Idhaya – Engineering & Technology Blog, Industrial & Mechanical Engineering Information

Honda is one of the most popular vehicles in North America a record it has held on to firmly. The vehicle was introduced in 1972 housing a latitudinal engine with an 1169cc capacity engine.

The Honda Civic engine has always been a fuel efficient and with the introduction of the VTEC engine, this has only been maximized. The Honda Civic engine has always been reliable and with the entry of the new technology, the engines are more effective.

VTEC stands for variable timing and lift electronic control. This means that the engines fuel consumption is changing constantly with regards to the speed at which the vehicle is moving. The higher the vehicle speed, the higher the lift and vice versa. This aspect of the Honda Civic engine has allowed the vehicle manufacturer to remain on the cutting edge of technology in this day of fuel efficiency and cost cutting.

This Honda Civic engine system was developed by Honda in order to improve engine capacity and cut down on the overall fuel consumption. More charge could be taken into and out of the respective cylinders all of which was hinged on the amount of power the engine was using at the time.

The VTEC system endows the vehicle with multiple camshaft profiles with the Honda civic engine using two cam lobes therefore improving the engines overall capacity. The shift from the rotary to the linear sort of engine movement has proved more successful in making the engine more economical by reducing the amount of fuel being burnt up.
There are several sub categories within the VTEC engine systems and these include the Advanced VTEC cam engine. This Honda Civic engine has a variable phase control which means that the engines power out put is increased or decreased depending on the load. For automobiles that do not have this capacity, the engine continues to consume the same amount of power whether the vehicle is moving at 50 or 120 Mph. This results in fuel wastage making the vehicle costly to run and maintain. The variable lift and timing control associated with the advanced VTEC Honda Civic engine system is excellent for those interested in a vehicle that allows them to control both power and energy consumption.

The i-VTEC system uses direct fuel injection to keep the vehicle running. This further improves on the engines proficiency by reducing the amount of fuel being burnt up to produce energy. This particular system is associated with a unique form of valve control and is part of Honda’s new and innovative system that is out to make vehicles as environmentally friendly as possible. This is effortlessly attained because the less power the vehicle uses, the less fuel it needs for its daily operations and the less pollution it causes in the long run.

The i-VTEC VCM comes into play in certain Honda civic engines when fewer valves are operational as a result of the vehicle traveling at lower speeds. Once the vehicles speed dips to around 80km/h, three of the cylinders are deactivated making the Honda Civic engine more capable.

The SOHC i-VTEC engine has this mechanism activated as long as the vehicle is producing less than 3500 RPM. If on the other hand the vehicle is producing more than this, then extra valves are activated by the system in order for the vehicle to perform as it should.

There are several variations of the VTEC Honda civic engine but they are all designed to be as efficient as possible. From torque optimization all the way to fuel efficiency, this technology from Honda is excellent for the 21st century and beyond.

Mercedes Benz one of the most prestigious car brands in the world, a huge thanks to its unfailing innovation when it comes to quality standards and technical perfection.

Driving your own “Benz” is like having a glimpse of the future because Mercedes Benz always comes up with the most advance designs and features for their line of vehicles. But what is a Mercedes for when it won’t start in the first place? This failure to start may be caused by a broken Mercedes starter.

Before the advent of starters, hand cranks were used to start engines. Aside form being inconvenient because they required a lot of effort to start-up the engine, they also posed dangers to the operator. The need for a new invention was felt with increasing compression ratios and the engines becoming larger which made hand cranking a more dangerous and difficult task. The first automobile electric self-starter was invented in 1899 by Clyde J. Coleman in New York City. Because of its impracticality, Coleman’s invention was then modified by Charles Kettering in 1910 by specifically replacing the hand crank with an electric starter.

Your Mercedes starter is an electric motor needed to turn over the engine to start it. A starter consists of the very powerful DC electric motor and starter solenoid that is attached to the motor. A starter motor requires very high current to crank the engine, that’s why it’s connected to the battery with large cables.

The starter solenoid works as an electric switch. When this is actuated, it closes the circuit and connects the starter motor to the battery. At the same time, it pushes the starter gear forward to mesh with the engine’s flywheel. The starter solenoid is specially designed to handle huge amounts of energy mainly because the starter needs hundreds of amperes to produce the needed power.

When you turn the ignition key to the “Start” position, the battery voltage goes through the starter control circuit and activates the starter solenoid, which in turn energizes the starter motor. The starter motor cranks the engine.

