Diagnosing problems in cars often requires running diagnostics tests. Learn more about diagnostics from the informative articles found right here in this section.
Newest Topics
Transmission Diagnosis Panama City FL
Local resource for transmission diagnosis in Panama City, FL. Includes detailed information on local companies providing auto services and which give access to transmission repair, transmission fluid, transmission failure, transmission additives, transmission leak sealers, transmission troubleshooting, fuel system repairs, transmission leak repair and to other transmission services.
Investigating Intermittent Stalling Problems Panama City FL
Intermittent stalling also can be caused by a bad idle air bypass motor or idle speed control motor. If these devices fail to provide the correct idle speed, the engine may die. Sometimes the fault is in the PCM or the inputs to the PCM. The factory programming may not provide enough idle speed when the A/C is on, when the alternator is under high load or when the temperature is unusually hot or cold. The fix here may be to reflash the PCM with the latest OEM update.
Fuel System Foul Ups Panama City FL
A vehicle's fuel level must be accurately measured by the PCM in order to detect evaporative leaks. Consequently, newer fuel gauge configurations often incorporate a small module that may require as much as 20 minutes to compute the actual fuel level in the fuel tank.
Searching for the Diagnostic Path Panama City FL
Searching for the diagnostic path recognizes that any diagnostic procedure is limited by time, money and the probability of success. Time, for example, is always limited by the need to make a profit at a reasonable cost to the customer.
Temperature Issues Panama City FL
It's important to keep in mind that all electronic vehicle components are exposed to temperature extremes and thus are vulnerable to temperature-related failures.
All Topics
A Tutorial in Hyundai Driveability Panama City FL
Diagnosing a driveability problem starts with the customer interview. When you are able to obtain the proper details about the vehicle's symptoms, you will be able to diagnose the source of the problem more efficiently.
A/C Update: Diagnosing Rodent Damage Panama City FL
The new DuPont refrigerants, which are now undergoing performance, toxicity and safety testing, are expected to be non-flammable and have significantly lower GWP than current refrigerants. Unlike CO2, however, these newly developed refrigerants are expected to offer similar performance to HFC-134a and would not require a complete redesign of current automotive air conditioning systems.
Belt and Hose Inspections Panama City FL
The A/C compressor and power steering belt also had to be removed before the alternator drive belt could be accessed. Years of corrosion made removing the A/C compressor belt more challenging than it should have been, and an even greater array of tools was required to budge the tensioning pulley from its corroded mounting. Perhaps this example explains why many quick-service facilities give hose and belt inspection a relatively low priority on their service menus.
BMW Climate Control Diagnostics Panama City FL
BMW has used the same basic system for the last 25 years or more for regulation of interior temperature, window defrosting and ventilation. The focus of this article will be the 3 and 5 Series cars of the last 15 years, but the information on repair and diagnosis is applicable to all models. Read on to know resolutions to cooling systems.
Comprehensive Line of ANCO Rear Wiper Blades Panama City FL
Featuring original equipment look and fit, new ANCO rear blades provide excellent wiping performance as well as fast, easy installation without the need for extra connectors. The new product line includes 11-, 12- and 14-inch wiper lengths and all four common arm connection types. Federal-Mogul Corporation has introduced a comprehensive new line of ANCO rear wiper blades covering more than 95 percent of rear integral blade applications. ANCO wipers are “The Clearest Choice in Wiper Blades.”
Decoding the Past Panama City FL
So how do we get from reading a code to accurately replacing a part? To start with, let's look at what the fault code is truly telling us. We're looking for more than just the official description that might look like "EGR low flow detected" or "Bank 1 lean condition" and so on, we are looking deeper to see what the code is truly saying.
Diagnosing an Engine that Won't Start Panama City FL
For any engine to start, three things are necessary: fuel, compression and spark. If any of these components is lacking, the engine won’t start. Read on to have a whole view of the diagnositics of engine that does not start.
Diagnosing and Fixing Compressor Failures Panama City FL
The compressor is the heart of the refrigeration circuit. It pumps and pressurizes the refrigerant to move it through the A/C system. Read on for more detailed information on diagnosing compressor failures in the following article.
