Air brake systems were first designed to slow trains. Air brakes are used in heavy machinery including semi-trucks, airplanes, trains and buses. Air brakes use compressed air instead of brake fluid for greater stopping power. Driving with or installing air brakes safely will protect you and others near you in transit.

Function

When the vehicle operator applies an air brake, compressed air stored in a limited air supply fires into brake lines and closes the braking mechanism. The longer and harder the brake pedal is applied the more air releases out of the supply system. The air compressor works in conjunction with the engine. An air brake will cease working if the air supply fires air faster than it can store it.

Driving Safety Tips

Inspect your air brake system before and after long journeys. Avoid unnecessary use of the air brakes so the air compressor retains enough pressure to slow the vehicle in an emergency situation. Check the steering brake air line for bulging, pinching and fitting looseness because a compromised air line will create rapid pressure loss.

Installation Tips

When installing air brakes wear clear glasses and gloves for protection. A properly installed air chamber and slack adjuster should not have an angle greater than 90-degrees between each component, as stated by the New Brunswick government. Always install air chambers and slack adjusters of the same size on each axle.

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Rear brake lines on most vehicles are connected to the rubber brake line running to the brake caliper via a tube nut. On the other end of the line is another tube nut connecting the brake line to the proportioning valve. To properly remove the rear brake lines, youll need a special wrench, called a flare nut or "tube nut" wrench.

Instructions

1

Break the lug nuts loose on the rear wheels. Turn the lugs 45 degrees with a tire wrench, but do not unseat the wheel from the wheel hub it is attached to.

2

Raise the vehicle onto jack stands. Place wheel blocks in front of the front wheels.
Jack up on the front lift point behind the radiator and place a jack stand under each of the rear jack points. Then, lower the vehicle onto the jack stands.

3

Finish removing the lug nuts and pull the rear wheels off the hub.

4

Place the brake fluid catch pan underneath your vehicles rear brake caliper (the one you will be working on).

5

Slide the flare nut wrench over the brake tubing just behind the tube nut wrench that connects the hard brake line to the rubber brake line.

6

Orient the flare nut wrench so that it fits over the end of the tube nut.

7

Place an open-end wrench underneath the tube nut on the fitting for the rubber brake line.

8

Remove the protective retainer clip on the rear brake line to the brake hose bracket with a pair of pliers.

9

Hold the open-end wrench still and turn the flare nut wrench counterclockwise to remove the brake line.

10

Pull the brake line off the brake hose.

11

Follow the line to the connection underneath the hood.

12

Remove the brake line to proportioning valve connection with the flare nut wrench. The proportioning valve is a small valve with many brake lines connected to it. The exact location will vary depending on your vehicle.

13

Pull the brake line off the proportioning valve.

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Everybody wants to save fuel, but therere lots and lots of incorrect advices I found on local and international motorcar forums on how to do it. Some of em make no difference, and some even worse! Dont know from where they got those advices - Im sure not from their own experiment/experience. Some of the advices defy the laws of physics [and thermodynamics].

The following are a bunch of wrong advices on tips for fuel saving.

1. Fill-up fuel tank in the morning
I have read/heard 1001 times that its best to fill car fuel tank in the early morning while the fuel is cold by making assumption that fuel are more dense at lower temperatures, so a liter of cooler fuel actually has more hydrocarbon molecules than a liter of warmer gasoline.

The fact is: The fuel stored underground has a very large heat sink which temperature is almost constant throughout the day. By touching the fuel pump nozzle while filling up the fuel tank one will feel the temperature - it is warmer than the ambient temperature, in the morning and cooler at midday/afternoon. You dont need a thermometer to measure it.



2. Change air filter often
Maintaining cars is important, but a clean air filter isnt going to save any fuel significantly. Modern engines have computer sensors that automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged air filter chokes off the engines air supply. Of course engine power will decrease slightly as the air filter becomes clogged, but an increase in fuel consumption will be negligible. It takes cost less than the new air filter. Here Im talking on fuel saving - not performance ya.

As far as fuel saving is concerned, installing after market maintenance-free air-filters will do more harm than good [in a long run] to modern engines. Think a second, if it is good enough why not car producers install em in the first place? If u r talking on performance alone, just tune the car without the air filter!

3. Use premium or higher octane fuel
A lot of drivers think because their owners manual recommends premium, theyll get better fuel economy and performance with it. In reality , they may be paying more money for nothing.

Most modern na cars have Programmed Fuel Injection System, for which premium is "recommended" - but not "required" - wont suffer with RON95 or lower octane rating fuel. Modern engine technology comes to the rescue again. When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug [and valve] timing. The result is a slight reduction in peak horsepower - but we never notice.

