UHS July 2013

®A MAGAZINE

� Powerstroke Coolant Concerns � Early Alcohol-Based Fuels � Great Bear Auto’s Mama Bear

Reader Service: Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com

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]

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

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

16Emissions UpdateEGR DiagnosticsFor consistent driveability, it is desirable for the amount of exhaustgas flow to be proportional to thethrottle opening. In his article onEGR diagnostics, Carl Fedeleaddresses this component and its importance to the vehicle’s emissions system.

24

3416

34Service SolutionsPowerstroke Cooling System TipsMaintaining the coolant system isjust as important as an oil change —in fact, the coolant condition in adiesel engine may even be moreimportant than in a gasolineengine. In this article, BobMcDonald provides tips to betterservice your customer’s Powerstrokecooling system.

CONTENTS

Diagnostic Dilemmas: Building a Diagnostic Plan

DEPARTMENTSA Publication

UNDERHOOD SERVICE (ISSN 1079-6177)

(July 2013, Volume XVIII, Number 7): Published monthly by Babcox, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to UNDERHOOD SERVICE, 3550 Embassy Parkway Akron, OH 44333. UNDERHOOD SERVICE is a trademark of BabcoxMedia, Inc. registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved.

A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Call (330) 670-1234, Ext. 288, to speak to a subscription services representative orFAX us at (330) 670-5335. Paid Subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69 for one year. Canada: $89 for one year. Canadian rates include GST. Ohio residents add current county sales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds. Mail payment to UNDERHOOD SERVICE, P.O. Box 75692,Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. VISA, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

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4 July 2013 | UnderhoodService.com

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PRESIDENT

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Columns

42

56

62

80

Brent Crago, ownerTop Tech AutomotiveCleveland, Tennessee

Marc Duebber, owner Duebber’s Auto ServiceCincinnati, Ohio

Audra Fordin, owner Great Bear Auto Repair Flushing, NYwww.womenautoknow.com

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

6 Gonzo Toolbox

10 Directions

12 Aftermarket Update

42 Tech Talk: Oil Issues

56 Talking Shop

62 Memory Lane

66 Tech Tips

74 Shop

75 Rapid Response

76 Classifieds

80 Test Drive


There’s a boss in every family, and some-times you might think it’s you, but yourspouse may have a different opinion. For

example, there have been countless times I’ve hada car in the shop wherea wife or husbandhas dropped thecar off and the re-pair is done, paidfor and sent on itsway, only to havethe other spousecall and give me anearful because theyweren’t told what hadtranspired. (As if that’s myfault!)

Whether it’s because ofthe cost, the time it took thework that was done or the factthey weren’t informed,somehow I’ll be the per-son blamed for all oftheir misfortunes.

On one particularoccasion, I had a car infor restoration. These“project” cars arrive inall kinds of conditions.Some are a complete car and the owner has aclear idea what they want done, while others lit-erally come in baskets. This particular job coulddefinitely be categorized as a “basket case.” Thecar had been taken down to the last nut and boltnearly five years earlier, and by the time it madeit to my shop, nothing but the steering wheelwas in place. There were no doors, glass, decklid, hood, interior, dash, seats or an engine to befound.

“I need an estimate on what it would take torewire this car,” the owner tells me.

All I had to go on was the year, the make andthe condition to evaluate the potential cost. The

car was an older VW Super Beetle. “I see you’ve got an aftermarket har-ness in this box, but it’s not com-plete. Do you have any of the otherharness sections for it?” I asked.

“They don’t make a harness forit, this is all they offer,” my new

customer told me.“Well, I think there

are some better choicesthan this aftermarketharness you’vebrought. This is a har-ness for a dune buggy,not for a streetcar. A lotof things are omitted on

them that you’llneed for a street-driven car, suchas turn signals,horn, etc.”

I gave him aprice based onreusing the origi-nal harnesses that

were bundled up in another box. When I pulledthem out of the box, I was in for a shock. Theywere all cut into several small pieces rather thanin the usual sections. I quoted for installing afactory harness, not building one!

In the meantime, we went up to the front deskto fill out some paperwork, and I went onlineand did some of my own searching for areplacement harness. It didn’t take but a fewclicks before I had a “useable” harness that

By Scott “Gonzo” Weaver

»Gonzo’s Toolbox

Deal with the Person in ChargeWho’s the Boss?

“Did you bring him any ofthe lights, dash gauges or anyof the other electrical stuff sohe can see if they work? NO?Well, you’re just an idiot!”


would work with only a littleadaptation to the Super Beetlefuse box and ignition. “Once Isee this kit, I can give you a bet-ter idea of final cost,” I toldhim.

A week later, he was backwith the aftermarket harness.The harness wasn’t a perfectmatch as I mentioned earlier,but it was useable with a fewmodifications. No biggie, itwould just involve a lot moretime compared with putting agood factory original harnessback in.

I gave him an updated estimate for the work, which, inturn, prompted him to give methe go-ahead to get started.Over the next few days, I hadalready started putting in thefront harness and part of theinterior wiring. And, then, heshowed up with his wife and Iknew something was up.

“I think I’m going to take thecar. Your price is too high,” hetold me.

At that point, the wifejumped into the conversation.“My husband told me youraised the price on him once wegot you the harness you want-ed,” she told me.

“Yes, the original estimatewas to put a ‘factory’ harnessin. Now I’m putting in an after-market harness that I have tomake do with. Rather than tryingto find a perfect fit, your husband

said to go with this. So I did, andI’ve already started on it.”

That’s when the husbandjumped back into the mix withhis 2 cents, remarking how hisfive-year-long attempt at doing

it was only a minor setback inthe restoration.

Then, his wife leaned overthe counter to me, “Here’s mypersonal cell number and myname. From now on, please callme directly. This has taken fartoo long to get done, and Iwant my car back together.”

She snapped at her arroganthusband, “Did you bring himany of the lights, dash gaugesor any of the other electricalstuff so he can see if they work?NO? Well, you’re just an idiot!”(I could tell me and the “Mrs.”were going to get along justfine.) Completely ignoring herhusband, she pulled out a padand pen and starting jottingdown notes on what compo-nents I needed, and told me shewould have them over to theshop that afternoon and out ofher house for good.

After all was said and done,they ended up with a prettycool restored Bug out of thedeal, and I got one happy customer. When dealing withrepairs as complicated as thisone, it pays to deal with theboss. And, in this case, it wasn’tthe hubby. �

» Gonzo’s Toolbox

“Here’s my personal cell numberand my name. From now on, pleasecall me directly. This has taken fartoo long to get done, and I want

my car back together.”


»Di r ect i ons BY Edwar d

Honeywell has reportedthat SAE Internationalhas deemed its new low-

global-warming-potential mobileair conditioning refrigerant —HFO-1234yf — safe for use inmotor vehicles. SAE made the recommendation

following an expanded and extensive evaluation. According to Honeywell, SAE

established a new CooperativeResearch Project (CRP) to reviewthe safety of the refrigerant fol-lowing concerns voiced last yearby Daimler and Volkswagen exec-utives regarding the flammabilityof the product. On Sept. 25, the German auto-

motive manufacturer Daimlerissued a press release suggestingthat new testing conducted by thecompany had shown R-1234yf topose a greater risk of vehicle firethan was estimated by theCRP1234 analysis. To address theDaimler claims, the new CRP(CRP1234-4) was organized inOctober and all of the OEMs wereinvited to attend.The SAE International CRP stat-

ed that all 11 global automakersthat participated in the project“have indicated agreement withthese conclusions” (of the prod-uct’s safety,) and called testingconducted by Daimler late last

year that raised questions aboutthe refrigerant’s flammability“unrealistic.”“After extensive testing and

analysis, the new CRP concludedthat the refrigerant release testingcompleted by Daimler was unre-alistic,” the SAE CRP said in itsfinal summary. “Their testing created extreme conditions thatfavored ignition while ignoringmany mitigating factors thatwould be present in an actualreal-world collision.”

“The conclusions from SAE’slatest expanded evaluation, com-bined with years of extensivetesting in the U.S., Europe andelsewhere, again leaves no doubtthat HFO-1234yf is safe for auto-motive applications,” said KenGayer, vice president and general

manager for Honeywell FluorineProducts. “The fact that all 11global automakers participatingin the project agreed with theSAE CRP’s conclusions is furtherproof that this product can beused safely.”HFO-1234yf was previously the

subject of comprehensive testingconducted by an SAE CRP from2007 to 2009. That CRP, which wassponsored by 15 global automak-ers — including all leadingGerman automakers, major sup-pliers and 18 international, inde-pendent research institutes — con-cluded that HFO-1234yf is safe foruse in automobile applications.SAE said its latest CRP’s evalua-

tion was expanded “with inputfrom Daimler ... to realisticallyaddress” Daimler’s concerns.SAE said the CRP also reviewedand analyzed extensive new datafrom automakers and used “con-servative assumptions” to ensureits analysis “would be more like-ly to overestimate rather thanunderestimate the actual risks” ofthe refrigerant igniting.Even with those assumptions,

the CRP found “risks are still verysmall compared to the risks of avehicle fire from all causes andwell below risks that are com-monly viewed as acceptable bythe general public.” �

»Directions By Edward Sunkin | EDITOR

On Honeywell’s Refrigerant — 11 Automakers Agree

SAE CLEARS THE AIR

OEs in agreement with the CRP1234-4 evaluation:

Chrysler/FiatFordGeneral MotorsHondaHyundaiJaguar Land RoverMazdaPSARenault and Toyota.


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

Advance Auto Parts announced anew partnership with AVI to provideshops with an expanded offering ofonline automotive training courses.Advance Shop eLearning poweredby AVI features online video contentcovering topics from basic automo-tive concepts to advanced technicaldiagnostic training. All content isavailable to shops 24/7 through thepurchase of training bundles thatcan be tailored to meet a shop’sspecific needs.“AVI has long been recognized as agreat solutions provider for trainingto the automotive aftermarket,” saidWalter Scott, vice president ofeCommerce and eServices forAdvance Auto Parts. “The partner-ship through Advance ShopeLearning allows us to deliver thewide range of industry-leading online

content that our shops need to stayon top of current technologies andbetter serve their customers.”Online training bundles availablefrom Advance Shop eLearning pow-ered by AVI include basic automotivesystems for new service technicians,management courses geared towardshop owners, ASE test preparation,advanced diagnostics, working withhybrid or diesel vehicles, and muchmore. Shops can select content mostrelevant to their businesses on anindividual basis. Additionally, aLearning Management System allowsshop owners and managers to viewand track their staff’s progressthrough the eLearning courses, andincludes access to pre- and post-training tests.“Training is a universal need in theaftermarket,” said Paul Louwers,

CEO at AVI. “We’re excited to part-ner with Advance to provide on-demand training solutions that helpserve commercial garages on ashop-to-shop basis.”In addition to Advance ShopeLearning powered by AVI,Advance offers commercial cus-tomers MotoLogic, a web-basedrepair and diagnostic tool; andDriverSide, an online marketingsuite that helps shops attract newcustomers, optimize their onlinereputation, and increase customerservice frequency and retention.To learn more about Advance ShopeLearning powered by AVI or othereServices available from AdvanceAuto Parts Professional, visit eservices.advancecommercial.com or call 855-222-1632.

