Muffler Technology: A Look Inside
Is a muffler nothing more than a steel can with some baffles and tubes inside? That’s how most mufflers look, but there’s a lot more to muffler science than meets the eye. A muffler’s job is to muffle sound. That’s why we call them mufflers. In England they’re called silencers. Regardless of the name, they
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
Performing a Pre-Alignment Inspection: Step-by-Step, Brake & Front End
Rack on the floor Secure vehicle on rack. Leave transmission in park or 1st gear on manual transmission cars. Level and lock steering wheel with a holder. Perform a simple bounce test. Check for excessive bounce and noise. Underhood inspection Check engine mounts and struts by rocking the vehicle fore and aft. Inspecting these items
Niche of Time: Restoration Relief…Tips for Removing Tricky Ford Flathead Bolts
When performing restoration services on old Ford engines, you should not be surprised to learn a good many of the Ford flathead engine cores will end up with at least a couple of broken head bolts during disassembly. Of course, given the high age of flathead engines, you might expect to encounter a few headaches
Niche of Time: GM VTD Systems & Relearn Procedures
As we all know, in the world of automotive technology, things keep changing. In the aftermarket, we tend to feel these changes a little later than the OE dealers. That being the case, it’s no surprise that it has been only recently that many technicians are feeling the sting and frustrations caused by OE anti-theft
Odds & Ends: Book Report
The last open road Author, vintage racer and vehicle enthusiast Burt “BS” Levy gives a fun, fictional account of the American racing industry of the 1950s in his book, the last open road. Originally published in 1994, the last open road is Levy’s first story in a three-novel series of books featuring 19-year-old Buddy Palumbo,
Lube Bay Series: The LOF Forecast
Can you put out the light?
Getting the Most Out of Your Lifts
Lifts play an important role in the day-to-day operations of any automotive service facility. Some may even argue that a lift is a shop’s most valuable employee. After all, lifts never call in sick or go on vacation. However, one of the worst things a shop owner can do is fall into the trap of
Checking into Mode $06
Mode 06 is the actual system test data that OBD II looks at when it decides to set a pending code or a current fault code. If the test data is within the limits established by the vehicle manufacturer, the item gets a PASS and no codes are set. But if a value is out of range, OBD II flags it with a FAIL and keeps an eye on the component until the system monitor has run at least twice. Then, if the problem is still there, a DTC is set and the MIL light comes on.
Flash! Reprogramming Vehicle Computers
Typically, when someone brings up the subject of “flashing” you get two reactions. The technologically informed service professionals think about added revenue and service, while rowdier folks think about doing something that could land them in front of a judge. I think we can all agree that the first group is far better off, and