Monday 26 December 2011

Treaty/Sustainability Blog

Treaty of Waitangi and Sustainability Worksheet


How does sustainability and freedom from pollution pertain to the treaty?

Instructions: Read the Treaty and answer the questions below. This may be used for theory classroom discussion.


What part of the treaty relates to pollution and sustainability? Write the phrase the relates to it here;

I have highlighted the phrase in the screenshot below;






What are the ways that modern civilization could polute the land, the sea or the air?;

I believe that polution could take place by Human waste which is not recycled properly, Modern day vehicles because they produce emissions from the gas being burnt, rubbish that is not bio-degradable (man made stuff that is un-able to be broken down by the earth) also industrial stuff like oil waste, all the chemicals they use to produce products etc.

What NZ legislation directs what should happen about pollution?;

The resource management act. This legislation basically believes in managing what happens to our country, pollution wise. So in a way they stop excessive amounts of pollution in our country

Sunday 4 December 2011

Safety systems




Vehicle make;
Mini(bmw)
Vehicle model;
Cooper s
Vehicle rego; FYT101
VIN; Cannot be found

Make a list of nine safety components found in your vehicle;

1.
Handbrake
2. Tyres
3. Lighting
4. ESP
5. ABS
6. Glazing
7. SRS
8. Gauges
9. Seat belts
10. Warning devices (engine lights etc)





SEATBELT INSPECTION and DEFINITIONS. 

LTSA regulations:
The regulations for Seatbelts are contained in the Land Transport Rule 32011 – Seatbelts and
Seatbelt Anchorages.
From this ‘Rule’ the inspection criteria for Warrant of Fitness Inspections makes up the VIRM.
This is the inspection manual for all aspects of Vehicle Inspections.
Inspection Criteria:
The Inspection items detailed overleaf are a summury for the requirements of the VIRM.

EXPLANATIONS: 
Tongue and Buckle Assembly:
This is the locking mechanism for the securing the seatbelt.
It is vital that the locking mechanism is secure and operating correctly.
Retractor:
The retractor mechanism is often hidden out of site inside the body structure of the vehicle.
The retractor automatically recoils the seatbelt when it is disengaged. It is a mechanical
device and can wear out over time. It is very important that the seatbelt webbing fully retracts
continuously in a smooth operation.
The locking mechanism that prevents occupants from moving forward violently in an accident
or severe braking, is located inside the retractor unit.
Webbing:
Seatbelt webbing is a special polyester weave manufactured and tested to a specific
International Standard for use in motor vehicles.
Damage to the webbing can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the seatbelt.
Small cuts, frayed edges and holes in the webbing can cause it to tear when put under load.
Badly fade webbing, caused by sunburn and UV exposure, can have it’s strength reduced by
up to 5o%.
Anchorages:
The seatbelt unit must be securely fixed to the vehicle. Loose fittings, rust or insecure
mountings will fail under load.

Accident Dynamics: 
In a frontal impact accident at 50 kph, the vehicle occupants’ are propelled forward against
the seatbelt restraint system.
The force applied to the restraint system is equal to 30 times the occupants’ weight. At 70
kph, this force is 60 times the body weight.
The force is applied in an instant, and any defective parts of the seatbelt assembly or
anchorages could result in failure, causing occupants’ to be propelled forward into the
steering wheel, dashboard or through the windscreen.
It is vital that seatbelts are inspected regularly for damage and replaced when found to be
defective





TONGUE and BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
 
*Check the engagement of tongue and buckle Pass

*The tongue and buckle should securely latch    Pass  
together with very little free play.

*The tongue should eject actively when released.  Pass  

*There should be no visible cracks on the buckle   Pass  
and the buckle cover must be intact.      

*The tongue should have no metal deformation                 Pass    
webbing marks or visible cracks on metal or
 plastic sections.

Comments?:
There was a small small amount of fraying on the webbing of the drivers seat, seatbelt





RETRACTOR 
Pull the belt out as far as it will go, then release it.   Pass

The belt should return all the way to the retractor     Pass
Without sticking, gripping or stalling.  

 The retractor should lock if the webbing is pulled
 out sudden  Pass

Comments?:
All of the components tested in the retractor system passed with flying colours.





WEBBING 

*The webbing should be securely attached to its end        Pass            
fittings and displaying no stretching or pulled stitching.
       
*The webbing should be flat throughout its entire length    Pass          
       
*Look for plastic burn marks, frayed stitching and any       Pass          
signs of rippling.  
 
*Look for fading – exposure to sunlight can reduce the        Pass          
 strength by up to 50%


* Ensure all anchorages are free from corrosion and are     Pass          
 securely fastened to the vehicle structure.
 
*All mounting points should not show any signs deformation   Pass
Comments?;
No faults founds these systems, Pass.


