How To Jump Start a Dead Car Battery

Here are few tips and instructions on jump starting a dead battery. First things first, though. You need to inspect the dead battery. If you see any damage such as leaks or cracks.
DO NOT go any further. Put away the jumper cables and call a wrecker. A damaged battery can explode and really hurt you.
If the battery looks ok, then park the cars close enough to each other for the jumper cables to reach and shut off both engines. Now make sure the terminals are not caked with corrosion. Try to clean them off as best you can. A corroded terminal will make it a lot harder to jump the battery.
At this point you are ready to hook up your jumper cables to the batteries.
(Normally, the red cable is (+) positive and black cable is (-) negative)

They must be connected in this exact order:
1. Connect one end of the (+) positive cable to the (+) positive terminal on the dead battery.
2. Connect the other end of the (+) positive cable to (+) positive terminal on the good battery.
3. Connect one end of the (-) negative cable to (-) negative terminal on the good battery.
4. Connect the other end of the (-) negative cable to the engine block of the dead car.

You are ready to start up the good car’s engine and charge the dead battery. First of all, shut off all electrical equipment on the good car. (head lights, radio, etc.)
Let the good car’s engine run for a minute or so before you attempt to start the dead one. Now get in the dead car and attempt to crank it. If it sounds like it wants to start but won’t quite get there, give it some more time and try again. When the dead has started and is running, it is time to remove the jumper cables. This must be done in reverse order.

Here are the steps:
1. Disconnect (-) negative cable from the engine block on dead car.
2. Disconnect (-) negative cable from the (-) negative terminal on the good battery.
3. Disconnect (+) positive cable from the (+) positive terminal on the good battery.
4. Disconnect (+) positive cable from the (+) positive terminal on the dead battery.

After the dead car has been running for a while, turn it off. See if will start on its own. If it does, you should be ok on the drive home. If not, jump it again and have someone follow you home. When you arrive at home, you can then put a battery charger on it all night and see if it cranks in the morning.

by: Jason Mille

How To Maintain Your Car Battery

One of the most important parts of your car is the battery. If it doesn't work, your car doesn't start. And, in the winter that is even more true than in the summer.
The electrical power produced by the battery is used by the cars ignition system for cranking the engine. The car's battery also may power the lights and other accessories.
Have the battery tested on a regular basis, including when the car is serviced, before long trips and after it's been recharged.

Here are some things you can do yourself to prevent being stranded on a cold winter day.
Know how old your battery is. To see how old your battery is look for a small decal on the battery. A letter with a number should be there. The letter indicates the month, starting with "A" for January, "B" for February, and so on. I is skipped so December is "M". The number represents the year with "9" standing for 1999, "0" for 2000, etc. so D2, would be April, 2002. F5 would be June, 2005. Experts usually advise getting a new battery when a battery is four years old.

Watch for corroded terminals or battery posts, loose clamps, loose cables, or a leaking or damaged battery case. Look for dirty, wet, corroded or swollen cables and battery top.
Look for a loose or broken alternator belt. If the alternator fails the battery might also need to power the vehicle's entire electrical system until repairs can be made.

Keep jumper cables in the trunk of your car for emergency start up. Make sure the cables are free of rust and corrosion and that there are no exposed wires before using them.
Park your car in a garage whenever possible.

If you must leave your car outside all day, go out and start the car two or three times a day and let the car run for a few minutes to warm up. This will help the car to start more easily when you are ready to go. When temperatures are below zero Fahrenheit avoid leaving the car out for extended periods of time.

For more tips on keeping your battery in excellent working condition visit: http://www.apluswriting.net/gasmiles/batterycare.htm
by: Marilyn Pokorney

3 Car Stereo Components

Tips To Put Them Together

If you are new to the car stereo market, you may find yourself overwhelmed at the sheer number of parts and accessories that can make up a top of the line car stereo system. In this article, we'll explore the basic components that make up a functioning car stereo system.

