RoadsideSurvival

Description

For mostpeoplea roadside breakdown canbevery frustrating and sometimes evenscarytothepoint of feelingtotallyhelpless. This Activity Plan willdescribewhat to dointhethreemostfrequent situationsthat cause a roadside breakdown andwill help students learn a few basicskills to “getyouhome.”

Additional

Tasks that are shownto the studentsmust be pre-triedbytheteacherto ensuresuccessfuldelivery.

LessonOutcomes

The student willbeableto:

• Establisha roadsidesafetyperimeter

• Safelychange a flattire on theroadside

• Boost acar witha dead battery

• Perform atemporary repairof a burst radiatorhose

Assumptions

• Studentswill havelittle or no prior experienceofvehicle careor maintenance.

• The teacher will haveagood workingmechanical knowledgeand skillsappropriatetoteachingthenecessary lessons.

Terminology

Terminology usedwill betaughtto studentsas requiredbytheteacher.

EstimatedTime

Eachsession30minutes(330minutes)

RecommendedNumberofStudents

20, basedontheBCTechnology Educators’Best PracticeGuide

Facilities

• Lessonsmaybe taughtindoors or outdoors, aspreferred.

• To realistically demonstrate mostof these skills itisrecommended theybe done outdoors.

• More thanone vehiclewould be anasset,depending on the class size.

Activity1:ChangeaFlat Tire

Tools

•Lug nutwrench

•Vehicle jack and any attachments

•Wheelchocks

Materials

•12" length of pipe toextend the vehicle’s own lug nutwrench

•Flares and/or warningtriangles

•Thespare wheelforthevehicle beingused for the demonstration

Activity

1.Positionthevehiclein a waytosimulate traffic passingas if on a highway or road.Placethevehiclein park (if automatic) or 1stgear(standard) and applythe emergencyparkingbrake.

2.Ensurethevehicleispositionedinsuch a wayasto block any traffic from hitting the personchangingthe tire.Forexample, park the caron an angle to keep the person changingthetireprotectedfrom passingvehicles.

Figure1—Positioning a vehiclewith aflat tire toblock any trafficfromhitting the person changingthetire while changing it

3.Placethewarningdevicestogive traffic sufficient warningof a traffic hazard (Figure2).Discussoptionsofemergencyflashers,etc.,fornighttimesafety concerns.

Figure2—Emergencywarningtriangles

4.Demonstratetheuse of the vehicle factory jack before installingitunder the vehicle, andhowto select the properpositionto place thejack(usually a few inchesinboardofthewheels).All vehicle owner’smanuals contain instructions on howto operatethe vehiclejack.

5.Installwheel chocks (Figure2)beforeremoving lugnuts onawheel, soasto stopthewheel from rocking while nutsare being removed.

6.Installthe vehiclelug nutwrenchasneededto begin theprocess ofremovingthe lug nuts.

Figure3—Lugnutwrench

Figure4—Cross lugnutwrench

7.Set up the car jackas afulcrum underthelug nutwrench,andadd the pipeforadditionalleverage (Figure 5).

Figure5—Using apipe foradditional leverage andthecar jackas afulcrum under the lugnutwrench

8.Installwheel chocks on anywheel not being raised.

9.Loosenthelug nuts.

10.Usethe spare wheelas a safety device underthecar should the jack fail.

11.Move the vehiclejacktothe liftingposition and raisethe vehicle.

12.Change theflattire, replacethelugnuts andtightenas required.Note:Students maybenefit from a safetydiscussion pertaining totheuseoftaperedlugnutsandtorquepatterns.SeeActivity Plan5: Nuts andBolts formoredetailedinformation.

InformationonWheel LugNutsandTorque

Wheellug nuts need special consideration, aspulling wheels on andoffisan everydayoccurrencein an automotive shop.In orderto avoid damage tothe wheel or vehicle whenreplacingwheels, there aretwo things to beconcerned about. Failure tofollow the steps belowcouldresultin expensive replacementofwheels, repairsto thevehicle or injuries due to thewheel fallingoffwhiledriving.

