My “little” surprise isn’t done yet, but if you check back this weekend and comment, it’ll be a LOT of fun! I promise a giveaway, and a LOT of fun things to celebrate! You’ll need to COMMENT to win the giveaway (it IS totally random), so comment on the next post that you see, and check back on Monday to see who won…
Serpentine Belts – the snakey belt – Sssssssss
A serpentine belt (also known as the accessory belt) is a continuous belt that winds its way along the front of the engine (it is often close behind the radiator fans). The belt goes round and round. With a belt tensioner (or an idle pulley for diesels) it drives such things as the; alternator, power steering pump, water pump, a/c compressor, air pump, starter motor, etc. Serpentine belts are so called because they look like a snake winding around. Serpentine belts need to be made from heat withstanding rubber, because the friction will fray or cause a fire to a less hearty substance.
With cars 25-30 years or older, there could be a belt for every two or three accessories. In the old days, with no housing around a belt, they would pop off and get shredded by the radiator fan! When that happened, call a tow truck and expect a large mechanic’s bill!
One of the good things about a serpentine belt is that, since it is only one belt, it is much easier to maintain than 8 belts. But, it can break under low tension. High tension is best, but if it is too high, the belt will shred itself. If you are worried about the belt breaking, look on the side with the little ribs.
Off topic and addressing my previous post. A good-to-know fact: Chevy has figured out what the cause is for all the Volt fires. They have announced a recall for every Volt sold in any market (this includes the European Opel version). It is the housing that holds the battery coolant. It cracks, allowing coolant to escape out and wreak havoc. So, I thought those Volt owners might want to know from another source… Plus, to add to Chevy’s embarrassment, they are telling owners that Volt owners should bring their Volti in for repair. Basically, that means Chevy’s too embarrassed to say that it’s a recall…
Yay! It’s Definition Day!…
Hey, y’all…Sorry I wasn’t able to get you the post I promised on Saturday, as I had more than mountains of homework (on Thanksgiving weekend!). Since I don’t have time to do a post on all the cars that I took pictures of at the San Francisco International Auto Show, I hope that you’ll be content with a definition. By the way, I will do a post on the San Francisco International Auto Show on Friday!
SAE stands for? Society of Acura of England? Nope, it’s Society of American Engineers. SAE publishes articles on cars, does horsepower and torque testing, and some safety testing. SAE has been around since 1841. SAE is made up of the brightest engineers from all over America. SAE accepts about 50 engineers annually. Overall, people would have very odd feelings about their car(s).
Tune in Tomorrow
Hi y’all, due to various obstructions this afternoon, I wasn’t able to access a computer to finish my post. Tune in tomorrow for a great post involving an Argentinian….
Trend of the Trucks!
Hey y’all, as I have a lot of homework to do, I will only detain you for about ten minutes. This post is on the “Pickup & SUV Authority;” Motor Trend’s Truck Trend! 
Truck Trend covers such topics as: Fuel economy standards for trucks, new concept trucks, race coverage (in the magazine & online!), and so much more! I think that many of you would enjoy getting some nutty truck owner in the family a subscription (if they don’t already have one!). You can subscribe online at: https://www.circsource.com/store/Subscribe.html?magazineId=117&sourceCode=I8ABNN
I’m still waiting for my presents…
Shall We Buy Our Way Through the Races?
VROOM! SCREECH! VROOM! BOOM! Music to any car enthusiast’s ears… The sounds of one of the most exciting racing games I’ve ever played; Asphalt 6: Adrenaline. The game has over 20 cars to unlock and drive, at least 50 tracks to unlock and race on, and countless upgrades. The races start out easy, and get progressively harder. There are some races where you eliminate other racers by forcing them off the track, there are duel races, drifting races and races where you have to place in the top three without eliminating any opponents. The graphics quality is crystal-clear, you are able to play online, track how much money you win in a race, and look at your very own garage of cars. There are some cars like the tiny Fiat 500 Abarth that are great for weaving in and out, and then there is the insanely good at drifting Shelby GT500 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG that get up to 1,000 drifting points in one drift. Then, there is the straight-line-only MINI Cooper JCW (John Cooper Works) that will beat any car on a straightaway, but will be a terrible nuisance on a windy course. Oh, and I almost forgot the bullet-tank Audi RS5 which has worse road manners than a tank with one tread, yet will win a race without trying. Overall, the game is very well designed, and is truly the time-suck of boring office hours and/or schoolwork…
The game is available for PC’s with Windows 7, and Macs with OS X Snow Leopard. It is by Gameloft Studios, is $6.99 in iTunes money, and is available on the App store. If you are the simpler type of person, the game comes in: Asphalt 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 6: Adrenaline. I happen to have 6: Adrenaline, which is best suited for Macs. For those of us who are too lazy to type the game name into the search bar on the app store, I have attached the link.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/asphalt-6-adrenaline/id418560017?mt=12
Bye-bye sucka’s, I’m off to waste my brain! I hope to race you online (BTW: You can challenge any racer that has won more than 10 races in a row! I WILL be one of those!)
OOOPS!
Sorry about that! I meant to save it and hit the wrong button! Sorry…
This Is Only the Beginning.
What do you want? This is officially the start of my holiday
About (face)
Because today is a special day, I have decided to update my about page! Please check it out and post a comment.
Nerdy Definition Day!
Okay, we all know that I’ve done ‘Geeky Definition Day’, or, simply, ‘Definition day’. But today is different. These are auto-related terms that you may have never heard of before! You need a wide and varied auto vocabulary for this blog. Are you ready? I thought so…
Roller Cam: The roller cam is also called the rolly. It is a camshaft (a shaft of a cam) which operates against a small roller (hence the name “rolly”), at the base of each lifter; instead of the lifter itself. The rollers are designed to reduce friction and wear, especially at high rpms. A cam is located above or below the crankshaft. A cam spins around, and pushes the bottom of the engine valves, which help produce the spark, which drives the car forward.
Cream hardener: A type of cream used for hardening bondo. You put the bondo on, but it doesn’t dry by itself (unless you’re planning on not driving your car for a year!). Slather the cream all over the bondo, and the bondo dries. Then (hopefully), your car will look as good as new!
Meats: Refers to big tires, such as drag racing slicks, or 40″ off-road tires. I wonder if they have any steaks… There are also “meaty” tires. They are very knobby tires, that are used for going off-road. Now I wonder if they have any bacon…
Tune in regularly to get some more great ‘n geeky definitions! Heard of these? I dare you to find some random auto-related terms that I might not know! Just post it as a comment, and you’ll be featured on my next definition post!
Tune in soon to get specs on my baby! You’ll be surprised!
The Unmuffled Auto News 