Six Steps on How to Solve Operational Issues

Working in a fast pace environment needs to have standard procedure in order to operate a business successfully. Presence of operational issues need to be addressed and solved immediately to avoid further business losses, clients dissatisfaction and employees low morale. Business owners and or managers should be on top of every issues that affect the smooth operation of the business.

Business owners, Corporations and Managers alike play an important role in the effectiveness of this process. They should be able to invest and support the needed tools and expenses in going through this process. Just like setting and adhering to company objectives where the managers are held accountable to the owners or corporation, the supervisors are accountable to the managers and rank and file staff are accountable to their supervisors etc., which means everybody in the organization work as a team in the fulfilment of the objectives and therefore solving operational issues works the same way too. This is not employees problem or supervisors problem, it is everybody's problem.

Automatic Time Set Clock

To start this process a set of company employees should be selected to work as a team in solving the issues. It will be helpful if not all members of the team are subjected to the particular issues being worked on. This is to avoid assumption but rather gather informations more on factual events or interviews. Team coach will be updating the management and or owners regarding the process.Team members of each issue will be working independently with a team coach and should be given full support by the management/owners in the gathering of information or data. During the interview, employees are allowed to voice out or say what they are actually experiecing on specific issues being analysed and avoid assumption on what could be causing the issues. When a person assumes then the process fails because it lacks the facts or the truthness in what actually happens.

Six Steps on How to Solve Operational Issues

The primary step in solving operational issues is to be able to pick-up the issues affecting the operation of the business. It is vital that issues be worked on according to its basic category such as; priority and important and important but not a priority. First work on the important and priority then the important issues can be handled on a later stage after one issue has been completed. There could be five or more issues that will surface on the discussion but each issue should be worked on one at a time and if there are two or more relevant issues, these can be joined and named as one issue. List of issues should be communicated in writing to the Manager and update him on the issues being worked on.

Second step is to find out the root causes of the issue. The assigned team gathers information to the affected work site or interview employees and search for possible root causes of the problem. They should be able to list all these root causes where all the team members can see, have discussion and eliminate root causes included on the list that are not relevant to the issues. Time element in gathering of information as to the root cause of the issues may differ from one issue to another depending on the process involved on specific type of issues. There could be issues involving contact or approval of the owners, the managers, suppliers etc wherein their availability for interview and agreement with the process will be at their own disposal.

As the team proceed to the process and were able to complete the second step, they then will start with the third step which is summarising the gathered information. Out of those information, they should be able to keep the relevant and eliminate the irrelevant data. They should be able to note which data keeps coming up on the list and be able to sequence them as to which data comes first, second, third and so on according to its repetitiveness on the list. Based on the data gathered, team member will then set a procedure that will solve the issue.

The fourth step is to eliminate the obstacle in setting up the procedure involved in an issue. Once a procedure has been created, it will then be discussed with the manager and or the owner to eliminate obstacle/s for the successful implementation of the newly created procedure. The procedure should be convincing and be able to solve the issue. If the procedure gets the support and approval of the manager and or the owner, then the team will be able to finalise the creation of the procedure.

The fifth step is the implementation of the set procedure by the team members. Manager and or owner should then meet with the employees concern with regards to the issue and discussed the new set procedure to be followed in order to totally eliminate the occurrence of specific operational problem. With the support of the upper management/owner being highlighted with their presence, this will give a positive impact on the discussion and implementation of the newly created procedure.

The sixth step is to Review Set Procedure. In this stage, the team members will try to review the effectiveness of the procedure and if there is/are changes that need/s to be revised then it has to be communicated to all the person concern, re-implemented till it works without flaws.

Summarising the sixth steps on how to solve operational issues are as follows:

1. Pick-up the issues- team members should be able to gather issues and categorised each one of them based on important and priority or important but not priority. They should also be able to make one issue out of related issues that are relevant to each other.

2. Find out the possible root causes of the issue - team members visit the work site or employees at the work site of specific issue that they are working on. They should be able to gather facts, data or information with the concern employees or work site. It is important that the collection of data or information are based on facts and not assumption.

3. Summarises the possible root causes, analyse the issue and create a procedure to solve the issue based on the facts and data gathered through the interviews made with the employees and actual observation linking the events as to how the issue is occurring. It should be factual and ocular.

4. Eliminate obstacle for the implementation of the newly set -up procedure.- team coach/members should discuss their findings with the owner and or the manager with their suggested procedure for implementation. Issues that concern the suppliers or other outside establishment should be handled and discussed through proper channels with the full support of the owner and or manager.

5. Implementation of the newly set-up procedure- team members should have a meeting with the concern employees that will adapt the procedure in the presence of the owner and or the manager. Set-up operating procedure will be in place and team members make a follow through ensuring that the implementation is taking place

6. Review the set-up procedure. After three to six months, team members will review the set procedure and make revisions if necessary for the successful implementation of the set standard procedure in solving operational issue.
These steps on solving operational issues if followed accordingly will give or show dramatic improvements in the smooth operation of the business, profitability, clients satisfaction and high employee morale.

Six Steps on How to Solve Operational Issues

Calculating Car Workshop Labour Efficiency

The clock is ticking

'Time is money' in bodyshops and service workshops. Essentially, these operations buy and sell the time of panel beaters, painters and technicians. A service workshop, for example, might buy one hour from a technician for £10 and sell it to a customer for £40, and make a profit of £30. (These figures are, of course, notional).

Automatic Time Set Clock

Buying and selling the time of productives is, or should be, the major source of revenue and profit in bodyshops and service workshops. Profits from the sale of spare parts; oils and lubricants; paint and materials; and sublet and sundry are all subsidiary to the buying and selling of productives' time. If you don't sell time, you don't sell any of these other things.

Calculating Car Workshop Labour Efficiency

Just as you would take great care when buying and selling a spare part, you have to pay equal attention to buying and selling productives' time - or even more so, because you cannot 'stock' productives' time. In other words, if you don't sell their time today, you cannot sell it tomorrow.

Time for sale

So once time is gone it's gone, whereas a spare part will still be in stock. So it is a good idea to know how much time you have for sale. This would seem pretty simple. If you have six productives, and they are there eight hours every day, surely you have 48 hours for sale? Well, no, you don't.

For a start, productives might be in the workshop for eight hours every day, but they don't work on paying jobs for eight solid hours. For example, a customer could come back with a car that you serviced yesterday and complain that it keeps stalling. It will then be necessary for a productive to rectify the problem, and of course you cannot charge the customer for that. If it takes two hours, then you only have 46 hours left to sell, in our example.

Time sold

To complicate things further, you can actually end up selling more than 48 hours. Imagine, for instance, that a vehicle manufacturer's standard time for a major service is two hours and you quote the customer on this basis. If your technician completes the service in one hour (unlikely, we know) then you will still charge the customer for two hours.

If this happened all day long, you could sell 96 hours less the four hours you could have sold if one of your technicians hadn't spent two hours spent rectifying the engine stalling problem. (It's four hours because you are selling two hours for every hour worked in this example.) So if your productives could halve the standard times all day, that's 92 hours sold rather than 48 hours.

Three measures of time

What we are talking about here is the three kinds of time available in a bodyshop or service workshop:

Attended time - this is the time that panel beaters, painters or technicians are in the workplace available to work.

Work time - this is the time they spend actually working on jobs that, at the end of the day, a customer pays for. Clearly 'work time' does not include any time spent rectifying problems, or anything else they do that does not have a paying customer at the end.

Sold time - this is the time that you charge customers for. It could be the time quoted on an estimate for an insurance company, or a menu-priced service.

You could say that 'attended time' and 'work time' are both 'real', because you can almost see them. You can see when a productive is in the workshop, and you can see a productive working on paying jobs. What's more, you can measure 'attended time' and 'work time' using a clock.

On the other hand, 'sold time' is not 'real'. You can't see it, and you can't measure it using a clock. But at the end of every day you can add up all the time you have sold to customers from your job cards or invoices.

How fast and how long

If you measure attended time and work time, and add up sold time at the end of the day, you can then see how fast and how long your productives have worked during the day.

How fast they have worked is sold hours divided by work hours. In our example, that's 92 hours sold compared to 46 hours worked, or 200% expressed as a percentage. That is, your productives are working twice as fast as the standard time.

How long they have worked is work hours divided by attended hours. In our example that's 46 hours compared to 48 hours, or 95.8% expressed as a percentage. That is, your productives were working on paying jobs for 95.8% of the time.

Labour efficiency

What we have just worked out as percentages are two 'labour efficiencies':

Productive efficiency tells you how fast productives are working compared to standard times, or the estimate in the case of a body repair job - how many sold hours they produced compared to the work time it took them to produce these sold hours.

Labour utilisation (sometimes called 'selling efficiency') tells you how long productives worked on paying jobs compared to the time they attended the workplace.

As formulae, productive efficiency and labour utilisation are calculated like this:

Productive efficiency = (Sold Hours/ Work Hours) x 100%

Labour utilisation = (Work Hours/Attended Hours) x 100%

Overall labour efficiency

There is one other measure of labour efficiency and that's called overall efficiency. This is a simple combination of productive efficiency and labour utilisation, and comes from multiplying them together:

Overall Efficiency = Productive Efficiency x Labour Utilisation

Or, another way of looking at overall efficiency is as sold hours divided by attended hours:

Overall efficiency = (Sold Hours/Attended Hours) x 100%

How labour efficiency affects profit

Obviously you will make more profit if you can squeeze more sold hours from the hours your productives attend. We have already said that if you buy one hour from a service workshop technician for £10 and sell it to a customer for £40 you will make a profit of £30. But if you bought one hour from the technician and then sold two hours, you will make much more profit - £70.

