carfix_online

Car Buying Tips: #1 Rule You Need To Know Before Buying a Used Car

2012-02-03T16:40:00.000-05:00

Pat Goss explains in's & out's of used car buying

Winter_Driving_with Pat Goss

2012-01-27T12:26:00.000-05:00

Final "Extra" Episode: Pat Goss does get stumped!

2012-01-20T16:05:00.001-05:00

It was going to happen sooner or later, but finally someone(Guess who?)stumped Pat Goss on his radio show. Listen by clicking below.

Stump Pat: Episode 7

2012-01-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

Another try at stumping Pat goss!

Stump Pat: Episode 6

2012-01-06T16:32:00.000-05:00

They are still trying to stump Pat Goss! Can it be done?

It came out from under the Dash!

2011-12-30T18:54:00.005-05:00

Years ago when I was very young my father who was not a mechanic but a fairly good handy man, as he built his own club basement had fixed a problem on his old American Motors Rambler, that allowed him to drive the car, until it could be properly repaired. How did he know what to do?

The problem was the ignition switch which on those cars was prone to going bad. When it went bad it would keep the starter motor engaged and as you know it, if left running while the engine was running, it would burn up the starter motor in short order.

I can remember my father reaching underneath the dash, and low and behold, not even looking he pulled out this green wire which apparently came off the ignition switch. I was amazed "It came out from under the Dash" It must have not been on tight and it was a spade type of termination, because if just came off without any tools!

It was the starter solenoid feed wire. That wire was connected to the part of the ignition switch that apparently shorted out and was constantly applying 12 volts to the starter solenoid. The starter stopped spinning and he had found a way to temporary control the starter by placing a jumper wire between the wire he removed and the terminal it came off, from the back of the starter switch, until he had the switch replaced. At least he could drive it then.

Was it just plain dumb luck that he happened to pull the right wire off the starter switch? I never asked him. I guess back then I just didn't have the interest in how things got fixed. But to me it was like a magic trick. That's probably why I remember the story today!

Stump Pat: Episode 5

2011-12-30T16:30:00.002-05:00

The Fifth attempt to stump Pat Goss with a question he can't answer!

How back pressure works

2011-12-30T08:17:00.001-05:00

He is back. After over a year Dave Rock has a channel back. In this presentation he shows you how and why back pressure on an engine makes it run.

Ode to Santa and the Economy

2011-12-24T07:25:00.001-05:00

Ode to Santa and the Economy Gonzo 2011There goes Santa, running for his sleigh; He’s gotta run fast, to get away.You see, the economy has struck the North Pole as well; The elves are on strike, and his wife is givin' em' hell.These days when Santa appears at the local department store; It’s not just for fun or photos, but for gifts he needs to score.He'll check the store layout and make a quick dash;Why even Santa max'd out his credit card and is low on cash.So off he goes, into the night; To find those gifts, and get out of sight.Now, he’s not going to make a whole lot of stops;‘Cause look out Santa… here comes the cops.Santa leaps to his sleigh and flys far into the night; Carrying all those gifts, on his yearly flight.Way into the morning, the police search high and low;Only to find a few tracks left in the snow.You'll hear all the alarms blaring, late into the night;But old Saint Nick will be long gone, and clean out of sight. Santa has to be quick, to have it done by Christmas Eve;So many gifts, and so many places to be…The presents will be wrapped, and the tags will be off;Cause old Santa is very careful, not to get caught.So check your presents, early on Christmas day;(Keep it hush-hush if they're from Santa, OK...?) Now, I don’t know if Old Saint Nick, stopped at your house or not; But I thought you should know … … … … … THOSE GIFTS ARE HOT ! !Happy Holidays to All

Stump Pat: Episode 4

2011-12-23T16:28:00.001-05:00

The series continues to Stump Pat Goss with a question!

Lauren Fix Ambushes Drivers

2011-12-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

Stump Pat: Episode 3

2011-12-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

The series to stump Pat Goss continues!

Stump Pat: Episode 2

2011-12-09T16:23:00.002-05:00

Second of series to see if Pat Goss can be stumped!

Hey Look, I Found The Loose Nut

2011-12-07T18:55:00.001-05:00

Looking for a great Christmas gift for that hard to find person? Pick up a copy of my best selling book "Hey Look, I Found the Loose Nut" it's a hysterical look at what goes on at a repair shop from the mechanics point of view. Very short stories, (only a page or two) never boring and quite funny. Great gift idea even for the non-reader of books or novels.Available at Amazon.com or autographed copies at www.gonzostoolbox.com (use your paypal account) Hope everyone has a great holiday this year and an even better new year. http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Look-Found-Loose-Nut/dp/0881444308/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323301862&sr=1-1

Stump Pat: Episode 1

2011-12-02T16:21:00.002-05:00

The first of the series to see if Pat Goss can be stumped! Listen below

Detective On Duty

2011-11-26T07:28:00.001-05:00

Detective On Duty (A "Sherlock Holmes" effort to find the owner of a vehicle)

Gonzo 2011 It’s pouring down, the tow driver is dropping off a car alongside the shop. Carrying the keys into the office, he’s drenched from head to toe. “Here ya go, have fun with this one.” I knew nothing about the car, and the tow driver only had a last name and nothing more. What to do now? I guess the only thing to do is to see if the tow company had a phone number to go along with the name. I tried the phone number several times, but never got an answer. Since I didn’t have anything else to go on, and I had plenty of other work to do in the shop, I decided to let it sit outside in the rain until I heard from the owner. Several days went by, the rain had stopped and still no phone call. I tried the number again but this time the number was no longer in service. It was an 89 Ford Ranger, looked pretty nice, clean… good tires, no broken glass. Seemed like a nice little truck not to have someone concerned about it. The shop was pretty much caught up that afternoon, so I thought I’d take the keys out to the little truck and see what was going on. Since I hadn’t even bothered to check the truck out beforehand, I figured it can’t hurt to see if there was anything in the glove box for an insurance card or something that might have a name on it. The truck was spotless, there wasn’t anything in the glovebox except for the owner’s manual. No name, no insurance card, not even a scrap of paper anywhere in it. While I’m here I might as well open the hood and check things out. Was I in for a surprise, no wonder the tow driver told me “Have fun with this one.” Under the hood was not a 1989 2.3 liter… more like about a 95 2.3 liter engine. (Pretty much the same engine but entirely different electrical systems.) All the electrical harnesses didn’t match. Now, I need to make another phone call. I called the tow company that dropped it off to ask them where they picked it up from and see if I could track the owner down that way. They knew exactly where it came from. It was from a salvage yard. Ok, time for another phone call. “Oh that truck, yeah I remember that one,” the guy front the salvage yard told me, “The fella who owns it dropped it off for us to put an engine in that he bought from us. We told him we didn’t think it was going to work, even though the original engine was the same size.” However, they didn’t have much more information on the owner than what I already had. But, they said they would keep an eye out for the guy if he showed up again. So here’s this little truck sitting out in my parking lot, with the wrong year motor in it and no owner. Now I need to do some more phone work. This time I decided to use the VIN and the license plate number to find something out. A few more phone calls thru the DMV and I had a name of a guy at an insurance agency. Seems the car was a theft recovery that was picked up by the insurance company. The original motor was blown after a long high speed chase by the police. The owner was arrested on drug charges and the car was confiscated (as is their usual policy). The car then was sold at an insurance auction, after the insurance company obtained it back from the police department. Another phone call led me to the auction house where (after a lot of searching) they came up with the used car lot that purchased the truck. Now I’ve got to call these guys… geez… this is getting to be a long affair. After talking to them and more research they finally had a first name to go with the last name that I already had and a different phone number.I gave the number a try. It rang and rang I was getting worried that all this phone work was going to end up as another dead end. Then a voice came on the phone. “Hey, a, yea … Hello?” “Hi ya doin’ is your name Jake? Do you own a Ford Ranger that had a motor put into it over at a salvage yard?” “Ah… yeah, Ah, wow, like dude… that’s my truck, who’s this?” I gave him all my information and explained to him how I tracked him down. He didn’t seem too impressed, (I thought I did an OUTSTANDING job of tracking this guy down!), but said he was on his way down to see what I’ve done to his truck. The sad part about it… I haven’t done a thing other than poking my head under the hood. When “Jake” finally showed up at the shop, I told him what would have to be done to get the truck running. He was under the impression that you just hook up a couple of wires and it would take off and run like new. Not quite the case there Jake, my friend. It’s going to take a little more than a few wires; more like quite a few wires as a matter of fact. I gave him the options on what could be done with what he had to work with. The big issue was now the cost… (Of course $$) and young Jake didn’t have a dime to spend on it. He was out of a job, and didn’t have any way of paying for repairs. Luckily, the tow bill was paid by the salvage yard (I think they just wanted it out of there) Jake had to go home and think about it. Well, I know what “think about it” really means… it means “I can’t afford it, so I’ll have to think of some other way of taking care of it.” A weekend went by and Monday morning the car was still sitting in the lot. By that afternoon a guy came by snooping around the little Ranger. I went out to greet the guy. He said he was going to buy the truck, and asked me what was wrong with it. I wasn’t surprised when he also didn’t understand what it was going to take to get it going. Later that day Jake called and told me he was selling the truck. What could I say, “OK?” or “Hey dude… I just played “Private Eye” to track you down. At least have the courtesy to ask the age old question, “Do I owe you anything?” So I can at least say; “Nay, no problem, that’s OK thanks for asking… hope you get on your feet soon.” But no, all he said was; “I think he’ll pick it up sometime this week.” Click… Another week went by and no one has come by to look at the truck. I’ve done all that I can… I’ve pretty much given up on the truck and the owner. The next Monday morning when I came into the shop the truck was gone. Not that I was surprised, but I did call Jake and this time I got his answering machine.“Ah, like, ah… I ain’t here… leave a message.” BEEP “Hey, Jake, your truck is gone. I guess your buddy came by and picked it up, come down sometime, and I’ll give you the keys.” All the effort I put into finding this guy, all the time I spent writing down phone numbers, contacting people, gathering information and compiling the history on this truck, and all I have to show for it is a set of keys. I guess I’m not the mechanic on duty … I’m the detective on duty.That was nearly a year ago and I still have the keys. I guess Jake’s buddy doesn’t need the keys either. Maybe someday I’ll put an ad in the paper in the lost and found section:“Lost Ford Ranger… used to belong to Jake… If you found it… I’ve got the keys.”Find even more stories at www.gonzostoolbox.com Be sure to pickup a copy of my best selling book, "Hey Look, I Found the Loose Nut" Short stories from the repair shop with a touch of humor... great gift idea.

How To Safely Change A Tire

2011-11-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

Does your Gm car need a special engine oil such as Dexos?

2011-11-18T17:01:00.001-05:00

Pat Goss describes why you need to know what type of engine oil is required in your General motors car. Listen below to the audio clip.

Fuel System Diagnostics

2011-11-12T08:03:00.001-05:00

Fuel system diagnostics

Fuel delivery, fuel condition, and fuel volatility are an important part of today's vehicles. Getting the fuel to the engine is a lot different today than it was back in the days of carburetors. The only thing the fuel had to do then, was make it from the fuel tank to the carburetor by means of a mechanical pump. Today, it's high pressure pumps, multiple volume controlled fuel pumps, and varying fuel pressures to accommodate engine loads. With all of this going on the fuel has to be monitored constantly to insure of it's condition. These days, the fuel delivery system is monitored and the actual condition of

the fuel lines, the fuel tank itself, as well as the gas cap are

all a part of the evaluation conducted by the PCM. Emission

systems have come a long way from the first attempts at

environmental controls. The very first systems merely

pulled vapor out of the tank by way of a vacuum system and

fed the hydrocarbons into an activated charcoal canister

system for release into the atmosphere. Now, we not only

accomplish that task, but we verify the quality of the job the

system is doing and the integrity of the components in the

emission system.

It's almost impossible to talk about fuel systems without getting into EVAP systems as well. EVAP codes are a very common occurrence. P0455 is one of the most common. “Gross” meaning “large” leak can be an indication of a leak or more than likely... operator error... (forgetting to put the gas cap back on correctly.) P0457 is the more direct code for the fuel cap not installed correctly but either code really means the same thing... a large leak.

Using this example; a 2003 Mazda Tribute, if a P0455 is set the EVAP monitoring system will shut down and not run its self test. A secondary code is usually associated with it (DTC P1450 Unable to bleed-up fuel tank vacuum). The EVAP running loss system monitor will abort and not continue with the leak check portion of its test. If the leak is taking care of (IE.. put the gas cap back on) and the target vacuum is obtained the change in the fuel tank vacuum (bleed-up) will be calculated for a calibrated period of time. The calculated change in fuel tank vacuum is compared to a calibrated value preset in the PCM for a leak as small as .016 mm (.040 inch) in the EVAP system. If it is less than that the EVAP will pass the test. If it fails the PCM will attempt to run the monitor at least three times before setting the code again. DTC P0442 (small leak) These small leaks can be hard to find. A smoke machine works well in these cases. I prefer a smoke that uses a UV dye, but a good smoke machine with just plain smoke will do the trick too.

Here is a list of some of the common EVAP codes

P0440 - general EVAP failure

P0441 – incorrect or un-commanded purge flow (leaking purge valve)

P0442 - small to medium leak detected

P0443 – Purge solenoid electrical fault

P0446 – Blocked canister vent (high system vacuum)

P0449 – canister vent solenoid electrical fault

P0452 – tank pressure sensor voltage low

P0453 - tank pressure sensor voltage high

P0454 - tank pressure sensor voltage erratic

P0455 – large leak detected

P0456 – small leak detected

P0457 - gas cap is not sealing

Most vehicles today will have some sort of fuel tank pressure sensor, or in some cases it will be called an EVAP pressure/vacuum sensor. The FTP (fuel tank pressure) sensor is used to measure the pressure during the EVAP monitor test. When the PCM receives a signal from the FTP that there is excessive tank pressure or vacuum the PCM will then send a signal to the EVAP purge solenoid to correct the fuel tank pressure level.

On Toyota's the FTP sensor should read around 3.3 volts with no vacuum or pressure applied to the sensor. The sensor is a three wire sensor with one wire as a ground, one as the incoming reference voltage (5 volts) and the sensor wire to the PCM. Codes for tank pressure are generated by the results from the FTP sensor voltage which the PCM then interprets into the corresponding code. (service code). When the PCM requests the EVAP solenoid to run it's monitor of the tank pressure it uses the FTP sensor as the determining factor of the actual tank pressure.

Running these EVAP monitors are accomplished two different ways. Ford, GM, and some Asian imports use vacuum to run the monitor, while Chrysler, most European and a few Asian products use pressure to run the monitors. There are a lot of factors that have to be correct in order for the PCM to carry out the EVAP monitor. The ambient air temperature needs to be between 40 and 100 degrees (for most vehicles) and the fuel level needs to be near a half of a tank full. (The air temperature in the tank will effect the fuel vapors.) The barometric pressure must fall between 22 in. Hg on Fords and 19 in. Hg on most GM vehicles. (8,000 to 10,000 feet above see level). Most of the systems are set up to only run the test with the vehicle under 35 mph so that tank slosh is to a minimum. The last but most important thing is there cannot be any other fault codes stored in the PCM. Since the job of the EVAP system is to reduce emissions it stands to reason if there are any emission related codes stored in the PCM the eventual outcome of the EVAP test would be inaccurate.

