Author: Import Service

Test Bench: MotorVac Carbon Clean System

Joe Vehicle Owner would buy a can of his favorite brand of spray carburetor cleaner, remove the air cleaner, spray the heck out of anything that looked like it had anything to do with carburetion, start the engine, then finish the treatment by spraying the remainder of the can down the carburetor throat while attempting to keep the engine running.

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Circuit Savvy Part One

It doesn’t have to be that way. This article begins a series of articles on electrical circuit analysis that will help you understand the operating principles of electric circuits. It will help you troubleshoot tough electrical problems and give you the “circuit savvy” to attack difficult electrical problems with confidence.

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Airbags – More Hot Air?

It’s been five years since we brought you a feature length article on airbags (October 1993 Import Service). Five years ago, airbag-equipped vehicles made up just 10 percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet. According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics, airbag-equipped vehicles on the road today represent approximately 41 percent of all cars […]

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Pumped Up

When Bob Dylan sang “The times they are a-changing,” he probably wasn’t referring to changes in the automotive repair industry. But as we know, there are very few things that change as rapidly as electronic fuel control systems and emissions components. Keeping up with new model year changes is hard enough, not to mention the […]

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Motronic 4.3 – 4.4

Motronic 1.8 was followed by Motronic 4.3-4, which added the ability to perform OBD-II systems fault monitoring. While the Motronic control unit on all of these systems controls ignition timing, it also ensures that the ignition coil is optimally charged, regardless of engine speed. The two knock sensors on the Volvo’s five cylinder engine, along […]

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