Do You Flush? If Not, You Should: Flushing Your Cooling System

Preventative maintenance can completely eliminate most problems associated with cooling system failures. What kind of maintenance? Your vehicle’s cooling system is made up of many components and parts. The list includes your radiator, water hoses, water pump, thermostat, heater core, and many others. These parts need to be periodically replaced based on their service life and the recommendations of your vehicle service manual. The subject of this article is not a cooling system part per se. What we’re going to discus is the liquid (coolant) that runs throughout the cooling system. This liquid is the agent that is responsible for actually moving heat away from your engine and is commonly called antifreeze.Before we actually discuss flushing the coolant from your engine, let’s talk about the nature of the liquid cooled engine. I think you’re basic understanding of how the system works will greatly contribute to you properly perform a cooling system flush. I will discuss engine cooling in much greater detail in a subsequent article. I’ll just briefly touch on the subject here.During the normal operation of your engine, vast amounts of heat are generated. The heat is literally generated by explosions within the cylinders of your engine. If this heat were left to go unchecked, your engine would overheat and cease to function because your oil and other engine components would fail and that’s just the beginning of your problems. Liquid is very good at dissipating heat, so this liquid is pumped throughout the nooks and crannies of your engine, thus removing the heat and taking it to an area where it can be cooled. This “area” is your radiator and it is located at the front of the vehicle.The radiator has lots of surface area and fins that allow the heat to dissipate quickly. Once cooled, the liquid is then pumped back into the engine where the cycle repeats. This cooling process can actually be performed with plain water, however plain water has two characteristics that aren’t conducive to the practical operation inside an engine. First, water is not good at rust and corrosion prevention. In fact, it actually causes them. Second, water freezes at an unacceptable temperature for normal vehicle operation. Water good, ice bad.So, we add antifreeze to the water to give it the desirable characteristics for operation within an engine. Most antifreeze is made from ethylene glycol and is typically dyed green, yellow, red, orange, pink, or blue. Because of the ethylene glycol, antifreeze prevents corrosion in the cooling system and freezes at a much lower temperature than water, almost making it the perfect substance for cooling an engine. I said “almost” because the problem with antifreeze, like most things, is that it cannot protect forever. Typically, it looses its protective properties after just two years or 30,000 miles. Extended-life antifreeze is available that protects for much longer, but it is the exception, not the rule.Now that you know a little bit more about the nature of your cooling system and antifreeze, that brings us to flushing your cooling system. Let’s do it!The DrainingCaution! Make sure that your engine is cold. If you been driving your vehicle, let it cool for at least an hour before attempting to drain the system. The first thing you need to do is get rid of the old coolant. Remove the radiator cap so that you can let air into the system. You may have to raise the front of the vehicle to get to the bottom of the radiator. Another word of caution. This is a messy job, so make sure you have plenty of rags and paper towels handy. Also, wear goggles or safety glasses to protect your eyes. Coolant burns.Some drain plugs require a special tool to open them. This tool is available at your local auto parts store. Some drain plugs can be opened by hand and others may require the use of pliers.Make sure that you have a drain pan with a large enough capacity to catch all of the coolant. You can find the total engine coolant capacity in your owners or service manual. Move the dashboard ventilation lever to HOT to open the valve to the heater core. Now, open the plug and watch the show. If you don’t have a drain plug, just disconnect the lower radiator hose at the radiator. Removing the coolant from the radiator will evacuate about 45% of the coolant from the system. If your engine has a water drain plug on the engine block, removing it will help clear the antifreeze from the system faster than by just draining the radiator alone.After the first draining, close the bottom of the radiator, fill the system with water, briefly run the engine, drain and repeat. Thus, “flushing” the system. You want to make sure that the final system draining reveals clear water and no more antifreeze.If your city doesn’t have hazardous waste disposal for the spent antifreeze, the safest way to get rid of it is to pour it into a household drain, clothes washer pipe, or toilet. Don’t pour it onto the ground or into a storm drain. Make sure you keep the old and new antifreeze away from animals and children. It is typically sweet, tempting, and very poisonous.The Filling and the BleedingNow that the system is clear of the old antifreeze, you need to fill the system with the new antifreeze. Again, check the total capacity of the system. You’ll fill the system with half antifreeze and half water. Some antifreeze is available pre-mixed 50/50 with water. If this is the kind you have, then you can just fill as-is.This process takes a little care and patience to perform correctly. Because the engine block has lots of nooks and crannies, care must be taken to remove trapped air. The radiator fill cap and neck should be at the high point of the system to allow air to bleed out, however sometime this is not the case. So, if you have not raised the front of the vehicle, now is the time