»Aftermarket UpdateBrought to you by:

Advance Auto Parts Professional Partners with AVI to Offer Commercial Garages Flexible Online Training Solutions

In an effort to better serve itsgrowing international customer base, BendPak-Ranger recently launched aSpanish language version ofits English website. BendPak’s Spanish website,

www.bendpak.com.mx, is adirect adaptation of theirEnglish version and is theculmination of more thaneight months of dedicatedeffort. To translate the siteinto Spanish and keep itupdated, rather than out-sourcing, BendPak hired adedicated in-house Spanishlanguage marketing staff tooversee content creation and adaptation.“Whether a prospective customer is building a newshop or updating their current workplace with new

equipment, we know that theInternet is often the first resourcehe or she will turn to for guid-ance,” said Jeff Kritzer, senior vicepresident of sales and marketing.“Our goal with the new Spanishwebsite is to provide efficient,native language guidance andeasy-to-find information for themost common needs of ourSpanish-speaking site visitors.”The expanding Hispanic marketin the United States and furtherexpanding Latin markets areimportant business segments forBendPak-Ranger. The new Spanishwebsite includes everything fromcatalogs and videos, to installation

and maintenance manuals, allowing Hispanic customers to find the information they need quickerand easier.

BendPak-Ranger Introduces New Spanish Language Website

Mevotech Inc. was honored recently

with the 2013 Polk Inventory

Efficiency Award at the Global

Automotive Aftermarket

Symposium (GAAS) in Chicago.

“On behalf of Mevotech, we are

pleased to receive this prestigious

award from Polk, and it is a valida-

tion to the hard work of our

employees,” said Ezer Mevorach,

president of Mevotech. “We’re

humbled to join previously hon-

ored industry leaders and serve as a

role model for others striving to

better their inventory efficiency

practices.”

The Polk Inventory Efficiency

Award is given to aftermarket com-

panies for process improvements in

supply chain and inventory effi-

ciency.

A significant factor for Mevotech

in improving efficiency has been its

Excellence in Inventory Strategy

(EXIST) program to address the

issues of limited warehouse space

and maintaining accurate inventory.

The program manages the product

lifecycle from engineering through

supply chain and ultimately to the

customer.

Mevotech’s EXIST program has

provided a substantial business and

parts business impact. The invento-

ry strategy decreased order turn

times by nearly 60%, increased fill

rates by seven percentage points

and improved product time-to-mar-

ket. EXIST also reduced warehouse

inventory by 20% and increased

inventory accuracy by 10 percentage

points.

For more information about

Mevotech Inc. or the EXIST pro-

gram, visit www.mevotech.com. �


» Aftermarket Update

The National Institute forAutomotive Service Excellence(ASE) has launched a new certi-fication test aimed at those tech-nicians primarily involved withvehicle maintenance and lightrepair services. The Auto Maintenance andLight Repair (G1) test is nowavailable as part of the ASE certi-fication program. The new testwas developed in response torequests from the industry for acertification category aimed attechnicians performing sched-uled maintenance and commonbumper-to-bumper repairs.Registration for the new AutoMaintenance and Light Repaircertification test is now available,with testing in July and August.“Since about 70% of all workbeing performed in repair shopsacross the nation is maintenance-based, this new test category willfocus on the knowledge neces-sary to successfully perform themost common maintenance andlight repair tasks,” said TimZilke, ASE president and CEO.“If you are a technician perform-ing maintenance and light repairservices, the new ASEMaintenance and Light Repair(G1) certification is for you.”Developed by industry expertsand the certification profession-als at ASE, Auto Maintenance &Light Repair is somewhat differ-ent from other ASE certifications.The new test will have a one-year requirement of hands-onwork experience in maintenanceand light repair to qualify, andhalf of that requirement may bemet by appropriate vocational

training. It will also have aunique, smaller shoulder patch.However, like all other ASE cer-tifications, the credential will bevalid for five years and will beavailable through the more than400 ASE testing locations acrossthe country. Upon passing theG1 test, a technician will receivea shoulder insignia, display cer-tificate and wallet card.The new G1 certification pro-vides an assessment of an indi-vidual’s technical knowledge ofbumper-to-bumper maintenanceand light repairs in the criticalareas of engine systems, auto-matic transmission/transaxle,manual drivetrain and axles,suspension and steering, brakes,electrical, and heating and airconditioning. There are 55 scoredquestions on the test, plus 10unscored research questions, andthose taking it will have 90 min-utes to complete it. The ques-tions, written by service industryexperts familiar with all aspectsof maintenance and light repair,are entirely job-related. Like anyother ASE certification, G1 teststhe things you need to know todo the job. Theoretical knowl-edge is not covered.You can download a free copyof the Maintenance and LightRepair (G1) Study Guide on theASE website at www.ase.com.The Study Guide contains thetest specifications and the tasklist to provide you with a map ofthe topics that will be covered onthe test. To register for the testand schedule an appointment,go to www.ase.com/register.

ASE Launches Maintenance andLight Repair Certification

Mevotech Inc. Recognizedwith 2013 Polk InventoryEfficiency Award

16 July 2013 | UnderhoodService.com Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com �

Emission controls on carsand trucks have onepurpose: to reduce the

amount of pollutants and environmentally damagingsubstances released by vehicles. In this column we will take

a look at exhaust gas recircu-lation (EGR), one of the fourmajor basic system controlcomponents used on all systems today.In subsequent issues, we

will highlight the other threemain internal combustionengine emission system con-trol components — positivecrankcase ventilation (PCV),air injection reactors (AIR)and the catalytic converter.

Exhaust gas recirculation isthe dilution of the air/fuelmixture to control amounts ofexhaust gas. Since exhaustgas does not burn, this lowersthe combustion temperaturesand reduces NOx emissions from the engine. Atlower combustion temperatures, very little ofthe nitrogen in the air combines with oxygen toform NOx. Most of the nitrogen is simply car-ried out with the exhaust gases. For consistent driveability, it is desirable for

the amount of exhaust gas flow to be propor-tional to the throttle opening. Driveability is alsoimproved by stopping EGR when the engine isstarted up cold, at idle and at full throttle.

Early EGRThe first EGR valve appeared in 1973 onGeneral Motors cars. Bolted to the intake manifold next to the carburetor, it had ports to

the intake and exhaust manifolds. It had adiaphragm that pulled open a valve stem, whichallowed exhaust to enter the intake manifoldwhen ported vacuum was applied to it. Portedvacuum increases with throttle opening. A ther-mal vacuum switch prevented vacuum fromreaching the EGR during cold engine starts. This system, however, had problems. It would

often open too soon or too much, which causeda hesitation with acceleration as massiveamounts of recalculated exhaust hit the combus-tion chamber. Many people simply disconnectedit when it began to cause a problem.By 1975, if you unplugged an EGR valve,

you’d end up having an engine ping driveability

»Emissions Update EGR DIAGNOSTICS

Diagnosing EGR By Carl Fedele, contributor

� Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com UnderhoodService.com 17

complaint. Manufacturers of that era experimented with

vacuum orifice restrictors and vacuum delayvalves to try to find a happy medium betweenclean air and performance.By 1981, closed loop computer controls were in

place. EGR flow was now more carefully con-trolled with dual diaphragm and backpressureEGR valves. The flow of vacuum was further con-trolled by solenoids that blocked the vacuum port-ed until certain criteria were met, such as enginetemperature, rpm and manifold absolute pressure(MAP). As the vehicle manufacturers began to usethese complex schemes with vacuum amplifiers,delay valves and solenoids, they added a lot of“spaghetti” to the engine compartments. Plastic vacuum connections would break or rot

with age and were not reliable. Vacuum diagramswere invented and became essential to the smogdriveability technicians of the day. As these sys-tems evolved, they had fewer parts and less vacu-um tubing. This was achieved by the use of pulse-width modulated EGR solenoids. The PCMcontrolled EGR flow through theuse of these solenoids to modulatevacuum to the EGR valve insteadof just turning it on or off period-ically.Once the PCM receives its inputs,

such as rpm, throttle angle, coolanttemperature and MAP, it then calcu-lates a response based on the soft-ware program that is embeddedinto it. Next, it makes its decisionand sends a command in theform of a pulse-width modulatedsignal to turn the EGR solenoidon and off rapidly. The EGR sole-noid has two vacuum nipples. One sidegets either manifold or ported engine vacu-um. The other nipple goes to the EGR valve. Itsdefault position is to block vacuum to the EGRvalve. A vent is incorporated to bleed off vacuumwhen the solenoid is being pulsed. Vacuum flowsto the EGR in rapid on-off pulses as the solenoid iscommanded by the PCM.With each succeeding year, EGR designs in OBD

I systems became more refined. The California AirResources Board (CARB) liked GM and Chrysler’s

onboard diagnostic systems. In 1988, CARBrequired that all cars sold in California beequipped with an onboard diagnostic system and acheck engine light to notify the driver of emission

system failures. By this time, all manu-facturers had to have an EGR system

that was capable of alerting thedriver if it wasn’t working. OBD Idiagnostics and trouble codes wereadded in to flag opens, shorts andsticking solenoids.OBD II requires that EGR sys-

tems be monitored for abnormallylow or high flow rate malfunc-tions. The EGR is considered tobe malfunctioning when anEGR component fails or a faultin the flow rate results in the

vehicle exceeding the FederalTest Procedure (FTP) by 1.5 times.

FTP is the government-mandated drivecycle smog test that all new cars must pass

and adhere to.Depending on the system it is used in, the design

of the EGR valve may change. Often these designchanges incorporate some of the system controls.Types of designs included positive backpressure,negative backpressure, ported and pulse-widthmodulation.The positive backpressure EGR valve has a bleed

port and valve positioned in the center of the

» Emissions Update

UnderhoodService.com 19

» Emissions Updatediaphragm. A light spring holdsthis bleed valve open, and anexhaust passage is connectedfrom the lower end of thetapered valve through the stemto the bleed valve. When theengine is running, exhaust pres-sure is applied to the bleedvalve. At low engine speeds,exhaust pressure is not highenough to close the bleedvalve. If control vac-uum is suppliedto thediaphragmchamber,the vacuumis bled offthrough thebleed portand the valveremains closed. Asengine and vehicle speedincrease, the exhaust pressurealso increases. At a preset throt-tle opening, the exhaust pressurecloses the EGR valve bleed port.When control vacuum is sup-plied to the diaphragm, thediaphragm and valve are liftedupward, and the valve is open.If vacuum from an externalsource is supplied to a positivebackpressure EGR valve withthe engine not running, thevalve will not open because thevacuum is bled off through thebleed port.In a negative backpressure

EGR valve, a normally closedbleed port is positioned in thecenter of the diaphragm. Anexhaust passage is connectedfrom the lower end of thetapered valve through the stemto the bleed valve. When theengine is running at lowerspeeds, there is a high-pressurepulse in the exhaust system.

