Borescopes and Videoscopes – Coming to Our Senses
As a professional technician, you have to rely on at least four, if not all five, of your senses to diagnose and repair vehicles. (For those of you who use taste to fix cars, more power to you! And cheers for admitting it!) Today we are going to talk about tools and equipment that can assist these senses. There are some really exciting and interesting tools available for the inspection and diagnosis of vehicles. Below you will find some details about these great tools and suggestions on how they can be used as well as what to look for when buying the tools.
Mazda Tech Tip: Clunk/Bang On Initial Forward Take-Off
Some customers may report a slight clunk, bang or jolt from the front of the vehicle. This concern will most likely occur during the vehicle’s first forward movement, and after the vehicle sits for a few hours and/or a cold soak. This is a normal operating noise of the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).
Suspension & Alignment Specs: Greatest Hits!
The most difficult issue with some alignments is knowing what you are getting into before you start or your shop even quotes the job. For almost two years, Hunter Engineering has been sponsoring BRAKE & FRONT END’s Suspension & Alignment Specs where Editor Andrew Markel examines a common vehicle platform to figure out what are the service issues and how to make the adjustments.
Symptoms of a Worn Wheel Hub Bearing – Timken Offers Warning Signs
Signs of a worn wheel hub bearing vary in severity. Some may be difficult to detect, leading to damage before corrective action can be taken. The timeframe in which damage occurs is linked to driving conditions and/or the mechanical practices that were followed at installation. Noise is a classic sign of a bad wheel bearing
Wheel Bearings
Wheel bearings can be of either ball or tapered roller type. The ball bearings used for front wheel bearing applications are an angular type. An angular-type ball bearing will accept greater thrust loads than a Conrad-type bearing, which will accept a 100 percent load in the radial or thrust position and any combination of a 100 percent load. A tapered roller bearing will accept both a radial and a thrust load. All wheel bearings come in sets.
Tech Feature: Transmission Fluid and Filter Service
To prevent any service from being over sold or under sold, it is important to not only know that a particular service should be performed, but also why it should be performed. That knowledge can also help you spot when to recommend that service, and when not to. When speaking about transmission fluid, the short version of the explanation is that it gets dirty and wears out.
Alignment & Suspension Specs: 2005-2010 Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5
If you were to look at the underside of a 2005-2010 Chevy Cobalt or Pontiac G5, the recipe doesn’t look that much different that a 1995-2004 Chevrolet Cavalier or Pontiac Sunfire. The basic ingredients of a strut front suspension and loaded beam axle rear suspension are still there. But, GM introduced several new ingredients that can change how this vehicle is aligned.
80 YEARS YOUNG: 960 issues without missing a beat!
How does a magazine stay in business for 80 years? People may say flashy covers, good leadership or deep pockets to survive the rough times. It does take all of these things, but above all it takes successful readers that are valued or potential customers of our advertisers.
Alignment & Suspension Specs: 2003-2008 Honda Pilot
Aligning the 2003-2008 Honda Pilot is not difficult. The first-generation Pilot shares the same suspension design as the Odyssey and rear suspension design with the Accord. The Pilot is the largest vehicle Honda manufacturers. There are no TSBs issued for alignment or tire wear problems. Most TSBs for these vehicles focus on the steering column noise, but most of them are for a limited number of vehicles. The Pilot is based on Honda’s Global Light Truck Platform. It features a highly robust and rigid unit body design with isolated front and rear subframes.
Alignment and Suspension Specs: 2005-2011 Chevrolet Equinox
The alignment process of the Equinox is mechanically straightforward. The front suspension is a MacPherson strut design with hydraulic bushings in the lower control arms. The rear suspension is a four-link layout.