TONGUE and BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

*Check the engagement of tongue and buckle.   Pass  

*The tongue and buckle should securely latch together with very little free play.   
The tongue should eject actively when released.  
Pass   



*There should be no visible cracks on the buckle   Pass   
and  buckle cover must be intact.      

*The tongue should have no metal deformation,           Pass  
webbing marks or visible cracks on metal or
 plastic sections

Comments?;
All of the tests came back perfect, no faults to comment on.





RETRACTOR 


*Pull the belt out as far as it will go, then release it.  Pass  

*The belt should return all the way to the retractor   Pass  
Without sticking, gripping or stalling.
 
 *The retractor should lock if the webbing is pulled        Pass   
 out suddenly

Comments?;
There was one thing that I picked up on when testing the retractor, the small plastic housing that covers the retractor had a small crack in it, It also looked as if it was exposed to light for an extended amount of time because the colour had faded really badly.



WEBBING

*The webbing should be securely attached to its end    Pass  
fittings displaying no stretching or pulled stitching.
       
*The webbing should be flat throughout its entire length    Pass        
       
*Look for plastic burn marks, frayed stitching and any   Pass  
Signs of rippling.      

*Look for fading – exposure to sunlight can reduce the    Pass  
 strength by up to 50%


Comments?;
The drivers seatbelt had a small amount of fraying when it was pulled right out, this did not effect the performance of the belt though.



ANCHORAGE 


 *Ensure all anchorages are free from corrosion and are
 securely fastened to the vehicle structure.   Pass

*All mounting points should not show any signs deformation.   Pass



Comments?;
All the anchorages were in perfect condition, no comment.





Supplementary Restraint System 
Seat Belt Types: L/D =  Lap Diagonal
   L = Lap
   D = Diagonal
Air Bags:  S.R.S. = Supplementary Restraint System
   A.B =           Air Bag


Vehicle make; Mini(bmw)
Vehicle model; Cooper s
Rego; FYT101
VIN; Cant be found
Import/nz new; German import



Type of Seat Belts: Front (type)  Lap diagonal  Number  R2
   Rear (type)  Lap diagonal  Number R2
 
AIR BAGS: (number)   Front  2         Rear   0         Side  2
Dash warning light working   Yes      



Comments?;
The vehicle has two air bags in the front, 2 air bags in each front seat (must be for the rear passengers) The vehicle also only has 4 seat belts which as all diagonal.






CHECK AREAS.

Area  and Rule ID

Vehicle Identification.
      Vin and chassis number: Could not be found but Im sure it has one somewhere.

Vehicle Exterior
       Structure: Perfect, No rust or structural damage.

Vehicle Structure.
      External projections: Pass

Lighting 

Headlamps: Good condition, may need slight alignment 
     
 Front and rear fog lights: These were in perfect condition

 Cornering lamps: Appeared to be good, but turned off and on sometimes

Daytime running lamps: N/A as the vehicle does not have them

 Direction indicator lamps (front): Perfect condition

 Direction indicator lights (rear): Perfect condition

 Forward-facing position lamps: Good condition




Rearward-facing position lamps: Pass

Stop lamps: Pass

High-mounted stop lamps: Pass

Rear registration plate lamp: Pass

Rear reflectors: Pass

Reversing lamps: Pass

Non-specified lamp: Pass




Vision 


Windscreen: One little stone chip on passengers side

Sun visors: Good condition

Wipers: Have just been replaced so perfect condtion

Washers: Needed to be refilled

 Rear view mirror: Good condition



Entrance and Exit 

Door and hinged panel retention system: good condition



Vehicle Interior 
 Seats and seat anchorages: Pass

Head restraints: Pass

Seatbelts and seat belt anchorages: Pass

Airbags:

Interior impact: Pass

Speedometer: Pass

Audible warning device: Pass

Brakes Use brake roller test from ‘Brake Task’ 
for this check if available


Components: Pass


ABS self check: Pass

Service brake performance


Percentage or recordings for

Each wheel: Front = 2% Rear = 2%

Service brake balance: Pass

Parking brake performance

 Percentage or recordings for
Each wheel: Rear = 5%

Steering and Suspension  Raise vehicle for this check

Steering mechanism: Pass, but slight play in the mechanism

Suspension mechanism: Perfect working order





Tyres, Wheels and Hubs 
Tyre condition:

Tread depth:
             Left front: 8.5mm across 4 channels 
       
             Right front: 8.5mm across 4 channels
             Left rear: 6.5mm
             Right rear: 2.2mm


Spare wheel security: Does not have spare wheel as it uses run flat tyres

Space-saver tyre label: N/A

Wheels: Good condition


Hubs and axles: Perfect


Mudguards: N/A

Exhaust   Raise vehicle for this check
       Exhaust System: Good condition


Towing Connections
       Towing connection: Allgood, free of rust and corrosion\


Miscellaneous Items
       Engine and drive train: Sweet as no faults

       Fuel tank and fuel lines: No faults, Leaks corrosion etc.