However, between these high-pressure pulses there are low-pressure pulses. As the enginespeed increases, more cylinderfirings occur in a given time andthe high-pressure pulses becomecloser together in the exhaustsystem. At lower engine and

vehicle speeds, thenegative pulsesin the exhaustsystem holdthe bleedvalve open.When vacu-um from an

external sourceis supplied to a

negative backpressureEGR valve with the engine

not running, the bleed port isclosed and the vacuum shouldopen the valve.

Over time, electrical EGRunits have been intro-duced into late-modelvehicles. The most common of the three

electrical EGR valves is the digi-tal EGR units found mostly onGM vehicles. A digital EGR valve contains

up to three electric solenoidsthat are operated directly by thePCM. Each solenoid contains amovable plunger with a taperedtip that seats in an orifice. Whenany solenoid is energized, theplunger is lifted and exhaust gasis allowed to recirculate throughthe orifice into the intake mani-fold. The solenoids and orificesare different sizes. The PCM canoperate one, two or three sole-noids to supply the amount ofexhaust recirculation required toprovide control of NOx emis-sions. When testing a digital


Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com

» Emissions Update EGR DIAGNOSTICS

EGR valve, you can use a scantool to activate the valve. Therpm should drop for each acti-vation period. An EGR valvethat’s plugged or not workingwill show no change.According to Standard Motor

Products, a manufacturer ofemissions components, the EGRpassages on the engines thathave digital EGR valves arevery prone to clogging. EGR codes may be set that

appear to indicate an electricalproblem with the valve when infact the real problem is cloggedEGR passages in the intakemanifold.Another style is the linear

EGR valve, which is basically apulse-width modulated sole-noid valve where the valve isspring-loaded closed. GeneralMotors was the first to usethese linear EGR valves. Thecomputer varies the pulse-width command to the valve tocontrol the amount of opening.A position sensor is integratedinto the valve. The sensor gen-erates a signal, very similar to athrottle position sensor, to indi-cate to the computer exactly

how open or closed the EGRvalve is. This feedback signalallows the computer to moreaccurately control the amountof EGR flow.You also will encounter a

stepper motor EGR valve,which is designed to work verysimilarly to GM idle air controlmotors that have been aroundfor a long time. Here, the valvehas two separate sets of coilwindings. The PCM sends alternate, coordinated pulses toeach winding to “step” themotor open or closed in smallincrements. Unlike all other vacuum and

electrical design EGR valves,stepper-type EGR valvesremain in the last commandedposition even when disconnectedelectrically. They do not“spring” closed when discon-nected. According to Standard Motor

Products, the following tip isimportant — If the valve is dis-connected electrically whileopen, then it will remain openand could lead to a technicianincorrectly condemning thevalve as defective.


When diagnosis of a negative backpressure EGRvalve is needed, you must bring the engine up tonormal operating temperatures. With the ignitionoff, disconnect the vacuum hose from the EGR valveand connect a hand-held vacuum pump to the fit-ting on the valve. Supply 18 inches of vacuum to theEGR valve and vacuum should hold steady for 25seconds. If the valve does not open or cannot holdthe vacuum, it must be replaced. If the valve holdssteady, start the engine and the vacuum should dropto zero and the valve should close.When diagnosis of a positive backpressure EGR

valve is needed, the same basic test is used like thenegative type but with opposite results. When theengine is idling, apply vacuum to the EGR valveand you should not be able to build up a vacuumin the valve and the EGR valve should not open.Turn off engine and disconnect the vacuum supplyhose from the throttle body. Connect a long

vacuum hose from the EGR vacuum port on thethrottle body directly to the EGR valve vacuumport. Use a tee fitting to connect a vacuum gaugein the vacuum hose to the EGR valve, start theengine and bring it up to 2,000 rpm. Watch the vac-uum gauge, vacuum should be present and theEGR valve should open.On digital EGR valves, the resistance of the valve

can be checked. By connecting an ohmmeter acrossthe terminals on the valve, the windings can bechecked for opens, shorts and high-resistance read-ings. If readings are not within specs, replacementof the EGR valve will be needed. Also, make surethat the EGR passages are not restricted orplugged. You will have to remove the valve tomake this visual check. You can also use anexhaust gas analyzer to check an EGR system.Looking at the NOx readings at 2,000 rpm, thereadings should be below 1,000 ppm. �

» Emissions Update



Every once in a while, I hear the topic of adiagnostic check sheet come up on the International Automotive Technician’s Net-

work (iATN) or other industry media. Most often,the question is asked by a shop owner or servicewriter who is trying to simplify his life by devis-ing a “canned” step-by-step approach to solvingvarious electronic diagnostic problems. Althougha canned procedure is a good place to start, it’snot a sure-fire way to solving electronic problemsbecause, 1) we’re generally seeing fewer occur-rences of pattern failures in modern vehicles, 2)we’re now dealing with networked systems thatshare information via bus communications links,and 3) most important, nobody can predict thenumber of twists and turns that a specific diagnostic procedure can take.With that said, I’ve always taken a methodicalapproach to solving electronic diagnostic prob-lems by using a procedure rather than a diag-nostic checklist. This procedure includes thor-oughly interviewing the customer, learning howthe system in question works, checking thebasics and building a diagnostic strategy. Thedetails of any procedure will obviously varyaccording to application, but this basic frame-work should provide a positive approach tosolving difficult electronic diagnostic problems.

Case In PointThis month’s Diagnostic Dilemma perfectly illus-trates how a well-developed procedure solved arecent case study involving an intermittent trans-mission failure complaint on a 1994 Plymouth

Voyager equipped with the 3.3L engine.According the owner, the automatic transmissionwould default to second gear after an initial

warm-up drive of aboutsix miles followedby a 10-minuteheat-soak with theignition switch off.The problem could besolved by turning thekey off to “reset” thecomputer and waiting 10 minutes. After a reset,the transmission might perform perfectly forweeks, which is why no other shops in the areawanted to touch the problem.

»DiagnosticDilemmas BUILDING A PLAN

Electronic ProblemsBy Gary Goms, contributing writer

Unlike most vehicles of its vintage, this ‘94Plymouth Voyager is very well maintained.

Building a Planfor Diagnosing


As I advised the owner, the dif-ficulty of duplicating theproblem not only made theactual diagnosis more chal-lenging, but also made

it nearly impossibleto verify the com-pleted repair.And it waswith this dis-claimer thatI agreed topursue theproblem.

Fortunately, timewasn’t a problem and theowner was willing tospend what it took torepair the vehiclebecause, although theVoyager had 250,000

miles on the odometer,it was very well main-

tained and served well as gen-eral utility vehicle.

According to its service records, thetransmission had been replaced at 168,000

miles. After the second-gear default firstappeared, our local transmission shop retrieved adiagnostic trouble code (DTC) 42, which indicatedan electrical failure in the 2-4 shift valve circuit.With that bit of information, they “chased” the failure into the winter months, replacing the 2-4 shift solenoid, overdrive solenoid and transmissionwiring connector. After the transmission shopexhausted its resources trying to solve what, atbest, could be described as a random failure, theowner was referred to me.

Interviewing the CustomerIn journalism school, a student is always taught tofind the “who, what, when, where and why” of astory. If I were to write a diagnostic check sheet,“who, what, when and where” is how I wouldbegin. What makes this case study interesting wasthat the lady who owned the van had taken automechanics in high school and therefore had a basicunderstanding of mechanical procedures. So,

during our initial phone conversation, I asked herto assemble all of her service records.During our first interview, she not only presentedthe service records and owner’s manual, but alsoproduced an OE repair manual for the Voyager. Ialso had her take me for a test drive with my scantool attached. I confirmed that the transmissioncontrol module (TCM) was communicating cor-rectly, that the DTC 42 was still present, and thatthe mechanical part of the transmission workedperfectly. She also told me that the failure neveroccurred in cold weather, but occurred more fre-quently in warm weather. So much for the “who,what, when and where” of the problem. The“why” part was now up to me.

Gathering a Systems KnowledgeThe hardest part of being a diagnostic technician isunderstanding how a system works (systemsknowledge). As in any tough diagnostic case, mostof us can spend hours studying wiring diagramsand diagnostic charts before we understand howan especially difficult intermittent failure com-plaint might occur. The fact also is that any shopshould include research time in their basic diag-nostic charge, since it is a necessary function of thediagnostic process.In this application, the transmission is controlled bya separate TCM. Like many later systems, the TCMshares information, such as vehicle speed and throt-tle position, with the engine control module (ECM).The TCM receives key-on voltage from the ignition

» DiagnosticDilemmas

Since relays are a wearing part, replacementwas justified at 250,000 miles.

» DiagnosticDilemmas BUILDING A PLAN


switch via a 10-amp fuse #16 located in the instru-ment panel (I/P) fuse box. The #16 fuse also powersthe ECM and several other electronic devices. TheTCM receives battery voltage for its keep-alive mem-ory from the ignition off discharge (IDO) 15-ampfuse located in the underhood power distributioncenter (PDC). The IDO fuse is identified by a brightyellow fuse holder that allows the vehicle owner totemporarily disconnect the fuse to prevent batterydrain via the ECM and TCM during long periods ofstorage. The #12 fuse located in the underhood PDCprovides B+ to the TCM relay. Because that fusewasn’t included in any available wiring diagrams, Ihad to “reverse engineer” that function by testing allof the TCM circuits with the fuse alternatelyinstalled and removed. As a routine part of any diagnostic procedure, I loginto my hotline database to check for any patternfailures and technical service bulletins addressingthe initial complaint. In this case, the database indi-cated that the TCM relay caused the majority of DTC42 problems. The last items I checked were theenabling criteria for DTC 42 covered in the OE shopmanual, which turns out to be a “voltage spike” thatoccurs when the 2-4 shift solenoid engages. If theTCM didn’t “see” the voltage spike, it would storethe DTC 42. So much for gathering systems knowl-edge, at least for the moment.

Checking the BasicsChecking the basics means that I test the battery,starter and alternator to ensure that the heart of the

electrical system is working correctly. To illustrate, aweak battery can erase the adaptive memories onmany older Chrysler products including the adap-tive memories associated with fuel control and occa-sionally the adaptive memories that Chrysler usesto compensate for clutch and band wear in theirtransmissions. More than once I’ve solved a cold-start driveability or cold-start transmission shiftquality complaint by simply replacing the battery.The next step in any diagnostic check list is to gothrough the power and ground systems. In thiscase, one of the B- cables is grounded to the engineand the other to the body. The body ground wascorroded, so I cleaned it just to eliminate the possi-bility of a temperature-sensitive grounding prob-lem. Because this vintage of Plymouth didn’t useweather-pack connectors on its underhood wiringconnections, I removed the TCM connector,cleaned the hardened anti-corrosion grease fromthe terminals, checked the drag on the connectorpins, and re-greased and re-installed the connector.Although cleaning and inspecting connectorssounds like extra work, it had paid off just a fewweeks before when solving an intermittent trans-mission shifting complaint on a ‘94 Dodge Diesel.At this point, I had assembled vital information byinterviewing the customer, gathering a systemsknowledge and checking the basics.

