Tech Tip: Water Pump Installation Precautions
Since most water pump failures are caused by leaking seals, it’s important to inspect the cooling system for the presence of abrasive rust or sand particles. Rust, in particular, will cause early seal failure because of its abrasive qualities. Although rust is difficult to remove, it should be flushed from the system as thoroughly as possible before the old water pump is removed. Adequate flushing is aided by removal of ….
Diagnostic Solutions: Replacing Water Pumps as Preventive Maintenance
In today’s import repair market, it’s not uncommon to see a vehicle with well over 200,000 miles on the odometer that still is in cosmetically and mechanically “great” condition. The importance of this trend is that many parts that were formerly being replaced on an as-needed basis are now being replaced on a preventive basis.
Can You Lift It?
You can only make a few mistakes with a lift before it costs more than the lesson is worth. What you don’t know can hurt you if you are using or even buying a lift. Know what you are Lifting The first thing any tech must do is to know what they lifting. If possible,
Tech Tip: Discuss Benefits of Suspension Upgrades with Your Customers
Asking your customer how his vehicle has been riding lately may get him to thinking and may reveal a need for replacement or upgrading. Ask him how his vehicle handles when cornering, stopping, accelerating or driving in a crosswind. Excessive body sway or rocking is a sure sign of inadequate ride control. How does the vehicle ride over tar strips or on rough roads? A rough or bouncy ride could be improved with new shocks or struts. Does the suspension ….
Tech Feature: Keeping the Tire in Contact with the Road Surface
Confused about modern ride control technology? Sometimes looking back into automotive history can put such technology into a more usable framework. A good illustration is how ride control technology evolved from the simple, early-century friction shock absorber to the electronic variable-rate shocks and MacPherson struts being installed on today’s cars and light trucks. When early automobile manufacturers first mated a gasoline engine to ….
Tech Tip: Cabin Air Filters Keep Heater, Air Conditioner and Defroster Operating Properly
Cabin air filters prevent leaves, dirt, bugs and other debris from entering the HVAC (Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system. This prevents the fan and control doors from becoming jammed with debris that could cause fan noise or affect the operation of the heater, air conditioner and defroster. Keeping the HVAC system clean also helps reduce the growth of odor-causing mold and other microbes on the A/C evaporator ….
Tech Tip: Front Suspension Noise on Bumpy Roads
Some owners of 2002-’05 Sedona vehicles produced from May 1, 2001, to Aug. 31, 2005, may complain of front suspension noise over rough road surfaces at speeds between 18-31 mph. To reduce the noise, Kia has redesigned the strut mount with a modified rubber composition to improve the overall sound dampening in the affected speed range. However, all other suspension components should be checked for performance prior to installing these replacement strut mounts. Concerns with ….
Tech Tip: 15 Tips on Servicing Ford F-150s
A bold new look and some subtle changes probably best describe the 2004-and-up Ford F-150. To the technician, it is the subtle changes that he or she needs to be aware of. Beginning with the 2004 model year, Ford launched a new body style for the F-150. It is a new vehicle inside and out. However, not all of the 2004 F-150s that you see will be the new body style. The 2004 F-150 was also made ….
Tech Tip: Rear-Wheel-Drive 4×4 Operation
Let’s discuss the 4×4 operation on Ford truck platform vehicles. We’ll cover the operation of the parts on the various rear-wheel-drive 4×4 systems. When it comes to Electronic Shift-On-the-Fly (ESOF) and Manual Shift-On-the-Fly (MSOF), much is the same except with MSOF, the driver has to manually push a gear shifter in the floor that is connected by rods to the shift fork inside the transfer case. With shift-on-the-fly four-wheel drive, the vehicle does not need to ….
Getting a Grip on Traction Control
The basic principle of traction control is rather simple. A tire is breaking free and starting to spin so we’re going to place a drag on that wheel so that two things can happen. One is we want that tire to have a chance to regain its grip on the road surface. And two, we
Honda Tech Tip: Retorquing Damper Shaft Nut Can Eliminate Front Suspension Knock
Some owners of Honda Civics may complain of a knocking coming from the front suspension while driving over a bumpy road. This may be caused by the damper shaft nut not being tight enough. To correct the problem, loosen and retorque the damper shaft nut to the appropriate torque specification ….
Tech Tip: Steering Position and Yaw
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) program uses the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) and Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) to maintain vehicle stability in a cornering maneuver. The ESC program requires the communication between the Engine Control Module (ECM) and ABS controller. This communication takes place on the Controlled Area Network (CAN) buss of the vehicle. The program uses input from the following sensors: steering wheel position, throttle pedal position, throttle position, engine speed, brake switch, wheel speed, yaw and ….