It is equally obvious that if you buy one hour from a service workshop technician for £10, and then the whole hour is expended rectifying a come-back job for which you can make no charge, you have lost £10. Less obvious is that you have lost the opportunity to sell two hours (in our example), and thus lost the opportunity to make a profit of £70.

So the reason for measuring time in a workshop, and then calculating the labour efficiencies, is very clear. It's all about profit. And if you don't measure time and calculate the labour efficiencies, it is absolutely certain you will not maximise profitability because you will not know:

How fast your productives are working as a team and individually, and whether they could work faster if they were better trained or had better equipment

How long your productives are working as a team and individually, and how much time they are wasting on work that customers aren't paying for.

How time is measured

The most basic way of measuring time in a workshop is by using a 'clock' which stamps time on a 'clock card' for attended time and on the job card for work time. The times are then correlated manually on a 'daily operating control' sheet, and the labour efficiencies calculated.

However, computers have largely superseded this basic method, with the 'clocking' carried out using barcodes or magnetic swipe cards. The computer then completes all the correlations and calculations instantly.

Typical labour efficiencies for the Top 25%

In recent years, the labour efficiencies achieved by bodyshops and service workshops have fallen from what would have been considered the 'norm' a decade ago. The reasons for this are complex. However the top 25% of franchised dealer bodyshops and service workshops are still achieving reasonable levels of performance, typically:

For a bodyshop, productive efficiency averages 106%, utilisation 88% and therefore overall efficiency is 93.3% (106% x 88%)

For a service workshop, productive efficiency averages 115%, utilisation 92% and therefore overall efficiency is 105.8% (115% x 92%)

For 40-hour attended by a productive in a week, these translate as:

For a bodyshop - 40 hours attended, 35.2 hours working on paying jobs, and 37.3 hours sold or invoiced to customers

For a service workshop - 40 hours attended, 36.8 hours working on paying jobs, and 42.3 hours sold or invoiced to customers.

Why service workshops are usually more labour-efficient than bodyshops

bodyshops are clearly less efficient, but why? Firstly, jobs move between productives in a bodyshop - starting with strip, then panel, then preparation, paint, refit and valeting. Usually this means moving the vehicle physically around the bodyshop, which is far less efficient than the straight in a bay, job done and straight out situation of a service workshop. The result for bodyshops is a lower labour utilisation than for a service workshop.

Productive efficiency in bodyshops used to be higher than for service workshops, because sold hours were negotiated with insurance assessors - so-called 'opinion times'. A bodyshop might get 20 hours for a job and the productives would finish it in 15 work hours, achieving a productive efficiency of 133%. Nowadays, the times in a bodyshop are set by computerised estimating systems with virtually no room for negotiation or 'opinion times'.

service workshops, like bodyshops, have seen standard times fall, too. But their customer base is millions of motorists rather than a dozen insurance companies, so service managers can set whatever times they want - within reason, and of course, subject to competition.

Lost time

Obviously it would be great if you could get away with just paying technicians when they are working on paying jobs, but you can't. What you actually pay them for is attendance, or 'attended time', and they don't 'work' on paying jobs all the time they are attending.

The difference between attended time and work time is 'lost time', which is also called non-productive time - the few hours every week that technicians are paid for when they are not working on paying jobs. Three common things that make up lost time are rectification of faulty work ('come-backs'), collection and delivery of cars, and cleaning and maintenance.

In addition to paying for lost time, you might pay bonus and overtime, and you pay for technicians' holidays, sick leave and training. Then there is the employer's contribution to National Insurance, and the cost of any perks technicians receive such as pension or health insurance contributions.

It's tempting to throw all of these payments into the cost of buying the technician's time in our example and calculate what you might see as the 'real' profit. If you did, the cost of buying the hour would probably be around £13, and therefore the profit falls to £27.

Accounting for time

The facts presented so far would seem to make calculating the profit when buying and selling technicians' time quite simple. Apparently all you have to do for any period - a day, a week, a month or a year - is add up all your labour sales and subtract all your technicians' costs (including basic, bonus, overtime, holidays, sick, training, perks and National Insurance) to arrive at your profit on labour.

You can, but it is far better to identify all your technicians' costs separately in your management accounts, because you can then see how much you are paying them for not working. And by separating these payments to technicians, you can look more closely at the effects of labour efficiency on your operation, whether it is mechanical servicing and repair or body repairs.

The following example shows the traditional format for the management accounts of a service workshop or bodyshop. Here we have taken the results for one technician over 12 months, assuming basic pay of £12 per hour and hours sold out at an average of £60 per hour. Additionally, we have assumed that the technician attends 44 weeks per annum and 40 hours per week, working 37 of those hours with lost time of 3 hours. As a result of the technician's efforts, the workshop sells 42 hours per week (or 1,848 sold hours per annum from 44 weeks x 42 hours), and this is achieved without any overtime or bonus pay.

Management accounts

Labour sales 1,848 hours sold @ £60 = £110,880

Less Technician's pay for 1,628 work hours @ £12 = £19,536

Technician's bonus pay (all bonus pay entered if earned) = NIL

Technician's overtime pay (all overtime entered if earned) = NIL

Gross profit on labour sales (Labour gross profit) = £91,344

Direct expenses

Technician's pay for 132 hours of lost time @ £12 = £1,584

Technician's pay for hols, sick & training (40 days of 8 hours) @ £12 = £3,840

Technician's National Insurance and perks = £3,744

Direct profit on labour sales = £82,176

Labour gross profit

In this traditional form of management accounts, then, the cost of the technician is divided up into no less than six lines. The first three lines appear straight after labour sales, and consist of all pay made to the technician for actually producing work that is then sold to a customer. This includes pay for 'work time', and all bonus and overtime pay. Accountants call these the 'cost of sales'.

By subtracting these three lines from sales, you end up with the gross profit made from buying and selling the technician's time - usually called the 'labour gross profit'. The labour gross profit is often expressed as a percentage of labour sales, which in this example comes to 82% (£91,344 divided by £110,880 expressed as a percentage).

The remaining three lines appear in the direct expenses section of management accounts along with the cost of non-productive salaries, apprentices, consumables, courtesy cars, advertising, etc. The idea, as we have said, is to identify what you pay technicians for not working. In this example, the total cost of the technician is £28,704 per annum, and £9,168 is for not working. That is nearly one-third, and a far from unusual proportion!

Dividing up the technician's pay

The way some of the technician's pay is divided up is self-evident - bonus, overtime, holidays etc, and National Insurance and perks. That just leaves the technician's basic pay, which is divided up according to 'work time' and 'lost time':

In our example we know the technician attends 40 hours each week and works 37 of these hours, which means that the technician works for 1,628 hours in a year (37 hours x 44 weeks), which at £12 per hour is £19,536.

That leaves three hours of lost time each week, or 132 hours per annum (3 hours x 44 weeks), or £1,584 at £12 per hour.

In fact, this split corresponds to one of the measures of efficiency we discussed earlier - labour utilisation. Labour utilisation is 'work hours' divided by 'attended hours' expressed as a percentage, or 92.5% in this case (37 hours divided by 40 hours). The split in the management accounts allocates 92.5% of basic pay as the cost of doing the work. The remainder (7.5% of basic pay) - corresponding to the technician's pay for lost time - is allocated as an expense.

It should now be clear that labour utilisation has a direct bearing on how much gross profit is effectively produced from selling the technician's time, and what is paid to the technician for not working.

Calculating labour sales

In our example, the workshop sells 42 hours per week as a result of the 37 hours the technician actually works out of the 40 hours attended. We have already seen that the labour utilisation here is 92.5% (37 hours divided by 40 hours). The productive efficiency can also be calculated as 113.5% (42 sold hours divided by 37 work hours), and the overall efficiency is 105% (42 sold hours divided by 40 attended hours). All these formulae were covered earlier.

The labour sales in our example are calculated by multiplying the sold hours in a year (1,848 hours) by the labour rate of £60 per hour. In full, this calculation is as follows:

Annual labour sales = 1 technician x 40 attended hours per week x 44 weeks attended per year x 105% overall efficiency x £60 per hour labour rate = £110,880

Increased productive efficiency

Now we can have a look at what happens to the profit on labour sales if labour efficiency increases. Let's say our technician still works 37 hours out of 40 hours attended, but works faster (i.e. is more productive) and achieves 43 sold hours. The utilisation is still 92.5% (37 work hours divided by 40 attended hours), but the productive efficiency has increased to 116.2% (43 sold hours divided by 37 work hours) and the overall efficiency has also increased to 107.5% (43 sold hours divided by 40 attended hours). The effect is as follows (and we have assumed again that bonus and overtime are 'nil'):

Labour sales

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 107.5% overall efficiency x £60 per hour = £113,520

Less

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 92.5% utilisation x £12 per hour = £19,536

Gross profit on labour sales (Labour gross profit) £93,984

Direct expenses

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 7.5% lost time x £12 per hour = £1,584

Technician's pay for hols, sick & training (40 days of 8 hours) @ £12 = £3,840

Technician's National Insurance and perks = £3,744

Direct profit on labour sales £84,816

A small increase in productive efficiency - just about three percentage points - has resulted in an extra annual profit on labour of £2,640.

Improving labour utilisation and productive efficiency

So far, we have explained how to measure time in a service or body repair workshop, how labour efficiency is calculated, and how management accounts are designed to highlight the sources of labour profit. We have shown how productive efficiency affects profitability. Next, we look at the effects on profit of improving labour utilisation, and then both productive efficiency and labour utilisation at the same time.

Increased labour utilisation

Taking the same example discussed earlier, let's improve labour utilisation by assuming that our technician manages to work 38 hours out of 40 hours attended instead of 37, while leaving the productive efficiency the same (113.5%) as in the original example. This means that utilisation goes up to 95% (38 work hours divided by 40 attended hours), and even if the productive efficiency is the same at 113.5%, then our technician will produce 43.1 sold hours (38 hours worked x 113.5%). That is, the technician's overall efficiency has increased to 107.8% (43.1 sold hours divided by 40 attended hours).

