Particles in serpentine belts

The buildup of particles of the serpentine belt between the belt ribs is usually caused by inadequate belt tension. Is this so?

Yes, it could be the cause of inadequate belt tension, misaligned pulleys or pulleys that are wobbling, but mostly it is caused by insufficient belt tension.

Henry Ford did not..

I have heard that Henry Ford did not invent the automobile, nor did he invent the assembly line. Is this so?










Yes. The gasoline powered car was invented by two different men in the late 1800's, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, working independent of one another. In order to fulfill a government contract to make muskets, EliWhitney pioneered the assembly line process 100 years before Ford.

Washing a car with a Sponge

I have heard that you should never wash a car with a sponge. What's wrong with using a sponge? Also, when waxing the car I know I should use a microfiber towel. Is there something about using the Microfiber towel I need to be concerned with?

You should be using a wash mitt such as the one on the left, especially if the car happens to be black in color! The reason is real simple. If you look at a sponge the little pores in it are closed, and as you wash those pores pick up little pieces of dirt. As you go along it becomes like sand paper. Since most people wash in circular motions you will see a lot of dark colored vehicles that have circular, almost swirl marks seen under a light. Use a mitt with a deeper nap for less chance of damage.

Yes, when you use a Microfiber towel, on the corner there is this paper looking tag that gives you some instructions on where it is made, and if you look real close it will tell you to remove this tag before you use it. If you don't, again this Innocent looking tag will scratch the paint of a clear coat paint finish.

Diagnostic Tech: '97 Olds Cutlass Supreme

This Olds Cutlass came in as a no-start. The customer tried to repair the car by replacing the ignition switch but when it still wouldn't start he had the car towed in. I found the battery dead and even if I didn't know someone had been working on the car it was pretty obvious when I opened the driver's door.





I guess the car owner didn't want to waste a lot of time putting things back together in case he had to scrap out the car (grin). You may think that an ignition switch is where the key goes but that is an ignition lock. The actual ignition switch is electrical and mounts to the top of the lower portion of the steering column. In the picture above it is left hanging below the brake pedal. Since the switch has been removed and only one bolt is left holding the steering column in place I can drop the column down and show you what you'll see in the switch mounting area with the switch removed.

The long metal rod is an actuator for the switch. When you turn the ignition lock back and forth the actuator moves back and forth. The end of the rod you see sticking up fits into a slot in the ignition switch. The ignition switch body fastens solidly to the column with two machine screws and when the actuator moves it causes the inner portion of the switch to move creating paths for voltage to operate the various electrical systems in key on, accessory and crank positions.

Since the switch is hanging there so handy I can insert a small screwdriver into the slot and operate the switch using the screwdriver as an actuator.





When I slide the switch to the crank position I should get ignition voltage to the yellow wire at the switch, and I do. But, I don't get starter engagement. The antitheft system on this car uses a small resistor pellet in the key. Even though I'm not using the key to actuate the ignition switch the key must be in the lock cylinder so that the theft deterrent module can read the pellet resistance. If the resistance isn't correct then the module won't enable the starter. The trouble here is that since I already know this I have the key in the lock cylinder and still have no starter engagement.

I have power at the yellow wire when the switch is in crank position. This power should show up at the starter relay fuse #11 in the fuse block. It does and the fuse is good. From the fuse the power should go to the transaxle range switch, through the switch in park or neutral to the theft deterrent relay. Now the theft deterrent relay and the theft deterrent module are accessible (just barely) if you remove the glove compartment. Feel around in the area directly above and you'll find them. There are metal screws to mount them in place. Now it could be that the car just needs a starter and the cranking voltage is reaching all the way to the solenoid. It could be that the range switch is bad and the voltage is never reaching the relay. What I'm going to do though is test the key resistance since all of this wiring is still laying there handy in the column area. If you look closely at the wiring coming from the steering column you will see what first appears to be a large orange wire but if you follow the wire to its connector at the lower end you will see that it is two small white wires covered by an orange sheath. Disconnect those two wires from the car harness and place your ohmmeter test leads on the column side of the harness. With the ignition key in the lock cylinder you should get a resistance reading that matches the resistance of the key pellet. You can measure the pellet resistance directly by placing a lead on each side of the pellet, one on one side of the key, one on the other.