Always check owners manual before putting anything into your car. And if the car runs badly on RON95, by all means, go back to RON97, or Wee-Power or what_ever.

4. Pump up tires
Of course under-inflated tires are bad for handling and can even cause a crash. Improper tire inflation also causes tires to wear out faster and to heat up more, which could trigger a dangerous high-speed blow-out. Under inflated tires also reduce fuel economy.

So proper inflation is important.
But never over-inflate tires. Theyll get slightly better fuel economy because there will be less tread touching the road, reducing friction. But that means less grip for braking and turning. The added risk of a crash isnt worth the extra km a liter gained.

5. Reduce or do not use aircond.
True, air-conditioning makes extra work for the engine, increasing fuel use. But car air conditioners are much more efficient today than they used to be. Using the aircond will drop fuel economy by about 2 to 3% - to figure out the saving by turning aircond off is gaining around 10km [under RM2] when one drive fom KL to KB but one will pay more on cold drinks!

Meanwhile, driving at higher speeds with the windows down greatly increases aerodynamic drag. As speed increases, drag becomes more of an issue, making air-cond use the more efficient choice at high speeds.

6. Install fuel saving gadget and/or use fuel booster
Before even thinking of a device thats supposed to make car more fuel-efficient ask yourself:

Dont you think oil and car companies arent doing everything they can to beat their competitors?

Car/engine producers are already spending billions of Ringgit if not Dollars to increase fuel efficiency/mileage. If a car producer could make its cars go significantly farther on a liter simply by putting a device into the fuel line, dont think for a second it wouldnt be doing that. Its car sales also would go like goreng pisang panas.

Similarly, if there really was an additive that made fuel burn up more slowly, it would have been bought by major oil companies already and wouldnt be sold through direct selling over the Internet/SMS one bottle at a time. If Brand A fuel company could add something to its fuel that made cars go farther on a liter of fuel, cars would be lining up at the companys pumps and drive right past rivals fuel stations to come back to Brand A for more. Brand A stations could even charge more for their gas and still can sell. Click HERE for additional informations.

Borrowing a phrase from a friends blog...
"kalau nak menurut biar berakal, kalau mengikut biar berilmu..."

frequently visited pages:
|Home|Fuel Consumption|Performance|uncles DIY|Car Size Comparison|

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May 17th, 2010 - The Peugeot Germany teams "200 years" RCZ won the 38th Nürburgring 24 Hours inthe under-2L Diesel category.
To mark the launch of Peugeot RCZ , Peugeot took part in this event for the first time by placing two cars in the competition.
The RCZ took first and third place in the D1T category!

May 16th, 2010 - A Close Encounter of the 4th Kind
I was abducted by the RCZ. What a surprise the actual life size of the coupe. In photographs it seems to be very small...
... it is actually a full scale 2+2! - even larger than BMW E86! In fact it shares platform with the 308 hatch and the new 3008 SUV. So it has a relatively long wheelbase for a coupé.
There is plenty of room up front...

theres even enough space in the rear to carry a couple of reasonably well-developed children...


... and anyone opening the tailgate expecting to find a boot which could barely carry a laptop computer is in for a shock...

the capacity back there is more than 350 litres and whopping 760 liters if the rear seats are folded down.


May 12th, 2010 - RCZ Coming Soon?
Just cant wait any longer....but at last Peugeot is interested in building a car seems to be worth driving. A new THP200 engine has been prepared exclusively for the top-of-the line RCZ.
Peugeot claims it will sprint to 100kph in 7secs, and with lowered, stiffened suspension and an all-new six-speed gearbox there is at least the on-paper promise of a driving experience that has been what Id always wanted but absent from other Peugeots including the 308!
First Drive: 2010 Peugeot RCZ at MOTORTREND


PEUGEOT is giving away one of its new RCZ coupes in an online competition that involves creating an advertisement for yourself on Facebook.
click HERE

read also:
My FINALwords on Peugeot 308 Turbo.

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The Mercury Mountaineer has multiple types of rear windows. The fixed-glass panels at the very back require special tools; these panels are typically handled by trained professionals. It is possible for the vehicle owner to replace the glass in the rear doors. This procedure is very similar to replacing glass in the front doors, but varies depending on the exact year of the vehicle. The biggest variable involves how the glass is mounted within the regulator.