On vehicles such as Chrysler that use pressure to perform the EVAP monitor test a small vacuum operated air pressure pump is used. The LDP (leak detection pump) pump uses vacuum to pull a small diaphragm up and down, then releases the vacuum to make its opposing chamber draw in ambient air and then force that air into the fuel tank system. A small reed valve allows the air only to go in one direction which allows the internal pressure to rise in the fuel tank system. These systems are called “return-less systems” (no fuel travels back to the tank) and are widely used on most of today's modern cars. Generally it's a small amount of pressure that is applied (.25 psi or more) but it's enough to run the EVAP monitor. The PCM has a preset calculation for the amount of bleed down time it will look for to determine the actual fuel tank pressure.

One other important part of the EVAP system is the

charcoal canister. This is where the fuel vapors are stored.

Charcoal is made by heating wood to around a 1000 degrees

in a sealed container. With no oxygen present during the

burning of the wood, it really doesn't burn but all the

organic compounds are driven off leaving nothing but the

carbon itself. To make it into “activated charcoal”

(the kind used in a charcoal canister) the “carbon” is put

under pressure with oxygen present. This expands the

pores of the carbon molecules creating “activated charcoal”.

Gasoline vapors adhere to the charcoal granules like static

electricity clings to a balloon. A light breeze across the charcoal

pulls the fuel vapors (hydrocarbons) off and cleans the activated charcoal for the next volume of fuel vapors.

Fuel temperature sensors are quite popular now too. A fuel temperature sensor does as the name implies . This is another reading the PCM will use to determine if and when it is appropriate to run the EVAP monitor. On some models you'll even find a FRP sensor (fuel rail pressure sensor) (found on some newer Ford models) this sensor is actually reading fuel rail pressure just as it would be with an external gauge. You can read the fuel pressure without having to hook up a fuel pressure gauge to the line. Installing a fuel pressure gauge to the line and comparing it to the reading on the scanner is a good way of insuring the FRP sensor is reading correctly.

A lot of times the fuel system is blamed for no start, hard to start, and even rough running when in fact it can actually be related to other components in regards to engine operation. One very common problem tends to be the MAF sensor. I've had several vehicles where the car seemed to run just fine when you first started it up but soon after would cough, lose idle, and stall. Fuel pressure is good, spark is good, and the fuel filter is clean. My favorite test for this problem is to use the tools I've got handy. A multimeter with a “min/max” recordable feature is my choice. (There are other ways to accomplish the same task but this is the one I prefer because it works on every type of MAF sensor ever made.) Out of the 4 wires that run to the MAF, one is ground, one is battery voltage, one is 5 volt reference, and the last wire is the sensing wire. Hook the meter onto sensing wire and ground the other lead. Record the voltage spike signal as you take the car from a standing idle to full throttle with a quick snap of the throttle. Once from idle straight to full throttle is all it takes. The record feature on the meter will record the voltage increase as a graph on the screen showing you the actual voltage. Some Toyota's (V6 and 4 cyls.) will only make it up to 3.8 volts... this is considered a good MAF sensor but only on these engine types. If the sense voltage doesn't reach 4 volts the MAF sensor is bad. Simple, but effective test. If you run across a MAF that has 5 wires, the extra wire is usually the air intake temp sensor. If your unsure which one it is try the snap test anyway, obviously if you snap the throttle open and the voltage didn't increase it's probably the wrong wire to be checking. (air temp sensor voltage won't change from idle to full throttle.)

One other part of the fuel system that can be a little tricky to understand is how some of the manufacturers have used the dual fuel tank systems that are found on full size trucks. Instead of two separate tanks these tanks have now become combined together. On a 98 GMC for example, – A short to ground in the sender or wiring will provide a fully empty reading. An open in the circuit will produce a full reading on the dash gauge.

These dual tank vehicles use a fuel pump balance module that measures the resistance of both fuel tank sending units. The module will average the resistances and produce an equivalent resistance reflecting the average of both tanks. Which is what you will see as a gauge reading on the instrument cluster.

The balance module effectively equalizes the level in the two tanks by way of a pump balance relay. At any time the rear tank has about 2 more gallons than the front tank the module will turn on the relay and send fuel to the front tank until the front tank is within a 2 gallon range. (If there is around 2 gallons in the rear tank and the front is empty (or near empty) this process effectively will empty the rear tank first. (I've had customer tell me they filled the rear tank but the gauge still shows ½ tank. Because their front tank was completely empty.) You get a lot of puzzled looks from the customer when you tell them, “That's OK, it's actually correct.”

More and more you'll find the fuel tank readings, fuel line pressure, and the EVAP sensor values on a scanner making the whole process of evaluating fuel delivery problems easier to understand. Diagnosing the systems takes a bit of background in understanding the way each individual system actually operates per manufacturer. Before attempting any repair on a fuel system always make sure to follow the guide lines from the manufacturer. In parts of the country where high levels of salt are used for snow removal be aware that a lot of vehicles mount the charcoal canister, EVAP purge valves and other components under the vehicle and can become susceptible to failure due to corrosion from the salt or even damage from impacted snow under the vehicle.

It's all about having the right information. Learning the way these systems work will greatly enhance your understanding of how to repair them. In the business of automotive repair... you can never know too much, and there's always something new to learn.

Don't forget, check out my website www.gonzostoolbox.com see my latest stories and events coming up. Pick up a copy of my best selling book at the website too.

Are they trying to sell you an alignment?

2011-11-11T15:23:00.002-05:00

Pat Goss talks about Alignments. What you need to know,
so that you don't buy an alignment you don't need! Listen below.

Diagnostic Tech: 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee

2011-11-10T12:29:00.009-05:00

97 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0

Intermittently cutout and stall, lights flickering during cutout

My own mindset goes to crankshaft position sensor problems when I see an engine cutout and stall on these jeeps. Here though we have the lights flickering as well. That could happen just because the rpms are so erratic during the event that the voltage is surging but the lights could be indicating an electrical power problem that is causing the cutout. The initial approach will be the typical, *verify the complaint* method.

The customer had said the truck hasn't failed to restart after stalling but this morning it would not start at all after some lengthy cranking attempts. I decided it was a good time to check for the problem but before I could test for no-start, it fired right up on the next try. After a short drive with no problems I tried a couple hot restarts. The engine did begin to have an intermittent cutout that could be related to crankshaft position signal. It was time to do some testing.

I wanted to start by testing the ASD (automatic shutdown relay), or more specifically to monitor the ASD power output. If the engine computer sees a good crank position signal it will ground the ASD relay, applying power to the ignition coil.

An easy way to test is to use a relay test jumper. You can put these in between the relay and the power box to create easily accessed test points.

If I lose ASD output then I can continue on my theory of crankshaft position signal problems, if the output is good then I can move on to something else and not have wasted any time. Monitoring the ASD showed steady output voltage, even during the engine cutout so there was no problem with that part of the system. I had to this point ignored the check engine light but since my suspicions of a bad crank sensor were proven wrong I needed another point to consider for further testing. The stored engine code was P0351 which indicates a problem with the primary circuit of the ignition coil. Now I had just finished testing that circuit feed at the ASD and it was fine but was the circuit actually fine all the way to the coil? I decided to see. I clamped the meter to the coil primary circuit but this time near the coil connector. The power was good to that point so if this was a circuit problem it was on the negative side of the coil since the code indicated the coil not firing. I kept the engine running and clamped a current probe on the coil trigger wire. The computer provides the coil trigger and is monitoring that circuit so I removed the coolant recovery tank to get clear access to the engine computer connectors. I was suspecting a bad wire or connection so began pulling slightly on the harness. It was immediately apparent that moving any computer connector would cause the cutout and/or stalling symptom.
At this point I would expect that I need a computer but an inspection of the connectors was necessary. I noticed that the two metal screws in the faceplate of the computer were loose. I tightened those. There was a lot of what I assume was dielectric grease on the connectors and the terminals seemed good. I sprayed contact cleaner on the pins and terminals and reattached the connectors. Guess what? I couldn't make it stall or cutout now no matter how hard I worked those connectors. A test drive looked good as well.

Kenneth Hayes
AKA Deranger

Goss on Fuel Grade: Premium vs Regular

2011-11-04T16:55:00.000-04:00

Diagnostic Tech: 03 Trailblazer

2011-11-03T23:03:00.000-04:00

2003 Chevy Trailblazer 4.2L

The complaint was a noisy cooling fan and an MIL (malfunction indicator light). There are times when the cooling fan is noisy and it is just a normal condition. The fan is electrically controlled by the engine computer and there are times the fan just needs to be on "high". But, when the fan seems to be noisier than usual and the MIL is on it indicates a problem that needs a closer look.

I pulled engine trouble codes with the scan tool and got P0172, P0128, P1481 and P0493. Sometimes you can get more codes than you want. The trick is to try and hone in on what will be most productive to test. P0172 is a rich code. The fuel mixture was too rich at some point and set a code. Under most conditions a rich condition diagnosis can be difficult and many variables to test. Lets go for an overview before trying to get too involved with a single code. A P0128 is an indication that the engine temperature took too long to get warm from a cold start. P1481 sets if the engine computer cannot see an rpm signal from the cooling fan. P0493 indicates the computer was trying to slow the fan rpm but sees rpms that indicate it is turning faster than commanded.

The last two codes are interesting. If the computer sees no rpm signal from the fan it will command the fan to 100% duty cycle. The code P0493 could come from a fan that is stuck on.

A fan running at full duty cycle on a warm up would set a P0128 and an engine that runs too long cold could possibly set a P0172. On the other hand, a P0172 or a P0128 could not set the fan codes so lets concentrate on the fan codes. Now which one? The P01481 or the P0493? We'll let the car decide that by determining which problem is present at this time.

Starting the car and looking at the scan tool pid for fan rpm I saw that at times 0 rpm were indicated, at times there were high rpms indicated but the desired rpm, or the rpm commanded by the engine computer was never being met. The fan itself was operating steadily, nothing erratic at all.

Lets take a look at the wiring diagram. In the graphing capture above, most of the time the computer is seeing a fan rpm greater than desired. The computer "sees" rpm based on the signal

from the cooling fan hall effect sensor on the dark blue wire at pin D of the fan harness connector. From the spikes in the graph you can see a big jump in rpm and five dropouts to zero so it wouldn't be hard to imagine that there are conditions present at times for both fan codes.

If a scope was connected during the event above you would expect to see the fan speed signal as a 5 volt square wave with frequency indicating the rpm. Because the fan rpm is faster than the computer wants you would expect to see no voltage on the white wire on pin B.

What we know so far is that there is an intermittent problem with the fan speed signal (spikes and dropouts) and that the fan clutch is not reacting as it should to the computer commands. Nothing yet condemns a particular part beyond any doubt but it does have the fan clutch becoming a prime suspect. Since we have a P1481, then at times the fan speed signal must drop out for much longer than we've seen so far. At least 11 seconds of no signal on two consecutive trips. The customer says the noise is worse cold. Since the fan would be loudest at 100% duty cycle and since 100% duty cycle is commanded when there is no fan speed signal it sounds like we might see the conditions for the P1481 on a cold start. Normally you wouldn't expect the fan clutch to engage cold. After letting the car cool down I tried retesting from scratch. The scan data on the restart was not the same at all and the fan, it was very loud.

The scan shows no fan speed rpm even though the fan is turning at a very high rpm. If I put a scope on the fan speed signal at pin D I would expect the square wave signal is missing. If the signal is missing then the computer sees no fan rpm and should have full system voltage on pin B, trying to command the fan to turn faster.

A test of voltage between pin E and C showed that I had a solid ground and reference voltage. The testing confirms a bad cooling fan.

Kenneth Hayes

AKA Deranger

Carfax" and how to go about protecting yourself from buying a flood car!

2011-10-28T17:22:00.003-04:00

Pat Goss and guest discuss "Carfax" and how to go about protecting yourself from buying a flood vehicle.

Clamps and Batteries - - - Strange and unusual battery clamps and battery issues

2011-10-25T21:51:00.002-04:00

Clamps and Batteries

The first time I saw a hose clamp holding the positive cable onto the battery I just couldn’t believe it. Nobody prepared me for things like this. It’s not the kind of thing covered in tech schools, or in one of those “how-to-fix-your-car” manuals. It’s something that will surprise you the first time you see it… but then it happens again.
A few months later, I open the hood on another car, and low and behold… it’s a pair of grip pliers attached the terminal. This time I took the pliers up to the customer and told him what I found. He didn’t want the pliers back… OK, then… I’ll clean them up, and put them in my tool box.
Now I’ve got a collection of these crazy battery clamp contraptions. They’ve kept showing up over the years without fail; from screws and nails tightening a worn out clamp to some foreign object taking the place of the original clamps. Ya just never know.
I think the grip pliers are probably the most popular form of substitution. Not much use as pliers anymore, the teeth are usually worn or something else is wrong with them. But, I don’t want to just throw them away… I always think I’ll find some use for them later… never do of course.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to replace the clamp when it’s time with an appropriate type of replacement clamp? And, it’s not like some of these “wiz-bang” contraptions were just put on yesterday, oh no… some of these creations have huge amounts of corrosion and “fuzz” built up on the terminals.
There must be a misconception about how a battery clamp does its job? Has to be, why else would I see this so often, and it’s not always on the good old hunting truck or the farm truck that hardly ever makes it out of the fields. It’s the everyday soccer mom’s car or the exotic odd-shape-battery-style cars, either.
Something else to think about… some thought has gone into these “home engineered” clamps. It took a lot of time and effort to accomplish these inventive forms of electrical fasteners. I’ve even had a car that someone had taken strips of a soda can and used them as spacers between the clamp and the post. This wasn’t just a quick little effort mind you. Somebody had to think about it, conjure up a plan… get a pair of tin snips, cut out strips from a soda can at just the right height to match the clamp and then carefully place a few of them into the gap.
Before ya knew it, the clamp was tight again… a genius at work I tell you…a genius!… maybe not MENSA material, but a genius for sure.

One time I had a car in where somebody used a high voltage connector for a battery clamp. The kind you would find on high voltage overhead electrical lines. It was a splice clamp used to hold two lines together. Apparently it was the only thing handy, and it did work; in fact must have worked for quite some time… I couldn’t tell what it was until I removed the almost two inches of corrosion build up. I don’t know what kind of material this clamp was made out of, but battery acid sure liked it a lot.
Then there was this rocket scientist attempt at improving on the old battery clamp… he used a hacksaw blade and cut the post down the middle. Then put the clamp back on with a small steel wedge down into the crack he made with the hacksaw. From the pounding the top of the battery had taken it looked like the guy used a sledge hammer to knock the little wedge in place. Of course, it wasn’t long before the battery started to leak acid out of the post. What a mess…
A real favorite of mine are the ones that tighten, and tighten, and tighten the bolt clamp until that little bolt won’t go one thread tighter. Then bring the car in thinking they have a major electrical problem, because at times the starter will click, or they’ll lose all power to the vehicle. The place I’ll always look at first are the clamps. 99% of time it’s a simple clamp problem, especially when I can remove the battery clamp off the post without turning the bolt. (Yo’ dude… that clamp is made of lead… it will stretch and deform out of shape. You can tighten all you want but it ain’t going to get any better.)
Now let’s talk battery size… really… is this all that hard to figure out? If the battery in the car had the positive post on the right, and you put a battery in that had the positive post on the left… uhmmm… do ya think ya might have a problem? Ya gotta put the right size back in… just ‘cause it fit… doesn’t mean it “fits”.

The old air cooled VW is one that comes to mind. I’ve lost count of how many of those I’ve rewired after a too tall battery was installed and burnt the whole back end of the car.
It never ceases to amaze me how a simple thing like a battery or a clamp can become such a traumatic fiasco in a car. Just boggles the mind at all the variations of craziness I’ve seen over the years with battery installations and repairs.
Many years ago a customer brought in a 75’ MBenz that his grandson had put the battery in backwards. The car was ruined, but not completely… it could be rewired and repaired, but the cost was more than he wanted to deal with. I bought the car off of him as is, and tore it down and rewired it. I drove it for several years, and then later gave it to my daughter to use.
Battery replacement should be a basic simple repair; however, after seeing some of the creative ways people create their own connections or how they install them, looks like a complete loss of common sense to me. I’d like to think simple is the word to explain it, but simple doesn’t even begin to describe it all.
These days I just laugh at the marvels of these back yard engineering feats. It’s hard to keep a straight face when you get back to the front counter to explain to the customer that a paperclip and two bread twist ties aren’t strong enough to keep the cable attached to the battery.

