Sensorship
Analog sensors play an important role in modern engine management systems.
Multi-Testing
Sometimes, if you get lucky, automotive diagnostics can be pretty easy.
Manual Labor
The first time you encounter a balky VW shift mechanism in a Golf or Jetta, you’ll probably end up wishing the owner had opted for the automatic trany.
Belted-Steel Tires
Belted steel, that’s what keeps the cams and cranks singing in unison on most modern engines.
Tech Tips
4-Runner Fuel Pumps; Honda Head Gaskets; Windshield Installation; Porsche Distributor Problems; Audi 5000 Running Problems; Double-Dip Nissan Tips; Loose Spark Plug Leads
Charting A Course
What’s a business plan? A business plan is a map for your business.
UnnECCeSary Roughness
It seems like only a short time ago when we saw the first “computers” that were capable of controlling the operational functions of the automobiles we served and repaired.
Tech Tips
Save Those Hoses; Cooling System Bleeding; Torn Intake Boots; Off-Idle Miss; PCV Valves; Sticking IAC Valve; Dart Practice; Inductive AMP Testing
Volvo 240 Wiring Harness
Volvo ownership-especially ownership of old Volvo 240s-might provide an interesting topic for a Psychology major preparing his doctoral thesis.
Voltage Drops Again!
When you get under the hood, do you find yourself going back to doing things the same way you always have? If so, chances are you will never really get the benefit from what you have learned.
Valve Adjustments: An Open and Shut Case
If you didn’t know how to do a valve adjustment on the full range of these cars, some would say you hadn’t earned the right to call yourself a technician.
Go With The Flow
When the productivity of the sample shop increased from 60 percent to 100 percent, the two technicians earned over $8,000 more per year, and the shop’s annual gross sales increased by more than $85,000.
BMW Timing Belt
BMW timing belt replacements are one of those nice little money makers that don’t require the brain strain involved with driveability or electrical problems.
Tech Tips
Toyota Hard Starts; Mystery Coolant Loss; Assorted Shop Tips; Knock Sensor Testing; Overheating Legacy
Toasted!
Modern automobiles are either electronic marvels or frustrating contraptions, depending on how you feel about automotive electronics.
Pounds Per Square Inch
Anyone with even a few months of automotive experience probably thinks they know how to do an engine compression test.
Breathing Someone Else’s Air
Honda-philes in the audience will recognize the symptoms at a glance: no idle at all when cold, stalling, and massive stumble at throttle tip in.
A Tale of Two Carbs
When the topic of Japanese carburetors comes up, you usually get one of those responses, and very few which fall in the middle ground between the two extremes.
We Won’t Be Fueled Again
There are times when hunches need a little extra time to prove themselves, and rushing through a basic test of a component or system can leave you with a lot of false information which leads to an equally false conclusion.
Frictional Characters
The automotive repair business can be filled with tough breaks, as well as some pretty tough brakes. If you want to keep the latter from turning into the former, it’s important to know when to put your foot down.
In Search Of The Lost Chord
We strum away at strings of logic, and just when we think we’ve got the rhythm, we play it all back but it just doesn’t scan.