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
Mercedes-Benz Factory Service Bulletins: Fuel Pump Noises; Rear Axle; Speedometer needle; Engine stall; noises; central locking system…
These suggestions and solutions for technical problems come from service bulletins published by Mercedes-Benz, selected and adapted for independent repair shops.
Mercedes-Benz Parts News: Cabin Filters; Batteries
Current Mercedes-Benz models use cabin filters, sometimes two in series, to clean the incoming air to the passenger compartment…It’s neither convenient nor economical to wait until failure before replacing a battery.
Numbers and More Numbers
The Mercedes-Benz vehicle type, service groups, parts and information classifications.
Mercedes-Benz No Start Diagnosis
Fire, fuel or pressure. Find what’s failed fast.
A Tale of Two Relays
Two little boxes a Mercedes-Benz carries, and what’s inside.
Subsystem Acronyms
Some are English; some are German. We have them all (we think!).
Mercedes-Benz Climate Control Systems
Set and Forget: The Mercedes-Benz Automatic Climate Control
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)
Off the Hook – Acura Engine Transplants for Fun and Profit
Engine Transplants for Fun and Profit.
Volkswagen: Primary Electrical System Troubleshooting
Primary Electrical System Troubleshooting.
Subaru EndWrench Spring 2001
In this issue: HFC-134a Air Conditioning Service and Testing; Air Conditioning Service Regulations
Subaru HFC-134a Air Conditioning Service and Testing
These service and testing procedures should be used to diagnose, service and repair Subaru air conditioning systems charged with HFC-134a refrigerant.
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.
Froggy came a-shortin’: Mazda Retractable Headlights, Part 2
The complex electrical web of the Mazda retractable headlight system, unraveled at last.
Routine Maintenance 101
One of my main income-generating activities involves ‘routine’ maintenance services on Hondas
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
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
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
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
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 […]