It’s some of the best entertainment at the shop. Gotta love em’.
Just to let ya know, I’ve already got enough grip pliers, old hose clamps, coat hangers, screws, wire nuts, small bench vices, ratcheting wood clamps, fence pliers, clothes pins, meat skewers, and c-clamps to last me a lifetime, so if you would please, come up with a few new ones for me… I’ve got room in my collection for more…Oh, and I could use a few more laughs too.

Find even more hillarious stories at Gonzostoolbox.com And.. if you haven't already... pick up a copy of my best selling book. Hey Look! I Found the Loose Nut funny stories from the mechanics point of view.

gasoline engine storage

2011-10-21T16:25:00.001-04:00

Pat Goss talks about getting the gasoline engine ready for storage during the off months.

How to pick a good repair shop

2011-10-14T15:46:00.000-04:00

Bobby Kudirka talks to local automotive Guru David Solomon, Host of the “Nutz & Boltz” weekly call-in talk radio show, about how to pick a good repair shop

Pat goss on road trips

2011-10-07T15:55:00.000-04:00

Pat Goss talks about what you should be doing to your car before you go on a road trip.

How to Save Money on Your Car's Transmission

2011-09-30T16:03:00.000-04:00

Diagnostic Tech: 93 Buick, High Idle

2011-09-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

'93 Buick Park Avenue, 3.1

The complaint is an intermittent jump from idle to high rpm. I wasn't able to duplicate the symptom on a test drive but the Service Engine Soon light was displayed during the short road trip. A test for engine codes with a scan tool could shed some light on the problem.

I have an old OTC 4000 Enhanced that is my tool of choice for these earlier systems but since it doesn't get used much these days it was easier to just grab the Snapon Solus Pro and give it a try. The scan tool would not communicate with the car's computer. Now before you go into diagnostic mode, faced with a communication problem, try a different scan tool. It isn't unusal at all to find a particular tool doesn't read a particular system well. That's life in the aftermarket scan tool world. The OTC EVO worked fine. My stored trouble code was a 22. I guess no need to dust off the 4000.

A 22 sets if the engine computer sees a voltage of less than 0.2 for at least 4 seconds on the throttle position sensor signal circuit. Before digging out the multimeter and doing tests, and since the scan tool is already connected, I can pull up the datastream and look at the tps voltage as seen by the engine computer. In this case it was 0.04 volts with throttle closed and key on. The voltage did rise with opening the throttle but that voltage is out of range. Now since the throttle sensor connector is not hard to access, I disconnected the sensor. At the connector you should have a 5 volt reference on the gray wire. So if you jumper the gray wire to the blue, which is the sensor signal wire, and you see the sensor signal voltage on the scan tool data change to 5 volts you know you have 5 volts to the sensor and that the wire from the sensor to the computer is good. A 5 volt sensor signal voltage should also set a code 21 (voltage too high), which will verify the computer is good.

After doing the tests and verifying the throttle position sensor was bad I replaced the failed part and fixed the problem.

Kenneth Hayes
deranger@ipa.net

Goss Winterize

2011-09-23T14:29:00.000-04:00

Air Bag Light in Disguise An interesting problem on a recently purchased used car.

2011-09-16T12:30:00.000-04:00

Air Bag Light in Disguise Gonzo

Sometimes I wonder if the things I find wrong with some of these cars are just there for me to find out how ridiculous some people can be. I’ve got to question the thought process of the brilliant ideas that some people can have, just before total stupidity takes over. I gotta ask… “What were you thinking?”
The other day I had a late 90’s GM in the shop. The owner had recently bought it off of a small car lot, and had no idea of the history of the vehicle. It was one of those “great deals” that he couldn’t pass up. Why is it these “great” deals always have some sort of catch to them? Maybe it would be a good idea to have it checked out before you buy it. After looking at it, I might tell you to “pass it up”. Honestly, I’ll never understand why someone will buy a used car when they know nothing about it, or decide after they buy it to finally have it checked out … but they do.
This particular creation had some strange problems. It had a strange battery drain. At first glance all the instrument cluster warning lights, interior lights, and all the electrical functions seemed to be working correctly. There was a drain, a good one too. Strong enough to drain the battery in a day, or so. Finding the solution actually was going to lead to an even bigger problem.
Narrowing it down by watching the amp meter for the parasitic draw value, and pulling fuses till the numbers dropped back into factory specs was the next procedure. Of all things, it ended up back to a crossed up circuit between the air bag system and the charging system. I decided to check the air bag system for codes.
This is interesting, it’s off line. No communication with the crash box. Hmmm, I’m a little confused, because I know I saw the air bag light come on and go off when I pulled it into the shop. Turning the key off, and then restarting the car didn’t help me much, because the air bag light was on… and then off. But then, maybe it did. Like I said, the light came on, and then went off… hey, wait a minute isn’t there supposed to be a few seconds before it goes off? Isn’t this how it verifies its systems are functioning properly? I thought so. So, what’s going on here?
As a technician I’m trying to follow the codes, the diagnostic charts, and the operating description of the system I’m working on. This particular problem wasn’t following the chain of typical scenarios. Take in account this whole thing started off because of a battery drain… I’m really starting to scratch my head over this one.
I had a lot of different ways to go with this one. I could try and follow the draw a little further, or I could chase the problem from the air bag side of it. Maybe, it will all lead to the same problem. For my money I think I’ll work on it from the air bag side of the problem.
The air bag fuses were all good, and the light did come on in the dash. So, I decided to pull the air bag diagnostic module out and pin check the leads to see if that lead anywhere. My first check on any system is the positive signals and then the grounds. Why’s that you ask? Because a loss of ground can be seen as an open lead, and if the positive signals are there, you’ll actually find a voltage signal on the open ground. That’s what electricity wants to do… find ground, and find the shortest path back to the source of the voltage.
In this case they were all there, but when I checked the leads to the instrument cluster the voltage was coming towards the crash box rather than to the cluster. What now? (I love my job, I love my job, repeat as necessary) I guess I better pull the cluster and check the wiring from there back to the crash box and see if that leads anywhere.
After pulling the dash it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see what the problem was. On the back of the instrument cluster somebody had cut the circuit board line to the air bag light, and then added a soldered-on wire to the charge light. So when the charge light was on, so was the air bag light. Once the car started (providing the charging system is working correctly) the charge light would go out, and so would the air bag light. Huh???
You can imagine my “mechanical language” was not for the faint of heart when I found out what was going on. It seems some genius didn’t want to replace the air bag module, so they invented their own air bag warning light instead. Brilliant stupidity… I think that’s the best way to explain it. I can’t imagine somebody went thru all the trouble to deceive the buyer of this car for a safety issue such as air bags. It should be a criminal offense.
After undoing the homemade airbag light, the draw was completely gone. Now the only thing to do was to replace the air bag module to bring it back up to working order. I’m not saying anybody would have caught the problem at first glance. It was a well thought out deception. If you were not intentionally looking for an air bag light delay, I don’t think you would have caught the problem.
Leave it to some unscrupulous dork out there to try something like this. But, I still think it is a good idea to have the car checked out prior to buying it. Maybe, just maybe, you can spot problems like this before you own the problem.

Don't forget to check out my website www.gonzostoolbox.com
Order a copy of my best selling book. "Hey Look, I Found the Loose Nut"
Funny reading for all ages.

Buying a car watch, out for "Flood"cars.

2011-09-16T12:19:00.006-04:00

Pat Goss and John Davis talk about what to watch out for in buying cars just after a flood.

Listen below.

How To Safely Jump Start a Vehicle

2011-09-09T16:52:00.000-04:00

Goss on Preventing a Break-In

2011-09-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

Bizarre Car Problems Seen By Goss

2011-08-26T16:02:00.000-04:00

Pat Goss Talks Shop: AllData Subscription

2011-08-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

Pat Goss Answers Fan Question: Does Your Car Need High Mileage Oil?

2011-08-12T16:57:00.000-04:00

2011-08-05T16:31:00.002-04:00

This week Pat Goss has a few tips on dealing with overheating problems. Listen below

"Drifting" explained

2011-07-29T16:14:00.002-04:00

Pat Goss and guests explain what the term "Drifting" means!

Also check out http://www.summitpoint-raceway.com/

CAR CARE FOR EVERYONE WITH PAT GOSS

2011-07-22T16:47:00.000-04:00

Goss on Traditional Booster Cables

2011-07-15T16:44:00.000-04:00

Need a Car Part- Take it to a 3D printer!

2011-07-12T16:50:00.000-04:00

Although this might seem to have little to do with automobiles now, who knows what technology might take this concept farther and like the title says..

To me this is one of the most amazing technologies I have seem in some time.

A Must See!

Instrument Cluster Installation Avalanche, Sierra, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon, Denali XL

2011-07-08T18:43:00.001-04:00

Watch how easy it is to change an instrument cluster!

Goss on Air Conditioning

2011-07-08T16:42:00.000-04:00

Goss Answers Facebook Fan Question: Octane Boost

2011-07-01T16:40:00.000-04:00

Goss on Tire Repair

2011-06-24T16:37:00.000-04:00

Pat Goss on Quicklubes!

2011-06-17T16:36:00.001-04:00

Pat Goss with care care tips for women

2011-06-10T17:29:00.000-04:00

Gonzo visits Goss Garage in Studio

2011-06-10T13:23:00.002-04:00

Gonzo was in town recently (Washington D.C.) and made it to the radio station nearby in Virginia. Listen to the clip as Pat Goss talks about his Book!

Common Car Care Tips

2011-06-03T16:20:00.000-04:00

Pat Goss on common A/C problems

2011-06-03T16:14:00.000-04:00

Listen to the audio clip where Pat Goss talks about common problems with your vehicle's A/C.
*Evaporator's,
*can the A/C be too cold or too warm
*cabin air filters
* how to check the temperature out of the air ducts
* BG Frigi-Fresh®. BG Frigi-Fresh® is formulated to quickly and effectively eliminate foul, musty odors from automobile air conditioning systems

If Your Car Makes A Noise, Don't Ignore It!

2011-05-27T16:14:00.001-04:00

Magnuson-Moss and warranty

2011-05-26T20:26:00.004-04:00

Listen to the clip below and know your rights!

The car coach on fluids!

2011-05-25T08:06:00.002-04:00

http://buffalo.ynn.com/content/features/543517/the-car-coach---fluids/?r=8492811545

The Black Limo!

2011-05-20T09:15:00.001-04:00

The Black Limo NOTE: The tale you're about to read happened to a friend of someone, who told it to me. I thought it was interesting enough to pass along, as I am not a story writer! Gonzo, I am sure will like this one!

It had been a hellish day. It was very hot, very long, and full of hassles. Big time hassles. It seemed like nothing went right. One step forward, two steps back. The day had finally ended and Abbott was glad it was over. He was heading home at last. The air conditioner felt good on his neck, and his thoughts were on dinner. Just as his mind was wandering over the trials and tribulations of the day, something caught his eye up ahead. There was a limo on the side of the road with the trunk open. 'Broken Down?' Abbott thought. As he got nearer to it, he wondered why limos never showed up at the door of the shop where he worked. 'They probably have special garages that work on them. Places that are specially set up to handle them.' He envisioned special lifts that would have huge arms to reach out and hold the massive frames. He imagined special service bays a mile long. 'Should he stop?' he asked himself. That's when the little devil and angel fight begins.

Abbott has been caught in the middle of battles of the angel and devil most of his adult life. The devil touts him to do something that is usually naughty or mischievous. The angel is his conscience, and usually keeps Abbott out of trouble. The little devil jumps out onto his shoulder and says, 'Abbott! Hey, don't stop. They're rich. They probably have their personal tow truck on the way. Or maybe there's a helicopter on the way. Don't waste your time. It's nice and cool in here. You don't want to go back out there in that scorching heat. Sit tight!' Now it's the angel's turn. 'Abbott, they could be in trouble. There might be a good reason why you should pull over and offer help. Be a good Samaritan and see why they are on the side of the road. Go ahead. A mechanic is never off duty. Go for it!' The angel usually won. And this time, Abbott had no trouble listening to the advice of the angel. He pulled his pickup truck onto the shoulder behind the limo and got out.

The driver, dressed in a nice suit, also got out. By the time Abbott had walked up to the back of the limo the driver greeted him saying in a British accent, 'Sir! Thank you for stopping! You are most appreciated. I have no knowledge of how to change a tire. Is it possible that you could lend some assistance in this regard?' 'Why sure', Abbott replied as he rolled up his sleeves. The trunk was already open. Abbott reached inside and removed two golf club bags full of clubs. Then he removed the mat and the spare tire cover, revealing the spare and jack. 'Oh, that's where it is hidden. I would not have known that this is the place where it is kept-unless you had showed me,' said the driver with an amazed expression on his face. Abbott took out the scissors jack and began looking under the limo for the proper place to position the jack. 'I wonder if this jack can handle this huge car?' he worried silently to himself. But, the jack held, and the limo began to go upwards as he turned the crank. 'Now, it's time to break loose the lug nuts--before the tire is in the air,' he instructed the driver. Pulling with his back, legs and both arms, he loosened each of the five lug nuts a half turn. Next, he placed the spare tire under the limo. 'I do this in case the jack falls. The spare tire will keep the limo from crashing down--maybe on top of me and you!' The driver nodded with wide eyes.

In a matter of a couple of minutes he had all of the lug nuts loose and the flat tire was laying on the ground. He swapped places, putting the flat under the limo and the spare in its place. First Abbott tightened the lug nuts finger tight, and then snugged them home with the tire iron. He carefully lowered the vehicle, putting its weight down onto the spare. To finish it off, he gave the lug nuts one final tightening. As he did, he pointed out how he followed a star pattern as the sequence to tighten them. The driver nodded and was impressed. Just then, there was an electric whirring sound. One of the rear windows in the back of the limo slid open and someone inside called out to the chauffeur. Abbott was startled. He had no idea that anyone was actually inside the vehicle. The driver walked over to the person beckoning him and stuck his head into the open window. Abbott could hear muffled voices. Then, the driver pulled his head out, stood up, and motioned for Abbott to come over.

More out of curiosity than anything, Abbott walked up to the open window. A well dressed man sitting inside smiled at him through the window. 'Sir, what is your name? I want to offer you a reward for your gallant actions.' The man reached inside his coat and took out his wallet. Abbott said, 'No thanks. Not necessary. Just doing my civic duty. Think nothing of it.' The man said, 'I insist. Please let me pay you for your time.' Abbott replied, 'Naw. But if you want to do something nice, just send my wife some flowers. She'll get a kick out if it.' The man passed a slip of paper and a fancy gold pen out the window to Abbott and he gave him his wife's name and address. Then he got back into his pickup truck and headed home.

By the time he pulled into his driveway, he had completely forgotten about the whole incident. It was a few days later, at work, when Abbott got a phone call. 'It sounds like your wife is really upset, Abbott. Better get up here fast. This really sounds serious,' said the boss. As Abbott picked up the phone, he could hear his wife shouting and screeching in a shrill voice. In their twelve years of marriage, he had never heard her make sounds like this. In a calming voice, Abbott pleaded with her to settle down and tell him what was wrong. He was embarrassed that the people in the front office might hear her shrieking. Finally, she calmed down enough for Abbott to make sense with what she was saying. She said that a man had come up to the door and delivered two dozen beautiful long-stem roses. Just then, Abbott remembered the man in the limo. He had completely forgotten about the incident alongside the road. In a voice that would best be described as frantic, she continued, 'Let me tell you what happened.' Abbott said, 'Hold your horses and calm down. Now talk to me!' 'Well, this man came to the door--a delivery man. He had the flowers. I was SO surprised and stunned that it was happening to me. I was maybe just a little concerned-that maybe I forgot something like our anniversary or something-when he pulls out this clipboard.''

