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Mark Gittelman

certifiedmastertech.com

Save On Car Repairs

Posted Thursday, June 11, 2009 (149 days 16 hours ago.) Viewed 53 times.

The easiest way to save on car repairs is by not paying for things that are covered under warranty. And when it comes to your vehicle, the warranty can be quite complicated.

Most of us are familiar with the typical bumper-to-bumper warranty, and the latest power train warranties that cover vehicles up to 10 years 100,000 miles. But do we actually know what is covered and what is not under these types of warranties. Your owner's manual will help you out on this subject.

I am here today to discuss a little known warranty that is designated as the federal emissions warranty. This is a government-mandated warranty that covers your vehicle's catalytic converter and engine control module for eight years or 80,000 miles whichever occurs first. This is completely separate from the base coverage and any after market policy you may have for car repairs.

This coverage was put in place by the federal government to protect vehicle owners and the environment. It also makes car manufacturers, economically responsible for the design of their emissions systems.

That's right, if your vehicle has a bad PCM or power train control module. This part is covered under the federal emissions warranty. Most automobile owners don't realize that after their 3year 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage has expired that these two very expensive components are still covered under this warranty.

The reason I tell this story is because a friend of mine had a 2004 Dodge ram with a rattling sound at idle. The catalytic converter was broken up inside and causing this rattling condition. The vehicle owner received an estimate from an exhaust shop for over $1000, and contacted me to see if this was a fair price.

When I told him the repair was covered under warranty He was happy about the repair savings but also surprised. He took his vehicle to the Dodge dealer and had the catalytic converter replaced at no charge. But I wanted you to be aware that the dealership will have to verify that this failure is covered.

If the dealership has determined that the catalytic converter failure was due to another part of the vehicle, damage or lack of maintenance, then not only are the repairs not covered, but also you may have to pay for diagnosis.

Here is what my owner's manual says in reference to this coverage. The federal Emissions and performance warranty covers catalytic converter and the engine control module for 8 years or 80,000 miles. If the owner properly maintains the vehicle and it fails an emissions test the manufacturers dealer will repair those emissions related parts covered by the warranty free of charge.

Some states such as California are requiring the manufacturers to offer additional or extended warranties on these emissions related car parts. Note that all of the warranty information for your specific vehicle can be found in your owner's manual.

Whenever there are questions about the warranties carefully read this section several times if necessary. If you're going to cut vehicle related expenditures knowing what should be fixed for free is very important.

Mark has an online auto repair website that provides lots of helpful information for car owners. If your check engine light is on right now mark can walk you through the check engine light reset procedure.

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American Automotive Industry One Mans View

Posted Sunday, February 22, 2009 (258 days 17 hours ago.) Viewed 110 times.

The challenges of the American automotive industry and why I need them to survive.

Today more than ever the automobile is a basic necessity for me. My horse recently died of old age and the town I live in has no mass transit. Most Americans like me would have a difficult time surviving without their vehicles. Not only do we need our vehicles, but we also need the automotive industry . Each year millions of new cars and light trucks are produced and sold in North America.

The automotive industry's part in the total economy of the United States is second only to the food industry. Manufacturing of automobiles , selling these vehicles, and servicing the needs of these cars and trucks are an incredibly large, diverse and expanding industry. And one that has paid my bills for more then 25 years.

Decades ago, the big three automakers , which include General Motors, Ford Motor Co., and the Chrysler Corporation dominated this automotive landscape. Unfortunately, The automotive industry is now a global one with more players entering the field all the time. Carmakers from Japan, Korea, Germany, Sweden and other European and Asian countries compete with the US companies for domestic and foreign sales. And for 2008 the best-selling car in the United States was from a Japanese car company. You may have heard of before "Toyota".

If things weren't competitive enough, they are only going to get worse for America's iconic carmakers. India and China both plan on developing and expanding their US auto sales. The low cost of labor in these countries will not only make them competitive but also almost guarantee their success. And to give credit where credit is due, both India and China offer some unique technologies that make their vehicles More than competitive.

It is true that several foreign manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota and BMW operate assembly plants in the United States and Canada. Larger companies have bought many smaller auto manufacturers from larger global automobile companies. Most often the ownership of a car company is not readily identifiable by its brand name by design.

For example: Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo, and Mazda along with Aston Martin and Rover are all controlled under the Ford Motor Co. umbrella. On the other hand, the United States carmakers and foreign manufacturers build a number of vehicles jointly. These vehicles are built in North America to be sold here or exported to other countries. An example of this would be the Buick car line that is selling extremely well in China due to its long-time emblem representing status and success in this Asian culture.

This cooperation between manufacturers and the public acceptance of imported vehicles has resulted in an extremely wide selection of vehicles from which customers can choose. This variety has also created new challenges for automotive companies to distinguish themselves from the pack. We are now at a crossroads where it is time to remove the dead wood from the other trees or the entire forest could burn down.

Mark Gittelman is an ASE certified master technician that has worked in the automotive industry for about 25 years. Mark would like to see the American carmakers make it through these tough economic times. You can review his idea on bailing out the big three without using any taxpayer money on his auto repair information blog.

