VIDEO: Checking The Voltage On A Fuel Pump
Andrew Markel explains how modern vehicles have pressure sensors that send out a voltage signal, and how a diagnosis can be made by measuring the signals with a scope. Sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper.
The Duramax Dilemma: Injector Circuit Diagnostics
The owner of this GM Duramax was headed to Montana on vacation with his family and camper trailer in tow. After stopping for lunch, the owner was dismayed to find that his Duramax immediately went into “limp mode” as the engine started.
VIDEO: Matching A Captured Waveform To The Correct Vehicle
Andrew Markel discusses how you can verify that a waveform you have captured is correct for the vehicle. Sponsored by ProDemand from Mitchell1.
VIDEO: Relearning and Recalibrating Common Systems
Andrew Markel shows how a few common systems on late model vehicles can be relearned or recalibrated. Sponsored by ProDemand from Mitchell1.
Troubleshooting And Sorting Out Multiple DTCs At The Penny Arcade
It is late Thursday afternoon in mid-May and tourist season is just beginning in Colorado’s High Country. After finishing one mobile diagnosis, I was asked to look at another – a 2003 Honda Element with a no-cranking condition that had just been dropped off at my client shop’s busy parking lot by an owner who was now stranded 2,000 miles away from home.
How Long Is a Labor Hour?
Any tech will tell you that a labor hour can stretch to half a day if a lot of research is involved. Conversely, it can last 15 minutes if you know what you’re doing. Most labor guides typically don’t take into account how much research, diagnosis and equipment setup is needed for a given job — not to mention the time it takes to recover your 10 mm socket that just fell down into the engine compartment.
VIDEO: When A Power Steering Pump Explodes
If a power steering pump self-destructs, every particle needs to be retrieved from the system to prevent further damage to other components. Andrew Markel explains. Sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper.
Diagnostic Experience And Logic: Writing The Textbook
There’s a lot of theory that is not immediately applicable for working on modern vehicles. What textbooks forget is that no one can see what happens inside the combustion chamber of a modern engine.
VIDEO: The Difference Between TSBs, Campaigns And Recalls
Andrew Markel describes the critical difference between TSBs, campaigns and recalls, and how you can use them in your shop. Sponsored by ProDemand from Mitchell1.
Chrysler Transmission: The Case Of The Shiftless 48RE
This month’s Diagnostic Dilemma concerns a 2005 Dodge 3500 SLT truck equipped with the Chrysler 48RE automatic transmission with three forward speeds and overdrive. It originally came into the shop with a broken band, but after the rebuilt transmission was installed and road-tested, the 48RE failed to shift out of first gear.
The Science Behind Precious Metal Spark Plugs
With the need to comply with ever-increasing efficiency and emission standards, auto manufacturers have been racing to raise the bar in spark plug performance over the past three decades. The use of precious metals like platinum and iridium in the manufacturing of spark plugs, as opposed to the use of nickel, has resulted in plugs that can last much longer and offer better performance than the spark plugs in circulation prior to the mid-1980s.
Gonzo’s Toolbox: ‘Wanna Be’ Technicians
There’s one situation all professional automotive technicians have had to deal with from time to time, and it involves the home-grown garage guy who just so happens to own a couple of ratchets, a repair manual and a broken-down car. Some of these connoisseurs of the all-knowing repair manual skim through sections without truly comprehending them.
