Performance V6 and Four Bangers
Any engine builder worth his or her torque wrench keeps their eyes open. They’re looking for anything and everything to make work easier, better and, of course, more profitable. And just as important as the things they see are the things they don’t see. When it comes to the number of cylinders in the motors
Diagnosing Vehicle Signal and Chassis Ground
When it comes to electricity, there are two potential energy sources you have to keep in mind. One, being the positive side, and the other, the negative side. Just like a magnet, these two opposite forces react the same way. That is, two positives or two negatives will not meet, while a positive and a
Turbocharged Technology
Utilizing electronically controlled wastegates and bypass valves With the ability to increase fuel economy by up to 20% on gas vehicles and up to 40% on diesel vehicles, manufacturers have resorted to turbochargers to compensate for lowered engine displacement. Additionally, the improvements on turbocharging technology have increased the number of turbocharged vehicles on American roads.
Replacing Fuel Lines
As vehicles are lasting longer, the chances the fuel lines will spring a leak are increasing. The main reason metal fuel lines fail is corrosion, but most corrosion starts when abrasive materials start to remove the paint or coating on the line. This can occur at a mounting bracket or from debris kicked up from
Nissan TPMS Service
Nissan TPMS systems began appearing in 2003 as a standard feature or option on most models. And, for the past decade, the behavior of all Nissan TPMS systems is very consistent on all models. There is only one trick to service Nissan TPMS systems, and that is to buy the right tools. A TPMS tool
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Pinball Effect: Sorting Through Multiple Codes and Problems
“My dash lights up like a pinball machine, the engine loses power for a few seconds, and then seems to run OK.” Although I’d actually been chasing this Diagnostic Dilemma for the better part of a year, this four-wheel drive 2001 Blazer equipped with the 4.3L Vortec engine and manual transmission otherwise appeared to be
Getting the Complete Picture on Converter Efficiency
Engine management systems compensate for changes in engine speed, loads and temperatures by adjusting the amount of fuel injected, spark advance/retard and even when the intake and exhaust valves open. These adjustments can only do so much. Tailpipe emissions are cut further by exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and secondary air injection systems. The last line
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Chrysler Sebring Code P2173 Caused by Vacuum Leak NOT Gaskets
In this month’s Diagnostic Dilemma, I found myself looking into an intermittent fast idle complaint on a 2008 Chrysler Sebring equipped with the 3.5L, V6 engine. The car was in good condition and with approximately 130,000 miles on the odometer. My client shop owner had retrieved some “throttle sensor codes,” which prompted him to replace
Saturn: Burning Smell From the Front of the Vehicle
Model: 2003 Saturn L300, 3.0L The customer states there is a burning smell coming from the vehicle. Cause Confirmed the customer’s complaint and found there was a burning smell coming from the vehicle. The smell seemed to be originating from the dash area. Road-tested the vehicle and found the speedometer was intermittently inoperative. Removed the
Diagnostic Dilemma: The Case of the Missing Code
When doing mobile diagnostic work, no-code stalling complaints are a major part of your agenda. In most cases, the client shop is simply too busy to duplicate the failure or, in some cases, a long test drive will yield nothing in the way of useful scan tool data. With many no-code stalls, all you’re going
Diagnosing Catalytic Converter Failure Symptoms
Although construction can vary according to engine application, the common three-way catalytic converter contains a reduction and oxidation stage. To create maximum surface area, each stage is generally a ceramic or stainless steel honeycomb substrate covered with a rough silica and alumina wash coat. Both stages of the converter are coated with precious metal catalysts
Volumetric Efficiency Diagnostics
A few years ago, I obtained an OBDII scan tool/dynamometer simulation/calculation program that can graph volumetric efficiency (VE) over rpms. Using real world vehicles, and no useful instructions, I devised a test sequence that allows a technician to see things another way. What is Volumetric Efficiency? Let’s keep this simple to start. An engine is
