Alignment Lifts: Consider Your Customer Base When Purchasing an Alignment Lift
If you do wheel alignment work, you need an alignment lift for raising vehicles off the ground. A lift is essential because you have to get under the vehicle to inspect the steering and suspension before you check the alignment. You can’t align worn parts, so it’s important to always make sure the tie rod
AMS Automotive Develops On-Line Video Technical Bulletins
Clutch systems supplier AMS Automotive recently introduced the first in a new series of online video technical bulletins. The first bulletins address oil contamination and incorrect installation of General Motors release bearings, two of the most common causes of clutch warranty ….
Diagnostic Solutions: Replacing Water Pumps as Preventive Maintenance
In today’s import repair market, it’s not uncommon to see a vehicle with well over 200,000 miles on the odometer that still is in cosmetically and mechanically “great” condition. The importance of this trend is that many parts that were formerly being replaced on an as-needed basis are now being replaced on a preventive basis.
Tech Feature: Follow EPA Guidelines when Cleaning Engine Parts
One of the least pleasant parts of any engine builder’s day is the cleaning process. Removing the oil, carbon and general gunk from blocks, cylinder heads and assorted parts before your inspection, machining and rebuilding process can even begin may seem as painful as a trip to the dentist’s chair. But if you think that part of your day is bad, fail to pay attention to what happens AFTER you clean, and you could find yourself in an even more uncomfortable seat – across the table from the EPA.
Tech Tip: Discuss Benefits of Suspension Upgrades with Your Customers
Asking your customer how his vehicle has been riding lately may get him to thinking and may reveal a need for replacement or upgrading. Ask him how his vehicle handles when cornering, stopping, accelerating or driving in a crosswind. Excessive body sway or rocking is a sure sign of inadequate ride control. How does the vehicle ride over tar strips or on rough roads? A rough or bouncy ride could be improved with new shocks or struts. Does the suspension ….
Tech Tip: Brake Lathes Continue to be a Profit Center for Busy Shops
A brake lathe has long been an indispensable piece of equipment for shops that do brake work. A bench lathe is necessary to resurface rotors and drums. An on-car lathe is also a great tool for turning troublesome rotors on vehicles that are sensitive to rotor runout issues, and those with captured rotors. But with cheap offshore rotors flooding the aftermarket, and some new cars now being equipped with lightweight rotors that are too thin to turn, you may be questioning the need for a brake lathe ….
Tech Feature: What’s Rockin’ In Performance Rocker Arms and Valve Springs
Horsepower is in the heads. But for a cylinder head to breathe efficiently, the valvetrain must be rigid and strong to minimize flex, but also lightweight. For most performance applications, that means replacing the stock rocker arms, valve springs and pushrods with some type of aftermarket roller rocker arms, stiffer valve springs and stronger pushrods. The way in which rocker arms are designed has changed in recent years. Many companies now use sophisticated computer software to develop new rocker arm designs. An engineer sits down in front of a ….
Tech Tip: Rear-Wheel-Drive 4×4 Operation
Let’s discuss the 4×4 operation on Ford truck platform vehicles. We’ll cover the operation of the parts on the various rear-wheel-drive 4×4 systems. When it comes to Electronic Shift-On-the-Fly (ESOF) and Manual Shift-On-the-Fly (MSOF), much is the same except with MSOF, the driver has to manually push a gear shifter in the floor that is connected by rods to the shift fork inside the transfer case. With shift-on-the-fly four-wheel drive, the vehicle does not need to ….
Getting a Grip on Traction Control
The basic principle of traction control is rather simple. A tire is breaking free and starting to spin so we’re going to place a drag on that wheel so that two things can happen. One is we want that tire to have a chance to regain its grip on the road surface. And two, we
Porsche: Maintenance Essentials
Boost System Performance & Customer Satisfaction