This key pellet measured 1,100 ohms at the key but infinity at the wires. That means that either the lock cylinder isn't reading the key or there is an open in the wiring. Not reading the key can be a bad lock cylinder but it can also be a bad key with the pellet worn too badly to make good contact within the cylinder. There are 15 legitimate key codes, each with a different resistance range. When you take the key to your GM parts department they can place the key into a tester that will check the resistance and tell them the pellet code number. If it is the key that is not good it should show up while trying to read the pellet code. If you know the resistance you can tell the parts person the pellet code number even if the key doesn't read well enough for his tester to show it. There is a chart for this.

Now to verify that the antitheft system is the problem and to give you a better idea of where to find the theft deterrent relay I have removed the glove box and the metal screw mounting the relay so that the wiring can be accessed. The two yellow wires should be powered with the switch in the crank position. They are. The yellow/black wire should be grounded by the theft deterrent module to enable the starter. It is not being grounded because the module doesn't see the correct key pellet resistance.

You could jumper the big yellow wire to the big purple solenoid wire and the starter would engage with the switch or you could jumper a ground to the yellow/black wire and the starter would engage with the switch but the car wouldn't run because there is a fuel enable circuit as well. This is the point though where the rumors are true. If you know the resistance that the module is looking for you can place a resistor of that size in the car harness connector of the two small white wires and the system will allow fuel and starter to be enabled. Another interesting note, the modules are not programmed when new. Each new module will "burn" in to the first resistance measurement it sees on a crank and that will be what it looks for each time.

Since the goal here is a proper repair what I need to do next is remove the turn signal switch. With the turn signal switch out of the way I'll be able to see the two white wires at the lock cylinder. I expect to see one of them is broken. This is very common because the flexing of the wires while turning the key over the years eventually causes a wire to break. Sometimes the break will be inside the insulation and not seen but can be found by carefully pulling on the wires.

I won't go through the procedures for turn signal switch removal. They can be found in any good repair manual. You'll need a couple of special tools. One for removing the steering wheel and one for removing the steering wheel lock plate.

I didn't disconnect the turn signal wiring or airbag clockspring but pulled enough slack to get them out of the way. I can see the broken wire.

This lock cylinder will need to be replaced. I usually cut the connector off at the lower end and pull the wires up through the column. A trip to the friendly GM dealer gets me a new lock cylinder and key with good wiring and the proper resistor pellet.

To feed the wiring of the new lock cylinder down through the steering column I usually run a piece of mechanic's wire down through the column tube until it has several inches sticking out at the bottom. At the top, loop the metal wire to the lock cylinder wire connector, tape it all in place and pull the wire down through the steering column.

After that it is just a matter of putting everything back together. As a plus, the car even starts and runs now!

Kenneth Hayes

AKA Deranger

Why are cell phones banned, while in flight?

I know this does not have much to do with automobiles, but I have heard that cell phones are not allowed to be used during the flight because they might interfere with the navigation equipment. Is this so?

No! They are banned because they might disrupt cell service on the ground. The cellular system is designed to handle calls from ground based surface that are traveling at slow speeds. When operating a cell phone, your call is being routed up to four cell towers at a time. So when your calling from high speeds from the air, hundreds of towers simultaneously are trying to route your call which can play havoc on the cell system and overload the cell network, which can result in dropping calls from people who are on the ground. As a result of this the Fcc has ruled that the airlines ban cell phone use while the plane is in flight.

