Thorough Brake Inspections Are Comeback Preventers & Profit Builders
Learn how to use a simple, but effective, brake inspection procedure that takes the surprises out of the brake repair process.
The Changing Maintenance Market: New Technologies Mean More Opportunities
Most of us wake up each morning, not realizing that our professional world has changed even as we slept. Our first job of the day is to service a vehicle equipped with an oil life monitor. Not only do we discover that modern oil life monitors can indeed accurately predict oil life, we also discover
Steering Systems Under Stress: Ball Joints, Bushings and Alignment
Prior to the Daytona 500 in February, I watched Matt Kenseth blaze his way to victory in the Sprint Unlimited driving a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. During the race, one of the commentators referred to the “laser-precision steering” apparent in the winning car. Since driving at 200 mph on pavement is akin to driving 70
2002 Lexus Evaporative Emissions Diagnostics (Codes P0440, P0441 and P0446)
While old-school cooling system service often focused on coolant leaks and overheating engines, let’s begin thinking “new-school” by looking at modern cooling systems through the eyes of the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor. Coolant temperature is important because torque converter clutch engagement, idle speed control, variable valve timing, engine cooling fan operation and various other
Import Automatic Transmission Diagnostics
Don’t be alarmed if you pull an automatic transmission trouble code when diagnosing a “check engine” warning light! Since the automatic transmission operation has a major effect on grams-per-mile exhaust emissions, you’re going to see the occasional “global” P0700 to P0900-series diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). The fact is, if you understand basic transmission operating principles,
Modern Charging Systems: Cover All The Bases During the Diagnostic Process
To quote a familiar situation: “My customer’s car is now on its third alternator in six months and my jobber store refuses to warranty a fourth.” In other words, the parts supplier believes that an underlying problem is causing these alternators to fail and, therefore, won’t warranty more alternators. While we occasionally experience a sequence
Intermittent Engine Misfire Analysis
Even for an experienced diagnostic technician, attempting to diagnose an intermittent misfire condition that occurs only under specific driving conditions can be a frustrating exercise. Let’s begin by getting the basics out of the way. As we know, the general causes of a misfire fall under the general headings of 1.) ignition, 2.) fuel density,
Modern Fuel Control Diagnostics: Sorting Through the Datastream
When confronted with a fuel control problem on a modern vehicle, I’ll normally use short- and long-term fuel trims to determine if the problem is caused by one of many failures such as a vacuum leak or a leaking fuel pressure regulator. If you’re like me, you’ll occasionally access the air/fuel ratio (AFR) sensor serial
The Evolving Oil Change Market
The only constant in the oil change business is change itself, especially if you’re trying to maintain an inventory of engine oil for all makes and models of vehicles. Since Volkswagen began requiring application-specific engine oil in the mid-1990s, the oil change business has (pardon the pun) “changed.” While many Asian vehicles currently require only
Internal Engine Oil Consumption Diagnostics
Due to the variables in engine design and operating conditions, internal engine oil consumption complaints are often the most difficult to solve. In some cases, oil consumption might be more severe under low-speed operation, in other cases, high-speed operation and, in some cases, intermittent. But, in any case, excessive oil consumption can drastically reduce oxygen
How Ride Height Affects Toe Angle
How can a mysterious case of tire wear occur in a perfectly aligned vehicle? It happens and the answers aren’t always simple. To better explain, let’s go back a few decades when I aligned a 1983 Mitsubishi rear-wheel drive (RWD) pickup, only to have it return a month later with a tire scuffing complaint. My conclusion was that many independent front suspensions often require a “custom alignment” to compensate for variations in ride height caused by uneven loading.
Mazda6: Data Gathering Is Critical To Your Alignment Diagnosis
About a year ago, I got a request from a private vehicle owner to help diagnose a steering problem on a 2010 Mazda6 iSport. Given the power of the Internet, it seems that this person had somehow discovered one of my older Diagnostic Solutions columns on alignment problems. While I’m not fond of dealing with