Building a Diagnostic StrategyThe next step in my diagnostic procedure is to

Because back-probing generally won’t damagenon-weather pack connectors, I pin-tested thisconnector to gather necessary diagnostic data.


build an effective diagnostic strategy that willreveal why the DTC 42 was so dependent uponambient temperature. Going back to systemsknowledge, the enable criteria indicated that theTCM would confirm the 2-4 shift by looking for avoltage spike in the 2-4 shift solenoid circuit. Thequestion, of course, is how to determine when theTCM is grounding the 2-4 solenoid circuit.

Obviously, since the TCM ispulling the circuit to groundthrough a resistance provided bythe 2-4 shift solenoid, the voltagewould be reduced on TCM pin#59 when the 2-4 shift solenoidwas activated. To measure thatvoltage drop, I attached a smallalligator clip to one end of a 6’length of 18-gauge insulated wireand a small loop terminal to theother end. When connected to the2-4 solenoid terminal at the TCM,this wire allowed me to monitorthe 2-4 circuit through a DVOMconnected to the receiving end ofthe wire during a test drive. Inaddition, I connected my oldSnap-on MT 2500 scan tool toindicate the gear and torque con-verter clutch engagements. In thiscase, I preferred the MT 2500because it has a thumb-wheelscroll, which is easier to use dur-ing a test drive.With that done, I waited untilambient air temperature reachedabout 70° F. and then drove thevehicle eight miles to thoroughlywarm up the transmission oil andto monitor transmission perform-ance. The voltage on pin #11would drop from about 13.8charging volts to about 10.5 voltswhen the 2-4 shift solenoid was

Because the thumb-wheelscrolling feature is handywhen test-driving, I used anold MT 2500 scan tool to display the few data linesavailable on this ‘94 Voyager.




activated, which indicated that the 2-4 circuit was apulse-modulated circuit. The DVOM’s min/maxfeature indicated that the voltage would momen-tarily drop to about 7.0V, which appeared to indi-cate a potential circuit problem. The transmissionworked perfectly and, after returning to the shop, Iparked the Voyager as described by the customerfor about 10 minutes. After waiting 10 minutes, theTCM immediately shifted to a default positionduring the second road test, which meant that thetransmission remained in intermediate gear.Returning to the shop, I kept the engine runningand immediately tested the TCM’s surface temper-ature, which was 84° F, which in my opinion,shouldn’t have caused a heat-related problem. Onthe other hand, the KOER voltage from terminal#16 in the I/P fuse box to the TCM terminal #11was only 8.4 volts. Obviously, when the TCM sens-es a failure in its electrical system, it immediatelydefaults to second gear by discontinuing power tothe transmission solenoids. Going back to thewiring schematic, fuse #16 in the I/P fuse box ispowered directly from the ignition switch. Withthe engine still running, I jiggled the fuse justenough to restore B+ voltage to TCM pin #11. Through nearly 20 years and 250,000 miles of use,the pins on fuse #16 had obviously developedenough electrical resistance to affect TCM func-tions. Had I visually inspected fuse #16, I wouldhave dismissed terminal corrosion as a problem.But, by carefully following a thorough diagnosticprocedure, I had found a “smoking gun” that evi-dently was causing the intermittent shift controlproblem. As a precaution, I replaced all of the fusessupplying the TCM with voltage. In addition, Ireplaced the ASD and the TCM relays, both ofwhich are wearing parts. The most importantaspect of the fuse issue is that a very mysteriousproblem can be caused by a relatively simple failure. Forty miles of driving under various conditions led me to believe that the problem wassolved, which it wasn’t.

Three Weeks LaterOf course, the phone rings and I’m graciouslyinformed by the owner that the problem had notonly reappeared, but had manifested itself by suddenly down-shifting to second gear at highwayspeeds. Here again, the difficulty with this diagnosis

was duplicating the problem. Thanks to the prob-lem being temperature sensitive, I had originallysuspected a problem with the TCM. But, in the realworld, finding a TCM for this vintage of vehicle canbe difficult and expensive. So it wasn’t an optionthat I wanted to pursue until the evidence con-firmed the need for replacement. At this point, I resurrected an old industrial labscope I’ve had for many years that uses two horizontal buttons to adjust time base and twovertical buttons to adjust amplitude, whichmakes it easier to adjust during a test drive.Thanks again to old technology, the waveformconfirmed that the 2-4 solenoid is indeed a pulse-modulated circuit. Although I could never get thetransmission to fail, I did see some irregularitiesin the waveform indicating that the TCM’s 2-4solenoid driver might be causing a very randomfailure of the 2-4 shift solenoid circuit.

Fortunately, I have a very persistent parts ladywho actually found four of these modules on theback shelf of an East Coast ignition parts ware-house. Due to an intervening holiday, it tookabout a week for the remanufactured TCM toarrive. After re-inspecting the TCM and transmis-sion wiring harness for defects, I replaced thetransmission control module. As of this writing,the ‘94 Voyager has been on the road for overtwo months and the phone hasn’t rung yet. The“moral” of this story is that, while a diagnosticcheck sheet might be a good place to start, itcan’t predict the ultimate destination of any diagnostic journey. �

Because of its simplicity of operation, using an oldlabscope for test-driving can be good. In this case,the glitches in the pulse-modulated waveform indi-cated a problem in the TCM 2-4 solenoid driver.


One of the most overlooked preven-tive maintenance items in a dieselengine is the coolant system.

Maintaining the coolant system is just asimportant as an oil change — in fact, thecoolant condition in a diesel engine mayeven be more important than in a gasolineengine.I often wonder why so many owners aren’tmore concerned with the condition of thecoolant in their engines. I don’t know if it’sthe price of the coolant that tends to scarethem away or what. Most mid-size truckdiesel engines take approximately six gallonsof coolant to fill the system. That would bethree gallons of concentrate mixed with threegallons of distilled water.

» ServiceSolution COOLANT CONCERNS

Cooling System Tips for the6.0L/7.3L PowerstrokeBy Bob McDonald, diesel specialist

The condition of the engine coolant in a dieselengine should be inspected every six months.



In actuality, the biggest reason for neglectis probably that owners simply don’tunderstand how important it is to periodi-cally check the coolant’s condition. Thecondition of the coolant means everythingto engine longevity. Today’s antifreeze-coolant isn’t just for freeze protection inthe winter months, but the correct formu-lations contain chemical properties thathelp protect diesel engines from commoncavitation issues. Diesel engines often suffer from cavita-tion caused by the extreme pressuresencountered in the combustion cycle ofthe engine. The diesel combustion cycle creates dis-tortion. On the intake stroke, air is intro-duced into the cylinder. The intake valvecloses and the piston starts traveling up thebore, compressing the air that was justingested. Right before the piston reaches TDC (topdead center), diesel fuel is injected into the cylinder.Then a massive explosion happens and starts forcingthe piston down in the bore. This massive explosioncauses what is called a “jarring effect,” which can’tbe seen by the human eye, but does actually happen. This “jarring effect” is found mostly in wet linerengines, those diesel engines that have replaceablecylinder liners. When the explosion occurs, the linerdistorts and rocks inside the block, actually movesaway from the engine block, ingesting a smallamount of air into the cooling system. This smallamount of air makes tiny bubbles that form aroundthe cylinder’s liner and these tiny bubbles can thenattack the cylinder liner with a force sometimes asmuch as 60,000 psi. This amount of pressure from the bubbles actuallypings the liner and starts shearing away the linermicroscopically. After a period of time, this shearingwill cause small pin holes to appear in the liner,which eventually make their way through to thecylinder bore.When this happens, coolant will start to enter thecylinder bore and eventually the oil pan. The cus-tomer will complain of losing coolant while the oillevel is rising. While it may sound hard to believe,this problem has been around for years. Luckily,there is a solution — supplemental coolant additives

or SCAs.The SCA will not stop the formation of bubbles, butwill provide a protective barrier between the linerand the cavitation-causing bubbles. SCAs generallyform a barrier with the use of nitrite, the level ofwhich needs to be monitored in the cooling systemon a regular basis. As the cavitation bubbles pingagainst the liner, they remove the layer of nitriterather than the liner itself. The layer of nitrite is thenreplenished by the SCA. So it is a regenerative cycle,but can be depleted quickly. In order to combat cavitation problems, some vehi-cle manufacturers install coolant system filters,which not only filter the coolant, but also have nitritein the filter media. By servicing the coolant filter atcertain intervals, the nitrite in the system shouldalways be constant. When running a coolant filter,the use of an SCA is not necessary. This would onlyincrease the concentration of nitrite, causing otherproblems. The ideal amount of nitrite in a diesel cooling sys-tem (big diesel engines like over-the-road trucksand heavy equipment as well as mid-size truckdiesel engines) is around 800 ppm (parts per mil-lion). If levels drop below this the protection of thecylinder liners is compromised. However, if using alittle is good, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a lot isbetter. If the concentration of nitrite is greater than

Tiny air bubbles can attack a cylinder liner with a force asmuch as 60,000 psi.



800 ppm, other things are compromised. Sometimesgreater concentrations of nitrite can cause the O-rings that seal the liners to deteriorate. Most truck repair facilities monitor the nitrite levelto ensure reliability of the coolant system and theeffects it may have for future repairs. Test strips thattell the condition of coolant along with the level ofnitrite are available at most auto parts stores or truckrepair facilities. Technological advances in the automotive industryhave extended to antifreeze as well. I’m sure you’veheard of extended-life coolants. These types ofcoolant are made up of different compounds otherthan glycol, along with different protection addi-tives from those found in regular greenantifreeze. That is why most extended-life coolants aredyed colors such as red, gold and pink. Thechemical properties that make up thesecoolants help combat the cavitation bub-bles in a different way — the com-pounds take the place of nitrite andoffer the same protection, so with anextended-life coolant, there’s noneed for a test strip test on thecoolant’s condition. The nitrite protection should remain untilthe coolant needs to bechanged. Powerstroke engines,along with other mid-sizediesel pickup trucks, havewhat is known as dry lin-ers. These liners are a partof the cylinder block likeon a gasoline engine. But,that doesn’t mean thatproblems are not present.Cavitation can occur any-where in a diesel enginedue to the violent explosion of combustion. It’s agood idea to perform periodic checks to the nitritelevel along with the condition of the antifreeze. Thebest thing to do is service according to the manu-facturer’s recommendation. For diesel trucks using green antifreeze, the recom-mendation of coolant service is usually around twoyears or 30,000 miles. For diesel engines runningextended-life coolant, service is around five years or

100,000 miles. To be on the safe side, periodicallycheck the antifreezeevery six months.One crucial often-over-looked component of thecoolant system is theradiator cap. The radia-tor cap on the

Powerstroke engine israted at 16 psi. This is for

both the 7.3L and 6.0L ver-sions. When performing a peri-

odic inspection, make sure theradiator cap is up to par. Have the

cap tested to make sure that thecoolant system is maintaining the

correct pressure. The cap is whatmaintains the coolant system’s pressure

to prevent boil over. There are several ways to test the

antifreeze in a diesel vehicle. One is with aconventional hydrometer coolant tester that

can be purchased at your local parts store. Thisis basically a plastic tube with colored discs

inside along with a squeeze bulb on top and asiphon hose at the bottom. The coolant can be

drawn into the test tube created by suction from thebulb. The object is to see how many discs will floatonce the coolant is drawn into the tube. This is ameasurement of specific gravity of the antifreeze.The degree of freeze protection is determined byhow many discs float in the concentration of

A conventionalhydrometer coolanttester is used to meas-ure the specific gravityof the antifreeze.