Diagnostic Tech: '98 Buick Century 3.1

This particular Buick came in with a no-crank complaint. I found the battery to be discharged but after a charge the starter still would not engage. Everything seemed in working order with the key on. The lights all worked. I watched the headlights while turning the key to start and they stayed brightly lit. There was no starter noise, not even a solenoid click. A quick check of fuses with a test light found no problems. I suspected at this point that the car was getting no power to the starter solenoid from the ignition switch.

One of the fuses that tested good was the crank signal fuse. The crank signal fuse is powered from the ignition switch. Put the ignition switch in start position and power should be directed to the crank signal fuse. The power should go through the fuse to the PCM at pin 23 of the C2 (Clear) connector.

Since I had power at the fuse I knew the ignition switch was working. I didn't know if the power was reaching pin 23 of the C2 PCM connector but I also didn't know if I was getting power to the starter solenoid. I only suspected I was not. What I decided to do next, since the starter was very accessible, was to check for power at the solenoid. I clamped a jumper wire to the S terminal at the starter solenoid and the other end of the wire to a test light placed under the hood in a position I could see from inside the car. Since the test light did not indicate power when I turned the switch to start position I knew I had no power to the S terminal of the starter solenoid.

This starting system uses a crank relay. When the PCM sees the crank signal from the ignition switch on pin 23 of the C2 connector the PCM can close the crank relay by grounding pin 76 of the C2 connector. When closed, the crank relay allows the power from the 40 amp crank fuse in the underhood junction block to reach the transaxle range switch. When the range switch is in neutral or park position the power will pass through the switch to the S terminal of the starter solenoid.

This seemed like a good time to connect a scan tool to the car. With a scan tool I might see if there was a reason for the PCM to not engage the starter, such as a problem with the anti-theft system.

Well, there was a problem with communication. My scan tool would not communicate with the PCM. When I have that happen I try to make sure I've entered the vehicle information correctly. The information was correct so I tried to use the OBDII system to access the datastream instead of the GM system but still had no communication. It seemed like a good time to try a different scan tool. The second scan tool didn't help. I still had no communication. I checked for power and ground at the diagnostic connector. There should be battery power at pin 16 and ground at pin 4.

The power and ground were fine. A good class II data line communication can be easily seen with a graphing meter. The class II serial data is at pin 2. Sometimes there is a lot of communication, sometimes less. I had communication activity but I couldn't tell if any of that was from the PCM. There are several modules sharing the class II data bus.

What I could tell is that the bus was operating and there was communication on the line. What I wanted to know next is if I had a good bus at the PCM. The class II serial data line at the PCM is at pin 59 of the C1 (blue) connector. I used the graphing meter to check the data line at the PCM by backprobing pin 59 and I had a good bus. Next I cut the dark green wire feeding pin 59. That would mean that any activity I measured on the PCM side of the wire was coming from the PCM and any on the harness side was coming from another module. The harness side had a good signal. There was no signal from the PCM. I made a check of powers and grounds at the PCM connectors and pronounced this PCM dead.

I left the data wire cut and after connecting a new PCM I had a communication signal on the graphing meter coming from the PCM. I repaired the wire and reconnected the scan tool to look for communication. Success! I had a datastream on the scan tool. A peek at trouble codes gave me P1610 Loss of PZM/BCM Serial Data, P1626 Anti-theft System Fuel Enable Circuit and P1631 Theft System Password Incorrect. I guess the most worrisome part was the car still would not start. The starter would not engage. I suspected the P1610 was related to my having the open wire at the PCM connector and that the two Theft system codes could be handled with a password relearn. I cleared the codes from the PCM and used the following procedure to learn a new password.

Turn the key off, wait at least 30 seconds.

Turn the key to start, just as if you are starting the car, then release the key to run, just as if it had started.

The security light should either be flashing or on steady. Just let it do whichever it likes until it goes out completely. This can take as long as 30 minutes.

Once the security light goes out turn the key back to off and wait another 30 seconds.

Go back through the same procedure, turning the key to start, waiting for the light to go out again. You may have to repeat the entire process as much as a half-dozen times.

