Ground Wires

One system of the car that is overlooked is the electrical system of the car. Everything that powers your car electrically from headlights, stereo, to your spark plugs all require ground wires. The job of the ground wires in the car is to reduce electrical resistance and allow a free flow of electrons. If your car is not properly grounded, it will have more electrical resistance. Where are the ground wires? If you ever noticed any skinny cables connected from certain parts of the engine to the chassis? The contacts of your car should be clean of any rust or paint. If your car is not properly grounded then your will notice a slight difference in your car if you clean up your ground wires. Your cars electrical system will respond faster, so your car's computer can make quicker decisions and be more efficient. Other companies offer their own version of ground wires, but if you're on tight budget like me, you can improve your cars electrical system for free!

Ground wires of the battery and the computer.

Transmission ground wire.

Ground wire of the the headlamps.

Throttle body ground wires

Clean battery terminals.

In order to perform this job you will need a knife or a razor blade, a wire brush works best and most likely a 10mm socket to unbolt the screws and around 30 minutes of your time.
 
1. REMOVE the negative terminal cable from the battery in order to prevent any electrical hazards.
2. Find any ground wires on your car and inspect for a proper contact.
3. If you find any wires disconnect them using the 10mm wrench.
4. Carefully scrape off any paint off the surface until bare metal is seen.
5. Also clean the ground wire if it seems dirty.
6. Ensure all connections are clean and reconnect the wires to their proper location.
7. Reattach the negative terminal once you are done!

The benefits of this job will result in a better throttle response, less electric noise, stronger radio signal, quieter idle, faster starts, a louder stereo, faster computer response, smoother shifts, brighter headlights, brighter dashboard and slightly increased mpg. It all depends how many grounds you work on. As I have mentioned in my previous post, your battery will last longer if you regularly inspect the connections and they should be free of any dirt. Check your ground wires!

Paying too much for gas?

My mpg varies varies from 26-32, on average I get ~28mpg. The lower your mpg the more you have to stop at the gas pump and spend more money. In addition, if you have a higher mpg you stop less at the gas pumps and spend less money. Before I used to fill my tank every week, so I was spending around 200-300 on gas each month. Now, I fill up 2-3 times a week, meaning I spend around 90-140 on gas every month.  To me spending 90-140 versus 200 is a save. These trips to the gas pump can accumulate and make you spend more more than you have to. I will give you examples of how much money you are  spending depending on your mpg. For example, if I got 30 mpg, over the next 5 years I would spend $8,772.50.  The reason I chose 3.509 is because I know over the next years gas prices are not going down, over the years sooner or later we are going to hit the $4 average. Here are MPG costs for 5 years based on the variables of traveling 300 miles each week and gas priced at 3.509:

15  MPG: $17,545
20 MPG: $13,158.75
25 MPG: $10,527
30 MPG: $8,772.50
35 MPG: $7,519.29
40 MPG: $ 6,579.38
45 MPG: $5,848.3
50 MPG: $ 5,263.5

These costs all add up in the long run. My car averages 21.5mpg according to the EPA, currently I am averaging 28 mpg. That means that I would  be SAVING $2,834 over the next 5 years! That's a lot of money. Whats your mpg costing you? Please help me with one click on  any ad. Thank so much for taking the time to read my material.

Battery

The cars battery is essential for it starting. Dirty terminals can have detrimental effects on the batteries life. A weak battery can cause hard starting and force the car to use more of its alternator power. When the car runs it relies on the alternator to operate the electrical equipment and charge the battery. It is important for the terminals of the battery to be clean and free of any corrosion. If the terminals are clean and it is properly grounded, then your battery can last you more than its life expectancy.

Positive terminal.

For my car, I cleaned the battery posts of each terminal and the cables as well. Depending on the make of your car, you may notice there is another wire connecting from the negative wire to the chassis or you may have a single wire.

