Steering Racks: Leak Diagnosis & Repair
Power steering is a wonderful invention, especially for those who lack upper body strength or have puny arms. Years ago it was considered a luxury option mostly for elderly people who drove big Buicks, Cadillacs, Lincolns and Imperials. But today, everybody wants effortless steering, whether they drive an econocar or a three-ton SUV. Consequently, virtually
Detection Equipment is Key to Finding Refrigerant Leaks
Refrigerant leaks are the number one cause of poor A/C cooling performance. The amount of refrigerant in an A/C system is critical for proper cooling. Any loss of refrigerant reduces the system’s ability to transfer heat, causing the compressor to work harder and the system to cool less efficiently. To make matters worse, the refrigerant
Increasing Summer Profits with A/C Work
Warm weather is just around the corner in many parts of the country, so it’s not too soon to start thinking about ways you can promote A/C service work and boost your profits this summer. More than 90% of new vehicles are now factory-equipped with air conditioning, and more than 80 percent of the cars
Operation, Diagnosis and Repair of Hydro-Boost Power Assist Systems
Hydro-boost power assist was introduced in 1973 by Bendix as an alternative to the vacuum booster. The hydro-boost uses the hydraulic pressure from the power steering system to provide the driver assist in applying the brakes. There are three reasons why a vehicle may be equipped with hydro-boost instead of a vacuum booster: The is
Parking Brakes: The Forgotten Fourth Pedal…Or the Seldom-Used Stick
How Much Is Really Enough?
Sales Opps in Head Gasket Replacement
During some point in their service lives, most older gasoline engines built with cast-iron cylinder blocks and aluminum cylinder heads will need a cylinder head gasket replacement. The vulnerability of aluminum-head engines to head gasket failure is caused by the aluminum cylinder head expanding approximately 1.5 times more than the cast-iron block. Although measured in
A/C Update
The Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) 25th Anniversary Convention and Trade Show is a great event for shop owners and technicians to learn about the latest trends in air conditioning technology and to see the latest A/C service products and equipment. This year’s show was held in Las Vegas February 1-3. One question that came
Basic Brake Hydraulics
Anyone who works on brakes should be familiar with basic hydraulics and the various components that make up the hydraulic portion of the brake system. So if you’re not as familiar with this subject as you should be, keep reading and we’ll refresh your memory. We’ll start at the heart of the system, which is
Engine Maintenance: Head Gasket Failure Symptoms and Diagnosis
Over the last decade, the engines that have been used in the Honda and Acura line of cars and SUVs not only deliver many miles of service, but their performance level sets a standard that few car makers in their class have been able to match. Additional proof of both the reliability and potential of
The Origins to a Breakdown
It’s interesting to see the look on a technician’s face as a vehicle gets towed into a shop on the back of a truck. That’s the opening scene for a no-start problem. You can usually tell when a technician thinks it’s good, and you can definitely tell when he thinks it’s bad. Not many techs