How far is it from that foam on the cap to rings and bearings? A cheery thing to find first thing in the morning – a little blob of oily foam inside the radiator filler cap. But my immediate alarm seemed overdone because there was no corresponding soap foam in the crankcase oil. Whew! No […]
Read More
The oxygen sensor has to be one of the most important sensors on a modern automobile. It helps the ECM maintain the optimum air/fuel ratio for effective catalytic converter operation, and with the advent of OBD-II it monitors the effectiveness of the converter as well. The main oxygen sensor lives in one of the harshest […]
Read More
Business computer programs are like lab scopes: You don’t need them if common sense gives you the answer, but there’s no substitute for them if the problem is complex. They can also be confusing and intimidating, and they work best with a suite of plug-in attachments. Yet they’re powerful tools around once you’ve mastered them. […]
Read More
A coil atop every spark plug. OK, it’s easy enough to see it’s possible. But the question is, why is this a reasonable way to set up an ignition system? Obviously, it costs more to build and buy (as well as to diagnose or fix) than any other kind of ignition system, but what are […]
Read More
John Forro operates an independent training company (A.S.T. Training) and teaches automotive technology mostly in the Cleveland, Ohio, area, venturing afield from time to time as people are interested. His training series includes a number of different courses covering various aspects of the automotive diagnosis and repair business, but the one I attended focused on […]
Read More
Some people find import engines really uplifting – so much, they’ve built airplanes around them.
Read More
Honda’s Linear Air/Fuel Sensor lets the engine sometimes run on extremely lean air-fuel mixtures for fuel economy. But how does it work, and how did they avoid the emissions problem of NOX? In an odd way, they’re the oldest of the ‘new’ oxy-gen sensors. Honda used a special “linear air/fuel sensor” from 1992 to 1995 […]
Read More
Last month’s Front Counter Mechanics described the Car Care Council’s Certified Inspection Center (CIC) program. For those unfamiliar with the Car Care Council (CCC), it is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “educating motorists about the importance of maintenance, repair and enhancements for safer, cleaner, better-performing vehicles.” Only the top shops can be Certified Inspection Centers. […]
Read More
Maxima Shift problem, Trim preservation, Freeze plug replacement, Timing belt tightening, PCV line check
Read MoreOur Greek and Roman forebears invented elaborate mythologies to ‘explain’ the things they saw around them but couldn’t understand. Centuries later, we pride ourselves on our scientific knowledge and scoff at those ancient myths. But as I recently discovered while teaching a course in advanced diagnostic techniques, mythmaking is not dead; we’ve just updated it […]
Read More