There are opposing forces that the starter motor must first overcome before it could actually start the engine. These are the internal friction caused by the piston rings, the compression pressure of the cylinders, the energy needed to open and close valves with the camshaft, and the energy to run all other components directly attached to the engine.

When your car doesn’t start and all you can hear is just a click, the problem must probably be is with your Mercedes starter. But when you hear a grinding noise instead, it could indicate that something has broken off the starter and is grinding into it.

Replacing a broken Mercedes starter is a task that requires a lot of caution. To prevent any injuries, make sure that you disconnect the positive battery terminal before disconnecting the set of wires on the starter. Then, locate the bolts that hold the starter in and remove them. After removing the old one, you are now ready to put the new one, rewire it and you’re good to go. Of course, some starters need shimmering and these will require you do some extra work.

So before you experience the inconvenience of being stuck because your car won’t start, make sure that your Mercedes starter is functioning properly and have it replaced immediately when needed.

Toyota’s 2010 Land Cruiser debuted in the U.S. with its popular 2008 dual Variable Valve Timing Intelligent engine still intact. This 5.7-liter double overhead camshaft (DOHC) 32-valve electronic fuel injection (EFI) V8 boasts 381 horsepower @ 5600 rpm and 401 pound-feet of torque @ 3600 rpm. The power of the Toyota-designed “smart” engine adequately compensates for the SUV’s 5,688-pound curb weight.

The engine first appeared in the United States in the company’s Tundra pick-up truck in 2007, coinciding with Toyota’s 50th anniversary of its entry into the U.S. automobile market. VVT-i engines were incorporated into the Land Cruiser the following year. The newly-designed engine was part of an overall redesign of the Cruiser.

“Intelligent” design employs an onboard computer that continually monitors whether the sports utility vehicle (SUV) is accelerating, cruising, passing, idling, or going uphill or down. Every hundredth of a second, the computer subtly prompts any automatic adjustments of the air intake and exhaust necessary to maintain maximize engine performance. As a result, emissions in the 2010 are reduced enough to eliminate the need for an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) emissions device.

VVT-i technology has improved the vehicle’s gas mileage, as well. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mileage for the 1997 pre-VVT-i Cruiser was estimated at 12 miles per gallon (mpg) city and 14 mpg highway, with a combined average of 13 mpg. Mileage estimates for the 2010 model stand at 13 mpg city and 18 mpg highway, with a combined average of 15 mpg.

The dual Variable Valve Timing Intelligent engine works in an unassuming way, literally under cover; but it occupies an important position in the enhancement of under-the-hood technology. Thanks to the VVT-i and other state-of-the-art engines, we are one step closer to manufacturing a powerful, earth-friendly SUV.

It’s no secret that Ford has risen like a meteor in today’s automobile market. With the advent of state-of-the-art technology, Ford Engines are difficult to beat. ALG, an organization that qualifies depreciation in automobiles, noted dramatic increases in both quality and appearance in Ford products which has made Ford a leader in automobile and engine ratings. When a consumer purchases a Ford product, Ford Engines are often the best things about the vehicles. And who doesn’t want to feel the thrill of a great power product when they step into a new vehicle? Ford is very much aware of that and it shows in the design and innovation of Ford Engines.

But what is making Ford Engines so hard to beat? One of Ford’s best qualities is that it doesn’t hesitate to hold off the release of a product if it isn’t perfect out of the gate. Their dedication to quality from day one is evident in the strides they’ve taken to make Ford Engines the best in their class. Through a program called the Quality Leadership initiative, Ford has taken the term “high quality” to a totally different level. Here are a few things that this company has focused on in its development of high performance, quality, consistent Ford Engines.

Ford has been a leader in power products for both on-highway and marine engines for several years. The versatility of Ford Engines have proven to be consistently the best products on the market, with products that work on gasoline, electricity, and dual fuel. The sheer variety of Ford Engines is enough to make any car enthusiast jump for joy, especially in the V-8 category. And nothing is better than one of the many strong, dependable Ford Engines under your hood. Ford made good on its promises in 1932 with the the first flathead V-8 that quickly became the first mass-produced V-8 engine and continues to produce exciting products such as its highly-anticipated EcoBoost engine that will be released in or around 2012. This, like all of the Ford Engines, promises to increase fuel economy and performance output with a possible 20% increase in fuel economy. For those consumers who are mindful of the environment, they will love the EcoBoost engine for its 15% decrease in CO2 emissions.

