Car Driving: How to Drive Safely and Perfectly on Steep Slops

We know, how difficult is to drive away a stationery car on an upward-slope

© Harish Jharia

When I was a small kid, I could not understand why the drivers of cars, buses and trucks used to put stones as stoppers when the vehicles failed or stopped on gradients- upward-slops and downward- slopes. I slowly understood the reasons for this when I learnt driving myself.

All of us know how difficult is to drive away a stationery car on an upward-slope. It is so because for the simple reason that a stationery car is usually put in a gear and handbrake applied and if you attempt to release the gear and hand break the automobile will uncontrollably roll-bake on the downward slop.

Now for driving away you have to press the break paddle, release the hand break, press the clutch paddle, bring it back to 1st gear, and drive away. We usually follow this procedure. But unfortunately, your automobile rolls back on the down-gradient and you might hit some other car at your back. This 5 stage exercise is so complex that almost 80% drivers fail to avoid the rollback of their cars before driving away. Here is the proper procedure for avoiding the disastrous rollback.    

Let me list it out stage wise:

Conditions: a car stopped on a steep upward-slop and is in the reverse gear and handbrakes fully applied.

Most of us usually drive away a car from such position as follows:

1. Press brake-pedal
2. Release hand-brake (keeping brakes applied)
3. Press clutch-pedal (keeping brakes applied)
4. Apply neutral gear (keeping brakes applied)
5. Start the engine (keeping brakes applied)
6. Apply 1^st gear (keeping brakes applied)
7. Do 3-actions simultaneously: release brake-pedal… press accelerator… release clutch-pedal…

Result: The car will first rollback a bit and then will move forward. This rolling-back of the car is an error in driving. For correcting this error, we may change our action at the 7^th stage. Let us revise the above stages with corrected 7^th stage.

We should drive away a car from this position in the corrected way as follows:

1. Press brake-pedal
2. Release hand-brake (keeping brakes applied)
3. Press clutch-pedal (keeping brakes applied)
4. Apply neutral gear (keeping brakes applied)
5. Start the engine (keeping brakes applied)
6. Apply 1^st gear (keeping brakes applied)
7. Do 2 actions together: release brake-pedal and release clutch-lever… 
8. Take both these actions simultaneously, successively and slowly… in order to let the engine drive away the vehicle with the default throttle of the fuel and ignition setting.
9. Continue this action until the vehicle comes in motion from the stationary position.
10. Shift your foot from the brake to the accelerator
11. Remove your foot from the clutch
12. Press the accelerator and drive away as usual

Result: By following the corrected way, the cars will not rollback, before moving forward, when attempted to drive away from stationary position on an up-gradient road.

This is the way a perfect driver drives in adverse conditions.

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Disclaimer: 

This article is written based on my personal observations. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on scientific, geographical, political, civic or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
- Harish Jharia 
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Car Driving Maintenance and Repair: How to Start Car with a Weak Battery?

© Harish Jharia

Driving car is a passion rather than a basic requirement of our daily life. When we board a car, we would always like to be on the driver’s seat, as occupying the drivers seat is a real pleasure in our life. We dream about a life where our first desire would to be an owner of a car. Car gives us comfort, luxury and status in the eyes of the onlookers.

We approach our car press button on the remote occupy the driver’s seat and drive away to our destination. We need not wait for the bus. We do not make ourselves a part of the crowd rushing to occupy a seat in local trains and metros. We feel ourselves the luckiest family having a prize possession that is a Car.

In spite of all the above we sometimes become targets of peculiar gaze of the onlookers when our car breaks down or we become a traffic-stopper and vehicles on our rear blare and honk on us. We sometimes land in a trouble because of minor faults in our car or due to our poor expertise in driving.

Let us discuss a common problem that we face with our cars and the probable ways to address it without taking help of some trained Motor Mechanic:

 Jump-start a car with the help of other car 

If our car battery is older than 18 months then its capacity for recharging and in turn providing adequate power supply to the self-starter to start the car, is considerably reduced. In such cases, the automobile workshops advise us to replace the battery with new ones. Yet, during the intervening periods, we need to know the ways to start the car.

