January 2016 Archives - Brake & Front End
Tech Tip: Ford/Lincoln/Mercury Transmission Fluid Leak

Follow these tips to diagnose and fix a transmission fluid leak on several Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. The first step is to remove the LH halfshaft and inspect the halfshaft journal surface finish.

Transmission leak
Tech Tip: ABS Light On Or False ABS Activation After Wheel Bearing Hub Replacement

If you diagnose a bad hub bearing on one side of a vehicle, and the ABS wheel speed sensor or tone ring is integral to the bearing, you may need additional repairs to restore proper ABS functioning. In many cases, replacing one hub bearing will cause the driver to feel ABS false activation when coming to a slow stop on dry pavement.

Anti lock brake system
Tech Tips: Volkswagen: Noise from Front when Steering Wheel is Turned

Follow these steps to diagnose a noise when the steering wheel is turned on a Volkswagen.

Gonzo’s Toolbox: ‘Wanna Be’ Technicians

There’s one situation every professional automotive technician has 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. In a recent case, the car in question wouldn’t start, and a neighborhood mechanic did his best to read and understand what was on the diagnostic pages of the manual, but he couldn’t make any sense of the wiring diagram for the fuel pump circuit. His final verdict, “It’s not getting any voltage to the fuel pump.”

Mechanic-Discussion
10 Tips For Diagnosing And Installing Control Arms And Bushings

With wide adoption of large diameter wheels and low-profile tires, suspensions on late-model vehicles have changed. The extra weight of larger wheels has meant that suspension components have had to go on a diet of aluminum. Less sidewall area has transferred the role of absorbing road impacts to larger bushings in order to achieve the same ride quality.

Control arm bushing
Viewpoint: New Year’s Brings New Changes At Brake & Front End

In December 1997, BrakeandFrontEnd.com was launched. Since then, our website has been constantly built upon, and has grown to more than 11,000 pages to date. Last year was our best year in company history, as our growth in traffic spiked to its highest level since the website’s inception. But we’re not stopping there. New eNewsletter In

Scan Tool Wall CarQuest
Automotive Automatic Transmission Filter O-Rings And Lip Seals

Many transmission filters require a seal at the point where they assemble into the transmission. Most of these seals are called “lip seals,” although some filters may use an O-ring. Before filter installation, it is important to make sure that there is no O-ring or lip seal in the case or pump bore left over from the old filter.

Selling TPMS Service Starts With Education

As car dealerships continue their push for a greater slice of the aftermarket repair pie, the pressure grows for independent repair facilities to expand their offerings and expertise to attract clients. And while the evolution of technology in modern vehicles has presented a number of challenges to independent shops, TPMS service is one area of repair that shops can quickly capitalize on.

Technician selling services
Welcome To The Future: Are Your Networks Protected?

For those of you who do not know me, I will give you a quick download on my background. I have been playing with cars for 40 years. I work in my family’s business, Seyfer Automotive, Inc., founded in 1961. We diagnose, repair and maintain late-model vehicles as well as a large number of cars

cybersecurity
Brake Job: 2009-2015 Honda Pilot

The second-generation Honda Pilot shares the same platform as the Odyssey minivan and Accord. It also shares a lot of the same complaints concerning “warped” rotors. It is not excess heat that causes brake judder and pulsation, it is lateral runout and disc thickness variation (DTV). The Pilot is sensitive to disc thickness variation. This

Jeep Liberty Alignment Specs

The Liberty’s front suspension uses upper and lower control arms. The replacement of the upper control arms can be tedious and require the removal of the battery tray, power distribution center and other components to get at the passenger-side upper control arm.

2008 jeep liberty sport
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.

Climate chamber