Diagnostic Dilemmas: Got a Light?
Every diagnostic technician experiences operational complaints that are more bizarre than they are technically complex. The problem is made difficult when the technician fails to stand back from the problem and look at what I call, “The Big Picture.” As you will see in the following case study, The Big Picture is a collection of
Tech Tip: Understanding Electrical Basics Can Save Technicians Time and Money
Sophisticated automotive electrical systems can cause increasing amounts of dead batteries, intermittent warning lights and general electrical complaints. When addressing these issues, staying focused on the basics can save you time, money and nerves.
Honda Tech Tip: Diagnosing a Faulty Knock Sensor
If the check engine light is lit on a customer’s 1998 Honda Accord EX, with trouble code P0325, it could be caused by the knock sensor, the connection, wire harness or the Engine Control Module (ECM). Replace the knock sensor and the trouble code resets.
Hybrid Engine Diagnosis & Service
The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrids have been around since 2001; the Honda Accord, Ford Escape and Lexus RX 400h hybrids since 2005; the Honda Civic, Toyota Highlander, Mercury Mariner, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids since 2006; and the Lexus GS 450h, Saturn VUE Green Line, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima hybrids since
Foreign Affairs: Probing Around Subaru Electrical Systems
With station wagons, small multi-purpose trucks and high-powered sports models in its product mix, Subaru has become an obvious choice for multi-use purchasers. And, by building one basic platform with all of the right stuff, Subaru has been able to concentrate on quality. That brings us to the topic of this article, Subaru electrical systems.
Tech Feature: Servicing Electrical Systems Requires Knowledge of Fundamentals
Electrical principles – voltage, amperage and resistance – can be described as cars passing along a pockmarked roadway. Voltage is represented by the vehicle’s speed, amperage is the number of vehicles on the road at the same time, and resistance is the potholes in the road’s surface.
Tech Tip: When to Change the Automatic Drive Belt Tensioner
While CARDONE water pumps, alternators, smog pumps and power steering pumps all do different jobs, they all have one thing in common: they are belt-driven. Without a properly functioning belt-drive system, these units can’t work as designed. Most late-model vehicles use an automatic belt-tensioning device of some design.
Tech Tip: Electronic Basics
Sophisticated automotive electrical systems can cause increasing amounts of dead batteries, intermittent warning lights and general electrical complaints. When addressing these issues, staying focused on the basics can save you time, money and nerves. Automotive electrical basics are: connection condition; battery condition; and alternator condition.
Tech Tip: Battery Discharge at High Temperatures
Some 1998-2001 1.8L Kia Sephia vehicles built between October 1997 and May 2001, and some 2000-2004 1.8L Spectra vehicles built between February 2000 and March 2004, may exhibit battery discharge when operated in high ambient temperatures for extended periods of time at low speeds or at idle with the A/C, headlamps and other accessories on.
Diagnostic Solutions: Fluid Maintenance…Selling Needed Services Vs. “Wallet Flushing”
Good import shop managers stay on top of their annual workflow by placing jobs like timing belt and brake replacements into categories that can be tracked on a historical basis. If a shop has faithfully tracked the kinds of work flowing through its service bays during the past 10 years, it might become apparent that