Final Project

ACCU-220
Technical English

Mecánica Automotriz

TEMA: Identifying the most common car electrical problems and suggest what you
can do if you have these problems.

OBJECTIVE

Identify and Describe the most common car electrical problems and suggest what
you can do if you have these problems. Use the Simple Present, Modals,
Technical Vocabulary and Should.

WORK APPROACH

The participant, using audiovisual aids (PPT, video, etc.) will be able to identify and
describe the most common electrical problems in the car and suggest what you can
do if you present these problems, using a vocabulary appropriate to the level of
learning required in your career ( The Simple Present Tense, Modals, Technical
Vocabulary, Should).

1
 Trabajo Final del Curso

GRAMMAR 1. Present Simple

2. Modals

3. Technical Vocabulary

4. Should
-In this case I am going to talk about the most common electrical problems in cars.

problem 1: Battery discharge.

This occurs normally by supplying electrical power to the starter motor and the
electrical elements of the car. However, if everything is in good condition, it will
recharge again through the alternator when the engine is running. We are going to
review the reasons why the car battery discharges. Starting with the most common
to the least frequent.

possible consequences:

-Not charging the battery properly

Solution: Try to go on a slightly longer route to recharge it well. The duration most
often indicated to ensure a good charge is 45 minutes at a constant speed. Which
means entering the road or highway. Doing it once a week may be enough.

-Always very low revolutions.

Solution: Another factor that causes the battery to discharge prematurely is driving
at very low revolutions. Something that if combined with short trips is very bad for
keeping the battery in good condition. Therefore, the advice to drive for 45 minutes
is usually followed by the indication to bring the engine to around 2,000 rpm, and if
it is 2,500 rpm, better.

- Using equipment with the engine off.

Solution: If you use the radio, lights or other electrical elements with the engine off,
you will slowly discharge the battery. One piece of advice that workshops usually
give is that the battery should be used to start the car and little else. That is, the
courtesy lights that turn on when you turn off the car and/or open the doors. The
rest, with the engine on.

-Old or bad battery.

Solution: Check battery status

To differentiate if the battery is just discharged or already needs to be replaced with

a new one. We recommend that you visit the article Your car battery can be easily
checked.

problem 2: spark plug connections.

possible consequences:

- The spark plug cables may seem like very simple elements, without maintenance,
it is worth paying attention to them. Over time they can deteriorate and negatively
affect the operation of our engine and fuel consumption.

Measure the resistance (Ω) of the ignition cables:

passed 1: he first thing is to choose the correct option with the letter Omega (Ω) that
indicates Resistance and measures in Ohms.

Passed 2: Then choose the appropriate scale for the operation, which in the case of
a cable is usually the lowest that a conventional multimeter measure. For example:
200 Ohms.
Passed 3: Next you must insert the cables. The black one in the common
connection (COM) which is black and the red cable in which it says O. In many
cases this connection is for several different functions and will come with other
letters. For example: VOHz.

Passed 4: Finally, it is about placing the test leads at both ends of the element to be
measured. In this case the ignition cables. The multimeter will indicate the
resistance it has. In a cable it is usually close to 0.01 Ohms. That is, a very low
resistance.

Solution: If the spark plug wires are in bad condition, replace them with new ones.

Problem 3: blown fuses.

Possible consequences:

- That electricity has an intensity, measured in amperes. Some parts of the car
(radio, lights, electric fan...), which work with a flow of electricity, can at certain
times receive more energy than they need, which can cause them to end up
breaking down.

- The normal thing is that the fuse blows because it receives a voltage spike in the
system that may be caused by some fault. A car cannot run without electricity
generated by the vehicle's alternator which is then stored in the car's battery.

Solution: The first step will be to locate the fuse box, which is usually under
the steering wheel on the left side, or on the right. It is a possible location, but
it is not the only one, there are others like the hood of the car, for example.
However, when you locate it, and your car's maintenance book can help you
with this, the procedure will be identical in all cases.

Once the fuse box is located, it is time to locate the blown fuse, and to do this
you will also need the help of the maintenance book. If the air conditioning
fails, for example, look in the maintenance book to find its fuse and it will tell
you exactly where it is located in the fuse box. Now all that remains is to open
the fuse box, which is usually snap-in, locate the fuse and remove it by
pulling.

There are special pliers to remove them, and in some cars these pliers are
included in the fuse box itself. In any case, they can be removed 'by hand'
and, as the upper part is a plastic head, you will not have any problems. In
any case, it is advisable to do all this with the car off and without the ignition
on, for safety.

Once the blown fuse has been removed, we will only have to put a new fuse
with identical characteristics in the same position. If the one we remove is
10A, for example, the one we put in will also have to be 10A if we do not want
it to melt again or, if we install one with a higher amperage, the electronic
device it protects ends up being damaged. Once this is done, place the fuse
box cover, and that's it.
Problem 4: alternator belt in bad condition.

Possible consequences:

- If the alternator belt is in poor condition, the car does not generate
electricity and, therefore, cannot operate.

Solution: install the new alternator belt.

1 Use an extension bar or wrench to loosen the automatic tensioner. Many

newer vehicle models come equipped with an automatic tensioner pulley. The
pulley pushes upward as the belt is wound around it so that it remains under
constant, firm tension. Use a half-inch socket or wrench and slide the part of
the wrench that would normally go into a socket into the square opening in
the center of the pulley. Your vehicle may use a ⅜-inch handle or even a bolt
on the tensioner pulley, so look in your vehicle's service manual to make sure
you have the proper tools. Turn the wrench clockwise to loosen the pressure
on the screw.

2 Loosen the alternator bolts if there is no automatic tensioner. If the vehicle

does not have an automatic tensioner, you can still release the tension on the
bolt by loosening the bolts that attach the alternator to the engine. As soon
as you loosen them, tilt the alternator forward to create slack in the belt

3 Remove the belt from the pulleys and remove it from the car.

4 Run the new belt over most of the pulleys.

APELLIDOS: Encarnacion Contreras Jose Fernando.
Carrera: mechanical automatize. *4