Better Breathing: EGR Improvements
So Why Do We Have EGR? By Glen Beanard, technical contributor The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system was created in the early 1970s for the same No. 1 ranking motivation that drives every other engine management system design — to reduce emissions. The EGR valve targets one specific pollutant, oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Under normal
Meijer to Sell Ethanol Blend: Fuel Due Soon at 20 Locations
E85, which some view as the automotive fuel of the future, will soon be available at about 20 Meijer stores in Michigan. More than four million flexible-fuel vehicles on the road are capable of burning E85 or gasoline or a combination of the two. However, most owners fill up with regular gasoline because of a shortage of filling stations offering the fuel.
Slotted and Drilled Rotors: Show or Slow?
You’ve seen them on the race track. You’ve seen them on the street. You’ve seen them in speed shops, in magazine ads, online and probably on eBay, too. The product we’re talking about is slotted and/or cross-drilled high performance brake rotors. They look great, no doubt about it. Performance rotors are an excellent upgrade for
Preventing Brake Fade: Maximizing How Friction Materials Handle Heat
Brake fade is something nobody wants to experience. When you step down on the brake pedal with a certain amount of force, the vehicle should slow predictably. But when the brakes get too hot and start to fade, it takes more and more pedal effort to get the same amount of braking force. Eventually the
Toyota Engine Repair: Recurring Failures Flee with Proper Maintenance
Toyota’s 22R series 4-cylinder SOHC engine has survived and thrived in its cars and trucks for nearly 30 years, and is a desired powerplant for its power, torque and reliability. The basic design is a continuation of the engine that preceded it, the 20R, which was used in cars and trucks starting in early 1978.
AC Update: Running A/C Diagnostic Tests Before Dash Surgery
I must have worked on Mercedes-Benz automobiles for 15 years before I ever replaced an evaporator. Through the 1970s, we pulled many an evaporator out of 107 and 116 chassis models to repair a poorly designed interior drainage system. The early models had little flappers on two interior tubes that carried the condensation to a
Improving Diesel Technology
There is a “shade tree” law from the 1970s that states that computing capacity doubles every few years. In fact, computing capacity for the size of the computer or device has outstripped that by several orders of magnitude in the last five years. As evidence of that, we now see cell phones that were only
Carley’s Corner: Hybrid Hazards
Is E85 motor fuel a corny way to reduce American’s dependence on foreign oil? E85 is being touted as an eco-friendly, alternative fuel that can provide a home-grown solution to reducing our need for imported oil. E85 is a mixture of 85% ethanol alcohol and 15% gasoline. The alcohol is made primarily from corn, but
Leak Detection: Becoming Your Shop’s Leak Detective
When a customer’s A/C system isn’t cooling well and the refrigerant charge is low, you know the system is leaking. The question is where? Finding refrigerant leaks on today’s vehicles can be a challenge. For one thing, many of the A/C system parts are buried and difficult to reach. Also, most systems today hold much
Bar’s Leaks Repair Line Gets New Packaging
Bar’s Leaks has updated the packaging of its Repair product line (formerly known as Repair-It) to make it even more user-friendly. The product line includes Bar’s Leaks Automatic Transmission Repair, Bar’s Leaks Engine Repair, Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Repair and Bar’s Leaks Power Steering Repair.