And it has this envelope stuck on it. He takes out the envelope and hands it to me, and says, 'I have been instructed to give you these flowers and this envelope. I have also been instructed to make sure that you have read the contents of the envelope and thoroughly understand what is written on this document.' 'That really threw me for a loop', she went on, 'and I didn't know what to think.

So I opened the envelope to see what was inside and there was this note.'We were late to a very important meeting and had a flat tire. Our driver had no idea of how to change a tire. We summoned help, but it would arrive much too late. Because of your husband's wonderful and gallant efforts, we were able to reach our destination in time. Marla and I would like to show our appreciation by sending these roses. Also, as a token of my appreciation, please examine the attached document. It will explain that the mortgage on your house has been paid off. Sincerely, Donald Trump'Epilog. When I first heard this story, I was envious. Now, I find myself looking alongside the highway for a broken down black limo!

Good, Cheap, and Fast those three little words...

2011-05-14T08:17:00.002-04:00

Good, Cheap, Fast

If you’re in the auto repair business like I am, you know there are certain times and events throughout the year that dictate how business is going to flow in the shop. Sometimes it’s a good thing; sometimes the shop moves really fast, other times it’s so slow you have enough spare time to build a canoe and wait for the rain to come.
For me, I can just about plan my year by the calendar. School starts, shop goes dead. Holidays, shop goes dead. Tax season, shop goes dead, change political parties, shop goes dead. Any long stretch of mid-70 degree days with no need for air conditioning, heater, or the wipers, shop goes dead. Pretty much anything that upsets the balance of time-space-continuum, the shop goes dead. However, through all the usual up and down cycles I manage to keep the doors open.
There are so many different things that can get in the way of maintaining a full shop. Of course, in the midst of all this chaos I have to find time to keep up with the current technology, and at the same time, purchase any new equipment to go along with this new technology.
I try not to buy the cheapest scanner or tool out there. I’ve seen the results of poor judgment when it comes to that. Fast service to the customer is a plus. However, too fast and you may over look things. I’d like to think I am doing the best I can with every job that comes into the shop. Hopefully, keeping in mind to not go too fast, not use cheap parts, and always give good service.
There’s no doubt that the electronic age has affected every part of our daily lives. I see it even more when it comes to car maintenance and general repairs. Even with all of this technology they haven’t been able to get rid of the technician and a toolbox. There’s still a need for a trained technician to be under the hood doing the hands-on work to get the car back out on the road.
I hear so much talk about “Weeding” out the cheap shops, and promoting the good ones in the automotive repair trade. I believe that’s a good thing, a really good thing; it puts all of us in the business on the fast track to success, and hopefully gives more credibility to the automotive repair shops out there. Although, as it is in the real world, for some people, all they really want is cheap. Cheap enough that their pocketbook doesn’t dry up after a car repair. Let’s face it, as long as there are those “Bottom-feeder” shops out there, and people willing to go to them, little is going to change.
That’s where one of my favorite little quotes comes into play. It goes like this: “There are three things you can have in auto repair or any business for that matter… and that’s--- “Good, Cheap, and Fast”. The only problem is that you can only choose two of these. Choose wisely, because the one you did “not” pick, you must use it to finish this sentence: “It’s not going to be very _____.” I’ve heard this quote from a lot of different sources. It’s nothing new. I wouldn’t doubt it’s been around for a hundred years or more, but it’s still true even today.
To bring it into some modern terms let’s take this example: “Temporary battery clamps.”
You know the ones you find on about 50% of the cars that come into the shop? Hmm… they’re not called “Replacement Clamps,” now are they? No, the common term I’ve heard for years for them is: “Temporary Clamps.” (Call the parts store and ask for temporary clamps, see what they send you.) So, why are so many of them installed and then left on the car? Well, let’s see, they’re cheap, and they can be installed pretty fast. Would I say they are good, well, good for a while… they’re only temporary right? Thus, the answer to this one is “Cheap and Fast” and the results are: It’s not going to be very – Good.
Maybe I’m just a little crazy, but wouldn’t it make more sense to invest in a battery clamp crimping tool, some good replacement clamps, a few sections of color-coded shrink tubing to seal the ends, and take the time to repair them correctly? Hmmm, problem here….. if I was using the quote as a guideline, it would read: “It’s not going to be very “Cheap”. Again, those three little words come into play again.
For me, the real funny part, is how-in-the-world did you end up needing a new clamp in the first place? Oh, that’s right, the maintenance was neglected, or should I say… somebody was too cheap to get regular maintenance done. There are always other reasons you know; I could go on about those… Am I moving too fast for ya? I’m not? Good.
I guess it all goes back to that “Good, Cheap, and Fast thing”. It’s amazing how it seems to always end up with those three little words to explain it all. I don’t think it really matters whether it’s something for the house, or that awful hotel room you stayed in, or even a battery clamp. Some way or another things can or will go wrong if poor choices are made on just about anything in life.
So keep this little quote handy and see how often it works out there in the real world. I have it posted in the front office area, and when someone asks I’ll tell them, while pointing to the little sign: “If you want it cheap, and you want it fast”…
“It’s not going to be very… Good.”

Don't forget to visit my website for even more car stories, info, and photos. www.gonzostoolbox.com Pick up a copy of my best selling book while your there.

Air conditioning refrigerant line replacement

2011-05-13T17:08:00.000-04:00

Dale Donovan showing but not really explaining why auto manufactures make it so difficult to replace an air conditioning line on a late model vehicle.

Profiles in the Automotive Industry -- Pat Goss

2011-05-13T16:06:00.002-04:00

His slogan often heard when signing off the air"drive gently". Goss 62, was born and raised in a small town outside Buffalo. His father, a bus mechanic, died when Goss was young. His mother's job in an electronics factory couldn't keep the family solvent, so Goss opened a body and paint shop while a high school freshman.

"I've read a few books and concluded that the stuff was incredibly simple," he says. By the time Pat finished high school, his shop employed 23 people and grossed $900,000 a year. "We specialized in lowering car frames, so the body of the car sat lower, and painting flames on the side -- stuff like that."

While taking scattered college courses, he taught for an automotive test equipment company. "I was teaching the cream De la Creme of the technicians," he says." One day it dawned on me that I am teaching these guys who are making four and five times as much as I am." So he went back into the business. Tired of small-town life, he came to Washington in 1966: "I knew people in Washington, so I stopped here and I never left -- no grand plan."

Besides running his Silver Spring garage located in Seabrook Maryland in the suburbs of Washington DC, Goss discusses cars Saturday's on WJFK -- FM radio. His television show, "Goss Garage" is carried on news channel 8 in Arlington, VA. ,Saturday mornings at 9:30 am. MotorWeek is broadcast internationally.He also writes for publications including the Wall Street Journal and Reader's Digest.

Goss teaches car care clinics and he has consulted for the White House office of Consumer Affairs, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, and others. He and his wife, Bonnie, live in West River, Maryland, south of Annapolis. She helps produces TV and radio shows and works in the garage. Goss's daughter, Marcy, works in the front office; a husband and shop foreman.

He was once asked how come cars constantly go in for repairs?
I don't take my refrigerator in the shop! "Your refrigerator doesn't fly up and down highways at high speed. It doesn't weigh thousands of pounds it's a simple machine. Today's automobiles at around 10 times the computing power of the original lunar landing module. They're among the most sophisticated equipment on the planet. And that performance is stunning. Brakes aren't locking up like they used to. Cars are considerably more durable and reliable"

"Getting good maintenance, a car should run relatively trouble-free or at least 150,000 miles. Given exemplary preventative maintenance, maybe 200,000 to 255,000 miles before needing really major repairs".

"In all my years in business -- hiring and firing people, and so on -- I truly can't remember an employee it didn't have a lot of good in him or her. Maybe not a lot of good for the particular position they were in, but overall they were good people. I've learned that what I thought was all-important when I was much younger wasn't. I used to be very concerned with money. I tried to do a good job, sure, but I was concerned with making the most dollars."

"Then I backed off that. I concentrated on doing a better job. Before long the money took care of itself. I made more concentrating on doing the best job possible than I had concentrating on the money. I've long had expensive stuff around the house. Those nice things were important to me. Then a few years back, I had a health crisis -- malignant melanoma -- which required surgery and treatment. After these treatments, I woke up one morning with a realization: Not once during all this drama had I thought, or given a damn, about any of the stuff Never once."
I said, "now, wait a minute -- there's a lesson here." These things have absolutely no meaning when it gets down to brass tacks. There is no meaning to them at all!

*excepts taken from The Washingtonian 04/23/04

How To Store Your Car

2011-05-06T17:36:00.000-04:00

Watch Bobby live from the floor of Car Clinic Service / PreRepair as he demonstrates "How to Store Your Hot Rod/Muscle Car or Collector Car

A Bogie of a Battery Re-thinking cheap parts and cheap diagnostics

2011-04-30T21:56:00.002-04:00

A Bogie of a Battery

I’m an avid golfer. You can ask my wife; she’ll tell you. There’s hardly a weekend that goes by that I’m not out on a course somewhere. I’ve got a regular group I play with each weekend. None of us are all that exceptional, but we enjoy the game and the company. We all know what it takes to play the game, and understand even more that practice does not make perfect, but perfect practice makes for perfect play.
I try to keep this in mind when I’m at the shop. The best practice for me is doing the job correctly, and not cutting corners for the sake of cost or time. When a problem is compounded with cheap parts, it doesn’t make the repair any easier. Especially if the customer doesn’t recognize the difference between a good quality part and those cheap knock offs out there.
A referral job came into the shop the other day. He said he had a battery drain problem, but had tried everything to solve it. The problem had been going on for years. Each and every time he would take it into a repair shop the answer was always, “It’s the battery.” He wasn’t buying that anymore, there had to be more to it.
Hole no#1
That afternoon the Jeep Cherokee was dropped off for me to try my hand at solving the problem. I didn’t get off the first “T” box, before I found a problem The battery tester showed a faulty cell in the battery, and to top things off the battery was the wrong size for the car. Not only that, it was one of those cheap second rate batteries sold at some of the discount stores. I guess for some people that’s OK with them, but for me it’s a for sure “Bogie”.
Off to Hole no#2
Of course, there are some people who believe there is no difference between the higher priced batteries and the cheap “off brands”. I beg to differ… they’re cheap for a reason. For some, the realization of this only happens after they have had a couple of triples, or the dreaded “snow man” (that’s an “8” for the non-golfers out there), before they realize that there is a difference in quality and price.
Hole no#3
After replacing the battery (with a good one) I did find a small draw on the system. It happened to be coming from the instrument cluster. On this year and model the horn fuse also sends a constant voltage to the tachometer in the cluster, even while the key is off.
Hole no#4
The draw was extremely small. I might have overlooked this small draw, but since this was an on-going problem I thought I would check into it a little further. There wasn’t anything else wrong with the vehicle. It was a clean well kept ride, no extras added on, and even the engine bay was well detailed.
Holes no#5&6
As it was a back-up vehicle, and not his daily driver, any sort of abnormal draw would definitely turn into a dead battery. I called him, and gave him the bad news. His main problem wasn’t so much the draw that I found, but the battery situation. Since this is what everyone else was telling him, he wasn’t convinced that it was part of his problem. I started to sound like all the other shops that had looked at his car, so there was some doubt.
Making the turn
He showed up later that day to grab his battery for replacement. I carried the battery out to his car for him. He still wasn’t convinced that the battery was part of the problem, but because the printout from the battery scanner showed the bad cell he was willing to replace it, again.
“How many times have you replaced it?” I asked.
“This will make the 4th time I’ve taken the battery back within the last 6 months. The first one leaked, the next one had a loose post, and the last one went dead after the first day, and never would take a charge,” he tells me, while lifting the tail gate to his daily driver.
Hole no# 15
There in the back of his car was a set of golf clubs. As he slid his golf clubs off to one side to make room for the battery, I couldn’t help but notice they looked like new clubs.
“New clubs, Calloways right?” I said.
“Yea, just got them. I traded in my old set for these. What a difference it makes to play with good quality clubs,” he proudly tells me.
Even though I’m a weekend hacker, I thought I might use this opportunity to give a quick golf lesson.
“What did you play with before?”
“Oh, just some knock off clubs, they were alright, but you sure can tell the difference when you play with the good quality stuff,” patting his clubs carefully while placing a towel over them.
“Did ya ever think that automotive batteries are manufactured just like those golf clubs?”
“I’m not following you,” he says.
“There are cheaper golf clubs that can do the job, but better equipment can improve your game. The same thing with car parts; if you buy cheap parts, you’re more than likely adding to the problem if the cheaper part fails prematurely. Golf clubs, car batteries, it doesn’t matter. There’s always better, best, and of course a whole lot of worse out there,” I told him.
“So you’re suggesting buy better parts?”
“Just like the golf clubs,” I said.
“Hey, that makes sense. I wonder why I never thought about that? More people need to know about cheap parts, and what you gain by paying just a bit more… I get it… thanks.”
To the 17th
“Cars are my business and knowing cheap vs. good parts is part of my job. This is where my experience pays off for you, the consumer. I’ve been around long enough to know what a good part is, and what’s not,” I told my golf playing customer.
“That makes so much sense. It’s unbelievable I would ever think I knew enough about car batteries to know which one was a good one, and which one is not. (Laughing now) Funny you should tell me all of this, because that’s what the guy at the pro shop said when I was looking at changing clubs. The pro at the golf shop suggested letting him use his expertise to find that right set of clubs for me,” my birdie putting customer tells me.
Mulligan
That afternoon he called back, seems the department store’s battery department didn’t want to give him his money back. And their reasoning behind it?... Oh this is priceless… they told him:
“The battery they originally sold me is not the correct battery for the truck, so they can’t warranty it any more, or give me my money back. Then they tell me that if I would have purchased the correct battery size in the first place they would have no problem warranting it.”
For real? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve heard of all kinds of reasons why you couldn’t honor a warranty, but the fact that they sold him the wrong battery is a new one on me. You’d think after 3 attempts at replacing the battery that someone there would have checked to see if it was the correct battery. Unbelievable. Needless to say, I had to get involved and press the battery salesman to cough up the cash.
18th hole
With the draw repaired and a decent battery installed, there wasn’t much else to do except look forward to the next weekend golf game. At least now this guy could get back to driving golf balls, and not worry about his Jeep sitting at home.
I think he learned a valuable lesson that there is a difference in the manufacturing of quality automotive components and where you purchase them. Using golf as a comparison worked well for this customer. I’m not a pro golfer, but I’m a pro in my field, and sometimes I might know a thing or two about my favorite pastime. At least as a golf playing-mechanic I can show my expertise where it counts. Maybe even putt for an eagle once in awhile, or shave off a stroke or two on my handicap.
Whether it’s a round of golf or diagnosing automotive problems it still comes down to the same thing-- quality, good information and practice.

Don't forget to visit the Sunday night chat at my website. 7 Central time.
Pick up a copy of my best selling book "Hey Look, I Found the Loose Nut" available through Amazon.com, Gonzostoolbox.com, and many neighborhood bookstores.
www.gonzostoolbox.com

Cold Air Intakes

2011-04-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

I have heard that installing a cold air intake can increase performance and improved gas mileage. Is this so?