Alternative Fuels

N/A


Modified Vehicle
      Valid LVV plate, declaration or authority car

N/A



Comments;
This vehicle has passed the inspection test, there is a few small things that need be looked at before the vehicle goes for its next warrent.

Vehicle Safety Inspection Sheet.


A warrent of fitness is an inspection of a vehicle to see if it complies with the standards of safety set-out on newzealand roads.



 Direction Ind. Lamps Front; Pass
Forward Position Lamps; Pass
Front Fog Lamps; Pass
Direction Ind. Lamps Rear; Pass
Rearward Position Lamps; Pass
Stop Lamps; Pass
High-mounted Stop Lamps; Pass
Registration Plate Lamps; Pass
Rear Reflectors; Pass
Other Lamps; Pass
Windscreen ; Pass
Other Glazing; Pass
Doors and Hinged Panels; Pass
Mudguards; Pass
External Projections; Pass
Structure/Corrosion; Pass
Dimension; Pass

Comments?;
We did encounter a few small issues, the windscreen had a stone chip on the passengers side, this was not in the drivers vision but it needs to be fixed asap, as a small stone chip can cause huge cracks. Also a warning light kept flashing on the dash board, it appeared to be a brake pad wear sensor signal, this indicates that the brake pads are coming towards the end of their life and need to be replaced asap.







Wipers/Operation; Pass
Rear View Mirrors; Pass
Sun Visors; Pass
Seatbelts; RF seatbelt had slight amount of fraying on webbing.
Seatbelt Anchorages; Pass
Seats & Seat Anchorages; Pass
Head Restraints; Pass
Interior Impact; Pass
Air Bag Self Check; Pass
ABS Self Check; Pass
Audible Warning Device; Pass
Spare Wheel Security; Pass
Space Saver Warning Label; Pass
Chassis Underbody: Pass
Wheels, Hubs & Axels; Pass
Steering Mechanism; Pass
Suspension Mechanism; Pass
Fuel Tank & Fuel Lines; Pass
Cable Linkage; Pass
Brake Controls; Pass
Lines & Hoses; Pass
Exhaust System; Pass
Tire Condition; Pass
Tire Tread Dept; Pass  (Front right: 8.5mm, Front left: 8.6mm, Rear right: 6.5mm, Rear left: 2.2mm)


Comments?:This vehicle does not require a spare tyre & wheel as it uses run flats. The rear left tyre will need replacing before next wof, as there is camber wear starting to show as well as the tyre depth is heading towards a fail.




Towing Connections; Pass
Structure/Corrosion; Pass
Road Brake Test: Pass
Service Brake Readings; Pass
Front 2%  Rear 2%
Service Brake Performance; Pass
Service Brake Balance; Pass
Parking Brake Readin
gs; Pass, @ 5% 
Parking Brake Performance; Pass
Speedometer; Pass


Comments?;
The braking system has to be with-in a 20% inbalance scale to pass, as you can see the readings we got were very good.




Recomendations;
*Brake pads need to be done
*Stone chip on windscreen needs to be taken care of
*Fill whiper resivoir
*Slightly adjust head lights.

*Have the steering mechanism checked out by a mechanic














Saturday 3 December 2011

4848 Blog 4

Controller Area Network;
Unfortunately I did not get a chance to do much work on CAN systems in practical, So I thought id do abit of a theoretical post on CAN BUS systems. I believe that these systems are very important to learn about as they are in most modern day vehicles and no doubt we may have to fix some of these systems one day.

What is a CAN system?

Controlled area network;
A CAN system is a communication system between a number of different nodes through-out the vehicle. The CAN main node  communicates to these nodes in the vehicle by using bi-nary codes. Each of these Bi-nary codes are specifically programmed to trigger actuation of components.

Basically this system allows multiple amounts of micro-controllers to be inter-connected through-out the vehicle, meaning that the system only uses the two signal lines (can hi/low) to allow these micro-controllers to actuate components through-out the vehicle.
Whats the advantages of having a CAN system;

each and every component is connected using the same lines it cuts alot of length of wire out of the circuitry, which means less weight, less room for error as there is just the Can High and Can Low wires (these are the communication lines). Less manufacturing costs, because of the reduced amounts of wiring (this is very attractive to vehicle manufactors as it reduces there manufactoring prices)


Can hi speed and low speed:

Can low speed refers to components that are controlled with a can system but are not the top priority, for example; Lighting, Adjustable seating, Radios, Window wipers, door locking etc. High speed would be the components that involve safety sort of stuff like; Traction control, Electronic stability program, Anti-lock braking system etc.



 The reason that these components are in the high speed part of can is that these components need to be contacted as fast as possible if an emergency situation occurs. The components that are in the low side of can arent necessary to keep the driver and passengers safe. 

Also Can high speed and Can low speed are not to be confused with CAN HI and CAN LOW, as can high and can low are the actual signals that the nodes communicate with.







