer vision to
assist the driver may soon become
a reality.
General Motors researchers have
already demonstrated two such sys-
tems: one for automatic lane con-
trol and the other for adaptive
cruise control.
The lane control system, ahich
uses road marker and curvature in-
formation to steer the vehicle, was
successfully tested using a special-
ly equipped car in tight turns on a
test track, and at highway speeds
on an unopened highway section.
The adaptive cruise control sys-
tem uses input from a real-time
computer vision system to calcu-
late the relative distance to the ve-
hicle ahead, and then automatically
adjusts vehicle speed based on this
information.
ERickfra
XETER TOYOTA' Early Bird
Service Specials „l
242 Maln St. ts0 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S3
(519) 235-2353 • 1-800-361-0677
For efficient and satisfactory ��
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The following air conditioning Parts
spring tune-up is suggested Only Extra
1. Clean intake filter
2. Clean condenser line
3. Pressure test system -
install gauge unit
4. Adjust drive belt
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6. Tighten compressor
mounting and check
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check proper hose and
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leak detection done with
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10. Top up system If no
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