Accelerating in 4X4 Comes with a Bang
A while back I had a truck that came into our shop for a noise concern. The customer stated that he heard a loud clunk or repeated popping noise when he would accelerate with the truck in automatic 4×4 mode, as well as in 4×4 high and 4×4 low. He also stated that he didn’t notice the noise under light acceleration in these modes, and that the noise was not present when he was in 2WD under any type of acceleration. The truck was a 2009 K1500 Silverado with a little over 83,000 miles on it. Upon reading the description, it sure seemed like I had a transfer case problem to look into.
Back To Basics – Employee Mgmt
By definition: Management is the skill of being able to plan, lead, communicate, control, and execute by using a group of people to successfully achieve the objectives of the company or organization. A manager is the person who guides, coaches, and controls another person or group of people focused on common goals or outcomes.
No Idle Curiosity
The car was a 2008 Chrysler Sebring with a 2.4-liter engine. She complained that there were times when she stepped on the gas and the car would just idle along. Lately, she told me, the idling had been accompanied by a blinking icon showing two bars and a lightning bolt between them. She said that when the car wouldn’t accelerate, she could turn it off, restart it, and it would be OK for an undetermined amount of time.
Even Odds
In the world of vehicle repair, independent shops also are competing at a disadvantage. In this case, the odds are stacked not in favor of a blackjack dealer, but rather a new-car dealer. Franchised new-car dealerships have ready access to proprietary technical information, equipment and capabilities that are not available to the aftermarket. However, unlike casino games, fixing cars is much more important than a bit of entertainment; it is the lifeblood for many thousands of people, and affects millions of drivers.
RPM Transmissions: Pure Power
Explains RPM founder Rodney Massengale, “We’ve been in this facility for about 5 years. The building originally housed a theater for live performances. It had a wooden stage and theater seats. We worked on renovations, like putting in overhead doors and all, for about six months and then moved in. It seemed like a lot of space at the time, but we’re out of room again. Beyond what’s here we have storage facilities – all of them full – including a building outside that was originally supposed to be single-purposed for a chassis dyno. Now we use if for storage too.”
Jasper Engines and Transmissions: Adapting And Evolving
“We are constantly adapting or adopting procedures that will improve our productivity, hold the line on cost, and by application of those procedures we increase the overall value to the customer.”
How to Be the Good ‘Bad Guy’
Shooting down ideas and projects won’t make you popular, but it’s a necessary evil. As one of the guardians for how we do things and who we are, I’ve learned that there’s a right way and a wrong way for keeping on track.
If You Were the Customer, What Would You Do?
Your choices, like the average consumer, boil down to basically two: You can have it fixed in one of several ways, or you can decide that the vehicle has outlived its usefulness to you and sell, junk or trade it for something new or newer. Your decision will depend upon several factors.
September 2016 Issue
In This Issue
Mazda SkyActiv-Drive Six-Speed Automatic
GM 5L40-E, 5L50-E
A low vacuum reading indicates wear. For speci!c vacuum test parameters, refer to additional information available at www.sonnax.com.
Ford 6R60/6R80 Component Upgrades, Part 2
The second part of this two-part presentation involves planetaries, filter and valve body.
Did You Hear That?
In my experience NVH, (engineering speak for noise, vibration, and harshness) is one of the more time consuming and difficult diagnostic situations. The manufacturers work extremely hard at ensuring that their automobiles have as quiet environment as possible inside the passenger compartment. They have to contend with road noise from the tires, air noises while the car is at speed, mechanical noises from the operation of the engine, driveline, and other components, noise due to weather, harmonic vibrations from various components, and increasingly sensitive consumers.
