Tech Feature: What’s New in Spark Plug & Ignition Cable Technology
Ignition systems have changed a great deal in recent years, with coil-on-plug (COP) ignition systems being the most common setup on many late-model engines. Car makers like COP ignition systems for a variety of reasons. The main one is that mounting a small ignition coil over each spark plug gets rid of the troublesome spark plug wires. Plug wires are vulnerable to heat and vibration damage, and can become a source of ignition misfire if they become wet.
Tech Tip: Nissan Exhaust Buzz/Rattle on Acceleration
If you confirm that there is an exhaust rattle/buzzing noise that sounds like it’s coming from the front exhaust tube on an applied vehicle, take the following actions. First, inspect both of the catalyst front tube support brackets for breaks, cracks or missing bolts. If you determine that the support brackets need to be replaced ….
Electrical System Testing Tools and Equipment
One day we are fat, dumb and happy using a piece of wire with a 12-volt bulb on the end of it to test things with. Now we are faced with deciding between using the 10 meg-ohm computer safe test light, the power injector or a logic probe complete with polarity protection, audible alarm, light and 20-foot memory cord. Geeesh! How did things get so confusing so fast? Progress my boy! That is the root of our problem here! As the cars and systems have gotten more and more complicated, so have the tools and equipment needed to work on those cars ….
Tech Tip: How to Select Your First TIG Welder
TIG welding, also know as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), has long enjoyed a reputation as a highly skilled, precise welding process. It is frequently used for highly cosmetic applications or those involving thinner metals that require strict heat control. This process is becoming more popular as technology improves and more welding applications, such as exotic metals, require TIG welding. Selecting the right TIG welding machine for your application is ….
Diagnostic Solutions: Rediscovering Oxygen Sensors
If you’re like me, you more often than not find a correct diagnostic direction by going back to what trainers are fond of calling “The Basics.” I capitalized “The Basics” because they are the foundation upon which all of us should be building our diagnostic strategies. The Basics were brought to mind recently when I
Oxygen Sensors Read the Amount of Unburned Oxygen in the Exhaust
The O2 sensors located in the exhaust manifolds provide the essential feedback for the fuel control loop that regulates the air/fuel mixture. On V6, V8 and V10 engines, there is one O2 sensor in each exhaust manifold. On four and straight six engines, there is usually only one O2 sensor in the exhaust manifold.
OBD II Engine Diagnostics: Not as Simple as it Seems
Anybody can plug a scan tool into a vehicle and read codes. But do they know what the codes mean, how to diagnose the fault or, most importantly, how to fix the vehicle? The problem with reading OBD II codes is that the code tells you only that a fault has occurred. It does not
Emissions Update: Understanding How Wide Ratio Air/Fuel (WRAF) Sensors Work
Instead of giving a simple rich/lean indication, wide ratio air/fuel sensors measure the “actual” air/fuel ratio. A WRAF sensor can measure mixtures that range from extremely rich to extremely lean (even straight air!). This ability allows the PCM to control fuel mixtures much more precisely, to handle much leaner fuel mixtures, to reduce emissions and
Pipe Benders: Just Around the Bend
I like many people, I have a childhood memory of going on car trips that seemed to last forever. Usually about 15 minutes into the trip, I would ask: “Are we there yet?” This question would be delivered with the accompanying whine that only very small children and some wild animals are capable of making.
Catalytic Converter Diagnosis
The catalytic converter is probably the most important emission control device on a vehicle because it cleans up the pollutants in the exhaust. Thanks to fuel injection, oxygen sensors in the exhaust manifolds, and a feedback fuel control system, emissions are kept to a minimum. Even so, some pollution is still produced and must be
The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round
Now that school is out, school bus inspections and maintenance is taking place in preparation for the next session in the fall. Many school districts are outsourcing the maintenance of their buses. This could be your chance to increase your shop’s customer base. While the coach work (body) of buses is changing to incorporate features
Oxygen Sensors: Are You Up to Date on the Latest Designs?
If you’re a technician who works on late-model import vehicles and diagnoses engine performance and emissions problems, you probably have a good understanding of how oxygen (O2) sensors work. You know that all late-model engines have at least one or more “upstream” O2 sensors in the exhaust system to monitor the air/fuel mixture, and one