to do so.Fill the radiator with the antifreeze or antifreeze/water mixture. You may have a bleed screw somewhere on the top of the engine. Follow the upper radiator hose. The bleed screw may be on the top of the radiator, on top of the thermostat housing located on the top of the engine, or both. If you have a bleed screw, open it to allow the air to escape. Slowly pour in the required amount of antifreeze until you see it oozing from the air bleeds and then close the bleed screws. Pour the remaining antifreeze into the radiator and top off the system with water.If your system has a heater core valve, move the dashboard switch to COLD to close the system. Now with the engine running and warm, have someone move the dashboard switch back to HOT and listen to the valve. You should hear an initial rush of coolant into the heater core. After that, the valve should be silent. If you hear the gurgling sound of bubbles, air is still in the system. Check the whole system for leaks and then lower the vehicle. Make sure that you periodically check the coolant level in the system over the next few weeks. Continually top off the radiator as necessary as air rises to the top.Here’s a quick breakdown of the steps:Draining1. Make sure the engine is cool and protect your eyes
2. Raise the front of the vehicle if necessary
3. Move the ventilation lever to HOT
4. Remove the radiator cap
5. Open the radiator plug
6. Open the engine water plug if you have one
7. Close system, fill with water
8. Run engine, drain and repeatFilling and Bleeding1. Raise vehicle if you already haven’t done so
2. Open bleed screws if applicable
3. Move the ventilation lever to COLD if vehicle equipped with heater coolant valve
4. Fill with antifreeze or antifreeze/water mixture
5. Close bleed screws when coolant oozes out
6. Have assistant move ventilation lever to HOT, listen for rush and bubbles
7. Check for leaks and lower vehicle
8. Check coolant level periodically over two weeks and top off as necessaryRemoving old coolant and adding new coolant isn’t that difficult. It just takes a little time and patience. Performing this procedure at the proper intervals will aid in the protection of your cooling system components. You’ll have the satisfaction of a job well-done, a smile on your face, and an extra jingle in your pocket!

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Institutional Reforms In The Higher Education Sector Of Mozambique And Ethical Issues

The need to eradicate poverty through increased literacyOne of the central goals defined by the Government of Mozambique in its long-term development strategy is “poverty reduction through labour-intensive economic growth”. The highest priority is assigned to reduce poverty in rural areas, where 90 percent of poor Mozambicans live, and also in urban zones. The Government recognizes also that, for this development strategy on poverty eradication to succeed, expansion and improvement in the education system are critically important elements in both long-term and short-term perspectives.In the long term, universal access to education of acceptable quality is essential for the development
of Mozambique´s human resources, and the economic growth will depend to a significant extend on the education and training of the labour force. It is very important to develop a critical mass of well trained and highly qualified workforce which in turn will improve the overall literacy, intellectual development, training capacity and technical skills in various areas of the country’s economic and industrial development.In the short term, increased access and improved quality in basic education are powerful mechanisms for wealth redistribution and the promotion of social equity. This policy is consistent with the provisions of the new Constitution of Mozambique adopted on 16 November 2004, in its articles 113 and 114 which deal respectively with education and higher education. Around the year 1990, the Government of Mozambique decided to change its social, economic and political orientation system from the centrally-planned system inherited from the communist era and adopted a western-style of free market system. At the same time, it was also decided to adopt fundamental changes in the education programmes. Since drastic changes and wide ranging effects were resulting from the adoption of the new economic and political orientation, it was necessary to provide new guidelines and rules governing the management of institutions of higher education.The struggle continues: “a luta continua” ! The economic and political changes were progressively introduced with success through legislative and regulatory reforms. However, it has not been very easy to evenly change rules of social and cultural behaviour. In particular, vulnerable younger generations are the most affected by the rapid changes in society, while the reference model and values they expect from elder people in the modern Mozambican society seem to be shifting very fast. And in some instances, there seem to be no model at all. The new wave of economic liberalism in Mozambique, better defined by the popular concept of “deixa andar”, literally meaning “laisser-faire”, was mistakenly adopted as the guiding principle in the areas of social, cultural and education development.The “laisser-faire” principle is better understood by economists and entrepreneurs in a system of open market and free entrepreneurship, under which the Government’s intervention is reduced to exercising minimum regulatory agency. The recent considerable economic growth realized by the Government of Mozambique (10% of successive growth index over four years) is attributed mainly to this free market policy. This principle should be carefully differentiated from “laisser-aller” which, in French language, rather means lack of discipline in academic, economic, social and cultural environments.
