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Photo Tech: Determining The True Need For An Alignment – Part 1

When they get a job ticket in that says, “wheel alignment” many shops simply run the vehicle on the rack, hook up the heads, take some quick readings and make a determination of what “must” be done to eliminate handling or tire-wear issues.
Photo Tech - Fee-Based Used-Vehicle Inspection, Part2

This second part of the used-vehicle inspection has a definite brake theme, coinciding with the brake emphasis in this issue. As shown in last month’s edition and in this month’s as well, there are many items on a used-vehicle inspection that are being paid for that would not normally be done in a no-charge inspection.
Engine Decarbonizing 6.0-Liter Power Stroke

Engine de-carbonization has become a mainstay in the automotive aftermarket to keep diesel-powered and gasoline direct-injection vehicles running at maximum efficiency. Rick’s Automotive, Springfield, Mo., services fleets of ambulances from 20 counties throughout southwest Missouri, northern Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Engine de-carbonization is included as part of the shop’s 60,000-mile preventive maintenance schedule on diesel engines in these emergency-vehicle fleets, and many other fleets that it services.
Photo Tech: Performing a Fee-Based Vehicle Inspection for Used-Car Buyers

Vehicle inspection comes in many forms. There are courtesy inspections that are done as part of an oil change, inspection that is done prior to a wheel alignment and underhood inspection that may be done for an overheating condition, but very few inspections are as thorough as fee-based inspections on used cars.
Photo Tech: Emissions Failures on Older Vehicles

This Photo Tech article addresses an emissions canister/EVAP vent-system performance problem that set a code P0446 on a Buick Rainier. It is not the first time the problem has occurred on the vehicle. It was fixed about a year ago by cleaning the vent solenoid.
Photo Tech: In-Car Battery Testing – Including Hybrids

In-car battery testing is the way it is done today. Various test instruments attach to the battery themselves or to the diagnostic connector and can give you a state of charge of the vehicle, both while it is being driven and while it is sitting statically in your shop.
Photo Tech: Brake Parts Lubrication: A ‘Must Do’

Mention brake-parts lubrication and you will get all sorts of comments, looks, “I-don’t-need-to-do-that” statements and others. The fact is that if you live in a dry climate where there is no road salt or water and you’re not doing anything but driving on clean, flat, even, level roads with no humidity, granted, the brake lubrication issue is not something you would be the least bit concerned about. Unfortunately, that is not the case. More than half of the U.S. is considered a Rust Belt area and this presents a myriad of problems regarding brake lubrication and a lack of adequate performance of brakes.
Complete Brake Repair – Get it Right! Don’t cut corners

Complete brake service is something that literally books of 200-300 pages have been written about and is something that you could study and analyze for months on end. This issue of Photo Tech will address some of the more common issues why they are occurring, why the work is sometimes shortcut and what you can do to provide complete brake service of the quality that is necessary out in the field.
Photo Tech: Scoping it Out

A special thank you to Joe Ragnanese for his part in structuring, writing and taking photos for this month’s Photo Tech.
Photo Tech: Diagnostic Tools that Make Life Easier for Techs

Some if not many shops do not put the diagnostic tool groups of scan tools, five-gas analyzers and scopes into the same thought process as far as tools to help techs diagnose and solve problems.
Photo Tech: Custom Control Arms for GM Muscle Cars

When lowering or altering the suspension on GM vehicles such as the A-body El Camino, the first and second-generation Camaro, F-1 and F-2 GMG-body, some B-bodies and the Tri-five Chevrolet, you can easily run into control-arm-interference or strikeout problems.
Photo Tech - Getting the Steering Wheel Straight After Wheel Alignment

If you have the latest and greatest, most modern alignment equipment out there, your job of getting a straight steering wheel is relatively easy and almost 100% assured unless you fail to follow the operating instructions on the equipment.
Wheel Alignment Part 2: Shim Kits & Adjustable Components

Everyone is familiar with the statement, “Knowledge is power.” This expression been around for as long as anyone can remember, but in the area of wheel alignment, especially where shim kits, adjustable ball joints and replaceable upper control arms are concerned, this is especially true.
Tire-Wear Patterns & Steering & Suspension Inspection

Mention tire-wear patterns and everyone thinks, “Oh boy, big deal.” The fact is that some tire-wear patterns tell stories while others don’t. Many years ago you could read a tire and pretty much tell what was wrong with the vehicle from an alignment-angle standpoint. With the 100% usage of modern radial-ply tires, tire-wear patterns are much more difficult to diagnose visually than they were in the days of bias-ply or older long-arm short-arm suspension systems with early radial tires. Nevertheless, you still can get some indication of what’s happening on the worn-parts area.
Photo Tech - Mindful Tips on Meter Usage

