CAN/Bus Issues: Following The Learning Curve
Several times last summer, I was confronted with a lack of product familiarity when diagnosing CAN/bus circuits on several late-model import platforms. The most frustrating part came when I had to spend hours educating myself on how a specific body control system worked by looking at wiring diagrams and going through trial-and-error diagnostics.
Pinpointing Oil Consumption Issues: Now You See It, Now You Don’t
Oil consumption has become an issue because oil change intervals now extend to 10,000 or more miles and because modern engines consume so little oil that many vehicle owners forget to regularly check their engine’s oil level. Worse still, many owners will often run their engines out of oil because they don’t know how to check the oil level. For that reason, oil level warning systems are becoming standard equipment for many vehicles.
How To Diagnose NVH Complaints In Drivetrain Components
Thanks to advanced technology, modern vehicles operate with fewer noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) complaints than ever before. Consequently, when a NVH issue arises, it’s most likely caused by worn drivetrain components like universal joints, constant velocity joints or wheel bearing hub assemblies. In any case, NVH complaints can often be the most challenging to diagnose when you can’t duplicate the driving conditions under which they occur.
Computer-Controlled, ‘Smart’ Charging System Strategies: Why Volts Are Smart, But Amps Are Smarter
When diagnosing a charging system on any modern import, think “smart.” I learned this lesson several decades ago when repairing a cranking, no-start condition on a 1989 Honda Civic, which was equipped with one of the first “smart” charging systems. After verifying fuse continuity, I discovered that excessively high charging voltage had destroyed the Honda’s Engine Control Module (ECM).
GDI System Maintenance: Preventing Misfires & Carbon Buildup On Intake Valves
Although GDI appeared in some post-World War II two-cycle engines and in some high-end performance engines, it didn’t come into its own for passenger car use until around 2008 when high-speed computing and piezoelectric fuel injectors turned GDI into a practical reality.
Following The ‘Electronic Trail’ As A Means To Solve PCM-Related Problems
Leave your wrenches in your toolbox because in this month’s Diagnostic Solutions, we’re going to explore how to diagnose many common powertrain control module (PCM)-related driveability and electrical problems by following what I call The Electronic Trail.
Troubleshooting And Sorting Out Multiple DTCs At The Penny Arcade
It is late Thursday afternoon in mid-May and tourist season is just beginning in Colorado’s High Country. After finishing one mobile diagnosis, I was asked to look at another – a 2003 Honda Element with a no-cranking condition that had just been dropped off at my client shop’s busy parking lot by an owner who was now stranded 2,000 miles away from home.
Preventive Cooling System Service: Keeping P0128 Codes Away
Of the engine’s two vital fluid systems, lubrication and cooling, the cooling system might need more routine maintenance. If we don’t inspect and service the cooling system as required, the system might fail well before the next extended interval oil change is due. With that said, let’s explore a few ways to inspect cooling systems on extended maintenance interval vehicles.
Cooling System Preventive Maintenance Service
Given the current range of extended maintenance intervals, it’s safe to say that your shop might see Grandma’s 2011 Volkswagen Jetta only when its oil life monitor indicates the need for an oil change.
Tips for Diagnosing Suspected FFV Complaints
Before September 2006 models, flex-fuel capability couldn’t easily be identified. After that date, the fuel filler lid or gas cap should label the vehicle as a flex-fuel, or the vehicle can be identified as a flex-fuel by a deck lid or fender emblem. In any case, FFV capability is encoded in the vehicle identification number (VIN) and is often indicated during scan tool vehicle identification.
Flex Fuel: Ethanol vs. Gasoline
For political and economic reasons, the use of ethanol gasoline in the U.S. has always been controversial. To better explain, the U.S. and Brazil are the world’s leading producers of ethanol-blended gasolines. In Brazil, ethanol is an economic issue because the country’s hot equatorial climate is very hospitable to the rapid growth of biomass, which is cheap organic waste that can be made to produce ethanol.
5 Timing Chain Warning Signs And Symptoms
Here are the top five things you should be checking to resolve a timing chain problem before it breaks.
