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Dear Start My Car,
This week South Africa entered level 3 lockdown and it appears that before we know it, we will be at Level 1. Covid might not be over but the lockdown seems to be.
Before we forget about it completely, it is important to take a look at what the lockdown period meant to us. Sure it might have been difficult, but it also gave us many gifts that we would not have been given, but for the forced period. At Start My Car it allowed us to enhance functionality on the site and to make sure that we are still focussed on you, our customer.
I have included an article from News24 below where the writer contemplates the many things learnt during this time.Please have a look at our amazing specials and let us know how we can help you.
Be safe and healthy.
Be safe.
Baruch
This is what I learnt in lockdown
Monday morning 1 June was the day that South Africa stumbled into Level 3 Lockdown.
Although we eagerly anticipated this milestone, there were many aspects that seemed to catch us by surprise. Parents had no idea whether to make school lunch or not, runners weren’t certain if they could join a group and golfers, rather sadly, looked to the heavens, both to check the weather and for some sort of sign that they could once again participate in an activity that they know brings out the worst in them. And that they swear each time that they will not play again.
What I hadn’t anticipated was being asked on my morning show what I had gained during Lockdown? At first I panicked because I thought the question was meant to be answered in kilogram, but then I realised it was a reference to the positive benefit of the sixty plus days spent working from home. As I considered the ways, I put the question out to listeners and received some of the most delightful answers.
One person told me that they had discovered their green thumbs and now grows her own herbs. Another had learnt to bake and yet another had found out that she need not have been afraid of her children. She had spent most her life in high powered positions in the banking sector but has loved being at home with her girls.My co-host had realised that she could manage without wine every day and that she had been pleasantly surprised by how much she had loved looking after her brother who had moved in with her as his university had closed.
I learnt that I am not a technical ‘special needs’ and that I can manage to figure things out when I set my mind to it. I also realised that I like my kids more than I had thought I did. They in turn have benefited from me being around, to the extent that my 18-year-old son, who is dyslexic, has started reading novels (a huge accomplishment for him). He also plays a mean game of Bananagrams and holds the family record. I have learnt further that being an author does not guarantee expertise in the game and that sometimes simple words are the most powerful.
Since this discussion I have asked a number of people the same question. I have loved the answers because they almost always contain an element of gratitude.
“I realised how truly privileged and fortunate I am,” said David, “to have job security at a great company. There are people out there losing their jobs and struggling to feed their families. Here I am ordering stuff online to make my home office a bit more comfortable. It feels utterly wrong, but I don't know how to fix it.”
Tom learnt that, “Eating healthy home-cooked food every day is actually possible… and actually cheaper and more surprisingly fun. And spending time in the kitchen is ‘mindful’ time isn’t it? Still haven’t figured out how to get my kids to eat vegetables yet – but that’s the next mission!”
Steyn learnt that “I am more of a handy-man than I thought, having been forced to jump onto tasks that I would previously have outsourced – often needing to McGyver it due to not having the right equipment. I also learnt that if the world ever turns into an apocalyptic wasteland, then pineapples might just become the dominant currency.”
Jake learnt a surprising lesson about fellow South Africans. “At the start of lockdown I did not think South Africa would be able to cope with the shutdown of the economy for even a week. I had incorrectly predicted that we would face civil unrest after a month or so when funds and food ran out. I have learnt that people of South Africa are far more resilient and resourceful then I gave them credit for. I have never been so happy to be proven wrong.”
Nomkhosi said that “during this time I couldn’t help but think how grateful to be employed while many fellow south Africans have lost their jobs. I have learnt how important it is to stand strong and more than anything to be grateful for the small mercies we receive.”
Covid-19 has taught me that numbers can be manipulated, that graphs and statistics are fun and are often fictitious. It has taught me further that even though South Africans spend 35.7% of their adult lives complaining about government and their “irrational” and perplexing approach, there is something unique and very special about this strange and wonderful place. Most importantly I have learnt to appreciate just how blessed and how fortunate we are.
- Howard Feldman
ON SALE
SILLY SPARES
Workshop Wisdom
R30 Parts, R3000 Labour?
Part 4: Cooling Systems
In previous articles, we have explored the different components that make up the vehicle cooling system. In this week’s edition, we continue by focussing on two components that we all hope we never have to replace. Not because of the cost of the parts, usually a mere few Rand. But because of their inaccessibly, the labour costs may run into several thousand. Sit down before reading any further.
2.6 Bypass System
This is a passage that allows the coolant to bypass the radiator and return directly back to the engine. Some engines use a rubber hose, or a fixed steel tube. In other engines, there is a cast in passage built into the water pump or front housing. In any case, when the thermostat is closed, coolant is directed to this bypass and channelled back to the water pump, which sends the coolant back into the engine without being cooled by the radiator.
