Selling Batteries: Use Cell Phone Battery Life As A Sales Tool
Consumers understand the importance of battery life. When 10% power is reached, some phones reduce screen brightness and turn the battery symbol red. You have a similar tool in your arsenal for testing car batteries, and it is conductance testing.
Acura: Intake Leak Code P2279 Set After Throttle Body Cleaning or Replacement
If you have just cleaned the throttle body and now you’ve a fluctuating idle and code P2279 (intake air system leak), the problem could be that the system needs to relearn the new throttle plate position because the system could be operating using the old data.
Diagnosing Vehicle Signal and Chassis Ground
When it comes to electricity, there are two potential energy sources you have to keep in mind. One, being the positive side, and the other, the negative side. Just like a magnet, these two opposite forces react the same way. That is, two positives or two negatives will not meet, while a positive and a
13 Alternator and Battery Testing and Diagnostic Tips
One Test Is Not Enough If only battery voltage is present at the battery on a running engine, does this mean the alternator is “bad?” No, it does not. That only means that the alternator is not charging, but does not reveal why. Therefore, it does not prove a faulty alternator. All too often the
Saturn: Burning Smell From the Front of the Vehicle
Model: 2003 Saturn L300, 3.0L The customer states there is a burning smell coming from the vehicle. Cause Confirmed the customer’s complaint and found there was a burning smell coming from the vehicle. The smell seemed to be originating from the dash area. Road-tested the vehicle and found the speedometer was intermittently inoperative. Removed the
Be Careful When Handling Alternators with Floating Stators
Some original equipment alternators made in recent years feature a “floating stator” that is more sensitive to proper handling than previous designs. Previously, the stator — the set of windings that surround the rotor — in most alternator designs, is press-fitted or in a tight tolerance. In recent years, however, some manufacturers have chosen to
Diagnostic Dilemma: The Case of the Missing Code
When doing mobile diagnostic work, no-code stalling complaints are a major part of your agenda. In most cases, the client shop is simply too busy to duplicate the failure or, in some cases, a long test drive will yield nothing in the way of useful scan tool data. With many no-code stalls, all you’re going
Secondary Ignition: The Art of Spark
What is a coil? From the beginning of the internal combustion engine, several different ignition systems have been used to create a high-energy spark. The most popular system, and the one that’s in use today, is a step-up coil. A coil is nothing more than a transformer, and like any transformer, it has two separate
What To Do With Used Hybrid Batteries
The nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery is the best and most common hybrid battery so far, and the sheer volume of them is staggering. NiHM batteries have been in use for well over 15 years, and out of the more than 7 million hybrid cars on the road worldwide, 90% have NiMH battery packs. Then,
Origins of the ‘Bendix’ starter
Every now and then you will run into an old-timer who uses the term “Bendix” in reference to the starter. You may think brakes when you hear this term, but there is some interesting history behind “Bendix” being used to describe a starter. By 1910, Vincent Hugo Bendix was almost bankrupt after the failure of
Ford: Smoke From Vehicle When Starting
Vehicle: 2005 Ford Taurus SE, 3.0L Complaint: The customer says smoke comes from vehicle when starting. Cause: Confirmed the customer’s complaint and found smoke coming from the vehicle when the engine was started. Inspected the vehicle and found an unusual smell coming from the starter motor. With the ignition in the start position, used a
Avoid Alternator Returns, Make Peace With Your Parts Suppliers
If the charging voltage is low, or the alternator isn’t putting out enough current to keep up with the electrical loads that are placed upon it, don’t automatically assume the starter or alternator is bad and needs to be replaced (unless you’re bench testing the unit out of the vehicle). Many times an alternator is