Yes, for years performance minded auto aficionados have installed cold-air intakes to increase the power of the internal combustion engine. These products route cooler, denser air from outside the car, rather than the warm air under the hood, into the vehicle's engine. Available in a variety of colors and sizes, cold-air intakes usually range in price from $100 $250 and are a relatively inexpensive way to increase performance and improved gas mileage.

Are you Proactive with your Automobile?

2011-04-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

Listen to the opening statements from Pat Goss on how to be Proactive when it comes to your automobile, with respect to maintenance? Listen by clicking on the audio clip below.

More on tire date codes

2011-04-15T17:16:00.003-04:00

If one knows how to read tire date codes, then what is the oldest tire manufactured date code, one should accept when buying new tires? One year, two years?

Two years. It isn't uncommon to find a two year old tire in inventory. This is due to manufacturing, shipping to a warehouse, then distributing to a retail outlet which can consume several months. Add to that the time it takes for someone to need that particular tire and it is often between one and two years. That would be on the less popular styles but on the really fast movers, I would expect not more than six months in most cases.

Special Video!

Rare footage of Pat Goss on his weekly television series as seen on former Channel 8 every Saturday at 9:30am. These two episodes dealt with The Excel Institute in Washington DC. See http://www.theexcelinstitute.org/ .

Electric Drag Racing

2011-04-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

Oregon Field Guide: Electric Drag Racing
Go out to the drag strip for some racing gone green – without a drop of gas.

http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1686

Lights Out ---- A little shocking to say the least

2011-04-02T07:34:00.002-04:00

Lights OUT!
It was a hot summer day and the humidity was high in the shop when I starting working on one of my regular customer’s new found gems. It was a late 50’s Chrysler, a big old boat of a thing with lots of bells and whistles under the hood and dash. Nothing was added, everything was original and in fairly good shape. You could tell this car has never been left outside for any length of time. The paint finish showed no signs of aging or fading. The interior was very clean, and without a single defect. Even the carpet and headliner had that new “old” look to it.
He wanted me to go thru the electrical components on the car and see if I could get it all in working order. It had it all, radio, electric seats, power windows, power antenna, and just about anything else they could think of putting on a car in those days. I would try each window switch and each knob on the dash to make sure everything worked correctly. The turn signal indicators blinked on the tips of the fenders as well as in the dash. The heater blower motor hummed as if it was brand new. All the speeds worked on the wipers and even the reverse lights worked. It was truly a time piece of early Americana ingenuity.
The only thing I found “not” working was this contraption under the hood. It was about the size of a shoe box. I took the cover off of it to see what all the wires were leading to. Inside the box were several early glass vacuum tubes and a dusty old circuit board with a few resistors and what appeared to be a voltage controller of some sort. Luckily, the new owner had the factory manuals with the car. Even the manual was well taken care of. Not a single torn edge or creased page. I carefully went thru the old manual so as to not do any damage to this priceless book. In the back section were all of the wiring diagrams right down to the size of the resistors on the circuits. (Let’s see the manufacturer put that info out these days…)
I studied the diagram carefully and found out what this thing was. It’s an early automatic dimming headlight system. Way cool, wow, I’ve never seen one of these. But I could tell by just reading the prints how this thing worked. I went straight to solving the problem. Luckily (I think) I’m old enough to have had some training in the old TV tube era. Those classes sure were coming in handy now. It really didn’t turn out to be all that bad. The photocell in the front grill was disconnected, and the shoe box of tubes was in need of cleaning and attaching all the connectors back onto the board.
I reached in and turned on the “auto” system… the tubes started to glow… wow… this is exciting! (Can ya imagine… a grown man getting a thrill out of watching old TV tubes warm up… I really need to get out in the real world a little more often…). There was a hum and a crackle of the tube grids… I could hear the unmistakable sound of the tubes coming up to temperature. The humming subsided a bit, and leveled off to a light electrical buzz of an old TV set. By now I was expecting to see the headlights come on by themselves. Nothing, nada, zip… crud… it’s still not working. I went back to the old manual and followed the diagram some more.
At the very bottom edge of the page it showed a single lead going to the floor dimmer switch. Ok, I guess I’ll look there. By now its mid afternoon, and the humidity level in the shop is at its highest. I’m all hot, sweaty, and probably a little dehydrated. I stretched across that huge metal threshold and pulled the carpet back. Lying right there next to the dimmer switch connection was that single wire. I plugged it in… waited a second… nothing… so I reached over and pushed the dimmer switch with my hand. JumPin’ Gee’ ZaPPin’ ZING! WTF was that! I was jiggling around as if I was holding onto the electric fence at my Granddad’s farm. Now I know exactly how bacon feels when ya throw it into that hot skillet. I’m glad nobody saw me, because I probably looked like a fish flopping out of water the way I was wriggling around. HOLY Shhhhht! That smarts! ! !
After the ringing in my ears and the tunnel vision vanished, and everything returned back to normal I gave up on the wiring diagram and instead read how the system worked in the front section of the book. It turns out that driver’s “soled” shoe acts as the final ground to activate the system. It used a high amperage circuit to make the connection between driver and the automatic control unit out under the hood. To activate it you merely rested your foot on top of the dimmer for a moment. I guess if you were barefoot… you’d be in for quite a shock. It’s probably why the whole thing was disconnected in the first place. But, I’ll have to say… it does work, the headlights will dim and come on by themselves.
Just don’t lay on a metal threshold on a hot humid day… all hot and sweaty, then grab hold of the dimmer switch with your sweaty palm… cause it won’t be lights on… it’ll be LIGHTS OUT!

These stories are here for your enjoyment, before final editing and publication. Visit my website for more stories and information. www.gonzostoolbox.com

Ethanol Blues

2011-04-01T14:59:00.000-04:00

Pat Goss gives a detail explanation as to the problems with Ethanol, especially if there is going to be 15% as mandated by the EPA! Listen to the clip below.

VW factory germany

2011-03-25T15:13:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nd5WGLWNllA

ABS brakes, do you really know how to use them?

2011-03-18T17:00:00.002-04:00

Pat Goss describes the proper procedure for using ABS brakes. Listen below.

History of the Power Assisted Brake system

2011-03-12T21:48:00.001-05:00

Boosted Brakes – a look at the history of power assisted brakes.

Since we are talking brakes, let’s do a little comparison of the most popular brake systems that brought us away from dragging a flat plate against the wagon wheel or mashing your foot down on a mechanical linkage arm that eventually either slowed the car down or gave you one really strong leg. What I’m talking about is the power assisted brake systems we find on modern cars and trucks. These days, we don’t even consider power brakes as something that needed invented, but merely a standard feature that we come to expect out of our daily transportation. Well they had to start somewhere. Probably the first place to look is with what got it all started; the law of fluids in motion and how it can be used to increase force. Pascal’s law of hydraulics.

Pascal's law states that when there is an increase in pressure at any point in a confined fluid, there is an equal increase at every other point in the container.

It took Pascal to open our eyes to what could be done “hydraulically” with a fluid. Then in the early 1920’s Pierce-Arrow became the first car to take the Pascal basic theory and add a vacuum assist to the hydraulic brake system. This “inventive” way of assisting the driver while braking is now part of our everyday driving experience.

Around 1918 a young inventor took the Pascal idea and applied it to brakes. His name was Malcolm Lougheed, (later he changed the spelling of his name to “Lockheed”). In 1921 the Model A Duesenberg became the first car to have hydraulic brakes. Although they were not power assisted the effectiveness of the brakes was well noted compared to the mechanical brake systems that were common at the time. In 1938 there was a car called a Tincher that used air assisted brakes but wasn’t really considered a power assisted system.

Hydrovac
Starting in the early 40’s one of my favorite types of brake systems to study is the Hydrovac brake system. If you’re a connoisseur of mechanical things this is one you’ll need to get up and close with. Explaining this brake system is an Olympic event. In my book it’s one of the true “mechanical” marvels of the brake world. At first glance there are so many things going on at the same time that it looks like it shouldn’t work but it does. As you apply pressure to the brake pedal the fluid pressure is increased (Pascal’s law) to a slave cylinder and the wheel cylinders. As more pressure is applied the added pressure overcomes a sliding valve that then pushes a triangular arm that in turn rotates valves to close an atmospheric valve and open a vacuum valve which then pulls the vacuum air into a large chamber that pushes a large bellows against the valve in the slave cylinder tripling the available fluid pressure to the wheels. The harder you push on the brake pedal the more the bellows pushes the fluid towards the wheel cylinders. As you let up on the pedal the internal valve starts to close lowering the vacuum pressure until it reaches atmospheric air pressure.

Last year I restored a 1956 fire/rescue truck and one of the things I had to go completely thru was the brake system. I’m still amazed at how this brake system works. For nearly 30 years this was one of the most common brake systems on most large trucks and some cars. To this day you can still find this type of power brake system used on certain applications. In fact, rebuilt units, rebuild kits, and refurbished components are still available. As long as this system has a good supply of vacuum and clean fluid this power brake system will do the job. Stand on the brake pedal with a lot of force and I’ll guarantee you it will put the stop on those brake shoes with crisp jolt that can throw you up against the windshield. But the thrill for me is still watching the mechanical action of the internal parts of this mechanical marvel.
If you would like more information on this system there are several videos and informative sites on the internet. I also found an early 50’s military training video that explained it all in detail.

Hydroboost
The next system is a hydraboost system. The big difference from this system and the hydravac system is the fact that there is no vacuum used to operate the “power” in the power assist. Generally the power is generated by the power steering pump. In some cases an electric motor applies the needed power to increase the pressure on the brake fluid. In these systems when the pressure is applied by the brake pedal a port in the master cylinder allows the higher pressure of the power steering system to aide in the overall pressure of the brake system. This is a great system for the hobbyist that wants a clean look or doesn’t want the bulky vacuum unit under the hood. I also see this type of unit on the larger delivery trucks and commercial units. With less parts to be concerned with compared to the hydravac unit makes this a very reliable system. Today, you can find these units on some production cars, delivery vans, large trucks and commercial vehicles.

If space is a premium the hydraboost system is a good choice for that special project car.

Vacuum Boost
Vacuum boost power brakes are by far the most popular type of assisted brakes there is. As with the last two examples the idea is to apply additional pressure to the brake fluid allowing less effort from the operator. Vacuum brakes have no need of a slave cylinder to add the extra push or the need of a power steering pump to apply the pressure. Just good old intake manifold vacuum. (Some diesels and small output engines used a belt driven vacuum pump) The principal is the same in each case but the cost effective vacuum booster wins out on the average production cars and trucks. It’s a simple system; it’s effective and downright reliable. The main principle behind vacuum boost brakes is to take atmospheric pressure and vacuum air and move one to the other. Since the “atmosphere” wants to always balance the pressure, the vacuum is the “lack” of atmosphere air. So as the plunger is pushed a valve is opened allowing the air to move towards the vacuum section, which is turned into the added force against the brake fluid. It’s impressive to think “air” is the real strength in the booster system. But it is. Think of it as wind moving from a high pressure area to a low pressure area. The larger the difference in “atmospheric” pressure the more intense the wind. That speed is the key in making the vacuum booster so reactive to the touch of the brake pedal.

Mechanical things intrigue me; I love to see how they work and how they accomplish their tasks. These boosters are just a small part of what I find interesting in the world of automotive repair. The better I understand how any system works, the better I can make the right decisions on the repairs.
Now in the 21st century we have regenerative braking systems, Anti-lock brakes. (The first practical antiskid braking system, named Maxaret, was developed in 1958 by the Road Research Laboratories in Great Britain and was first applied to the Jensen FF sports sedan). Along with the old standards there are even more brake systems to study and get familiar with. Keeping up with the changes is just another part of being a good mechanic in today’s world.
Every day is another learning experience, but I also think it’s a good idea to study the history of this automotive world. What’s old becomes new but in a newer element. So when you see something that you believe is a new and inventive, check the history books you may find out that it’s not that new…

There is this one little foot note that I thought was interesting, and I guess in a way it still applies today: printed in 1909
The American Cyclopedia of the Automobile:"Good driving in traffic is shown by making the minimum use of brakes. The strain on passengers amounts to intense nervousness when the car is constantly driven so that the least alteration of direction or of pace on the part of any vehicle ahead results in the violent application of the brake."

Maintenance tips from Dale Donovan

2011-03-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

Dirty cabin air filters can really reduce the flow of air into the passenger compartment. Watch and see!

Battery Woes

2011-03-04T17:31:00.000-05:00

This week an audio where Pat Goss explains why changing out a battery is not so simple anymore. What you need to do to prevent problems. Computers today have adaptive strategy. Listen as he explains what this means.

Air Bag Light in Disguise "what some people will do to sell a car"

2011-02-27T19:36:00.001-05:00

Air Bag Light in Disguise Gonzo 2011
Sometimes I wonder if the things I find wrong with some of these cars are just there for me to find out how ridiculous some people can be. I’ve got to question the thought process of the brilliant ideas that some people can have, just before total stupidity takes over. I gotta ask… “What were you thinking?”

The other day I had a late 90’s GM in the shop. The owner had recently bought it off of a small car lot, and had no idea of the history of the vehicle. It was one of those “great deals” that he couldn’t pass up. Why is it these “great” deals always have some sort of catch to them? Maybe it would be a good idea to have it checked out before you buy it. After looking at it, I might tell you to “pass it up”. Honestly, I’ll never understand why someone will buy a used car when they know nothing about it, or decide after they buy it to finally have it checked out … but they do.

This particular creation had some strange problems. It had a strange battery drain. At first glance all the instrument cluster warning lights, interior lights, and all the electrical functions seemed to be working correctly. There was a drain, a good one too. Strong enough to drain the battery in a day, or so. Finding the solution actually was going to lead to an even bigger problem.

Narrowing it down by watching the amp meter for the parasitic draw value, and pulling fuses till the numbers dropped back into factory specs was the next procedure. Of all things, it ended up back to a crossed up circuit between the air bag system and the charging system. I decided to check the air bag system for codes.

This is interesting, it’s off line. No communication with the crash box. Hmmm, I’m a little confused, because I know I saw the air bag light come on and go off when I pulled it into the shop. Turning the key off, and then restarting the car didn’t help me much, because the air bag light was on… and then off. But then, maybe it did. Like I said, the light came on, and then went off… hey, wait a minute isn’t there supposed to be a few seconds before it goes off? Isn’t this how it verifies its systems are functioning properly? I thought so. So, what’s going on here?

As a technician I’m trying to follow the codes, the diagnostic charts, and the operating description of the system I’m working on. This particular problem wasn’t following the chain of typical scenarios. Take in account this whole thing started off because of a battery drain… I’m really starting to scratch my head over this one.

I had a lot of different ways to go with this one. I could try and follow the draw a little further, or I could chase the problem from the air bag side of it. Maybe, it will all lead to the same problem. For my money I think I’ll work on it from the air bag side of the problem.

The air bag fuses were all good, and the light did come on in the dash. So, I decided to pull the air bag diagnostic module out and pin check the leads to see if that lead anywhere. My first check on any system is the positive signals and then the grounds. Why’s that you ask? Because a loss of ground can be seen as an open lead, and if the positive signals are there, you’ll actually find a voltage signal on the open ground. That’s what electricity wants to do… find ground, and find the shortest path back to the source of the voltage.

In this case they were all there, but when I checked the leads to the instrument cluster the voltage was coming towards the crash box rather than to the cluster. What now? (I love my job, I love my job, repeat as necessary) I guess I better pull the cluster and check the wiring from there back to the crash box and see if that leads anywhere.

After pulling the dash it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see what the problem was. On the back of the instrument cluster somebody had cut the circuit board line to the air bag light, and then added a soldered-on wire to the charge light. So when the charge light was on, so was the air bag light. Once the car started (providing the charging system is working correctly) the charge light would go out, and so would the air bag light. Huh???

