Feature Articles

StarTuned July 2001

StarTuned July 2001

In this issue: Climate Control Systems; Mercedes-Benz Acronyms; A Tale of Two Relays; No Start Diagnosis; Numbers and More Numbers; Parts News; Factory Service Bulletins

Tech Tips July 2001

Tech Tips July 2001

Bimmer Clutch Damp AIR (VW and Volvo air pump) Draining Uphill (gearboxes and differentials) Hood Prop Prop (lift cylinders wear out…) Temporary Special Tool (Toyota Celica TPS sensor lower screw access)

Subaru Air Conditioning Service Regulations

Subaru Air Conditioning Service Regulations

The refrigerant changeover from CFC-12 to HFC-134a has lead to some incorrect assumptions among service technicians. This summary of the EPA Clean Air Act rules which apply to automobile air conditioning systems should help.

A Quest For Control

A Quest For Control

As long as electronics have been around and as long as they will exist, someone will always try to economize on circuit materials. When too much current is applied for the circuit materials to handle, the electronics overheat. Heat is the skulking menace of electronics. If all the heat could be dissipated effectively, most electronic […]

Honda Main Relay Insider

Honda Main Relay Insider

In previous articles we discussed electrical troubleshooting techniques for measuring circuit voltages and voltage drops using a DMM. We also discussed using a DMM to measure resistance. But let’s not get so focused on the theory of DMM’s and voltage and resistance measurement. If we do, we risk overlooking the application of these principles to […]

Business Software Part Five

Business Software Part Five

Part Four of the “Front Counter Mechanics” Business Software series (Import Service, November 2000) described how to retrieve certain facts and figures from shop management pro-grams, then import the data into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. This month’s article describes how to import data that Excel doesn’t recognize. Previous articles described how to use Microsoft WordPad […]

Autodiagnostic Therapy

Autodiagnostic Therapy

Curing the Camry’s intermittent ailment was hard enough, but psychoanalyzing the anxious owner had to come first. Autopsychology: The Art It looked very sharp for a nine-year-old car. The still shiny ’91 Camry came in running fine, on its own with no obvious problems – no misses, no smoke, nothing scraping, banging, flapping, clanking or […]

Telematics: A Full Menu of Options

Telematics: A Full Menu of Options

The recent SAE Future Transportation Technology Conference in Costa Mesa, California, provided information on hybrid electric vehicles, 42-volt electrical systems, alternate fuel and fuel cell technology, Intelligent Data Bus (IDB) and OBD-II+ systems. All of these technologies will (perhaps) find their way into new vehicles in the not-too distant future. However, I believe the Intelligent […]