Underhood Service, 12.2012

®A MAGAZINE

�Chilly Reception for R-1234yf � Diesel Injector Diagnostics �Gonzo's Toolbox: Brain Damage

Circle #2 for Reader Service

CONTENTS

EditorEdward Sunkin, ext. 258email: [email protected]

Managing Editor Jennifer Clements, ext. 265email: [email protected]

Technical Editor Larry Carley

Contributing Writers Gary Goms, Scott “Gonzo” Weaver, Bob Dowie and Randy Rundle

Graphic Designer Dan Brennan, ext. 283email: [email protected]

PublisherJim Merle, ext. 280 email: [email protected]

Advertising Director Cindy Ott, ext. 209email: [email protected]

Circulation Manager Pat Robinson, ext. 276email: [email protected]

Circulation AssistantKim Hedgepeth, ext. 260email: [email protected]

2 December 2012 | UnderhoodService.com

12.12Volume XVII, No. 12

20Diagnostic DilemmasMultiple Failure DiagnosticsGary Goms explains that in tougheconomic times, a driver has no wayof knowing how many maintenance-based and component-based fail-ures will accumulate before he orshe can afford to have a technician investigate the problem once aCheck Engine light comes on.

®®

A Publication

20

3430

30Tech of the YearThe Sky’s NOT the LimitKim Brant, an automotive technicianat Joe’s Tire and Auto Service, St.Joseph, MO, has been named the2012 Best Tech. Read what uniquecustomer relations helped him earnthis title.

34Tech FeatureDiagnosing Diesel Injector ProblemsBob McDonald highlights how tosolve diesel driveability and misfire problems that are oftencaused by failed or faulty dieselfuel injectors.

DEPARTMENTS

6 Directions

8 Gonzo’s Toolbox

10 Aftermarket Update

42 Tech Tips

49 Products

51 Classifieds

56 Test Drive

56 Guess the Car

A Publication

Brent Crago, ownerTop Tech AutomotiveCleveland, Tennessee

Albert Duebber, owner Duebber’s Auto ServiceCincinnati, Ohio

Marvin Greenlee, owner Meade & Greenlee Inc.Salem, Oregon

Anthony Hurst, ownerAuto DiagnosticsEphrata, Pennsylvania

Roger Kwapich, owner Smitty’s AutomotiveToledo, Ohio

Rick O’Brien, technicianCoachworksPortland, Maine

Tom Palermo, general managerPreferred Automotive SpecialistsJenkintown, Pennsylvania

Van Pedigo, ownerRichfield Automotive CenterRichfield, Ohio

Paul Stock, owner Stock’s Underhood SpecialistsBelleville, Illinois

Michael Warner, owner Suburban WrenchPennington, New Jersey

EDIToRIAl ADVISoRy BoARD

UNDERHOOD SERVICE (ISSN 1079-6177)

(December 2012, Volume XVII, Number 12): Published monthly by Babcox, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Periodical postage paid atAkron, OH 44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to UNDERHOOD SERVICE, 3550 Embassy Parkway Akron, OH 44333. UNDERHOOD SERVICE is a trademark ofBabcox Media, Inc. registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved.

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As we close out 2012, it’s time to takea few minutes and look back at howyour shop performed this year.

Did your profitability go up, stay the sameor go down this year?

We’re hoping it increased for you, and weare expecting better times ahead as we lookinto the Do It For Me (DIFM) market in2013.As the nation rounds out the year, we’re

finding that consumer confidence is up, theunemployment rate is going down andinvestment markets are returning to pre-2008 levels. Spending time at the AAPEX show in Las

Vegas, the buzz on business was good andcomments from manufacturers and suppli-ers of automotive parts and equipment weregenerally positive as they look toward thenew year.But how that will translate toward your

customers is probably what’s weighing moston your mind.It may be that drivers are becoming more

in tune on the issue of regularly scheduledmaintenance.According to the most recent release of

Northcoast Research’s IndependentAutomotive Repair Garage Survey, demandtrends in the DIFM channel increased dur-ing August relative to the prior year.A lot of this improvement was the result of

vehicle owners seeking routine service and

maintenance for their cars and light trucks.“While the performance in August marked

the first time in eight months that the indexfinished in expansion territory in successivemonths, demand during the period wasclearly not as strong as it was in July,” theresearch firm wrote in its August report.

“However, in what is starting to sound likea broken record, our contacts noted that thebehavior toward routine maintenanceremained a headwind to sales and traffictrends during August.”

Each month, Northcoast Research publish-es the Northcoast Research Mechanic Index,based on the results of a survey of approxi-mately 50 independent repair shops operat-ing in the top 10 states (based on the lightvehicle fleet population), plus AdvanceAuto Parts’, AutoZone’s and O’Reilly’saggregate store count.You can view reports from Northcoast

Research and other industry analysisproviders by visiting www.aftermarketnews.com/ThePulse/Default.aspx.Are you, as a shop owner, optimistic on

how business will be next year? Are yourcustomers seeing the benefit of routinemaintenance, or are they only visiting yourshop when their vehicle is in need of arepair?

We’d like to hear from you. Drop us a noteby e-mailing me at [email protected]. �

»Directions BY Edward Sunkin | EDITOR

Are You OptimisticAbout AutomotiveBusiness in 2013?

8 December 2012 | UnderhoodService.com Circle #9 for Reader Service �

By Scott “Gonzo” Weaver

T hroughout the evolu-tion of the modern vehicle, there have been

an increasing number ofduties taken over by comput-ers. These computers have notonly made the engine morefuel efficient, but also moreenvironmentally friendly.Nowadays, these systems arestarting to “think” for them-selves and make decisionsfor the driver. Thingslike park assist, keepinga safe distance betweencars on the road andcollision avoidance arejust a few examples ofthe capabilities ofthe modern computer-driven automobile.

In some ways, thecar has become athinking, reasoningand quite capablerobotic apparatus.You’re not so sure ofthat? Well, let’s define robotic function and arobot’s task. A robot is adevice that manipulates itssurroundings by way of cer-tain inputs, which are dictatedby the software or informationinstructions set into its proto-col. In a sense, the informationis its brain. Not all “robots”are in a form of the walking-talking version; a robot can bestationary and perform one

task over and over again.Take, for example, the Anti-

lock Brake System (ABS). Thiscan be considered a roboticfunction. The ABS module (orbrain) is given a task by wayof its programming, and, in

turn, watches for certain inputsignals from various sourcessuch as the wheel speed sen-sors, brake pedal application,and engine and transmissioninputs. It’s a stationary robotin a non-stationary setting. Ifthe system fails to follow thepreset instructions, it gives the

driver an indication of its con-dition by way of a servicelight.

The necessary repair is stillleft up to the technician. I’mkind of glad for that, as Idon’t know if I’m up to deal-ing with the “Terminator”mentality of a walking, talk-ing robotic device thatinevitability figures out it’s

smarter than itscreator. These days, a

modern technician uses acomputer to talk to thevehicle’scomputer. That makes itthree “brains” involvedin determining the rea-son for the service light:two cyber brains andone human brain. And,each one of them has todo its job correctly.

When one or more ofthese “brains” malfunc-

tions (and, yes, I do meanthe technician’s too), the

whole process of figuring outthe problem becomes a lessonin futility.

I recently had a car in theshop that wasn’t communicat-ing with any of my scan-ners. As the technician, aka“The Human Brain,” it wasmy task to figure out why andwhere the lack of communica-tion was originating. It wasn’tlong before I tracked down

Brain Damage — How Many‘Brains’ Does it Take to Fix a Car?

»Gonzo’s Toolbox

» Gonzo’s Toolbox

UnderhoodService.com 9

the culprit. Not only was the main PCM inthe car dead, but so were several otherprocessors. It looked like a case of brain dam-age to me. All the usual suspects forthis type of problem, such as powersources, grounds and communica-tion lines, checked out to be ingood condition. The test resultsshowed that the car had beenstruck by lightning. It appearedthat this little robotic wonder ofmodern technology had beendone in by Mother Nature her-self. Even in the electronicage…Mother Nature stillrules.

But among the varia-tions of problems a tech-nician can run across,there are those occasionswhere the car is fine, butits second brain (the“scanner”) is damagedin some way. On occa-sion, I’ve had to dealwith an uncooperativescanner. After getting inand out of a car count-less times, and the endlesstwisting and manipulating ofthe cords and connections,the scanner can come downwith its own form ofbrain damage.Sometimes, it’s theservice cord at fault,while other times it’sthe scanner itself. (I keepthe shipping boxes just in case Ihave to send one in for repair.)

