Tests Explain Why Beetle Won’t Run
I finally find a one-page black-and-white wiring diagram that’s close in one of my information services’ archives section. I start this “project” with expectations of finding the usual extra problems created by the well-meaning “wannabe” technicians through whose hands this car has passed since its demise some four years ago, according to its registration. It’s also had two different owners since it last ran on its own systems. I find an overfull crankcase with the smell of stale fuel, carboned-up spark plugs and a sensor connector terminal with “baby bird mouth” syndrome.
Serviceability Report: Toyota Tacoma – How Are They to Repair?
We aren’t going to compare a 1972 to a 2008, but we will look at the 2008 vs. the 2002 model. The most popular is the V-6 with 4WD, but with gas prices not going below $4 a gallon, the four-cylinder is looking pretty good these days, and in regard to AWD – do I really need that?
Tips, Tricks that Work
Let’s face it: Sometimes bad things happen to good technicians. Have you ever found yourself in the situation where you are trying to fix a problem, only to create a new one? I have popped the hood to check for a vacuum leak and, in the process, created a vacuum leak by snapping a plastic port off. In this month’s column, I will share a handful of cool tricks and tips that I’ve picked up over the years from co-workers, classes and forums.
Walt’s ’57 ECM Woes
“Drive by wire,” if you’re not familiar, is a system of throttle control using a set of accelerator-pedal-position (APP) sensors to tell the engine-control module (ECM) what the driver would like to have happen with the throttle. The ECM uses a throttle-actuator control (TAC) module, which opens and closes the throttle plate to the desired angle. The TAC module contains a set of throttle-position sensors that operate linearly opposite each other the same way as the APP sensors. Contained inside the TAC module is also an actuator that is driven by the ECM that moves the throttle plate itself.
Serviceability Report: Chevrolet Malibu
The name Malibu brings a lot of us older techs back to a time in the ’60s that was more “car” based and less about the world impact of so many vehicles. My dad drove a 1967 Malibu 307 two-door hardtop, blue with a white vinyl roof, that I borrowed for my first date. Oh, the memories; simpler times for sure.
Technician Safety
How honest are we with ourselves in regard to our safety practices? Do we occasionally find ourselves cutting corners or ignoring safety practices in our bays?
Pinpointing a Chrysler’s No-Start
This time, however, he was trying to decide on whether to retire this car and move on to another. He has two vehicles already running well, and this one is a spare. Clean as a pin for a ’91 and still well under 100,000 on the clock. Ideally, I’d like to have been able to tell him what the cost would be to get the car running without spending a lot of diagnostic time trying to find out why it quit. I mean, it’s a 3.3 Chrysler; how hard can it be?
Serviceability Report: 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid
Most of you have probably not worked on a hybrid Ford. Is it easier to service a gas-only Escape or a hybrid? Let’s find out.
Circuit Interruptus
I recently had a vehicle in with a symptom that I thought would be an easy fix, only to have it take up several hours that I had not anticipated losing. Does this sound familiar?
The 1996 Chevy Tahoe had a customer concern of “No low-beam headlamps.”
And Then There’s Paul
Paul’s list of problems with his car consists of some of the definitions that technicians (especially flat-rate techs) love to hate. Things like “The heat doesn’t always come out right” and “Sometimes the transmission doesn’t want to go like it should” or “The dash doesn’t light all the way up, and the radio needs a new speaker in the back right.”
Serviceability Report: Saab
Remember them? What has happened since GM took over Saab?
So far, we have reviewed Japanese, Korean, English, German and domestic vehicles – vans, trucks and cars. Are the Swedish better at serviceability? Many of us remember the old Saab two-strokes, mixing the oil in the gas. Today’s commercials explain the Saab story with jets flying overhead. General Motors Corp. bought Saab in 1990, and sales haven’t been all that good since the new owner took over. I went on a mission to discover more about this somewhat-forgotten brand. What did I find out? I used the Saab 9-3 for my study.