New designs and upgrades have made Ford Engines a compelling reason to buy Ford products, and consumers have not missed that fact. In a survey by JD Power and Associates, several Ford products are top-rated, including the Mercury Milan, which was rated as the top mid-size sedan this year. The Ford Duratec engine, produced in the last five years, is an example of a engine that is both creative in design and consistent in quality. With impressive horsepower and an increased 2.5 L version that will go into many 2009 Ford products, this Ford Engine doesn’t disappoint. With a range from 4, 6 to 12 cylinder gasoline engines, Duratec Ford Engines can be seen in vehicles that range from the Ford Fiesta to the Ford Fusion.

So if you’re in the market for a new car and you want a dependable, high quality vehicle with great power, look no further than a vehicle with one of the fantastic Ford Engines. As the ratings, consumer reports, and car enthusiasts can attest, there is nothing better than a Ford Engine under the hood of your next new vehicle. In today’s world, the reputation of a quality car maker is made or broken by the opinions of its customers, and Ford has made many customers very happy.

When Ford released its first generation Taurus in 1985, no one could have known that in a few short years it would become the bestselling vehicle in the United States.
It started off humbly enough. Ford, in an attempt to compete with General Motors and Chrysler who had begun offering a wide array of front wheel drive vehicles, released a mid-size passenger vehicle to help the company along in its transition from Ford car engines with rear wheel drive to better, more modern Ford car engines with front wheel drive. What set this car apart though was its shape. While other cars of its time were boxy and wagon-like, the Taurus Ford was based on a rounded design model intended to improve aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

At the time, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard (a vehicle pollutant restriction program by the United States government) was beginning to be applied more strictly. Along with its new fuel efficient Ford car engine, the Taurus Ford’s innovative jelly bean shape allowed it to meet the new requirement easily, as opposed to its more squared contemporaries. This avant garde contour was a catalyst that started an automobile design revolution in the United States and led to the smoother, more rounded vehicle models that roam today’s streets.

The combination of cutting edge design technology, a fresh, buyer preferred, front wheel drive Ford car engine, and an intuitive, user friendly interior made this car a smash hit. 2 million first generation Taurus Fords were sold and the car was given Motor Trend’s prestigious ‘Car of the Year’ award for 1986, as well as making Car and Driver magazine’s ‘10 Best Cars of 1986′ list. But that was just the beginning.

In 1992, after a drastic cosmetic and mechanical update—which included an upgrade of the Ford car engine in all models to V6 with automatic transmission across the board—the Taurus Ford became, by a wide margin, the official bestselling car in the entire United States.

It retained this title for 5 years and through a number of significant upgrades. In 1996, the Ford Taurus engineswas redesigned from the ground up, being given an even more streamlined, ovular shape, which would in theory afford the automobile even greater fuel economy and style. The public was not happy with this new shape, however, and—although the Ford Taurus would remain America’s bestselling car for 1 more year due to rental fleet sales—sales to private customers went significantly down.

The Ford company would redesign its beloved Taurus over the next few generations, replacing the ovular body structure and updating much of the interior, exterior, and Ford car engine design in order to revive the model. Today the Taurus Ford looks to be staging a striking comeback on the automobile market scene.

The 3 liter Ford car engine that is featured in this model comes with a double overhead camshaft design—a configuration used by many engines of today that usually includes multiple valves in each cylinder.

One might think that the steam engine is an outdated technology that had its heyday centuries ago, but in fact steam is once again a hot topic with vehicle manufacturers. Indeed, the next generation of hybrid cars and trucks may incorporate some form of steam power. Honda, for example, has just released details of a new prototype hybrid car that recharges its battery using a steam engine that exploits waste heat from the exhaust pipe.

Typical cars only convert about a quarter of the energy produced during combustion into work, with the rest being lost as heat. Honda has managed to increase this efficiency by 4% to nearly 29% by using some of this lost heat to generate electricity.

Honda’s heat-recovery system is based on the Rankine cycle, which is also used in most steam-driven power plants. First, heat from the car’s catalytic converter is used to boil water. The high-temperature steam (400-500 °C) produced then turns an electric generator, before a condenser finally cools the steam back into water.