The big problem for the consumer thesedays is the modern car can’t function withoutthese computers, nor can the modern techni-cian diagnose or repair a lot of the functionswithout a computer to talk to the car. We’vebecome so dependent on the electronic wiz-ardry of these modern conveniences, that ourworld today couldn’t function as we know itwithout them.

Sometimes, I feel like I’ve got brain damagemyself when I’m trying to figure out the mul-titude of problems brought on by all theseelectronic components. There are numerous

problems that exist only in today’scars because of all of these techni-cal advancements. You wouldn’t

see some of these problems in acar without a computer underthe hood.

In years past, a lot of car com-ponents were rebuilt right in theshop, and most everything wasa “hands-on” repair. A tech removed a part, would take it

down to its individual com-ponents, replace one ormore parts of the originalcomponent, and thenreassemble it. That is notthe case today. Most partsare electronic or have beenmanufactured in a waythat the individual partscan’t be taken apart. Mostof today’s automotive repairs require a higherdegree of understanding ofelectronics, as well asmechanical aptitude. You

really need both to be a goodtech these days.

Our technical advancementsand electronic world is mov-

ing closer and closer to aplace that our forefathers

of just one generation agowould never recognize. It

won’t be long before the automa-tous car is the norm (which is nothing

more than a robot on wheels), and imag-ine what they would think of those!

These innovations are enough to give mebrain damage if I ever get a chance to stopand think about them long enough.Technology will continue to evolve and deal-ing with those changes is what today’s suc-cessful technician must expertly do. �


For free e-mail updates with the latest aftermarketnews, tech tips and supplier promotions, log onto AutoCarePro.com.

The Bosch Part Finder app allowstechnicians to locate a Bosch partfor their customers’ vehicles. Now,with even more product lines avail-able, plus a new and innovativeenhancement, the latest release ofthe app can be downloaded tosearch for even more Bosch products. The mobile app provides partnumbers for vehicles operating inthe United States and Canada,

along with images, product fea-tures, and technical attributes forthose parts. For additional infor-mation and 360° images, a link isprovided to the www.BoschAutoParts.com website.An important addition to theapp’s list of features is the VINcode lookup function. With theupdated app, part information fora vehicle can be accessed byentering the VIN manually or

simply by scanning the vehicle’sVIN bar code. Separate from the mobile app,the Bosch Vehicle Part Finderfound on the website featuresrotatable and scalable 360°images for oxygen sensors, fuelpumps, and other engine man-agement components. A specialtab also allows users to view aproduct warranty statement.

»Aftermarket UpdateBrought to you by:

Bosch Adds New Features To Part Finder Mobile App

Federal-Mogul announced at the

AAPEX show in Las Vegas a new

in-market technical and product

support platform. The new plat-

form features a team of ASE-certi-

fied specialists and sophisticated

technical support vehicles that

will be deployed throughout

North America with the capability

to reach thousands of automotive

service professionals each year.

The in-market support teams com-

plement the in-depth technical

training programs and materials

available via Federal-Mogul’s

award-winning Technical

Education Center in St. Louis.

Federal-Mogul unveiled its

extensive new in-market product,

brand and technical support plat-

form for vehicle service providers

during AAPEX. The new plat-

form features a team of ASE-certi-

fied specialists and sophisticated

technical support vehicles that

will be deployed throughout

North America with the capabili-

ty to reach thousands of service

professionals each year.

“Automotive service profession-

als face new diagnostic, repair and

customer service challenges every

day,” said Jay Burkhart, senior

vice president, global markets,

Vehicle Component Solutions,

Federal-Mogul. “We believe it’s

our responsibility as a leading

manufacturer to offer a compre-

hensive two-way communication

platform that provides valuable

daily support of these profession-

als on a one-to-one basis. This

platform will serve as a hands-on,

in-market interface with the

thousands of professionals who

specify and install our products

on the job.

“Technicians will be able to hold

our products in their hands and

see how and why they’re the best

choices for their customers’ vehi-

cles,” Burkhart continued. “This

one-to-one connection has been

missing for too long in the after-

market, yet it’s more important

than ever given today’s increas-

ingly sophisticated vehicle

systems and rising consumer

expectations.”

Federal-Mogul also offers a real-

time electronic information sys-

tem, www.fme360.com, which

enables service professionals to

access the latest news regarding

the company’s products and pro-

grams as well as an extensive vir-

tual library of technical resources

and other business-critical tools.

Federal-Mogul Introduces Interactive Local MarketTechnician Support Platform at AAPEX

Mitchell 1 announced at AAPEX therelease of SureTrack, a new all-in-onerepair information resource thatbrings together a unique combina-tion of intelligence and expertise tohelp aftermarket automotive shopsincrease accuracy and efficiency fromdiagnosis to completed repair. “SureTrack combines a powerful

suite of resources that will set a newstandard for automotive repair excel-lence by bridging the gap betweensymptom and accurate repair,” saidBen Johnson, director of productmanagement for Mitchell 1. “In anutshell, SureTrack provides a shortand direct path to the most likelyrepair for specific symptoms on aspecific vehicle. We’re dedicated toalways helping our shop customersimprove productivity and efficiency,so we’re delighted to launch thisresource that will truly allow them tofix cars faster.” The result of an extensive collabora-

tive development effort betweenMitchell 1 and Snap-on, SureTrack isone of the industry’s most compre-hensive source of expert knowledgefor professional technicians, combin-ing diagnostic experience with repairtimesavers and detailed partsreplacement records, all wrapped inan interactive forum. Vehicle-specific data is generated

from millions of successful fixes andconsolidated from multiple sources— parts data, diagnostic trou-bleshooting procedures and repairexperience — eliminating the needto access multiple databases andWeb-based forums to gather andanalyze the information.

Mitchell 1 Introduces All-In-One RepairInformation Resource

» Aftermarket Update




Volkswagen head Ferdinand

Piech has now ended the silencethat had fallen on the automotiveindustry following Daimler’s an-nouncement of its plans to with-draw from using HFO-1234yf infuture vehicles.

According to the site R744.com,Piech told journalists that, “Theright refrigerant is CO2. It doesnot burn, for sure. Until thiscomes, we will continue using theproven refrigerant R-134a.”Daimler, the manufacturer of

Mercedes-Benz vehicles, hadsaid Sept. 25 that it would not beusing the new HFO refrigerantR-1234yf in its vehicle air condi-tioning systems. Instead, it saysit plans to continue using R-134a.

The German car and truckmanufacturer has raised newsafety concerns with usage ofthe internationally recognizedrefrigerant replacement for R-134a following its own inde-pendent safety tests.

While concerns had been raisedin the past — particularly inGermany — as to the issue of its“mild” flammability, the cli-mate-friendly R-1234yf was to beimplemented worldwide in 2013models.The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) hadperceived the new refrigerant tobe safe. Its findings were theresult of numerous laboratoryand crash tests carried out byinternational vehicle manufactur-ers and independent institutions.

But Daimler said it hascarried out a series ofadditional tests on the newrefrigerant as part of anew real-life test scenariodeveloped in-house, whichgoes above and beyondthe legally prescribedrequirements.

“In the new real-life testscenario, the refrigerant isdynamically dispersed at highpressure near to hot componentsof the test vehicle’s exhaust sys-tem,” said the report. “This cor-responds to a serious head-oncollision in which the refrigerantline is severed and the repro-ducible results demonstrate thatrefrigerant, which is otherwisedifficult to ignite under laborato-ry conditions, can indeed proveto be flammable in a hot enginecompartment.”

Daimler said that similar testscarried out with the current R-134a refrigerant did not result inignition. “Due to the new findings of

this study and the high safetydemands at Mercedes-Benz, thischemical will not be used in itsproducts,” says a company state-ment. “The company thereforewishes to continue to use theproven and safe R-134a refriger-ant in its vehicles. Daimler hasalready informed the relevant

authorities of these facts and willalso make the results of thisinvestigation available to all rel-evant associations as well as toother vehicle manufacturers,” itsaid.

The ‘Smoking Gun’?

Daimler welcomed VW’s deci-sion to not use R-1234yf. An offi-cial Daimler video has beenreleased that the company saysproves that under real-life condi-tions, R-1234yf starts burningafter two seconds, releasinghighly toxic substances.

You can access the video at: http://r744.com/web/assets/video/1234yf-vs-134a-fire.mp4.

According to Daimler, a blueflash fire appears after abouttwo seconds, indicating that theR-1234yf is burning. Released bya remotely controlled valve inthe refrigerant piping, it releaseshighly toxic substances beforethe fire is extinguished after 12seconds.

Within this short time periodthe flames’ yellow color indicatethat the fire has already spreadto the plastic parts of the motorcompartment, and the frontwindshield is corroded by theaggressive acid.

