Repair 7

A high intensity discharge (HID) light bulb uses specific gases to produce the light seen in the bulb. Depending upon the gas used, the bulb may be very white or more blue on the spectrum. The bulb holds the gas within a vacuum of pressure inside the glass structure. HID bulbs vary in size and wattage, and are used for homes and cars alike.

Mercury Vapor

This high intensity vapor bulb contains mercury vapor inside the glass bulb. When electricity is sent to the bulb, the vapor is heated until it reaches a point where light is emitted. With mercury, the bulb may display as bluish, rather than pure white or yellow (like some popular incandescent bulbs do.) Mercury vapor bulbs are often used in homes as an energy-saving alternative to incandescents, although compact fluorescent light (CFLs) have begun to replace mercury vapor HIDs.

Metal Halide

Metal halide bulbs contain a mixture of metals, including thallium and sodium, along with mercury vapor. The metals are mixed to provide one of the better color-lecting bulbs (meaning it shows true colors, rather than emitting a hue) as described by Greenbuildingadvisor.com. Metal halide bulbs are favored as a replacement to other forms of HID bulbs because of this quality, and because they do not need excessive time to warm up and illuminate.

Pressurized Sodium

Pressurized sodium bulbs produce light by heating xenon gas until a combination of sodium and mercury cause sodium electrons to release and glow. High-pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs are the yellow glowing lights used along many major roads and throughout cities. With 10 times more lumens than an incandescent bulb, pressurized sodium bulbs are much brighter and can reach greater distances. Low-pressure sodium lights are used primarily by astronomers, since the intense orange light emitted can be filtered for space observation.

Sound waves are energy-containing pressure waves created when a moving object quickly displaces the air around it. These pressure waves have certain physical dimensions, the most constant of which is frequency, or the distance between the strongest part of the pressure wave and the weakest part. Mufflers are tuned with channels and passages designed to capture, lect and dissipate certain wavelengths, but no standard muffler can capture all of them. Resonators are small mufflers designed to control frequencies the main muffler cannot.

Expansion Chamber

An expansion chamber is the simplest type of resonator and is essentially just a section of tubing that is much larger in diameter than the main tubing. The expansion chamber will capture any frequencies with a wavelength shorter than or equal to its length, causing them to bounce around inside the canister and cancel out. The expansion chamber is cheap and easy to produce but has a narrow range of frequency control.

Dissipative Muffler

A dissipative muffler starts out as an expansion chamber, but contains metal or fiberglass packing material that helps absorb the sound energy. The packing material is soft and pliable, allowing it to vibrate. This allows the sounds pressure energy to express on the packing material rather than the air, reducing its volume. Dissipative mufflers can use either a perforated core (a section of tubing in the center with many holes drilled through it) or a louvered core (a section of tubing with vents punched in it) to allow sound to enter the packing material while keeping the material where it belongs. Commonly called "glass-packs" or "cherry bombs," these high-flowing resonators are among the most common today.

Chambered Resonators

Also known as a Helmholz resonator, the "baffled" or "chambered" muffler uses a series of different sized cavities and chambers to catch sound waves and lect them back on themselves, thus canceling them out into an indistinct buzz. Helmholz resonators may utilize a single open chamber with several, angled metal plates (or "baffles"), a series of short, internal, perforated tubes, a separate expansion chamber containing packing material or any combination of the three. Helmholz resonators do an exceptional job of attenuating (canceling) the frequencies they are designed to target but may have little to no effect on frequencies outside their range. These resonators are designed to catch only the frequencies that the primary muffler cant and are generally tuned to work only with a specific engine/muffler combination. A chambered resonator may or may not produce the same exhaust note when used with a different engine or muffler.

Oxygen sensors provide information to the engine computer used to adjust the fuel mixture for efficient engine operation. There are two basic types of oxygen sensors and the sensors are used in two locations in many vehicles.

Unheated

Oxygen sensors create their own electricity, but must be hot to do so. Older oxygen sensors are unheated, relying on heat from the engine exhaust to warm the sensor. Unheated oxygen sensors are easily identified as they have one or two wires connected to the sensor.

Heated

Automobiles started using heated oxygen sensors in the 1990s; these oxygen sensors have an electrical heating element to warm the sensor. The advantage of heated oxygen sensors is they operate more quickly at startup than unheated sensors. Heated sensors have three or four wires connected to the sensor, with the added wires being used to operate the heating element.

Front and Rear

Vehicles manufactured from the mid-1990s have oxygen sensors located in the exhaust system above and below the catalytic converter. The two oxygen sensors are used to determine changes in the exhaust gases after they have passed through the converter. If the system does not note a change, a dashboard light will indicate a problem to the driver.

A universal joint, otherwise called a u-joint, is found in many automotive applications, as well as in other mechanics. For example, a u-joint is used in vehicles between the drive train bar and the transmission or axle where the bars meet at a right angle. There are three main designs of u-joints, each designed for a specific application.

Hooke

The Hooke style universal joint is perhaps the most widely known joint in the United States. The joint consists of two rods that are connected at the center by a four-pin attachment. The two rods are slender on the outer half and thicker on the inner half. The Hooke u-joint was designed by Robert Hooke, curator of experiments at the Royal Society in 1662. Hookes work was primarily focused on the mechanics of clocks and other astronomical measuring tools.

Ring and Trunnion

The ring and trunnion universal joint is designed with a female and a male rod at either end of the center cross point. The center cross is an open circle with four protruding points that poke through the holes on the male and female rods. Within the center of the ring and trunnion u-joint is a bushing and a lock ring that help maintain the center cross between the rods. The ring and trunnion is often seen inside the drive shaft of a vehicle.

