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P0420/P0430—The #1 DTC in the Country

DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) P0420 and P0430 are generic industry codes and part of the OBD-II standards. The descriptor labels the code(s) “Catalytic Converter Efficiency Below Threshold – Bank 1 (or 2)”. And the number one part sold to repair this problem is a...

Troubleshooting Fuel Trim–ASE Practice Questions (VIDEO)

Description Technician A and Technician B are discussing ways to use fuel trim as a troubleshooting aid. Technician A says that fuel trims that are correcting for a lean condition at high RPM and load conditions indicates a problem in fuel delivery. Technician B says...

Add or Delete These Simple Parts to Help Customers Save Money

Looking for an easy way to win over your customers that they’ll enjoy every time they drive? Look at their vehicles from a hypermiler’s perspective. In case you haven’t heard the term before, the hypermiling community is obsessed with optimizing their vehicles’ fuel...

Are You Properly Checking Hub Bearings For Wear? (VIDEO)

Description The old “grab the wheel and shake” test you may have used for tapered bearings doesn’t apply for the hub bearings found on most of today’s vehicles. Pete Meier explains how a dial indicator is necessary for a true wear check.Related Videos

Efficiency is the Name of the Game

Someone once told me that successful auto repair is a game of inches. But in our fast-paced, ever-evolving industry, inches are no longer accurate—we need to hit the bullseye every time. Margins are tighter, technology is advancing rapidly, and customer expectations...

Misfire Cause–ASE Practice Questions (VIDEO)

Description Technician A is diagnosing a misfire. He states that a misfire is caused by a fault in the ignition system and that new plugs and coils will repair the problem. Technician B says that a misfire is detected when the ECM detects a variation in crankshaft...

A History of the U.S. Presidential State Car (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this piece, I traced the history of the U.S. presidential state car from the beginning to the Kennedy Lincoln Continental. In this part, I’ll pick up with President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s state car and continue to the present day.1967 Lincoln Continental...

Inside Global (Generic) OBD-II

Inside Global (Generic) OBD-II

The engine control module (ECM) could just as correctly be referred to as the emissions control module. Its primary function is to ensure that tailpipe emissions remain at or below the emissions standards to which the vehicle was originally certified. The ECM turns on...
Watch This Video On Dry Sump Oil Systems

Watch This Video On Dry Sump Oil Systems

Recently, I was talking with Shop Press head honcho (Chief Bottle Washer—Ed.) Lemmy about something I wasn’t familiar with: dry sump oil systems. If you’re a newer tech who hasn’t worked on any high-end sports cars, you also might not be familiar with these systems....
Stress Test Vehicle Grounds

Stress Test Vehicle Grounds

Pop quiz, no cheating: how many amps does the ground side of any circuit conduct? If you said, “As many as the hot side,” get yourself a gold star and skip this article. For the rest of us who weren’t born innately knowing the answer to that question, stick with me...
The Tightwad’s Way To Install Any Wheel Bearing Race

The Tightwad’s Way To Install Any Wheel Bearing Race

I don’t own a bearing race driver kit, and I haven’t in 20 years of fixing stuff. I also refuse to use sockets to drive a race. I learned a method a long time ago I’ll pass along to you newer techs: I use the race I’m replacing. I primarily have used this trick when...