Protect your hands- Wear gloves!

I have seen more Auto Mechanics wearing gloves these days. I would think the gloves would make it too hard to do fine work! So why do they wear them?


In the old days, guys called you a wimp if you wore gloves when you worked on cars. Aside from the wimp factor, gloves were too clumsy for fine work. However, Automotive fluids contain caustic or even carcinogenic chemicals(like used motor oil). That's why most auto techs use some type of protection for their hands.

One such glove that has become very popular today is called the Nitrile glove and they work very at protecting your hands. They are made of synthetic latex. They contain no latex proteins and offer excellent resistance to punctures and tears. Nitrile gloves are three times more puncture resistant than rubber and can be used to offer superior resistance to many types of chemicals. Unlike other latex gloves, nitrile gloves have low resistance to friction and are very easy to slide on. There are a few other reasons that nitrile gloves are more popular than other latex or vinyl gloves, including a higher degree of flexibility and superior solvent resistance.

Diagnostic Tech: '00 Dodge Dakota

A 2000 Dodge Dakota SLT, 4.7N engine and automatic transmission came in with a complaint of stalling at idle. It was a few days before I could schedule the job but the truck was left anyway because the owner said he could not drive it with the stalling condition. Shuffling the truck in and out of the shop each day it was easy to see that the truck would stall if the accelerator was released but would remain running if the accelerator was applied slightly. By the time I got around to checking the truck the symptom was gone and the truck would idle without stalling.

Idle control is sometimes a numbers game and even though the truck no longer stalled I could still take a look at some numbers and see what may have caused the problem. There are some important numbers for idle control on this truck. The throttle position sensor voltage is best at 0.65-0.90 volt range and the idle air control counts should be between 10 and 24. These numbers are easy to check with a scan tool. Warm the engine fully and note the readings.

When I checked this truck I found a tps signal at 0.61 and an iac count of 125! The higher the iac count, the harder the idle control is working to maintain the rpm. In this case the iac was being commanded very high just to be able to maintain an idle of 608 rpm.

From the clues, it was likely the throttle bore would need cleaning and some slight throttle adjustment to bring the tps into range. I cleaned the throttle body first and let the engine warm before taking a look at the iac counts again. I want you to see a picture of the throttle before a cleanup. Notice how little carbon buildup it takes to limit minimum airflow and cause an idle problem.

After simply cleaning the throttle bore with some spray carburetor cleaner and a shop rag the iac counts dropped to 38. So now the iac was finding it much easier to maintain 608 rpm. The tps was still slightly low. When I adjust the minimum throttle opening it will raise the tps voltage and the iac counts should drop to compensate because the iac will have to close slightly to drop back to 608 rpm. I ended up with everything right, by the numbers!

The Silent Killer(Carbon Monoxide)- watch out for it!

I have heard that you need to be more careful of exhaust fumes in the winter than in the summer. Is this so?

No!

It's a common misconception that you need to be more careful of exhaust fumes in the winter than in the summer. That was correct before the advent of auto air conditioning because we used to drive with the windows rolled down for ventilation. Today most of us ride with the windows rolled up and the air conditioning turned on which means an exhaust leak can be deadly in the summer too.

A common problem to watch out for is an exhaust tailpipe where the opening has been bent(usually pushed back) in such a way that the exhaust instead of going out the back of the car is pointed under the back bumper. This will cause carbon monoxide to be drawn into the car.

E10 gasoline and moisture in gasoline tank

I have heard that if your using ethanol gasoline known as E10 there is no need to add a dry gas such as (Isopropyl Alcohol) because the ethanol will absorb any moisture that enters the gas tank. Is this so?

Also, if I need to use a gas drier is it ok to use the cheaper Methyl Alcohol instead of the more expensive Isopropyl Alcohol?

NO! There is even greater need to use a gas drier when using E10 gasoline. The problem with an ethanol gasoline is it can only absorb so much water, up to a content of 0.5 volume percent before it will phase separate. Phase separation occurs When the water reaches the maximum amount that the gasoline blend can dissolve, any additional water will separate from the gasoline. When this happens if you want to remove this additional water you will have to remove this moisture by using a dry gas that contains isopropyl.

The problem with Methyl Alcohol is that it will keep the water in your tank from freezing, but it does nothing in the way of removing the water. The other type Isopropyl(Isopropanol)is the preferred one to use because it will mix with the water which will prevent the freezing and at the same time can move this water through the fuel system to be burned off.