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2 Basic Tests For a Rough Running Engine

Posted Friday, November 28, 2008 (344 days 13 hours ago.) Viewed 490 times.

When faced with a rough running engine , many do-it-yourself mechanics begin to look for the answers in the vehicle's high tech systems. In many cases, the actual problem lies in the basic principles of engine operation. Not all engine performance problems are related to electronic control systems. Therefore a car mechanic still needs to understand basic engine testing procedures . These tests are an important part of modern engine diagnosis.

Below I will talk about two of the most important basic engine testing procedures that should be considered when you're trying to solve a rough running engine. The compression test, and the power balance test can be a mechanic's best friend.

Compression test for rough running engines

Why perform a compression test ? Internal combustion engines depend on the compression of the air fuel mixture to maximize the power produced by the engine. The upward movement of the piston on the compression stroke will compact the air fuel mixture within the sealed combustion chamber raising the temperature of the charge and making it easy to ignite and burn completely.

An engine with poor compression or low compression will not run correctly and cannot be tuned properly. If a rough running engine condition is present, this could be a symptom that suggests the cause of the problem may be poor compression. A compression gauge is used to check the cylinder sealing capabilities. This is an easy to use inexpensive tool that comes with complete instructions on how to use it.

Power balance test

Diagnose a rough running engine with A power balance test . This is performed quickly and easily using an engine analyzer, because pushing a button can automatically or manually control the firing of the spark plugs. Some vehicles have the power balance test built into the engine control computer. This test is either a part of a routine self-diagnostic operating mode or must be activated by the mechanic through a scan tool. These types of vehicles will often use these functions to set engine misfire codes.

On some computer controlled engines certain components must be disconnected before attempting a power balance test. Always check the service manual for appropriate procedures. Be careful not to run the engine with a shorted cylinder for more than 10 or 15 seconds. The unburned fuel in the exhaust can damage the catalytic converter and create an unsafe situation. It is also a good idea to run the engine on all cylinders for a minute before proceeding to the next cylinder.

As each cylinder is shorted, a noticeable drop in engine speed should be detected. Little or no decrease in RPMs indicates a week cylinder. If all of the readings are fairly close to each other, the engine is in good condition. If the readings from one or more cylinders differ from the rest then a problem should be looked into on that cylinder.

Mark the mechanic provides information on many more engine testing procedures on his website. He also recommends that you brush up on the operational principles of automotive engines.

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Check Engine Lights Your Sensitive Friend

Posted Saturday, August 30, 2008 (1 year 69 days ago.) Viewed 165 times.

The service engine soon or check engine warning light is your cars friend but it can be very sensitive and annoying. In this quick article I will discuss why the check engine light comes on. I will also touch on a few ways to diagnose codes and turn off the amber check engine light.

The check engine light is turned on directly by the vehicle computer. Most manufacturers call this the PCM. This stands for Powertrain Control Module. You may find other names for this unit but basically it is considered the vehicles main brain.

The PCM watches many different engine sensors. It then divides these sensors into multiple channels and monitors each channel and compares the range of data to the specifications that are in memory. The pcm is monitoring both inputs like coolant temperature and oxygen sensors but also output controls like idle air control motor steps and egr percentage open or closed.

So the amber engine light is turned on when the computer notices a parameter out of range. Keep in mind that output control parameters like the EGR and IAC mentioned above are usually measured with a resistance value or reference voltage to assure proper component operation. And also the check engine light is amber to express caution not red like the oil light that means emergency or turn off the vehicle now or damage your engine.

When the check engine light is turned on the computer is notifying the driver that one of the channels that it is monitoring is out of the specific range. When this light comes on the car may have set a single code or many codes.

This is where diagnosing the check engine light properly will save you money and time in replacing unnecessary parts. Using an automotive scan tool, you can view the data stream for the particular sensors that set the code.

Another good rule of thumb when diagnosing sensor codes is to diagnose the failures that are set with lower numbers, prior to diagnosing the other sensor codes. This is because the higher number codes could be set by the lower number failures. This is not a hard rule and you may have to apply some common sense to this as in a misfire code should be addressed before repairing a rich exhaust code. Since the UN burnt fuel from a cylinder is detected as a rich condition.

To review your computer is monitoring many channels and multiple sensors and simply comparing the data with the parameters that have been programmed into the PCM itself. Above or below these data settings commands the PCM to notify the driver they are polluting the atmosphere by turning on the service engine soon light.

In some cases these out of range readings can be either temporary or intermittent. This is again where the scan tool comes in handy for figuring out why the check engine lamp is illuminated. You can clear the codes and run the vehicle and see if the check engine light comes back on. If it does, then you have a path of diagnosis related to the diagnostic codes that have returned.

If the warning light stays off after you clear the code then don't worry about it. This could have been an isolated glitch or an intermittent problem. Also note that some times carmakers change the parameters in the computer memory so a particular code will not be so sensitive. When this happens the manufacturer will issue a technical service bulletin to notify mechanics.

Mark is a Certified Master Technician that provides automotive repair advise for do it yourself auto mechanics.

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