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 Feature: Rediscovering Your DMM Relationship
Sometimes we become so caught up in leading-edge diagnostic technology that we forget that a professional-grade digital volt-ohm meter (DVOM) or digital multimeter (DMM) is a vital tool in any technician’s diagnostic arsenal.
Mercedes ‘CAN’ Diagnostics — Uncovering Faults Speeds The Repair Process
Dealing with frustrating error messages on your scanner? Import Specialist Contributor Larry Bailly covers some of the more common faults when dealing with Mercedes CAN wiring, what it takes to plan and achieve diagnostic success, and the places to look for the cause of faults.
Tech Feature: Diagnosing Intermittent Driveability Issues
Intermittent driveability problems of any kind are always a challenge to diagnose. When a customer brings you a vehicle and complains of a stalling problem, you may not have much to go on other than their description of what is happening and when it happens. The more information you can get out of them the better, because you’ll likely need all the details you can get to narrow down the list of possible causes. Many times, there will be no check engine light ….
Mode $06 Diagnostic Update
Mode $06 has been around since the introduction of second-generation onboard diagnostic (OBD II) systems back in the mid-1990s. Essentially, Mode $06 is the raw test data the OBD II system uses to evaluate the operating status of various components in the engine management and emission control systems
Finding the Failure Pattern
but that’s about it when it comes to diagnosing random, no-code malfunctions. Lucky or not, the chances of locating the cause of a random, no-code malfunction can be increased by determining the sequence of events needed to trigger the malfunction. Determining this sequence of events is what I call, “Finding the Failure Pattern.” From the
Diagnosing Intermittent Stalling Issues
Intermittent driveability problems of any kind are always a challenge to diagnose. When a customer brings you a vehicle and complains of a stalling problem, you may not have much to go on other than their description of what’s happening and when it happens. The more information you can get out of them the better,
Downloading Repairs
Have you looked at technical service bulletins lately? Especially ones for vehicles built since 2004? The fixes have changed drastically. I remember a time, not too long ago when the fix in a typical TSB was to install an updated part. From where I stand now in a Ford dealership, it seems like the hardware
Get the Drift: The Ins and Outs of Sport ‘Drifting’
Drifting is not a sport for SUVs. If it were, it would probably be called “rollovering.” Nor does it lend itself very well to cars with front-wheel drive. Drifting is all about sliding around curves with the rear wheels smoking all the way. Drifting sounds like an activity dreamed up by the tire manufacturers to
PCV Service: Helping an Engine Catch Its Breath
I’m certain that each and every one of you have, at some time in your life, experienced the horrific event of having the wind knocked out of you. If you can remember back to the first time it ever happened, before you knew that you would, in fact, breathe again, it was like you were
Update On CAN Diagnostics
Whether you like it or not, Controller Area Networks (CAN) have taken over. CAN technology has been steadily creeping into more and more new vehicles since it first appeared in 1992 on certain Mercedes-Benz models. Thanks to federal emissions rules, it is now required on all 2008 model year vehicles, and will be forevermore. What
Cleaning Carbon from TDI Intake Systems
Volkwagen has been selling diesel-powered cars in the U.S. for almost 30 years. Turbocharged versions have been available for 25. That is a lot of experience and a testament to the development of a reliable, efficient and durable powerplant. The introduction and development of the TDI (turbocharged direct injection) brought the VW diesel into the