Canadian Technician February 2007

FEBRUARY 2007

The Undercar

ISSUE Canadian Mail Sales Product Agreement #40063170 Registration 10833. Return postage guaranteed. Newcom Business Media Inc., 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5C4

SELLING SUSPENSION… INSPECTING WHEEL BEARINGS… REPLACING CATALYTIC CONVERTERS

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FEBRUARY 2007

VOL. 12 NO. 1

Departments Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

14

From Our Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Out & About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 EyeSpy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Product Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Havoline Auto Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Job Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Columnists

26

Management S.O.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

By Kelly Bennett The Greenwood Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

By Bob Greenwood The Car Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

By Rick Cogbill

Features Wheel Bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Yes, most of them are sealed units now… but that doesn’t mean problems won’t develop. Maybe it’s time to review your wheel bearing service and inspection procedures.

28

Selling Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 What’s more important: a smooth ride or keeping a vehicle’s wheels on the ground and pointed in the right direction? Here’s why ‘ride control’ should have been called ‘tire control.’

Catalytic Converters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 They don’t die of old age… they’re usually murdered.

Taking a coroner’s approach to diagnosing catalytic converter failure could prevent future failures.

Current Ramping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 How to see inside a circuit. The low-amp probe offers high-tech results when you learn how to interpret what it’s telling you.

30

Editorial VOLUME 12

NUMBER 1

PUBLISHER Mark Vreugdenhil mark@canadiantechnician.ca (416) 614-5819 EDITOR / ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Allan Janssen ajanssen@canadiantechnician.ca (416) 614-5814 NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Dale Patenaude dale@canadiantechnician.ca (416) 614-5829 CIRCULATION MANAGER Lilianna Kantor lkantor@canadiantechnician.ca (416) 614-5815 DESIGN & PRODUCTION Tim Norton production@canadiantechnician.ca (416) 614-5810 CONTRIBUTORS Kelly Bennett, Rick Cogbill, Larry Dickison, Will Enns, Bob Greenwood, Claire Newman and Hans Zundel DIRECTOR, QUEBEC OPERATIONS Joe Glionna PUBLISHED BY Newcom Business Media 451 Attwell Drive Toronto, Ontario M9W 5C4 Phone: (416) 614-0955 Fax: (416) 614-8861 www.canadiantechnician.ca PRESIDENT Jim Glionna Canadian Technician is published monthly except for January and July by Newcom Business Media, Inc., 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5C4. The magazine serves the Canadian automotive repair and service industry.

Subscriptions are free to those who meet the criteria. For others: single copy price: $5.30; one-year subscription in Canada: $36.04 ($34.00 plus $2.04 GST); one-year subscription in U.S.: US$40; one-year subscription in all other countries: US$65. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher. The advertiser agrees to protect the publisher against legal action based upon libelous or inaccurate statements, unauthorized use of photographs, or other material in connection with advertisements placed in Canadian Technician. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising which in his opinion is misleading, scatological, or in poor taste. Postmaster: Send address changes to Canadian Technician, 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON, M9W 5C4. Printed in Canada. Second class mail: Postage paid at Toronto.

Canadian Publications Mail Sales Agreement #40063170. ISSN 1710-7644.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program toward our mailing costs. PAP Registration No.10833.

“Huddle”

By Wayne Moore Phone (905) 632-8770 www.canadiantechnician.ca/covers FEBRUARY 2007

A sense of community In our industry we get together to share stories, celebrate accomplishments, and, sometimes, grieve a friend.

By Allan Janssen It was a tough December for many in our community. We had a death in the family.

Robert MacKay of McAdam, New Brunswick, died under the vehicle he was working on, leaving three children and a community that loved and appreciated him.

I heard about it through our internet forum, where a former competitor of Robert’s posted the sad news. Within minutes, people began to express their condolences, remembrances, and sympathies.

There was some wringing of hands, and some questions about safety. But it was heartfelt stuff, because the fear of this kind of tragedy is universal in our industry. When it happens, it happens suddenly and irreversibly. And if it could happen to Robert MacKay, who was by all accounts as safety-oriented as they come, it could happen to anyone. A momentary lapse of judgment is all it takes.

Without doubt this is a dangerous job, working under heavy vehicles... using complex and electrically charged equipment... fixing volatile engines that course with corrosive fluids... manipulating parts that move with unforgiving force or spin with great speed... We’re devastated to know that one of our own paid such a heavy price to work in this industry.