According to Honda, under normal driving conditions, the steam system recovered three times as much electric power as the hybrid’s regenerative braking system. Unfortunately, however, the 4% improvement in overall vehicle efficiency that resulted is not high enough to warrant commercialization, Honda claims.

Honda is not the only manufacturer interested in incorporating waste heat recovery into vehicle design. BMW, for example, is working on a steam-based unit that generates additional mechanical power, rather than electricity. In lab tests, their so-called ‘turbo-steamer’ reduced fuel consumption by as much as 15%.

It may be some time, however, before waste heat recovery reaches the mass market, because typical car drivers would probably not make a big enough saving on fuel to justify the extra several thousand dollars that these systems would presumably add to the price of a vehicle.

But the situation is different for long-haul truckers, who often spend over $100,000 per year on fuel. Indeed, several diesel-engine manufacturers are testing ways of recycling lost heat, with interest being driven by fuel prices and emissions reduction.

The engine maker Cummins Inc is also working on a Rankine-cycle system that uses a low-boiling point organic fluid, which they say performs better than other thermodynamic models, such as the Stirling cycle or the gas turbine.

The Rankine cycle can convert up to 20% of the wasted heat into useful energy, but dealing with the 80% that is not used poses a big challenge. Cummins Inc. plans to have a full working prototype by mid-2009, and hope to make the system available to customers by 2013.

Copyright (c) 2008 Dave James

Keyword Research has become an integral part of starting up your own business or growing your business (exponentially). Search engine marketing is here to stay for the long term, hence finding customers through keyword research should also be an integral part of your marketing.

Earlier, all you needed to do was to enter the description of your business in the title & meta tags and you were done with optimizing your web-site. Things have changed! And hence this article…

How does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) relate to keywords?

SEO is the process of increasing the number of visitors to your web-page by the careful and deliberate use of targeted keywords and their specific placements designed to get the page to show up on the top listing for such keywords. (SEO also includes other strategies not discussed here.)

TIP: Keyword Research is very useful to you when you decide to start a pay-per-click campaign to drive visitors to your website or increase revenue using adsense.

Here are the seven simple steps to keyword mastery that will cause your page to be indexed correctly by Search Engines and your link to be displayed at the very top on the search results page.

Step 1) Start with the most common words you use to describe your business(or your niche, if you operate in one). If you are in the automobile service business, you may have the following: Car Repair , Body Shop, Car Repair, New tires with car repair, Wax and Shine etc. If you actually have a niche business such as Jaguar Service And Repairs, then it becomes even more easier.

Step 2) Call your friend. Ask him how he would try to find your widget on a search engine if he lost your phone number and he wanted to look you up on the Internet. What if he forgot the name of your establishment? What if ….

Your perception of how people see you may be different from your customers’ perception of you. Add these new words to the list.

Repeat this as many times as you can with different people.

Step 3) Find other words related to your original list. such as names of the brands. Lexus Repair, Lexus spare-parts, Honda kit, etc.

Mix and match keywords with your original list to find even more keywords.

Step 4) Go to google and run a search for your widget. See what keywords bring up your competition and what words do not. Add them to your list .

Step 5) Add plurals and common mis-spellings too.

Step 6) Figure out as to how often people search using each of the phrases you have identified in your list. You can use the google adwords tool for this purpose.

TIP: Use adwords tool to see how many people have searched for each of your phrases in the recent past. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal . This also suggest keywords you might want to use.

Step 7) Make sure your keywords are placed in the following locations on you web page: Page Title, Meta Keywords, Meta Description, Header Tags, Alternate Description for images, First Paragraph on the page, strong Tags, Em tags, Ordered and unordered lists, Anchor Tags, File names, Folder Names, Footer Tags, Any URLs and links in your pages.

Should I use many keywords in the same page?

Yes. Use as many keywords as it makes sense. Don’t overdo it. If your content becomes just a keyword trash-bin, users will start skipping over it and the search engines will catch on pretty fast. So avoid using too many keywords where it does not make sense. It’s best if you have multiple pages offering up different keywords.

One caveat. You need to be aware of ‘Keyword density’. Sometimes, if your usage of keywords is too high, and it looks like you have placed too many keywords, the search engine may not give you the best ranking. “Sprinkling” is the key-word when it comes to using them on each page.

You should also be aware of negative keywords. These are keywords you need to use in your PPC(Pay-per-Click) text so as to make sure that people do not click your link expecting to get freebies.

e.g. If you said : “Self Clearning Widgets- $500 and up”, you keep out the people who are looking for cheaper stuff.