Bendix-Weiss

Bendix-Weiss is a universal ball joint that has a hollow center containing four small metal balls. The two rods are formed to hook together at a cross section, and the metal balls sit in each corner socket. A a fifth, smaller ball is situated in the very center of the cross point to help stabilize the entire device during rotations. The Bendix-Weiss joint is designed to carry the exact amount of torque on one arm of the joint as on each of the other arms. This equal balance is valuable to applications involving heavy and complex vehicles in the military, for example.

There are three types of circuit breakers used in the automotive industry. The three types adhere to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J553 standard. This standard determines the operating conditions and the manufacturing conditions of the circuit breakers. Each type can be made for different pin types and different amps, depending on the exact application of the breaker.

Type 1

Type 1 automotive circuit breakers cycle on and off until the cause of the break is eliminated. This application can be hazardous if the goal of the breaker is to cut power totally to prevent damage or disruption to the circuit. Type 1 circuit breakers for automotive applications are available from a number of sources and insert types. Additionally, Type 1 circuit breakers are made for a variety of different amps.

Type 2

Type 2 circuit breakers switch off when they sense an overload and remain off. When the overload condition is removed, the circuit turns back on automatically. This type of breaker protects the circuit from overload and eliminates the need for a person to reset the breaker. Type 2 breakers are available with different inserts and amps for different automotive applications.

Type 3

The last type of automotive circuit breaker requires a person to turn it back on. These breakers switch off when they sense an overload, like the Type 2 breakers, but require a person to press a reset button to switch them back on. Type 3 breakers are available for between 10 and 30 amps for a variety of automotive applications.

There are a number of different fluids that are used in a General Motors or Chevrolet 6.5-liter diesel engine to keep it running smoothly and operating properly. Without the proper fluids, the trucks engine can be damaged by heat and friction that are generated as the engine runs. It is important to use the proper fluids in your diesel truck and keep the right amount of fluids in the engine at all times.

Oil

Engine oil is required for all gasoline and diesel engines. Oil provides the lubrication necessary to minimize friction between internal components. The 2011 Chevrolet Diesel Truck owners manual insert states that Chevrolet diesel engines need to use engine oil that is designated as API CJ-4 and has a viscosity of SAE 15W-40, unless you are in extremely cold temperatures, where SAE 5W-40 can be used to improve cold starting. Chevrolet states that you should not use 10W-30, 10W-40 or 20W-50 oils in your 6.5 diesel engine. Oil should be changed every 3,000 miles.

Oil Flushes and Additives

Chevrolet states that vehicle owners should not add any kind of additional fluid to the recommended engine oil of their diesel trucks. Chevrolet does not recommend using oil additives or engine oil system flushes. These treatments may void your vehicles warranty and cause damage.

Coolant

The 6.5-liter diesel should operate using a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL coolant and clean, drinking-quality water in the radiator and cooling system. The coolants purpose in the engine is to prevent overheating and extreme engine temperatures.

Other Fluids

Your 6.5-liter diesel engine and its various components rely on a number of different fluids to continue operating properly. These include DEXRON-VI automatic transmission fluid for the transmission and transfer case, GM-brand power steering and diesel exhaust fluid, and DOT-3 hydraulic brake fluid.

The steering wheel, one of the most prominent features of any motor vehicle, provides the means by which the driver controls the direction in which the vehicle moves. Steering wheels come in many styles and types. Those interested in cars would do well to acquaint themselves with the major types and their uses.

Tilt Steering Wheels

Tilt steering wheels, first introduced by General Motors in 1963, are used most often in luxury vehicles. They allow different people to operate the vehicle comfortably by making the position of the steering wheel adjustable. Basically, tilt steering wheels connect to an arc that allows them to change positions by turning up and down. The wheels design allows the steering column to remain unaffected by the changes in the wheels position. This occurs through the use of a ratchet mechanism located in the steering column just below the wheel.

Telescope Steering Wheels

Telescope steering wheels are also an adjustable model of steering wheel, but in this case the height is adjustable. You can adjust these wheels to an infinite number of positions within a 3-inch range.

Adjustable Steering Wheels

Adjustable steering column steering wheels also adjust height but do it differently from telescope wheels. They create the same change in height created by telescope wheels, except they do it by changing the wheels title. These changes are smaller and less pronounced than those accomplished with tilt steering wheels, however. Instead of ratchet mechanisms, adjustable steering column wheels use electric motors or compression locks.

Swing-Away Steering Wheels

First introduced as a feature of the 1961 Ford Thunderbird, these interesting devices make entering and exiting the vehicles easier. Featured in many Ford vehicles models in the 1960s, swing-away steering wheels have a feature that allows them to move 9 inches to the right when you place the vehicle in park.

Recirculating Ball Steering Wheels

Recirculating ball steering wheels are so named for the mechanism that allows them to turn the vehicles wheels. The most important part of this type of steering wheel system, the Pitman arm, connects the steering gear to the center link and the tie-rods of the Pitman shaft.

Rack-and-Pinion Steering Wheels

Rack-and-pinion steering wheels, probably the most common types of steering wheels available as of 2010, connect to a system contained in a metal tube, from which the rack ends protrude. A tie-rod links to each end of the rack, while the pinion gear links to the steering shaft. At the other end, the tie rod connects to the steering arm so that when you turn the steering wheel, it spins the gear. This action moves the rack, which in turn moves the cars wheels.