I got to get a tiny amout of CAN work done on the range rover, we got to use a scan tool in it to show us live data that is involved with the CAN system. We also found another menu which allowed us to actuate components controlled by the can system, this was very cool as the range rover has so many different components connected to the CAN network that there was so much different things to communicate with and actuate. It was amazing to see how the CAN system could be controlled with the touch of a button, this just shows the complexity and amount of time that has gone into engineering these systems perfectly.



ABS + Electronic trans booklet.

ABS (anti-lock braking system) was developed in the early 1950s-60s by a French physicist. The first application was to a passenger plane. ABS was developed to allow drivers to keep steer-ability and control through-out situations where the braking system would lock.
ABS works by having various electronically controlled solenoids which control the flow of hydraulic pressure. There is another HUGE part ABS needs to work properly, The wheel speed sensor. This sensor is usually an inductive type sensor, as the velocity of the wheel is increased, so is the frequency through the sensor, The ABS ecu takes reading from all four wheel sensors and compares them to each other, as soon as a vehicles braking system locks up, the ABS ecu knows that the wheels are locked, so the ecu will control the solenoids mentioned earlier to suit the amount of hydraulic pressure needed to each wheel cylinder to allow the vehicle to not lock and the driver to maintain steerability.



The first task 



First of all we had to do a quick little session of naming parts, shown in the picture below;




This was a pretty simple task, so moved on to the next one,

These diagram below are for the next task;







        

In the ABS wheel sensor what is the reason for the braded wire?;
The reason that the sensor has a braded wire is because its very important that the ECU reads correct signals, Basically having two wires wrapping around each other eliminates the problem of having signal interuption.



Identify and list all the fuses that are used by the ABS circuit;
Here is a list of the wires found;



*50AMP (ABS) fuse
*10AMP (Gauge) fuse

*20AMP (Done) fuse
*15AMP (Stop) fuse

*15AMP (ECU) fuse

Identify all of the earths for the ABS unit using the diagram above. State their colours and pin numbers;
The earths we found in the diagram were; Pins 10(b), 7(b) & 1(A). Each of these earths wire colours were Black and white. This is pretty common colour for earth wires in the automotive industry.



Our next task set was using the wiring diagram to identify which solenoids actuate which wheel cylinder, We also had to include what the pin numbers were and what colour the wires are. Below are my results;



Front right wheel;Pins; 2(b) & 6(b)
Wire colours; Red and white.


Front left wheel;
Pins; 1(A) & 3(B)
Wire colours; Blue and red


Rear left wheel;Pins; 12(B) & 1(B)
Wire colours; Brown and white

Rear right wheel;

Pins; 14(A) & 4(B)
Wire colours; Green and black


That task was quite fun, it gave us a little bit of knowledge towards reading wiring diagrams.


Now, the next task was to identify which solenoids would be opend/closed in different situations, using the diagram below;








In the four cases above state when the ABS motor will be working?;


I believe that the motor will be working when the car is in scenario 4. This because the hydraulic pressure to the brakes will need to be increased, for brake pressure to increase the ABS pump needs to force fluid through-out the brake lines to allow the hydraulic pressure to become higher.




Now our next task was to draw how we think a digital signal would look if it was switching 5 volts every 2 seconds, this will be displayed in the graph below;



As you can see, each box diagonally represents two seconds, each box vertically represents 2 volts.

We also needed to show what we though an analogue signal would look like if it had a frequency of 0.5Hz and a max voltage of +3 volt, this is shown in the graph below;







Each of the squares in the graph that run diagonally represent 0.25Hz and each of the squares vertically represent 1 volt. The reason the signal looks like it does is because analogue signals are usually produced by inductive type sensors, and as we all know an inductive type sensor will show this sort of signal because of the interuption of the magnetic field.

Okay, now we get to move onto some of the good stuff. These next tasks are to do with the testing we did on the ABS demonstrator machines.

Below is the wiring diagram needed for the ABS demonstrator;










The first task we were set for the demonstrators was to find the pin outs on the ABS ecu for each wheel speed sensor, using the diagram above;
Left front; ECU pin # 4 & 5Left rear; ECU pin # 4 & 5
Right front; ECU pin # 11 & 21
Right rear; ECU pin # 24 & 26



Next we had to figure out what type of sensor this was;


This sensor is an inductive pick up type. I could tell this by looking at the wiring diagram, as you can see each sensor has a signal in and one out, this shows that a voltage is sent to the sensor but as each tooth on the rotor wheel passes the pickup, a voltage is sent back to the ecu as a frequency analogue signal, aswell as the diagram indicates that the wires are shielded.


Our next task is to record the wave signal we recieve from each wheel speed sensor, using an osilloscope.