Are phrases better than individual words?

Depends! If your customer is searching for self-cleaning widget, then you should use self-cleaning widget. If your customer is searching for just widget, and auto clean, you should use these words separately.

How often do I have to check my keywords?

As often as you can. Your customers react to various influences around them and search for different terms at different times. To be able to remain on top with a good ranking you need to keep on top of your keywords. Sometimes they react to an offer made by a competition and start searching for similar offers.

I know. You are saying:”But I don’t have that much time to devote to just keyword research.” That brings us to the next question.

Do I have to do it all by myself?

I have had many websites in the past few years. In the beginning I did everything manually the old fashioned way.

Lately I’ve found a few tools that help make life easier for me, though you could do it all by yourselves if you had the time and the tenacity(which I sorely lack). I suggest you find yourselves a tool to do the work for you.

I use Keyword Elite now, though I’ve used WordTracker in the past.

Pick 1: Keyword Elite tool : If you really plan to take your business to the next level, this is a great tool. From generating your own keyword lists, to analyzing pay-per-click listings, to studying your competition, this one accomplishes quite a bit. This tool works with Google, Yahoo,MSN, Ask etc. It will save you tons of hours of wasted time and effort. Also, I like the fact that it is multi-threaded(lots of more power.)

WebSite: http://www.elitekeyword.net

Pick 2 : WordTracker: Offers a free, ‘lite’ version, as well as a paid version. Features include an online management system for different keyword projects, searching for often misspelled words, a system to calculate your best keywords, and much more. WebSite:Wordtracker.com/FreeWordtracker

Pick 3 : WebCEO :From a free version to a $389/- version this company has various options available. For small business owners, the $199/- version would be suitable.Go for the $389/- version if you have multiple web-sites running and your business model is solely online. Web Site: http://www.webceo.com/cgi-bin/go/clickthru.cgi?id=linkflow

What next ?

Use keyword research to identify the most likely phrases for your business.

Master keyword research just like I outlined in this article and create a massive list of targeted keywords.

Make a list of the 5 most promising keyword phrases.

Head over to your favorite domain listing / hosting company (eg. www.GoDaddy.com) and see if you can buy that phrase in the .com domain.eg. Self-cleaning-Widgets.com

Point your existing website to this url. If you don’t have an existing web-site, create your new website using all the keywords you identified.

Submit your site to the search engines.

Happy hunting!

It is usually a cold engine, which is exposed to extreme weather that most often is difficult to start. However, hot engines sometimes have problems too. Hot engines can be tough to start, and many people do not know how to deal with this situation when it occurs. With the intention of overcoming this dilemma, it is important to know exactly why it happens.

The most common reason why a hot engine will not start is because the problem is related to fuel. When your car engine is too hot, fuel cannot circulate well, due to the way vapour obstructs it workings and therefore the engine just will not start, as it should. You can find out more information on this subject online at autopages.com.au who suggest to keep your engine running at the correct temperature and to protect its alloys and metals, you need to use a properly designed coolant.

A car engine will keep gaining temperature until it has been turned off. During this time is when the highest concentration of vapour is circulating around and chances are, that it shall obstruct the engine to a greater extent. Obviously, when and if you are driving in hot weather and have just turned off the car engine you may experience start problems. The solution is simple; you must wait for a few minutes until trying to start it again. The most sensible solution of course, is to use a high quality engine coolant.

Fuel injected engines do not experience this problem as much as other engines, because the fuel remains inside the injectors under high pressure. Owing to this, fuel injected engines do not become so easily subjected to vapours as other engines. Therefore, the vehicle does not have the same issues when it comes to starting a hot engine. It may be time to change over your old vehicle to a newer model with fuel injection, and when this becomes an important issue, you can go online to OzFreeOnline.com and begin a quick search by entering and submitting all the data you have researched for your new car. Let OzFreeOnline.com do all the work for you.

Another reason why you may have an engine, which is hard to start while hot, is that it may be due to seasonal weather as refiners change from one fuel blend to another. Petrol refiners often change a higher volatility fuel to a lower one when summer approaches. This is simply because hot weather causes fuel to evaporate more quickly. If refiners change back to a higher volatility fuel, while vehicles are still exposed to days of extreme temperatures, this may cause swift evaporation of the fuel which, in turn would create too much vapour within the engine.