Carbon buildup can turn a routine spark plug change into a waking nightmare

I have heard that Ford recommends a specific penetrant called AeroKroil that's marketed by Kano Labs.( http://www.kanolabs.com/) This should be used when removing spark plugs on such engines as 2005 Ford F-150 with the three-valve 5.4L engine.

Why is there such a problem removing those spark plugs?

This one is long, be prepared to read on…

These spark plugs have a very long unthreaded ground electrode shield that extends below the threaded area of the plug. The plug's seat is also above the ground electrode shield. The shield reaches the rest of the way down to the combustion chamber. A side-to-side ground strap, rather than one or more side electrodes, is used, so the plugs do not require gapping. The ground strap looks like a basket handle. Autolite calls these Revolution HT (high thread) plugs.

Because the ground electrode shield is below the plug seat, carbon from the combustion chamber may accumulate between the shield and the cylinder head plug bore. The carbon may cause the plug to seize to the plug bore, so extreme caution must be exercised during spark plug removal. Engine temperature during this procedure is critical—not too hot and not too cold. Ideally, the engine should be warm to the touch. Run the engine to operating temperature, then allow it to cool until it reaches a comfortable working temperature.

Remove the coil-on-plug assemblies, then blow out the spark plug wells and surrounding valve cover area with compressed air. Back out the spark plugs, no more than 1 /8 to 1 /4 turn, then apply penetrating oil to fill the spark plug wells, to a level just above the jam nut hexes. Don't get carried away. Too much penetrant, or repeated soakings, may allow the penetrant to find its way into the cylinders and cause a hydraulic lock. Ford recommends a specific penetrant called AeroKroil that's marketed by Kano Labs ( http://www.kanolabs.com/). If you've had success with another penetrant brand, use it. Allow the penetrant to sit for a minimum of five to ten minutes—longer if possible. Don't work the spark plug back and forth at this point.

After the penetrant has worked its magic, slowly remove the spark plug. It may protest by screeching, and high effort may be noticed. The expected removal torque should be about 33 ft.-lbs. and decrease as the plug comes out. If the plug feels tighter than that, stop! Try turning the spark plug back in by half a turn, then back out again. If the turning torque still seems high, repeat the back-and-forth rotation, while adding more penetrating oil to reduce the turning effort.

The important thing here is to take your time. Some have suggested using air or power tools to "shock" the plug loose. Ford advises against this practice and it sounds like good advice. Anything that applies too much torque to the plug is likely to break it in two (or more) pieces, and that's something that any right-thinking person would want to avoid.

If, despite your careful efforts, one or more spark plugs still break off during removal, all hope is not lost. The Ford TSB (06-15-2) covers the full procedure for removing broken spark plug pieces. We don't have the space to cover the entire removal procedure here, so we'll hit the highlights instead.

When a plug breaks, it may take all of the insulator with it, or a portion may remain behind inside the ground electrode shield. All of the insulator must be removed first, before removing the empty shell of the ground electrode shield. If there's enough to grab on to, use long-reach needle-nose pliers to remove the insulator. More soaking may be required.

If the insulator has broken off flush with the ground electrode shield, as it did for Terry, purchase a drill bit that's designed for glass, ceramic, concrete, etc. Add a 6-in. drill extension and a right-angle drill, then slowly drill out the insulator. A sharp punch can be used to break the insulator into pieces, but try to keep any of the debris from entering the combustion chamber. Vacuum the area around the ground electrode shield when you're done.

The next step involves a special tool (Rotunda Special Service Tool 303-1203) that threads into the ground electrode shield, then pulls it out of the head. This tool is available in the aftermarket as well through OTC. The inside bore of the ground electrode shield must be tapped first, before the special tool can do its thing. As before, a steady approach will give you the best chance of success. If you need any extra motivation, just keep telling yourself, "I don't want to remove those cylinder heads."

When you're ready to install the new spark plugs, apply a film coating of high-temperature nickel antiseize lubricant (Motorcraft XL-2) to the ground electrode shield. Coating the electrode strap may cause a misfire. Do not apply lubricant to the threads and torque the plugs to 25 ft.-lbs. Thankfully, Ford changed the spark plug bore diameter slightly on later models, so this routine shouldn't be necessary on them.

This article was taken from Motor magazine January 2008, written by Karl Seyfert