Each of the pictures below are of the different speed sensor signals;















Left rear


Left front


Right rear

Right front


As you can see all of these signals above look alot alike, there is some small differences though. A couple of the signals have a higher output rather than the others, we came to the conclusion that so many students have done experiments on them so that different sensors maybe be worn out compared to the other sensor, causing the difference in patterns. The reason that we will be getting bigger readings and more frequent readings is that because the sensors both have different gaps between the rotor wheel and the inductive pickup. The closer the rotor wheel can get to the inductive pickup, means that the output voltage will be higher. The further away the rotor is from the pick up the lesser the voltage output will be. And also with the frequency situation we believe that one of the wheels motors is faster than the other, this is what causes the difference in frequency between some of the patterns.

Osilloscopes are much more useful at reading these types of sensors because a multimeter cannot keep up with the speed at which these sensors operate at, where as an osilloscope can display a waveform, as shown above. By observing a waveform we can see faults alot easier which makes it more simple to diagnose faults which in turn saves us time whilst fault finding.

That task was quite a hard one, we had to have a really good think as to why the signals may vary as much as they did

Now we moved on to abit more wiring diagram excercises, but this task involved indentifying which relay powers which component etc;





Unfortunately this was the last task I was able to do on the ABS demonstrators, but we moved on to some of the on car ABS stuff.


The first task we had to do with on car testing was to show one of the tutors that we could correctly raise a vehicle using a jack, safely supporting the vehicle with axle stands

Below is a few pictures of components we had to find on the vehicle;




*This is a vehicle speed sensor, this measures the velocity of the wheel and sends the signal back to the ECU



*This is the ABS control unit, basically this controls where the hydraulic pressure goes in the braking system





*The black motor at the bottom of this picture is the ABS pump motor, this allows the ABS system to pressurize and distribute hydraulic fluid where ever it needs to in the braking system.





*The picture below is the ABS modulator, this is the brains of the ABS system. This is the part that receives signals and actuates the pump motor and the control unit when needed




*As you can see this is a foot park brake, the part pointed out by an arrow on the right hand side is the park brake switch, as the park brake is engauged so is this switch, it lets the ecu know the park brake is on and it displays a warning light on the speedo







*This is the master cylinder and the resivoir. The master cylinder forces hydraulic pressure through the brake lines at the drivers intent, this is fully operated by the driver. The resivoir is where all the hydraulic/brake fluid is stored for use in the braking system







*The brake booster sits behind the master cylinder, really this is the part which is controlled by the driver, this is actuated by the brake pedal, which allows hydraulic pressure to be distriuted through the master cylinder to the brakes.




ABS wheel sensors

The next tasks we were set was to determine whether the sensors we were testing on the vehicle were analogue or digital.

We used the mazda familia in the down stairs room.

We inspected the wheel speed sensors and found that they were analogue sensors, because they had inductive pick up sensors, which obviously means there will be a magnetic field which is interupted, giving an analogue signal.

Now we had to test the gaps between the toothed rotor and the inductive pick up sensor for each wheel;
Our specifications state that the sensors gap must be between 0.4mm & 1.00mm

*Front right;
0.5mm

*Front left;0.5mm

*Rear right;
0.4mm

*Rear left;0.6mm

Thursday 1 December 2011

4848 Blog 3

WS3B; Dual pattern oscilloscope patterns


Signal Name/s; Injector vs Map sensor
Volt/div/range; Channel A = 20v per div, Channel B = 5v per div
Time/div/range; 20ms per div





           

Explain the operation of the sensors or actuators using the picture;


(use letters at different points, and describe what happens there)

The beginning of the pattern where it shows a straight line is where the injector has supply voltage to it, the transistor triggers a ground circuit, this leads us to point A;

*Point A is the time span that the injector is open for (injecting fuel) at idle the injector will be open for around 2.0ms give or take. By comparing the div time to the time measured we can see that the injector open rate was about 5.0ms, which means the engine is under load as the injector is opened for a longer period of time.

*Point B this is the injectors voltage spike, as the injectors coils magnetic field is collapsed a voltage spike is created and the only way the voltage can escape is for the injector to use it.

*Point C is where the injector recovers supply voltage and the injector is off because there is no ground triggering the injector.

Moving on to the MAP signal;

*Point D shows us the MAP signal as the engine is not under load.


*Point E the engine is starting to come under load, because the MAP signal is getting lower.

*Point F the engine is under high load because the output signal of the MAP is low.



The MAP sensor helps the ECU make the right measurement as to how long the injectors should be opened for, because the MAP sensor senses engine load (vacuum) when the vacuum amount is changed this sends the ECU a signal to let it know that it needs to correspond to this by triggering the right amount of injector spray.



Signal name; Ignition primary vs primary current
Volt/div/range; Channel A = 20v per div, Channel B = 1amp per div
Time/div/range; 10ms per div






Explain the operation of the sensor or actuator using the graph;



(Use arrows at different points, and descibe what happens there)

*Point A; This shows the supply voltage to the coil.



