automotive parts

To run properly an automotive engine must have an adequate supply of fuel at all times. And as well, this available fuel – be it gas or diesel, must be as thoroughly clean and free of contaminants as possible.

As it passes through your car or trucks’ fuel system your motors’ lifeblood – its fuel must be as clean as possible. If dirt or any other foreign particles or contaminants are present, then the system could clog up, causing engine performance to suffer greatly.

To prevent this possibility, and as well maintain economical levels of engine performance, car makers have installed fuel filters in your autos’ fuel system.

To keep the fuel systems clean, these filters must be replaced according to the manufacturers’ recommendations, or more often than not engine performance suffers and declines. To most motorists reliability is another very important reason to schedule fuel filter replacements. Who needs to be stalled by the highway or road caused by a clogged fuel filter, when a simple replacement of this automotive component could have been done in a snap.

A dirty fuel filter can cause an engine to sluggish, during acceleration or at high speeds. It can also become so clogged that the engine will not run at all.

Basically it can say that all vehicles use some form of fuel filter. Indeed in World War 2 it was the side which had the “Jerry can” – a gas storage container that had a built in filter to remove sand and particulate matter that was light years ahead in terms of reliability of gas engines during battle as well as on roads. To determine the exact location of the fuel filter or filters in your vehicle refer to your owners’ manual that came with your brand new vehicle, check online at the auto makers’ website, or ask your local service writer at your auto dealership or your local mechanic.

On most new vehicles – which will have fuel injection rather than the older style carburetors, the fuel filter is located under the car or truck nearby the fuel tank itself.

The filter may be either an in line or screw on design.

Older and vintage cars that predate newer fuel injection systems used a simple fuel delivery device called a “carburetor”. In cases of carburetors some use a small filter element mounted inside a fitting where the fuel line connects to the carburetor. Others use a filter that screws into the carburetor itself. Another of what was at the time a popular setup was the in-line filter that was located somewhere in the fuel line between the fuel pump and carburetor. This type of filter is easy to identify because it looks like a small plastic or metal canister connected to the fuel line with two short lengths of rubber hose and clamps. In the case of some more exotic “imported cars”, a third hose may be connected to the filter to route vapors back to the fuel tank itself.

Lastly diesel equipped cars or small trucks normally have a filter housing located somewhere in the engine compartment. The housing can generally be simply screwed open and the filter easily replaced with a name branded filter from the auto maker themselves or a reliable third party brand. Many of these filters also serve as water traps, and the filter housing contains a small drain, that allows you to periodically drain water from the housing.

Regardless of the type of automobile you drive – car or truck, gasoline or diesel engine your vehicles fuel pump filters demand and deserve your scheduled and ongoing care and attention. What will be the benefits to the automobile owner and vehicle driver? Good reliable consistent performance from your vehicle and automotive engine is the answer.

Recent innovations in automotive engineering have produced active safety systems ranging from side alert, often called blind spot warning, to adaptive cruise control, to collision detection and warning. What this means to the average consumer will change over time as these products become increasingly available. What this means to the automotive engineer is increased attention to safe technology.

Many impressive innovations beyond the now customary car navigation system have existed – and even been on the market – for years now. Adaptive cruise control has been available since the early ’90s. Electronic stability control has been an option for many vehicles since 1995. Scanning radars, crash sensors, pre-crash mitigation and vehicle and occupant safety systems are also emerging. Such systems offer insights into how roads can be made safer in generations to come and where automotive technology is heading. In other words, as cars become “carputers,” automotive engineers are driving shifting technologies.

The myriad of promising innovations includes vehicle occupant safety systems. For example, a crash sensor generates a signal based upon a potential crash or one already transpired via a continuously variable severity output signal. If an accident has occurred, sensors signal certain actions like deployment of airbags. If an accident is likely to occur, sensors can alert the driver in various ways so that she or he can try to take necessary actions to avoid an accident and/or the sensors can take action themselves by pretensioning seatbelts or initiating automatic braking. In many ways, this process is not dissimilar to the functioning of the human brain: The brain sends a signal to the body to complete an action, often in response to stimuli received from the outside world. Who knew humanity would serve as its own model for creating devices designed for our safety?