Reforming higher education institutions represents a real challenge, both at the institutional and pedagogic levels, not only in Mozambique, but elsewhere and in particular in African countries faced with the problem of “acculturation”. The youth seeking knowledge opportunities in national universities, polytechnics and higher institutes, where students are somehow left on their own, having no longer any need to be under permanent supervision of their parents or teachers, are disoriented. Since reforms in higher education institutions take longer than in any other institutional environment, it is necessary indeed to adopt adequate transitional measures to respond to urgent need of the young generations.This essay reviews current trends and the recent historical background of higher education institutions of Mozambique. It argues against the adoption of the classical model of higher education from European and other western systems. In its final analysis, it finds that there is need to include ethical and deontology (social, cultural and moral education) components as priority sectors within the curriculum in higher education institutions, with a view to instill in the students and lecturers positive African values in general, and in particular, national Mozambican models. It is rejecting the neo-liberal thinking, which proposes that students in higher education institutions should be allowed to enjoy unlimited academic, social and intellectual uncontrolled independence, in conformity with western classical education and cultural orientation. It advocates for critical thinking and brainstorming on key issues towards the development of positive cultural and ethical models in higher education institutions which could be used to promote knowledge development and poverty eradication in the country’s rural areas and urban zones affected by unemployment, pandemics and economic precariousness.The colonial legacy and its cultural impact on higher education in Mozambique.Many experts have described the Mozambican mother of higher education as an institution for colonialists and “assimilados” . The first institution of higher education in Mozambique was established by the Portuguese government in 1962, soon after the start of the African wars of independence. It was called the General University Studies of Mozambique (Estudos Gerais Universitários de Moçambique EGUM). In 1968, it was renamed Lourenço Marques University. The university catered for the sons and daughters of Portuguese colonialists. Although the Portuguese government preached non-racism and advocated the assimilation of its African subjects to the Portuguese way of life, the notorious deficiencies of the colonial education system established under the Portuguese rule ensured that very few Africans would ever succeed in reaching university level. However, many educated African were led to adopt the colonial lifestyle.In spite of Portugal’s attempts to expand African educational opportunities in the late 1960s and early 1970s, only about 40 black Mozambican students – less than 2 per cent of the student body -had entered the University of Lourenço Marques by the time of independence in 1975. The state and the university continued to depend heavily on the Portuguese and their descendants. Even the academic curriculum was defined according to the needs and policies defined long ago by the colonial power.
