Nissan: Driveability Issues
Earning Loyal Customers Through Accurate and Efficient Diagnostics This article will take a look at some of the common problems that cause check engine lights to illuminate and/or driveability problems on the popular Nissan line of vehicles. With many states adopting statewide OBD II emission inspections, the days of ignoring the light are over. We’ll
Diagnostic Solutions: Reading Spark Plugs Is As Much An Art As It Is A Science
Barring mechanical contact between the spark plug and piston, just about any randomly selected spark plug will ignite the gasoline and air compressed into an engine’s combustion chamber. Very few spark plugs, however, will continue to perform well under a wide range of engine temperatures, loads and speeds, not to mention lasting well beyond today’s
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Internal Engine Diagnostics
The nuts and bolts of measuring cylinder leakage In OBD II diagnostics, most of us know that an external component like a faulty fuel injector, ignition coil, spark plug or spark plug wire is usually responsible for a P0300-series cylinder misfire trouble code. Nevertheless, even with more sophisticated onboard diagnostic strategies, the PCM usually can’t
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Fuel System Foul Ups
Are the fuel pump returns from your shop going up? Understanding the root cause of technician errors is the first step to successfully managing fuel system parts purchases and returns. Over the years, vehicle fuel systems have become more complex as OEs look to improve fuel burning and engine efficiency. And during that time, industry
Scan Tools: Tune In, Tune Up, Cash In
What is with all the new interest in music? Everywhere in the car industry and the aftermarket, people are talking about the “tuner” market. Are they talking about the old stereo of Dad’s in the den? Maybe they are talking about the newest disk player that can support mpeg and iPod? No! The interest is
Diagnostics Through CAN Networks
Since model year 2003, a growing number of domestic and import vehicles have been built with a new onboard communications protocol called CAN (Controller Area Network). CAN is essentially an engineering standard for how computers and modules talk to one another via the serial data bus in a vehicle’s wiring system. It’s a high speed
Diagnostic Solutions: Upgrades That Deliver Performance and Pizzazz
Checking the Basics Saves Time When Chasing Check Engine Codes
Tech Feature: Solving Intermittent Electrical Problems
Intermittent electrical faults are the bane of the auto repair business. If an electrical component has failed, or there is an open or a short in a circuit, you can usually find it fairly quickly because it isn’t hiding from you. It’s a persistent fault that can be isolated by a systematic process of elimination.
The Future of Diagnostics Is In The CAN
Since model year 2003, a growing number of domestic and import vehicles have been built with a new onboard communications protocol called CAN (Controller Area Network). CAN is essentially an engineering standard for how computers and modules talk to one another via the serial data bus in a vehicle’s wiring system. It’s a high-speed standard
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Diagnosing Rodent Damage
Of all the technical innovations of the past century, the plastic-insulated copper wire is one of the most dependable components found in the modern automobile. Sure, this summer I had three different cases of the copper wire actually being broken inside the plastic insulation. In the first two instances, I had the intake air temperature
VW OBD II Revisited: Good Vehicle Service History Helps Determine Causes of Repeat Failures
After 10-plus years of dealing with OBD II, it should be apparent that we are on a learning curve that probably has no end. Almost daily we have a VAG model come into the shop with a check engine light on, or a “state OBD II failure” form. Although we have the latest scanner software
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Making the Case with Scan Tool Graphing
I’ve recently updated to test equipment that’s able to save graphed data on a compact flash or CF card. In this case, while the equipment happens to be a Snap-on SOLUS scan tool and a Snap-on Vantage Pro lab scope and graphing multimeter, keep in mind that other equipment on the market is equally capable