This test, conducted by Daimler

The Case Against HFO-1234yf Heats Up


on a Mercedes B 180, was saidto have occurred under real-lifeconditions. The automaker saysit proves that the refrigerant sofar assumed to be “mildly flam-mable” is indeed ignited instant-ly, as compared to the conven-tional refrigerant R-134a alsoshown in the test.

One of the major arguments —that the flammability concernsfor R-134a and R-1234yf wouldbe comparable and in fact negli-gible — falls apart, sparking adiscussion if the approval for R-1234yf now has to be revised.

Daimler said that this test isreplicable at any time and tostress its message, the carmakerrepeated the test live in front ofother automotive companiesand public authorities, as wellas to the chemical makerHoneywell, which currentlyholds a global patent on the R-1234yf refrigerant.Following a meeting with

Mercedes-Benz, Honeywellreported that it did not see anyevidence that the car manufac-turer’s findings into the safety ofR-1234yf had added any substan-tial new information to previouscomprehensive risk assessments.

“The Mercedes-Benz testingwas conducted without the par-ticipation of any reputable thirdparty and without consultationwith others in the industry,”said a Honeywell spokesperson.Honeywell then pointed out

that HFO-1234yf was the subjectof comprehensive testing con-ducted over a three-year periodunder the Cooperative ResearchProgram (CRP) of SAEInternational using proven, stan-dard methods for evaluatingnew products and materials inautomobiles.

“That testing, which was spon-sored by 15 global automakersincluding all leading Germanautomakers, concluded thatHFO-1234yf is safe for use inautomobile applications,” said aHoneywell spokesman.

“While Honeywell appreciatesDaimler’s willingness to discussthe results of its in-house tests,we do not see any evidence thatthe findings have added any sub-stantial new information to thecomprehensive risk assessmentsconducted under the CRP.”

The refrigerant manufacturermaintains that in today’s auto-mobiles, there are several usefulmaterials under the hood thatare more flammable, includingbrake and transmission fluids,coolant, lubricants and gasoline.

“Automakers can safely usethese flammable materialsthrough design that minimizesthe risks,” says Honeywell. “Infact, OEMs have already takenappropriate vehicle design stepsto ensure the safe use of HFO-1234yf even under extreme con-ditions, as they do for otherflammable materials.

Honeywell said it had a con-structive dialogue with Daimlerand asked them to review theirdesigns to determine the neces-sary modifications required tofurther minimize any flammabil-ity risks. The refrigerant makeralso offered its engineeringexpertise to work alongsideDaimler’s engineers to develop asolution for their vehicles andmeet the Jan. 1, 2013, deadlinefor the European Union’s MobileAir Conditioning Directive toreplace R-134a in vehicles.“We regret the position that

Daimler has taken in isolationand believe that it does not

reflect the industry’s collabora-tive and transparent testingprocesses, which have ensuredthe safe implementation of manyinnovative materials withinautomobiles,” Honeywell said.

Back to the DrawingBoard?

In response to Volkswagen’srecent press statement that “CO2is the right refrigerant,” SAEInternational president Frank

Klegon has again invited allautomobile manufacturers tojoin in an industry collaborativeeffort to fully evaluate the tech-nical aspects of the use of CO2as an automotive air condition-ing refrigerant.

SAE International has unques-tioned expertise in the research,analysis and application of avariety of automotive refriger-ants. In the last decade, morethan 10 major SAE CRP projectshave provided forums for sub-ject matter experts from aroundthe industry to meet, discuss andagree on advantages and disad-vantages of various alternativerefrigerants, as well as the man-agement of accompanying risks.“The implementation of CO2 as

an automotive refrigerant is notwithout technical challenges,”Klegon said.

The U.S. EPA has published itsconcerns regarding the use ofCO2 as a mobile air conditioningrefrigerant for passenger cars.Under its Significant NewAlternatives Policy (SNAP) pro-gram published this year, theEPA found that the use of CO2posed risks that were lower thanor comparable to the risks posedby other acceptable substitutes.




The American Petroleum Institute (API) haslaunched its licensing efforts for motor oil distrib-utors and oil change locations as part of itsexpanded Motor Oil Matters (MOM) campaign.Created to bring together everyone involved inthe bulk motor oil chain of custody, includingmotor oil marketers, distributors, oil change loca-tions and consumers, MOM is designed to ensurethat drivers get the right motor oil for theircars and trucks — every time.API has been licensing motor oils

meeting API performance standardsand sampling and testing them inthe marketplace for many years, butmonitoring the quality of motor oilssold in bulk has been a challenge.API developed MOM to complementAPI’s current oil quality monitoring pro-gram and to provide greater assurance thatthe industry markets, delivers and installs high-quality motor oils. This will be accomplished bymaintaining a secure chain-of-custody for bulkmotor oil from the marketer all the way to thevehicle.Earlier this year, API published the industry’s

first standard for establishing motor oil chain ofcustody, outlining basic procedures to ensurethat distributors are able to confidently identifythe oil that they deliver to oil change locations

and these locations in turn are able to identifythe oil they pour into customers’ vehicles. Everycustomer of a Motor Oil Matters licensed loca-tion will receive a written receipt with the brandname, viscosity and performance level of the oilinstalled in his or her car.API will certify motor oil distributors and oil

change locations, identifying them as businessescommitted to delivering quality oils. These dis-

tributors and locations will be able to mar-ket and advertise themselves as distrib-utors and oil change locations thathave successfully implemented API’snew chain of custody standard, there-fore identifying themselves as trustedservice providers.As a consumer advocate, MOM will

help reaffirm the confidence and trust themotoring public places in oil change locations. Asan educator, ongoing efforts will be made toenlighten consumers about the benefits of usingquality motor oils through online, social mediaand industry events. MOM will also identifyMOM-licensed distributors and oil change loca-tions. At the same time, API has expanded itsmonitoring system to better evaluate bulk oils.Visit www.motoroilmatters.org to join Motor Oil

Matters and to find information on the benefitsof using quality motor oil.

API’SMOTOR OIL MATTERS LAUNCHES LICENSINGEFFORT FOR INDUSTRY TO ENSURE DRIVERS GET THE RIGHT MOTOROIL INSTALLED

However, it specified the use offittings with specific dimensionsto deal with the higher-pressurerefrigerant. In addition, in theevent of a CO2 leak into the pas-senger area, it placed maximumshort-term exposure limits of 3%(30,000 ppm) averaged over 15minutes with a ceiling limit of 4%in the passenger breathing zone.

EPA reports have revealed thatexposures over 4% (40,000 ppm)CO2 are likely to cause discom-fort and signs of intoxication

that could impair the driver’sresponse to road and drivingconditions, and could createsafety and health risks to thepassengers.

While Daimler is keeping openall options for the best refrigerantto be used in the future, amongthem CO2, VW has made clearthat the natural refrigerant is thedirection to go, regardless of theSNAP findings.

As a reaction to VW’sannouncement, Daimler told the

press that “we are happy thatVW follows us in our evaluationof the risks associated to the newrefrigerant” while also clarifyingthat “if the VW corporationexcludes the use of R-1234yf, wewould welcome this decision.We are currently investigatingdifferent options for a differentrefrigerant, and this includes alsothe use of CO2.”Sources: Honeywell, SAE

International, PR Newswire andR744.com


Given our recovering economy, it’saccurate to say that many vehicleowners must still balance auto re-

pairs with their other financial needs.Thanks to an unanticipated dentist visitor a hot water heater that just split itsseams, it’s often impossible for vehicle own-ers to repair a bright-orange Check Engine lightin a timely manner. But once that light illumi-nates, the driver has no way of knowing howmany maintenance-based and component-based failures will accumulate before he orshe can afford to have a qualified technicianinvestigate the problem.

Such was the case when I was recently calledto diagnose a rough idle complaint on a 2003Chrysler Town & Country van with about170,000 miles on the odometer. The shop wasinundated with summer business and unableto sort out what appeared to be a baffling set ofsymptoms.

According to owner, the 3.8L Town & Countryhad been driven for quite awhile with an illu-minated Check Engine light and a rough idlecondition. As the vehicle was driven, the idlecondition worsened until the engine wouldn’tidle in gear unless the driver applied the throt-tle. Of course, the vehicle owner had assumedthat the rough idle complaint was caused by

only one component failure and would there-fore be relatively simple to repair. The shop’s owner/technician initially recov-

ered some scattered misfire trouble codesincluding a P0302 and P0304. Since a brief visu-al inspection revealed that the spark plugwires, as well as the spark plugs, appeared tobe original equipment, the technician replacedthe spark plugs with no result.

