All About Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs)
With 6 million Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) on the road today, there’s a good chance that one has already been in your shop for service. The difference from the usual cars and light trucks you see is the FFV that pulls in today or tomorrow may have E85 as its primary fuel source, rather than
Tech Talk: Get Your Bearings
Have you ever heard the phrase “old wives’ tales”? My father used it all the time whenever something didn’t seem to make sense to him for the moment. For instance, most everyone knows these: “Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll stay that way” and “feed a cold, starve a fever.” Like I said, they’re “old
Servicing Solutions: In the Clutch…Servicing Dual-Mass Flywheels
A dual-mass flywheel is essentially two flywheels in one that provides some spring cushioning to dampen torsional crankshaft vibrations and shock loading when the clutch is engaged. Think of it as a flywheel with some “give.” The two-piece assembly has a front “primary” flywheel and a rear “secondary” flywheel. The primary flywheel bolts to the
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Symptom Diagnosis…The Journey Begins
When I first began my automotive career way back in 1957, the symptoms of an ailing engine were very apparent. A carburetor with a worn accelerator pump, for example, would characteristically stumble on acceleration and a closed-up set of distributor contact points would cause the engine to become very sluggish. Low fuel pressure caused by
Foreign Affairs: Getting Nissan Engines Back to Peak Performance
/Articles/06_01_2007/60754gif_00000014067.gif” width=”156″ height=”146″ alt=”” border=”0″ align=”right” /> In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the common problems that affect engine performance. With on-board diagnostics (OBD), many of these problems will cause a check engine lamp (CEL) and store a code. With most of us becoming comfortable and proficient while working with OBD
Carley’s Corner: Will High Gas Prices Help or Hurt Your Business?
Summer is back and so are higher gasoline prices. Though the price of gasoline dipped as low as $2.00 a gallon in many areas of the U.S. over the winter, the price shot back up in late spring to more than $3.25 in many parts of the country. Where the prices will peak is anybody’s
Emissions Analyzers: What is Really Going On Inside that Engine?
An emissions analyzer is one of the most useful pieces of diagnostic equipment you can own. Scan tools are great for reading fault codes and sensor data, but a scan tool by itself can’t tell you what is actually going on inside the engine’s combustion chambers. A scan tool can read misfires and tell you
New Tools: What’s Old is New Again
There is an old saying that there is nothing new under the sun. A recent trend in the tool industry might lead you to think there is some truth to that statement. It seems that although a new tool gets introduced every few minutes — with suppliers bringing more and more new items to market
Safe Shop: Employee Uniforms Increase Consumer Confidence
First impressions matter in every industry, and the automotive service aftermarket has its own set of challenges and needs. Extreme temperatures; compact spaces under hoods, under cars; and oily, heavy equipment and dirty parts can quickly and easily make for a grimy technician and messy shop appearance. Your employees define who you are and what
Hyundai Tech Tip: No Movement in Drive or Reverse
If you’re servicing a Hyundai with no movement in drive or reverse gear, use the following procedure to correct the problem.