Soon after Independence in June 1975, the Government of Mozambique, from the FRELIMO party, adopted a Marxist-Leninist orientation and a centrally planned economy. The educational system was nationalized, and the university was renamed after Dr. Eduardo Mondlane, the first president of FRELIMO.Many cadres trained in Portugal and other European and American universities came also with their own educational and cultural background. Apart from the Eduardo Mondlane University, new public and private universities and institutes were established. These include the Pedagogic University, the ISRI, the Catholic University, ISPU, ISCTEM and ISUTC. Most of these institutions adopted a curriculum clearly modeled on the classical European model. There is still need to integrate African traditional values in the course profiles offered and research programmes developed by these institutions.The traditional role of a university is to enlighten and serve as a reference within the society: “illuminatio et salus populi”. Today, Mozambique is one of the most culturally and racially diversified society of Africa. This diversity should be considered as a cultural treasure for the nation. It has become however apparent that it’s more a “Babel Tower case”, as no unified Mozambican values appear to develop from this wide variety. With the creation of new public and private universities and new faculties, it would become easier to increase a critical mass of university lecturers and academic professionals, who would in their turn, influence the society, creating and instilling national positive values and ethical principles of conduct in the younger generations. According to many lecturers and students contacted at UEM, Universidade Pedagogica UP and UDM, the impact of higher education on the development of positive academic, scientific, social and cultural values in Mozambique is yet to be felt.It is however necessary to acknowledge the importance of newly introduced community-based education programmes in some institutions. For instance the emphasis on community and service has guided curriculum development at the Catholic University; its course in agronomy (Cuamba) concentrates on peasant and family farming systems and leans heavily on research and outreach within local farming communities. The CU course in medicine (developed in collaboration with the University of Maastricht) which concentrates on teaching medicine, was particularly deemed appropriate for the rural and urban poor populations of Mozambique, as it is more based on problem-solving and focuses much more on traditional issues.New Reforms in higher education institutions with a more participative approachMozambique is one of few countries in Africa where a new generation of leadership has stepped forward to articulate a vision for their institutions, inspiring confidence among those involved in higher education development and the modernization of their universities. In a series of case studies sponsored and published by the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa , it was confirmed that African universities covered by the studies have widely varying contexts and traditions. They are engaged in broad reform, examining and revising their planning processes, introducing new techniques of financial management, adopting new technologies, reshaping course structures and pedagogy, and more important, reforming practices of governance based in particular on their own contexts and traditions.Important institutional reforms concerning the strategic planning experiences of the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) were initiated and implemented so far. Two strategic planning cycles were developed, the first in 1990 and the second one in 1996 / 97. The second one was meant to adapting to the impacts of newly adopted multi-party democracy, market competition, and globalization. Whereas the first reform cycle was the result of high level officials at the University, the second one was generated using a participatory methodology deemed to be more effective in involving the university staff in the process.It is important to listen to everyone, and to be seen as listening. We are also convinced that various components of the population in Mozambique should be involved in the next phases of the process with a view to define what kind of education orientation the population would wish to have for their children.
There is important progress but yet limited academic impact on the development of the society
Considerable progress has been so far made in post-independence Mozambique. After the initial problems caused by the long years of civil war and then the long efforts necessitated by the adjustment to a market-driven economy and a multi-party democratic political order, Mozambique is now considered to have a higher education system that offers a wide variety of course options and extensive research opportunities. However, a major weakness highlighted by many observers is that all the institutions remain basically concentrated in the capital city of Maputo and its neighboring provinces. It is argued that they serve only a limited fraction of the Mozambican population, and are destined to train the elite of prominent people in government and in the professions, industry and commerce. It is also alleged that the majority of the students who succeed in entering public and private institutions of higher education are from relatively rich families.It is finally emphasized that nearly 80 per cent of university students in Mozambique use Portuguese as their principal means of communication, thus strengthening the perception of establishing, reproducing and consolidating a hereditary elite, with model values copied on western societies. In response to this challenge, it was suggested that the government should encourage the emergence of new and non-traditional HEIs closer to the local communities, able to respond more rapidly and flexibly to the demands and expectations of the public and private sectors for a high quality trained workforce, while addressing both regional and socioeconomic imbalances