Instructions

Removal

1

Open the Mountaineers rear door. Pull off the weather strips in the window slot at the top of the door

2

Pry out the bezel surrounding the inner-door handle using a trim stick. Pry out the control plate in the armrest from its front end, disconnecting its electrical connectors.

3

Remove all of the door trim-panels screws -- the ones in the openings from the removed bezels and the ones along the lower edge -- and then detach the panel from the door. Pull off the plastic water-shield.

4

Reconnect the window controls and adjust the windows position until the bolts or rivets are accessible through the access holes.

5

Unscrew the track bolts with a wrench. Drill out the rivet heads if the window glass uses rivets. Push the remainders through the glass.

6

Tilt the glass forward and lift it out the door. Wear gloves and use caution when dealing with cracked or broken glass.

Installation

7

Lower and slide the replacement glass into the door, fitting it within the glass tracks and window regulator. Fasten it in place with the old bolts or new rivets.

8

Paste the water shield in place, and then reconnect the door trim-panel with its screws. Reconnect the control plate and handle bezel.

9

Lower the window all the way down. Reinstall the weather strips.

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In a larger vehicle, such as the 1995 Mercury Villager, the brake pads typically last 20,000 to 30,000 miles, depending on the style of driving. Heavy hauling of stop-and-go traffic can speed the wear of the pads. It is important to change the brake pads as soon as they wear out, as excessively worn pads can lead to additional brake problems, such as rotor wear, caliper leakage or complete brake failure. Because of this, it is important to check the brake pads at every oil change interval, or if they begin making noise.

Instructions

1

Loosen -- but do not remove -- the front lug nuts, with the ratchet and socket.

2

Raise the front of the vehicle with the floor jack, and support it with jack stands.

3

Remove the lug nuts, and pull the wheels from the vehicle. Place the lug nuts in a secure area away from your workspace.

4

Look at the rear of the brake caliper, and locate the upper and lower caliper bolts. Loosen and remove the upper and lower caliper bolts, using the ratchet and socket.

5

Pull the caliper away from the brake assembly, and attach it to a suspension component with the bungee strap.

6

Grasp the inner and outer brake pads, and pull them from the brake assembly. Take note of how the brake pads are positioned, as they must be replaced in the same fashion.

7

Place the new brake pads on the brake assembly, in the same fashion the old ones were before removal.

8

Look at the inside portion of the brake caliper. Locate the calipers piston, the metal cylinder inside the caliper.

9

Position the C-clamp over the caliper so the fixed portion is contacting the rear of the caliper body and the screw portion is contacting the caliper piston.

10

Loosen the C-clamp slightly, and slide an old brake pad between the screw portion of the C-clamp and the caliper piston. Tighten the C-clamp to hold the pad in place. This protects the caliper piston from being damaged.

11

Tighten the C-clamp, and observe as the caliper piston begins to slide into the caliper. Continue tightening until the piston stops moving. This creates the clearance needed for the new, thicker, brake pads.

12

Place the caliper over the new brake pads, and hand-tighten the upper and lower caliper bolts.

13

Tighten the upper and lower caliper bolts to 23 to 38 foot-pounds, using the torque wrench and a socket.

14

Repeat steps 4 through 13 for the brake pads on the other side of the vehicle.

15

Place the wheels back on the vehicle, and hand-tighten the lug nuts.

16

Remove the jack stands from under the vehicle, and slowly lower it to the ground.

17

Tighten the lug nuts to 83 to 112 foot-pounds, using the torque wrench and a socket.

18

Press and release the brake pedal repeatedly until it feels firm.

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The Chrysler LeBaron was reintroduced in 1977 after initally being popular in the 1920s. The LeBaron consists of a total of 5 different cars. The 1994 version is a AA-body mid-size sedan. A broken rear window in your 1994 Chrysler LeBaron can give many potential thieves an opportunity to steal important equipment from your vehicle or even steal the vehicle itself. If your rear window becomes damaged or broken you should look to remove it as soon as possible in order to replace it with a new one.

Instructions

1

Use a sharp blade to cut away the rear windows weather-stripping perimeter. The perimeter is a black strip which is found around the outer edge of the window.

2

Enter the back seat of the LeBaron. Carefully press the rear window out of the frame and away from its seal. Have someone on hand outside the vehicle to help lift it out of place.

3

Clean around the edges of the window frame to remove any of the adhesive which is present from the recently removed window.

4

Use a caulk gun to apply a thin layer of urethane caulk around the edges of the new window. Lift the window in to the window frame. Press the window against the frame at the top and bottom to allow a seal to set in place.

5

Leave the LeBaron in a stationary position for 24 hours to allow the window to set firmly in place.

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