*Point B; This part of the pattern is called the dwell time, this is the amount of time it takes the coil to charge up and fire.

*Point C; Is the collapsation of the magnetic field produced by the coil, thats why the pattern displays a huge voltage spike.

*Point E; shows no reading of current.

*Point F; this displays the signals peak current.

*Point G; the pattern has returned to no current reading.


By looking at both the patterns we can see that they relate to each other directly. If you look at the ignition primary voltage pattern, you can see off, on, firing voltage times peaks etc, if you then look at the current pattern and compare the two you can see that as the coil turns on the current does also, when the coil sends out the peak voltage, the current reading also shoots up to its highest point at the exact same time. 






Signal name; Ignition primary vs Injector
Volt/div/range; Channel A = 20v per div, Channel B = 50v per div
Time/div/range; 10ms






Explain the operation of the sensor or actuator using the graph;

(Use arrows at different points and describe what happens here)

*Point A; Just the same as one of the previous tests, this shows supply voltage to the ECU.


*Point B; Also, again. This part of the pattern shows the amount of time that the injector is open for.

*Point C; Point C is also the same as a previous test. Injector gives a big voltage spike because as the injectors coil is turned off the magnetic field inside the injector is collapsed causing the big voltage spike



*Point D; shows us the supply voltage to the coil,

*Point E; is when the coil has been triggered, this period of time is also known as dwell time.

*Point F; shows the voltage peak of the coil, aswell as a few little coil oscillations at the bottom after the peak.

As you can see by looking at the graph in the picture above, you can see that both patterns correspond with each other. As the injector (top pattern) finishes dwell time and shows firing voltage so does the ignition pattern, there may-be a few micro seconds difference between both firing patterns but thats to be expected. The reason both of these patterns fire at the same time is that the engine is timed so that as the injector sprays, the ignition system sparks the spark plug allowing for combustion. You might be asking why the ignition pattern is more frequent than the injector pattern? This is because the ignition pattern is the over all ignition pattern for the engine, the injector pattern is less frequent because we are only displaying one of the injectors patterns, if all the injectors patterns were displayed we would see that each of the injectors correspond to each of the firing voltages on the ignition pattern.




Signal name; RPM vs Injectors

Volt/div/range; Channel A = 20v per div, Channel B = 10v per div
Time/div/range; 5mS per div








*Point A; Again this pattern is just a basic injector cycle pattern.


*Point B; This is the signal that the inductive type distributor puts out, it is an A/C signal. The reason for this being is that the inductive pick up is made out of magnets, so as the rotor wheels teeth pass the inductive pick up the magnetic field is altered. The magnet has a DC voltage supply to it, but as the field is altered the signal changes into a AC signal.

*Point C; Between points B & C you can see that the signal has come from a - voltage up to a + voltage, this represents an A/C signal. The line that runs through the middle of the signal is the 0v line, so anything under that line is a - voltage, anything above is a + voltage.


These patterns do relate to each other, but not directly. The inductive pattern triggers the ignition coil on and off as required, the A/C up and down signal is what triggers the coil. As explained in the previous post, the injectors and coil work in sink to allow combustion. If the distributor was malfunctioning and giving the wrong signal to the ecu, this could cause an incorrect output from the ignition coil resulting in engine mis-fire, stall etc.



Signal name; 02 vs injector
Volt/div/range; Channel A = 20v per div, Channel B = 1v per div

Time/div/range; 20mS per div









*Points A & C relate to each other. Point A is displaying the start of an injector pattern, if you observe when the pattern switches to turn on the injector you can see that the dwell time is quite long, meaning that the injector will be squirting a large amount of fuel, as the injector does this the 02 sensor is reading a rich mixture 
(If the 02 sensor is showing a high voltage this displays a rich mixture). When the injector pattern returns back to a normal idle pattern (point B) we can see that the 02 sensors signal at (point D) also switches to, this signal is low, this displays that the engine is running slightly leaner, which is acceptable when an engine is not under load.

As you can see, both of these signals relate to each other, as the fuel/air injects into the cylinder the 02 sensors are waiting in the exhaust to measure the amount of unburnt fuel and amount of oxygen, what ever readings these 02 sensor takes the ECU will conpensate for a lean mixture (to much oxygen particals, not enough fuel) by injecting a larger amount of fuel. If the sensors measure a rich mixture (to much fuel not enough oxygen particals) the ECU will compensate for this by cutting the amount of fuel injected into the engine.



WS1; Petrol Fuel Injector testing.








Vehicle make; ToyotaVehicle model; Engine (1ZZ)


1. Listen to the injectors as the engine is idling. Use stethoscope, vacuum line or long screwdriver. Be careful of moving parts. They should sound like a sharp tap, not a dull thud or nothing.
This is a crude test to see if they are being actuated, note results below;

All the injectors were functioning correctly, there was no abnormal sounds heard.

