Boiling over about warming up one's Car

General
41

@Logan i indeed think like you and when the day comes again i may treat myself to a car that blows me and the company i keep away. i am a strong believer in earning what you want. in the car instance Jr worked sun up to sun down almost all summer doing a literal back breaking job for minimum pay to earn his car. I also dont think parents should go into debt or drop large sums of money on an item that will likely be ruined in a year or less. teenagers are just learning to drive, they will end up in the ditch, back into the bank pole in the drive through and in this instance hit a deer. i think he will earn his lexus soon enough and hell have the years of driving under him that he wont end up in the ditch and in return not ruin his expensive investment. ( yes i understand cars depreciate quite alot as soon as you drive it off the lot)

@als not that this will solve car emissions problems but an interesting idea that my town was looking into during the time they built a new power plant. CO2 sequestration Carbon sequestration - Wikipedia it may be a far off reality but in some places in texas it is working how well idk as i didnt stick around the town meeting to find out. in the case of our power plant in order to implement a plant with this capability wed need to dig up almost the entire city to lay the pipes. because the place deep enough in the earth to store the co2 was on the other side of town from where the plant was proposed.

42

When it got cold, this Subaru owner had to do a little more than worry about warming up his car. This Subaru 360 may have been a better buy than a Yugo. But many people may have done a 180 when they eyed it. It's the only car I know of where you needed to carry the battery around with you---good exercise, though.

43

A friend's family had a Subaru 360 when I was growing up. I was jealous of that one, too.

In high school, a group of 3 of us conspired to get our parents to agree to let us pool our funds and buy an Isetta that was parked in someone's driveway, not running, for $50. We were all skinny, and thought we could all fit in. None of the parents would sign off on the concept, though.

http://cartype.com/pages/749/bmw_isetta_300__1958

44

For sure, they don't make little cars like they used to. Years ago, I saw an old, mini car show, and it was amazing to see the many mini cars that had been created in the past. I saw a few Isettas on the road way back when. That's quite the door, front door, they fashioned for the Isetta---reminds me of the first space capsules. Sardining into a mini vehicle may have been fun and dangerous--- parents sometimes know best. A good date car, I suppose.

45

There's an annual mini-micro car event near me, and I enjoy spending a few hours there when I can catch it.

One of the more 'modern' looking cars is a customized Honda 600, which started life as a tiny hatchback. It's been shortened to a 2 seater, by removing the section where the front seats had been, and had the roof removed, a persplex windscreen added, and cut-away door areas (no real doors) to turn it into an open roadster. The owner travels around the country in a converted Greyhound bus, and the car is small enough it can be driven into the luggage bay. Getting it there does require ducking, and squirming out once it's in the bay. Other than size, it's probably one of the more road-worthy vehicles at the show,, since he started with relatively modern stock.

46

Without your TMI I wouldn't have known you have experience in boilers.

I have a question concerning excess heat, if a person had access to a free heat source of 235 - 240 degrees fahrenheit could that low of a temperature be used to make steam for producing electricity, I think I read that the Tesla turbine could use wet steam instead of superheated steam to generate electricity. Maybe one could use a closed loop system to only have to reheat the already hot water instead of heating it from ambient temps.

47

This really tickles me !!
At the ripe old age of 18 I traded my 36hp VW bus for one just like the red one in that article - and it was a hoot !!
Could fit 4 in a squeeze, and would get up to 50 MPH after about 10 minutes of pushing it pretty hard with that load inside.

The biggest of my h.s. buddies was very proud of the fact that he could lift that car by himself at any corner - and hold it up long enough for me to change a tire.

It mad a VW Beetle look BIG - and the ring-da-ding-ding-ding sound always made folks turn & look.

I only just wish I could have owned a 2-stroke Saab back then - if I did, I might still have it !!!

Thanks for the reminiscence Isamorph.
(Just don't get me started about the '57 Hillman Minx that came after...)

48

Hello 112059.
Happy to oblige.

AFAIK, you may be able to make -some- steam with so low a temp. heat source - but very slowly unless it is somehow an ENORMOUS volume of said heat - in which case I still hold doubts as to its usefulness for this purpose.
It is not merely the temp. which matters here - it is also the speeds of transfer & recovery which matter quite a bit.