Diagnosing Ford F-250 Engine Miss Panama City FL
1999 Ford F-250 5.4L has an engine miss and the Check Engine light is on with code P0304 in memory. Read on for details of diagnosing Ford F-250 engine miss.
Diagnosing Honda Accord EX with Trouble Code P0325 Panama City FL
An illuminated check engine light on a customer’s 1998 Honda Accord EX, that is registering a trouble code P0325, could be caused by the knock sensor, the connection, wire harness or the Engine Control Module (ECM). Replace the knock sensor and the trouble code resets.
Driving Forces Behind a Driveability Technician Panama City FL
Whatever his name might be, most of us know that driveability techs are smart, sometimes contentious, and most often completely absorbed in what they do. In order to stay on top of their game, most spend their spare time studying the diagnostic process.
Electrical Wiring in Cars Panama City FL
After much trial and error and a great amount of frustration on my part, I found that all of these failures were caused by a wire losing continuity inside the insulation or at a terminal evidently crimped over the insulation on the wire. Not that this is a common failure; as a matter of fact, it's relatively rare. In 40 years of repairing motor vehicles, I had previously encountered this condition only once or twice.
Fretting Corrosion Panama City FL
Fretting and fretting wear can occur on non-electrical things like bearings, but fretting corrosion is something that is associated more with electrical contacts. Fretting corrosion is the name for a buildup of insulating, oxidized wear debris that can form when there is small amplitude fretting motion between electrical contacts. If you work with automotive terminals, you may have heard folks talking about fretting corrosion. A lot of people know that fretting corrosion isn’t a good thing, but they aren’t sure exactly what it is. Hopefully, the following information will help explain what fretting corrosion is all about.
Fuel Leakage Panama City FL
Oh no, you just pulled a code P0422, evaporative purge small leak detected… Here goes the needle in the haystack syndrome. So what do you do? Recommend a new gas cap and ship it? Well you could do that, but would that be in your or your customer's best interest? You might get lucky and fix some like that. However, that type of approach is a recheck waiting to happen.
Fuel System Foul Ups Panama City FL
A vehicle's fuel level must be accurately measured by the PCM in order to detect evaporative leaks. Consequently, newer fuel gauge configurations often incorporate a small module that may require as much as 20 minutes to compute the actual fuel level in the fuel tank.
Fundamentals of Electrical System Diagnosis Panama City FL
Electrical principles, like voltage, amperage and resistance, can be described as cars passing along the roadway. Voltage would be the vehicle's speed, amperage would be the number of vehicles on the road at the same time, and resistance would be the potholes in the road's surface.
Getting In-Sync with a Couple Wranglers Panama City FL
I've experienced some trouble with the Hall effect crankshaft position sensors and have had a few ignition coil failures, but have otherwise had very little difficulty quickly diagnosing both hard and intermittent failures in these systems - until recently, that is.
How Sensors Provide 'Good Input' for Diagnostics Panama City FL
In this article, we will touch on some common diagnostic tips, as well as the more technical tests of the components in the relationship between the ignition system and related sensors. We'll also provide insight into some of the more frequent failures that we encounter, how we arrive at the diagnosis and make the repair.
Investigating Intermittent Stalling Problems Panama City FL
Intermittent stalling also can be caused by a bad idle air bypass motor or idle speed control motor. If these devices fail to provide the correct idle speed, the engine may die. Sometimes the fault is in the PCM or the inputs to the PCM. The factory programming may not provide enough idle speed when the A/C is on, when the alternator is under high load or when the temperature is unusually hot or cold. The fix here may be to reflash the PCM with the latest OEM update.
Leak Detection Dye Panama City FL
Tracerline Dye-Lite Clear-Blue fluorescent dye makes it easy for technicians to locate coolant leaks in engine systems. This specially formulated dye is safe to use for both extended-life and conventional coolants. Tracerline Dye-Lite Clear-Blue fluorescent dye makes it easy for technicians to locate coolant leaks in engine systems. This specially formulated dye is safe to use for both extended-life and conventional coolants. It is approved for use by Ford.