You can imagine my “mechanical language” was not for the faint of heart when I found out what was going on. It seems some genius didn’t want to replace the air bag module, so they invented their own air bag warning light instead. Brilliant stupidity… I think that’s the best way to explain it. I can’t imagine somebody went thru all the trouble to deceive the buyer of this car for a safety issue such as air bags. It should be a criminal offense.

After undoing the homemade airbag light, the draw was completely gone. Now the only thing to do was to replace the air bag module to bring it back up to working order. I’m not saying anybody would have caught the problem at first glance. It was a well thought out deception. If you were not intentionally looking for an air bag light delay, I don’t think you would have caught the problem.

Leave it to some unscrupulous dork out there to try something like this. But, I still think it is a good idea to have the car checked out prior to buying it. Maybe, just maybe, you can spot problems like this before you own the problem.

I'd like to thank everyone for their support and their comments. These stories are here before final editing and publication. Send me an email and tell me what you think of the stories. At Gonzosae@aol.com Or visit my website www.gonzostoolbox.com were you can also purchase my best selling book "Hey Look, I Found the Loose Nut." Thanx again.

All-Wheel and 4 Wheel drive

2011-02-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

Pat Goss explains the differences in All/4 wheel drive.

Testing belts on your car

2011-02-18T09:36:00.001-05:00

Belts today in cars are made of EPDM Resistant Compound. They last much longer, but it is much harder to tell when they need to be replaced. The video below will help you with that. Then get the gauge so you can check your belt for wear.

belt Noise your problem then watch this video below!

Here is the link to get your free Dayco aWEARness gauge!
http://www.daycow.com/daycow.nsf/aWEARnessGauge!OpenForm

Free The ECM's

2011-02-16T23:11:00.004-05:00

I've been so busy with more columns and tech articles I've been neglecting to put any articles up for everyone. This little story is going out next month in several trade magazines.Thought you might like it. If you get a chance to pick up a copy of Brake and Frontend, Import Car,or Underhood Service magazines you'll find my latest columns.

You can find even more stories, tech articles, and all sorts of fun automotive related things at my website. www.gonzostoolbox.com

Also --- don't forget Sunday night 7:00pm to 8:00pm CST "Sunday night Chat" A informal chat with automotive pros from all over the country... very soon I'll be hosting a Sunday Chat with guest apperances of shop owners and technicians from across the country. Join the fun...

FREE THE ECM’S
Gonzo Jan 2010
Sometimes, I’ll find faults with the so called “experts” advice or information. Not that I think I’m smarter than the engineers… no, not that at all. But if something strikes me as not being completely correct I might want to question what is on that diagnostic tree. Mind you, my entire day is filled with meeting the expectations of my customers. I have to be dead on with my repairs and diagnostics. Not some of the time, no, ALL the time. And, I expect the same from the people that provide the information and parts. The way I look at it, you’re only as good as the information provided.
Where does that leave me when the directions or diagnostic tree doesn’t lead to an answer? Usually frustrated, and disgusted. But what happens when you follow the diagnostic tree to the letter and something is still very, very wrong.
Several years ago, back in the 80’s or so, back before we had computer based information, email, and the internet we used big thick books to find our diagnostic information. You’ve all seen them, they’re somewhere in a back room of the repair shop these days gathering dust, next to that dwell meter and carburetor adjustment tools. All my big diagnostic books are on a shelf, standing like old soldiers of days gone by, proudly showing their age. Each of them has grease marks, scratches on the covers and worn edges on every page from years of service.
Back when the books were in their heyday I had a couple of interesting issues that a guy like me just couldn’t leave alone. I find something not right; I’d like to find out how to make it right. Even if the book is wrong, I’d like to know why the book is wrong.
There was this mid 80’s GM with a service light on. I broke out my overly large books of knowledge and started to follow the diagnostic tree to find the solution to the problem. As I went thru each step I would note the results of the test and then continue onto the next step.
When I came to the very bottom of the diagnostic tree, there on the final line of the final test was this statement: “If the answer to the last question was “yes” - release the ECM”. Now what it in the world are they talking about now? I’m 99.9% sure they actually meant “replace” ECM (Electronic Control Module), but that’s not what it said. It clearly said “release”
I’m wondering if they know there’s a typo in their book… I think I’ll call them… you know, just for a laugh. Not that it’s all that important, but what the heck… let’s have some fun with this.
I called, as seemed to be the norm back then it took a few phone transfers to get to the correct department, and as each operator put me in touch with the next operator I started to put together a story.
When I finally reached the engineering department, I had to play it up…
“Can I help you with a diagnostic problem?” he said, sounding all official and all.
(Like he had a clue what was going to happen next)… I let him have it with my own version of stupidity.
“Yes, I’m following this diagnostic tree and trying to come to the possible results, but I’m having some problems with it. Now, I’m not one to think there’s a problem with the diagnostics but this one, well, I’m a little concerned… it said, very clearly “release ECM”.
“Hmm, so what did you do?” he asked. (He’s not getting it.)
Let’s see if this guy can follow along with my idiotic logic, or see if I lose him in the translation.
“I disconnected the ECM, set it outside the shop, gave it a little pat on its PROM and said to the little aluminum computer box… “YOU’RE FREE! GO-BUDDY-GO, LEAVE, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, HIT THE ROAD! YOU’RE RELEASED!!” and you know what… it just sat there. It never moved… now I’m wondering, I followed the diagnostics correctly. The car is still in the shop and it still won’t start. And this dang computer doesn’t want to be released…. Ya got any suggestions? Because the test ended with “release ECM”… there were no more steps in the test so I did what it said… I released it -- what now?” I told him.
There was a dead silence on the phone. I’m guessing, this guy doesn’t get the joke, or he’s really thinking that little ECM should have taken its chance and run for the hills before this wack-o mechanic comes up with something else.
He cautiously answered, “Can I call you back on this? I’ll have to consult with the engineering department on this one.”
Is this guy serious? Really, fella, can you not see this is just a joke? I would have thought most intelligent people would see right through my little story… not this guy, he was dead pan serious. He took down the page number and said he would get back to me later that day. Now I’m waiting for “Mr. Engineer” to get back to me.
A few hours later he did call back and informed me that it was a misprint and it really should have said “replace”.
“I know,” I said, “I just thought you guys would like a little joke. I thought you’d like to know that there was a mistake in the books, that’s all.”
“Thanks for telling us, we all got a pretty good laugh over it,” he answered, “We like to think we have the best books in the industry and we pride ourselves on giving you guys the most precise information possible.”
We ended the phone call with both of us laughing about the whole thing. Little did he know, he would get another phone call. A few days later I had another problem to deal with. It was a knock sensor code and the test procedure said; “Take a 4 oz. hammer and tap next to the sensor while observing the scope reading”.
You know, I couldn’t leave this alone. After getting this uptight engineer to loosen up on that last phone call, I just had to call him again.
“OK, what is it this time?” he asked.
“I don’t have a 4 oz. hammer to do this test. You know, you told me you have the most precise information… and I don’t want to deviate from the book without knowing I’m on the right track.”
“Ah……., I’ll have to get back to you,” he told me.
Seriously? I’ll bet this guy never gets the punch line of a joke. Several hours later he called me back, and said that it wasn’t a misprint this time, and that any small hammer would do. This might be one reason why I never became an engineer. These guys are way too serious for me. Lighten up dudes… geez.
“If you find any other mistakes in our books, would you send what you find to us in writing for evaluation. We are working hard to keep these problems from arising… so it would be very helpful if you could do that for us. Thanks for your cooperation,” he said.
Do ya get the feeling this guy doesn’t want me to call them anymore… hmmm, I wonder why? Maybe I’ve given them a little more incentive to recheck their work a little more. These days, I haven’t seen as many mistakes. I suppose with spell check and a few careful proof reads it’s less likely to have these kinds of mistakes again.
I guess in some respects, it’s a good way of avoiding phone calls from smart ass mechanics like myself.

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Water Pumps and Problems When Cars Sit Too Long

2011-02-11T16:28:00.002-05:00

Two videos from Dale Donovan, where he shows what happens when you don't flush the cooling system and what can happen if you let a car sit too long!

Focus Rally: America

2011-02-03T16:54:00.003-05:00

Ford is teaming up with Emmy winning producers to create a new web series -- Focus Rally: America. It's the ultimate interactive cross-country road rally. Listen as Pat Goss has a spokes person on his radio show to talk about it

Here is the website if your interested. http://www.focusrally.com/

The new Chevy Volt

2011-01-28T16:03:00.000-05:00

This week Pat Goss has an engineer on to talk about the new Chevy Volt for 2011. This is the vehicle with the on board gasoline engine that allows you to drive the car beyond its 40 miles battery-supplied power. (up to about 300 miles!)

Audio clip below.

Driveway2driveway & Chevy Volt

2011-01-21T16:12:00.002-05:00

This week Pat Goss has a guest in the studio to talk about a new way of selling your used car, "Driveway2Driveway"and John Davis calls in to talk about the 2011 Chevy Volt.

Automotive certainties

2011-01-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

This week Pat Goss talks about what you need to know about your car battery. Listen to the clip below.

Rocky Mountain Oysters Working on a Cowboy's Cadillac

2011-01-08T07:47:00.002-05:00

Rocky Mountain Oysters Gonzo Jan 2011
At my shop I tend to do more electrical repairs than anything else. It’s what I’m known for, and sometimes I get my share of odd ball electrical problems. Sometimes it’s a factory defect where a harness has rubbed into a bracket behind the dash and shorted things out. But, a lot of the time it’s some add-on that causes the problems. Usually some sort of flashy-testosterone filled bling that the owner is using to show off his macho self to all who pass by. Seldom do I see these “manly” things on a girl’s car… it’s mostly the guy’s… sorry dudes… it’s true. You guys can’t leave them alone. Ya gotta show your manhood somewhere on that Detroit steel.
I had this cowboy’s truck in the shop; it’s a late 80’s Chevy pickup, jacked up to the sky and loud. His only problem for the day was that his parking lights would blow a fuse. My usual first question is, “When did ya put in the stereo?” Over the years I would say it’s probably the no#1 problem I find in the park light systems on these GM cars and trucks of that era. It never fails; some goof ball is going to use the gray wire as the radio ground. I can usually tell these types of guys because they’ll “always” tell me how they used an ohm meter to check the wiring. Ah, dude, it will show continuity to ground because the gray wire is the dash lights and you’ll pick up a ground signal thru a bulb filament back to another dash bulb. However when you turn the park lights on (which they won’t check till the next time they drive at night) the fuse to the park lights will blow.
But in this case this hombre was safe… it wasn’t the radio. Now I have to look elsewhere. One of my many “tricks” to test a short circuit on these older trucks is with 2 fuses. First stick one in the fuse box and turn on the park lights. (It came in blown, and I doubt you’re going to make it any worse) … Keep your eye on the fuse, did it blow quickly? … Or did it take a bit? When I say a bit… I don’t mean like… a second….I mean not immediately, let’s just call it a quick blink. If the fuse takes a bit to blow that tells me the short is farther away from the fuse box than closer. (Learning the difference may take some practice.)
In this case this saddle sore owner’s problem was not immediate, but an ever slight delay. I’m going to look around the outside of the vehicle and see if it reveals any clues. It could be in the back or the front of this herd chasing cattleman’s Cadillac. I climbed out of the cab and headed to the south end of this northbound rig to check for any trailer wiring. It’s my 2nd usual place to look for faulty wiring on this type of truck. Any time you get the handy-dandy farmhand with his fence pliers working his magic on the horse trailer wiring, you’re going to have problems.
Well, how about that… it was professionally done… and in fact the wiring looked great! But there was this other foreign object dangling on the receiver hitch. Oh man … is this necessary? Bull testicles? There’s a pair of fake plastic bovine manhood rocking back and forth with every sway of this pasture cavorting vehicle. Now, I don’t know who this cowboy is trying to impress… ‘cause if I was a cow… I’d think there something wrong with this bull. And, if I was some gal in a car behind this boot wearin’, skoal chewin’, cattle jockey… I don’t think I’d be impressed… at all.
But then something else caught my eye… and it wasn’t the swinging genitals. There’s a small wire connected to them, and the wire is connected to the brown wire of the trailer connector… which, is the park light wiring. OMG… no way…these rocky mountain oysters light up and glow with the evening sky. I don’t remember animal husbandry being a part of my job requirements. And I don’t think glow in the dark dangling beef ta-tas was covered in any of my training classes.
You mean to tell me, if I disconnect the wire from this cowboy’s dangling plastic bull parts the park lights might work? This is nuts! I can’t believe this … … this is definitely not going well today. Well, I’ve gotta try, it could be the end of my search of why the park lights are blowing the fuse … here goes… … with one hand, I grabbed this pasture-prowlers-artificial-cattle-creators and held on with an almighty firm grip. With the other hand, I took steady aim with my trusty cutters--- “Snip” ---the deed is done.
Back to the fuse box and change the fuse, and then flip on the park lights. Well what do ya know, we have lights! Tell all the Angus and Holsteins on the farm – the park lights are working perfectly! ! Whoo Hoo!
I’ll have to admit, it’s the first time I have ever had to castrate a truck to get the park lights to work… Well, there’s a first time for everything… might as well start up a new career… You’ll find me on one of those late night infomercials and in the business yellow pages under; --- “Bull Castrator/Mechanic”--- .

New grade of motor oil called “Dexos”

2011-01-06T16:32:00.001-05:00

General Motors is introducing a new grade of
motor oil called “Dexos” because of the many
engine problems being created by substandard
motor oils that are being sold today. Unfortunately,
the motor oil industry has been cheating consumers
by selling motor oils that don’t meet the standards
listed on the label. The term “synthetic” is
meaningless and is nothing more than a ploy to
lure consumers into buying products that have no
corresponding benefits but only inflate oil company

profits. In order to meet GM’s Dexos standards, the
oil company will be licensed by GM and their motor
oils will be tested by GM and not by the oil company’s testing lab. The
GM “Dexos 1” approval will offer the type of quality expected of a true
synthetic oil offering both longer drain intervals and fuel efficiency combined
with high temperature and high sheer qualities to provide superior
engine protection. GM will start requiring Dexos 1 in gas engines and
Dexos 2 in diesel engines in the 2011 models.

Diagnostic Tech: EVAP Mishap

2011-01-03T20:27:00.001-05:00

2000 Pontiac Montana, 3.4

There were two complaints. A stored P0440 engine code and the customer had a difficult time filling the fuel tank. I thought it would be best to check the P0440 problem first. EVAP faults can cause refueling problems. When the EVAP monitor begins on this system the engine control module opens the purge control valve. With the valve open the engine intake manifold vacuum can draw vapor or air from the canister. The ECM expects to see a change in short term fuel trim. If there is no change the weak vacuum test will be run. The vent valve will be commanded closed and the purge control valve pulsed open. The ECM is looking at the fuel pressure sensor for an indication of vacuum in the tank since the system should now be closed to the outside atmosphere. If this does not happen after two attempts a P0440 code sets.

A leak in the system could cause this problem and it would certainly not be unusual to find an EVAP leak. The most common leak points are at fuel caps or near connections of rubber hose to either metal pipe or plastic tubing. Usually on this particular make and model the leaks are at the canister hose. I gave the system a pretty good look and there were no obvious leaks. Not seeing an obvious leak certainly does not mean there are no leaks but before getting too involved with leak checks it would be a good idea to see that the purge valve actually has vacuum to it, that it does open when commanded and that the vacuum can get to the canister. I did a test of the vent valve that it did close when commanded before I lowered the car.

There was a pretty obvious problem at the purge valve. The vacuum hose at the valve had been replaced and the replacement hose was kinked shut. No engine vacuum was actually reaching the valve.

