Tech Feature: Why Aftermarket Belts are Lasting Longer
Serpentine belts made of EPDM may last up to 100,000 miles or more before they have to be replaced. But that doesn’t mean they will last forever. A serpentine belt that’s aging or slipping may develop a hard glazed surface that makes the belt noisy. Aerosol belt treatments may quiet the noise for a while, but sooner or later you’ll have to replace your customer’s belt.
Service Solutions: Lessons Learned Regarding ‘Old School’ Ignition Diagnosis
Recently, I’ve been confronted with driveability complaints on older vehicles that appear to defy conventional wisdom. Diagnosing such problems usually forces me to re-examine the fundamentals of engine
Tech Tip: 10-Step Driveability Test
Technicians may find that driveability problems continue after ECM replacement. Before condemning the replacement ECM, check for computer codes and correct any indicated problems, then perform this 10-Step Driveability Checklist.
Tech Feature: Courage Under Misfire
Generally, when a customer brings a vehicle into a shop that has a misfire concern, they will describe it as bucking, jerking or loss of power. They also may describe it, depending on the cause, as a jerking when they take off from a start, but smoothes out once the vehicle gets moving. They may tell you the check engine light has been flashing.
Tech Feature: Winter Starting and Charging System Maintenance
Mid-winter is usually the coldest time of the year and, although modern vehicle technology has reduced many of the cold-weather starting problems that we faced just a short decade ago, it’s still important to keep your customers’ import vehicles in top shape for winter starting.
Duracell AGM Batteries to Power 2011 Numerals at Times Square, NY
For the third consecutive year, Duracell AGM batteries, made by East Penn, are powering a special project at Times Square, New York City. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, these advanced batteries will provide extreme power to the hundreds of light bulbs that illuminate the 2011 numerals.
Mighty Offers Program to Jump-Start Battery Sales
Mighty batteries are manufactured by Exide. The turn-key program is aimed at creating an additional revenue stream for generating accelerated profits.
Service Solutions: Electrical Problems – Invisible Targets
To correctly diagnose invisible electrical challenges, sometimes, it literally takes all we know plus patience, suggestions from others and maybe a little luck. This story began innocently enough with an overheating complaint on the first vehicle. The second had intermittent flickering headlights and instrument cluster gauge fluctuations, so it was an obvious challenge. We will attempt to convey what was learned in locating the target causes of these electrical challenges.
Tech Tip: Demystifying Honda ELDs
Even though Honda has used the Electronic Load Detection (ELD) System since 1988 on the Civic and 1990 on the Accord, there is still a lot of confusion on how this system operates and controls the charging system.
Tech Tip: Take Care of Your Alternator as Winter Approaches
The alternator, which powers the vehicle’s entire electrical system, not only provides current to operate all of your car’s electrical accessories and the engine – it keeps the vehicle’s battery charged, and its importance is amplified as the weather turns colder and the vehicle uses more power-robbing accessories.
New Wells Vehicle Electronics Catalogs Feature More Than 5,500 Pages and 37,000 Parts
An all-new four-volume series of application catalogs and illustrated parts guide covering more than 37,000 advanced engine management, ignition, emissions, fuel system and other vehicle electronics solutions is now available through the Wells Vehicle Electronics brand.
Diagnostic Solutions: Alternator Testing Tips
When we’re attempting to diagnose a charging system failure, it helps to think of the battery’s state of charge (SOC) as a type of checking account. If we overdraw our account, we wake up the next morning with an engine that won’t crank. Or, if we overdraw our account and not balancing our account at the end of the day, we again are greeted with a slow-cranking engine and an overdrawn charging system account.