The effect on labour profits is then:

Labour sales

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 107.8% overall efficiency x £60 per hour = £113,520

Less

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 95% utilisation x £12 per hour = £20,064 Gross profit on labour sales (Labour gross profit) = £93,456

Direct expenses

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 5% lost time x £12 per hour = £1,056

Technician's pay for hols, sick & training (40 days of 8 hours) @ £12 = £3,840

Technician's National Insurance and perks = £3,744

Direct profit on labour sales = £84,816

The improvement, from one extra hour worked per week, is £2,640 in a year.

Do both!

But what would happen if both utilisation and productive efficiency improved at the same time? That is, the technician still attends 40 hours, but works 38 hours at the improved productive efficiency of 116.2% (from Part 2) thereby producing 44.2 sold hours (38 work hours x 116.2%) and hence an overall efficiency of 110.5% (44.2 sold hours divided by 40 attended hours). The calculation looks like this:

Labour sales

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 110.5% overall efficiency x £60 per hour = £116,688

Less

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 95% utilisation x £12 per hour = £20,064

Gross profit on labour sales (Labour gross profit) = £96,624

Direct expenses

1 tech x 40 att. hours x 44 weeks x 5% lost time x £12 per hour = £1,056

Technician's pay for hols, sick & training (40 days of 8 hours) @ £12 = £3,840

Technician's National Insurance and perks = £3,744

Direct profit on labour sales = £87,984

The improvement is £5,808, multiplied by (say) seven technicians is a sizeable £40,656 extra profit per annum.

This shows how significant for profitability only relatively small increases in labour efficiency can be. However, labour profits can also fall just as significantly if labour efficiency falls by an equally small amount.

Hidden lost time

If small improvements in labour efficiency translate into big improvements in labour profits, but any slight reduction means big falls in profit, then you need to know what levers to pull to make sure you are on the side of big profits. So what's the secret? Or is it about managing the minutiae?

There's no secret. The trick is managing every aspect of a workshop. Managers have to do everything they can to make sure technicians, panel beaters or painters are working as fast as possible for as long as possible. In other words, you must do everything to minimise lost time, and provide your productive staff with every means to support faster working like training, power tools... and even placing certain jobs with productives who are the most experienced. If you have a clutch job, then give it to the clutch expert.

But there is one secret worth knowing, and that's 'hidden lost time'.

As we have shown, lost time is a killer. But then lost time, if it's measured at all, is usually about the most obvious elements such as rectification of faulty work, collection and delivery of cars, and cleaning and maintenance. However, there is a lot more lost time hidden away within jobs. Technicians may seem to be working hard, but too often they may be waiting for spare parts at the back counter of the stores. Or a technician may be waiting in line to use a piece of equipment like a wheel alignment rig.

The outcome of 'hidden lost time' is a fall in productive efficiency, but labour utilisation is unaffected because you haven't measured the losses. But, as you have seen, the effect on profits can be huge. So apart from attending to the obvious and direct influences on labour efficiency, which affect how fast technicians work (productive efficiency) and how long (utilisation), workshop managers must also attend to anything that can slow them down when they are supposed to be working.

Calculating Car Workshop Labour Efficiency

What is Free Signals Forex Trading?

Free signals Forex are signals that are generally used as buying recommendations. These signals can be received through signal service providers for a small subscription fee. Occasionally you can find these signals for free through your broker. Accurate free signals Forex are generally updated on a daily basis, and they are based off market fluctuations and technical analysis of the market by a professional. These are best used by people who are not able to spend the time that it takes in order to follow the trends and market patterns themselves.

Forex trading robots are a good alternative to this. Robots such as FAP Turbo will trade currencies for you automatically based on market fluctuations and trends. When you use a robot, you can continuously trade around the clock even when you are nowhere near your computer.

Automatic Time Set Clock

Forex trading has become a very popular way of "getting rich quick", but in order to profit off of this market you do need to be educated on how things work. Forex trading is a skill and it is too easy for the newcomer to jump into the market with unrealistic expectations and end up losing a lot of money. Because of this, it is so important to do the research required by using a demo account so that you can practice the skills you have learned.

What is Free Signals Forex Trading?

Even if you use a trading robot, you can still end up losing a lot of money. Robots usually have you choose settings on how you will do trading. Knowing the market will is a requirement if you want to be able to properly set up and use a robot.

Before jumping into the Forex trading world, make sure that you find out how things work first. Learn how to identify trends and you will save yourself a lot of disappointment.

What is Free Signals Forex Trading?

Time Management - The Benefits of Multitasking

One thing at a time and that done best - this is one of the oldest pieces of advice handed down from generation to generation. This would be ideal if life politely waited for us to finish one task before sending another our way, or if we had few tasks to complete in an abundant amount of time. Unfortunately, life is not ideal.

Have you ever been in a moving vehicle when it made a sudden start or stop? Or, how about getting on or off a moving vehicle? In either case, your body takes a little time to get used to the sudden change of momentum. Without the time to get used to the sudden change in momentum, or without something to hold on to when such sudden changes occur, you will lose your balance and fall over. This is a demonstration of Newton's First Law of Motion - "Every body at rest or in uniform rectilinear motion remains at rest or in uniform rectilinear motion unless acted on by an external force". This law is otherwise known as the law of Inertia.

Automatic Time Set Clock

The mind is not very different. It works by associations. The term "train of thought" is very accurate - it follows a track, most often a track it has followed through before, and moves with a high momentum. Switching the mind from one track of thought to another requires slowing down this train and moving to the other track. When the train of thought gets forcibly switched by an abrupt interruption, it even gets derailed. The more disparate the thoughts (and trains) are, the greater the effort it takes to switch from thought to thought. If switching thoughts take so much effort, how about switching tasks that take thought?

Time Management - The Benefits of Multitasking

Switching from task to task or thought to thought is referred to as "context switching". The brain "normally" operates by following associations within a context. It either follows existing links or creates new ones. It operates at a very high speed: By the time one gets to recognize a particular association, the brain scans ahead several thousand more. It sets up a queue of associations to be "followed" next in sequence. Context switching breaks these associations. The brain is forced to discard the queue of associations and to rescan for new ones. It also takes some time to come up to speed to scan thousands of associations ahead.

Consider a computerized photograph-printing machine in one of the 1-hour photo shops. These machines have a finite setup time. They are normally set for a certain size of print, and all the jobs that require that size are scheduled for that run. Other sizes are handled similarly. This makes the operation very efficient. If, on the other hand, the jobs were scheduled in the order in which they were accepted, the machine would potentially have to be reset after every job. Given the setup time, the operation would become very inefficient.

Similarly, context switching causes multiple setup times and is very inefficient on the mind. The cost of multi-tasking, especially with regard to tasks that require conscious thought, is inefficiency.

Adam Smith (The Wealth of Nations, 1776) recognized the "saving of time which is commonly lost in passing from one species of work to another". This is the biggest benefit of avoiding multi-tasking. "Passing from one task to another" is "context-switching". Adam Smith recognized as long ago as 1776 that time is "commonly lost" in context switching. "Division of labor" reduces context switching and, consequently, the time lost due to context switching

In short, context switching is bad. It is efficient to do one thing at a time and take it to completion before moving to another task.

Sometimes, you have to juggle more than one task at the same time. Life is not polite. It does not stand politely by and wait for you to finish the task at hand before throwing the next task at you. Certain situations may demand immediate attention. People who wear "multiple hats" and have several responsibilities need to multitask. What do you do under such conditions?

While it is recognized that context switching and multitasking introduce a certain element of inefficiency, it is also necessary under certain conditions. We rarely, if ever, have the luxury of focusing totally on one task for its entire duration. We constantly get interrupted, and, depending on the nature of the interruption, our priorities may change.

Do you think about everything that you do or do you sometimes operate on autopilot?

Do you remember how you were taught to tie your shoelaces? You may have had to focus on the steps until you were able to do it without thinking about it.

Do you think about walking? Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?

My point is that with sufficient practice, some mechanical tasks can be delegated to the automatic section of the mind at which time you can put your mind to work on something else. You can, for example, plan your Power Point presentation (or something thought consuming) while tying your shoelaces (or something equally trivial).

There are some tasks which inherently require us to do multiple things simultaneously. For example, a person playing a musical instrument may be doing three or four things at the same time. It has been observed that musicians can multitask very well.

Human beings do multitask naturally. When a mechanical task is done over and over again, it is no longer handled by the thinking part of the brain, the gray matter or cerebrum. It moves into the automatic part of the brain, the white matter or cerebellum. Automatic tasks, when sufficiently practiced, may be combined with other automatic tasks or at most one task requiring thinking.

It takes practice to move any action from the thinking area to the motor area of the brain. It takes more practice to combine actions. Only automatic actions can be multitasked. If you expect to take any specific action over and over again, practice it so that you do not have to think about it. For example, musicians, martial artists and sports personages constantly practice their actions to be able to execute them flawlessly.

The ability to multitask will help us cope with interruptions and changing priorities. In addition, multitasking, if practiced well, will greatly improve our throughput.

The benefits of multitasking include:

1. The ability to switch between tasks when one is charged with multiple responsibilities,

2. Greater throughput while handling mechanical (automatic, thought-free) tasks.

Multitasking can improve productivity and throughput. However, not all tasks may be combined with other tasks.

We all do a certain amount of multitasking anyway. For instance, you may scan the newspaper while drinking your morning coffee, or listen to the radio while driving in to work. It is as easy as walking and chewing gum at the same time! Most of these tasks are mechanical. While multitasking in this manner, the brain is actively monitoring only one task, or at most one task. The other tasks run in the back of the mind.