Can you access all the injectors?;

The injectors were very easy to access as we were using the 1ZZ engines in the down stairs room.


2.Check voltage to injectors when the engine is idling, or with the ignition on. This confirms that you have voltage to your injectors;

We backprobed the injectors to get an accurate reading, all the injectors were checked with the ignition on, they were 13.7v.

We then started the engine, the results are in the graph below;


We were quite surprised to see that each of the injectors measured at 13.9v, we were expecting that there would be a couple of variances just due to internal resistance, coil oscillolations etc.


3.With the engine running watch each injector firing by using an L.E.D test light, if the injector is functioning properly the light should flash to the speed in which you rev the engine to;

We started this by connecting our test probe. These are pretty simple to use, you hook one terminal of the probe up to a ground and the other up to the source you want to test.


The graph below shows which injectors showed a flashing light;




This list is just to show what each cylinder was Revving at idle.
Cyl #1; 793rpm

Cyl #2; 754rpm
Cyl #3; 801rpm

Cyl #4; 734rpm


RPM that each cylinder was @;


Cyl #1; 2500rpm
Cyl #2; 2500rpm
Cyl #3; 2500rpm
Cyl #4; 2500rpm





The results that I got for the test above were all jumpy so that Hz readings you see in the graph above are just an average of what was displayed the most when we were measuring. 




Also again the results were quite jumpy so I just took the average.




The pic above is of the calculations.


Give your conclusion on whether this is an acceptable way to test injectors and why?;


It is definitely an acceptable way to test injectors, it would be very useful if there was no oscilloscope around. Basically it is a good way of testing because you can get the readings with a multi-meter and make calculations with those, its very good if you cant afford an oscilloscope. There is a down fall to this way of testing though, taking all these readings aswell as making the calculations can be very time consuming.





WS2 flash codes;

   
Flash codes are a form of communication from sensors to ECU to the driver. They are used to determine any faults through-out the vehicle. 


The ECU will detect any faults there may be, each fault in the vehicle has a specific fault code which is given when the system is put in diagnostic mode. Most vehicles have different steps to them into diagnostic mode. 


The ECU will flash the check engine light a set amount of times to show what the flash code is, these flash codes can be noted and you can refer to the vehicles manual to look up what these codes mean.






The vehicle we used for flash codes was the toyota corolla 4afe engine. To start the procedure to extract the flash codes we first of all followed the steps in the user manual. We had to bridge terminals E1-TE1 using a jumper wire, this puts the vehicle in diagnostic mode. Sometimes people use a fuse in the jumper wire circuit to save shorts to the plugs.

We then turned the ignition on and noted any faults we came across. There was two codes that were given, the first one was;
24, we consulted the manual and that code represented (Intake air temp) circuit. Now we had to try and fix this fault correctly. First of all we located the IAT sensor, this took a little bit of looking around under the bonnet. We first looked at all the wires going into the connector, they were all fine. Then we noticed that the IATs plug was slightly unplugged, only enough so that there was no contact between the plug and the sensor. We plugged this back in, made sure that the connection was secure then we proceeded to repair the second code.

The second code was, 31 this code was (Vacuum sensor). We located the Vacuum/MAP sensor and proceeded to inspect it for visual fault. It was an obvious fault, the vacuum hose to the diaphram had been disconnected. With this unplugged the MAP sensor will not be able to operate. When then re-installed the vacuum hose, checked it for spliting and made sure there was no leaks in the hose.

Now that we had repaired all the faults found, we had to clear the codes to make sure that the problems had been correctly repaired. We did this by turning off the ignition, disconnecting the battery and leaving the engine alone for 5 mins. We turned the ignition back on and there was no more fault codes so we had repaired it properly.



The faults that had been put into the engine would effect it majorly. The vehicle would diffenately run very lean, it would also potentially be very sluggish because of the readings being given to the ECU, the ECU will not know what amount of fuel to inject etc.

Fault codes are a good way of fault diagnosis if you dont have access to a scan tool or if your vehicle is quite old and does not have an OBD system that is compatible with the scan tools. They are very useful if you have a brake down and there is no equipment handy to diagnose faults.

When the flash codes are found, we shouldnt just rely on them to diagnose problems though. Really we should do some voltage drop tests on the components that the codes are showing faults for. Also doing continuity tests to make sure that the earth on the connectors is sufficient.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Bad customer experience & treaty of waitangi blogs


Customer Story of a Bad Experience
Instructions:
discuss the following questions in your small groups. Then write your answers
in the space provided.