1. The Head Unit: Making It Happen

You may have seen the term "head unit" before and not known what exactly it was. Simply put the head unit is the part of your car stereo that actually produces the music from radio, tape, CD, or other device. But nowadays you can also get head units for your car stereo that can play DVDs or music and video from USB flash drives or memory cards. Head units have sure come a long ways from when people used to install home stereo equipment in their vehicles!

2. Amplifiers: Bring the Boom

While your head unit may provide its own internal amplification (which may be enough for you), at some point most car stereo enthusiasts will want to add amplifiers to the mix. Simply put, and amplifier takes a signal coming out of your head unit, and makes it louder. Be careful when shopping for amplifiers, as some of the large amps can draw over 100 amps; this may be well over what your alternator and battery can provide, and can cause damage to those components.

3. Speakers: Woofers, Tweeters, What?

The best head unit and amp is completely useless without speakers. Speakers, regardless of size, all do one thing: take the electrical signal coming from either the head unit's internal amp or your external amp and turn it into sound, usually loud sound. The different types of speakers are classified by the range of sounds they can reproduce. Tweeters, for example, only reproduce high pitches, while woofers reproduce the upper bass ranges. Midranges make midrange sounds, strangely enough, while subwoofers cover sounds from the low bass all the way down to subsonics (those sounds you can feel but not hear). Subwoofers are usually the first candidate for external amplifiers, since they require large amounts of current to make that bone shaking bass.

Putting It All Together

Let's review: head units take your CD or tape and convert it to electrical signals. The amplifier makes this signal larger, and finally the speakers take that signal and make sound out of it. These are the base components you need for any car stereo installation. The accessories, such as crossovers and signal isolators, may or may not be needed for your particular application.

These are the basics you need to know for all car stereo systems. Now that you have a better idea what all these different terms actually mean, you should be able to shop intelligently for your new car stereo system. Just remember, as always, while you get what you pay for, you don't necessarily have to have the absolute best (and most expensive) parts for a good sound. More often than not, a midrange product will provide the best bang for your buck. And remember, it's all modular! You don't HAVE to buy every piece all at once. You can start with the head unit, and simply wire it's built in amplifier into your factory car stereo speakers. Add a sub and an amp later if you want, or replace the factory speakers with higher quality ones, it's all up to you.

Toyota dan Daihatsu Luncurkan Mini MPV 7 Penumpang

Jumat, 26/12/2008 | 02:29 WIB

TOKYO, JUMAT — Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) dan Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd (DMC), pada Natal, 25 Desember 2008, meluncurkan produk terbaru mereka, kendaraan 7 penumpang dengan tiga deret tempat duduk untuk pasar Jepang.

Kedua perusahaan menggunakan nama masing-masing untuk produk baru ini. Toyota menamakannya dengan Passo Sette (bahasa Italia, Sette berarti tujuh), sedangkan Daihatsu memberi label Boon Luminas (gabungan dari dua kata Inggris: roomy dan luminious).

Meski 7 penumpang, TMC dan DMC tidak menjelaskan kategori kendaraan ini sebagai mini MPV. Dari penampilan, mobil ini mirip dengan saudaranya yang dibuat di Indonesia, Avanza dan Xenia. Untuk dimensi, Passo Sette dan Boon Luminas sedikit lebih besar, tetapi lebih rendah (lihat tabel "Perbedaan Dimensi").

Seperti Avanza dan Xenia, Passo Sette dan Boon Luminas juga dibuat oleh Daihatsu. Meski begitu, menurut kedua perusahaan, pengembangan produk dilakukan secara bersama-sama. Namun, Daihatsu lebih berperan karena punya pengalaman dan keahlian khusus membuat mobil-mobil kecil dan kompak. Diinformasikan pula, mobil ini dibuat oleh Daihatsu di Kyoto. Target penjualannya per bulan yaitu, Toyota 3.000 unit, dan Daihatsu 500 unit.