Time Management - The Benefits of Multitasking

Grandfather Clock Do It Yourself Repair - Part III

In this last article of the series, repairing your grandfather clock on your own, we're going to go over some more things you can do at home before taking your grandfather clock in for repair.

Another common problem with grandfather clocks is for the chimes to go out of sequence with the time that's displayed. This usually happens on the quarter hour chimes. If this happens there may not necessarily be anything wrong with the chimes mechanism. Most grandfather clocks that have been manufactured in the last 50 years have a chime correction device that should recycle the chimes back in sync with the minute hand when it reaches the hour. If your particular grandfather clock doesn't have an automatic chime correction device, the problem can be manually corrected by turning the minute hand back 15 minutes then forward past the quarter hour. Just keep doing this until the number of chimes match the quarter hour the hand is pointing to.

Automatic Time Set Clock

To give you an example, Westminster chimes play 4 notes on the first quarter hour, 8 notes on the half hour, 12 notes on the three quarter hour and 16 notes at the top of the hour. If the problem still continues it may mean that the minute hand has been installed on its arbor in the wrong direction. To fix this, remove the nut holding down the minute hand with a pair of pliers. Then, pull the minute hand off, rotate it to the quarter hour indicated by the number of chimes being played and then reinstall the nut. This should get the chimes back in sync with the timing mechanism.

Grandfather Clock Do It Yourself Repair - Part III

One final problem is when the weights refuse to drop. Every quarter hour the time train causes the chimes to strike. That in turn causes the left strike weight to fall at the top of the hour. So if the time train center pendulum doesn't drop then the chime and the strike weights won't drop either. The first step in fixing this is to get the pendulum swinging again. We covered that in the first article.

If the right and left weights refuse to drop, meaning the pendulum is swinging and the clock hands are moving but the chime is not operating, then what will happen is the chime will not operate and in turn the strike will not operate either. What you do is check to see if the chime lever on the grandfather dial is properly centered over a chime and not in the off position. After doing that, you take the side panel off your grandfather clock and check to make sure that the steel chime retard bar has NOT been lowered onto the chime hammers causing the chimes not to operate.

If only the left weight will not drop that means only the hour strike is not operating. To fix this open the side panel and make sure that the steel retard bar has not been lowered onto the strike hammers causing them not to operate. Also make sure the hammers are operating freely. Finally, check and make sure that the trip lever from the chimes is releasing the strike train.

Grandfather Clock Do It Yourself Repair - Part III

FAQ on Modifying the Toyota Supra

What does BPU(TM) stand for? (BPU(TM) is a trademark of SupraStore.com)

Basic Performance Upgrades. These modifications are: A full length three inch down-pipe (with or with-out high flow cats), 3" (75mm) or bigger cat-back exhaust system, raised boost (18psi), and the required boost cut eliminator (GReddy BCC) needed to achieve that boost without activating the factory fuel cut-off at 14-15psi. These are the modifications that have proven to provide the best HP-to-$$$ ratio.

Automatic Time Set Clock

What does the + mean when someone says BPU(TM)+? And what is APU?

FAQ on Modifying the Toyota Supra

That stands for any additional power producing modifications other than the basic BPU(TM) modifications. One "+" refers to Adj. Cam Gears and under-drive pulleys, the second "+" refers to a Fuel controller, ECU upgrade, etc. For instance, a Supra with the BPU(TM) modifications, plus a front-mount intercooler, would be called BPU(TM)+. If you added cam gears to that, it would be BPU(TM)++, and so on. The "BPU(TM)" term is used until you have an upgraded turbo(s). Then it is referred to as APU, advanced performance upgrades. This designation pretty much covers every modification that can be performed.

What are the first engine modifications I should perform?

I recommend starting with raising the boost of the stock turbos to roughly 18psi. This will require a quality boost gauge and a boost cut eliminator (GReddy BCC). You will achieve 15 or so PSI with the stock Down Pipe in place. This will provide an addition of approximately 30rwhp. After those modifications are completed, it would be a logical next step to install the Down Pipe and Cat-Back Exhaust at the same time. You will now be at full BPU(TM).

What do all the various "Free Mods" do?

There are many different "free mods" for the Supra TT. I will cover just a few of them here. The ones I will cover fall into three categories, boost control, EGR disabling, and TTC or True Twin Conversion.

Three of the boost control mods are: Bleeder-T Mod, Clamp Mod, and the VSV Bypass Mod. Each of these modifications raise boost levels without the use of a boost controller. But you have to keep a close eye on your boost gauge, and make sure they are not allowing the turbos to boost too high (18psi is a safe level).

The next mods, are the true twin conversion mods (or TTC). This modification disables the Sequential twin turbo operation, and causes the turbos to run constantly in parallel (both on at the same time). This is supposed to allow for slightly better mid-range power (before the secondary turbo would normally come online) and allows for a smoother power band, without the abrupt boost increase caused by the transition from primary to secondary operation. However, this does noticeably decrease low-end power, and increases exhaust noise levels, and therefore may not be desirable on the street. Two types of the TTC mod are, the traditional TTC mod which includes 2 methods, wiring the actuators, or installing a one way valve, and the Electronic TTC mod (ETTC).

The last mod I will discuss is the EGR mod. This disables the Exhaust Gas Recirculation system, which is meant for emissions, and therefore, this modification is for off-road use only. This mod is supposed to prevent the super heating of the number 5 and 6 cylinders, which may cause burnt valves.

How much power will my car make at BPU(TM)?

It varies from car-to-car, and the conditions as well as tuning. Most BPU(TM)-only Supra Twin Turbos, dyno between 370 and 410 horsepower at the rear wheels. This is usually achieved with moderate temperatures, a reset ECU (to erase anything bad the ECU may have learned), and often a little bit of high-octane un-leaded race fuel. On the street, power will be reduced, especially in poor weather, but at least 90 percent of the power should be retained.

What kind of 1/4 mile ETs and trap speeds should I run at BPU(TM)-only?

It varies WIDELY depending on driver skill. As well as track conditions, elevation above sea level, ambient temperatures, humidity, and pre-race preparation. But most fall between 12.3 to 12.9 ets with 112 to 119mph trap speeds on street tires. Times can drop well into the 11s with drag radials, a good driver, and good conditions, as well as proper pre-race preparation.

What is a BPU(TM)'d Supra TT's top speed?

Speeds in the mid-high 180mph range should be achievable. Once the speed-limiter is disabled, by pulling the "TRAC" fuse of course.

Will the life of my Engine and Drivetrain be adversely affected with the BPU(TM) mods?

Yes, but not by a significant amount. If the car is maintained properly, and the car is treated with some respect for the components, you should maintain much of the power train's life. Which considering the fact that the Supra is by far one of the most reliable and durable sports cars, it will last longer than most well maintained STOCK sports cars. The only Drivetrain components that will see a significantly shortened life will be the stock clutch. It will more than likely not last much longer than 8-10k miles once at BPU(TM). This especially holds true if the car is making repeated high speed runs using 5th and 6th gear at wide open throttle. If your stock clutch has high mileage on it, or is already starting to slip, you will need to plan on a new high-performance clutch. Also the stock turbos will be subject to a somewhat shortened life span (how short will depend on how you drive and maintain the car, as well as how much boost you will run)

What's the reliability of a 600hp Supra Turbo?

Chassis, electrical, and suspension components should see little effect on reliability on street driven Supras. The stock 2JZ-GTE engine should hold up pretty well to this power level. Just how long depends on maintenance, and how hard you drive it, and how often. But typically Supras can go for years at this power level. The transmission reliability will depend on whether it's an Automatic or Manual. A stock automatic will not hold this much power, a built transmission will be required, and it's reliability will depend on it's design and construction. The 6spd Manual should hold up just fine, as well as the rear differential and axles.

The only real reliability concerns at these low power levels would surround the actual modifications you perform. Excluding installation short-comings, the components utilized, even very high quality ones, may fall short of factory component reliability, as the built in compromises that exist in everything, would lean more towards the side of ultimate performance, than of ultimate reliability (Keep in mind we are talking about a Toyota here, whose reliabilty standards are exceptionally high) This may include fuel system components, turbo components, and especially electronic wizardry. Basically a set-up that is either VERY well conceived, or utilizes OE components as much as possible, without over burdening them, would posses *near* stock reliability. And tuning of the components, and component selection, and matching, would play a HUGE role in this.

What are the power limits of the various factory components (Differential, Transmission, Motor, etc.)?

There have really not been enough failures to really pin point a limit for the various power-train components. The motor could fail at factory power levels if it was running dangerously lean. But when well tuned, the motors internals (Pistons, Rods, Crank, Head Gasket etc) are reliable to 700rwhp. But of course at these power levels, if the engine is not set-up and tuned properly, it is literally a bomb waiting to go off, however this would be just as true with a built motor. Some owners have pushed their stock internals to the limit and have well exceeded 800rwhp, and even approached 900rwhp. I still don't understand how such an over built motor made it past the bean counters at Toyota Corporate.

The 6-speed Getrag is ridiculously strong for an OE transmission. Its limit's will be affected greatly by driving technique, such as launching, and whether or not power shifting is used. Even driven hard, the Getrag should hold up reasonably well with 700RWHP. If you treat it with some respect, it should be able to handle around 800RWHP or more, although great care and respect will need to be practiced at those levels.

Differential, axle, CV Joint, and drive shaft failures are a VERY rare occurrence. So I don't have much info on their failure limits. On street tires, it would be almost impossible to break any of these components at ANY power level. The tires would spin before they would put the driveline under that kind of strain. The tires act sort of like a circuit breaker. If you run drag slicks, this does not hold true of course, yet they have proven themselves to be 10 and even 9 second capable.

Will drivability, interior noise levels, and low-end power be adversely affected with the BPU(TM) mods?