The refractometer measures the way light bendsas it travels through the engine coolant.


antifreeze. A low-tech device, the only variable in testingantifreeze this way is that the hydrometer can betemperature sensitive. A difference of up to 10° F canbe seen if the antifreeze being tested is hot or cold. Sotest the vehicle’s antifreeze as close to the same tem-perature every time. Another device for testing theantifreeze is more complex. Therefractometer actually measures theway light bends as it travels throughan object, which in this case isantifreeze. This device is often pre-ferred because it is known to bemore accurate — but it can changewith temperature just like thehydrometer, so readings could bedifferent depending on the tempera-ture of the antifreeze.One complaint about the hydrometeris that if the coolant being tested hassome oil content in it, this can coat thediscs inside, causing an incorrectreading. Once the oil has coated thediscs, the hydrometer may read othercooling systems wrong. With therefractometer, the glass is wiped cleanwith each sample and will be moreaccurate. Keep in mind though, thatthe refractometer is a bit more expen-sive. A good hydrometer will costaround $20 — a refractometer can cost

as much as $200.Remind your customer that the cost to maintaintheir cooling system is cheap compared to the pricefor you to work on their engine. They may not payattention to mileage, but money can be a differentstory. �

» ServiceSolution



First off, all oil breaks down. That generallywill include base stocks and additives. With-out focusing on performance characteris-

tics, the most significant difference fromone oil to another is how quicklybreakdown occurs. Although thereare many factors that contributeto the breakdown of an oil, heatis one of the most important. Depletion and decreased

effectiveness of oil additivesare also important, but thatwill be discussed later.Petroleum oil begins to

break down almost imme-diately. A high-quality synthetic, on the otherhand, can last for manythousands of miles withoutany significant reduction inperformance or protectioncharacteristics. Syntheticsdesigned from the right combi-nation of base stocks and addi-tives can last almost indefinitelywith the right filtration system.

Flash point is the temperature atwhich an oil gives off vapors that can beignited with a flame held over the oil. The lowerthe flash point, the greater tendency for the oil tosuffer vaporization loss at high temperatures andto burn off on hot cylinder walls and pistons.The flash point can be an indicator of the quality

of the base stock used. The higher the flash point

the better — 400° F is the absolute minimum toprevent possible high consumption.

Even the best petroleum oils will have flashpoints only as high as 390° and 440° F.

Some actually have flash points aslow as 350° F. For today’s hot-run-ning engines, this is not nearlyenough protection. Just aboutany synthetic you come acrosswill have a flash point above440°. Premium synthetics canhave flash points over 450° Fwith some even reaching ashigh as 500° F. That’s a big difference.

Getting BurnedIt’s important to understandhow petroleum and synthet-ic oils burn off. As a refinedproduct, petroleum oil mole-cules are of varying sizes. So,as a petroleum oil heats up, thesmaller, lighter molecules begin

to burn off first.Since the ash content in many

petroleum oils is higher than synthetics,deposits and sludge are left behind to coat

the inside of the engine. Detergent and disper-sant additives are used to keep these deposits toa minimum, but only so much can be done.Unless you’re changing a petroleum oil every2,000 to 3,000 miles, some deposits are going tobe left behind.

» TechTalk OIL CONSUMPTION

Breaking Down Why EngineOil Breaks Down By Roy Berndt, engine specialist

VISCOSITY RETENTION — Shear stable viscosity index improvers help premium syntheticmotor oils maintain their viscosity in the range appropriate to each grade over extended drainuse. Conventional oils formulated with easily sheared viscosity index improvers often drop outof viscosity specification relatively quickly — sometimes even before the end of a 3,000-mile oildrain interval. Viscosity loss leaves oils incapable of protecting engines from metal-to-metal contact and wear in high temperatures.


In addition, as smaller parti-cles burn off, the larger, heaviermolecules are all that is left toprotect the engine.Unfortunately, these larger par-ticles don’t flow nearly as welland tend to blanket enginecomponents, which just makesthe heat problem worse.Synthetic oils, on the other

hand, because they are notpurified, but rather designedwithin a lab for lubrication pur-poses, are comprised of mole-cules of uniform size andshape. Therefore, even if a syn-thetic oil does burn a little, theremaining oil has nearly thesame chemical characteristicsthat it had before the burn off.There are no smaller moleculesto burn off and no heavier mol-ecules to leave behind.Moreover, many synthetics

have very low ash content andlittle if any impurity. As aresult, if oil burn off doesoccur, there is little or no ashleft behind to leave sludge anddeposits on engine surfaces.Obviously, this leads to a clean-er burning, more fuel- efficientengine.Synthetics do a much better

job of “cooling” engine compo-nents during operation.Because of their unique flowcharacteristics, engine compo-nents are likely to run 10-30°cooler than with petroleum oils.This is important, because thehotter the components in yourengine get, the more quicklythey break down.Most techs understand that at

cold temperatures, an oil tendsto thicken up, and many techsknow that synthetics do a bet-ter job of staying fluid.However, many don’t realize

Internal Contributors toExcessive Oil Consumption

• Worn Valve Stems and

Guides: When wear has takenplace on valve stems and valveguides, the vacuum in theintake manifold will draw oiland oil vapor between theintake valve stems and guides,into the intake manifold andthen into the cylinder where itwill be burned. If this conditionis not corrected when new pis-ton rings are installed, anengine is likely to use more oilthan it did before because thenew piston rings will increasethe vacuum in the intake mani-fold. When gum or deposits onthe valve stems are removed,the seal previously formed willbe removed and leakage will bemore pronounced. This is particularly true on

overhead valve engines whereloss of oil may occur on theexhaust valves as well as on theintake valves. Reaming thevalve stem can frequently curehigh oil consumption causedby too much valve guide clear-ance. In some cases new valvesmay also be required.

• Worn Front or Rear Main

Bearing Seals: Worn front orrear main bearing seals almostalways result in oil leakage.This can only be determinedwhen the engine is operatedunder load conditions. Bearingseals should be renewed whenworn because a slight leak willresult in extremely high oil con-sumption just as it would withan external oil leak.

• Worn or Damaged Main

Bearings: Worn or damagedmain bearings throw off anexcessive amount of oil, which




flows along the crankshaft and is thrown up into the cylinders. Theamount of oil throw off increases rapidly when bearing wearincreases. For instance, if the bearing is designed to have 0.0015”clearance for proper lubrication and cooling, the throw off of oilwill be normal as long as this clearance is maintained and the bear-ing is not damaged in any way. However, when the bearing clear-ance increases to 0.003”, the throw off will be five times normal. Ifthe clearance is increased to 0.006”, the throw off will be 25 timesnormal. When the main bearings throw off too much oil, the cylin-ders are usually flooded with more oil than can be controlled by thepistons and rings. This causes burning of the oil in the combustionchamber and carboning of pistons and rings.In a conventional, full-pressure lubricated engine, a large loss of

oil at the main bearings may starve the downstream connecting rodbearings of lubrication to such an extent that sometimes, especiallyat low speeds, insufficient oil may be thrown on the cylinder walls.This will cause the pistons and rings to wear to such an extent thatthey will not be able to control the oil at high speeds. The effect ofmain bearing wear will be high oil consumption.

• Worn or Damaged Connecting Rod Bearings: Clearances onconnecting rod bearings affect the throw off of oil in the same pro-portions as mentioned for main bearings. In addition to this, the oilis thrown more directly into the cylinders. Worn or damaged con-necting rod bearings flood the cylinders with such a large volumeof oil that the pistons and rings, which are designed to control anormal amount of oil or a reasonable increase in the normalamount, are overloaded to such an extent that some oil escapes pastthem to the combustion chamber and causes high oil consumption.

Note: Insufficient bearing clearance can also produce piston, ringand cylinder damage as well as damage to the bearing itself.

• Worn or Broken Piston Rings: When piston rings are broken orare worn to such an extent that the correct tension and clearancesare not maintained, they will allow oil to be drawn into the com-bustion chamber on the intake stroke and hot gases of combustionto be blown down the cylinder past the piston on the power stroke.Both of these actions will result in burning and carboning of the oilon the cylinders, pistons and rings.Broken rings are especially damaging because their loose pieces

with jagged ends are likely to cut into the sides of the pistongrooves. This causes land breakage, which results in the completedestruction of the piston assembly. Instead of reinstalling wornrings during engine overhaul, it is always advisable to replacethem. New rings have quick-seating surfaces that enable the ringsto control oil instantly, unlike rings that have been used in the past.Used rings, even those that have been only slightly worn will stillhave polished surfaces that will not seat-in properly and will leadto excessive oil consumption.

Source: AMSOILGo to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com

why petroleum oils tend tothicken up. More importantly,though, they don’t realize thatthis thickening process canwreak havoc on their oil. Because most petroleum oils

contain paraffins (wax), theytend to thicken up considerablyin cold temperatures. Therefore,in order to produce a petroleumoil that will perform adequatelyin severe cold temperatures,additives called pour point

depressants must be used inhigh quantities. These additivesare designed to keep the waxcomponents of a petroleum oilfrom crystallizing. This main-tains decent flow characteristicsin cold weather for easier coldstarts.



In areas where the temperature remains belowzero for any period of time, these additives areused up very quickly because petroleum oils are soprone to wax crystallization. As a result, the oilbegins to flow less easily in cold weather tempera-tures. Of course, the result is harder cold starts andtremendously increased engine wear. Thus, the oilmust be changed in order to provide the coldweather engine protection that is necessary.Synthetic oils, on the other hand, contain no

paraffins. Therefore, they need no pour pointdepressant additives. In addition, even withoutthese additives, synthetics flow at far lower tem-peratures than petroleum oils. For instance, veryfew petroleum oils have pour points below -30° F.Many synthetic oils, without any pour pointdepressants, have pour points below -50° F. That’sa big difference. There is, in fact, one oil on themarket that has a pour point of -76° F.Since synthetics do not have any pour point

depressants, there is no chance of these additivesbreaking down or being used up over time. Thereare no additives to break down. Therefore, synthetic oils maintain their cold temperature flowcharacteristics for a very long time. As a result,there is one less reason to change the oil if usingsynthetic as opposed to petroleum.



Another part of cold weatherdriving that is extremely toughon an oil is condensation.Because it is so cold, it takes afairly long drive to get theengine warm enough to burnoff the condensation that occursinside the engine. Consequently,vehicles routinely driven shortdistances in cold weather willbuild up condensation withinthe oil. If left to do its dirtywork, this water would causeacids to build up within the oiland corrosion would beginwithin your engine.So, there are additives in the

oil that are designed to combatthese acids. Generally, the Total

Base Number (TBN) value ofan oil will be a good determi-nation of how well and for howlong an oil will be able to com-bat these acids. Most petroleum oils have

TBNs around 5. Most syntheticshave TBN levels over 8 or 9.Premium synthetic oils (especially those designedspecifically for extended oil

drains) will have TBNs around11 to 14. This allows for muchbetter acid control for a muchlonger period of time, thusdecreasing the need for an oilchange due to cold temperaturecondensation.It is true that the additives in

many oils begin breaking downafter only a few thousandmiles. What needs to be recog-nized is that there are differentquality “grades” of additivesjust as there are different quali-ty grades of just about anyother product that you buy.There are also different combi-nations of additives that tend towork for better and for longerwhen combined than whenused individually.

