Vehicle Safety Report

Ten students and two instructors from Physics: Mechanics and Energy ran the twice-yearly Vehicle Safety Day yesterday between 12.30 and 4.00 pm at the workshop in the Unity House garage. Fifty-three vehicles were examined, a record.

If you planned to get your vehicle checked and were not able to because of the change of venue or some other reason, email mwomersley@unity.edu and ask for an appointment.

Most safety checks were routine. The following specific problems were noted and are reported here so other vehicle owners can learn from them:

1. While I had my head under the hood of one or another student vehicle this afternoon, two potentially dangerous vehicle conditions made it past our safety net. The first was a Honda sedan I saw only when being driven away with a bad knocking sound. This could be a thrown connecting rod. If so, this vehicle should not be driven further. The existence of a second badly defective vehicle is inferred from a big trail of oil on the Unity House driveway. This slick was discovered after the line of vehicles was gone for the day. This is catastrophic oil loss, and the engine will not go more than a few more miles before seizing. It is also polluting. It is possible and even perhaps likely that these are one and the same vehicle. If either is yours, you need to get it checked out right away. My apologies for not catching it the first time, but, unless they bring prior experience, our student safety checkers are trained only to do the minimal pro-forma safety check we use, and for whatever reason, neither of these conditions were brought to my attention.
2. Several vehicles had trouble codes, which were "pulled" and recorded for the owners to seek further help. Some trouble codes can be more or less safely ignored, but not all or even most. Even if you choose to ignore one, it's best to check it periodically to make sure a second code has not been triggered.
3. Several vehicles were consuming large amounts of oil, as determined from low oil measured on the dipstick and the owner's knowledge of the last oil added or oil change. More than a quart of oil consumption between fillings of your gas tank is too much, and it is time to consider getting a different vehicle or a new engine. The exception is if the oil consumption is due to a leak, in which case the leak should be fixed. If you suspect high oil consumption, you need to check the oil more regularly, at least until you know how much oil is being used. Check each time you put gas in for a while, then if the consumption is not too great, you might check only every second or third time. Always check the oil before a long trip, whether or not your car is using oil.
4. One vehicle had a loose primary battery connector. This was causing difficulty in starting and stalling out. It was repaired with new connections from the hardware store and our stock.
5. One vehicle had a loose license plate. The head of a plastic screw had been twisted off. The screw was drilled out, and the owner was given help to source a replacement. They have them at the hardware store in town.
6. One vehicle was consuming coolant and oil via a bad head gasket. This was identified from oil foam in the coolant overflow tank and lost coolant. This vehicle needs an immediate repair, which may or may not be cost-effective.

Thanks to all the students who assisted with this activity, as well as the Student Affairs and Maintenance Departments.

Mick Womersley

Professor of Human Ecology

Head Grease Monkey