Drivability is not adversely affected. Interior noise level depends on the exhaust system you choose. Some will make it far louder; some will actually make it quieter. But most are just a little bit louder than stock. But the added dBs are also combined with a MUCH sweeter exhaust note, so it's definitely worth it. And the interior of the Supra is pretty quiet anyway, so on the highway, it will be VERY livable. As far as low-end power goes, the down-pipe will greatly decrease Turbo Lag. So low-end power and response is much improved over stock.

Will emissions be adversely affected by the BPU(TM) mods?

As long as a high-flow cat is used, emissions should not be effected, and you should still pass visual inspection. If you run without catalytic converters, you are doing so at your own risk, and you would not pass visual or emissions testing.

Will fuel mileage be adversely affected by the BPU(TM) mods?

If driven calmly, as in light throttle, mileage should not be significantly affected. Mileage will greatly decrease during however, if you drive "vigorously", more power equals more burned fuel I am afraid.

Should I install an "Intake" (Open Element Filter)?

This is a bit of a yes and no answer. The stock filter assembly is a flow restriction, and an open element intake would increase potential flow. However, it will also draw in more heated engine compartment air, which can hurt performance. My advice is to either modify the stock filter box, or install a cool air induction box, like the Max Air. An added bonus of the open element filters, is that they allow you to easily hear the primary turbo and by-pass valve.

What about the stock intercooler?

The stock intercooler does a decent job up till about 17psi on the stock turbos, after that you would probably notice a significant gain, especially in warmer temperatures, with a nice front mount intercooler. However, keep in mind it will block some of the airflow to the radiator, as well as decreasing response slightly.

Should I replace the factory rubber Intercooler hoses with aftermarket metal hoses?

It wouldn't hurt. But it won't help a lot either. At the most you may slightly increase throttle response, but at least it will look nicer.

What about the fuel system, are the stock injectors and fuel pump large enough for BPU(TM)?

Yes, the stock fuel system is very safe and reliable to 450RWHP, although I would recommend a fuel pulsation damper bypass. Anything over that, and I would highly recommend having the car dyno'd, and using a wide-band O2 sensor (not a cheap A/F gauge connected to the stock O2) to check the fuel ratio at your high boost setting. 11.5:1 would be a safe fuel ratio.

What are the stock injectors rated at?

540cc/min

Would the Supra benefit from a fuel controller?

BPU(TM)'d Supras run a little on the rich side as far as fuel ratios go. This hurts power. What it does do is provide a safety margin that makes engine damage through detonation unlikely. If you get a fuel controller, and tune it properly (on a dyno, with an accurate EGT gauge, and a high band O2 (The Stock O2 sensors are not accurate), then you should be able to gain a noticeable amount of power. One of the most popular electronic fuel controllers is the A'PEXi S-AFC. The Fields SFC is good too.

What should I use to increase my boost level, an Electronic Boost Controller, or a Manual BC?

Using an EBC is the safest way to raise boost, it will prevent spiking and over-boosting. But it really comes down to your budget. If you can afford an EBC, get one. If you can't, go with a MBC. And always keep an eye on that boost gauge. And whatever you are using to control boost, remember to not get carried away, I don't recommend going regularly over 18psi.

What is the best Electronic Boost Controller?

There really is no BEST. Although the A'PEXi AVC-R is a nice unit, it provides much more control over boost than other EBCs, but it is also more complex to install, and tune. The new Blitz unit is also nice. Most of the large manufacturers make decent units. Just avoid fuzzy-logic equipped models if you still have the sequential stock turbos, they will become "confused" by the unnatural behavior of the sequential system.

When installing my EBC, do I connect it to both of the Turbo's Wastegates?

The Primary Turbo is the only one with a wastegate. When in full twin turbo mode, the boost of both Turbos is regulated by the primary turbo's wastegate. So, only connect it to the Primary's.

Some people say I need to replace my ECU with a reprogrammed one, instead of just using a boost controller. Do I?

Reprogrammed ECUs for the Supra TT are VERY $$$. They are in the 00 range. And they have not been proven to provide a significant increase in performance or safety on BPU(TM) level cars. Their merit shows itself on cars with upgraded Turbo(s). Just be sure you buy your ECU, or have it reprogrammed by a reputable shop that knows what they are doing. And have it tailored to your particular car (Driving habits, and Mods). And I would also recommend taking a look at the AEM Programmable system.

What is a safe boost level to run at BPU(TM)?

The general consensus is 17-18psi. Some people have taken it higher, but I don't recommend it if you don't have the money for a turbo replacement/upgrade.

Which Down-Pipe is recommended?

The RMM (or Rod Millen Motorsports) Cat-less Downpipe is the most commonly used. However many other brands exist. Some down-pipes, such as the Random Technology DP, feature an emissions legal high-flow catalytic converter.

Will a high-flow cat hurt performance?

It will have some effect on power output, but not a lot. Its exact effect on HP is not clear, but it probably costs a few hp at the most, maybe 5-15hp at BPU(TM) power levels.

What is a Down-Pipe?

It is the section of the exhaust system that connects the outlet of the Turbocharger's Turbine section to the "Cat-Back" exhaust system. The Downpipe is also where the two catalytic converters are located, as well as the O2 sensor (or sensors in OBD-II cars).

I have an OBD2 car. Can I still install a Down-Pipe?

Yes. But unless the DP has a Catalyst and a second location for an O2 sensor, you will trip your check engine light, unless you get one of those O2 "black boxes".

Which Exhausts are the loudest?

The Tanabe Racing Medallion, and HKS Hiper Titanium seem to be the two loudest systems.

Which Exhausts are the quietest?

The Tanabe Hyper Medallion, the discontinued Tanabe G-Power Medallion and the GReddy (SP) Street Performance seem to be the quietest. At anything less than full throttle, they are no louder than stock. But at full throttle they seem to "wake up" a bit.

What are some recommended exhaust systems?

It depends on your personal preferences. Below I will break down some of my recommendations based on certain combinations of preferences.

Subtle Styling / Very Low Cost:

-Random Technology (75mm, full stainless steel)

Subtle Styling / Low Sound Level / Moderate Cost:

-GReddy Street Performance (80mm)

-Tanabe Super Hyper Medallion (80mm, full stainless steel, 50-state legal)

Subtle Styling / Moderate Sound Level / Moderate Cost:

-ATR (75mm, full stainless steel)

Tasteful Styling / Low-Moderate Sound Level / Low Cost:

-HKS Dragger II (85mm)

Tasteful Styling / Low-Moderate Sound Level / Moderate Cost:

-GReddy Power Extreme (80-94mm)

-HKS Super Dragger (95mm)

Tasteful Appearance / Moderate Sound Level / High Cost / Super Light:

-Veilside Tear Drop Titanium (90mm, full titanium)

Tasteful-Wild Styling / Low Sound Level / Moderate Cost:

-TRD 2nd gen.

Wild Styling / Moderate Sound Level / Low Cost:

-A'PEXi N1

-HKS Hiper (75mm)

Wild Styling / Moderate Sound Level / Moderate Cost:

-A'PEXi GT Spec (95mm, full stainless steel)

-Blitz NUR Spec (80mm, full stainless steel)

-HKS Hiper Carbon/Titanium (75mm, CF wrapped muffler, titanium tip)

Wild Styling / High Sound Level / Moderate Cost:

-Tanabe Racing Medallion (80mm, 50 state legal)

Wild Styling / High Sound Level / High Cost / High Flow:

-HKS Hiper Titanium (104mm, titanium muffler)

What is the cheapest route to replacing the DP and Cat-Back?

Have a custom performance exhaust shop fabricate a complete 3" exhaust system (Turbo-to-Tip). It should cost well less that 0. And then you can use the muffler and exhaust tip of your choice.

Which Fuel Cut Eliminator is recommended?

The GReddy BCC (Boost Cut Controller) is highly recommended.

What does the Fuel Cut Eliminator do?

The factory ECU is programmed to activate a fuel cut if the manifold pressure exceeds 14-15psi. It does this as a safety measure to prevent what the ECU sees as over boosting. The Fuel Cut Eliminator effectively eliminates, or at least raises the cut to a higher pressure. A reprogrammed ECU can also eliminate this function.

Which boost gauge is recommended?

Any high quality boost gauge will work well. Accuracy is the important feature to look for. Autometer gauges are a good value. The Japanese gauges, A'PEXi, GReddy, HKS, etc., have more features, but at a much higher price.

Where can the boost gauge be installed in the interior?

If you want to mount it in the dash, the two most popular places are the Clock location (which holds a 52mm gauge), and the Air Vent beside it (which holds a 60mm gauge). You can also use an A-Pillar gauge pod.

What is the stock boost pressure?

11-12psi

Are Cam Gears a good modification for the Supra TT?

Yes, they have been shown to provide a 5-15rwhp gain on a BPU(TM)'d car. But to extract their potential, you must have them tuned, by a knowledgeable tuner, on a dyno. And most of the power gains will be seen on the exhaust side. I also recommend buying cam gears which feature 5-bolts.

Are Under Drive Pulley(s) a good modification for the Supra TT?

Most of the crank-shaft under-drive pulleys require the removal of the factory torsional damper.

This is from MKIV.com :"this is NOT an external (harmonic) balancer, as the crankshaft is fully balanced, rather it dampens both the axial twisting couples produced by the firing pulses, and the radial bending moment from the accessory drive belt."

Basically this device provides crutial isolation between the engine driven accessories, and the crankshaft. However, removal of this can provide a 10-15rwhp gain, but at a cost for long term use.

Do I need to upgrade the ignition when upgrading to BPU(TM)?

The stock ignition system is VERY capable of supplying enough fire for a BPU(TM)'d car. The stock ignition system uses 6 large coils, one for each cylinder. So the system is capable of supporting VERY impressive HP levels. You may need to change to a colder range plug with a tighter gap (see below).

What about the spark plugs, which are recommended at BPU(TM) or higher level?