Pertinent info: [ul]
[li]Dry steam is used so as to avoid destructive condensation in the big turbines;[/li]
[li]The energy needed for the increase between liquid water and steam is considerable;[/li]
[li]This is why a good, hot fire of some sort is used for making steam, usually, at minimum;[/li]
[li]It is most likely that a very low-friction wheel or turbine of some sort, made of strong, lightweight metal would be able to work with very weak, wet steam, but I am still doubtful of its value.[/li]
[/ul]

Aside of that - I'd be more inclined to make some other uses of a free heat source while considering some learning leading to making my own solar cells somehow for supplying electricity.

Tangential info:
Very few folks are aware that there exist steam powered chillers which actually use a very different form of physical transformation to make cold water for use in industrial/commercial applications.
This info compliments the comprehension that most refrigeration does NOT -make- cold as much as it is merely a means to move heat around differently.

I hope any of that is of some help to you !!

49

Thank you, your info was helpful. Now to figure the sizing requirements for a 5KW generator using a Tesla turbine inside a room that is approx 1500 cu ft and is constantly 235 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't have the education for a lot of things that I like to play with but it is still fun discovering new things. I'm sorry for being off topic, if necessary I could start a new subject on fun experiments. I once gasified used vegetable oil and piped it to a LP grill burner, was fun watching it burn.

50

Hillman Minx! I don't believe that I have heard or seen that name in writing for 50+ years now. For one not in the know, it sounds like the the name of an offshore Law firm. Speaking of guys named Moose playing the part of a hydraulic lift, when I was in elementary school, which went to the 8th grade, a group of about 8 bigger kids got together and lifted, as a prank, a teacher's mini car up onto a cement platform 3 or 4 steps up. The teacher took it in good stride, and this group lifted and returned this cherished vehicle back to earth. It's a good thing these cars had strong steel bumpers back then. That was the old school method of sending a message or text back then, as you know.:cheer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QHBoTJP4xk Good Movie

51

That's a funny clip!

52

That is a very cute little video, thanks for sharing it Isamorph !!

That old Minx was quite the car - a bit bigger than a VW Beetle, but weighed multiples more.
It had tiny, itty-bitty drum brakes - far too small for its weight - but with its insipid engine power was also very, very slow - so that part worked out OK.
What was NOT OK was the Lucas electrics it was built on - which had me literally forced to replace every needed switch & connector with better ones, leading to a hand-made dash with too many unlabeled toggle switches as well as a starter button.

It ran with 100% reliability after that work was done and was my daily driver for a few years during college - until one day it...just...stopped - and doggone if I could figure out what had stopped it.

T'was a very sad day that it went to the crusher - and was replaced with a Vespa scooter, if you can imagine that !!

I likely resemble Ove in many ways...
So here's a bit to really giggle at if you wish to, car-wise, relating to Ove:
When I was much younger & after all the assorted old & odd cars I enjoyed having - I went back to staying with the air-cooled VWs...until a time when I finally needed to replace a VW and there was just nothing around that I could get my hands on for a while as I was seriously broke.
One of my VW buddies told me his dad had a nice car for sale, and would take time payments...

A Saab 99.

I had enjoyed using the Volvos of various family members & already knew of the incredible Swedish automotive ergonomics - but never had a Swedish car all to myself before.

After the test drive the agreement & 1st payment & paperwork got done - but before I could leave my friend stopped me, saying that he was obligated to give me the mandatory Swedish Car Warning.
What ?!? Said I... It'll just take a minute, said he, so I listened, and heard thusly:
"Be warned, once you've owned your 1st Swedish car, you will NEVER be satisfied to own any other car after it."

Bah, said I - it has the same pedals, steering wheel and a place to sit as any other - but OK, you've warned me.
You may be the exception said he - but I did my part all the same.

Years passed and there were several of the 99 model as I wore the older ones out - until a fateful time that I got a job requiring an interstate commute - and my poor, old, tired 99 just could not do it for very long.