in the country.In our final analysis, we find that the impact of higher education institutions on the development and dissemination of traditional African social and cultural values would be very limited for a long period. As long as the access and feed-back from all levels of the society and regions will be left out of the core interaction with the highly educated elite and higher education institutions mainly concentrated in Maputo, the role of universities in promoting African positive values, a culture of academic ethics and deontology in the entire national society will be very limited.The process of “Nation building” needs to rely on a strong academic support. One of the Government’s main constitutional commitments is to promote the development of the national culture and identity (article 115 of the 2004 Constitution). It is clear that many institutions, for instance the television, are actively promoting cultural diversity through various means. Institutions of higher education should be seen doing more, in particular starting with the students themselves and the academic community members, who are expected to be the light of the society. Such actions would include the integration of courses on ethics and deontology, and develop a wide-ranging variety of education models that reprove negative behavior and promote positive values. Our recommendation is that the Government should for example instruct public universities and other higher education institutions, to appoint “Ethics and Deontology Committees” at the level of their University Councils and within all autonomous faculties.Bibliography-Fry, Peter and Utui, Rogéro (1999), The Strategic Planning Experience at Eduardo Mondlane University, ADEA Working Paper on Higher Education, ADEA, Association for the Development of Education in Africa, Paris.-Mouzinho, Mário ; Fry, Peter ; Levey, Lisbeth and Chilundo, Arlindo (2001), Higher Education in Mozambique: A Case study, The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, New York University, New York

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Signature Loans: A Signature Can Relieve Stress Of No Collateral And Bad Credit

The dynamics of loans borrowing procedure has brought new ways of borrowing in the forefront. Signature loans are remote from traditional forms of loans borrowing which requires collateral to be placed as the guarantee of the loan borrowed. Signature loans are provided entirely on the receipt of a signed activation letter. Therefore, you do not need a co-signer or collateral for it. Signature loans also have another name for them – character loans.Signature loans with bad credit can be applied for any purpose. Student college loans, home remodelling, dream vacation, debt consolidation – all can be funded by signature loans. The maximum amount on a signature loan is £10,000. Loan lenders can offer you a loan amount of £15,000, if your circumstances concur with the requirements. The loan amount also depends on the borrower’s ability to repay. The term for signature loans is usually 60 months.Signature loans are offered for a specific purpose. Signature loans can offer excellent aid for the purpose of education. Signature loans for students can offer financial funding to meet the increasing cost of education. Signature loans for student can be combined with Federal Stafford loans, if they need additional money. This can prove to be a low cost alternative. Signature loans with bad credit are available to graduates, undergraduates and graduate in health care.Signature loans are usually provided keeping in mind good credit history. An unblemished credit history with a positive credit report will be the leading contender for signature loans. Signature loans simply require a signature. A good credit history will ensure you get the loan with no collateral. Business which have good credit and generate profits can easily file for signature loans. Also, if a company can demonstrate good management skills, they can access a signature loan. Getting a signature loan would add to your good credit. Your collaborators and your suppliers would deduce your financial well being from the fact that the loan lender has supplied you the loan simply on your signature.Good credit can open numerous gates for signature loans. However, that does not mean bad credit signature loans are not possible. Signature loans are a good option, even if you have bad credit. Bad credit, everywhere, is associated with higher interest rates. Higher interest rates usually increase the pressure on your financial situation. But with considerable planning and thinking, bad credit signature loans can and are known to solve many financial impediments. Any bad credit including bad credit signature loans also improve your credit standing. When you pay your debt on time, it will show in your credit report. This is what is required to improve your credit status.With bad credit signature loan, the first step to know where you stand financially. Make realistic goals with respect to debt. So that you can actually achieve these goals. If your debt condition is alarming, talk to credit managing agencies for help. You can consolidate your debts with bad credit signature loans. Make short term or long term plans depending on your financial situation. This will guarantee that your bad credit signature loans borrowing is a success. Ensure that you make bad credit signature loans payment on time. Otherwise your debt condition will deteriorate and you will find you are further slipped into debt.Signature loans are becoming popular by the hour and have increased a lot over the years. Signature loans being unsecured take away the burden of having collateral to get a loan. But the fact that you can get cash on your hand may tempt you to make some unnecessary expenses. If you are taking a signature loan with good or bad credit try not to forget that it is a debt. You may get it easily but still it needs to be repaid. But instead of making signature loan an added burden, make it the basis of a strong financial future.

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