Mungkinkah ke Indonesia?

Dari segi penampilan, Passo Sette dan Boon Luminas memang lebih oke dan mengarah ke mini MPV. Kemungkinan besar, mobil ini nantinya juga akan dipasarkan di Indonesia oleh Daihatsu.

Itu diperkirakan tahun depan. Hal tersebut pernah dikemukakan oleh Amelia Tjandra, Direktur Pemasaran PT Astra Daihatsu Motor (ADM) ketika meluncurkan New Xenia atau Xenia Facelift pada September lalu.

"Tahun depan kami punya produk baru, MPV dengan dimensi antara Kijang dan Xenia,” pancingnya tanpa menambahkan keterangan. “Tunggu saja,” jelasnya ketika wartawan coba menggali informasi lebih dalam.

Mesin Avanza 1,5

Untuk mesin, sama dengan Avanza 1,5 liter. Tepatnya berkapasitas 1.495 cc. Tipenya pun hampir sama. Menurut rilis kedua perusahaan tersebut, mesin Passo Sette dan Boon Luminas adalah 3ZR-VE, sedangkan Avanza 1,5 tipenya 3SZ-VE.

Dari hasil penelusuran Kompas.com, tenaga dan torsi yang dihasilkan mesin produk baru ini sama dengan Avanza 1,5 liter. Tenaga maksimum 109PS @ 6.000 rpm dan torsi 14,4 kg-m @ 4.400 rpm.

Saat rilis produk baru ini dikeluarkan, baik Toyota maupun Daihatsu tidak menyertakan foto interior. Hanya dijelaskan, mobil ini berukuran kompak dan interiornya lega. Panjang interior mencapai 2.550 mm.

Jarak antara jok depan dan belakang 1.630 mm, sedangkan jok kedua dibuat terpisah dengan jarak 150 mm. Lantai di depan jok deretan ketiga dibuat lebih rendah dan menciptakan ruang kaki yang lega.

Secara keseluruhan, mobil bisa memuat lima penumpang dengan ruang untuk barang yang cukup besar atau 7 penumpang dengan nyaman. Pintu belakang membuka sampai 935 mm dan dinilai cukup lincah karena radius putarnya 5,2 meter.

Sistem kunci tanpa harus menggunakan kunci untuk masuk ke dalam mobil. Kunci ini sekaligus berfungsi sebagai immobilizer. Toyota dan Daihatsu menawarkan tombol untuk menghidupkan dan mematikan mesin (standar pada Passo Sette G dan Boon Luminas CX dan CX Aero).

Peranti Keamanan

Di Jepang mobil ini dipenuhi berbagai perlengkapan pengaman aktif, antara lain vehicle stability control (VSC) yang memonitor traksi dan secara otomatis mengontrol tenaga yang dikeluarkan mesin. Juga ada sistem pendistribusian tenaga rem yang disatukan dengan traction control (TRC) untuk mengontrol roda tidak spin saat pertama kali mobil dijalankan atau berakselerasi pada permukaan jalan lincin.

Untuk memindahkan tenaga, digunakan transmisi otomatis 4 kecepatan yang dikontrol secara elektronik. Tambahan lain adalah indikator lampu Eco-Drive (Daihatsu) untuk menunjukkan kondisi mengemudi irit bahan bakar atau Eco-Vehicle Assessment System (Eco-VAS) untuk Toyota.

Di Jepang, mobil ini ditawarkan dengan harga (Passo Sette) 1,490,000 yen dan 1,535,000 yen. Kalau dikonversi ke rupiah pada kondisi sekarang, harganya mencapai Rp 190 juta. Namun, harga itu pantas karena perlengkapannya seabrek. Kalau dipasarkan di Indonesia, pasti banyak perlengkapan dipreteli agar harganya terjangkau. Yah... ditunggu aja!

Source: Kompas Online

Jakarta Accelera Auto Contest 2008

Jakarta Motorcycle Show - 2008