Much to my dismay - the best deal within my reach was on a several years old Toyota Camry - a very nice, clean, almost new car by my measures - and off went my old Saab, sadly.
That Camry was dependable, reasonably comfortable, got good mileage and had wonderful heat & A/C...
But it was NOT a Saab, damn you old friend !!!

After 10 years of Toyota usage - I was still missing having a Saab - until a client of mine offered a trade for his very squeaky Saab 900 - which I grabbed onto with both hands.

Car Heaven !!! Comfort. Everything where it is meant to be...seats that fit like gloves - and the best winter worthiness of any car I'd ever yet had.

That was around 20 years ago - and only once in all that time was a briefly Saab-less after a moose encounter in which it was a Saab that kept me from serious injury.

Sadly, there is no more Saab company anymore - but there IS a very nice, old Saab in my yard here, as well as a spare parts car stored for me at my devout Saab mechanic's place.
At 200,000+ miles that car still purrs along wonderfully.

Bimmers and Volvos are nice enough in their own ways - for those who prefer them - but not for me, thanks.

I am not so young anymore either - and only hope that my old car will last the same amount of time as me so that I need not face the horror of being Saab-less again in this lifetime !!

There are many, many other Saab devotees who are still hanging on to their well-loved cars - and many of us are happy to pay each year for a Saabnet membership as well.

53

Nice Saab story without being a sob story. Sorry. A few years back, I saw a Saab commercial in a movie theater, and boy was it's latest offering on the cutting edge. Then I heard that they had stopped making cars. Now I hear they are going to make Saab cars again under new ownership, similar to what Ford did with Volvo for a while. I suppose the real Saab no longer is, but now exists in name only. RIP.

54

My neighbor had a Hillman Hunter. Apparently that's the successor to the Minx.

I had a Saab 900 for a while. I did like Saabs. Thoughtful design, nice fit and finish. The Audis of today are similar. But this was a basic non turbo model that I was given as a company car which I wouldn't have chosen myself. Cornering was very poor for some reason - I could feel it sliding when taking long curves at normal speeds, trim level very basic. I was going to go with the top of the range Honda Accord which would have had heated leather seats, multi CD etc etc, but was told to take the Saab by some asshole.

Much later, I got a much better spec'd, virtually new Saab Wagon turbo as a rental upgrade and enjoyed every minute of it. Until the remote wouldn't unlock it. Called the rescue service and about an hour later the guy shows me the hidden key in the fob that can access the (hidden?) lock in the door. Doh!

55

The NEVS deal was maybe 3rd in line of those wanting the remains of the Saab IP after gubbermint motors took what it wanted & scuttled all but the IP of its cheapened, pimped up GMaabs.

The last REAL, genuinely high quality Saab was the 1998 9000 - as that was the year that GM took over the bankrupt Saab co. in order to get its tech innovations to use in its luxury amurr-i-ken boatmobiles.
To this day it is possible to see parts of those cars which are the same exact ones used in the 9000 line - and what does not show is the engine management which was exclusive to Saab before.

Sadly, what NEVS (China) is doing looks like the last of the GMaabs - but will be all electric with limited range and not sold here in the US, most likely.

Zombie Saab write-up:

Company site:
https://www.nevs.com/en/

Saab devotees always insist upon genuine Swedish quality models & there are many very doggedly devoted owners of the classic 900 cars as well as the various 9000 flavours - and right in my town there is a very proud & happy looking man who has a pristine 96 model - which is a minimum of 37 years old...amazing indeed !!

An identical looking one like that is here=>[

56

Passed my smog test today. $20 + the $8 certificate fee.

Took just 5 minutes.

Now I have the privilege of paying my vehicle registration fee which has increased this year. Thanks moonbeam!

57

Good for you. That registration fee increase will help to repair one pothole, which has been your privilege to pay for., and which you can now beam about.

58

Now that marijuana is legal, they need to find a new word for "pothole".

59

"Tetrahydrocannabinolhole"

60

This debate of whether to / how long to warm up car reminds me of another debate I had about 25 years ago regarding whether, when stopped at red light, to hold down clutch pedal to disengage clutch & leaving in 1st gear -OR- to shift into neutral & leave clutch engaged. Similar to the warming up debate, most determined it was a wash as to both wear & tear issues & to repair costs 1 way or another.