Lexus Air Ride Repair
A conversion kit might cost less and provide better long-term results for the customer.
VIDEO: Setting The Air Gap For Wheel Speed Sensors And ABS
You should never remove the wheel speed sensor from a new wheel hub. Here’s why. This video is sponsored by GMB.
The Diagnostic Shell Game: Why The ECM Can’t See A No-Code Stalling Complaint
Remember the old carnival game where a dealer hides a pea under one of a half-dozen walnut shells? After the dealer artfully shuffles the six shells, you’re supposed to pick the shell with the pea hidden under it. Good luck with that. As veteran diagnostic technicians know, diagnosing a no-code intermittent stalling complaint can be like playing the old carnival shell game. We know it’s one of maybe six sensors, but why can’t we find the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) that tells us where to find the pea?
VIDEO: How Do MAP and MAF Sensors Interpret Vacuum Leaks?
Andrew Markel goes under the hood to explain the different ways that mass airflow sensors and manifold air pressure sensors look at vacuum leaks. Sponsored by Intermotor.
TPMS Maintenance Minute: Best-Practice Rules To Follow
If you want to get the maximum life of 70,000 to 100,000 miles out of a TPMS sensor, you will have to do some maintenance and follow some rules.
Diagnosing Electric Power Steering Issues
If you’re an import specialist, it’s important to know that, although electric power steering (EPS) has been introduced on many 2004-and-later domestic applications, EPS recently began appearing on popular import nameplates like the much-anticipated 2015 Honda S2000 and 2014 and 2015 models of Toyota RAV4, Camry and Highlander.
Snap Test: MAF Sensor Diagnostics
You’d think a service light would be the first indicator of a mass air flow (MAF) sensor problem, but there are times a problem develops with the MAF and no service light comes on. Scott “Gonzo” Weaver explains how poor idle, loss of performance, sluggish performance and even stalling are all associated with a failing MAF sensor.
OBD II Misfire And Diagnosis
When diagnosing misfires, it’s important to use tools that allow you to go beyond a simple code reader that displays a P03XX. Even an OEM-level scan tool can’t tell you what the firing voltage is or what the ignition pattern looks like. Nor can it tell you if the serial data is accurate or correct. For that kind of information you need a DVOM or a graphing multimeter/oscilloscope that can look at sensor voltages directly and display primary and secondary ignition patterns.
Diagnosing EGR And Secondary Air Systems
The perfect internal combustion vehicle would be able to put the exact amount of fuel and air into the combustion chamber. If the perfect combustion event happened, you would get nothing more than water and carbon dioxide. We are not there yet. In the mean time, we have exhaust gas recirculation systems (EGR), secondary air injection and catalytic converters.
Fuel Trim Diagnosis And O2 Sensor Performance
A useful diagnostic tool is to determine if the fuel trim problem exists in more than one engine operating range. Fuel trim should be checked at idle, at 1,500 rpm and at 2,500 rpm. In addition to these no-load checks, drive the vehicle at various steady load conditions and watch for fuel trim variation.
Tech Tip: Volkswagen Check Engine Light Is On With Trouble Code P2187
The check engine light is on, with trouble code P2187, too lean off idle bank 1. This “Fast Fix” from Identifix shows how one tech solved this issue.
Diagnostic Solutions: Engine Coolant Temperature Sensors
Considering that roughly 1,500 or more different vehicle models are introduced into our domestic market each year, it’s becoming more difficult to predict how a Powertrain Control Module (PCM) will utilize data from a particular sensor or detect an out-of-range sensor in any single vehicle platform. The engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor provides a good illustration of how many on-board diagnostic strategies have changed.