After replacing the hose, I let the initial EVAP load test run just so I could let you see what the ECM is looking for at that time. It wants the short term fuel term to give an indication that the system is working.

I said there were two complaints. I had not found anything to cause the tank to be difficult to fill. After checking for venting problems or restrictions and even dropping the tank for better access, we found nothing. I tried to fuel up at the station normally used by the customer and I could only add fuel slowly or it would kick the pump off. I went to two other stations and had no problem even at full flow. The fix for the hard fueling problem? It's like the old joke. Doctor it hurts when I do this. Well don't do that.

Kenneth Hayes

aka Deranger

Joe Friday Diagnostics --- Sgt. Friday trades in his badge for a new career

2011-01-01T09:57:00.003-05:00

Joe Friday Diagnostics Gonzo Jan - 2011
How would Sgt. Friday explain auto repair and diagnostics… que the music:
The story you’re about to read is true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Monday morning, it was cold that day. I was working day shift out of the repair division. There’s a suspicious vehicle at the front of the shop. A customer walks in the door. I’ll take it from here. I’m a mechanic, the name’s Friday.
It was a 2003 Ford, 5.4 liter, fully loaded and sounded like it was running rough. The lady came to the counter.
“Good Morning ma’am, what can I do for you,” I said to the complainant.
“Yes, I’m here about my car,” she answered.
“There’s a problem with the car, I see. What can you tell me about it?” I asked, in my usual non-threatening, but confident monotone voice.
“I was on my way to deliver my recyclables to the east side collection area, because I’m a concerned citizen you know, when my car started to make a coughing and clattering sound. I thought I would bring it in to have it checked out,” the owner answered.
“Coughing and clattering, hmm, not a problem. I’ll get it investigated, I can interrogate the pursuant this morning, especially for a concerned citizen such as yourself,” I answered while maintaining my professionalism.
“Well, do you need any other information from me?” she asked.
“Just the facts ma’am, just the facts,” I said.
“The check engine light came on,” she reported.
“This could be of some help. Sounds like a possible 0300 (engine misfire). But I’ll check it out first, I’ll need to finish my investigation in order to give you any proper results,” I said to her, while my pen was busy jotting down the facts onto the always present handy notepad.
She left the car with me for further interrogations. Using the scanner made the results easy to locate. It wasn’t long before I got an answer. It was a P0302 in progress… misfire on no#2 cylinder… normally an open and shut case.
09:30 Am, working on the assumption that the perpetrator was somewhere near the 2nd cylinder; I went in for further investigations. I checked the usual suspects. Pulling the plug didn’t yield any new clues. The plug was good and answered all the standard questions. The coil was a more likely suspect; a simple test could answer the problem.
I’ll set up a little sting operation by using a decoy. Taking the nearest coil and replacing it with the suspected faulty coil, and put the known good coil on the other plug. I was hoping to see the miss move to the other cylinder. It didn’t. In fact it was gone.
10:05 Am. Now the challenge was on. I’ll have to go back over my facts and check the crime scene again. There’s something I must have overlooked that might be the key to this investigation. Two things come up as good possibles; the connection or terminals at the coil, or the spark plug boot attached to the coil. The plug boot had a good alibi… it had just been changed, in fact so was the spark plug. That left the coil connection.
A more in-depth interrogation of the connector is needed. My years of technical diagnostics work told me to look closer at the wire and the connector. The guilty party in this case appears to be one of the wires at the connector. It was barely hanging onto the housing. Only the plastic sheath was still connected, and the wire itself was not answering to any of the standard questioning or interrogative tactics.
Under the intense glow of the high powered shop light the investigation continued. Resorting to some strong arm tactics I pulled on the wire while using a few choice investigative words, the plastic sheathing kept getting longer and longer. Soon, it snapped under the pressure to expose the desperado for the perpetrator it really was.
11:45 Am. The repair was completed, and tested to verify the repairs were effective. The car in question was back with its rightful owner by the end of the day. I now can close the file on this one, another job well done.
In conclusion: With the P0302 in question deleted from the computer history, the coil connector was then convicted of failure to cooperate. With her car back on the road she could once again be a productive concerned citizen of this great metropolis.
Case closed and now, back to the front desk waiting for that next problem to come through the door. This city is full of broken, non-maintained, and poorly running cars. As a concerned citizen I’ll be on the lookout for these suspicious misfires and other infractions of the auto world. Then again, it’s my job. I’m a mechanic.

P1151 performance code problem

2010-12-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

This week we have Ron Ananian with his repair of the week. A P1151 performance problem and how he solved it. Listen to the clip below.

Problems associated with loss of power steering

2010-12-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

Check Engine Light w/ EVAP Leak

2010-12-17T16:49:00.000-05:00

This week Dale Donovan shows how a shop tests for a Evap. emissions leak in what is called a "smoke test".

Ode to Santa and the Economy

2010-12-11T07:07:00.003-05:00

Ah it's Christmas time again, and it wouldn't be Christmas without a story about Santa. Enjoy.

Ode to Santa and the Economy Gonzo 2010

There goes Santa, running for his sleigh;
He’s gotta run fast to get away.

You see, the economy has struck the North Pole as well;
The elves are on strike, and his wife is giving him hell.

Now when Santa makes his appearance at the department stores;
It’s not just for all those little kids anymore.

He’s not going to make a whole lot of stops;
‘Cause look out Santa… here comes the cops.

So off he goes, in the middle of the night;
To find those gifts, and get out of sight.

There’s Santa, flying far into the night;
Carrying all those gifts, on his yearly flight.

With all the alarms blaring and the police giving chase;
Santa will be long gone, without leaving a trace.

He has to be quick to have it done by Christmas Eve;
So many gifts and so many places to be…

The presents will all be wrapped, and the tags will be off;
That’s because Old Santa is very careful, not to get caught.

So look for your present on Christmas day;
(Just keep hush-hush if it’s from Santa, OK.)

Now, I don’t know if Old Saint Nick will stop at your house, or not;
But if he does … … … … … THOSE GIFTS ARE HOT ! !

PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO ALL
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! ! !

If you enjoy these stories, there's more. Go to www.gonzostoolbox.com
Looking for a great gift for your mechanic friend or for yourself? Pick up a copy of my best selling book,
"Hey Look, I Found the Loose Nut" @ amazon.com, gonzostoolbox.com, or most local book stores.

A very graphic discription of what happens during a crash!

2010-12-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

This week Pat Goss talks about study that was done several years ago before air bags were standard. He explains what happens during each fraction of a second as a vehicle suddenly leaves the road and crashes into a tree. His description is very graphic, and above all remember it can happen to anyone, even you!

Breaker, Breaker...

2010-12-04T07:39:00.002-05:00

Breaker, Breaker… GONZO 2010
Before cel. phones there was the CB... read this story and find out what happened to Joe.

In my many years of repairing cars I’ve helped out a lot of other shops with their electrical problems. Some shops I see a few times a month, and others only once in awhile. Back in the mid 80’s and 90’s I had one shop that I talked to almost every day until his eventual retirement. His name was Joe; he had a small repair shop along with a couple of tow trucks. His main business was the tow company, and the repair shop was there just to fill in the gaps on those slow days.
One afternoon I got a call from Joe about a car his crew had given up on. They had changed several parts, but couldn’t get this car to come back to life. Joe was busy with tows, and didn’t want to spend any more time on it. So he put it on one of his tow trucks, and dropped it off at my shop for me to look at.
“I’ll be on the road all day busy with tows. If you get it going, could ya take it back to my shop for me,” Joe said, as he made a dash for his tow truck.
“No problem Joe, I’ll get right on it,” I said, just as he drove off.
The car was a late 80’s GM. I could see all kinds of shiny new components under the hood, and could tell they put a lot of effort into swapping parts to find out what was going on. With a flip of the key it would immediately start, but die just as quickly. Every time I tried it, it would act the same way without fail.
The parts they changed were all predictable. They tried tune-up parts, an IAC, TPS, MAP etc… etc… all of which might, could, should’ve, probably, maybe… fixed it. But didn’t. I wasn’t going to go that route. I thought it best to start with the basics- fuel, fire, and air.
Spark was good, timing looked good, injector pulse was there, and the intake had a good air pull. Well, what now? I gave it a shot of carb. cleaner… vroom, vroom, vroom. As long as I kept spraying… it kept running. Ok, check the fuel pressure… it had pressure. Hmmm, now what to do? The next obvious thing (to me) was to check fuel volume.
I disconnected a fuel line and gave the key a flick into start… the fuel ran out… and then trickled to a stop. I did it a second time. Not as much fuel made it out… but there was some, although it didn’t last as long as it did the first time. Maybe I should look at that gas gauge. Wouldn’t ya know it… the friggin thing was out of gas. It had just enough in the tank to pressurize the fuel lines but not enough to keep it going.
Might as well grab a gas can, and put some in the tank. I’ll try it again… vroom, vroom, vroom, alright! It’s running great! Looks to me, like it was out of gas. However, with all the new parts they installed, I couldn’t be sure if this was the only problem or an after affect of having the car in the shop while trying to solve a different problem. It could have been that one of the components they changed really did need to be changed. I couldn’t tell; they’re all new… and all working perfectly.
Later that day I drove the car back to Joe’s shop. He wasn’t there, but his dispatcher was in the office sorting out tow tickets and monitoring the CB with the volume up full blast. In the background you could hear the CB was busy with all the area’s tow companies’ chatter.
About then I heard Joe’s voice over the CB, “Did Gonzo call yet? Need to check in on him, we need to get that car back to the owner.”
“He just walked in Joe,” the dispatcher told him.
“So what was wrong with it,” Joe asked between the squelch of the CB radio and all the other chatter from the other tow companies.
The dispatcher turned to me and asked what I found wrong with it. I told him. The dispatcher, with a stunned look on his face said, “I can’t tell him that. He is going to be so pissed.”
“I don’t think you should tell him till he gets back,” I said, while breaking into an ear to ear smile.
The CB comes to life with Joe’s voice; “So what did he find out? Geez, I’m busy… come on give me the news,” Joe barks out thru the CB speaker. He sounded pretty demanding and frustrated. I don’t know whether it was the way his day was going or it could have been over this car… either way, he’s not going to like this answer.
“Go ahead… tell him,” I said, “He wants the answer, so tell him.”
“Alright,” said the dispatcher grabbing the mike to the CB, “Joe, are ya ready for this? It was out of gas.”
A dead silence came over the CB. No chatter, nothing, not a sound. It was if someone had turned it off. A few seconds went by, then, all hell broke loose. Tow drivers from all over the city were razing poor Joe. The CB was full of laughter and goof ball comments, but not a word from Joe. Poor Joe, you asked for it, and now you’re getting it.
I got up from the desk, and dropped the keys off with the dispatcher, “Tell Joe to stop by the shop, he can settle up with me then,” I said while trying to hold back the laughter.
As I walked out the door I could still hear the CB chatter all the way out to the parking lot, and the comments were still flying. It was one of the funniest moments I’ve ever had for doing nothing more than putting a couple of gallons of gas in a car.
When Joe came up to pay the bill I told him I had a little something for him. I handed him a little tiny gas can to keep on his desk, as a reminder to always check the basics.
After all these years I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten about it, and I’ll bet he doesn’t tell too many people what that little gas can sitting on his desk is all about… especially over the CB.

How magnetos and ignition coils work

2010-12-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

Dave Rock is here again with another video on how collapsing magnetic fields can generate a lot of voltage and how the electricity is created . An explanation of electronic ignition and points and condensor systems.

It is rather long about 14 minutes. As always your comments are welcomed by posting to the mailing list.

Diagnostic Tech: Thar She Blows!

2010-12-01T09:15:00.000-05:00

I suppose pursuing a short doesn't have much in common with pursuing the great whale but it still can sometimes be time consuming. '05 Silverado, 5.3B engine. Blows 15 amp inj1 fuse intermittently. The first trip here the truck was in for a misfire complaint. One of my techs found misfires on 1,3,5 and 7 (bank 1). It isn't that unusual for this make to have a full bank misfiring. I've seen O2 and/or computer problems cause that occasionally. I suggested testing for power to the coils and injectors on that bank. Each bank feeds from a different fuse (inj1 and inj2).

Fuse inj1 was blown. Replacing the fuse got all cylinders firing again. The tech went over the harness and didn't find a short. Drove several trips on a rough road, pulled on the harness. Finally let the truck go with the warning that we did not find the cause of the fuse problem.

Three months later, the truck returns with the same problem. Replacing the blown inj1 fuse got it running again. This time I looked over the harness. The wiring goes from the underhood fuse box to the bank 1 coils and injectors. I didn't notice a problem. Pulling on the harness didn't cause a short and a scope display of injector and coil current ramps looked normal. I decided to look online for any similar problems found by others. Alldata, iATN and identifix had no silver bullet. D-tips had mention of a short found in the harness near the upper control arm. Now that tip didn't really help because when I looked everything over this particular truck had no harness in the area mentioned that could blow an inj1 fuse. BUT it did lead to me finding the short. It was like this.... after looking under, over and around the control arm area and coming up empty I was standing in front of the truck and leaning over the front grill. I thought well I'll try the harness flexing again. When I grabbed the main harness from that angle and pulled toward the front of the truck, the fuse popped and the misfires started. Looking very closely at the harness there was a small hole rubbed into the casing of the harness. Opening that harness I found that the hole was also rubbed into the pink wire from the inj1 fuse. Right in front of my face all along.

Kenneth Hayes

aka Deranger

Shift Happens

2010-11-27T06:49:00.004-05:00

Shift Happens Gonzo 2010
Jo was a new customer referred by an old-time regular. Her little KIA had a transmission problem that seemed to be getting the best of the transmission shop. The story goes that the SUV was constantly in limp mode, and would never shift properly… ever. As it always seems to be the case when a simple problem can’t be solved simply, somebody started the diagnostics off in the wrong direction. Little did I know this was a simple problem…. But, as I see it, each and every type of diagnostic work that you do requires a certain step by step procedure that you must follow. Miss a step, or completely overlook a step, usually means you’re going to miss that simple problem all together. This was no exception.
From what information I could gather the person who diagnosed it at the transmission shop wasn’t the same person who installed it. So after the tech put the last bolt in the transmission, he set the car out front, and told the front office, “Got the transmission in that KIA.” The front office considered it done, and the call went out for Jo to pick it up. She didn’t make it around the block before she was back at the front counter in a “not-so” pleasant mood. You can just imagine the situation at the counter… not pleasant I’m sure. After some deliberation, and very little diagnostics the transmission shop came up with the conclusion that it must be a bad transmission. Luckily, Jo’s ride that had brought her there was still in the parking lot, so she left the KIA for them to re-do the whole job again.
A week later, it was supposedly done. This time a different tech had installed the second transmission. Unfortunately, he made the same mistake as the first tech. When Jo came to pick up her car the shop owner took her for a ride to be sure that the repairs were made to her satisfaction. It was a short drive… This time, the owner said he was going to pay for the transmission, and would even purchase one from the dealership just to be sure it wasn’t their mistake in rebuilding it. But even the dealer transmission failed to shift properly. The tranny shop was at a loss, they decided to make a few calls for some help, and that’s when my phone rang.
Now, I’m not one to diagnose anything over the phone. I just don’t think it’s a smart way of taking care of such problems, because you never quite know what you’re getting into. But the tranny shop owner sounded desperate, and now the repair costs were coming out of his pocket. From his frantic explanations of no codes, no shift, and no idea of the problem, he kind of put me on the spot … so … I suggested a computer. Heck, why not… ya’ changed the tranny 3 times for Pete’s sake, obviously that ain’t’ it. I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I think he wanted to try and save as much money as possible without resorting to taking it to another shop.
Well, a new TCM didn’t work either…. Now, the car is finally coming my way. Jo was a little unsure whether or not there was anyone out there who could find the problem, but her friend told her that it couldn’t hurt to let me see what I could do for her. I’ll give it a try.
When the car showed up at the shop I took it around the block once to verify the condition, and then put it up on the lift. While it was on the lift I decided to drop it into gear and check it against the scanner. To my surprise, it shifted perfectly. I’m not kidding… absolutely perfect. I dropped it back on the ground, and went for a ride again. I didn’t even make it around the first corner… stuck in limp mode just as it was before, this dang thing can’t pull itself out of a pot hole.
Back up on the lift, and wouldn’t ya know it, shifts perfectly… AGAIN! What’s the deal here? I did it several times, just so I could be sure of the results I was getting. After a few trips I checked the wiring to the transmission while it was on the ground. Oh, oh, the main ground to the TCM wasn’t there. How in the world was it there when it was in the air? AH HA! It’s moving the wire! Yes, it was moving the wire alright, and a few more than just the TCM ground lead. The locator page showed the TCM ground wire was bundled with several other ground leads that were all attached to the main chassis ground… which wasn’t attached to a thing, but was dangling by the battery box.
Turns out the whole problem started when she had her battery changed at a department store repair shop, and they didn’t have the right size to fit the car. They disconnected the chassis ground wire, so the taller battery would fit.
When I told Jo what I found, the two of us pieced together the how and why it happened. Her only comment was, “Well, shift happens”.
All said and done with, the transmission shop paid for the entire repair, and gave her back what she spent with them. Everyone involved was glad to have the problem solved, and the car back on the road as good as new. I like this gal, she’s become a regular at the shop these days. What a card! Always has some sarcastic comment for me, but at the same time a very understanding nature and takes life in stride. I’d love to have a couple of dozen customers just like her.
As she always tells me… “If you can’t live on the bright side of life… start polishing the dull one.”

