The health of the battery is of great importance during the winter operation of the car. If «age» battery installed on the car is 2-3 years, then in anticipation of winter it is enough to wash it outside, clean the terminals and fully charge (if the car was constantly operated in the city, the battery charge is far from the nominal).
Note. If the battery does not charge to its nominal capacity, it should be replaced.
According to experts, the average duration «full life» battery life is about 3 years.
Buying a rechargeable battery is currently not a problem: a large number of brands and models are presented in stores. Which battery to choose is a personal matter for everyone. It should be noted that two price groups can now be distinguished on the market: batteries costing over $60 (usually up to $100), such as Bosch, Steco, American, Fiamm, and under $60 (Mutlu, Inci, Centra, SAEM, etc.).
The higher prices of batteries of the first group are due to the more advanced technology of their production. These batteries are generally categorized as maintenance free. Special types of electrolytes and hermetic design of such batteries increase their resource and provide high starter currents, which guarantee cranking of the engine crankshaft even in severe frosts. Leading manufacturers now make it mandatory to use wafer stacking technology, as a result of which it is possible to avoid a short circuit of the battery in case of their destruction.
Cheaper batteries require periodic maintenance, which consists in checking the density of the electrolyte and measuring its level.
When choosing a battery, pay attention to the following parameters:
- capacity, Ah In accordance with the operating instructions, it should be 70 Ah. It is allowed to use batteries with a capacity of 60–75 Ah. Too little capacity will create problems with «winter» starting the engine, if too large - the generator will not fully charge the battery and its service life will be greatly reduced;
- starter discharge current, A (according to DIN 43 539). The larger its value, the better, especially during winter operation. This ensures that the starter will crank the crankshaft at a high enough speed and if the engine does not start on the first try, you will have a chance to make a second and third.
Note. Do not purchase batteries from southern manufacturing countries: there are no frosts there and their starter discharge current can be significantly less than that of batteries adapted to the conditions of the Russian winter.
When buying a battery that differs from the standard one, pay attention to its size and the location of the terminals: buy a battery of the same polarity as the old one, otherwise the wires of your car may not reach the terminals.
The density of the electrolyte of a fully charged battery may differ from the nominal one by no more than 0.02 g/cm3 (tab. 15.1).
Table 15.1. Temperature correction to hydrometer readings when measuring electrolyte density
The most accurate degree of charge of the battery by the density of the electrolyte can be determined by measuring it at a temperature of +25°C (tab. 15.2).
Table 15.2. Electrolyte density at 25°С, g/cm3
When checking the battery with a special load plug, the readings of the built-in voltmeter should be 12.5–12.9 V with the load off and not drop below 11 V with the load for 10 s. Such a battery will serve for a long time and reliably.
If the battery is still discharged during unsuccessful engine starts, you can use cables to «smoking» with terminal type «crocodile». When buying, it is better to choose cables designed for a large load (from 200 A).
The use of a less viscous winter engine oil makes it much easier to start a cold engine. The international classification SAE J300 contains six classes of winter oils. In the notation «winter» classes have the letter W (winter - winter).
In a temperate climate, it is permissible to use all-weather in winter (universal) motor oils that are now widely used (tab. 15.3).
When buying oils, especially imported ones, you should beware of fakes, so it is best to purchase oils in specialized stores that provide product certificates.
Table 15.3. Characteristics of winter oils
Note. Remember that with intensive city driving, changing the oil (and, accordingly, the oil filter) must be carried out in strict accordance with the factory operating instructions for the car, reducing the replacement frequency by 20% every 50 thousand kilometers, starting from 100 thousand km. Flush the lubrication system when switching to another brand of oil. Various «boilers», supposedly heating the thickened oil in the crankcase, do not give any practical effect, except for the premature failure of the battery.
Your car's engine cooling system uses a special low-freezing fluid called antifreeze (an aqueous solution of alcohol, glycol, glycerin and inorganic salts with the addition of special additives).
Attention! It is strictly forbidden to use water in the cooling system in winter. This is due to the fact that when the heater fan is turned on at full power, the circulation of water through the radiator may completely stop and the water in the radiator will freeze right during the movement. When the car is stopped, there will be no circulation through the radiator and the motor «boil». In addition, during long-term operation of the cooling system on water, scale forms in places of strong heating, which does not conduct heat well. The scale formed in the cooling system in one place narrows the flow area of the channels, and in another place due to corrosion, on the contrary, increases them - this disrupts the uniformity of heat transfer, causes local overheating and can lead to deformation of the cylinder head.
Often, the power system is the cause of unsatisfactory engine operation in winter. And all because of the accumulated water condensate in the fuel tank. Almost all leading manufacturers of auto chemical goods (STP, Loctite, Wynns, Aspokem) offer drugs that are poured into the fuel tank. They gradually cleanse the food system. It will not be superfluous to replace the fine fuel filter and make sure that the engine injectors are clean and in good condition.