Basically you want similar plugs as stock, but a cooler heat range and a smaller gap. The stock plugs are NGK BKR6EP-11 (2978) and are platinum tipped and have a .044 (1.1mm) gap. The ideal NGK replacement for a modified Supra would be the BKR7E (6097). It is one range cooler (the '7'), is non-platinum tipped (the lack of the 'p') and has a smaller .0315 gap (lack of the '-11'). This plug is also called the NGK 6097 and they are fairly inexpensive. Platinum tipped plugs are not desired for high power applications, Iridium plugs are more preferred. Unfortunately their doesn't seem to be a BKR8E which might be better for high-HP Supras.

Another good plug to try is the Denso Iridium IK22 or IK24. These plugs may last longer than the above mentioned NGKs, but are also 6 times as expensive. The stock replacement plug would be the IK20, the IK22 is one step cooler, and the IK24 is two steps cooler than stock. The IK22 would be good for ~400rwhp to ~600rwhp. The IK24 would probably be a good choice above that. Two other plugs commonly used are the NGK 3330 (BCPR7ES) which differ much more from the specifications of the stock plugs than NGK 6097. Also the Rapid Fire #5 used to be very popular, but are more expensive, don't last as long, and have fallin out of favor. Both of those plugs have been known to cause slight stumbling at idle. Plugs on Supras do not live long, usually around 5,000-10,000 miles. So I recommend replacing them with every other oil change.

What is the HKS VPC and GCC?

It is an electronic device, which electronically and physically removes the highly restrictive mass airflow sensor from the intake tract. VPC stands for Vein Pressure Converter. The HKS GCC is a device that allows further fine-tuning of the VPC.

Do I need an after-market Blow off Valve?

It is not absolutely required, but it is a good idea. The factory by-pass valve is prone to failure, and an aftermarket BOV is probably a wise investment for preventing turbo damaging compressor surge. And it sounds cool too. However, it must be noted that if you still have the factory mass-air flow sensor, a blow-off valve, which is vented to the atmosphere, may cause stumbling between shifts.

Can I run Nitrous Oxide on the Supra TT, even if I am already at BPU(TM) power levels?

Yes. Most people run 50-75 shot wet manifold systems. If you want to run a higher shot than this, you might want to consider a well-designed direct port system. I have seen as much as a 200-shot used on one of these systems, and an upgraded fuel system would be a must.

450hp just isn't enough, what can I do?

Ah the possibilities Basically you are only limited by your imagination, and your wallet. You know what they say, speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?

The real power lies in Single and Twin turbo upgrades, and the options are limitless. You can either build a mild motor that puts out 450 RWHP all day long with instant boost response, or a 1000+ RWHP monster.

Unfortunately, things start getting more difficult after simple BPU(TM) modifications. Modification becomes more than "bolt on Downpipe, gain 50hp". Things like tuning, parts selection, and matching combinations of parts become much more important. However, this is the case with ANY high HP car. Actually, even at exceptionally high power levels, the Supra TT is still easier to extract power from than almost any other performance car. But it should be kept in mind, that it wouldn't be as simple as the BPU(TM) bolt-ons.

If you just want something that will toast that pesky Viper GTS. Then focus on a mild single turbo upgrade (T04S04, T60-1, SP57-SP61). Along with this, you should install a front mount intercooler, a fuel controller, fuel pulsation damper bypass and EGT gauge. This is assuming you have done all the BPU(TM) mods, plus BOV, EBC, Cam Gears. With tuning, and a few odds and ends, you should be able to pull 450-500 RWHP (490-580 crank HP) numbers while on a stock fuel system (assuming it is in great condition). This would be a total investment of approximately ,700-,500 in engine/electronic components (also includes the proper gauges). If you already have the BPU(TM) mods or FMIC, etc., you will spend less than this. The difference in prices reflects the cost of higher end parts and addition of a HKS VPC to replace the restrictive stock MAF.

The next level would require a completely upgraded fuel system, and performance cams would be recommended, as well as further electronics (programmable engine management such as the AEM, or VPC/GCC/ECU combo, etc.). This would allow you to run much larger turbos and injectors. You can make it past the 700RWHP range without needing to replace the internals of the motor with stronger components, even at these power levels, if properly tuned and maintained you should retain a fair amount of reliability while still on the stock internals, as some people have eclipsed the 800RWHP level while still running stock bottom ends in their Supras. If you choose to go ahead and build up the bottom end, then the skies are the limit as far as power goes. Just make sure to have part selection, installation, and tuning done by competent and experienced persons. Although this should hold true at ANY level of modification.

Should I install a Turbo Timer?

Absolutely. Unless you don't mind sitting in your car while it idles down every single time you need to turn the car off. A Turbo timer keeps the engine running for a preset time once you turn off the ignition. So you can remove your keys, and lock up the car and not have to worry about it, it will shut off on it's own. This is important for the life of the turbos. If the turbos are not given time to cool down, it can overheat the oil and cause coking which will block oil flow to the turbos and damage bearings and cook seals.

How much is the Supra's power output affected by changes in ambient temperatures?

Very noticeably, just as with most turbo cars, the Supra Twin Turbo can be very temperature sensitive. Especially with the stock turbos and intercooler. On a BPU(TM) car, I would not be surprised to see a 10 percent reduction between 50-60deg temperatures, and 90deg plus temperatures

Will the stock clutch hold the power levels of a BPU(TM) car?

It depends on the condition and wear on the stock clutch. If it is in good condition, yes, it will hold the power, pretty well in fact, although you may experience clutch slip while at full boost in high gears such as 5th and 6th. If you drive vigorously, meaning you run at high boost frequently, then the life of the stocker will be GREATLY shortened. Be surprised if you see an extra 10,000 miles after BPU(TM).

Can I resurface my flywheel when replacing the clutch?

It is not recommended. Buy a new Toyota Flywheel.

Can I install a lightweight flywheel?

Yes, but be aware that they can create a lot of noise at idle, and can transmit more vibrations and shock to the expensive Getrag transmission.

Why is pulling the TRAC fuse beneficial over just turning it off with the switch on the center console?

Just pushing the "Trac Off" button only partially disables the Trac system. It disables the Trac throttle body and TRAC function through the ABS System (on 93.5-96 only), but not the Trac system's ignition timing retard function. Unplugging the Trac fuse eliminates both functions, as well as the 155mph speed limiter, which works through the trac system. The fuse can be found in the main fuse box on the driver's side of the engine compartment. It must be noted that removing the fuse will cause the TRAC light to stay on, but you'll get used to it.

Will the TRAC system improve the cars performance?

NO. The Trac system was calibrated to improve traction in slippery conditions. It was not calibrated with performance in mind. When the Trac system senses a loss of traction, it comes on hard, cutting power drastically; this will do nothing but hurt performance. I also would not rely on the Trac system for providing stability at high speeds, if you were to loose control, it would be too slow and clumsy, and would more than likely hamper your efforts to regain control.

How can I remove the factory 155mph speed limiter?

Remove the fuse for the Trac system. The speed limiter works through the Trac throttle body.

What is the Supra TT's top speed with the Trac fuse removed?

There is some debate on this subject. There are rumors that 180 can be achieved. But by going with the numbers, 168-172mph in stock form seems possible.

What is the Supra TT's maximum theoretical top speed? Can it exceed 200mph with enough power?

Lets find out.

The Supra TT with the 6-speed has a stock engine redline of 6800rpm, and a 6th gear ratio of .79:1, with a rear axle ratio of 3.13:1. Now we multiply our 6th gear ratio times our rear axle ratio, and we find out our final gear ratio is 2.472:1. Now we divide 6800rpm by our total gear reduction of 2.472:1 and we find out our rear axles, and therefore wheels are spinning at 2751rpm at 6800 engine rpms.

Now we need to calculate our tire circumference. The rear tires section width it 255mm, and the sidewall's aspect ratio is .40, so our sidewalls are 102mm. Now, to convert this to inches, we divide this by 25.4, which equal's 4.015 inches. Now multiply this by two, since we have two sidewalls making up the total diameter, and add the wheel diameter of 17", and we see a total diameter of 25.031 inches. Now to find out our circumference, we multiply that number times pi (3.14), and we find out the circumference is 78.59 inches, now divide that by 12 to convert to feet. And we get 6.549 feet total circumference.

Now multiply our tire's revolving speed, by the tire's outside circumference, and we find that the tire is covering 18,016 feet per minute, divide that by the 5280 feet in a mile, and we find we are covering 3.412 miles per minute, now multiply that by the 60 minutes in an hour, and we find we are traveling 204.7miles per hour @ 6800rpm in 6th gear. If the engines redline is increased to 7500rpm, which it often is, because of a higher flowing turbo. Then our maximum speed would be 225.8mph, given enough power of course.

For more go to Http://www.ausdriftcar.cjb.net

FAQ on Modifying the Toyota Supra

What You Need to Know About Your TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer watches are highly functional timepieces. They off accuracy and technical innovation built it. They are equipped with chronograph and tachymetres, and have accessories galore. With all this innovation, questions are bound to arise about the functioning, the care, and the cleaning of this fabulous watch. Let me attempt to address some of these issues, and give easy to understand answers, in laymen's terms. First, let's talk a bit about the movements. A TAG Heuer chronograph features an automatic, self winding movement. When it is fully wound, the chronograph will function for 42 hours. Each movement of your wrist will motivate the rotor, and wind the springs, bottom line...no need to wind, except if it's not been worn in a while and is not functioning. That's the catch, the watch must be in motion to activate the centrifugal force needed to wind the mechanism. Here is our first question.

1. What do I do if my TAG Heuer watch stops working? Like I said before, you have a 42 hour window before your power reserve uses up. After this time, the watch will cease to function, and you will have to manually wind to restore movement. You can re-wind the TAG Heuer chronograph in one of two ways. You can simply put the crown in the first position and wind by hand, or you can re-activate the rotor by movements with your wrist. Either way, this type of movement needs routine to remain accuracy, and servicing by an authorized TAG Heuer service center is recommended every two years.