We face similar problem when we keep our car unused for prolonged periods and the battery is discharged on its own.

1.    Push Start: 

There are two ways to start a car with a weak battery. The first one is our age-old system of ‘Push Start’. The user’s guide provided by the car-manufacturers along with the vehicles do not recommend this way of starting the car. Yet, we have to resort to this way if the car stops in a remote place where there is no other way to move vehicle and reach out for a safer place.

First, make adequate arrangements for moving the car manually. Here are the ways to move the car manually for ‘push start’. Place your car on a down gradient and let the car roll down for picking-up adequate speed for moving it in 2nd gear. The other way is to take help of someone to push the car from the rear for achieving a desired speed.

Now, before moving the car you need to occupy driver’s seat and take the following actions in proper sequence:

Move the gear lever to ‘2nd gear’; press the clutch paddle full; press the accelerator a little; insert the ignition key and twist it to ‘switch-on’ position; Now ask someone to push the car as described in the proceeding paragraph. Wait for the car to achieve the desired speed.  Then release the clutch until the engine starts. Your car engine will start running.

Push the clutch again and bring the gear lever to ‘neutral gear’.  Now either you run the engine in idle condition or else drive away to your destination.

2. Jump Start: 

The recommended way to start a car is by ‘jump start’ system. For this you need to have a well-charged battery or else you may use any other battery fitted on a car.  Now you need to have a pair of two-meter long thick electric cables strong enough to withstand 30amp load. There should be crocodile clips properly attached to both the ends of the cables.  Patented ready-made ‘Jump Start’ cables are also available in the market and it is advisable to have one pair of cables in our car for crisis management.

The ‘Jump Start’ procedure is simple. Bring the other car near to your car; connect the red cable to the Positive Ports (marked +) of batteries of both the cars; connect the black cable to Negative Ports (marked -) of both the batteries. By doing this you have connected the well-charged battery of the other car to your car. In other words, you are now using the battery of the other car for your own car.

Now occupy the driver’s seat; bring the gear lever to ‘neutral gear’; push clutch paddle full; insert ignition key in its slot and start your car as usual. For keeping the engine running apply hand break; let the car be in ‘neutral gear’; let the ignition key remain in its slot; open the window glass of driver’s door and come out of your car leaving the engine in ‘idle running’.

Remove the cables and keep them in your trunk. Shift the other car to its original place. Now you should drive away for recharging your car battery. Go for a long drive at least for 5 – 10 km possibly at lower gears and essentially without putting-on your AC.

In this way your battery will be recharged for your normal use.  In some types of batteries, you need to check the acid-level in the battery. If the level has gone down you may pour some distilled water by opening the caps with the help of a coin.

In general, Battery-life is specified between 18 – 24 months if your battery has crossed its 18-month life, then you have to be vigilant about your battery, as it would not recharge well and supply inadequate power output required by the self-starter to start your car-engine. Eventually, you should change the battery at right time. There are good exchange-offers in the market, so that you may exchange your old battery with a new one at a lower rate even before it is completely drained-out.

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Disclaimer:

This article is written based on my personal observations. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on scientific, geographical, political, civic or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
- Harish Jharia 

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How to work comfortably on Computer with Glasses

© Harish Jharia 

For the people with normal eyesight it is always so very easy to go wherever you want or do whatever you want. Nevertheless, if you have power in your eyes then you have to make adjustments with the different situations or else you will have to be well prepared for feeling free and comfortable in different adverse situations.

In this article, we will discuss the preparations that can be made for people using looking glasses to work on computers comfortably and with ease. Before we go into the details of preparations let us know the basics of aided eyes that can work properly only with the help of pairs of optical lenses, commonly known as spectacles, looking glasses, or eyeglasses.

Eye Problems by Aging:

Human beings feel prominent changes in the proper functioning of their eyes with time and because of their aging process. Our eyes develop difficulties in seeing/resolving the objects as we grow older. The common eye problems are commonly called ‘shortsightedness’, longsightedness’ and ‘axis’. A brief detail of the same is described as follows:

Shortsightedness :

In the case of Nearsightedness (Myopia), we feel problems in seeing objects at a short distance. That means we find problems in reading books, seeing photographs, working on computers while looking at the keyboard and reading the characters on the monitor. For correcting this problem, cylindrical lenses are prescribed and with the help of that, we can see/resolve the objects close to our eyes.

