Tech Tip: Diagnosing a Slow Cranking Starter or No Crank at All
A slow cranking starter or no crank at all may be caused by a faulty ground that prevents full voltage to the starter motor. Most people assume the starter is grounded because it is bolted to the engine. However, that does not mean it’s grounded properly. The combination of road dirt, salt corrosion, engine heat and vehicle age can prevent a good starter-to-engine ground (metal-to-metal contact).
Four Seasons Offers Helpful Tips for Chrysler’s Flashing LEDs
Four Seasons offers the following tips to help professional technicians resolve Chrysler’s flashing LEDs. In many cases after the replacement of a battery, an HVAC control module or a door actuator, various button LEDs on the control module will begin to blink. This is due to a system requirement for actuator calibration to be performed.
Standard Engine Management Announces ‘Ready to Ride’ Sweepstakes Promotion
Standard Engine Management announces the "Ready to Ride" sweepstakes promotion for automotive technicians, running through Nov. 30, 2007. Participants could win a portable GPS or the grand prize, a Honda All Terrain Vehicle (ATV).
Run 10s at the Track with the Katech Performance Camaro Performance Package
Katech Performance has engineered a Chevrolet Camaro performance package (KAT-A4693) that allows owners to drive their car to the track, run 10s and drive back home.
Diagnostic Solutions: COP Ignition Systems
For a number of reasons, the trend of modern engine management technology is leaning toward using coil-on-plug (COP) ignition systems. One reason is that COP ignitions are very compact and are very adaptable to individual cylinder tuning. With the exception of a few designs that incorporate a driver or “module” into the COP assembly itself,
Volvo: Sometimes You Learn the Hard Way: Fixing Volvo Oil Leaks Right the First Time
The customer’s Volvo has an oil leak. You think you do everything right. You add dye and see the rear main oil seal leaking. The repair goes smoothly, the customer is happy…for about two weeks. Then the rear main oil seal is leaking again, and he wants to know why. This is not an isolated
Hybrid Engine Diagnosis & Service
The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrids have been around since 2001; the Honda Accord, Ford Escape and Lexus RX 400h hybrids since 2005; the Honda Civic, Toyota Highlander, Mercury Mariner, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids since 2006; and the Lexus GS 450h, Saturn VUE Green Line, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima hybrids since
Decoding the Past
“I’d like for you to hook it up to the code machine and see what it says to replace” – anonymous customer Sound about right? It sure does. Of course, as auto repair professionals, we know better. We know that reading the code is not diagnostics, but rather that is where diagnostics might begin. We
Foreign Affairs: Probing Around Subaru Electrical Systems
With station wagons, small multi-purpose trucks and high-powered sports models in its product mix, Subaru has become an obvious choice for multi-use purchasers. And, by building one basic platform with all of the right stuff, Subaru has been able to concentrate on quality. That brings us to the topic of this article, Subaru electrical systems.
Tech Tip: Don’t Scrap that Alternator without Reading this First
In some cases, technicians think they are getting poor-quality alternators because they don’t seem to last very long, and they seem to need replacement too often. What they fail to realize is that the health of the alternator is directly affected by the condition of the rest of the electrical system.