When I examined the old spark plugs, it wasapparent that the cylinder 4 spark plug wasbadly sooted while the remaining spark plugsdisplayed a light-tan color indicating a slightlyrich air/fuel mixture. As a point of interest, thespark plug gaps were pushing 0.090”, which is150% of original specification. Because thecylinder 4 plug also showed some oil fouling,

»Diagnostic Dilemmas

By Gary Goms, technical contributor

» Diagnostic Dilemmas

the technician tested compres-sion on the engine’s front bank,with all three front cylindersreading normal.

WHERE TO BEGINI nearly always begin any diag-nosis using a scan tool to checkall modules for DTCs and tocheck for irregularities in thedata stream. In contrast to theshop’s original diagnosis, theonly code I retrieved was aP0172, indicating that the enginewas running rich on bank one.The P0172 was confirmed by thecylinder 4 spark plug being coat-ed with soot and the others run-ning a light-tan color. In mostmodern engines running at oper-ating temperature, the sparkplug insulators generally appearpure white. At this point, I hadthe technician take the van outfor a test drive to thoroughlywarm up the engine and to helpevaporate excess fuel from therecently changed engine oil.

Suspecting that the rich condi-tion had something to do withthe cylinder 4 fuel injector, Ientered the Automated TestingMode (ATM) to disable each fuelinjector with the engine running.Since this particular engine usesa speed density system with noMAF sensor and because theengine was running too rich foridle speed, I disconnected thebrake vacuum booster hose tohelp lean out the air/fuel mixture. Although the engineidled better, the idle quality stillwouldn’t allow me to accuratelyevaluate fuel injector perform-ance. Removing the purge hose


The negative short-term and long-term fuel trims indicated thatthe PCM was subtracting fuel.

Removing the evaporative system’s purge hose and brake booster hose brought the engine into fuel control.



from the purge valve assemblydid establish enough fuel controlto run the injector disable test.

Oddly enough, the injector dis-able test didn’t have any effecton the engine’s idle speed until Icancelled the cylinder 4 fuelinjector. At that point, the enginestalled. After duplicating thestalling condition several times,my conclusion was that thecylinder 4 injector was leakingfuel to its companion cylinders.

STILL ANOTHER PROBLEMIn any case, the engine still had apronounced miss at idle. Assoon as the engine speed wasincreased, the miss disappeared.As mentioned above, theChrysler had what presumablywere the original spark plugsand wires. Because higher firingvoltages are required to bridgeexcessively wide spark pluggaps, it’s not unusual to discovera damaged ignition coil or a per-foration in a spark plug wire.

Although I think a tech cansometimes read too much intolab scope diagnostics, I thoughtI’d take a look at the secondarywaveforms. As I suspected, evenwith new spark plugs, the sparkplug wires displayed varyingdegrees of resistance. I also dis-covered that cylinder 3 wasn’tfiring at all, which could causethe idle-speed miss. Checking secondary resistance

at the coil terminals revealedthat the cylinder 3 and 6 coil hada significantly lower resistancethan did its companion coils.Before we could do more testing,it was apparent that the cylinder4 fuel injector, the ignition cablesand the ignition coil should bereplaced.

THE NEXT DAYThe very next day, my clientshop called to tell me that westill had the same miss condi-tion at idle, even though all ofthe above parts had beenreplaced. I had suspected asmuch, but on the other hand,it’s nearly impossible to diag-nose beyond some obviouslyfailed components.During retesting, I confirmed

that we had re-established fuelcontrol by replacing the cylinder

4 fuel injector. In this case, theshort- and long-term fuel trimswere well under 10%, which isconsidered a normal range offuel control. Previously, thelong-term trims had hoveredaround 24%, which is highenough to set the P0172 troublecode. Next, I used my lab scopeto confirm that the new sparkplug wires and ignition coil hadrestored a normal secondary pat-tern to all cylinders, includingcylinder three, which hadn’t

This single-cylinder waveform indicated that cylinder 4 wasn’treceiving a strong spark.

A broken exhaust valve spring proved to be the root cause of therough idle condition on the 3.8L Chrysler van.



been firing at all.At this point, I would

normally have analyzedintake manifold vacuumfor irregularities with apressure transducer andlab scope. Unfortunately,I didn’t have my pressuretransducer with me, sowe took the alternativeroute of re-testing cylin-der compression on thefront bank. Immediately,we noticed that the sparkplug from cylinder 4 wasagain coated with sootand, as before, all com-pression readings werenormal for our altitude.So we removed the frontvalve cover only to dis-cover that the top coil ofthe exhaust valve springhad broken on cylinder 4.

LESSONS LEARNEDAfter solving any multiple failure driveabilitycomplaint, any diagnostic tech worth his salt willreview his diagnostic strategy to see if he mighthave found a better way to the root cause of theproblem. What confused the original diagnosiswas cylinder 4 simultaneously suffering from aleaking fuel injector and a broken valve spring.While this combination of failures defies the odds,the fact of the matter is that it did happen.

As I’ve said many times in this column, a diag-nostic tech has to approach all problems with anopen mind. Making an assumption based solelyupon prior experience (aka The “Blue Car”Syndrome) often leads to mistaken results. So Imake it a rule to replace all known-bad partsbefore I proceed with a diagnosis. To recap the complexities of this multiple-fail-

ure diagnosis, the high secondary voltages creat-

ed by the badly eroded spark plug gaps weremore than enough to ruin an ignition coil.Because this 3.8L Chrysler engine is equippedwith a single-line fuel delivery system, the richcondition couldn’t have been created by a vacu-um-modulated fuel pressure regulator leakingfuel into the manifold. In addition, disconnectingthe evaporative purge line eliminated the possi-bility that the purge valve itself was stuck open.Because the manifold vacuum parameter indica-tor data (PID) indicated nearly normal intakemanifold vacuum at idle speed, the results of the

injector disable test wereenough to convince me thatthe cylinder 4 injector wasindeed leaking fuel into theintake manifold.

VALVE SEATING ISSUESThe question also arises about how a cylinderwith a broken valve spring might pass a com-pression test. First, let me say that I’ve neverfound a definitive test for broken valve springs.During my General Motors dealership days,small-block Chevrolet engines were known forbreaking valve springs at the bottom coil. This

Fuel leakage into the intake manifold from a single-line fuel injection cancome only from a leaking fuel injector.

aka the “Blue Car” Syndrome



would leave enough valvespring tension to seat the valveduring a cranking compressiontest, but not at idle speeds.

Although the 3.8L Chryslerengine is also known to breakvalve springs, the coil breaks atthe top due to the “beehive”design of the valve spring. Thiscondition allows the valve toseat at cranking speeds, but notat idle speed. At higher enginespeeds, the leak-age past thevalve seatevidentlywasn’tenough tocreate anengine misfire.

In retro-spect, thevacuum irregu-larity might haveshowed up as a“tick” on a pro-fessional-qualityvacuum gauge.Or it might haveshowed up as an irregu-larity on a vacuum wave-form displayed by a pressuretransducer connected to a labscope. But my diagnostic pathtold me the same story withouttesting for irregularities in theintake manifold vacuum. Onthe other hand, if we hadreplaced the valve spring first,the need to replace the bad fuelinjector, spark plug wires andignition coil would haveremained.On a broader plane, we’re

beginning to see more misfireproblems caused by inaccuratemachining at the factory or bythe intake valve seats collecting

enough carbon to cause a mis-fire condition at idle. The oddpart of this valve seating condi-tion is that many engines will

pass a cranking compressiontest and a cylinder leakage test.To illustrate my point, I

recently had to deal with a 2005Jeep Liberty with a cylindermisfire. The spark plugs shouldbe replaced at 30,000-mile inter-vals, but had been run 60,000-mile intervals. My TSB research on the vehi-

cle indicated that this model of

Liberty was developing misfireconditions because of carbonaccumulation on the intakevalve seats. The manufacturer’sTSB recommended changingthe valve spring keepers to anupdated design that provides

more valve rotation. Wouldthe new spark plugs cure

the misfire or do weneed to update

the valvespring keep-ers? Onlytime will tell.As you

might suspect onenginesequipped

with directfuel injection,

the lack of fuelwashing over theintake valve seatallows carbon

from the EGR andthe PCV systems

to accumulate onintake valve seats. Some

techs have remedied this prob-lem with an intake service whileother techs have had to removethe heads for a complete valveservice.

Nevertheless, many advanceddiagnostic techs are usingsophisticated pressure sensorsthat display vacuum irregulari-ties as lab scope waveforms.

The problem is, this level ofdiagnostics does require a lot ofpractice before it can be used asa definitive level of diagnosis.

In any case, the methods usedto detect intermittent valve seatleakage will continue to evolveas diagnostic technicians becomemore aware of this issue. �


Kim Brant, an automo-tive technician at Joe’sTire and Auto Serv-

ice, St. Joseph, MO, has beennamed the 2012 Best Tech,sponsored by WIX Filters.