Longsightedness:

In the case of Farsightedness (Hyperopia), we are not able to see/resolve objects/characters at a long distance. That means we find difficulties in watching TV or a movie in a cinema hall or even in looking around while moving outdoors. For correcting this problem, cylindrical lenses are prescribed and with the help of that, we can see/resolve the objects situated at a farther distance from our eyes, say at 100 feet or more.

Astigmatism:

The third common problem with eyes is ‘axis’ (astigmatism). In this case, we see a deformed image of the object. For example, a circle might not look like a true circle. It may also appear as if an image of a deformed circle is appearing on another image of the same circle. For correcting this problem, cylindrical lenses are prescribed for adjusting the axis and with the help of that, we can see/resolve the objects in their true shape and sharpness.

Usually, after crossing the age of 35 or 40 people use to say that their eyes have become weak. The eyes develop certain changes in their anatomy that eventually result in developing ‘axis’, ‘shortsightedness’, or long-sightedness rather than losing their strength or becoming weak. The eyes continue to be strong and healthy with aging, nevertheless, they developed different powers that result in difficulty in seeing/resolving objects. The remedies have already been discussed along with the problems in the preceding paragraphs. 

Presently the following visual aids are widely used for correcting eye problems and the resultant visual discomfort:

Bi-focal spectacles:

On developing these eye problems, we usually go for eye tests, get a pair of glasses for, and use them as and when required. Most of us are prescribed with bi-focal spectacles that have upper portions of the lenses for farsightedness and a small portion of lenses for reading purpose. The opticians also provide axis correcting cylindrical characteristics in such glasses if required. This combination of glasses in the form of bi-focal variety is the most popular visual accessory in the modern times.

Progressive Lenses:
In the case of bi-focal lenses, the ocular glasses are divided into two portions. The upper portion for long-sightedness and the lower portion is dedicated to reading purposes of for resolving closer objects as in case of inserting thread in the eye of a needle or doing other similar jobs. On the other hand, the lenses in case of progressive focusing the lenses are provided desired curvatures and optical surfaces in a gradual and smooth succession. This hi-tech optical process eventually produce an end-product that will suit for resolving / seeing everything, of any size and at any distance. That means that by putting on a pair of glasses with progressive lenses we would be able to have sharp and defined vision without changing, lifting or tilting our glasses. With these glasses on we would look around like any other person with normal vision.

How to Work On Computer with Glasses On:

We have discussed on various eye problems we face due to aging and the accessories we use for their correction. Now let us come back to our main discussion about the best ways that could be followed for working comfortably on computers with our eyeglasses on. There are two ways to work comfortably on computers with aided eyes.

The first way is to go for getting a dedicated pair of glasses made by any optician in your neighborhood. Carry a printout of texts of ‘Arial’ fonts of different sizes viz 10, 12, 14 and 16 to the optician. Ask him to make a dedicated / customized pair of glasses for clearly seeing / resolving all the fonts on you printout from a distance of 20” to 26”.

The optician will keep your printout at the desired distance and will follow the exercise of permutation and combination of different glasses for finding out the right powers for each of your eyes and finally make a pair of customized glasses for your use on computers.

This pair of glasses will also be useful while shaving or doing makeup.
The second alternative is to go for a pair of progressive glasses for which you need not go for any customization or a spare pair of glasses exclusively for use on computers. A pair of progressive lenses will serve all purposes you come across in your day-to-day life.

The only reservation with progressive glasses is that they are too costly. I think the cheapest spectacles with progressive lenses might cost 2000 rupees and whereas the simple / common / normal customized spectacle for computer will cost as less as below 200 rupees. Now it depends on our resources and our way of thinking for selecting any one option out of the two described above.

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Disclaimer: 
This article is written based on my personal observations. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on scientific, geographical, political, civic or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
- Harish Jharia 
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