The first time you turn the key to crank and the car actually starts you are done.

On this car, the third time I hit crank it fired up. I had to go back into the PCM data to clear any codes that set during the procedure (P1630 and P1631) and then it was outta here!

Kenneth Hayes

AKA Deranger

Using candle wax to stop belt noise

I have heard that if your fan belt squeaks, use candlewax to quiet the noise. Will this work?







Yes, but although the noise will stop, the belts will still slip and cause the pulleys to glaze and the alternator pulley to slip resulting in a dead battery.

Fuel pump longevity

I have heard that running my gas tank low can cause the the fuel pump to work harder to “pull” the fuel through itself, and when the level is low enough, the pump lacks sufficient cooling which can shorten it's life. If this is so, what can vehicle owners do to help extend the life of their electronic fuel pumps?

Maintain a fuel level of at least one-half of the tanks capacity. This may not always be possible, but the more fuel in the tank, the cooler the pump runs.

Inflatable Electric Cars

XP Vehicles, Inc. is an electric powered automobile technology startup with patent protected technologies utilizing safe non-grid-connected energy cassettes to produce the electricity to run a polymer airbeam, carbon fiber constructed ultra light automobile. Goes 300 Miles on one charge. Hot swapping can increase the range indefinitely. Hot-swap XPack Multi-CoreTM Battery/Fuel Cell power plant has been patented Vehicles can be flat-pack shipped directly to users. Users perform final inflation. Cost less that $5,000. This may be a real innovation. Special stabilization provides stability on the road. Some speculate that air cushion makes the cars very safe in collision. May be able to survive going over a cliff!

---

Listen to the clip of Jim Russ and Dr. Richard Shurtz, President of Stratford University, and host of Tech Talk, a program about computers and information technology talk about this amazing vehicle.

Visit the Website at: http://www.xpcarteam.com/

The most important sensor in a car that will improve miles per gallon?

What sensor is most important in a car because it will effect gas mileage?

The most important sensor is the coolant temperature sensor which tells the computer how hot or cold the engine is running. Cold engines require more fuel to run properly than hot engines so if the computer does not receive accurate coolant temperature data, fuel mileage will suffer.

Storing Tires

I have heard that I should not store my Winter tires in a basement or in my garage. Why is that so?

Electric motors and welders emit harmful ozone that degrades the quality of rubber tires. Do not store winter tires near these items. If you have an air compressor in your garage, a heating system with an electric motor in your basement, that is not a very good place to store them because those devices will generate ozone!

Brake Wear

I have heard that on lots of cars with 4 wheel disc brakes, that frequently they will wear 2 sets of rear pads to one set of front pads. I thought it was just the opposite. Shouldn't the fronts wear faster? How is this explained?











The reason is that almost always the semi-metallic brake pads are used in the front and organic pads in the rear. It turns out that the semi-metallic's wear better than the organics, meaning they last longer! Organic pads are softer and tend to wear out faster, but they do cut down on noise. However you will see variations of this and some cars now use ceramic pads on all four corners.

Water for Gas, does it work?

A hot topic nowadays with gas prices on the way up and up and up! If you have not seen the site, it is http://water4gas.com/ and it deals with running your car on water.

Don't believe it. It can't be done. Listen to the clip of Pat Goss from Motorweek TV give his thoughts on it, and explains why it can't work on a recent segment of his weekly radio show.

The maximum mark on the brake master cylinder

I have heard that regardless whether a car has ABC brakes or whether the engine is running, the master cylinder should be filled to the maximum mark. Is this so?

No, not necessarily! With today’s cars that have ABS brakes the master cylinder has a maximum mark and you should not fill it passed it. As long as none of the brake warning lamps are not lit, that is how high you should fill it. If you fill it more then that you could cause damage and fluid could have brake fluid overflowing all over the engine compartment.