Automatic Time Set Clock

2. How do I set the time and date on my TAG Heuer? This matter can get complicated on even the simplest of designs, not to mention a complex TAG Heuer creation. Bear with me as I explain. The crown can be placed in three different positions. As you pull the crown out, the first stop indicates what I will call position 1. The second stop, position 2, and the third stop, position 3. Set your watch in position 1 if you need to manually re-wind. In this position all you have to do is to rotate the crown. Pull out the crown a bit more, and you are in position 2. This is where you set the date. In this position, you would turn clockwise on the crown, until getting to the proper date setting. One quick side-note about setting the date..never set this function between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Making these changes at the wrong time cause damage to the mechanism that runs the calendar. On to position 3. By fully extending the crown to position 3, you are ready to set time. You simply turn the crown either up or down to get to the correct time. When you're finished, remember to push the crown completely back into place and turn.

What You Need to Know About Your TAG Heuer

Next time, we'll discuss setting your TAG Heuer chronograph functions.

What You Need to Know About Your TAG Heuer

Is LifeLock Worth It?

LifeLock is worth it because all it takes is a month for peace of mind. And you don't even have to remember paying; it is billed to you automatically. But most importantly, it is worth it because of the services it provides.

Here is a list of its services:

Automatic Time Set Clock

1. Free fraud alerts
2. Removal of your name from pre-approved credit card and junk mail lists
3. Automatic delivery of credit reports to you
4. Cancellation of all affected accounts in the event of loss of wallet
5. Monitors the internet for illegal trading of your personal information
6. Informs you of address changes associated with your name
7. Reimbursement of up to ,000,000 should your identity be compromised while you are a member

Is LifeLock Worth It?

LifeLock asks that credit bureaus set free fraud alerts on your behalf, every 90 days. This is done in an automated manner but when there is a hitch, the task is performed manually, and you are informed because the bureaus have a different address filed on you. You could do this yourself every 90 days. Just make sure you have the right information and that you do it like clock-work every 90 days.

Junk mail is how thieves can easily steal your identity. Stop this possibility and get rid of junk mail once and for all. LifeLock is worth it for this alone.

If you should ever lose your wallet, all you have to do is call LifeLock, anytime, anywhere. They have a specialist who will cancel all your affected accounts by dealing with each of the company, and do all the necessary paper work for your replacements (of course, you will pay these companies replacement fees and anything else they require such as pictures of you). Anything; driver's license, social security card, credit cards, debit cards, insurance cards, traveler's checks, check-book, etc. Are you sure you want to do this yourself? LifeLock is worth it because it does all this for you at no extra cost.

There are some things that you can do yourself for free but how justified is that against a month? Can you be sure that your memory will not fail you at some point? Are you systematic enough to have the information you need when you are checking? Will you have problems with procrastination? Do you know exactly what to do? Do you have the time for all this and is all this worth to you, or (for three months)? Do you have a ,000,000 back-up if you need to recover your identity?

What about things that you cannot do for yourself? Will you always know it if someone was really stealing your identity? Or identity theft is something that you think won't happen to you? Then why do you buy insurance, or why do much of the rest of the world buy insurance? Accidents don't happen and neither do diseases. Not when you don't expect them to anyway.
But the question is not whether you expect it or not. It is in case it happens, you can be assured that you are protected; you are not alone in your predicament. You can be assured of help. That LifeLock is worth it is a no brainer.

Is LifeLock Worth It?

Car Accidents - When To Sue, Who To Sue, Why Sue At All

Don't you just hate it when you see those tacky TV ads about accident lawyers? How about that obnoxious billboard you just passed on the highway showing a crashed car and someone being taken away by ambulance? Or what about those endless yellow page ads where they show a car driving off a cliff, and someone smiling in the foreground holding a nice big fat check with lots of numbers on it? It all makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?

Not. It makes me sick. Don't get me wrong. Every lawyer in New York is permitted to advertise according to the Court rules (which were recently made stricter at the beginning of this year). However, there is something to be said for tasteful ads, and ads that are trying to sell you something.

Automatic Time Set Clock

When you're in a car accident, the last thing you think about is finding a lawyer to sue the driver of the car that caused your accident. The first thing on your mind should be how to get better. You need to recuperate, regenerate and get your strength back. You need to worry about the important things in your life like putting food on your family's table, and going back to work.

Car Accidents - When To Sue, Who To Sue, Why Sue At All

Well how can you go back to work if you're still in the hospital after weeks of surgery and rehabilitation? Can you go on disability? Who will pay your medical bills? What if you don't have medical insurance? How can you feed and clothe your family if you can't work? These are all very important questions that often arise after a car accident.

In New York, your own car insurance will pay your medical bills- up to a maximum of ,000. This is known as no-fault insurance. Once the details of the accident are resolved, to figure out who really caused the accident, the insurance companies settle up on their own regarding the medical expenses they had to pay.

But what about that often-heard phrase, "Pain & Suffering"? Aren't you entitled to that as well? The answer is yes. However, in order to obtain compensation for your pain and suffering you will probably need to start a lawsuit against the owner(s) and driver(s) involved in your car accident.

How much time do you have to start a lawsuit for your injuries arising from a car accident?
In New York, you generally have only THREE (3) years from the date of the accident within which to start a lawsuit for your injuries. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE ONLY 30 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE ACCIDENT TO FILE A CLAIM WITH YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY TO GET THEM TO PAY FOR YOUR MEDICAL EXPENSES!

A car accident is traumatic- no question about it. Your road to recovery is the most important part of events after the accident. Whether you have a valid and meritorious case hinges on many facts that only an attorney should be evaluating. Don't rely on good-hearted friends and family to tell you their tales of woe when they were involved in an accident years ago. You need an experienced attorney who has handled cases like yours.

You need someone who has experience in Court and isn't afraid to go to trial if the insurance company refuses to settle for an appropriate amount of compensation. You need a lawyer who can guide you through the minefield of litigation. Hopefully, with good legal counsel you'll be able to make the right choices that will help you recover both emotionally and monetarily.

Car Accidents - When To Sue, Who To Sue, Why Sue At All

Standardized Work - The Power of Consistency

One of the most important tools of lean manufacturing is standardized work. When starting a 5S program, the cleaning, organizing, and developing of sustainable practices is done so the elements of work can be standardized. In lean product development deployments, by developing and releasing design guidelines, we are in effect implementing standardized work for engineers.

The principles of lean and flow production do not work well when everyone is allowed to choose the method or sequence in which to do the job; quality suffers, and productivity drops. This reduces throughput and the carefully developed production system develops unanticipated bottlenecks.

Automatic Time Set Clock

Standardized Work: The Principles

Standardized Work - The Power of Consistency

Standardized work is a detailed, documented and visual system by which associates develop and follow a series of predefined process steps. It should be used whenever the work requires completing a series of tasks. Production workers, shipping departments, and warehousing teams all can benefit from implementing standardized work.

The detailed process steps which we call standardized work represent the current best practices for workers to follow in the completion of their jobs. They are designed to minimize process variation introduced by the worker and to eliminate unnecessary motion. This reduces waste, eases problem solving and enhances productivity within a particular job or set of jobs.

Without standardized work, continuous improvement activities are not manageable because processes which are in a constant state of change cannot be improved. Detailed understanding of the steps needed to be taken to complete tasks is necessary to eliminate root causes and permanently resolve issues. When workers utilize various methods to complete their work, it is not possible to develop this understanding. Therefore, standardized work provides the baseline required for continuous improvement.

Like everything in lean manufacturing, standardized work is focused on what workers need to do to satisfy the customer. Unlike the routers developed by engineering, which focus on the part and how it is processed, standardized work focuses on the workers and what steps they must take to produce the part. Maintenance and improvement of the standardized work documentation is the responsibility of the work teams.

With standardized work implemented, production workers, supervisors, and engineers no longer have to work from memory. The process documentation provides a baseline, a standard which is referenced whenever someone new is trained on the job. The standard provides consistent training results even if different managers or operators are used to train new workers.

The same principles apply even when new operators are not being trained to do the work. Over time, employees will develop shortcuts to the process, sometimes developing bad habits. But with the baseline of standardized work, it becomes straightforward and easy to complete regular process audits, following up by reinstructing workers on the proper and desired techniques or perhaps institutionalizing the improvement workers have developed.

Standardized Work: The Elements

1. Takt Time - The Demand Rate of Production.

"Takt" is a German word which refers to the pace or drumbeat of a musical composition. Imagine the chaos if each member of a band were to play the music at their own pace. The power of the music would never be realized. Similarly, when production operations do not work at the same pace, chaos ensues.

Takt time provides definition to the relationship between work time available and the customer requirements, and enables us to be aware of the time available to complete the job.
It is common to confuse takt time with cycle time, which is the actual elapsed time required to complete a task. However, they are distinctly different concepts, and are not related.

Takt time is impacted only by customer demand and the amount of time available for production. When demand rises, takt time drops. When available production time increases, takt time increases as well.

2. Cycle Time - The Production Rate

Cycle time tells us how often we can produce the product with current resources and staffing. This isn't the same as capacity or even detailed process analysis, but an accurate representation of how the line is currently set up to run.

Cycle time calculations take into account the entire production quantities. When multiple lines are producing the same product, then the composite cycle time is less than the actual elapsed time of any individual line. The cycle time is the expected or historically average total production time per unit produced.

On an assembly line or in a workcell with multiple operators, each operator will have a time associated with completing the work he is doing. However, when referring to the cycle time of the line, we are referencing the longest of these individual cycles. To reduce the cycle time of the line, we won't have to revamp the entire line, only the operation which is sets the pace.