A person could literally write a book on meter usage. In fact, some of the professional training courses have very large three-ring binders full of technical information and procedures that come with the course. This can be a bit overwhelming at times especially to those who don’t use meters as frequently as meters perhaps should be used.
Analysis, Diagnosis & Confirmation of Repair Needed

Sometimes diagnosing a problem on a vehicle is a simple matter of visual inspection, such as when a vehicle comes in on a hook with a wheel hanging because a ball joint has popped apart. In other cases, it’s much more complicated and in the case of some electrical-wiring issues on some vehicles, the problem can never be found. There is, however, some middle ground that will be shown in this issue of Photo Tech.
Adjustable Ball Joints

Technical Editor Ron Henningsen explains how to adjust camber on imports by using adjustable ball joints.
Brake Lathe Maintenance a Must

There are a few basic maintenance functions that should be done weekly or at least monthly on bench brake lathes, but in some shops this chore is neglected completely because the shop would rather replace than machine, even when the rotor is within specs...
Are You Charging Enough for Brake Diagnostics You Perform?

More often than not, it seems that an adequate labor amount as far as tenths of hours or hours is really not charged for brake-system diagnostics and/or brake-system work. There is much more to doing a brake job than slapping on a new rotor and set of pads and putting the wheel back on.
More Cars of Cuba

Once again, I had the opportunity to participate in a tour group to Cuba. This time I stayed strictly in the city of Havana, whereas last year I toured the entire island. Some things are the same as last year and some things are different. Cuba is still full of old cars left over from pre-revolution days, but these cars are not always as they appear on the surface.
Alignment – When the OE Adjustments Aren’t Enough

Alignment used to be simple. Today, it’s still simple, but the knowledge base to keep it simple is extensive. You need to have not only a basic understanding of alignment angles as well as advanced angles, and how the car interacts with the setting of these angles.
It’s a Blast! Getting rid of carbon deposits

I chuckle when I hear some of the radio commercials for different oils and oil additives that supposedly guarantee the motorist of an engine that will run forever and never have any problems. Specifically, they talk about decarbonizing an engine. While this may be true for the oil that gets into the low-friction piston rings, petroleum deposits building up into the intake plenum area by the cylinder-head valve stems is not directly from the oil getting by the piston rings.
Photo Tech: Stability Control – It’s changed

Stability control in vehicles has changed greatly over the years. The sensors that used to be analog are now almost all digital. New types of safety systems have been added and diagnostics have become trickier. In this month’s Photo Tech, many common scan-tool diagnostic techniques are shown. Wheel-speed, YAW, steering-angle, and latitudinal/longitudinal sensors are key in understanding how electronic stability components work together to create a safer drive. The condition of physical suspension parts also play a large role in vehicle handling. If these parts have undesired play in them, it results in many other parts down the line not working properly. When these parts do not work properly, sensors will have unreliable readings.
Brake Facts & Friction

If you know all the brake facts presented in this issue of Photo Tech, congratulations! If not, use them to add to your repertoire of known, accurate brake information and you will indeed be one of the most valuable brake technicians in your shop. Many people feel that anyone can do brake work and everyone’s a brake expert. Well, all of us can learn more. It’s the little things that count. Knowing not only the foundational information, but advanced as well, enables you to work in a much more professional manner.
Photo Tech: Inspecting Brakes that Have Never Been Replaced

Many vehicles driven in Rust-Belt areas have problems with corrosion and degraded brake-system operation caused by that corrosion. When a vehicle with 112,000 miles comes into your shop for a brake inspection and you are told by its owner that the brakes have never been serviced in any way, shape or form, you immediately assume that you will find problems. Now think of Murphy’s Law in reverse.
Photo Tech: The Cars of Cuba

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to travel to Cuba for 10 days. My interest in going was to photograph and learn about the abundance of old cars that are reported to be everywhere in Cuba. Of course, any photojournalist who is a street-rod/muscle-car/classic-car junkie would jump at a chance to see the old cars of Cuba so I immediately sent in my registration.

ABOUT US

Undercar Digest serves automotive-repair facilities involved in undercar services that include brake, exhaust and chassis diagnostics and repairs. It also covers a variety of other repairs including drivability. In addition to shops, our readers include manufacturers, warehouse distributors and parts stores that serve them.

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