Car Parts and Accessories

Auto Emergency Trouble Lights

Coping with Auto breakdowns

SIMPLE equipment, such as a torch, a tow rope and a pair of booster cables, can avoid a long delay at the roadside after a breakdown. A fire extinguisher, red warning light and warning triangle give added safety in an emergency.

Auto Emergency lights

For a breakdown at night, some motorists have a torch with a red warning light. The type shown also has a white light on the side which can be used while correcting a defect or changing a wheel.

Auto Lead lamp

Two torches or a lead lamp which can be clipped to the car battery or plugged into a socket in the fascia panel can make repair work easier.

Auto Accident warning

Warning triangles are a valuable aid to personal safety and can help other drivers to avoid an accident. Every motorist should carry one, and the carrying of two triangles is compulsory where a caravan or trailer is being towed, and for commercial vehicles.

Modern cars have a hazard warning device built into their lighting system which, when operated, flashes all the indicator lights on and off repeatedly.

Auto Car fires

The most likely causes of fire in a car are fuel leakage in the engine compartment or short-circuiting, which sometimes occurs in electric wiring or cables which are not protected by a fuse.

Water preferably should not be used on a petrol fire and will have negligible effect on an electric fire if the battery remains connected. For these, use foam-filled or dry powder extinguishers. Try to disconnect the battery lead as soon as possible.

Auto Towropes

These are useful for removing a car from a busy road after a breakdown, for getting a car out of a ditch, or for tow-starting.

Tow ropes are made of manila or nylon rope, steel wire or nylon straps and usually have clips or shackles at each end for attaching them to a vehicle. Choose a rope or strap rather than steel wire or chain. These are less dangerous and less likely to damage the vehicles.

When attaching a tow rope, choose a safe anchorage, such as a chassis or sub-frame member. If there is no towing bracket, never attach the rope to bumpers, often incapable of withstanding towing stresses. Never attach a tow rope to suspension or steering components.

If the car has automatic transmission, check the handbook. Towing can damage some automatic transmissions.

Booster cables These enable a car to be started when the battery is discharged by linking it to another car’s battery. Both batteries must be of the same voltage. When connecting the cables, make sure the positive (plus, red or larger) post of each battery is connected with one cable and the negative (minus, blue, green or smaller) with the other. Never allow the vehicles to touch each other whilst jump starting and make the last connection on the discharged battery as hydrogen, present in a charged battery, could cause it to explode if a flash is caused by a wrong connection.

All the switches in the disabled car should be off before making the connection which, if made incorrectly (positive to negative), could damage the car’s charging system. On some vehicles, jump starting is not recommended. Check the handbook first and never allow the positive terminal to short to earth.

Auto Emergency Equipment/getting out of Trouble

Starting Auto with a Flat Battery

Using jumper leads to start a car that has a flat battery is not difficult. But as you are dealing with a lead-acid battery which can cause injury if it is not handled properly, be sure that you take the following precautionary steps.

It is necessary to discover the voltage and earthing polarity of your car’s battery and how to identify these factors on other cars which may start yours. If you are in any doubt, consult a qualified mechanic before the need arises.

The illustration below shows how to use jumper leads between two cars with 12 volt batteries.

The last connection is to an earthing point — preferably away from the disabled car’s battery. Clip this lead to the engine — ideally a cylinder head bolt.

When the disabled car starts, disconnect the leads in the reverse order.

Pumping up an Auto flat tyre

Looking after the tyres should be a high priority for any motorist, especially on long trips. Carry a tyre valve remover (and spare valves) and a tyre pressure gauge— garage pressure gauges may be inaccurate, and wrongly inflated tyres can be dangerous. A battery or foot-operated tyre pump will also be useful in an emergency. It should be carefully stored in the boot, to avoid damage.

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