WIX Filters, a member ofthe Affinia Group familyof brands, in conjunctionwith Brake & Front End,ImportCar and Underhood

Service magazines, namedBrant the second-annualWIX Filters Best Tech dur-ing the annual AutomotiveWarehouse DistributorsAssociation (AWDA)Meeting and Conference inLas Vegas on Oct. 29. Aspart of his award, he and aguest traveled to theAutomotive Aftermarket Products Expo(AAPEX) for an all-expenses paid trip to LasVegas.“From the diagnosis of electrical problems to

evaluating exhaust systems to recommending

the best parts — technicians play a major rolein enhancing a vehicle’s performance,” saidMike Harvey, brand manager for WIX Filters.“We are thrilled to recognize Kim Brant for thesecond-annual Best Tech award for his

»Tech of the Year 2012

Best Tech Finds theSky’s not the Limit WHEN IT COMES TO FINDING NEW CUSTOMERS, KIM BRANT LOOKS OUTSIDE THE BOX


distinguished career built on outstanding customer service as a committed advisor and resource,and for his dedicationto learning as vehi-cles become moresophisticated witha wider range ofrepairs and main-tenance work.”

Brant, an ASECertified MasterTechnician and a WIX Expert-LevelCertified tech, said he was thrilledand humbled to receive the honor ofbeing named a Top Tech.

“With complicated systems that make upautomobiles today, it is imperative that tech-nicians provide the highest-quality service toensure that drivers and passengers are safe onroadways,” said Brant. “I am truly delighted towin this award not only for myself but foreveryone at Joe’s Tire & Auto Service. From ourtechnicians, owners to service writers, we holdthe shop to the highest standards by encourag-ing ongoing education, implementing top-levelindustry standards and providing excellent

customer service, which drives returning customers.”Brant, who has been in the automotive and

repair service industry for 28 years, was a runner up in the 2011 Best Tech program lastyear. He’s worked at Joe’s Tire and Auto(www.stjoeautoservice.com) for about fouryears, and before that served as a technician ina few local dealerships and tire stores.Besides his exceptional customer service, Brant

has been active in his community’s youthorganizations and local technical school.

He also is credited for hispenchant to go the extra

mile to gain a newcustomer for Joe’sTire and Auto

Service, an independ-ent repair shop thathas been servicingthe St. Joseph area

since 1984.“My biggest enjoyment from the auto

industry is the challenge of determining thevehicle failure and taking that process clear

through to returning the vehicle to the customer,properly repaired,” he said.

Brant, whose own “fleet” of vehicles includeshis daily drive, a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan,also owns a 1988 GMC 1500 4x4 and a 1966Dodge Dart GT Convertible. His love of vehiclesdeveloped at an early age through his father’sbusiness.

“My father owned a Mobil service station frommy infancy to my teenage years,” Brant said.

» Tech of the Year

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENTIn addition to his service as an automotive technician, Brant also was recognized for hiscommunity service that includes:• Raising money for Habitat for Humanity;• Raising money for the Special Olympics; and • Participating in Neighborhood Beautificationprograms and recycling efforts.

Kim Brant, right, proudly displays his Tech of the Yeartrophy with two-time NHRA Funny Car Champion TonyPedregon during the Babcox Night of Excellenceawards dinner during the AAPEX show in Las Vegas.

» Tech of the Year 2012

“Without his involvement inthe automotive world, I’msure that I would not beinvolved myself.”One of the most unique

jobs Brant had seen as a tech-nician had to be the servicingof an A/C system on a localLife Flight helicopter thathad been grounded. Sincethe law requires the A/C sys-tem to be in working orderfor the helicopter to be usedfor medical purposes, Brantwas asked by his shop ownerif he could fix the heli-copter’s A/C system since thecompany that previouslyserviced the craft was nolonger in business. Although he had never

repaired a vehicle that isdesigned to leave the ground,Brant hit the Internet toresearch the helicopter’sHVAC system, grabbed histools and headed out toRosecrans Memorial Airport,where he was greeted by theLife Flight air staff.

After servicing the A/C sys-tem successfully, Brant saidhe was confident he wouldbe contacted to service thesystem if it ever needs it inthe future.

Brant said he was happy tobe of assistance in the LifeFlight’s return to the skies,and that today’s shop’s can

find business “outside thebox.”“I’ve worked on a lot of

unique vehicles — fromFerraris to Lamborghinis toProwlers — but not manytechs in this business can saythey have worked on a heli-copter.”And not just any helicopter,

but a Life Flight helicopter. �


RUNNERS-UPWIX Filters and Babcox Media alsonamed two 2012 Best Tech finalists: Travis Luscomb from Larson’sService, Inc. in Peabody, MA, andKevin Dietz from BTS Tire andService in Providence, RI.


Aphrase that I often hear from customersis, “This is a diesel engine; the problemshould be easy to diagnose.” The right

part about that statement is that the customer realizes that he has a diesel engine.

Certainly, there are some common repairs neededon specific engines that are easy to do, but thatdoesn’t mean everything else will be easy todiagnose. Owners often think that because dieselengines are now computer-controlled, the technician should be able to hook up a scan tooland immediately see what is going on.The good thing about electronic diesels is that

the technician can link up with a scan tool toanalyze data in order to try to pinpoint prob-lems. But some problems may be tougher thanyour customer — or you — think. Take thediagnosis of an injector issue. The most common injector issue is when the

engine produces a cylinder misfire. The misfireis generally associated with a loss of power andno unusual smoke. Like anything else, injectorscan get tired and become weak over time. Eventhough they are electronic, sometimes themechanical components inside the injector may

also become worn, cease to function properlyand even fail. In cases such as these, the scantool generally will pinpoint the cylinder withthe contribution problem.

» Tech Feature DIESEL DIAGNOSTICS

Whether you’re dealing with a 5.9L or a 6.7L engine,you should understand the process of elimination ofeach injector on common rail Dodge Cummins applica-tions in order to isolate leaking injectors. GM’sDuramax applications are totally different as are FordPowerStrokes, because the right scan tool can readleakage rates of each injector; with Cummins applica-tions they cannot.

Diagnosing Diesel By Bob McDonald


However, injectors can fail in ways other thanbecoming just worn out or tired. One of the mostcommon failures occurs when an injector bodybecomes cracked. When the body is cracked, theengine will not necessarily produce a miss but willcause other problems, which can be even more dif-ficult to pinpoint. Although the injector body can be cracked, the

engine may still run fine but just take an extendedperiod of time to crank. In addition, the customermay notice some fuel dilution in the oil by seeingthat the oil level is rising on the dipstick. When theengine is shut down, the crack in the injector’sbody will often cause fuel to drain back from thefuel lines and rails back to the tank. When the leakdown occurs, the engine has to spin over for an

excessive period of time in order to re-prime theinjection system.

CRANK TIMEA normal crank time in a common-rail injection sys-tem is usually around three to five seconds. This ishow long it will take the common-rail pump tobuild fuel pressure to the “threshold.” The thresholdfor cranking is when the fuel rail pressure reachesaround 5,000 psi. Normal common-rail systems willoperate at 5,000 psi at idle and can reach up to30,000 psi at wide open throttle (WOT). In a Cummins engine, the injectors are not actuated bythe controller until the fuel rail pressure reaches thethreshold. So when an injector becomes cracked andthe fuel has leaked down in the injection system,crank times will become almost tripled in order forthe fuel system to re-prime and the desired thresh-old reached in order to fire the engine.

So how do you determine which injector mayhave a possible crack? This can be a lengthyprocess to determine exactly which injector is theproblem. Cummins recommends a simple visual test to

start. First remove the valve cover, then crank theengine and let it idle. With a light, study the injec-tor body of each cylinder. Sometimes, if the injec-tor body is cracked externally, you may be able tonotice a small wisp of smoke from the injector. Thewisp of smoke that can sometimes be seen is actu-ally the atomization of fuel being released from thecrack. But this wisp should not be confused withblowby, which will be seen also. If the injector iscracked externally and producing a smoke wisp,you will be able to smell the hint of diesel fuel inthe air.

This type of diagnosis can be very useful in tryingto identify which injector may have an externalcrack. But what if you still can’t determine whichone is the problem child? Then you’ll have to dig alittle deeper and isolate each cylinder. The onlyway that you can isolate an individual cylinder is

» Tech Feature

One method to track down the damaged injector on acommon rail 5.9L Cummins is a simple visual test. Withthe valve cover off looking for some signs of a “wisp”of smoke, being careful not to mistake blowby forsmoke. You’ll smell a hint of diesel fuel as well.

Injector Problems



to cut off the supply of fuel — in order to do thisin a common-rail system you’ll have to cap it off.

For the Cummins engine, I start with the firstcylinder and remove the hard line between the fuelrail and injector.

