The Impact of Fuel Type on Engine Performance
When fueling, consider engine design, manufacturer recommendations and usage.
How Gapping Impacts Iridium Spark Plug Performance
Anyone installing new spark plugs needs to be mindful of the right gap for successful ignition and optimal performance. This gap, or the proper distance between the center and ground electrodes, can be found in each vehicle’s service manual. One of the main reasons to take extra care in this area is that spark plug
Secondary Ignition Waveforms and Spark Plug Performance
There are at least 500 components in the modern car engine.
Why F1 Matters This Year: New Technology Makes For A Better Show
Love it or hate it, Formula One is the top dog in motorsports. With an improving economy, F1 is changing up its rules to include some technologies that are already in your bays, or coming very soon. For 2014, the cars are, for a lack of a better term, hybrids.
OBD II Misfire And Diagnosis
When diagnosing misfires, it’s important to use tools that allow you to go beyond a simple code reader that displays a P03XX. Even an OEM-level scan tool can’t tell you what the firing voltage is or what the ignition pattern looks like. Nor can it tell you if the serial data is accurate or correct. For that kind of information you need a DVOM or a graphing multimeter/oscilloscope that can look at sensor voltages directly and display primary and secondary ignition patterns.
GM Power Steering Pump Replacement Tips
An analysis of returned power steering (PS) pumps that had been replaced for noise, no power assist, no or low pressure and leaking conditions has indicated a high number of “No Trouble Found” results. When attempting to repair a power steering concern, the steering system analyzer should be used to assist the technician in a successful diagnosis.
Air Filter Fuel Trim Diagnostics
The modern engine measures two things extremely well, the amount of air going into the combustion chamber with the mass airflow sensor (MAF), and the byproducts that are generated by the combustion event with the oxygen sensor. These measurements allow the engine’s computer to put the right amount of fuel and spark into the cylinder to give the most efficient and cleanest combustion event.
Tech Tip: Ford/Mercury’s Engine Stalling On Engagement/Stopping
Some 2005-’08 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles equipped with a CD4E automatic transaxle and built from Aug. 1, 2004 through Feb. 15, 2007, may exhibit an engine stall when coming to a stop or when engaging the transmission into drive or reverse.
Directions: Irv Gordon And His Red Volvo P1800 Closing In On Auto History
Irv Gordon, a 73-year-old retired science teacher from Patchogue, NY, holds the Guinness Book of World Records recognition for most miles driven by a single owner in a non-commercial vehicle, and has driven more than 2.99 million miles in his shiny red Volvo.
Street Performer: 60 Years Of Chevrolet’s Iconic Corvette
The new Chevrolet Corvette LT1 engine, the first of the Gen 5 family of small block engines, combines several advanced technologies, including direct injection, active fuel management and continuously variable valve timing to support an advanced combustion system.
Nissan VVT Diagnostics – Boosting Engine Performance, Fuel Economy And Emissions
Due to the ability of Nissan’s variable valve timing system to provide increased engine performance, Bob Dowie offers his diagnostic, electronic and mechanical expertise for how import vehicle specialists can most effectively perform engine service.
Diagnostic Solutions: Engine Coolant Temperature Sensors
Considering that roughly 1,500 or more different vehicle models are introduced into our domestic market each year, it’s becoming more difficult to predict how a Powertrain Control Module (PCM) will utilize data from a particular sensor or detect an out-of-range sensor in any single vehicle platform. The engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor provides a good illustration of how many on-board diagnostic strategies have changed.