What To Know About Modern Air Ride Systems
The most important thing to remember about a modern air suspension system is that it has different modes that adapt to the driving conditions and vehicle dynamics. Almost all four-corner systems will lower the ride height at highway speeds to increase fuel economy and improve handling. Some SUVs will increase ride height as requested or in response to increased wheel displacement and wheel slippage at certain speeds. Some systems may open up the valving and even disconnect a sway bar link on some BMW and Jeep models.
Winter Air Ride Diagnostics
To the untrained technician, a winter air ride problem might lead you down the path thinking there is a leak in the system. However, chances are there are no detectable leaks. These types of faults are usually set by parameters from the air ride module for a certain action to cause an expected result. Think of it as an EVAP system.
Electric Power Steering Diagnostics
Electric power steering is more energy efficient than hydraulic systems and does not provide assist until it receives driver input, but there are differences in the hydraulic and electric assist that will affect the driver’s and technician’s understanding of the component and its integration into the ESC and self-park system.
Get Inside The Mind Of A Modern Transmission
The transmission game has changed. Solenoids, sensors and computers have replaced vacuum lines, governors and kick down cables on modern automatic transmissions. The tools have also changed: Scan tools, scopes and meters have replaced pressure and vacuum gauges. Even with codes and datastream information, you must be able to think like the transmission to find the correct diagnosis, which typically doesn’t involve replacing the entire transmission.
Inside Replacement Sensors: Direct, Programmable and Universal
To understand any replacement sensor, you have to understand this: Sensors only transmit, they do not receive when they are on a vehicle. No vehicle asks a sensor, “How’s it going.” The sensor just transmits. The vehicle is looking for a sensor ID number that corresponds with the one programmed into the module and then
Decoding the TPMS Wireless Signal
In order to properly service a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), you must first understand the functionality of the system’s wireless signal. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there about the TPMS wireless signal, which could get in the way of your diagnostics and your ability to sell TPMS service. For example, Googling
Electric Power Steering: Past, Present and Future
Electric power steering is fast becoming a standard feature on new vehicles, but it’s not an emerging technology, as it’s been in the field for the better part of two decades. One of the first domestic applications that almost made it to production was the Pontiac Fiero. The 1989 model was going to have an
Speed Sensor Diagnostics: The ‘If’s’ of Sensors and Speed Explained
If all of the wheel speed sensors are generating a speed signal, and they all agree, the wheel speed sensor (WSS) is not an issue, but something else might be, possibly an intermittent wiring fault in one of the WSS circuits. If one of the WSS PIDs reads zero mph, and the other three are