But there was something else too, aside from the fear and shock in all those messages. There was also remarkable strength and support for one another. In the face of this tragedy we stand together.

Our forum is a microcosm of our industry. Like so many training classes and automotive events, it gives us a chance to be ourselves. We trade our stories, because who else will listen. We gripe and complain, because who else understands our frustrations. We cele-

brate our accomplishments, because who else knows how hard-won they are.

And at times like this, we mourn together. Because who else takes the same risks every working day.

I heard from several people in New Brunswick how much the concerns and well wishes of strangers meant to them.

But we do not feel like strangers at all. We have the same love of mechanics, the same drive to fix what is broken, the same fascination with power. We feel like we knew Robert.

And if there was ever any doubt that we are a community, it was dispelled when, a few days after this tragedy, a forum member announced that he would soon become a father. He told us even before he told his parents.

And then someone wrote in to congratulate someone who had earned their interprovincial ticket.

And someone wrote to tell about the accomplishments of their son.

And when the holiday wishes started flowing, the invitations to drop by and visit were honest and sincere.

When I read what is shared on our forum, and when I see the instant camaraderie among technicians meeting for the first time, I sense the crazy bond we have. I see how much we share, and I understand why this death struck a nerve.

We’re a relatively small industry facing big challenges. If we don’t stare them down together, we might give in to them.

As a community, we celebrate together and we commiserate together.

It’s what makes us family.

You can reach me toll-free at 416 614-5814. Or e-mail me at ajanssen@canadiantechnician.ca.

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 5

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LETTERS Appearances can be deceiving. Photos on the Baer brakes web site (www.baer .com) show rotors installed the same way as in the picture in our November 2006 issue. Our photo was taken at a shop in Windsor, ON. - Allan

Color is not the way to sell fluid change

Restrictions on part sales would be ridiculous

Brakes in pic look backwards

RE: “Unfair Competition,” November 2006 I strongly disagree with the letter from Rolly Doucet of Chesterville, ON. He suggests that no one – even with a mechanic’s license – should be able to buy certain safety related parts unless they have a business. This would mean that retired mechanics or ones between jobs couldn’t repair their own cars. This is ridiculous! I would suggest that any garage that does good work and charges a fair price doesn’t have time to complain about alleged competition from “shade-tree mechanics.”

R. Howarth Burks Falls, ON

RE: “Pulling Back,” November 2006 I enjoyed your November issue. It featured some very interesting and well written articles. I don’t do much in the way of high-performance brake jobs but I did notice that the picture in the article “Pulling Back” didn’t look quite right. It shows a nice older Chev with performance brakes but it appears to be a right-side rotor on the left-side of the car. The diagonal cut is going in the wrong direction. Is this something new for older cars? Or is that an honest mistake by the installer?

Trevor Ditchfield Fountain Tire Calgary, AB

RE: “The Oil-Change Specialist,” November 2006 I would caution your readers against selling services based on color. This is an improper way to sell a service because it has no bearing on the quality of the fluid and can get an operator into trouble. In our industry it is heavily discouraged and we teach our people to only use manufacturers’ recommendations.

Dave Jensen President, Automotive Oil Change Association Owner, Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change London, ON I agree that the OEM recommendation is a good starting point for maintenance scheduling, and in most cases, it is a more than reasonable interval. But severe environmental and operating conditions may require more frequent fluid changes. When there is visible contamination, I think the OEMs would agree it’s time for a change.

- Hans Zundel

RIDES

Reader

Paul Russo of Daleco Motors in London, Ont., sent in this shot of his 1974 Baracuda with 485” hemi, AC, 17” and 18” rims, and Pro-comp gauges.

You can see more “Reader Rides” on our web site at www.canadiantechnician.ca. And if you have a photo of your hot ride, feel free to send it in.We’ll put it up!

FEBRUARY 2007

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 7

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From Our Forum

Recent postings on www.canadiantechnician.ca/forum

Nightmare jobs Every once in a while you get a job that won’t go away! Our Forum members reminisce about some of their most unpleasant assignments.

What was the worst job you ever had to do… and then re-do?