This is a true story.
The year was about 1958, in California, before there were strong consumer
laws. Don Higgins owned a laundry and dry cleaning business, in which he
used one of the new Volkswagen bus trade vans for his deliveries. He would
pick up dirty clothes from businesses (like restaurants and auto repair shops),
clean them and deliver them back. He liked his Volkswagen van: it had lots of
space to hang the clothes and it got good fuel economy. Up until recently, it
had been very reliable. But lately the engine wasn’t running very well. The
engine was regularly missing and had low power.
So in the morning, Don took his van to his local auto repair shop. He told them
it needed fixing, maybe just a tune up, and he got a ride back to his cleaning
business. Then in mid-afternoon, he went back to pick up his van.
To his surprise, the van wasn’t ready. If fact, the repair shop owner showed
Don the engine that was now out of the van. The exhaust valve for number 3
cylinder was burnt, causing the poor running engine and lack of power. The
shop owner said he could have the engine fixed and back in the van in 3 or 4
days. And the bill would be about $400.00. (In 1958, this was a lot of money.
Don’s monthly mortgage on his house was only about $120.00 per month.)
Don was very upset. He was so upset that I (Steve McAfee) heard about this
as the little boy who lived next door to Don.

Q.1; From Don’s point of view, what was wrong here? What did the shop do
wrong that upset Don so much. (After all, they were fixing his van.)

Answer; I believe that the workshop did not quote Don correctly, I think that any work that needs to be done should be made obvious, aswell as the price of the repair costs to the customer. All the conditions of the repair should explained accurately before the customer signs the contract between the work-shop and the customer.

Q.2; From the repair shop owner’s point of view, what was wrong with Don
getting upset at them? What did they do right or wrong?

Answer;
I can see things from the work-shops point of view, I can see how the thought Don may-be in the wrong. Don did not specifically tell the work-shop what he would like to be done to the vehicle, he said "I need my van fixed" although he did say it "may" need just a tune up but that doesnt really allow the work-shop to draw any perimeters in reference to the repair, so to their understanding they were to repair the van at any cost.


Q.3; What should have been done in this circumstance? If you were Don, what
would you have wanted to be done?

Answer; If I were Don, I would have liked any repair costs to be quoted to me before any major repair is done, the complexity and amount of time needed to repair can be easily judged by the work-shop. I would also like the shop to draw up an agreement or produce a job-sheet which states all the work required, labour costs, part costs, any extra charges that will need to be made towards the repair.


Q.4; When the repair was finished, and Don went to pick up his van, he took the

van and did not pay the whole repair bill. Did the repair shop have the right to
hold the van until they got paid?

Answer; The work-shop would be able to detain the vehicle within their possession untill the bill was paid IF the repair costs and labour costs were clearly displayed then agreed to by the customer with a signature or evidence of approval. BUT because the work-shop did not give sufficient information towards the cost of the repair before the repairs were carried out and agreed to, Don has the right to remove his vehicle from their possession before he has paid the bill, because he has not been quoted correctly before the work has been carried out aswell as he did agree to work carried out before it was done.


Q.5;  If Don took the repair shop to court, what would you have ruled if you were
the judge? Should the repair shop pay for a replacement rental vehicle?
Should Don pay the whole repair bill? Should the repair shop pay Don for lost
business because he could not pick up and deliver clothes to his customers?

Answer; If I were the judge I would rule that Don should be re-emburst the money that Don used to get a rental car, because he needed a vehicle to try keep his buisness running for the days his car was off the road for. I would rule that Don and the work-shop come to an agreement of a lower price to be payed to the work-shop for the repair, I dont believe Don should have to pay the full amount of the money quoted by the work-shop. Finally I would rule that the work-shop reiemburse Don for some of the lost buisness he would have encountered due to the amount of time with-out his van, The reason for me not ruling that the work-shop reiemberse Don fully for buisness lost is because Don did have a car which I have ruled to be payed for by the work-shop, with this car Don still would have been able to do some buisness, meaning that he didnt lose out on all potential buisness.

Q.6; What New Zealand laws relate to this story? What do New Zealand laws
say should have been done in this case?

Answer; http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0091/latest/DLM311053.html
Part 1, Guarantees as to tittle; This law basically states that anything that the Seller is trying to sell must be clearly displayed, if not various legal actions can be taken to ensure the consumer is given his rights in the matter.




Treaty of Waitangi


Treaty of Waitangi and Sustainability Worksheet


How does sustainability and freedom from pollution pertain to the treaty?

Instructions: Read the Treaty and answer the questions below. This may be used for theory classroom discussion.


What part of the treaty relates to pollution and sustainability? Write the phrase the relates to it here;

I have highlighted the phrase in the screenshot below;





What are the ways that modern civilization could polute the land, the sea or the air?;

I believe that polution could take place by Human waste which is not recycled properly, Modern day vehicles because they produce emissions from the gas being burnt, rubbish that is not bio-degradable (man made stuff that is un-able to be broken down by the earth) also industrial stuff like oil waste, all the chemicals they use to produce products etc.

What NZ legislation directs what should happen about pollution?;

The resource management act. This legislation basically believes in managing what happens to our country, pollution wise. So in a way they stop excessive amounts of pollution in our country