Before the onset of winter, do not forget about high-voltage wires. After a couple of years of driving on roads treated with anti-icing agents, it is advisable to replace them, preferably with wires with a silicone sheath, which are less sensitive to temperature changes. In addition, frost does not form on them, which is often the reason for the absence of a spark. A commonplace cause of malfunctions in the ignition system may be corrosion or poor tightening of the battery terminals.
The instruction manual prescribes to replace the spark plugs every 15 thousand km. But, given the experience of carrying out repair work, it is better to do this after 7 thousand km or more often if the car is very hard to operate in a large city or on gasoline of dubious quality. It is better to use spark plugs from imported manufacturers, such as Sagem, Champion and others that are approved for use in your car engine.
In the winter period of operation of the car, the body is exposed to corrosion to the maximum, so its anti-corrosion treatment is highly desirable. However, according to employees of some authorized service stations, for a number of new foreign cars, especially with a galvanized body, factory processing is quite enough.
Anti-corrosion treatment requires strict adherence to technology, and although almost all manufacturers of protective materials produce them in packaging for domestic use, it is still preferable to carry out treatment in a specialized service center. It is worthwhile to find out in advance on what technology it is performed. In any case, before applying a protective coating on the bottom and arches, the machine must be cleaned of dirt, washed and thoroughly dried.
Winter operation, especially on «salted» streets of large cities, greatly enhances the corrosion of body parts. Regular washing in winter is necessary if the car is stored outside, and absolutely necessary daily if the car is stored in a warm garage. Water washes off salt well, and a layer of wet dirt dries for a very long time, increasing the harmful effect of salt on the body paintwork. In extreme cases, wash your car more often during a thaw, and before a cold snap, wash and wipe dry, ideally dry in a warm room. Before starting winter operation, be sure to carry out additional anti-corrosion treatment of the body. Such processing is best done in a specialized car service using special protective equipment and technologies. There are two types of anti-corrosion treatment: treatment of the bottom and hidden cavities of the body and treatment of the paintwork of the body. The latter can be easily done on your own. It includes washing, drying and treatment with special protective compounds based, as a rule, on wax or silicone. If you find deep scratches when processing the body, treat the bare metal with a rust converter (modifier).
Additional plastic wheel arch liners reduce the abrasive wear of the anti-corrosion coating on the inner side of the wings, but if they are not properly installed, poorly ventilated cavities can form between the wing and the wheel arch liner, in which additional corrosion centers will appear due to penetrating moisture.
The right choice of tires for operation in the winter time can improve road safety. Driving a car in winter on summer tires is extremely dangerous and therefore unacceptable. Tires intended for operation in the winter period can be divided into European types according to the tread pattern (the tread pattern consists of individual blocks or blocks connected in a rib) and Scandinavian type (tire tread pattern with a large distance between small blocks, which allows you to clean the contact patch from loose snow).
When operating a car in winter in urban conditions, where snow and salt porridge is more common on the roads than packed snow or ice, it is better to use winter tires without studs: they are lighter and have less rolling resistance compared to studded tires.
Note. You should know that tires without studs hold an icy road worse, but on wet pavement they have undeniable advantages along the length of the braking distance compared to studded tires.
Note. If you use studded tires, be sure to change them as a set, and do not limit yourself to only the front pair of wheels in order to save money, as this dramatically increases the likelihood of a front-wheel drive vehicle slipping into a skid.
Attention! Do not forget that in accordance with the requirements of the traffic rules, when using studded tires, it is necessary to place a triangular sign with the letter «W», to alert other drivers.
In anticipation of winter, you should check the windshield wipers, blowing and heating the windows - they must be in good order.
Defective wiper blades, which leave frosted stripes on the glass, reduce not only the comfort of the trip, but also the safety of the driver. When purchasing wiper blades, try to select blades that are recommended by the manufacturer and meet the following requirements:
- qualitatively and evenly clean the entire covered surface of the windshield and tailgate glass from various types of contaminants;
- have sufficient wear resistance;
- When using the brushes, there should be no scratches on the glass surface.
In the conditions of winter operation of the car, you can purchase special brushes, the hinges and rocker arms of which are protected from icing by a rubber cover.
Attention! In order to prevent the loss of mobility of the wiper blade joints in winter, it is not recommended to dilute the anti-freeze wiper fluid with water, since the brushes cool much faster than the windshield, and water that has got on them may freeze.
Attention! Remove dirt and sand from the wiper blades with water regularly.
Attention! To avoid excessive wear of the brush bands, do not turn on the windshield wiper in winter until the heater has warmed up all the glass and melted the frost on it.
When preparing the car for operation in the winter period, you should carefully inspect the windshield. In the very first frost after an autumn rain, even a small chip on the windshield will turn into a full-fledged crack. Existing repair technologies make it possible to eliminate such a defect without removing the glass. It is easier and cheaper than glass replacement.
Another one «winter» The problem is the fogging of the windows. With a good ventilation system, it rarely occurs, but we advise you to purchase special anti-fogging fluids that can be applied to the glass once a week.
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