Posted by: Andrew / 03-26-2006 My first engine replacement on a front-wheel drive involved a Mystique. When the new engine came, I noticed the sensor terminals were not going to plug into the old harness. So, one by one, I took the sensors from the new block, and swapped an equivalent sensor from the old. When it was all back together, I had a crank no start. Scan tool showed no crank signal.

The new engine did not come with a crank sensor. Everything had to come back out.

Posted by: Iammattv / 03-26-2006 My worst job was re-sealing the timing chain cover on a 3.8 in an early ’80s Mustang. It lost oil pressure on the test drive. I took it apart but everything looked OK, so I put it together again. Still the same problem.

Did it all again, and inspected the pump.

Worked fine. Put it all back together, but still no oil pressure. Finally, when I drained the oil and took the pan off, I found three handfuls of mangled shop towels in the pan. They’d been left behind by another shop. A two-day nightmare!

Posted by: BradT / 03-26-2006 We had one guy who did injectors on a Duramax. It was his first time and it took him about 14 hours... about average. He fired the truck up and took it for a road test. Just as he was about to leave the lot he could smell oil. He’d forgotten to tighten a fitting on the injector return line on the left

10 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

bank. Five hours later he had it fixed and out the door.

Posted by: Remencin / 03-26-2006 My worst job was a Cadillac Allante with a 4100 that was passing coolant into the crankcase as fast as you could pour it in. I reported that it needed a new motor but twice the boss and the customer made me pull it apart to confirm. I kept telling them it needed a new mill. Finally they let me pull the motor.

Posted by: McWrench / 03-27-2006 I did a timing belt on an Eagle Talon AWD. The belt was out a tooth, and it smacked two valves. When I removed the head, I noticed damage to the top of a piston and I showed the boss. The guys in the machine shop, though, said it would be fine. So I put it together – not by choice – and when I took it for road test, sure enough, it didn’t get too far. Took the head off again and found a big hole in the top of the piston. I still have the valve as a reminder to make sure the marks are right the first time!

Posted by: SlamminSammy / 03-27-2006 I was working on a 1996 T-Bird with a leaking heater core.

Book says six hours, techs say 10. It took me 12 – and it didn’t leak when I was done but there was also no clock, no power antennae, and no heater controls. I ended up pulling the whole dash again. Only took me six hours the second time – on a Sunday, while the customer drove around in my car!

Posted by: Bezelbub^ / 10-23-2006

I had a Contour in with a mysterious skipping T-belt.

The belt had been changed recently but the car came back soon after with a nostart condition. I pulled the valve cover and found the timing belt had skipped again. So I reset it and took it for a 20-km road test. It wasn’t long before there was a noise coming from the timing cover.

The lower idler had exploded and was shredding the belt.

Posted by: Merlin / 10-23-2006 Today’s nightmare: a ’97 Caravan 3.3L. It came in on a hook with the power steering pulley blown to pieces. I ordered a reman pump and new pulley. Put it all back together and fill it with fluid, and when I start it up, the belt walks over two grooves. I see a steady drip, drip, drip from the pump. It had a pinched seal between the pump and the case. So, put in another pump… and the belt walks off another groove. I located enough pieces of the old pulley to get the part number and realize the dealer had sent me the wrong part. So get the right pulley, and tear it all apart again but while I’m putting in the right pulley – using the right tools and methods – it breaks. With a third pump and a third pulley, the van is finally out the door!

Posted by: Caravanman / 11-01-2006

Join the discussion!

Log on to www.canadiantechnician.ca /forum and see what everyone’s talking about.

If you’ve got an opinion to share,we’re looking forward to hearing it.

FEBRUARY 2007

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Out

&About

Robert MacKay 1955-2006 New Brunswick shop owner was a credit to our industry.

By Allan Janssen obert MacKay was known in he just darted under to get it.”

McAdam, N.B., as the guy who Bruce Messer, a safety officer with the could fix anything.

Workplace Health, Safety & CompAs a licensed technician and the owner ensation Commission of New Brunswick, of MacKay’s Garage, his mainstay was fixsays everything he has heard confirms ing cars, but he never let that limit him.

He’d fix everything from chain saws to heavy duty trucks to construction equipment… to crock pots.

“He told me to bring it in, and I said, ‘But it’s a crock pot!’” remembers his daughter, Bonnie, who worked with him at the garage. “He said, Bonnie, it’s broken. I’ll either fix it, or it’ll still be broken.”

He fixed it.

