Now that the rain has stopped and temperatures are in the triple digits, wheat fields are drying out enough for harvest. We’ll be seeing more combines and wheat trucks on the roads so drive with caution. The yields from harvest are low but wheat prices are high so we hope the two will balance out.
It’s been a tough year for farming with high prices on fertilizer and just about everything else. Increasing gas prices have added to the load for farmers and everyone in general.
Gas station clerks say they are seeing customers who used to come by once a week now come several times a week because they can’t afford a fill-up.
Pollsters have found that people are venturing out with less fuel in their car’s tanks these days and the predictable result is that more people are running out of gas. Calls to AAA roadside service from people whose cars are out of gas are rising to pre-pandemic levels
A Washington Post-Schar School poll bears that out: 44 percent of drivers randomly contacted between April 21 and May 12 said they have only partially filled their car’s gas tank, a figure that rises to 61 percent for drivers with incomes below $50,000.
And more than 6 in 10 drivers have made the decision to drive less – making fewer trips to the grocery store, for example – while more than 3 in 10 said they are driving at reduced speeds, which can improve gas mileage.
5 Steps to Restart a Car That Has Run Out of Gas
In case you run out of gas, a towing service posted these tips on their website:
Running out of gas is usually the last thing people want to do when going for a drive but it happens more often than most people think.
The modern car engine and its fuel system have become quite complicated and running out of gas can lead to the uncomfortable situation of the car not starting back up.
Thankfully, it isn’t too difficult to get the car moving and we have explained it below:
• Fill up your tank. Look, this goes without saying but obviously your car or truck will need its fuel to get back running again. Good news is: you do not need to fill the fuel tank up all the way to get it going. All you need is a couple of gallons to get the car to the nearest fuel station.
For this reason it’s always a great idea to carry something called a “Jerry Can” with you to store the fuel.
Hopefully you can get a friendly person to give you a ride to the nearest fuel station where you can purchase the gas.
Get back to your car and fill the tank in a safe manner. One thing to keep in mind is to ensure that you are getting the right type of fuel.
• Let the fuel get in the system
You have to understand that the fuel system doesn’t consist of a single hose that runs all the way to the combustion chamber of engine. It is full of nooks and crannies along with valves so, it needs some help to get the fuel flowing. To ensure the best chance of success make sure that you vehicle is level. If you’ve been stranded up or down-hill, do your best to push the vehicle to a level spot.
Next, prime the the gas pedal a few times before turning the engine on. This will allow the fuel an easier path to fill the fuel system.
NOTE: It is important to be patient and not try to turn the engine on before the fuel has reached were it needs to be. Not only will the engine not turn on, it can lead to the battery being drained which is a far worse situation to be in.
• Allow the fuel injectors to do their thing. Most modern cars have some type of fuel injection system and if your car does too then it means that the fuel is pumped using an electric pump. Turn the key halfway through at which point the electrical systems like the dials and displays turn on. It is absolutely crucial not to turn the key all the way in as that can damage the car. Wait for a couple of minutes, turn off the car and repeat this a few times. After three or four times, the fuel pumps would have pumped enough fuel to allow for the car to start up without any trouble.
• Try starting the car. By this step we assume that the fuel system is no longer dry and the ignition chamber has access to the fuel that it needs for the engine to start up. Turn the key all the way in and the car will probably splutter a few times before turning on.
It is important not to keep trying to fire the car up. If it doesn’t work after a couple of tries then go back to the previous steps. Usually, this is not required and the car should fire up quite easily but that is not always the case.
Give the previous two steps a couple more goes and hopefully that will get the car running again.
• Last resort. Sometimes, your car just refuses to start. This could be because of something else that is wrong with the car that is preventing it from starting up. This can also happen if air gets trapped in the fuel system and it has no way to get out.
The most important thing to do is not to get frustrated and keep trying to turn the car on until the battery is drained.
If you have given it a decent try and it still hasn’t started then it is time to call the professionals. That is why it is paramount to sign up for some type of roadside assistance provided the car manufacturer isn’t providing. Keep their contact numbers handy and get in touch with them immediately to get yourself out of the spot of bother.
And on another continuing issue, here are a couple of notes about new Covid-19 vaccines in the works:
New Booster for Covid-19
Moderna says by late summer it can offer a Covid-19 booster shot that provides protection against the omicron variant of the virus. The company has reason to believe this booster might last a whole year, not four months or so, which we have come to expect from vaccinations.
The Guardian reports:
Dr. Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, said the new vaccine raised antibody levels to such a degree that one booster a year could be enough, unless a substantially different variant calls for the vaccine to be redesigned again.
“The data we show today are really important because we get a really strong antibody response against Omicron,” he said. “For the first time, we could really be looking at the potential for just once-yearly boosting, because we can get people to such a high level that they will take longer to decay.”
The new vaccine, called mRNA1273.214, combines 25 micrograms of the original Moderna Covid vaccine with 25 micrograms of vaccine specifically targeted at the Omicron variant. In the phase 2/3 trial, the 50mcg shots were given to 437 people who had already received two primary jabs and a booster of the original Moderna vaccine earlier in the pandemic.
It is important to point out that Moderna has not released all of the data that the Food and Drug Administration will need to evaluate this drug. And 437 test subjects are a small-ish sample.
The FDA’s vaccine advisory panel meets June 28 to talk about how to concoct vaccines for the fall that protect against whatever new variants emerge later this year. The newest technology allows vaccines to protect against two variants of a virus at a time.
A fourth Covid-19 vaccine is on the way
A panel of experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration about vaccine safety and policy recommends that the FDA approve a fourth Covid-19 vaccine that does not use mRNA technology. The Novavax shot is protein-based and is similar to flu and shingles shots. When it is finally approved by the FDA and CDC, it would join the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as alternatives.
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