Often, though, such examples of automotive technology are integrated into high-end, expensive cars first, due to high pricing. As the benefits of these products become more widely known and their popularity expands, costs decrease due to economies of scale and advancing technology. As research and development pay off, these advanced products become more widely distributed. The advantages of automotive system and component integration expertise will continue to increase over time. Such knowledge may be paramount to an industry focused on better fuel economy, safety advancements and financially feasible products. Engineers versed in not only the basics of these systems but also in how to integrate them is only the beginning. Savvy engineers who are engaging in up-integration – adding software that makes one electronic module do many things – and sensor fusion – using complementary technologies to enhance object detection and classification – may have an edge in an ever-competitive job market.

In the rush to meet consumer demand and stay competitive, suppliers tend to be increasingly eager to develop ways to integrate safety and other technology systems. Many vehicles currently come with automatic on/off, high/low beam and rain sensor technology for instance. A separate camera, of course, is not necessary for this. Install a camera for a lane departure warning system, and suddenly a world of possibilities opens up. Intelligent headlight plus pedestrian and sign recognition programs can also be added, to name a few, without the need for additional cameras. Separate module manufacturing for each technological innovation becomes unnecessary. Multiple functions and features on the same apparatus decrease cost and increase functionality.

So, what’s next? It seems to be the perpetual question that automotive engineers ask – no matter how far we advance. Perhaps an entirely self-driving car. Perhaps hover vehicles on highways, following designated pathways and communicating with surrounding vehicles to avoid crashes. What do consumers want? The evolution of technology. Inventions born of new ideas. And, ultimately, innovative products that can even make us all safer. It’s the engineers, though – the technological innovators themselves – who make it possible.

Automotive engineering is the field of engineering that deals with the production, manufacture, design, research and development pertaining to vehicles such as cars, trucks, etc. The career field for this section of engineering is broken up into three broad categories, namely – production, development and manufacturing. The production field deals with the designing and testing of the engines, transmission related parts and other portions that will help to assure safety, reliability and performance. The development field deals with the coordination of the overall design and the setting of the specifications of various individual parts is done in this specialization category. The manufacturing of various parts as well as the final assembly of the entire machine is done in the manufacturing field.

There are two paths that you can take if you want to be an automotive engineer – mechanical engineering and automotive engineering technology. Since the result of both the courses is more or less the same the basic requirements for both the courses are not too different from each other. You are required to have a background of physics, chemistry and mathematics in your early academic career but, since automotive engineering does require computer usage in the form of Computer Assisted Design and Modeling you will have to incorporate computer courses in your educationally formative years.

If you are looking into the production field and want to be a production engineer then you will need to take up courses in BSc in automotive engineering technology. This degree will help you to work on the designing and testing of specific components and safety measures. The study course will give most importance to applied design and testing. The schools with the best records for this degree are the Ferris State University in Michigan and the Arizona State University. The schools are also known to give internship programs that allow you to learn while on the job.

Getting a BSc degree in mechanical engineering will provide you with work related to the broader dimensions in terms of the design and manufacture of automobiles. The basic courses will give due credence to physics, chemistry and mathematics as they are the backbone courses of any engineering degree. Apart from this the school will also provide courses in analysis, design and the theory of the engineering involved by means of extensive laboratory work. Along this path you will find that the specialization in this field will be quite limited at the undergraduate level. Aspirants for automotive engineering have been known to basically focus on the preparation for graduate school. At the Master’s level most courses are focused on the study of electrical and mechanical engineering aspects that are applicable to vehicles, the systems design and methods of analysis on an advanced level. The course generally takes approximately two years and in most universities like the one in Michigan the courses that are offered require about 30 semester hours of study time.

At the end of the courses you will need certification and the certification exams will be offered by certain organizations like the Society of Automobile Engineers and the American Society for Mechanical Engineers