Mass Air Flow Operation Strategy Panama City FL
In order to diagnose fuel-related problems caused by faulty A/F meters, it's very important to understand how the meter itself operates. The operating principles of hot-wire mass A/F meters are, on the surface, very simple.
Matching Your Techs with the Right Job Panama City FL
Just a single decade ago, many industry experts speculated that 80% of the workflow passing through an independent repair shop would involve some type of high-level diagnostic process. Today, it's obvious that, with the infusion of electronic operating systems, high-level diagnostics is now approaching that level of total workflow.
OBD II Engine Diagnostics Panama City FL
The problem with reading OBD II codes is that the code tells you only that a fault has occurred. It does not tell you why the fault occurred, what might be causing the problem, or what needs to be repaired or replaced.
Playing the Diagnostic Shell Game Panama City FL
Are diagnostic technicians the victims of deception? Not really, because automotive engineers are constantly trying to out-smart their own creations by trying to devise an "on-board diagnostic" or OBD system that will detect any type of system failure.
Searching for the Diagnostic Path Panama City FL
Searching for the diagnostic path recognizes that any diagnostic procedure is limited by time, money and the probability of success. Time, for example, is always limited by the need to make a profit at a reasonable cost to the customer.
Servicing a Malfunctioning Automotive Ignition Switch Panama City FL
The automotive ignition switch, formerly a straightforward device used to connect battery voltage to various circuits and prevent theft of the vehicle, has recently been switched up. It won’t crank. It won’t start. The radio doesn’t work. The gauges drop out. I can’t get module response with the scan tool.
Servicing Quadrajet Carburetors Panama City FL
Unlike any other carburetor on the market at the time, the Quadrajet nestled its float bowl between its two primary venturis so that intake air would cool the float bowl assembly. The float bowl’s fuel volume is also kept to a minimum to maximize fuel circulation through the float bowl. Both features drastically reduce fuel percolation in the float bowl when underhood temperatures reach a high extreme.
Squeak & Rattle Noises from Idler Pulley Panama City FL
Due to a possible out-of-tolerance condition on the idler pulley shaft, some pulleys may have bearings that spin on the inner shaft and may cause a squeaking or rattling noise. The supercharger may be perfectly fine and the source of the noise may simply be the idler pulley.
Subaru Parasitic Battery Draw Panama City FL
This bulletin provides the diagnostic procedure when checking for excessive battery draw for any Subaru model. If want to know how to deal with this situation in Subaru, read on to know it.
Tech Feature: Rediscovering Your DMM Relationship Panama City FL
Sometimes we become so caught up in leading-edge diagnostic technology that we forget that a professional-grade digital volt-ohm meter (DVOM) or digital multimeter (DMM) is a vital tool in any technician's diagnostic arsenal.
Tech Tip: Volkswagen MIL On/DTC P1603 (18011) Stored Panama City FL
If DTC P1603 (18011) "Control unit faulty" is stored in the DTC memory on an affected vehicle, do not automatically replace ECM for this condition. First perform the following procedure.
Temperature Issues Panama City FL
It's important to keep in mind that all electronic vehicle components are exposed to temperature extremes and thus are vulnerable to temperature-related failures.
The Future of Diagnostics is in the CAN Panama City FL
CAN is essentially an engineering standard for how computers and modules talk to one another via the serial data bus in a vehicle's wiring system. It's a high-speed standard designed for powertrain control modules, antilock brakes and stability control systems.
Transmission Diagnosis Panama City FL
Local resource for transmission diagnosis in Panama City, FL. Includes detailed information on local companies providing auto services and which give access to transmission repair, transmission fluid, transmission failure, transmission additives, transmission leak sealers, transmission troubleshooting, fuel system repairs, transmission leak repair and to other transmission services.
Who's at Fault?...Top 10 Domestic Diagnostic Codes & Fixes Panama City FL
A diagnostic trouble code (DTC) certainly helps, but it only tells you that some kind of fault has occurred, and maybe the circuit or component associated with the fault. But no code by itself can tell you which part to replace, because in many instances any one of several causes may have set the code. Keep that in mind as you read about the codes below and the fixes that may solve these faults.