Late last year, Robert MacKay, 51, died on the job. He’d just finished a brake job on a company-owned tractor when the jacks that were holding the front end slipped and the vehicle came down on him.

The tragedy was even harder for people to grapple with because Robert had always been known as a stickler for safety.

“Robert always had time for a little discussion “I would be quick to say he was a safe or a conversation,” says long-time friend worker,” says Roy Swim, who’d worked Roy Swim.“He was a thoughtful man, and alongside of Robert for years. “He would generous with his time.” be the first one to come along and say ‘Are you sure you have enough blocking under that? Do you need an extra jack?’ He that Robert was normally safety conwas an excellent supervisor.” scious. His investigation into the accident Since Robert was working alone at the has led him to consider ways that time, no one will ever know exactly what tragedies like this could be prevented. happened that fateful Sunday. To Swim “This is not the first garage fatality the only explanation is that Robert had and it probably won’t be the last one. But never intended to be under the vehicle at talking to people, it’s clear that near all. misses are all too common. A lot of tech“That’s the only way I can make sense nicians that I speak with tell me they’ve of it,” he says. “Perhaps something fell had a close call and that’s frightening. under the vehicle or rolled under it, and The question is how can we make work

R

FEBRUARY 2007

safer for mechanics.”

Lifelong friend Don Doherty says MacKay’s Garage reflected Robert’s wideranging skills and interests. In addition to vehicle repair, it was involved in regional trucking and local construction work.

“Robert dropped out of school at Grade 7 but went on to build quite a business,” he says. “And even though his formal schooling ended early, he was probably one of the most knowledgable people I’ve ever met.”

He says the accident is a tremendous blow to the small village of McAdam where Robert was an honorary Lions Club member recognized for his kindness and generosity. But the loss will be especially difficult for the people who worked with him.

“He had about 12 employees, all of them with the same diverse set of skills. They might be driving a truck this morning, welding at lunch, and taking a car apart by evening.”

By all accounts, Robert was thrilled to be working with his children – Bonnie, Rob, and Brad. In many ways the garage was the center of family life for the MacKays. Robert’s house and his mother’s house flanked the shop, and two of his brothers lived on the same street.

“We’ll carry on the business,” says Bonnie confidently. “He carried it on after his father passed away and we’ll do the same. We can’t let him down.”

The passing of Robert MacKay generated quite a bit of discussion on our Forum.

Join the discussion or post your message of condolence by clicking on the link at www.canadiantechnician.ca.

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 13

Supplier News New look for Raybestos Dana has redesigned its Raybestos packaging and has simplified its product lines. Raybestos is now offering a single hydraulic line, just two rotor lines, and three friction lines. In hydraulics, the Raymold brand name has been retired and all products have been merged into a premium Professional Grade Plus line. In rotors, there’s the Professional Grade line (blue box) and the Advanced Technology line (black box). In friction, the black-box Advanced Technology product is the “best” line for niche and high-end coverage.

The blue-box Professional Grade product is the “better” line-up with full market coverage. And the red-box Service Grade product is the “good” line with 95 per cent market coverage. Dana promises continued cross-referenced numbering systems, frequent product refinements and reformulations, and increased application coverage.

Certigard franchisees breaks sales record In November 2006, Petro-Canada’s Certigard franchisees set a company record for single-month sales.The group sold in excess of $7 million that month. Included in the record are 19 franchisees from coast to coast who achieved over $100,000 in monthly sales. Furthermore, a new single-site monthly sales record was set at Jean Bouchard’s five-bay in Boucherville, PQ. It sold $192,000.

Donation is for MD research.

World Automotive has made another sizable donation to Shad’s R&R, the aftermarket golf tournament that benefits Muscular Dystrophy research. World makes its donation in lieu of giving Christmas gifts to its clients. Pictured are (from left): Randy Slinger, John Vanstone, Nancy Wilson, Paul Branch, Harvey Presement, and Sunita Seth.

CRC is first client of new sales and marketing firm After eight years at CRC Canada, Roy Howarth has established his own national sales agency.

Howarth Sales & Marketing Corporation will represent CRC Canada, along with other product lines. Roy can be contacted at roy@howarthsales.ca. Phone 905-639-7666.

Wakefield appoints new regional sales manager Kristine Brown has been named the new regional sales manager for Wakefield Canada, the sales, distribution and marketing firm for Castrol products in Canada. Brown assumes responsibility for automotive and heavy duty sales in Ontario.