2.7 Freeze Plugs/Welch Plugs
When an engine block is manufactured, a special sand is moulded to the shape of the coolant passages in the engine block. This sand sculpture is positioned inside a mould and molten iron or aluminium is poured to form the engine block. When the casting is cooled, the sand is loosened and removed through holes in the engine block casting, leaving the passages that the coolant flows through. Obviously, if we don’t plug up these holes, the coolant will pour right out.
Plugging these holes is the job of the freeze-out plug. These plugs are steel discs or cups that are press fit in the holes in the side of the engine block. They normally last the life of the engine with no problems.The legend has it that the colloquial name “freeze plugs” harks back to the early days, when many people used plain water in their engines, usually after replacing a burst hose or other cooling system repair—“It is summer and I will replace the water with antifreeze when the weather starts turning”.Needless to say, people are forgetful and many a motor suffered the fate of the water freezing inside the block. Often, when this happened, the pressure of the water freezing and expanding forced the freeze-out plugs to pop out, relieving the pressure and saving the engine block from cracking (although, just as often, the engine cracked anyway).
Another reason for these plugs to fail was the fact that they were made of steel and would easily rust through if the vehicle owner was careless about maintaining the cooling system. Antifreeze has rust inhibitors in the formula to prevent this from happening, but those chemicals would lose their effect after 3 years, which is why antifreeze needs to be changed periodically. The fact that some people left plain water in their engines greatly accelerated the rusting of these freeze plugs.
When a freeze plug becomes so rusty that it perforates, you’ll have a coolant leak that must be repaired by replacing the rusted-out freeze plug with a new one. This job ranges from fairly easy to extremely difficult depending on the location of the affected freeze plug. These components are located on the sides of the engine, usually 3 or 4 per side. There are also freeze plugs on the back of the engine on some models and also on the heads.
As long as you are good about maintaining the cooling system, you need never worry about these plugs failing on modern vehicles.If you do ever need a freeze plug, just type Welsh Plug into start my car and you will find our full selection on offer.
2.7 Head Gaskets and Intake Manifold Gaskets
All internal combustion engines have an engine block and one- or two-cylinder heads. The mating surfaces where the block and head meet are machined flat for a close, precise fit, but no amount of careful machining will allow them to be completely water-tight or be able to hold back combustion gases from escaping past the mating surfaces.
In order to seal the block to the heads, we use a head gasket, which has several things it needs to seal against. The main thing is the combustion pressure on each cylinder. Oil and coolant must easily flow between block and head, and it is the job of the head gasket to keep these fluids from leaking out or into the combustion chamber, or into each other for that matter.
A typical head gasket is usually made of a soft sheet metal that is stamped with ridges that surround all leak points. When the head is placed on the block, the head gasket is sandwiched between them. Many bolts, called head bolts, are screwed in and tightened down, causing the head gasket to crush and form a tight seal between the block and head.
Head gaskets usually fail if the engine overheats for a sustained period of time causing the cylinder head to warp and release pressure on the head gasket. This is most common on engines with cast aluminium heads, which are now on just about all modern engines.Once coolant or combustion gases leak past the head gasket, the gasket material is usually damaged to a point where it will no longer hold the seal. This causes leaks in several possible areas.
For example:
• Combustion gases could leak into the coolant passages causing excessive pressure in the cooling system
• Coolant could leak into the combustion chamber causing it to escape through the exhaust system, often causing a white cloud of smoke from the tailpipe
• Other problems such as oil mixing with the coolant or being burned out of the exhaust are also possible.
Some engines are more susceptible to head gasket failure than others. The best advice is, if the engine shows signs of overheating, find a place to pull over and shut the engine off as quickly as possible.
Like the Welch plug, head gaskets themselves are relatively cheap, but it is the labour that’s the killer. A typical head gasket replacement is a several hour job where the top part of the engine must be completely disassembled. These jobs can easily run up several thousand Rands. Unfortunately, in the process of opening the engine, more damage may be found and the repair costs will climb.
A head gasket replacement begins with the diagnosis that the head gasket has failed. There is no way for a technician to know for certain whether there is additional damage to the cylinder head or other components without first disassembling the engine. All they know is that fluid and/or combustion is not being contained.
One way to tell if a head gasket has failed is through a combustion leak test on the radiator. This is a chemical test that determines if there are combustion gases in the engine coolant. Another way is to remove the spark plugs and crank the engine while watching for water spray from one or more spark plug holes.
As always, if you need a particular part reach out to us at Start My Car. Every day, we source many unlisted parts for our customers. Get in touch and we will do our utmost to assist you.