Next, I place the cap on the fuel rail where the fuelline was. (A word of caution here: this “cap” is aspecial tool made by Cummins specifically for thistest. This cap is made to withstand the high pres-sures associated with a common-rail system. Do notuse anything else or you may suffer injury or deathfrom the high-pressure fuel.) Next, I crank theengine and see if the crank time is reduced. If not, Iproceed to the next cylinder until I can determinewhich one is responsible for the long crank time.

I have worked on trucks in which the Cumminsengine would not run at all. This usually happenswhen the injector is cracked so badly that the fuelsystem can never reach the threshold. The oil willalso be heavily diluted with diesel fuel. Byinstalling the cap on each cylinder one at a time,the bad injector can be isolated — you’ll knowyou’ve found it when the engine fires normal andfast.

LOSS OF POWER ON POWERSTROKE And while advanced engine electronics and today’sdiagnostic tools have made it easier to pinpoint driveability problems in diesel engines, it doesn’tmean that all problems are solvedso easily.

A great example is one thatcame by the shop the other day.The owner had an ’03 6.0LPowerStroke that had lostpower. When he pulled into theparking lot I could hear that theengine had an audible miss. Thefirst thing was to reach for thescan tool and see what troublecodes were found. Also, someengine parameters needed to bechecked to see if other engine components weredoing their jobs. All of the engine parameterslooked okay. In fact, you really could not ask forthe data to look any better. But why did the enginehave such a terrible miss? Next, I took a look at the trouble codes. There

were codes pointing to the fact that cylinders 1, 3,

5 and 7 had a contribution problem. This was moreor less saying that these cylinders were dead. So,how bad was the engine missing?

One thing that is common on the 6.0L DITengines is what is known as injector stiction. Now,I didn’t know if this was the problem, so I had toprobe a little deeper.

First of all, you need to understand how the injec-tor functions. In the top of the injector is what isknown as a spool valve. The spool valve is con-

trolled by two 48-volt, 20-ampcoils that direct oil flow in andout of the injector.One coil is used to open the oil

circuit and the other is used toclose the oil circuit. Basically,you have the spool valve in themiddle with a coil on each end.When the open coil energizes,the spool moves one way andwhen the closed coil energizesthe spool moves the other way.This movement of the spool

valve is only 0.017˝. When the open coil is ener-gized, the spool valve moves to allow high-pres-sure oil in from the rail to flow into the injector.When the closed coil is energized, oil is allowed todrain from the injector into the crankcase.

The coil is energized by the FICM (fuel injectioncontrol module) for 800 millionths of a second.

A more reliable method is to block off the injectorlines attached to each cylinder one at a time. This willisolate the cylinder with the bad injector. Due to theextremely high pressures involved, use only the righttools to perform this diagnostic service.

Ford 6.0L PowerStroke


Think about that: it is impres-sively fast to move a spool thatquickly when it is under theintensity of high-pressure oil.

So when the spool opens, high-pressure oil enters the injector.This, in turn, pushes the intensi-fier piston and plunger down-ward inside the injector body.Fuel enters the injector throughan opening on the side of theinjector body, which is deliveredby the fuel pump and surroundsthe injector through passages inthe cylinder head.

At idle, the high-pressure oil isaround 600 psi. When the engineis at WOT, the high-pressure oilcan reach 3,000 psi. So, as thepiston and plunger move down-ward inside the injector, fuel inthe bottom chamber of the injec-tor is being squeezed. The inten-sifier piston is seven timesgreater than the surface area ofthe plunger. This means that theinjection force will be seventimes greater than the high-pressure oil.

Put it this way: let’s say theengine is at idle and the high-pressure oil is at 600 psi. Whenthe open coil is energized, thehigh-pressure oil comes into theinjector and the piston andplunger move downward. Thepressure of the fuel in the deliv-ery chamber being forcedthrough the tip of the injectornozzle will be 4,200 psi. Nowrealize that if the engine is atWOT, this would be 21,000 psi!

But, what is injector stictionand how does it relate to theinjector? Injector stiction has todo with the injector spool valve.When the FICM commands theinjector to open, there can be adelay in the spool valve move-ment, usually from the spoolvalve sticking in the bore.

CHECK THE OILThere are several things that cancause stiction of the spool valve.One of the biggest culprits is thetype of oil being used along withthe viscosity. These engines can

be very picky about oil. It is notthat there are bad oils on themarket, but some are better forthis engine than others.

As you can see, these enginesuse hydraulic pressure to oper-ate high injection pressures. Onething that tends to influencehydraulics is the amount of airthat can be entrapped in the oil.It doesn’t matter if we’re talkingabout an earthmover, hydraulicsdo not like air. Air in the oilcauses foam. When foam entersthe injector, it will cause misfiresand rough running due to the“fake” injection pressures thefoam is producing.

One thing that you have toremember is that all of the oil isgoing to foam after beingchurned by the pump and slungaround in the engine. But, thereis only one way to release thefoam: manufacturers use siliconeas a release agent. So most of thetime, I will use the engine oilthat the manufacturer recom-mends. Manufacturers of vehi-cles know what the engines needand have to stand behind theirproducts.

If you are using the oil that isrecommended by the manufac-turer, then hopefully you arealso changing it by the manufacturer’s recommenda-


Here is the 6.0Ldiesel injector in its“normally seen”assembled state.


tions. Sometimes injector stictionis caused by negligent servicingof a vehicle. Deposits and scumtend to build and leave behinddebris that can cause the spoolvalve to stick. Of course, over aperiod of time, the coils in thespool valve can also fail, result-ing in a dead injector. So in orderto give the best service life foryour engine, follow the recom-mendations of the manufacturer.

START YOUR SCANNINGGoing back to diagnosing, youhave to have the proper tools.There are scan tools on the marketthat will show a lot of data alongwith the trouble codes. There arealso scan tools used by the dealer,which we often can’t afford. Butin order to find out what is hap-

pening with the 6.0L injector, youneed a tool that can actually seethe injector spool times. Whilethere are many diagnostic tool options available out there, onetool that I have found in the after-market for independent garage isfrom Hickok Inc. It’s called the G2Diesel Injector Tester and is for diagnostics used on-board whilethe engine is running. I’ve found this tool is helpful in

diagnosing 6.0L injector issues,as well as saving the customersome money. The reason for thisis that a lot of times when youhave a couple of injectors thatmay have issues, some shopsfeel they have to replace themall. As you know, diesel injectorsare expensive and this can bevery costly. With a tool like the

G2, you can see which injectorsare causing the problem andreplace only the ones that arebad. With the use of a laptopcomputer along with the G2tester, injector spool times areidentified quickly. While a lap-top is not necessarily needed, itwill give some data loggingcapabilities along with somegraph displays on what theinjectors are doing.

Going back to the ’03 truck thathad come into the shop, I knewthat I had problems in cylinders1, 3, 5 and 7. The trouble was allon the passenger-side bank.After hooking up the vehicle tothe G2, I was able to get an ideaof what was going on. The spooltimes of the injectors lookedgreat. The funny thing was thatthese injectors’ spool timeslooked great compared to othersI had seen in the past, but theengine still had a miss on fourcylinders.

The next thing was to performa cylinder kill test, which canalso be done with the G2. Thepurpose of the test is to find outhow all the cylinders deviatefrom each other in order to seetheir contribution to the totalengine. The cylinder kill test willobtain a baseline while theengine is running. After thebaseline of rpm and torque, theG2 will kill cylinders 1 through 8in order for several seconds.

After the test, we found thatcylinders 1, 3, 5 and 7 were notcontributing anything — inother words, those cylinderswere completely dead. So therewas one other thing that neededto be looked at. I wanted to seewhat the HPOP (high pressureoil pump) was doing. From the



menu of the G2 you can also select to display andgraph the pressures of the HPOP.

After running the vehicle for a few minutesgraphing the HPOP data, I could not find anythingwrong. The pressure at idle was almost 600 psi andwould rise as I accelerated the engine. So it wasevident that there was nothing wrong with whatcould make this engine function.

The only other thing that I could do would be topull the passenger-side valve cover and take alook. Something to keep in mind on a 6.0L is that,if all things are working, there must be a high-pressure oil leak somewhere. Seeing as how all ofthe cylinders were dead on one side, there had tobe a leak somewhere. After removing the valve cover, I cranked the

engine once again to see if there were any externalsigns of leakage. Unfortunately, there was not, sothe engine had to be torn down further. What Ifound was the oil branch from the HPOP on thepassenger side was leaking. This was causing sucha loss of high-pressure oil that the injectors couldnot actuate when they were pulsed by the FICM.