14 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

OUT & ABOUT

R2R night draws 350 Shops from across Ontario hear about coming ‘crisis.’

By Allan Janssen ftermarket business consultant Bob Greenwood brought the right-torepair message to Barrie, Ont., early this year.

Speaking to an audience of more than 350 garage owners and technicians from across the province, Greenwood described access to vehicle information as the biggest threat facing the independent aftermarket.

“We are nearing the crisis point,” he said. “Most shop owners are still not worrying about it. ‘It’s not my issue,’ they say.

But in this business, when you lose knowledge, you lose profitability. And as they start working on 2005 vehicles, they’re going to find their profitability drying up.”

The event, organized by the Barrie Area Automotive Repair Association, was intended as a primer to the right-to-repair campaign… and it lived up to its billing.

“The Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA) is focused on this issue, and we’re making in-roads,” said Greenwood. “But I’m encouraging you to get involved personally. Talk to your MP about this.”

He said the number of independent shops across Canada is starting to decline, just as it was predicted six years ago.

A

“There are more cars on the road, yet we are starting to shrink because shops are not profitable, they do not have a sufficient knowledge base, and they cannot pay the competent people they need.”

Many in the audience acknowledged afterward that the session was a wake-up call for them.

“It was excellent information. I was nodding my head a lot,” said Clark Oakley, service manager at Fred’s Tire Service in Orangeville. “Sometimes you take for granted that you are where you should be. You get in a rut and you do your daily stuff, but he really makes it clear that you have to continue to change or you’ll be left behind.”

Doug Patterson, owner of Patterson’s Service Centre in Barrie said he has faced situations of information lock-out and he has noticed it is becoming more frequent.

“We’ve run into situations where we had to take a car to the dealership,” he said. “We’ll be reporting it (to the AIA) from now on.”

Proceeds for the event were donated to the AIA’s campaign to educate and influence politicians on right-to-repair and other issues facing the automotive industry.

Has anyone seen my wrench? Rob of Performance Auto posted this picture on our forum.“I would not have believed a wrench could puncture a tire like this!”he writes.“I thought this customer was playing a prank on me.”Apparently the customer left the wrench where he found it because he knew no one would believe it if they didn’t see it for themselves!

Have an interesting picture to share?

Send it to Eye Spy, c/o Canadian Technician, 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON, M9W 5C4.

Or e-mail your high-resolution image to the editor:ajanssen@canadiantechnician.ca FEBRUARY 2007

MANAGEMENT

S.O.S.

In this series of fictional letters from a new shop owner to his former boss, management trainer Kelly Bennett discusses basic business principles that apply to the automotive repair industry.

Making

MEETINGS WORK

Fun and productive events build better communication and trust among coworkers.

be used to an they h t e my l b enjoya ed that e notic re more v a ’ I s y y t a l u d l work e ss. B unter De a r K e y busin that my ront co about m report n the f e r o t e t f t o t d e a s b l artmuch I’m g am. It’ the dep to feel same te between on the tarting t s f e i b m r ’ o I a t and o be seem seems t always . There s don’t w come? s e y e a y b o l e p h y ou. Ho t em ng for uys in i g k r e o h w t I was ainst guys ag at when have th t ’ n d i We d ments.

Dear Erol: You know, I’m starting to think that I need your e-mails as much as you need mine!

You make me remember so many things about my business and how far I’ve come.

One issue that used to cause me sleepless nights is exactly what you’re talking about: the battle between the front-end and back-end of the business.

The service writers would complain about “those darn technicians” who didn’t write down what they’d done so the work could be properly explained to customers.

For their part, the techs constantly complained because their comments were being ignored by front counter staff.

16 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

“Why should we bother identifying further needed repairs when no one out front knows how to sell them to the customer!”

Their impression is that the counter guys have cushy jobs where they just talk on the phone all day.

And on top of all that, I would sometimes hear complaints about both departments from my administrative staff.

It seems like someone was always upset with someone else. And when things got really bad, the snarky remarks were replaced by the cold shoulder. It was peaceful on the surface, but there was an awful lot of resentment churning!

One day at the bookstore I saw the sec-

tion on team-building and was impressed with how many books had been written about the subject. I figured this must be an important topic, so I picked out a few books, and began a lifetime of learning about leadership and team building.

