A sawtooth signal dying into a digital signal? That sounded strange. “Are you sure? What signal is it?” I asked. “Well, it has to be the rpm signal. I’ve scoped every wire at the distributor and this is the only one with a pattern like a magnetic pickup.” After a few more questions, I suspected […]
In our last installment (February 1999 Import Service), we covered ECU locations and explained how to recover diagnostic trouble codes (DTC’s) from Honda engine management systems. This month we’ll discuss exactly what the codes mean, explain why and how a code can set and identify the high-percentage repair that will usually fix the car. Keep […]
One of the pleasures of running a small business is taking the time to get to know people. One of the more interesting people I’ve had the good fortune to know for many years is my friend Steve the llama farmer. When it’s not the growing season (which is very short in the Puget Sound), […]
I’d like to talk about AC ripple and dispel some misconceptions about what is it and what causes it. To do this, I will have to teeter along some of the borderlines of electronic theory, and things may seem a bit abstract at first. Please understand my purpose is not to prepare electrical engineers for […]
On Germany’s unlimited-speed Autobahns and the similar limited-access highways in Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy, you’ll see (and hear) cars decelerating rapidly from over 150 mph. As those cars bind it down to zero from three-figure Autobahn cruise, there’s sometimes a long, loud brake squeal, a noise the drivers usually ignore.
Voltage and current in series and parallel circuits are relatively easy to understand because we can use descriptions that are clear and logical. For example, in a series circuit, all components in series pass the same total current (I) and the sum of the voltage drops around a series circuit equal the total applied voltage […]
Motronic systems combine ignition timing with knock control, fuel injection, fuel economy and emissions control. Combining all these functions into a single control unit allows adaptive strategies to control idle speed, ignition timing and fuel injection, depending upon actual operating conditions.
At the risk of borrowing an overused analogy one too many times, what’s the first thing the doctor does after he asks for your medical insurance card? He starts his checkup by taking your vital signs, beginning with your body temperature, right?
1998 Tech Tip Winner Nissan Intentional Backfire Cure Tension Please! Honda Brake Pointers
The self-diagnostic systems for Honda automobiles equipped with PGM-FI fuel injection have followed a very consistent strategy. The beginings of this strategy can be traced back to the 1985 CRX Si, the late production 1985 Prelude Si and the 1985 Accord SEi. Three different methods of diagnostic trouble code retrieval have been employed and the […]