While tearing down the engine and using mydiesel injector tester, I found that someone hadalready replaced all the injectors on the passengerside. The owner admitted that he had just pickedup the vehicle from another shop that could not fixit. With the PCM having codes pertaining to possi-ble injectors, the shop automatically assumed thatnew injectors would fix the problem. This was aterrible choice for both the owner and the previousshop.

Obviously, the best thing to keep in mind is thatthere are tools out there related to certain purposesthat will do a much better job saving the job —and your reputation — than trial and error.

While you may realize it, you may have toremind your customers that there have been greattechnological advances in diesel design, but itdoesn’t mean that it has become simple. I thinksometimes with newer diesel engines, owners maythink that there are easier ways in determiningfailed parts, but it can be still just as aggravating asolder diesel engines. Some things still may have tobe done the old-fashioned way in order to proper-ly diagnose engine complaints.

One other thing that hasn’t changed: when youfind injector issues such as these, be sure to tell theowner about the additionallabor that is likely to beinvolved in the bill for yourexpert diagnosis. �

» Tech Feature

Here is the injector following disassembly. The injectorcontains a spool valve, which is controlled by high-pressure oil.

The spool valve is controlled by two 48-volt, 20-ampcoils that direct oil flow in and out of the injector.

Robert McDonald is owner ofAtlantic Engines in Granite Falls,NC, and specializes in high-performance diesel and gasoline engines and cylinderheads for street, marine, dirt and drag racing.


» TechTips GM / FORDThis month is sponsored by:

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2009 Buick LaCrosse Super, Allure

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Equipped with V8 Engine RPO LC9,

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LY6

Attention: To properly correct this condition,you must follow both of the procedures torelocate the engine coolant temperature (ECT)sensor and the engine coolant heater cord.

Condition Some customers may comment that the mal-function indicator lamp (MIL) illuminates afterstarting the vehicle when they were using theengine coolant heater in very cold ambient tem-peratures. This usually occurs in a range of -10°to -40° F (-23° to -40° C) or colder. The technician may observe a DTC P0116

and/or P1400 set as Current or in History.

Cause This condition may be caused by the enginecontrol module (ECM) determining that the ignition off time requirement has been met atstart-up and interpreting the temperature differ-ence between the ECT sensor and the intake airtemperature (IAT) sensor as being outside of acalibrated range.

Correction Important: Do not replace the ECM for thiscondition.

Relocating the ECT Sensor

1. Turn on the ignition with the engine off. 2. Perform the diagnostic system check –

vehicle. – If DTC P0116 and/or P1400 are set and the

customer was using the engine coolant heater,proceed to Step 3. – If DTC P0116 and/or P1400 are set and the

customer was not using the engine coolantheater, refer to the DTC list – vehicle in SI. 3. Turn off the ignition. Warning: To avoid being burned, do not

remove the radiator cap or surge tank capwhile the engine is hot. The cooling systemwill release scalding fluid and steam underpressure if the radiator cap or the surge tankcap is removed while the engine and radiatorare still hot. 4. Remove the surge tank fill cap from the

surge tank or the coolant pressure cap fromthe radiator. 5. Raise and support the vehicle. 6. Place a clean drain pan under the radiator

drain cock or under the lower radiator hose,depending on the vehicle. 7. Loosen the radiator drain cock, if

equipped, or use J 38185 clamp pliers andreposition the clamp on the lower radiatorhose at the radiator.

MIL On, P0116/P1400 Set In Very Cold Temps

8. Remove the end of the lowerradiator hose from the radiator. 9. Drain the engine coolant

sufficiently below the level ofthe ECT sensor. 10. Close the radiator drain

cock or connect the lower radiator hose at the radiator. 11. Use the clamp pliers to

place the clamp into the originalposition on the hose. 12. Lower the vehicle. 13. Disconnect the wiring

harness connector from the ECTsensor (see arrow 2 in Figure 1).14. Remove the ECT sensor

(see arrow 1 in Figure 2) fromthe front of the cylinder head. 15. Remove the corresponding

size plug at the rear of the othercylinder head. 16. Coat the threads of the ECT

sensor with sealer. Use GM P/N12346004 or an equivalent. 17. Install the ECT sensor in

the hole of the cylinder headwhere the plug was removed.

Tighten to 20 Nm (15 lb.-ft.).

18. Coat the threads of theplug with sealer. Use GM P/N12346004 or an equivalent.19. Install the plug in the hole

of the cylinder head where theECT sensor was removed.

Tighten to 20 Nm (15 lb.-ft.).Important: Leave enough wire

attached to the ECT sensor har-ness connector in order to createmanageable splices that are at

least 1.5” (40 mm) away fromthe other splice. 20. Extract a portion of the

ECT sensor harness wiring andconnector from the protectiveconduit. Cut off the ECT sensorharness connector and wiring. 21. Determine a routing path

for the ECT sensor jumper har-ness wires so that they can besecured to or within an existingprotective conduit. Note: This step is to set up and

verify the length of wiring that isrequired before cutting. 22. Route the ECT sensor

jumper wires and then enclosethem in their own protectiveconduit in order to verify thelength that is required. 23. Cut the ECT sensor jumper

wires to the appropriate length.Note: Adjust splice locations sothat each splice is at least 1.5”(40 mm) away from the othersplice or connector. 24. Splice the ECT sensor

jumper wires to the original ECTharness location using DuraSealweatherproof splices. Note:

Adjust splice locations so thateach splice is at least 1.5” (40mm) away from the other splice

» TechTips GM


Figure 1 GM Figure 2 GM


» TechTips GM

or connector. 25. Splice the ECT sensor jumper wires to the

ECT sensor harness connector using DuraSealweatherproof splices. 26. Connect the ECT sensor harness connector to

the ECT sensor. 27. Secure the ECT sensor jumper wires that are

in their own protective conduit to or within theexisting harness conduit using tie straps.

Important: You must run the engine at the spec-ified rpm and until it reaches normal operatingtemperature and then allow it to idle as indicatedin SI. The engine must then be allowed to cooldown in order to top off the coolant level asneeded. 28. Fill the cooling system to the proper level. 29. Pressure-test the cooling system. 30. Use a scan tool to clear any DTCs.

Relocating the Engine Coolant Heater Cord Important: For reference, the procedure and graph-ics that are shown are from a Chevrolet Silverado,

but are similar for the other vehicles listed above. 1. Turn off the ignition. 2. Ask the customer where they would prefer the

extension cord to exit from the engine compart-ment in order to determine the required extensioncord length.3. Obtain an extension cord with the following

features: 120 volt, 14/3 gauge, 15A capacity;three prong; polarized plug and receptacle;chemical resistant; grounded terminals; designedfor use in a cold outdoor environment; outerjacket resistant to deterioration from moisture,abrasion and exposure to sunlight; and maxi-mum length of 8-10’ (2.5-3 m). 4. Release enough of the clips that retain the

engine coolant heater cord to the vehicle to provide the necessary length for repositioning. 5. Apply dielectric grease to the electrical

contacts of the heater cord receptacle and theextension cord plug to prevent corrosion. Use GMP/N 12345579 or an equivalent. 6. Connect the heater cord receptacle to the

extension cord plug and wipe off any excessgrease. 7. Wrap electrical tape around the connection as

shown in Figure 3.8. Route the engine coolant heater cord and

Figure 3 GM

Figure 4 GM

extension cord behind the alter-nator and adjacent to theengine coolant crossover pipeas shown in Figure 4 on page46.9. Continue to route the

extension cord to the exit loca-tion desired by the customer asshown in Figure 5. 10. Review the routing of the

coolant heater cord and exten-sion cord to verify that it does

not touch any sharp edges thatcould damage it. 11. Secure the engine coolant

heater cord and the extensioncord with tie straps as needed.12. Resecure any of the origi-

nal clips that retained theengine coolant heater cord tothe vehicle that were releasedto provide length.Courtesy of ALLDATA.

» TechTips GM / FORD


Figure 5 GM

Application:1998-2003 7.3L Diesel E Series1999-2003 7.3L Diesel SuperDuty F Series 2000-’03 7.3L Diesel Excursion

Problem:Some vehicles may experience amisfire or “cackle.”

Cause: The injectors in the 7.3L diesel runoff of the high-pressure engine oilpump. The #8 injector is the far-thest away from the oil pump,causing a filling problem, whichmay result in a misfire. Ford re-placed the #8 injector in some ve-hicles as needed with a differentinjector to solve the problem.

Solution:Most vehicles use eight AB orAD type injectors, but the 7.3LPowerstroke vehicle you’re servicing may use seven AB orAD and one AE type.

CARDONE has made the AB,AD and AE types available.Identify the type installed inyour vehicle by checking thetwo-digit alpha code on top ofthe solenoid. Note that the AEtype may also be labeled LL,which stands for “Long Lead.”The part number for the ABtype is 2J-204, the AD type number is 2J-205, and the AEtype is 2J-209.