I hope you enjoy these stories, they're pre-released here before publication. If you have any comments leave a message on the blog or email.
Be looking for my stories in trade magazines all across the country. http://www.gonzostoolbox.com/
My latest book would make a great Christmas gift for anyone in the business or for that matter anyone that deals with the general public in their daily job. Pick up a copy at my website or at amazon.com -- also available at Borders, Barnes and Noble and several other book stores.

How front drive differentials work

2010-11-26T16:45:00.000-05:00

In this video demonstration Dave Rock explains how a front drive trans axle turns the wheels.

What's On Second

2010-11-20T08:14:00.002-05:00

A hillarious phone call at the repair shop....

What’s on Second Gonzo 2010

My office manager is also my oldest daughter Katie, a bright, pretty gal with a quick wit and long beautiful red hair. Naturally, Katie gets all the phone calls and front office issues. She does a great job, and makes everything feel like a day at the ball park. Sometimes I wonder if she shouldn’t be a comedian, or even have her own vaudeville act.
She cracks me up with some of her responses to those wacky phone calls we all tend to receive at the repair shop.

On one occasion I happened to be in the office, and listened in on a conversation she was having with a prospective customer. The way she handled it was remarkable. With the phone on speaker I couldn’t help but hear the entire conversation. By the end of the phone call I was laughing so hard that I nearly forgot I was only supposed to be listening and to keep quiet. I did, but managed to have a big smile on my face for the rest of the day. The phone call went something like this;
“Good morning, this is Katie, may I help you?”
“Yes, I had my car over at the transmission shop, and they recommended you guys,” the caller said.
“Ok, great, is it a shifting problem?” she asked.
“No, it’s an electrical problem.”
“We certainly do that kind of work. When would you like to bring it in and have it diagnosed?”
“No, I already had it diagnosed at the other shop.”
“They did, did they? Did they tell you what the problem was?”
“No, they didn’t know what was wrong with it. That’s why they sent me to you.”

About now Katie is getting the raised eyebrow look going, and her pen is scribbling some sort of gibberish on the note pad. Something is up. I can tell you know… I’ve answered phone calls like this myself. Let’s see how Katie handles this … I’ll listen in a little more.
“So did they give you any clues to what the problem was?” she asked curiously.
“They said they didn’t know.”

“Well that doesn’t help either one of us… let’s start this all over again. It sounds to me like the other shop checked it out, and determined that it was something they couldn’t handle and recommended us. Their best guess was that it was something electrical. Then they gave you our phone number, and told you we could take care of it. Am I pretty close to what’s going on sir?” Katie asked.
“Quite right”
“Ok, let’s see if we can knock one out of the old ball park. First off… the transmission shop sent you to … … … who?”
“To you…”
“Great we’ve made it to first base. Now then, let’s head to 2nd base… that’s where we figure out the “what’s wrong with it” part.”
He quickly interrupted her… “Nope, already did that.”
“Well, what’s wrong with it then?” Katie asked.
“I don’t know, and they couldn’t tell me either,” the caller said.
“Sir, somehow we have made it all the way to third base, and haven’t touched second at all,” she answers.
“I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” the bewildered caller said.
“Let’s try this again,” Katie goes on with, “We have established that the “who” part of this is to bring the car here. As of now we have a good foot hold on first base… the second thing is the “what” part, and that’s where we are having a problem… the “I don’t know” part can be answered once we have it diagnosed.
“I already had it diagnosed.”
“Ok, then “what’s” wrong with it?”
“I don’t know.” (Here we go again, passed 2nd and slid into 3rd)
“Naturally,” Katie answers him with that -I’m not going thru this again- look on her face, “They didn’t know… that’s why you’re talking to me.”
“I don’t think you understand,” he answers her.
“Oh, I understand perfectly well, sir. I don’t think you understand that I can’t repair it, unless I know what is wrong with it,” she answers back, “This is why I wanted to start you off with “who’s” on first… which is me.”
“But, I just told you… they diagnosed it already.”
“Who did?”
“Not you…………, they did.”
“What did they tell you was wrong with it?”
“I don’t know……………,” our caller answered while making another beeline for 3rd base.
“Sir, we will need to diagnose it all over again in order to find out “what” is wrong with it… and hopefully avoid that 3rd base.”
“What 3rd base?”
“What is the 2nd base, I don’t know is 3rd,” Katie answered him.
“So, we need to stay on what?” asks the caller.
“Yes, second base.”
“Who’s on 1st?”
“Naturally, I’m on first base. I thought we already got past that point. We need to move onto 2nd base.”
“Second base, will that fix my car?”
“I don’t know”, said Katie.
“So are we on 2nd or 3rd now?” the caller asked.
“Sir, I’m still on 1st base where we started. Now let’s try 2nd again. I still need to get it diagnosed… that’s second base,” Katie answered.
“I already had it diagnosed,” stated the caller.
“And what did they find out?”
“I don’t know… … … 3rd base,” they both answered in unison without missing a beat.

The phone call went on for some time. I’m about to fall off the barstool laughing so hard. We all know what the problem is. It’s not the what, who, or I don’t know… it’s because he has already paid someone to check his car out, and they failed to find the problem. So “naturally”, the customer assumes that there is no need in paying for the same thing a second time, if nothing came about it the first time around. (Try that when you go to a second doctor for another opinion)

I understand their plight. I just wish when he got up to bat at the first shop they would have done a better job of explaining to him about the necessary procedures to make these repairs. Then again the charges the customer was given might have been for other work, and not for any diagnostics at all…..but that never made it into the conversation.

The call ended with, “I can’t bring it today, but I can bring it in tomorrow.”

What a relief, “Because”- (he’s in the outfield)… today is the day to catch wacky phone calls, and I’ve caught all the foul balls I can stand for one day. I just hope “Tomorrow” doesn’t end up throwing me any wild pitches.

So no matter how you handle things in the office or in the shop… sometimes you just want to make it around the bases without getting tagged. And there’s one more thing I’m sure of -- I don’t want to end up with the customer only making a “short stop” in my shop, because we haven’t seen eye to eye on how the problem needs to be resolved…

Cause, we all know that short stop’s name……

Thanx for reading my stories, these stories are posted before editing for publication.
Visit my website for even more car info, photos, and stories. www.gonzostoolbox.com
see ya there... don't forget to get a copy of my best selling book too.

What should you do if unattended acceleration occurs

2010-11-19T16:18:00.000-05:00

This week we have Pat Goss & John davis talking about what to do if unattended acceleration occurs while you are driving. The fact is most people do not. What are the procedures? Listen to the clip as all of this is explained.

Diagnostic Tech: The Dodge That Wouldn't Talk (Or Start)

2010-11-16T12:33:00.000-05:00

2000 Dodge Ram 1500, 4x4, 5.9 Gas, AT

Engine replaced with used. No start after engine replacement. Customer suspects bad computer.
I saw the spare parts in the back of the truck. Looks like there was some difference in engines and the intake manifold was swapped out as well. You can get into trouble swapping year model engines on a Dodge if you don't keep the original flywheel with the engine that is installed. The crank sensor is triggered by the flywheel and they are not all the same. I even had one in with a miss after an engine swap that turned out to have the 3.9 v-6 flywheel behind a v-8. But since the flywheel was gone from this old engine I assumed it was the one installed.

The engine cranked well but no start. No hit, no backfire. Just spun over. Usually at this point I would check for spark and fuel but I was more than a bit curious why the customer blamed the computer. I decided to use a scan tool first and see what sort of information I could find. The scan tool could not establish communication with the pcm. At the diagnostic connector, where the scan tool connects to the vehicle, you need to have a ground on pin 4 and power on pin 16
or you will have no communication with the scan tool. Some scan tools will power up automatically once plugged into a data link connector if the ground and power are good on those two pins. If you are using one of the scan tools that does that and you connect but don't see it power up then you have a pretty safe bet you are missing a ground or power. In this case I was using a scan tool that does not power up automatically. But if the fault was with the data link connector I would have no communication with any of the modules. I had no communication with engine or transmission which are both functions of the pcm. I also tried OBDII communication. Sometimes you will find a pcm or ecm that will not communicate from the OEM side but still work when queried as OBDII. Not this one though.

I did get communication with ABS, Body and Airbag modules. The ABS had stored a code for mismatched vin. I usually see that after someone has tried a used pcm. The ABS module noticed the vin from the borrowed pcm didn't match the vin stored in memory and sets the code. No other codes but a "no bus" message on the instrument panels mileage display. You'll see "no bus" when there is a module communication problem. With a mental note of the message and the ABS code, I decided to check power to the pcm. The pcm gets fused battery power at pin 22 of the C1 connector. I like to remove the cover from a connector and be able to see the wires actually at the point they enter. I can verify the pin 22 wire is actually the red/white that my wiring information says and I can see if there is corrosion or damage in that area. I just feel better when all the bases are covered during a test so that I can have confidence in the results.

I found no problems with the connector, wire or pins and verified battery power present. I used a standard test light because in a case like this I want a load on the circuit during the check. The next step, to me, was to check that I had 5 volt reference from the pcm. If there is no reference voltage then there is no communication. The violet/white wire on that same connector, at pin 17 supplies 5 volts to several key sensors. The easiest place to test for the 5 volts is at the throttle position sensor connector. No test light this time but a digital meter. No voltage on the violet/white wire with key on and sensor connected. A sensor can short internally and kill the 5 volt supply so I tested again with the tps disconnected. Still no voltage.

At this point I could start disconnecting the sensors one at a time and watch for voltage to return. If I disconnected a sensor and the 5 volts appeared then I would know that sensor was shorting the circuit. I chose a different path. I decided to cut the violet/white 5 volt wire near the pcm. If the pcm was indeed bad then I would see no voltage on the pcm side of the wire and I wouldn't have to find and disconnect all those sensors. If there was a short on the sensor side then with the wire cut I'd have the 5 volts coming from the pcm and see communications restored. I know, I know.. I'm a bit of an optimist. BUT it actually did work. The pcm side had 5 volts. The "no bus" message was gone and I could communicate with the pcm. That left finding the short on the sensor side of the circuit. That could be a bad sensor or, since major work had been done it could be a pinched wire or similar man-made fault.

I had already disconnected the throttle position sensor and it wasn't that. It wasn't the cam position sensor. I disconnected the crank position sensor and BINGO! Five volt supply returned. The harness for that sensor runs right along the top of the bell housing. A likely spot to get a wire pinched between the engine and transmission.

I couldn't see in that area very well. I did get my hand in there and could pull no slack in the sensor harness. I snaked a borescope lead down there and it did appear to be damaged.

You see how those wires go under the bracket and disappear? A little more effort and I got an angle on the point they re-appear from between the engine and bell housing. Very definitely those wires were caught in a bad spot and shorted to ground.

I removed the torque converter, starter and bell housing bolts. Removed the old sensor.

With everything bolted back up and a new crank position sensor installed everything was fine.

Kenneth Hayes

aka Deranger

Dale Donovan on radiators

2010-11-12T16:42:00.001-05:00

This week a short clip from Dale Donovan on some simple checks you can make on your radiator.

Old Sarge - A tribute to a fellow Marine

2010-11-11T19:21:00.002-05:00

A perfect story for Veterans Day. Gonzo 2010

Old Sarge

I met this great man through his son, who happened to be the driver of that Chevy van from the furniture store that was my very first customer. Sarge isn’t his real name, but that’s what I called him. He was a retired Marine Corps cook. I met him one day when he came in with a sick Cadillac.

The old Cadillac hardly had any power at all; just as slow and lazy as a snail. I was only in business for a few months, and didn’t know anybody. I didn’t have any work to speak of, so even though it wasn’t an electrical problem (as he originally thought), I jumped right in and found the problem. It was a clogged catalytic converter. Unbelievably, it wasn’t even welded in place. I could take off the clamps, and remove it without much hassle.
Back then I didn’t have a lift to put the car in the air, so I had to do the whole job on the ground. Well, old Sarge just sat there and watched me do the whole thing. I think he was a little suspicious of this skinny little white kid who was hacking away at his car, but he patiently waited, being the good man he was. We got to talking about things, and it wasn’t long before he found out that I was also in Marine Corps. Now we had some common ground. We were buds for life, always cutting up with each other.

One hot August afternoon Sarge brought in one of his other cars to get some work done. I had the back door to the shop open, and Sarge steps outside for a little fresh air. I thought I could hear the guy crying or mumbling something, couldn’t tell which it was. I stuck my head around the corner, “Sarge, ah …. you ok, buddy?” I asked.

He proceeded to tell me how the house he grew up in was close by, before it became a shopping center. He talked about his dad and family, and how he hunted rabbits right where we were standing. It was during the Depression. Hard times, and things were scarce in those days. How his dad hid a pig in a pit, not too far from here. Where they kept the corn mash for making moon shine. I sat and listened to this hardened Marine tell me his life’s story that day, from his first car to how he ended up in the Corps. I didn’t answer the phone, or go up front to see if anyone came in. I just sat out there in that August heat, drenched in sweat, listening to this fella tell me his life story.

I’ll never forget that afternoon. I’ll also never forget how every time he came to my shop over the next 25 years he would sneak up on me, and yell in a drill instructor voice, “TEN HUT!” I would snap to attention just like a good Marine should. Sometimes, just to get a rise out of Sarge I would purposely hit my head on the hood of the car I was working on. He got a kick out of it every time.

Sarge passed away a couple years back. I still think about him now and then. I hope he’s up there hunting rabbits, or something. Maybe he’s guarding the gates like every Marine hopes to be doing when their time comes. Or, he could be just waiting there to try and surprise me with one more “TEN HUT” when I show up.

Sarge, I miss having you around the shop.

this is one of the many stories out of my best selling book
"Hey Look, I Found The Loose Nut"
purchase a copy either from amazon.com or my website www.gonzostoolbox.com

You'll love it... Gonzo