Controlling ContaminationOil will be contaminated inthree major ways.One will be through debris

that comes in through the airintake. Once it makes itthrough the air filter, it ends upin an engine’s oil. Once in the




oil, it starts damaging the engine.The second source of contamination will be

metal shavings from the inside the engine. Thelesser the quality of the oil, the higher percent-age of these shavings because there will bemore metal-to-metal contact inside the engine.The third source of contamination will be

from combustion byproducts. Combustionbyproducts will generally raise the acidity ofthe oil, which causes corrosion in an engine. Inaddition, they will be left behind as the engineoil burns off and will collect on the inside ofyour engine as deposits. To maintain the viability of the oil as well, as

protection of the engine, the contaminantshave to be removed/neutralized. And that,my friends, would be an article on filtration,and covered in a future issue. �



» TalkingShop GREAT BEAR AUTO REPAIR

Auto Repair’s Mama BearPuts Her Own Flourish on Long-time Family Business

Audra Fordin, the fourth-generation owner of Great Bear Auto Repair and Auto Body Shop, in Flushing, NY, is known as “Mrs. Fix It.”

“Some were born with a silver spoon, I was born with a lug wrench in my mouth,” said Fordin, who alsoserves as an Underhood Service advisory board member.

Founded in 1933, the shop has been in the family,and, in the same location, for 80 years.Like many owners in the business, Fordin learnedabout car repair as a child spending her weekendsand vacation days taking it all in at the shop, thenrun by her father, Bill Fordin. “When I was small, Iwas fortunate to work with both my dad and mygrandpa. I learned from the best, first hand,” shesaid. In fact, under Fordin’s care since 2007, the key isstill service. And service is much the same now as itwas back then. “We are a small, community-based, mom and pop— correction — daughter and pop auto repairshop,” she said. “What I like best is it’s the same as it was 80 yearsago when my great-grandfather and grandfatherstarted our family business, Great Bear. It’s the peo-ple and the service aspect that fuels me on a dailybasis.“People are people, and they are the same today asthey were when I was a kid. There is a huge miscon-ception that auto repair is a sales business. That isway wrong. It is about service.”Repairs are the nature of the beast, she said, andthe shop gets more customers by taking care of peo-ple and their auto service needs.But the changes she’s made, also, are clear.“Since I took over, I have revolutionized the busi-ness by bringing it up to date, and listening to myneighbors’ wants and needs,” she said.In fact, in 2008, as the auto industry took a hit,many shops were going out of business. Great Bearfelt the impact and Fordin came up with a solutionto stay afloat in trying times.That’s when Women Auto Know was born. www.womenautoknow.com

It’s a free membership website based on “The

By Cheryl McMullen, contributing writer



Pledge” that takes the fear out ofauto repair. “Through education,community feedback and peer-to-peer support, Women Auto Knowprovides women everywherewith the confidence they need tosave money and increase theirautomobile’s performance,” saidFordin.“Now, auto shops across thecountry are taking ‘The Pledge’ totransparency,” she added, “lettingour members know they take theresponsibility of car repair seri-ously. Our members become theircustomers.”Still, Fordin says, the biggestchallenge facing the shop is edu-cating consumers. Misleadingadvertising and a general lack ofaccessible information can reflectnegatively on the entire repairindustry.“I have seen and can understandwhy people have untrustinginstincts when they seek service,”Fordin said. “They feel slighted,scammed, not sure what theybought or if they even got whatthey bought if they needed it.What’s up with that? There’s nogood reason for it. At least notone that I can understand.”It was this mistrust of the indus-try that lead Fordin to change hermotto and her philosophy ofdoing business to “tell, not sell.” For the past three years, Fordinhas taken the motto everywherefrom the shop, to the Girl Scouts,to the air waves with free monthlyworkshops also called “WhatWomen Auto Know,” teachinghundreds of women how tochange a tire and fix a tail light(above). This leadership hasbrought new customers, helpingGreat Bear stay the course duringthe tough economy.

“By tuning into the consumers’wants and needs, by actually lis-tening to what concerns theyhave, I have revived my familybusiness and nearly tripled sales.”

She also offers car repair tips onVerizon Fios TV Channel 1 and onthe Auto Lab, a call-in radio showstreaming throughout the web on“the Auto Channel” and broad-cast in the tri-state area.Fordin’s philosophy hasbrought Great Bear some well-deserved recognition both in andout of the industry. In July 2011,Fordin was awarded the 2011New York City NeighborhoodAchievement Award for SmallBusiness of the Year. The award,presented by New York MayorMichael Bloomberg (below),honors businesses that demon-

strate excellence in enhancingNYC neighborhoods by fosteringeconomic opportunity. That same year, the Women’sBoard of the Car Care Councilalso recognized Fordin as the firstrecipient of the Female Auto ShopOwner of the Year award.In addition to the awards,Fordin’s been featured on “TheToday Show,” “AndersonCooper” and other popularshows.“All of the recognition I havegotten over the past few years hasconfirmed that there is a tremen-dous need for change in the autorepair industry,” she said. “I don’tget an excited feeling. It’s morelike a feeling of strength in mystride to keep pushing this move-ment forward.”What keeps Fordin coming backto the shop each day?“I just love it,” she said.“Demystifying the car is beautifulthing. Watching the light bulb‘turn on’ for drivers, empoweringthem to have confidence in theircars is very gratifying for me.”Fordin says there’s nothing she’drather do. “It’s about quality oflife, right? Well, this is the road Iam happiest traveling on.”One more challenge facing theindustry today is finding quali-fied technicians, Fordin says.If there was one thing she’dwant to say to a young tech start-ing out, it’s that there’s a lot ofmoney in the auto repair industry.“The evolution and revolution ofthe auto industry has gone frommechanical to technical andtoday’s techs are IT people,” shesaid, adding techs today need toread scanners and decipher codesto troubleshoot electrical wiringand sensors.



“We are like doctors. There is no more old stereotype that it’s a job fora high school dropout with dirty hands and that it’s a man’s job.”In fact, continuing education is a must at Great Bear. The shop has 11bays and five techs. “We’ve grown and transformed by keeping upwith the new technologies of today’s car by bi-annual certificationupdates and mandatory, ongoing training.”Shop employees keep up with the latest in the industry on the tech

side. “Computers, scanners, lasers,hi-tech equipment and softwareupdates have kept us up to datewith new cars that come in forservice,” Fordin said. With newcars and technology in mind, GreatBear carries parts for fixes andrepairs for hybrids and electric cars,and is in the process of getting acharging station on site. Great Bearis the first certified hybrid servicestation in Queens. As for the fate of the family-ownedbusiness, Fordin and her husbandfor 15 years, Ed, have three children— Samantha, 12, Olivia, 10, andAndrew, 6, (above) who may oneday choose to carry the torch. “Children of a family-owned busi-ness are born into it. So, if my legacyis one they want to follow, that willbe great,” Fordin said. “They certain-ly hear me ‘talking car,’ understandthe lingo and come to work with meall the time, just like I did when Iwas a kid. “As a parent,” she said, “I onlywant my children to be happy.” �



With all of the current controversyabout alcohol being added to gaso-line, I thought it would be fun to take

you back to the 1930s where an almost exact sit-uation was taking place, and there were somebig players involved. Please read on…After revolutionizing the auto industry with

his electric self-starter, Charles Kettering(below) turned to another problem that he himself had apersonal stake in. Cadillac engineers were complainingthat Kettering’s newly intro-duced self-starter and batteryignition system were makingspark plugs misfire, causingengine knock in the cylinders.

However, Kettering suspected it was a prob-lem with the gasoline. New engines were beingdesigned that would compress the fuel/aircharge, resulting in a higher compression ratio.The result was more power from the fuel.However, the greater the compression, thegreater the engine knock, Kettering deter-mined. The higher compression was causingthe fuel to ignite before the spark. So…it was

pre-ignition that was causing the knock.The more efficient high-compression engines

were necessary not only to make cars runfaster, but also because the “experts” haddetermined in 1915, that the world’s oil supplywould be depleted by 1940.Many popular cars of the day, such as the

Ford Model T (below), had low compressionengines that used an adjustable carbure-tor and a mechanical spark advance thatmade it possible to switch from gasolineto alcohol to kerosene as needed. DespiteHenry Ford’s later support for alcoholfuel in the 1920s and 1930s, the only fuelthe Ford Motor Company actuallyoffered for sale was “Fordsol,” whichwas a mixture of benzene (from Ford factory coking operations) and regulargasoline.

Some early auto manufacturers, such asthe Olds Gas Power Company, offered asimple mixer attachment for alcohol andclaimed in their advertising that “under

actual operating conditions... the fuel con-sumption per horsepower is about the same,pound for pound, whether using alcohol orgasoline.” Kettering, who had become General Motor’s

vice president of research and the president ofthe Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE),noted two directions in fuel research in a 1919speech to the society.

»MemoryLane ETHYL GAS

Looney Gas Fuels a PanicBy Randy Rundle, contributing writer

»MemoryLane ETHYL GAS

There was, he said, a “strong move in the direc-tion of blended fuels, with blends of up to 20% ormore of benzene or alcohol added to gasoline; theother was a ‘low percentage’ additive, such asiodine, which was too expensive to be practical butpoints to the possibility of other additives…” Kettering and his research assistant Thomas A.

Midgley immediately began intense research intofuel additives using DELCO light plant generators,and World War I airplane engines as test subjects. In a report on the war research committee,

Midgley wrote: “Engineers have heretofore believedknocking to be the unavoidable result of too high acompression, and while the fact that (ethyl) alcoholdid not knock at extremely high compressions waswell known, it was (erroneously) attributed to itsextremely high ignition point.”Around 1920, Kettering came to believe that alco-

hol fuel from renewable resources would be theanswer to the compression problem and the possi-bility of an oil shortage. “Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)never knocked, it could be produced by distilling

waste vegetable material, and it was almost pollu-tion-free.” (Remember, this is 1920.)At Kettering’s urging, General Motors began to

consider just what would be involved in a totalswitch from petroleum to alcohol fuel. One GMresearcher determined that some 46% of all food-stuffs would have to be converted to alcohol toreplace gasoline on a BTU-for-BTU basis. That was a cause for concern. Despite advantages

of cleanliness and high antiknock rating, therewere supply problems. In 1921, about 100 milliongallons of industrial alcohol supply was available.In reality, enough corn, sugar cane and other cropswere available to produce almost twice the 8.3 bil-lion-gallon per year demand for gasoline. Thus, the supply of an alcohol-based additive

would not have been the problem that GM engi-neers apparently assumed that it would have been. To promote the idea of alcohol-blended fuels

among automotive and chemical engineers,Midgley drove a high compression ratio (for thosedays) automobile from Dayton, OH, toIndianapolis, IN, for an October 1921 SAE meetingusing a 30% alcohol blend. This occurred just two months before tetraethyl

lead was discovered. “Alcohol has tremendousadvantages and minor disadvantages,” Midgleytold fellow SAE members in a discussion. Advantages included “clean burning and free-

dom from any carbon deposit... (and) tremendous-ly high compression under which alcohol willoperate without knocking...

