Selling More Fan Clutches
We all know trying to convince a customer to purchase that tricky second part is challenging at best. I’ll bet trying to get consumers to buy coolant along with a water pump is difficult enough, much less attempting to get them to buy another mechanical part that they may not have heard of or even noticed.
2013 Ford: No Radio, No A/C, Airbag Light On
How many times have you been working on the computer when it suddenly locks up? Not one single key or command works, and the more you click, the less it responds. The only thing left to do is hold down those three magic keys, “Ctrl-Alt-Del,” or shut the whole thing off and restart the computer. Chances are you’ll have lost whatever it was you were working on.
Combustion Chamber Diagnosis
Diagnosing misfires and emission problems is getting more difficult on modern engines. Understanding what is going on inside the combustion chamber and what comes out the exhaust valve is critical to being able to solve any emissions or driveability problem.
Honda Tech Tip: Oil Pressure Switch Fails Intermittently
The MIL comes on with one of these DTCS: P3400 (VPS Stuck Off Bank 1) or P3497 (VPS Stuck Off Bank 2). This may be the result of the front and/or rear rocker arm oil pressure switch intermittently failing.
ADAS System Diagnosis And Service
A surprising number of Automated (or Advanced) Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are currently available on vehicles. These systems require special service techniques or additional service operations to perform some common maintenance services.
Fuel Trim And AFR Sensors
Fuel trims are a difficult topic to cover in a matter of a few pages. But this summer, an old friend and former teaching partner arrived at our local car show with the check engine light illuminated on his 2004 Holden Monaro, which was imported from Australia and rebadged and sold in the U.S.
Horn Honks When Door Is Opened
This month’s Diagnostic Dilemma begins with a 2012 Jeep Rubicon that honked the horn each time a door was opened. The call came from a small-fleet diesel tech who also gets his share of his business owners’ personal vehicle problems. Doing some information gathering, we discovered that the horn honked when the door was opened or when the exterior or interior lighting was activated.
Fuel Injector Diagnostics
In the U.S., the quality of the fuel we put into our vehicles is very high. By the time it travels through the fill neck, it has been filtered twice at the station. Before it gets to the fuel rail, it has been filtered by a sock in the tank and a filter under the car. So why do fuel injectors still become clogged or have spray pattern problems? The answer involves a little bit of chemistry and a lot of heat.
Bosch K-Jetronic Fuel Injection System Service
In the 1970s, fuel injection systems were analog. At the start of the decade, you could find the Bosch D-Jetronic on many Volvos and VWs. This common rail system ran at constant pressure and the injector pulse duration was changed according to intake vacuum, barometric pressure and engine temperature. D-Jetronic did not have oxygen sensors or close-loop operation.
Turbocharger Tech Tips
In the past decade, turbochargers were installed on more cars and trucks than ever before. These are the top OEM and aftermarket tips to help you install a new turbocharger without a comeback.
Oxygen Sensor Replacement
Did you know replacing worn or failed oxygen sensors is the best way to protect expensive three-way catalysts and catalytic converters? Failure to replace failed oxygen sensors at the earliest sign of a problem, usually indicated by an illuminated check engine light, can cause premature failure of these parts.
Belt Inspection Checklist
You might have only one chance to sell a customer a new serpentine belt. With belts lasting roughly 90,000 miles, proper inspection at the time of failure is critical not only for selling the belt, but also for ensuring add-on sales and better customer satisfaction. These are the steps you should be performing on every car or truck that enters your shop.