With ABS brakes just filling it to this maximum mark can be a problem. ABS brakes have an accumulator that pressurizes fluid, and there has to be some reservoir left for this fluid to go into. So filling it up to the max mark should only be done after the system has been depressurized.

Do this by having the engine off and step on the pedal several times to release all pressures from the accumulator and reservoir then check the fluid level and make sure it isn’t over the top. Just filling it to the maximum mark in an ABS brake system might cause problems when the system depressurizes.

Turning the front wheels while stopped

I have heard that turning the front wheels while the vehicle is not moving will not effect the life of the tires that much but will decrease the life of all the components in the steering system. Is this so?

Yes, the amount of force needed to turn the wheels when the vehicle is stationary is very great, and just crawling a little can reduce the wear on the steering rack, power steering pump, and various bushings in the front end, and make those components last much longer!

Using torque-limiting sockets

I have heard that using a "torque stick" with an impact gun to install wheel lug nuts is not enough to prevent brake rotor distortion. This practice could result in the on set of brake pedal pulsation. Is this so?

Yes, impact guns have a high enough speed to cause the first nut to catch and hold the wheel at a slight angle relative to the hub even if a torque limiting socket is used. The wheel will not seat correctly and wil lcock against the mounting flange ofthe hub as the other lug nuts are tightened. The lug nut will pull against the rotor hub, stress it, which leads to brake rotor distortion. Avoid this by using a torque wrench.

Rodents in automobiles and HPS

Field mice ,squirrels, rodents, what do they all have in common when it comes to automobiles? They love to build nests and in of all places ,some of them in the cabin filter areas.
What is bad about all this is they leave mice droppings all around and a very serious air born virus can result. It is called HPS. Why is this so bad?

Hantaviruspulmonary syndrome (HPS) is
a deadly disease transmitted by infected rodents through urine,
droppings, or saliva. Humans can contract the disease when they breathe in the air born virus.


People get HPs when they breath in hantaviruses.
This can happen when rodent urine and
droppings that contain a hantavirus are stirred up
into the air. People can also become infected when
they touch mouse or rat urine, droppings, or nesting
materials that contain the virus and then touch
their eyes, nose, or mouth. They can also get
HPS from a mouse or rat bite.


Be careful when cleaning up a car that has such nests, so that
you are not at risk for HPS by Improperly cleaning up mouse and rat
urine, droppings, and nests. Where a breathing mask, rubber gloves, and don't blow this stuff around with an air hose. Make sure the entire area is sprayed with a strong disinfectant.


To help avoid all this make sure you keep food away from close proximity of the areas.

Evap monitors-Do Diesel engines use them?

I am curious, do diesel engines use Evap Monitors like gasoline engines? If not why?








No, they don't need to. It has to do with what is called Reid Vapor Pressure"RVP". This is an established method for measuring a fuel's volatility( the tendency of a liquid to evaporate under a given set of conditions). According to the EPA the least volatile blend of gasoline has a RVP of 7.4 psi at 100 degrees F. Diesel fuel No. 2 has an RVP of .022 psi at 100 degrees F, making evap emmisions a non-issue in diesel powered vehicles.

More.. on ways of saving money at the gas pump!

There is this "thing" circulating out on the Internet about several different ways of saving gasoline. It has been discussed on our mailing list. We pretty much dismissed the ideas.



Listen to the clip below where Motorweek's Pat Goss puts these issues to rest as well, on his weekly radio show.

TPMS Can Track Your Car!

Tire Pressure Monitory Systems (TPMS) lets on-board vehicle computers measure air pressure in the tires.

Did you know that with minor limitations, TPMS can be used for the very purpose of tracking your vehicle in real time with no substantial investments!

Listen to the clip of Dr. Richard Shurtz, President of Stratford University, host of Tech Talk, a program about computers and information technology tell about how TPMS could be used for tracking your vehicle.