One of the first and most important things I learned was that when a team is struggling, it’s most often the coach’s fault. This rang particularly true to me because I knew that I had no idea how to lead a team. I’d never been taught. I soon realized I was more of a cop than a coach.

We only had meetings when things were completely out of control and I was fed up. Our meetings were never positive. I FEBRUARY 2007

Larry Dickison

would rant about how the guys treated each other, or how they needed to spend less time on the tool truck, or stop making personal phone calls, or start cleaning up after themselves. No wonder everyone dreaded my meetings!

After reading a few books on the subject, I decided to take a different approach.

1. We started to have regularly scheduled meetings. Yes, that meant we had more of them, but they weren’t only held when we were in a crisis. That meant cooler heads prevailed, and we could tackle things in an orderly manner. And no distractions were allowed. We had the phones go to voice mail and we locked the door. As far as customers knew, we were simply ‘Closed for lunch.’

2. I provided food – and not just boring old pizza every time. I found out what everybody’s favorite dishes were and started surprising them with things they’d really appreciate. Sometimes the meals were home-made (you know how I love to cook), sometimes they were ordered in, but they were always special. I think that helped get across to the guys that I appreciated them and their time.

3. We started every meeting with a team building game. Now, I know you’re going to think your people won’t want to do that. It’s true that some people are shy and some hate to participate in group activiFEBRUARY 2007

ties. But, believe me, having fun together really helps build relationships and contributes to team spirit. We bought a book called More Games Teams Play by Leslie Bendaly and set aside about five or 10 minutes at the beginning of each meeting to try something new. Sometimes I made it interesting with a cash prize at the end.

I wanted to stress the importance of co-operation and trust. It was surprising how many little lessons we learned while playing games.

4. It wasn’t all fun and games, though.

There was always an agenda, prepared ahead of time, and distributed so people could come prepared. It always helps the discussion if people have had a chance to think about the subject for a day or two.

And of course we always had room on the agenda for any new items that might come up between meetings. My ultimate goal was always to resolve disputes and streamline production.

5. Everyone on the team had an opportunity to chair the meeting – including the apprentice. I expected them to write the agenda, maybe even create a short PowerPoint presentation. They could make it as serious or as funny as they wanted with humorous pictures or video clips. It is so impressive how prepared the person would be who is in charge of the meeting. They brought their own creativity to their meeting.

6. We always had one person speak on behalf of their department so they could explain what kinds of challenges they were facing. It was amazing how willing the other departments were to change the way they did things in order to help another department.

Over the years, we have found that these meetings have had a huge impact on our team. We work more closely, more considerately, and most times we can resolve issues before they become problems.

Remember, it’s not about getting everyone to like each other. That’s not always possible. But even people who are very different should be able to co-operate at work.

Remember the scene in that movie “Remember the Titans” where the coach takes the football team out for an early morning run? He brought them to Gettysburg – a Civil War battlefield where many men had died. And he said something very powerful about teamwork. “I don’t care if you like each other or not, but you will respect each other.”

It’s not our job to make our employees like each other. We just have to get them to respect each other. And that means they’ll work together.

Well, Erol, it’s 6:30 a.m. I’m surprising the kids with a special breakfast this morning. I’m making tire-shaped pancakes. You just can’t get this automotive stuff out of your blood!

Let me know how your team-building goes. And remember, I’m only an e-mail away.

- Kelly Kelly Bennett is a certified management trainer with 14 years experience coaching automotive repair shop owners. You can reach him at kellythe coach@aol.com or visit www.kellybennett.ca

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 17

OF THE YEAR

2007

We're looking for someone who:

★ Has distinguished himself as a technician ★ Is a leader in the shop ★ Gives back to his industry ★ Is an active member of his community ★ Is helping to improve the public’s impression of technicians

15,000

$

in cash & prizes

$250 for nominating the winner $50 for nominating a finalist

Deadline for nominations: March 31, 2007 Prizes may not be exactly as shown.

PLATINUM SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

Deadline for nominations is MARCH 31, 2007 We’re looking for a well-rounded person, who is involved in his community and actively working to improve the image of our industry. All nominees will be awarded points based on the following criteria:Technical skills;Leadership in the shop; Customer service skills;Community involvement;Industry involvement;Unique hobbies;Ethical business dealings;Efforts to improve the image of technicians;Respect of peers;and Clearly defined philosophy toward work and life.

Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of editors and contributors to Canadian Technician magazine. A short list of finalists will be reviewed by a panel of shop owners from across the country.

I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE:

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHOICE. USE ADDITIONAL SPACE IF NECESSARY.

Workplace: Address:

Tell us about their unique approach to work, their problem solving skills, courses taken, and certifications earned.

City: Province:

Postal Code:

Business phone: (

)

Home phone: (

)

The Canadian Technician of the Year must be nominated by a licensed technician and co-nominated by a shop manager or parts supplier (jobber or counterperson).

How have they demonstrated leadership in the shop?

NOMINATED BY: Licensed technician: Yes ❏ No ❏ Give examples of extraordinary customer service.

Workplace: Address: City: Province:

Postal Code:

Business phone: (

)

Home phone:

)

(

Give examples of community involvement.

CO-NOMINATED BY: Jobber / Counterperson / Shop Manager: Yes ❏ No ❏ What are their unique hobbies or extra-curricular interests?

Workplace: Address: City: Province:

Postal Code:

Business phone: (

)

Home phone:

)

(

How have they helped improve the image of technicians?

Tell us why the person you are nominating should be named the Canadian Technician of the Year.

Remember, we can only judge your nominee by what you tell us.

Make a stronger case by sending additional information on a separate sheet. Feel free to include supporting documentation.

FAX THIS FORM TO (416) 614-8861. This form can also be found at www.canadiantechnician.ca and can be electronically submitted.

Deadline for entries is March 31, 2007

We want to thank our sponsors who have donated so much to express their support for the automotive repair industry and the community-minded people who keep Canada’s cars on the road.

“Joining AAEC was the best thing I ever did. I’ve learned a tremendous amount and my business improved by leaps and bounds!”

– Rob Scott, a member of the Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning Centre

JOIN TODAY AT www.aaec.ca/canadiantechnician

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numbers and immediately

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The aftermarket has been saddled long enough with indecisive, ineffective leadership.

It’s time to chart a course and follow it.

By Bob Greenwood

REBUILDING OUR INDUSTRY

I

t is readily acknowledged by independent shop owners and managers that OEM dealers are aggressively going after the vehicle service business. They’re changing the way they work to impress their customers and secure on-going loyalty.

Unfortunately, at this very important time, the independent aftermarket is clinging to outdated habits and is saddled with ineffective leadership at every level.

Inefficiencies, apathy, and inertia are entrenched in our sector – and they may well be the reason many independent shops and their jobbers can expect very tough times over the next three to five years. It will almost certainly lead to the failure of many businesses. This can no FEBRUARY 2007

longer be ignored, tolerated, or accepted.

It must be addressed now.

The changing world, the global economy, and the dynamics of business have had a startling impact on every level of our industry. Yet, until recently, the aftermarket has steadfastly refused to put any new processes in place to meet this overwhelming challenge.

Indeed, it has only been in the last year or so that independents have finally started discussing the impact of OEM marketplace actions. The ‘dealership threat’ coupled with the lock-out of tools and information, is expected to cost us anywhere from a billion dollars to three billion dollars by the year 2010.

Like it or not, the drawn-out demise of the independent aftermarket is the conse-

quence of a series of errors made by shop owners and executives at every level of our industry – including some industry associations. No one seemed to be paying attention to the big picture. It was as if the industry had horse blinkers on, ignoring the world around them.

Here are five classic mistakes that have led to our present predicament: 1. Indulging in a top-down, autocratic leadership style.

Too many people still run their businesses in an offensively self-assured way. They are absolute in their approach to business, and act in a ruthlessly authoritarian manner, as if they know everything and should never be questioned or challenged.

As a result, many employees fear for their CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 21

THE GREENWOOD REPORT

jobs and don’t dare to offer new ideas.

Sadly, these autocratic executives have no “reverse gear.” They never pull back to regroup or back down from their position.

It’s time for the leaders of even the smallest business to fully discuss marketplace conditions with their entire staff.

Everyone must be on the same page. All presidents and executives need to listen more than they speak in these discussions and they must commit to making the changes that are required to best serve the end-consumer.

2. Failing to adapt to changing circumstances.

Many shops, companies and organizations develop ambitious marketing campaigns to attract new customers or members. Retaining those customers for any length of time, requires radically different actions and attitudes.