Reader Service: Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com �

� Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com UnderhoodService.com 65

Because of the possible high com-pression, the available horsepower ismuch greater with alcohol than withgasoline...” Minor disadvantagesincluded low volatility, difficulty start-ing, and difficulty in blending withgasoline “unless a binder is used.”In a formal part of the presentation,

Midgley mentioned the cellulose proj-ect. “From our cellulose waste prod-ucts on the farm such as straw, corn-stalks, corn cobs and all similar sortsof material we throw away, we can get,by present-known methods, enoughalcohol to run our automotive equip-ment in the United States,” he said.The catch was that it would cost $2 pergallon. (Gasoline was selling for about28 cents a gallon at the time.)Meanwhile, leaded gasoline was per-

fected on Dec. 9, 1921, at the GMresearch labs in Dayton. During the time, Ketteringand Midgley researched anti-knock fuels (1916 to1925), and especially after tetraethyl lead was dis-covered in December 1921, there were two “ethyls”on the horizon for GM: The first ethyl “premium” gasoline went on sale in

Dayton in the spring of 1923. GM formed theGeneral Motors Chemical Co. with Kettering serv-ing as chairman and Midgley as president. GM thenapproached Standard Oil of New Jersey and the twocompanies formed the Ethyl Gasoline Corp. SinceDuPont was a one-third owner of GM at the time,the three major corporations all had a hand in thedevelopment and marketing of leaded gasoline. Interestingly, Kettering and Midgley came up with

another fuel called “Synthol” in the summer of 1925,at a time when the fate of leaded gasoline was indoubt. Synthol was made from alcohol, benzene anda metallic additive — either tetraethyl lead or ironcarbonyl. Used in combination with a new high com-pression engine much smaller than ordinary engines,Synthol would “revolutionize transportation.

“Looney Gas”However, an explosion at a Standard Oil ResearchLab in October 1924 left 35 men seriously ill frombreathing tetraethyl lead fumes. Eight men went tothe hospital, where five of them died, one in astraightjacket. He had gone madly insane.

Newspapers across the country head-lined the effects of “Looney Gas” anda nationwide panic ensued. The stateof New Jersey immediately banned thesales and manufacturing of the newethyl gasoline. Sales across the countrycollapsed.To make matters worse, rumors began

to circulate about motorists who hadliterally gone insane while motoring.The series of events began to have aneffect on the national economy. Besidesthe technology advances, the gasolinemarket was extremely lucrative.GM and Standard hesitated, hoping

to ride out the storm of controversy.Meanwhile six more men died frominjuries related to the explosion. GMquickly ordered production stoppedand all sales of the product haltedimmediately.

Scientists at the DuPont Company were wellaware of the danger in manufacturing the newethyl gasoline, but also had determined it was safefor the customer in its diluted form as used in gaso-line (which was 1/10th of 1% by volume).A federal committee was appointed to investigate

came to the same conclusion. DuPont was willingto accept the risks and there was no danger to thegeneral public. Within a year, an intensive advertis-ing campaign was launched and ethyl gasoline wasback on the market. When ethyl leaded gasolinewas permitted to return to the market, Ketteringand Midgley dropped the Synthol idea. By the mid-1930s, the alliance between General

Motors, DuPont Corp. and Standard Oil to produceethyl leaded gasoline succeeded beyond all expec-tations: 90% of all gasoline sold in the U.S. at thattime contained lead. Public health crusaders whofound this troubling spoke out in political forums,but competitors were not allowed to criticize lead-ed gasoline in the commercial marketplace. Ethyl lead additive became the additive of choice

for automotive gasoline and who remain as theadditive of choice for the next 50+ years. Finally,the lead would be removed in gasoline beginningin the 1970s, although not because of the lead itself.It would be because of the exhaust emissions andair pollution standards. Sometimes the new ideasare not all that new… �

»MemoryLane

» TechTips Chrysler / Ford / Mercury / SubaruThis month is sponsored by:

This bulletin involves the replacement of the Wire-less Control Module (WCM), and if equipped, thereplacement of the Electric Steering Column Lock(ELV). The WCM is also referred to as the SentryKey Remote Entry Module (SKREEM).

Models:2006-’08 Chrysler PT Cruiser (PT)2007-’08 Ram Truck (1500/2500/3500/

4500/5500) (DR/DH/D1/DC/DM)Wrangler (JK) Sebring (China) (J1) Avenger/Sebring (JS) Nitro (KA) Compass/Patriot (MK) Caliber (PM)

2008 Liberty/Cherokee (KK)

Note: This bulletin applies to vehicles built on orbefore May 5, 2008 (MDH 0505XX).

Symptom/Condition:The customer will experience a no engine crank anda no engine start condition. Also, the remote keylessentry (RKE) system will not operate. This conditionmay be due to an electrostatic discharge (ESD) fromthe ignition key into the WCM, causing the WCM toelectronically lockup. This condition may occur morefrequently in dry and/or cold weather conditionswhere a sufficient electrostatic charge is more easilyproduced. This condition is corrected by the replace-ment of the WCM.

Diagnosis:1.With the condition present (i.e. the vehicle inthe no-crank/no-start condition), connect the scantool to the vehicle.2. Turn the ignition switch to the On position,and power up the scan tool.3. If the WCM is electronically locked up, thescan tool will display the WCM as being “off bus.”

4. If the no-crank/no-start condition is present,and the WCM is “off bus,” then reset the WCM bytemporarily removing the IOD fuse (with the keyout of the ignition switch), wait for 10 seconds andthen reinstall the IOD fuse.5.With the IOD fuse reset having been per-formed, verify that the vehicle will now crank,start and run.6. If the condition is temporarily corrected byperforming the above steps, and if the part numberof the WCM is earlier than the part number of theWCM listed in the part reference table in the PartsRequired Section on page 68, then perform theRepair Procedure.


1. Slide the ring of the SKREEM/WCM (2)over the lock cylinder housing (3) andengage the retainer fingers in the recessesformed on the lock cylinder housing.

2. Install the screw (1) fastening theSKREEM/WCM (2) to the lock cylinder housing(3). Tighten the screw to 3.5 N·m (31 in.-lbs.).

Chrysler’s Engine Experiences No Crank/No Start Condition Due toElectronic Lockup of WCM / SKREEM


Part Number Keyless Entry Module

05026070AP JK05026071AQ JK/KA/KK/K105026072AQ KA/KK/K105026073AR JK/KA/KK05026074AQ JK/KA/KK050260800AD KJ/KA/KK05026157AP JS/J105026162AP JS05026164AO JS/J105026165AP JS/J105026216AM MK/PM05026218AM MK/PM/PT/P3/P505026219AG DH05026220AN DC/DM05026221AN DR/D1/DC/DM05026222AM MK/PM/PT05026223AN DC/DM05026224AN DR/DH/D1/DC05026225AM MK/PM/PT05026226AM MK/PM/P305026228AM MK/PM/PT

Note: Always refer to the parts manual to determine the correct part number. Make certainthat the correct WCM is ordered the first time forthe specific vehicle in question.

Repair Procedure:Note: If the vehicle (a JS model vehicle in cer-tain International markets) is equipped with anELV, then the WCM and the ELV (P/N05026132AC) must be replaced. Replace the WCMand then the ELV. Next program the WCM and atleast one ignition key before programming theELV. Important: Not following this repair processcorrectly will cause the new ELV to fail.Note: Insert the ignition key into the ignition lockcylinder. This will move the shaft lock modulelocking bolt to the unlocked position. Leave thekey in the lock cylinder while the shaft lock module is being removed.1. If vehicle is equipped with a Steering ShaftLock Module (JS – Avenger I Stratus, someInternational Markets), then the Shaft Lock Modulewill require replacement.

Note: The shaft lock module cannot be removedfrom the steering column while the locking bolt isin the locked position without irreversibly damag-ing the column. Before attempting service, the igni-tion key must have been inserted into the ignitionlock cylinder. Then, rotate the steering wheel from side to side.If the steering wheel can be rotated, the lockingbolt is in the unlocked position. Leave the key inthe ignition lock cylinder until shaft lock moduleremoval has been completed. If the steering wheel cannot be rotated, test andrepair the wiring circuits between the module andthe ignition switch as required.If no problem is found in these circuits, the mod-ule has failed with the locking bolt in the lockedposition and both the module and the steering col-umn must be replaced with new units.2. Replace the WCM/SKREEM. Note: Obtain the vehicle PIN prior to program-ming WCM/SKREEM or ELV.Note: If during the following steps the PIN isproperly entered but is rejected, then re-enter thePIN again until it is accepted.3. After both the WCM/SKREEM and the ELV (ifequipped) have been replaced, program theWCM/SKREEM as follows:a. Turn the ignition key to the On position,

(engine off).b. Connect the scan tool to the data link connec-

tor and turn the ignition to the Run position,(engine off).c. Select “ECU View.”d. Scroll down and select “WCM” in the list of

modules.e. Select “Misc. Functions.”f. Scroll to “WCM Replaced.”g. Press “Start.”h. Press “Next.”i. Select “Show Keyboard.”j. Enter the vehicle PIN.k. Select “Next.”l. Verify PIN is correct.m. Select “Next.”n. Follow on-screen prompts to complete WCM

function programing for Tire Pressure Monitoring(TPM) and so on.

» TechTips Chrysler

UnderhoodService.com 69ADVERTORIAL UnderhoodService.com 69

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» TechTips Chrysler / Ford / Mercury

o. Turn the ignition key to the Off position. Wait30 seconds.p. Turn the ignition key to the On position,

(engine off).q. Select “ECU View.”r. Scroll down and select “WCM” in the list of

modules.s. Select “Misc. Functions.”t. Select “Program Ign. Keys” and follow on-

screen prompts.u. Select “Complete.”v. Verify ignition key will start the vehicle and

the RKE functions operate.Caution: If the vehicle is equipped with a ShaftLock Module, then at least one ignition key musthave been programmed to the new WCM beforethe new Shaft Lock Module is “married” to the

new WCM.4. Is the vehicle equipped with ELV?a. Yes >> Proceed to step 5.b. No >> Repair is complete.5. Program the ELV as follows:a. Select “ECU View.”b. Scroll down and select “WCM” in the list of

modules.c. Select “Misc. Functions.”d. Scroll to “ELV Replaced.”e. Press “Start.”f.When complete, verify the steering shaft lock

mechanism is operating. Remove and insert the key from the ignition lockcylinder and listen for solenoid “click” at the lowerend of the column.Courtesy of ALLDATA.

White Smoke Blowing From Tailpipe?