"Premium fuel recommended for best performance"

My owners manual says "Premium fuel recommended for best performance". I have heard that if I don't use premium grades of gasoline more deposits would form in the engine. Is this so?

No! regular gasoline actually has more energy in it and it burns more rapidly, so your apt to get a better burn with it, and end up with less deposits leftover. Premium fuel burns slower and there is also this myth that it contains more detergents cleaners which is not so. If your using a "Top TIER" gasoline then all grades of gasoline must be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline.

The reason for the term "Premium fuel is recomended for best performance" has to do with tests run by the manufacture such as 0-60 MPH, which are performance claims.

Dashboard deception- Will my Air Bag work?

I have heard that it is possible to be driving a car where the air bags don’t work even though no air bag warning light comes on. Is it true that the air bag light could be disabled and there is no way of testing the air bag without deployment?

Yes, it is true that the air bag might not work even though there is no warning light lit! However there is a way to test if the air bag will work without deployment! There are two primary ways for air bag systems to be compromised . First you buy a used car without having the car’s safety systems checked as part of your pre-purchase procedure. Another way is as simple as taking your car to an unknown body shop. Airbags are expensive and when anything is expensive crooks will find a way to cheat you on purchasing the item or outright steal it. These crooks often called curbstoners, frequently buy cars that have been in an accident that caused the air bags to deploy. They fix the body of the car with bubble gum and body filler then set about “fixing” the airbags. Because the high price of replacement airbags was a major reason why the car was totaled, the curbstoners fix is not to replace the air bags but to make them look like they have been replaced.

They do this by buying what is called “fake airbag covers” and stuffing them with rags and folded newspapers. The result is an airbag that looks new but has nothing inside it and no ability to protect anyone in an accident. They finish by disabling the SRS warning light.

To avoid this when you buy a used car get a Carfax Vehicle History Report. But more importantly have a technician perform what is called an airbag computer diagnostic scan.

Motor oil in small gasoline engines

My Briggs & Stratton manual calls for SAE 30 weight. What is wrong with using a 10w-30? On my snow blower it says use a multi viscosity oil such as 10w30! What’s the difference? It is the same type of engine.

The reason straight 30-weight is specified is because air-cooled engines don’t need viscosity improvers since they typically aren’t operated in sub-zero temps. Multi-viscosity motor oils use viscosity improvers (VI’s) in order to get oil to behave like a 10-weight oil at freezing temps, and then to thicken and become a 30-weight oil at 212 degrees F. Since the VI’s take up space in the container, that leaves less room for the oil—which is the actual lubricant. Remember, VI’s don’t lubricate—they only thicken. In other words, a can of straight 30-weight oil has more lubricant than a can of 10w-30 oil. However, a snowblower would benefit from a 10w-30 due to the lower temperatures the engine must run in.

TIRE EXPIRATION DATES

I have heard that tire expiration dates are hard to determine because there are so many variables that affect tire aging. So is there a way to determine just how old are the tires on your vehicle?

yes! The date of manufacture is indicated by the last group of digits in the DOT manufacture code on the sidewall of the tire. The number is often stamped in a recessed rectangle. The DOT code tells who manufactured the tire, where it was made and when. The last group of digits in the code is the date code that tells when the tire was made.
Before 2000, the date code had three digits. Since 2000, it has had four. The first two digits are the week of the year (01 = the first week of January). The third digit (for tires made before 2000) is the year (1 = 1991). For most tires made after 2000, the third and fourth digits are the year (04 = 2004).

For example, if the date code is 8PY806. The 8PY is a manufacturing shift code, and the date the tire was actually made was 0806, which is the 8th week (08)in the year 2006 (06).
The date of manufacture is essential information for car owners and tire buyers because tires deteriorate even if they are not used.

Auto Insurance term "Steering" what does it mean?

I had collision damage done to my vehicle. My Insurance company says
they require that repairs be made by a specific repair shop or individual. Is this so?

