Igniting a Spark
Your Volvo has thousands of parts in it. Some play a crucial role in the car, while others do not. Some are used all the time, while some are needed only for a specific time. One of the latter is your Volvo’s ignition coil. Also called a spark coil, the ignition coil is an induction coil in the automobile’s ignition system. The Volvo ignition coil transforms a storage battery’s 12 volts into the thousands (which sometimes could reach as high as 120,000 volts) needed to ignite the spark plugs. Invented by A. Kent Atwater in 1921, the ignition coil is a simple transformer that has two sides: the 12 volt or primary side and the high voltage or secondary side. The primary side contains a few hundred turns of a large diameter wire and it builds up the magnetic field in the coils. On the other hand, the high voltage side contains thousands of turns of small diameter wire. The coil uses electromagnetic induction to create the high voltage. When the voltage in the primary side is turned off, the collapsing magnetic field in the secondary side induces a voltage in the secondary side, producing thousands of volts. In older vehicles, a single, large ignition coil would serve all the spark plugs, distributing voltage via an ignition distributor. In modern systems, the distributor is omitted and ignition is controlled electronically, instead. Much smaller coils are used with one coil for each spark plug or one coil serving two spark plugs (so two coils in a four-cylinder car). These coils may be remote-mounted or they may be placed on top of the spark plug (coil-on-plug or direct injection). Where one coil serves two spark plugs (in two cylinders), it is through the “wasted spark” system. In this arrangement, the coil generates two sparks per cycle to both the cylinders. The fuel in the cylinder that is nearing the end of its compression stroke is ignited, whereas, the spark in its companion nearing the end of its exhaust stroke has no effect. The wasted spark system is more reliable than a single coil system with a distributor and cheaper than coil-on-plug. Where the coils are remote mounted, they may all be contained in a single molded block with multiple high-tension terminals. This is commonly called a coil-pack. Your Volvo ignition coils are part of a larger system, which is the ignition system. The ignition system is part of an even larger engine system. The ignition system’s primary responsibility is the timely burning of the fuel-air mixture in the engine. Your Volvo user’s manual would carry the recommended service interval for your ignition system, including your Volvo ignition coil. Your Volvo engine might run rough, buck, surge, stall or even get poor fuel economy. These are signs that your ignition system might need servicing as they are potentially an ignition system problem. When this happens, drive to the nearest Volvo dealership and have a qualified technician take a look around. Your Volvo engine might be in problem in the long run. John Garrett is an automobile mechanic who knows every crook and cranny of his truck. He's also a vintage car enthusiast , and he's dedicated to fixing and restoring them. He is a motorist who believes in continuous research and improvement.
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The scoop on carbon fiber hoods
Carbon Fiber seems to be the material of choice for aftermarket accessories. Now you can find carbon fiber mirrors, dash trim kits, hoods, fenders, and who knows what else. So what is the big deal with carbon fiber?Carbon Fiber seems to be the material of choice for aftermarket accessories. Now you can find carbon fiber mirrors, dash trim kits, hoods, fenders, and who knows what else. So what is the big deal with carbon fiber?There are a few reasons that carbon fiber has taken off in the past few years. It is a lightweight, rigid, visually appealing material. It has a unique textured look and a smooth finish. It is surprisingly strong, and doesn’t flex much.Take carbon fiber hoods for example. A lot of tuners like to add a carbon fiber hood on their cars. Opposed to the steel factory hoods, these carbon fiber hoods can reduce the weight of the vehicle by as much as 40 or 50 pounds on some applications. This modification, when added to other weight reducing modifications, can slightly decrease 0-60 times and marginally improves handling and acceleration.The other reason is the cool textured looking finish. Add a few carbon fiber touches as a theme throughout the vehicle and this can score some major style points.These carbon fiber hoods are fairly expensive for their weight reducing capabilities, but add a lot of style for the money. Browse through our website to find a carbon fiber hood for your car at www.majesticmodifications.com. Once you have purchased the hood you want, it’s time to get it installed. You may need a hand removing the factory hood due to its weight, but once it is removed, you should be able to handle the much lighter carbon fiber hood. The installation is fairly easy, so here is a quick guide to help you get it installed.Start your installation by removing the windshield washer jets for the factory hood. Disconnect the tubing that runs to them by unclipping or unscrewing them. If there is a light attached to the hood, go ahead and remove it, as you may want to reuse it on the new hood.With these removed, and with some help on the other side, prop the hood up with the hood prop if applicable. Remove the 4 bolts holding the hood to the hinges. If your hood has gas shocks, remove them before removing the hinge bolts. Be careful to support the weight of the hood when removing the hinge bolts to reduce the risk of damaging the fenders or the windshield. With the hinges and gas shocks unbolted, this will free up the heavy factory hood. Carefully remove it from the hinges by pulling it away from the windshield and set it aside.Set the new carbon fiber hood in place. It will be significantly lighter than the factory steel hood. Line up the bolts on the hinges and tighten them down. Reattach the gas shocks if applicable, or set the hood prop in place. Reattach your windshield washer jets if your hood permits, and run the lines on the underside. If you saved your light and want to reattach it, you can do so at this point. it can be attached using some 3M adhesive double sided tape, or you can carefully screw it in place, making sure to use screws small enough to not penetrate the top of the hood. Close the hood and check for alignment. If you need to adjust the alignment, lift the hood and loosen the hinge bolts slightly, just to where you can make small adjustments. Lower the hood and make any adjustments and re-tighten the bolts. This should complete your carbon fiber hood installation.If you need any support or advice for your carbon fiber hood installation, you can contact Majestic Modifications by emailing us at support@majesticmodifications.com. <a href="http://www.majesticmodifications.com">Majestic Modifications</a> is the complete car customization concept, specializing in air intakes and performace upgrades, body kits and <a href="http://www.carbon-fiber-hoods.blogspot.com">carbon fiber hoods</a>, glow gauges and interior accessories, wheels and tires, mobile video and elctronics.
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