TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Howard Wilner - My Blog
Howard Wilner - My Blog


Howard Wilner
Related to country: United States

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Howard Wilner the 2003 Geneva Motor Show

Automakers have responded with Earth-friendly and fanciful concepts to green-up family sedans, workhorse pickups trucks, crossovers, minivans and motorcycles.

Howard Wilner Chevrolet Silverado


Although the problem is the same, different models have different specifics if the main relay is bad. On an Accord, you will lose fuel pressure. If it's bad on a Civic, you will lose power to the injectors and the fuel pump but you may not lose fuel pressure because the injectors can't open without power. When the main relay goes bad and there isn't any voltage at the injectors, it will set a code 16 for an injector because the computer doesn't read voltage on the ground side of the injector.
Before you dive in too fast, it's also possible that the car has more than one thing causing a hard start. You could also have a bad ignition switch, a bad igniter or a bad ignition coil. To test for spark, you should first perform a simple spark test, then you can test the coil itself. Unfortunately to test the igniter itself, you need an automotive oscilloscope, something you won't really need too much in a home shop.

Howard Wilner Audi 50


Howard Wilner National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
The most common time to have a no-start condition in a Honda is after a hot sit, like when you pull in for gas or a quick run into a store. If you are unsure you can duplicate this condition at home: Use a piece of stiff wire to hold the throttle linkage at a set position and set the engine speed at 2,500 rpm. Let the engine run for about 20 minutes with the hood closed. Then remove the wire and turn the engine off. Let it sit for five to 10 minutes, then try to restart the engine several times. If the engine doesn't start, turn the key on. The check engine light will come on for two seconds and go out. You should hear the fuel pump run during the two seconds. When the light goes out you should hear the main relay click. If it doesn't click, check terminal seven on the main relay (fuel pump) for power and terminal eight (computer) for ground. If you have no power and you have ground, the main relay is bad.
Howard Wilner Civic Hybrid
Howard Wilner Volvo XC90
Howard Wilner Silverado 4WD


*If you decided not to listen and pulled all the wires off at once, you might have mixed up the plug wires. You'll know if you did because it either won't start, will run really rough, or if you're very unlucky you'll hear a deafening backfire. Now you have to go and look up your engine's firing order, correspond that to the points on the distributor cap after you set the engine to Top Dead Center and put them all back on. Doesn't it sound easier to replace them one at a time? Lots of things have changed in recent decades when you talk about the "tune-up." Back when the phrase was coined, you had to get under the hood with screwdrivers and do things like adjust ignition points, replace condensors, set engine timing and change your spark plugs. Wait, we can still change the spark plugs! It's one of the last surviving elements of the classic tune-up. Most cars still have a spark plug or 8 in there someplace, and even today's technology hasn't stopped them from wearing out. It's an easy maintenance procedure that can make your car run more smoothly and increase your gas mileage.

What is a spark plug? Basically it's a high voltage bridge for electricity. When the electricity crosses the "bridge" (which is actually a gap between two contact points) inside your engine, the spark it makes ignites the gas vapors, which makes the engine go putt putt. How long they can do this without being replaced depends on lots of things. The condition of your engine, the purity of the fuel you're using, even your driving habits can affect the life of the plugs. But hey, they're cheap, so replacing them every so often can't be a waste of money. And while you're in there you can inspect your plug wires

Howard Wilner Dodge
Howard Wilner Chevy Silverado:
But don't throw your wallet in the street just yet. There are also plenty of little things that can make the Check Engine light come on, and many are easily corrected. Here are a few of the more commonly occurring issues:

Your gas cap isn't on tight enough.
You read that right, it might be your gas cap. Some cars measure how much pressure is building up inside your gas tank. It involves a series of mathematical algorithms that track your driving style and how much pressure is usually in the tank, then set off an alarm if it strays a certain percentage from the average. Whatever. All is means is that if you're gas cap isn't on tight, it thinks something is up and lights the orange dashboard candle, the Check Engine light. Tighten the gas cap and see what happens. It may take a week or more before the light goes out.Your engine got wet where it didn't like it
Any electrical burp under the hood can cause one of your car's gazillion sensors to take a funny reading. When it does, you can expect to see the Check Engine light. We worked on a Ford truck once that triggered the Check Engine light every time it rained. After a lot of diagnosis, we found water that was dripping onto a spark plug wire, then running down the wire to the engine's head, causing an occasional short. Every time the water ran down the wire, the light came on. A few days later, it would turn off on its own. Be sure your engine doesn't have a wetness problem. More common than rain water getting in there is the overzealous owner who sprays his engine down at the high pressure car wash, shooting water into every crevice of the engine, thus lighting the light.

Your spark plug wires are bad
As your spark plug wires start to get old, they may develop tiny cracks which can let little bursts of electricity out. This electricity was supposed to be going to a spark plug, and since it didn't, the engine will misfire slightly, meaning one of the spark plugs didn't spark enough. Once again, this can cause the Check Engine light to come on. With your engine off, check your spark plug wires for tiny cracks or holes, especially around the ends of the wires. If they look shabby, you should replace them.

Howard Wilner GT Class

4. Accelerate with care
Jack-rabbit starts are an obvious fuel-waster -- but that doesn't mean you should crawl away from every light. If you drive an automatic, accelerate moderately so the transmission can shift up into the higher gears. Stick-shifters should shift early to keep the revs down, but don't lug the engine -- downshift if you need to accelerate. Keep an eye well down the road for potential slowdowns. If you accelerate to speed then have to brake right away, that's wasted fuel.5. Hang with the trucks
Ever notice how, in bad traffic jams, cars seem to constantly speed up and slow down, while trucks tend to roll along at the same leisurely pace? A constant speed keeps shifting to a minimum -- important to those who have to wrangle with those ten-speed truck transmissions -- but it also aids economy, as it takes much more fuel to get a vehicle moving than it does to keep it moving. Rolling with the big rigs saves fuel (and aggravation).



Read more about our special offers: Howard Wilner the 2003 Geneva Motor Show  | Howard Wilner Chevrolet Traverse  | Howard Wilner GT Class  | Howard Wilner Chevy Silverado  | Howard Wilner National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  | 

Dr. Manolito Castillo Dr. Richard Gray Dr. Donald Koch Dr. John Dobson Dr. Robert Rocke Dr. Sara Skarbek Borowska Dr. Wendell Williams Dr. David Berry Dr. Ronald Strobel Dr. Jose Blanco

April 7, 2009 | 7:46 AM Comments  0 comments

Tags:




Howard Wilner's Profile

Howard Wilner's Friends


Latest Posts
Howard Wilner

Monthly Archive
April 2009

Change Language


Filter By Type
Travel

Friends
Howard Wilner


2093 views
Important Disclaimer