NO! this is called Steering, and as defined by the Auto Damage Appraisers Licensing Board, is the act of directing a claimant to or away from any specific autobody repair shop or requiring that repairs be made by a specific repair shop or individual.

If you are told that it will take longer to get your car repaired or cost more if you choose your own shop, BEWARE. You are probably being steered. Comments such as "We won't reimburse paint and materials," "We don't pay that rate," "We won't guaranty the work if you bring your car there," or "We won't pay the difference" are misleading and usually untrue. Insurance companies are required to negotiate in good faith with any registered collision repair shop on the proper cost to repair the vehicle to pre-accident condition. You pay insurance premiums and contract to pay a specific deductible in the event repairs are required. In effect, you've already paid for proper repairs.

Why should you choose your own collision repair shop rather than one "suggested" by the insurance company?

There are compelling reasons to choose an independent, trusted repair shop that you know will make sure your vehicle is restored to its pre-accident condition. Insurance appraisers work for insurance companies. Repair shops work for you. They look out for your best interest. They will negotiate directly with the insurance company for the proper repairs so that your vehicle is safe for you and your family. An independent collision repair shop, will serve as your advocate in the repair process. Preferred or referral repair shops contract with insurance companies regarding the costs and repair procedures. The insurance company sets the rules and the preferred or referral repair shop simply follows them to keep the insurance companies' costs down. These cost reductions have to come from somewhere. They may affect the quality and thoroughness of the repair service and/or the quality and condition of the parts used. You have paid your insurance premiums with the expectation of receiving safe and proper repairs, not cheap repairs.

Physics & Automobiles

Have not seen something like this since the old Mouse trap game. Enjoy!

Diagnostic Tech: '92 Astro Van, 4.3Z

I had a '92 Astro Van come in on the hook for a no-start. The engine was a 4.3 with throttle body fuel injection. The owner said the van had been stalling and sometimes failing to start for some time now. He had replaced the fuel pump and filter because he thought it seemed to be running out of fuel. No testing had been done and the same problem remained after the fuel pump replacement. When I turned the key on I could hear the fuel pump run. Turning the key to start engaged the starter, the engine spun nicely and... it even started right up! It isn't uncommon for a no-start to be towed in and then start once it gets here. I'm sure there is an applicable Murphy's law for that.

What I did notice though was an intermittent engine cut-out. A sure fire sign of a secondary ignition problem. Even though the van owner was still sure he had a fuel problem, I decided to take a look at the ignition system. On the Astro van the ignition system is easy to access once the engine cover is removed. I immediately saw what was probably causing that cut-out symptom I had noticed. There was a burn mark where the secondary spark from the coil wire had been jumping to a vacuum hose instead of following the intended path to the distributor cap. That meant that the resistance in the secondary, downstream of the coil wire was so great that the spark found it easier to jump to the vacuum hose. A mental list of plugs, wires, cap and rotor was forming in my mind.

As I began the work of replacing the secondary ignition parts I began to be amazed that this engine was running at all. The coil wire tower in the cap was completely burned away.

The rotor was burned through and the distributor was severely corroded.

After a cleaning with electrical contact cleaner and penetrating oil the distributor was found to be in good condition. I replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. The van ran very well after that with no more stalling or cutting out. At 264,000 miles I wouldn't be surprised if it did need that fuel pump as well.

Kenneth Hayes

aka, Deranger

Types of timing belts

I have heard that there are two different types of timing belts that are found on vehicles today. Is this so?

Yes, Originally belts were constructed of neoprene, which is still used, but due to increased engine demands , a new “tougher” belt has been constructed. It is made of HSN(highly saturated nitrile material that has high tensile strength cord construction to minimize stretch and tough wear resistant fabric on the working tooth surface, designed to handle wide speed variations and constant driveline power requirements.

Protect your hands- Wear gloves!

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


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

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

Diagnostic Tech: '00 Dodge Dakota

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No!

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

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

E10 gasoline and moisture in gasoline tank

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

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

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

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