Diagnostic Solutions: Fluid Maintenance…Selling Needed Services Vs. “Wallet Flushing”
Good import shop managers stay on top of their annual workflow by placing jobs like timing belt and brake replacements into categories that can be tracked on a historical basis. If a shop has faithfully tracked the kinds of work flowing through its service bays during the past 10 years, it might become apparent that
Diagnostic Solutions: Brake Maintenance & Inspection
” height=”234″ alt=”” border=”0″ align=”right” /> Although brake systems wear at a relatively glacial rate, a point will be reached when they can no longer stop the vehicle in an emergency situation and brake system inspections are therefore required to prevent accidents caused by brake component failure. Inspection procedures vary from area to area. Mountainous
Diagnostic Solutions: Fuel System Pressure & Volume Checks
For maximum efficiency, modern import fuel injection systems require that fuel be delivered at a specified volume and pressure. Because the fuel injector’s job is to mix fuel with the intake air charge, it must produce a finely misted, conical spray pattern through the fuel injector nozzle. Lower-than-specified fuel pressures not only fail to provide
Diagnostic Solutions: Cooling Fan Failure Diagnosis
Cooling fan operation is often taken for granted by many technicians because testing a cooling fan requires at least 15 minutes of fast idling or running until the coolant temperature reaches 220-230° F. If the cooling fan doesn’t activate, a coolant temperature sensor, fan relay, fan electrical circuit or the fan itself may be at
Diagnostic Solutions: Catalytic Converters
The design and function of catalytic converters has changed dramatically since their introduction in 1975. The first “two-way” catalytic converters were oxidizing-only designs that combined hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) with oxygen to form water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Oxidizing converters were originally manufactured in pellet bed or monolithic “honeycomb” styles. Currently,
Diagnostic Solutions: Springs and Things
Maximizing Ride Control…Steering Response & Handling
Diagnostic Solutions: A Little Homework Goes a Long Way….
In Diagnosing Intermittent or Hard Starter Failures
Diagnostic Solutions: Oil Filters… Are Working Harder Than Ever to Supply Clean Oil to Vital Engine Parts
Although oil filtration isn’t a new science, it’s important to remember that modern engine technology is placing new demands on oil filters. At the very least, modern engines require extremely clean oil for maximum reliability and longevity. But, more important, the use of synthetic lubricants and on-board monitored oil change intervals has allowed manufacturers to
Diagnostic Solutions: Steering Gears
Keeping Your Customers’ Vehicles on The Straight & Narrow Modern automotive steering gears evolved from the quaint tiller-controlled steering systems used in the first automobiles to the hydraulically controlled systems now used in most import vehicles. Unfortunately, steering tillers that attached to axles with little or no steering geometry didn’t provide much steering feedback from
Diagnostic Solutions: Oxygen Sensor Diagnostics
Once considered leading-edge technology, today’s oxygen sensor has become a commonplace service item on modern vehicles. Popularly introduced in the 1970s, the Lambda or, as it’s more popularly known, the oxygen sensor, rapidly became standard equipment as it’s a vital component of closed-loop or feedback fuel control technology. By using a voltage input from the