Vehicle Care during Lock-down

When the vehicle is not in operation for few days, the first part to get affected is the 'Battery'. During operation, the battery gets charged through the alternator, which is coupled with the engine. When the engine is not started for few days, the battery gets drained gradually and it is not in position to give enough torque to start the engine. Further, the modern engines are ECU (Engine Control Unit) controlled and need some battery power to start (wake-up) and push-start is not possible. So it is essential to start the engine once in 3-4 days to keep the battery charged. Push-start is possible only in older versions.

It is important to note that just keeping the engine 'ON' at idling may not be sufficient. This is because at the idle rpm (designed @ 800 to 900 rpm) the alternator is not generating current to charge the battery, in most of the algorithms which are rpm based rather than few modern SOC based (State of Charge). This is designed to minimise the cranking load on the battery. Hence just keeping the engine running at idle rpm may not benefit. So it is advisable to accelerate the engine (may be @ 1000 rpm) for @ 5 minutes so that the alternator will generate enough current to charge the battery.

Caution - Do not accelerate at very high rpm.

The battery symbol 'ON' on the instrument panel (Cluster) as below shows the battery is draining and the symbol will get 'OFF' to indicate that the battery is being charged.

  

  

        Battery Symbol ON - indicate Draining               Battery Symbol OFF - indicate Charging

     

There is one more reason to crank the engine. The engine is splash lubricated and hence the cylinder gets completely dry after few days of non-operation. So there are chances of cylinder rusting causing liner-piston jam. This will cause the liner damage as well as more torque (charged battery) to overcome friction and crank the engine. If the engine is started periodically, it will keep the liners lubricated and in good state of health avoiding rust.

Also ensure that there is proper ventilation around the vehicle, as these are cold starts. The engine works efficiently during worm condition but at cold start, there is lot of unbrunt fuel causing hazardous emission. So when many vehicles are started in parking lot, particularly in underground parking without adequate ventilation, it can be very hazardous for the health.

This is applicable for the bikes and mopeds as well. So start two-wheeler also periodically and take care of all types of vehicles during more days of non-operation.

Additionally, do not keep handbrake engaged when the vehicle is parked for more days. It will cause the brake liner jam with break-drum. To avoid this, keep the vehicle in gear and block the tyres with wooden block, brick etc.

Quality

Inspection, Quality Control & Quality Assurance

These terms are explained relating those to Health Care.

Quality is fitness for the purpose.

Inspection is similar to postmortem. One can just separate out bad one from good ones but can not influence the process of it being good or bad. It is already happened in past or the process is already completed and you are just checking out the result or fact. You do not have any control over the process.

Quality Control is similar to patient visiting to a doctor. Something is going wrong (illness) and corrective action is taken to rectify it as soon as symptoms are observed. So it is happening at present and there are chances of rectification. One can influence the process depending on early detection, understanding the root cause and taking exact remedial measure.

Quality Assurance is similar to healthy food, environment and vaccination. It is action undertaken to ensure everything is in order so that there are no chances of error (disease / illness). Thus it is a proactive action to anticipate all probable chances of error and take preventive measures so that nothing can go wrong. It is a future based activity and one can highly influence the process by ensuring the overall healthy environment.

Research

Difference between Discovery, Invention and Innovation

Discovery is just finding the things which are already in existence but unknown to you. Normally all the nature made things you discover. e.g. Columbus discovered America

Invention is creating a new thing which was not in existence. Normally all things created by scientists are inventions. e.g. Edison invented Electricity, James Watt invented Steam Engine

Innovation is commercial application of any invention creating utility and value. In short it is making the invention commercially viable. The steam engine created value in terms of mobility solution.