Tech Tip: Servicing Bravada Electronic Controlled Air Suspensions
I borrowed a friend’s 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada to pick up some supplies from the local home improvement store. After loading it with weekend-warrior bounty, I started the vehicle and noticed that the rear end was sitting low. The Electronic Controlled Air Suspension (ECAS) compressor was running, but the back end would not return to normal ride height.
Tech Tip: Maintaining Belt Tension is Critical
Most late-model engines have serpentine belt drives for the engine-driven accessories. And most people know that belts are a maintenance item and eventually have to be replaced. But many don’t know the spring-loaded automatic tensioner that keeps a serpentine belt tight is also a wear item. Consequently, the automatic tensioner may also have to be replaced when the time comes to change the belt.
Tech Tip: Uncovering Hidden Culprits Speeds A/C Diagnostic Process
Many of our customers consider air conditioning to be a necessary, rather than an optional, vehicle amenity. For this reason, it has to work on demand. Why shouldn’t your shop garner these A/C service and repair opportunities? To aid your efforts, this article is going to look at some of the most common A/C problems we encounter on the Honda vehicle lineup.
2007 Visteon A/C System Kit Reference Guide Allows Techs to Identify Needed Components
Visteon Corporation has announced the availability of its 2007 A/C System Kit Quick Reference Guide, which enables parts counter professionals and technicians to identify additional components needed for most automotive air conditioning repairs.
Tech Tip: Pinpointing Refrigerant Leaks on Today’s Vehicles
When a customer’s A/C system isn’t cooling well and the refrigerant charge is low, you know the system is leaking. The question is where? Fluorescent leak detection dyes are popular because they’re easy and inexpensive to use. All you need is a bottle of dye or refrigerant that has already had dye added to it.
Mercedes: Deciphering Driveability Dilemmas
As the oldest surviving automotive manufacturer on the planet, Mercedes-Benz has developed a reputation for superior engineering and quality. Models with new features and mechanical developments have been consistently introduced for more than a century. For the automotive technician, this line of vehicles has been a source of never-ending education. Innovation after innovation has challenged
A/C Update: Keeping the Black Death at Bay
Over time, moisture contamination in an A/C system will form corrosive acids that attack metal surfaces and break down the lubricating qualities of the compressor oil. The result is a dark-colored sludge called “Black Death” that can gum up the orifice tube or expansion valve and ruin the compressor. How does moisture get in the
Nissan Tech Tip: Pleasant Surprise – Plugging Head Leak
Any technician who has worked extensively with Asian-made vehicles has more than a casual acquaintance with head gasket replacements. It comes as no surprise that when you put an aluminum head on a cast iron block, the different expansion rates of the two metals will eventually weaken the head gasket.
Four Seasons Adds 400 Part Numbers to Line of Temperature Control Products
Included among the 400 new numbers are the following additions in Four Seasons’ major product categories: New compressors; re-engineered compressors; evaporators; rad fan and blower motors; cooling fan assemblies; hose assemblies; and belt tensioners.
A/C Service: The Heart of the Matter
The heart of the business, feel the heart beat, he has a good heart. These familiar thoughts and sayings all refer to the same thing. Whether it is a figurative or literal reference, the message is the same. There is always a central and irreplaceable part or component or, sometimes, person to all things. This