My cars negative cable is grounded to the chassis. I noticed the terminal were not conducting properly. The connection of the chassis had paint on it, meaning that the electricity was not being properly grounded. What I did first was to remove the battery connections in order to prevent myself from being shocked. I then scraped of the paint of the surrounding area to the bare metal. In addition, I made sure everything was clean, I reconnected the wires to their proper place. By having routine battery check-ups, your cars battery will last longer and you will save money replacing the battery.

Notice to the reader

As I have stated in my blog description, the main factors affecting your gas mileage is your cars maintenance and your driving behaviors. First I want to describe all the mechanical components that affect your car and then I will move onto driving behaviors. If your car is not running where it should be, then your quest to increase your gas mileage becomes difficult. Having your car in top condition is essential to its life. If you plan on keeping your car or cannot afford costly car troubles, it is best to check it before it can lead to further problems. When a car is running well it is more reliable, remember a car is like a girlfriend, if you don't take care of her she will not take care of you! A car that is well maintained will have less problems and have less unexpected problems in the future. Check those sensors and change those filters. Once your car is running in top shape, you will be ready to save even more money!

Gas cap

Are you letting your gas escape? The gas cap can be a culprit of letting your gas escape. It could be releasing tiny amounts of gasoline and you may not even know about it.  Each year million gallons of gasoline are released from bad gas caps. If you notice any cracks or the rubber threads hardening, it is time to buy a  new gas cap.  Having a bad gas cap will decrease your gas mileage. Next time you fill up on gas, carefully check your gas cap.

The Shade?

Here's a quick tip you can use to save gas. Park in the shade. Gasoline evaporates very quickly, if you leave your car in the hot sun you can bet gas is escaping slowly. If you park your car in the shade, your car stays cools and so does your gas. Park your car in the shade whenever you can!

The Environment

You might ask yourself what does the environment have to do with mpg? Both may seen to have no relationship at all. By merely trying to increase your mpg, you are contributing less pollutants in the air. Each day we humans contribute to all forms of pollutants. By increasing our cars gas mileage you are SAVING money and the environment. Having a higher mpg means less emissions from cars, less dependence on foreign oil, and less visits to the dreadful gas stations.. We can all do our part to reduce our cars emissions one step at a time. If every person had a higher mpg, then there would be less air pollution being emitted into the air. Alone we are weak, but united we are strong.

Air?

How is air important to a cars gas mileage? In order or a car to create energy they need air, fuel and a spark. Using these three ingredients a car can create energy and move forward. In the combustion process a certain amount of air and fuel is needed, the ratio is 14.7 to 1. Meaning for every 14.7 of air the cars computer will use 1 of fuel. If a car uses less air it is considered to run rich and if it uses more air it runs lean. The ratio of this air/fuel ratio is very important in a cars performance. This is why every sensor that measures air needs to be clean in order for the car to run efficiently at its peak performance. I will show you the manner in which the air enters the air snorkel and out the muffler using pictures.

1. Air is first sucked in via the air snorkel.

2. Air is filtered in the air box.

3. The MAF sensor  measures how much air is available.

4. Air is taken to the air intake.

5. Throttle body measures the air coming in.

6. The measured air is taken into the intake manifold.

7. The air and the fuel is ignited by the spark plugs.

8. Excess gases that builds up in the engine

 is released via the PCV valve to be burned again.

9.  The exhaust is released via the exhaust manifold.

10. The exhaust readings are measured by the oxygen sensors.

11. The EGR Valve recirculates the excess exhaust to be burned again.

12. The exhaust travels via the exhaust system and through the catalytic converter.

13. The exhaust is released out  the muffler.

And that's how air comes in and out your car!

EGR Valve (Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve)

The EGR Valve (Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve) is a system that controls the cars emissions. Specifically, it reduces NOx emissions.The way it does this is by retrieving a specific amount of exhaust that is being release back into the intake manifold(combustion chamber). Furthermore, it allows for the fuel to be completely burned and for the car to efficiently. The EGR valve is one of the most common causes for emissions testing. The car will have a rough idle and poor acceleration when the EGR valve begins to fail.The EGR valve is not something to be replaced like an oil filter, but needs to checked when it starts to fail.

EGR Valve