Courtesy of CARDONEIndustries. �

Ford’s 7.3L Powerstroke Injector Cackles


Spectra Premium has introduced 52 new Fuel Delivery partnumbers, providing coverage on popular Hyundai and Kiaimport applications as well as first-to-market coverage onlate-model F-Series Super Duty trucks and Dodge SprinterVans. First-to-market coverage is also achieved with SpectraPremium’s Fuel Filler Neck, P/N FN851, covering late 1990sJeep Cherokee applications.Circle #92 for information

Delphi launched at AAPEX its new Auto IQ Service Solutions pro-gram including a new diagnostics scan tool and flash programmer.Auto IQ Service Solutions, a complete systems approach to serviceand repair, also includes the OE-based service repair information,dedicated ASE-certified support, advanced training, a new mobilee-catalog and Delphi’s Connected Car Telematics Solution. Delphialso offers a compact, WiFi-ready, touch-screen tablet PC as an alternative to the handheld tool and in-house workshop operations. Circle #90 for information

Introducing Exide Edge Flat Plate AGM Batteries with SureLifeGraphite Technology — Exide Edge is the first and only absorbed

glass mat (AGM) battery* that features SureLife Graphite Technologyto maximize available energy capacity, helping batteries perform athigher levels longer. Designed for vehicles of today’s active families

and busy professionals, Exide Edge provides more protectionagainst battery failure; helping vehicles stay strong and perform

like new. Starts Like New. Stays Like New Longer. *Among leading competitors.

Circle #94 for information

AutoEnginuity recently announcedthe release of ScanTool 11.0 for theWindows platform. ScanTool 11.0features the company’s enhanced2012 model year coverage for allsupported makes. Other importantfeatures include: added Windows 8support; and added functions to theMercedes-enhanced support. Thecompany also added the followingfunctions to the GM-enhanced(CAN-based modules) support: brakepedal position sensor learn, brakepressure calibration, fuel injector bal-ance, steering position sensor learnand yaw rate sensor learn command. Circle #91 for information

90

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93

Richporter Technology offers a complete line of ignition coils forboth domestic and import applications. The new coils are producedto the latest ISO standards and have undergone stringent testing toensure they meet OE requirements and are backed by a one-yearwarranty. Richporter’s new coils feature precise spark timing responsefor maximum fuel economy and performance, while producing efficient and continuous energy to maintain dependable driveability.Contact: 866-494-4482, www.richporter.ca.Circle #93 for information


ACDelco has released 10 additional part numbers to the Profes-sional All Makes Ignition Wire Set product line, covering modelsfrom Dodge, Chrysler, Subaru, Honda, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda, Jeep,Buick, Chevrolet and Volvo. ACDelco Professional All Makes Wire

Sets are a premium offering yet competitively priced, matchingthe original equipment of various manufacturers in design, colorand quality. ACDelco now offers 499 Professional All Makes Wire

Set part numbers.

NAPA Holiday Tool Promotion — NAPA is the handy place to getgifts for a handyman this season. This December, stop into a participating NAPA AUTO PARTS Store and pick up a GearWrench 7-Piece Ratcheting Wrench Set, in standard or metric,for just $29.99. Or a Crescent 5-Piece Locking Pliers Set, just$26.99. Promotion ends Dec. 31, 2012, while supplies last.www.NAPAOnline.comCircle #95 for information

NAPA Belden Edge Premium Spark Plug Wires combine patentedtechnological advancements with time-saving, straight out-of-the-box installation. Upgrades include factory-installed wire clips, routing trays and protective loom, where needed. These keep the spark plug wires properly positioned to prevent melted casings and wire arcing, making for a cleaner, quicker and easierinstalation. Circle #98 for information

OTC introduced its Genisys Touch at AAPEX.Use Genisys Touch as a full-function, OE-levelgraphical diagnostic scan tool, or a J2534Class 1 & 2 communication device for OEflash pass-thru reprogramming. This tool features a 10.1’’ resistive, high-resolutiontouch-screen display, Windows 7 operatingsystem, Internet browser, USB and video-outconnectivity. Technicians can touch-navigatescreen-by-screen even when wearing shopgloves. The AutoDetect software automaticallydetects and alerts the technician of on-tool orweb-based repair information.Circle #96 for information

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96

With the introduc-tion of the new M42-Speed Screwdriv-er, Milwaukee Toolcommits to a newline of cordlessproducts in the 4Vcategory utilizingthe company’sREDLITHIUM 2.0battery technology.The new screwdriver incorporates the latest Milwaukee coretechnologies in motor, RedLink Intelligence electronics andREDLITHIUM 2.0 batteries, increasing the tool’s power andrun-time, while shrinking its size. Featuring 44 in.-lbs. ofpeak torque and a 21-position clutch with auto shut-off, thenew screwdriver offers improved torque control duringrepetitive applications. Two speeds, 200 and 600 rpm, offerfurther user control for precision work.Circle #97 for information

97

DI R E C T C L A S S I F I E D S



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ACDelco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Advance Auto Parts Professional . .11, 37

Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper . . .Cover 4

Airtex Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Insert

APA Management Group . . . . . . . . . . .12

Parts Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Rislone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

DEA Products/Pioneer Inc . . . . . . . . . .39

Exide Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Hughes Engines, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

iATN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Jasper Engines & Transmissions . . .43, 48

King Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

MAHLE Clevite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Mr Gasket Performance Group . . . . . . .22

NAPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 2, 1,

NAPA BeldeN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

O'Reilly Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Parts Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Performance Friction Corp . . . . . . . . . .45

Bosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Schaeffler Group USA . . . . . . . . . . . .7, 47

TYC/Genera Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 3

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AdvertisingRepresentativesThe Tech Group

Bobbie [email protected], ext. 238

Dean Martin [email protected] 330-670-1234, ext. 225

Sean [email protected], ext. 206

Glenn [email protected], ext. 212

John Zick [email protected] 949-756-8835

List Sales Manager Don [email protected], ext. 286

Classified Sales Tom [email protected], ext. 224


Forty-four automotive professionals were recog-

nized in November at the Fall Board of Governors

meeting of the National Institute for Automotive

Service Excellence (ASE) held at the Hilton Palacio del

Rio in San Antonio, TX. The annual awards banquet

spotlights top scorers on the ASE Certification Tests.

Thirty-seven companies from both the OEM and after-

market segments sponsored the individual technician

recognition awards in the Auto, Truck, Collision and

Parts categories, along with three instructor awards, and

one recognizing a U.S. Air Force technician. In addition

to looking for top scores on ASE tests, award sponsors

may also consider such factors as on-the-job excellence, community service and more when selecting honorees.

“ASE has been honoring the best of the best in our industry for more than 30 years, and we are proud to once

again recognize 44 outstanding individuals from all across the nation,” said Tim Zilke, ASE president and

CEO. “This is all made possible by the support of our many award sponsors, whose ranks include some of the

best-known names in the industry. Their commitment to excellence is reflected in the talented individuals we

recognize each year.”

The 2012 Tech Award winners are: Back row: George Brooks, Ed Rice, Albert Fogle, Jesse Gordon, Rob Heidrick, William Goodfellow

4th row: Will Mackey, Chris Roberts, Michael Steele, Ray McCall, Frank Messina, Stephen Selman, Kevin

Morandi

3rd row: Gary Wilson, Eric Dunlap, Neal Cummings, Mark Armstrong, Tommie Young, Seth Desjarlais, Brent

Horner, Brett Conner, Kyle Drinkuth

2nd row: Jeff Shoemaker, Rylan Kligora, Paul Robichaud, Tod Wirth, Gene Coleman, Ed Hensley, Chris Fryar,

Chris Beasley, Jay Schick, Glenn Kenney

1st row: Charlie Bourne, Bob Kaiser, Sevan Garabedian, Fred Pinkney, Dan Stevenson, TSgt. Jared Calvin, Dan

Fuller, Curt Silver, Mark Calzia, George Collins

» Test Drive

#10

GUESS THE CAR! WIN $50!

Employees of Babcox Media, industry manufacturers and Underhood Service advertisers are not eligible to enter.

Automotive techs Recognized At Ase meeting

November Solution: Navigator (Lincoln) Solved by: Chris Swatsworth, auto technician,Bud's Electric Service, Clearfield, PA

CONGRATULATIONS Chris!

What vehicle MAKE does the picture on the left represent? Submit your guess with our online contest form by visitingwww.UnderhoodService.com/guessthecar or scan the QRcode to the right with your smart phone.

The winner will be randomly selected from correctentries and awarded $50. Entries must be received byJanuary 1, 2013. #9

Underhood Service, 12.2012

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