1.Most wheels are heldonby tapered lug nuts.Ensure thatthetaperedside contacts thewheel first. If youlook at the wheel you will see a corresponding taper to accept the taperednut. Thetapered sidemustpoint in toward themiddleof the vehicle.This will ensure thewheel will becentred andthe lugnutsstay tight.

Figure 6—Taperedlugnut / Figure7—Regular flatnuts

2.Lugnutsmust betorqued insequence witha torque wrenchor a torquestick,tothemanufacturer’sspecifications.Thiswillensurethatthewheel or rim willnot be damagedor warpeddue toincorrecttighteningorovertightening.Figure 7indicatesthetorquesequence, depending onthe number of lug nuts. Simplytighten the lugnutsinthe orderindicated. A good practice fortorquingistosnugallthenutsupfirst,thendothefinaltightening tothe proper torque usingthe proper sequence.

4-Lugnutwheel

5-Lugnutwheel

Figure8—Wheelnut lug torquesequence

Activity2: Boost aDeadBattery

Tools

•Boostercables

•Safetygoggles

Resources

WhatYouNeedtoKnowAboutBoostingaCar(CanadianTire)

Activity

Openthe vehiclehood.Usinga dischargedbattery enhances the demonstrationbyaddingrealism. Safety protocols dictatethatall students should be wearingsafety glasses from thispointforward.

If asecondvehicleisusedto boost the “dead”vehicle, itis wise to disconnect the negativecable oftheboosting vehicle to avoid damagetoitscomputer systems.

Make sure bothvehicleshave everythingelectrical turnedoffand theignition keys are removed,driver’s window isopen and doors are all closed(to put vehiclesystemsin sleep mode).

Installthebooster cables inthe followingorder:

1.First, thepositive cable(red+) is connected tothe deadvehicle battery positivepost(red+).

2.Theotherendofthepositive booster cable (red+)is connected tothe goodvehicle batterypositivepost.

3.The negative (black–) booster cableis connected tothe goodbattery negative terminal.

4.Theotherendofthe negative (black–)cable is connectedto any clean solid metal(steel)component on the deadvehicle engine or engine mounts.

Removethecablesinthereverse order, takingcarenottomakecontactwhendoing so.

Activity3:TemporaryRepairofa Burst RadiatorHose

Tools

•Several rollsof electricaltape(blacktape)

•Scissorsora sharpknife

•Cleaningcloth and water to wash anddrythe radiator hoses

•Heavyduty garbage bag (todemonstrate carrying waterfor radiator)

Activity

1.Find aclothor glove and slowly remove theradiatorcap. Becareful of anyhot water orsteam that mightbe present. Allowthecooling system to coolslowly and ventanysteam.DO NOT add water at this point.

2.Cleanand dry the hoseabout2" oneithersideofthe burst section allaround the hose.It’simportant forit to beclean and dryor thetape willnotstick (Figure8).

Figure9—Cleanand dry the hose about 2"oneither side of theburst section

3.Startawrap of black electricaltapeabout 1–2" beforethe split sectionofthe hose.Continueto wrapthe tape aroundthe hose,being sure to overlap each wrap about a halfwidthoverthe lastwrap (Figure9).Do not stretch thetape when wrapping;just use theresistanceof the rollof tapeasit unwraps.

Figure10—Wrappingelectricaltape

4.Continueabout 1–2"past the oppositeend of the split. Now returnthe samewayback tothestart ofthesplit.Additionalwraps canbe doneif extra strengthisrequired. Use asharpknifeorscissorstocutthetapeortheendwillnotstickanditwillunravel(Figures10and11).DO NOTpullthe tape apart whenfinished.

Figure11—Cuttingtheelectricaltape / Figure12—Completedrepair

5.Reinstall the hoseif itwasremoved.

6.Fillthecoolingsystemwithwater.If a jugisnotavailabletocarrywatertorefilltheradiator,a small,strong garbage bag workswell.A wheel hubcap,a baseball cap and manyotherthings may alsowork.

7.Leavetheradiator cap loose—turnthe cap untilitlatches on thefirst click butisstillnottight. This will prevent the cooling systemfrom building up pressure. Excessivepressure isundesirable, as itwillpushthe tapeoffthesplit section.