A classic sign of a head gasket problem is when the vehicleis blowing white smoke from the tailpipe. This indicatesthat water/coolant is entering the combustion chamberand is then burnt off as steam through the exhaust. Thewhite “smoke” is water vapor as the steam condenseswhen it hits the colder atmosphere.With older vehicles, the owner’s budget or the value ofthe vehicle means a full head gasket repair is simply nota viable option, yet in many cases the owner needs tokeep the vehicle on the road. In this case, a dedicatedhead gasket sealant could be the economical solution.Ceramic formulas offer the best chances of making a successful repair, but look for a formula that is antifreeze-friendly as these are easier to apply and can remain in thecooling system after treatment has been completed. This solution is brought to you by K-Seal. Visitwww.kseal.com.

Some 2005-’08 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles equipped with a CD4E automatic transaxleand built from Aug. 1, 2004 through Feb. 15, 2007,may exhibit an engine stall when coming to a stop orwhen engaging the transmission into drive or

reverse. This condition may be intermittent and oftenoccurs after extended drives. There may be no diag-nostic trouble codes stored. This may be caused byinternal wear in the torque converter, which preventsit from unlocking.

Ford/Mercury’s Engine Stalling on Engagement/Stopping


Service Procedure:

1. Inspect and repair all non-transaxle codes.2.Monitor the PIDs (parameter identification) forTC_SLIPACT as the stall is occurring.a. If the slip is greater than 20 rpm, the stalling isnot transaxle related. Repair following PC/ED pro-cedures for engine stalling condition.b. If TC_SLIPACT is less than 20 rpm with thetransmission in park or neutral, torque converterinternal failure is the most likely cause, proceed to

step 3.3. Remove the transaxle assembly and check therotation of the torque converter in the bell housing.A failed converter will be difficult to rotate.4. Remove the torque converter, drain the auto-matic transmission fluid (ATF) and refill the CD4Etransmission assembly using MERCON V ATF.5. Install a new torque converter and reinstall thetransaxle assembly.6. Back-flush the transmission cooler system.Courtesy of ALLDATA.

» TechTips Ford / Mercury / Subaru

If you encounter a late-model D4AT-equipped vehicle with an erratic shifting complaint, and possibly a DTC P0712 in memory, there may be apoor connection in the transmission wiring harness. There have been cases of open circuits orhigh resistance isolated to the white plastic pass-through section of the transmission harness or theharness itself. It’s important to note that the P0712may not be set when the condition occurs.One way to check for trouble in the transmissionharness is to road-test the car with the SSMIIIconnected and data for the transmission fluidtemperature (TFT) sensor selected. It’s best tocheck this after a cold start. Normally, the tem-perature should read at or close to the ambienttemperature when the vehicle is started cold.While road-testing, if you see the TFT readingsare way out of line or fluctuating up and down asthe vehicle comes up to temperature, it’s likelythat the transmission harness would be a goodplace to start your troubleshooting.

Service Procedure:1. Disconnect the transmission harness connec-tor at the bulkhead connector. “Wiggle test” theharness and the harness pass-through while mon-itoring the resistance of the TFT circuit with aDVOM. Pin locations and connector numbers willbe different, depending on the model. Alwaysrefer to the applicable Subaru service manual’swiring diagram for circuit identification. If theresistance changes while wiggling the harness,

further investigation of the circuit should be done.2. SSMIII — You can also perform the wiggletest while monitoring the transmission fluid temperature with the SSMIII. Look for any fluctuations in the transmission fluid temp whilewiggling the harness at the pass-through. In somecases, it may be necessary to remove the transmission pan and split-half each leg of theTFT sensor circuit individually. It should also benoted that depending on the condition of the circuit, a check engine light may or may not betriggered. In another case, the customer stated, the “transmission has a harsh shift and is slipping.”In this instance, the excessive resistance in thetransmission harness caused an incorrect TFTinput to the TCU. This resulted in the TCU never“seeing” a fluid temperature above 68°, therefore,the operational characteristics were never adjustedaccordingly once the fluid reached normal operating temperature.This incorrect input resulted in the customer’s concern, but did not set a check engine light. Byrecording transmission data with the SSMIIIwhile duplicating the concern, it was easy toidentify a fault with the TFT circuit. Furtherinvestigation revealed the harness problem. The above are not the only causes of DTC P0712.It’s important to use proper diagnostic methodsto fully check the entire circuit from the TCU tothe TFT sensor.

Courtesy of Mitchell 1. �

Subaru’s A/T Temp Light Flashing, But No DTCs Stored,Erratic Shifting Complaint


XX

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Veyance Technologies, Inc., manufacturer of Goodyear Engineered Products and the Gatorback brand, announces the release of 227 new part numbers to its automotive aftermarket andheavy-duty product lines for the first quarter of 2013. The latest additions provide even more extensive vehicle coverage for someof the brand’s most popular products: 110 automotive hoses, 34 industrial belts, 27 tensioners and pulleys, 25 automotive belts, 12straight radiator hoses (silicone), 11 pressure washer hoses andeight timing kits. Gatorback belts and hoses now cover more than98% and 95%, respectively, of vehicles in operation. Reader Service: Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com


BendPak recently unveiled its newPolyurethane Tuf-Pads contact pads fortwo-post car lifts. This marks a depar-ture from the natural rubber contactpads the company manufactured previ-ously. “The problem with natural rubberis that it can degrade over time and…be hurt by certain chemicals,” said a BendPak spokesperson on theBendPak company blog. “And even if that doesn’t happen, the materialcan be gouged or cut.” According to the BendPak website, the newTuf-Pads feature a “hardness elastomer” to resist these common prob-lems, but without sacrificing the grabbiness that made the rubber padsso effective. Call 805-933-9970 or visit www.bendpak.com. Reader Service: Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com

NAPA Legend Batteries. This July at NAPA, visit your local NAPAAUTO PARTS Store or AutoCare Center to get up to a $25 mail-in rebate on NAPA batteries, starters and alternators; and foreach rebate redeemed, NAPA will make a donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Give something back when you getsomething back, at your local NAPA. At participating stores, expires July 31, 2013. Reader Service: Go to www.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com

The Innova PRO 31603 expertdiagnostic tool allows techni-cians to quickly retrieve vital information in order to diagnoseOBD II, ABS and SRS issues. Extended Asian and EuropeanABS and SRS coverage is available so technicians cancomplete more repairs more efficiently. Shop managementsoftware reports manage vehicle diagnostics. Visitwww.pro.innova.com.Reader Service: Go towww.uhsRAPIDRESPONSE.com

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ACDelco introduces R-134a refrigerant in12-oz. cans in addition to the currentlyavailable 30-lb. cylinders. It is for use infactory-installed and/or retrofitted R-134aautomotive air conditioning systems. Itmeets three specifications: GM Specifica-tion 9985751, SAE J2776 purity standardand the ARI-700 standard. It is alsoDOT2Q-approved. Check the vehicle’sowner’s manual to confirm A/C system requirements. Charging automotive A/Csystems with the wrong type of refrigerantmay lead to system failure. To learn more,see your participating ACDelco distributoror visit www.acdelco.com.

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AAPEX 15, 71ACDelco 18, 19, 73Advance Auto Parts Professional 52, 53Airtex Corporation 26, 27Aisin World Corp. 39ALLDATA 60APA Management Group 43Autel.us 13Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Cover 4Autodata Publications 30Autolite 40, 41Bartec USA, LLC 64BendPak Insert, 46CARQUEST Auto Parts 5CRP Industries 33DENSO Products and Services America, Inc. 3, 47Dipaco Inc. 50Ford Parts 11, 35GMB North America 7Innova Electronics Corp. 29Jasper Engines & Transmissions 67Melling Engine Parts 54NAPA Cover 2, 1NGK Spark Plugs 31

Nissan Motor Corp. USA Cover 3O'Reilly Auto Parts 48, 49Philips Automotive 69Red Kap 57Schaeffler Group USA 8, 9Solv-Tec Inc. 20Spectra Premium Industries 37Toyota 22, 23WAIglobal 21WIX Filters 44, 45, 63

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ERIKSSON INDUSTRIES • 800-388-4418Old Saybrook, CT • FAX 860-395-0047 • www.zftranspart.com

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The iconic American sports car — the Chevrolet Corvette— celebrated its 60thanniversary last month (http://bit.ly/1bOkZsy). And now, you can own animpressive book that details all of this car’s rich history set across six decades.Through hundreds of rare and unpublished photos from GM’s media anddesign archives and in-depth text by renowned Corvette historian RandyLeffingwell, Corvette Sixty Years celebrates the first six decades of America’ssports car, covering the revolution and evolution of America’s longest continuously produced nameplate, from Harley Earl’s initial concept to the latest anniversary edition built to celebrate the Vette’s 60th year. Created in cooperation with General Motors, the book focuses as much onthe Corvette’s place in popular culture as it does on the engineering anddesign history. This book offers something for everyone who has ever lustedafter a Vette. From the inaugural 1953 Corvette to today’s stunning sixth-generation car,

Corvette Sixty Years touches on all aspects of Chevrolet’s iconic sports car: history, racing, period ads, posters,memorabilia, key designers like Bill Mitchell, engineers like the fabled Zora Arkus-Duntov, celebrity Vette fansand more.

» TestDrive

On the opening day of theFood Lion AutoFair atCharlotte Motor Speedway,“The Last HEMI” wasunveiled to the public for thefirst time since the 1971Dodge Charger underwent amajor restoration byMooresville, NC-based RKMPerformance Center.“I’m happy to have it finallyfinished. It’s been in theworks for more than 20 years for me,” said carowner Joe Angelucci, a native of Ohio. “To have itunveiled at the Charlotte AutoFair was a treat andhonor for me. It was a great experience. I’m glad tobe here and I’m looking forward to enjoying the carfor quite some time to come.”The Charger is the last one to come off anyChrysler assembly line with a 426 HEMI engine.Records show that the car was built on June 18,1971, a full two weeks after the last documentedHEMI rolled off the production line.When Angelucci purchased the Charger in the early’90s, more than a decade after originally setting his

sights on the vehicle, it wasweathered and rusty. It was only recently that hedecided to get the prizedautomobile restored.Angelucci sent the car to RKMPerformance Center whereskilled mechanics and techni-cians were given the task ofrestoring this rare automobileto better-than-new condition.“We have a soft spot in our

hearts for Mopars. We feel very fortunate to havebeen able to restore this car because it’s such a sig-nificant car,” said Joseph Carroll, president andCEO of RKM Performance Center. “Our researchtells that this is the last HEMI car that Chrysler everbuilt. The fact that Joe found this car at the age of14, saved it and has owned it all these years hasmade it a very cool story.”The RKM Performance Center restoration teamworked countless hours to bring the car back to life.They tracked down original parts and gave the cara coat of fresh paint, working to make sure Moparfans all around the world will be awestruck. �

Book Notes:Title: Corvette Sixty Years Author: Randy Leffingwell Hardcover, 256 pagesISBN-13: 978-0760342312 Publisher: Motorbooks Price: $50 plus S&HTo Order: www.motorbooks.com

Book Report: Corvette Sixty Years

‘THE LAST HEMI’ HEADLINES FOOD LION AUTOFAIR

UHS July 2013

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