3. Work Sequence - The Sequence of Tasks Followed to Complete the Job.

There is a best method and sequence of process steps to produce any product. Even when the most efficient method is yet to be found, we know it exists and that we can find it. This striving towards perfection is the foundation of lean thinking.

Focusing on work sequences is not unique to lean manufacturing. It has been a key part of manufacturing from the early days of the industrial revolution, and is essential to the development and management of all mass production plants. But lean thinking approaches are different in several ways.
Unlike traditional approaches, the work sequences are focused on the production workers, not the parts. They instruct the operator on exactly what he is to do next, not just which process is to be applied next. Work sequences are developed by those doing the work. Although it is typical for management or engineering to actually document the process steps, they are developed by the workers. Engineering, quality, and other functional groups are consulted to ensure the steps will yield the desired results, but the driving force is the production worker. Standardized work utilizes visual controls. The sequences are defined primarily by visual images. When done properly, the process should be able to be followed even by someone who does not speak the language well. Standardized work sequences are audited. Management communicates commitment and belief in the process by regularly checking to ensure it is being followed.
Standardized Work: The Tools

1. Standardized Work Analysis Sheet - Cell Layout

Organization of the workcell is an important part of the design of a process. When a cell or assembly line starts to degrade or be neglected, one of the initial symptoms is equipment and tools that are not being returned to their proper locations. The cell layout provides the baseline, or standard, for the cell. The team uses it as a reference when organizing or cleaning the work cell. Process audits include checking to ensure that the cell layout is being maintained.

When completing cell layouts, it is important to show everything in the workcell in their proper locations. This includes work tables, staging tables, storage and part racks, equipment locations, pallet locations and tool boxes. When the workcell has a containment area, it should also be shown on the layout.

2. Time Observation

Nearly a century ago, Fredrick Taylor started the practice of time observation when he began using the scientific method to establish time standards in manufacturing. In lean manufacturing, we focus more on system level performance than individual process efficiencies. But the understanding of work elements and the time required to complete them are an important part of lean manufacturing.

Time balancing processes so that cycle times closely match takt times is essential to eliminating wasted resources. All workers in a cell must have equal or nearly equal amounts of work, or productivity of the line will suffer. When the cycle time of a workcell exceeds the takt time for the cell, then late shipments, shortages, or excessive overtime will result. If the cycle time of the workcell is less than takt time, either overproduction or efficiency reduction will result. Without detailed knowledge of cycle times and set-up or change over times, such process balancing is not possible. Time observation is the tool that provides the detailed knowledge.

While time observation approaches are similar in lean and traditional manufacturing environments, there are significant differences.
Lean manufacturing time observations are conducted to optimize and balance the work within the cell and to aid in the effort to reduce overall lead time - traditional manufacturing uses them to establish time standards. While it is true that lean manufacturing systems sometimes temporarily establish time standards, the overall continuous improvement activities will quickly render such standards obsolete. Lean systems use production workers to conduct the time observations. They aren't conducted by supervisors, manufacturing engineers, industrial engineers, or others who come into the workplace to judge or dictate how team members perform their jobs. In lean systems, we study the process, never the worker doing the job.
3. Standardized Work Combination Sheet

The standardized work combination sheet (SWCS) brings many of the lean tools together. It is a graphical representation of the process for visual control, emphasizing the work sequences of the operation. The SWCS brings together all elements of the process, including the time element, and shows the actual sequence of completing the work. It shows the manual work, the automatic or machine work, the walking or non-value added time, and the takt time. It is distinctly different from the work instructions or elements, which define the process methodology. Typically, hand work is denoted by a solid line, machine time by a dotted or dashed line, walk and other non-value added time by a wavy or red line. Takt time is denoted by a vertical, solid line on the right side of the sheet.

In lean operations, we often find cycle clocks which display the elapsed time of the current cycle. Standardized Work Combination Sheets work with these cycle clocks to provide an excellent visual control mechanism. A glance at the SWCS can tell a worker where they should be in the work cycle and allow for proper pacing to stay on schedule. They provide a management tool which easily facilitates auditing of the process. Finally, they are a great aid to workers, especially when operations run close to takt time.

4. Operator / Machine Balance Charts

Many work cells and nearly all assembly lines require multiple operations and workers to do a variety of tasks or work sequences to actually produce products. The cycle time of each of these operations can be easily determined using the time observation methods discussed above.

The operator / machine balance chart is used to quickly compare the work load on the resources of the work cell to each other and to takt time. Like the other standardized work tools, it is a visual representation of the process. The operator balance chart provides a picture of the time required to conduct every operation in the work cell. Balance charts show operations which require more or less time than is available, and also show the relative loading of each operation. To be in balance, the operator / machine balance chart needs to provide nearly equal workload to each operator, and to develop a cycle time which closely matches the cell takt time.

A balance chart is a bar chart which shows the time required for each operation in the cell. The value of each bar is the time required for that particular operation. To be effective, the balance chart must also show takt time, which is represented by a horizontal line on the chart. Any deviation of the operation bars to the takt time line is waste; an opportunity for improvement using lean manufacturing methodologies.

You can download templates of these tools from my website at Process Coaching Incorporated.

Standardized Work: The Conclusion

Standardized work is a foundational element of lean manufacturing methodologies. Without it, the gains made from organizing work cells, creating flow production, and starting continuous improvement teams will only be temporary.

Implementing standardized work is never easy. The detail requirements and information have to be uncovered, revealing questions and new concerns. Time observation is time consuming, and often an unpopular activity on the plant floor. Standardized work activities are never finished. Lean manufacturing strives, but never achieves perfection, and with every new step towards perfection, the standardized work changes.

But the hard work and the constant striving to improve are worthwhile. Improved quality, productivity, safety and customer satisfaction is the reward.

Standardized Work - The Power of Consistency

New Computer - Old Email, or How to Back up and Transfer Your Email

If you have a brand new computer, or are thinking about buying one in the near future, one of the things that you will need to consider is how to transfer your emails from the old system to the new system.

At least once a week in my job as a help desk analyst, I am helping a customer set up Outlook Express or Outlook (there are other email clients that are used, but these two are the most popular) on their new computer. Once we are finished with the setup and they open it up to the Inbox the question is asked "where are my old emails?" The simple answer; "on your old computer". Then of course the follow up question is; "how do I get them to the new computer?"

Automatic Time Set Clock

Easy or Hard

New Computer - Old Email, or How to Back up and Transfer Your Email

The easiest way to do this is to back them up to an external hard drive or a compact disc before you make the switch to the new computer and then copy them over to the new computer in the exact same directory. The harder way is in the case of a crashed computer or the inability to access the files normally. I cover a bit of that in another article called 'Got Backups?' which you can find at my website.

Outlook Express

With Outlook Express your emails/email folders are stored on your hard drive in a directory that is buried way down deep in the Operating System. Instead of me giving you the full path to get there, it's easiest if you have Outlook Express open, click on Tools then Options.

Copy/Paste

Once you are here, click on the Maintenance tab and then click on the Store Folder button. This will pop another window with the location of your emails. Using your mouse, highlight the path and then right click and copy it.

You will then click on the Start button, then click Run, and then right click in the Open box and Paste the path. Click Ok.

This will open another window with your email files. Unless you have added other folders to your Outlook Express, the default folders will be here with a .dbx extension (Folders, Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and Drafts).

Backup

If you are going to write these files to a CD, you can burn them at this time by using your favorite burning software (providing that you have a CD burner installed in your computer).

To copy them to an external hard drive, you must now connect that device to your computer, create a folder on that drive (I usually call it Email Backups), copy the files from the old computer then paste the files into the Email Backups folder.

Import

Once you have the files copied to the CD or external drive, then you will go to the new installation of Outlook Express and import the messages. It would be nice if you could just copy them to the new OE and be done, but Microsoft doesn't like you to do it that way.

Open up OE and then click on File, Import, Messages. This will open a new window called Outlook Express Import. Choose Microsoft Outlook Express 6 then click Next. Click in the circle that says 'Import mail from an OE6 store directory'. Click OK. Then click 'Browse' and navigate to and select the directory you have saved them to. Click OK. The next window will give you a list of all of the email folders you have previously saved. Keep 'All folders' selected and click Next.

This will begin the process of importing all of your 'old' emails into your 'new' Outlook Express. Once it has finished you will have all of your old emails back! Cool, huh?

Outlook

The procedure to save and then import your emails in Outlook is similar, but different.

To start with, Outlook uses a file extension called pst, or Personal Folder File. Don't ask me why it's called that. Call Bill Gates and ask him.

Export

You will start on the old computer and with Outlook open, click on File, then 'Import and Export'. This opens the Import and Export Wizard. Choose 'Export to a file' then click Next. Choose 'Personal Folder File' here and then click Next. In the Export Personal Folders dialogue box you have your choice of what you want to do. The easiest is to keep the default choice of just the inbox, but if you want your sent items and all the other folders, choose the top item (Personal Folders) and then choose the 'Include subfolders' option and then click Next.

The next window will have a default location listed
(usually C:Documents and Settings'your computer name'Local SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftOutlookbackup.pst). I would suggest following the same procedure as for OE (see above). Then click 'Finish' and let it do it's thing.
Once you have your pst files backed up, move to the new computer and the import process will again be similar to OE.

Connect your external hard drive to your computer or insert the CD into the drive.

Import

Open Outlook, click on File, then Import and Export. In the Import and Export Wizard, this time choose 'Import from another program or file' then click Next. In the 'Import a File' window, scroll down and select Personal Folder File (.pst) and then click Next.

In the 'Import Personal Folders' window, click the Browse button and navigate out to the location of your backed up pst file, choose it and then click Next. Click 'Finish' and it will import all of your messages.

New Computer - Old Email, or How to Back up and Transfer Your Email