The aftermarket is a people business, a one-on-one business, where positive relationships secure long-term profitability.

Unfortunately, our sector rarely allows employees to build effective relationships with customers. Long-term relationships are perceived by management as requiring too much in the way of short-term cost. Yet even in this there is little consistency from autocratic executives because you’ll hear them complaining about the poor relationships their employees have developed.

Part of the fundamental problem is that employees are generally not given the authority to make decisions for the company and too often you hear people say “I’ll have to get back to you on that.” This is an unacceptable response given the fast-pace of business these days.

Employees must be trained to take immediate action on behalf of the company when it is needed, in order to guarantee customer satisfaction and develop a relationship of trust. If management doesn’t train its employees to act decisively it has no one but itself to blame for the awkward way business is conducted.

3. Failure to manage expectations.

Too many shop owners and major aftermarket suppliers and distributors have become addicted to their own hyperbolic promises and claims, which set unrealis22 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

tic goals in unworkable timeframes.

It seems many top-level people prefer “glamorous initiatives” to the more mundane responsibilities of day-to-day personal interaction with the customers they are meant to serve. They’ll develop grandiose schemes to increase business, rather than simply listen carefully to the end user of their product or service.

In fact, the average aftermarket executive spends very little time on the street level. They are frequently unaware of the full consequences of their actions on their company’s reputation and future profitability.

This frustrates field personnel and the people on the company’s front lines.

Over-promising and under-delivering is a business model that will not stand the test of time. Let’s set realistic objectives with the input from all personnel within the company.

4. Failure to listen to constructive criticism.

This one applies to many major companies. Autocratic executives and their core team have closed themselves off from their true customer base.

Even the most loyal clients are perceived as a nuisance when they offer helpful advice that will streamline business or improve productivity. Rather than being thanked for their input, they are routinely ignored, or even criticized by the top levels of management. Often the reason for this animosity from senior management is that honest comments from clients generally point to a need for better effort or new investment from the company. This is too inconvenient for some executives to hear.

It is important to listen to constructive criticism from customers before whatever goodwill exists disappears entirely and the customer finds a new supplier.

5. Failure to build a strong organization.

In a culture of fear, the latent leadership skill of underlings is not valued and employees have no incentive to develop their talents. The truth is that great leaders identify and nurture talented successors in order to leave a healthy organization behind them. Unfortunately, in the current state of our sector of the industry, many companies are in steep decline and

overall morale is very low. Once powerful aftermarket companies are now just limping along. It’s very sad that many executives are just trying to protect their own jobs rather than developing new leaders with new ideas.

A tremendous amount of reinvestment is required to develop a progressive and focused culture in our industry. This is not a cost because we will see a dramatic return on our investment.

The bottom line is that the OEMs have made an ambitious and effective investment in their future – even if many OEM dealers and staff were pulled along, dragging their feet. And the result speaks for itself; they’ve gained market share at the expense of the independents.

Want to win back some of that business? You may have to radically change the way you do business. The first step, whether you’re a supplier, distributor, service provider, or association, is to define your vision for the future, and write it out for everyone to see. What’s the game plan and who, specifically, is going to lead it?

I believe our future in the independent sector can be exceptionally fulfilling and successful. We can reach stability and then look forward to market share growth. But everyone in our sector, within our own companies, organizations, and associations, must step up to the plate and make a personal commitment to contribute to our industry.

Remember, it’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know.

I welcome your feedback.

Bob Greenwood is president of E. K. Williams & Co. (Ontario) Ltd., a management consulting company specializing in independent automotive service and repair shops (www.ekw.ca).

He’s also president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning Centre, a business management resource for shop owners (www.aaec.ca). Bob can be reached by phone at 800/267-5497; by fax at 613/836-4637; or by e-mail at greenwood@aaec.ca.

FEBRUARY 2007

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Wheel bearing

They’re not as easy to check or maintain anymore, but they shouldn’t be overlooked.

By Claire Newman

BASICS he wheel bearing is one of those critical automotive components that is all-too-often ignored.

Unless there’s an obvious problem it tends to be overlooked on inspections.

Until recently, many automotive platforms featured wheel bearings that were serviceable. They were also easily maintained—checked for play and damage, cleaned, repacked with grease, reinstalled, and retorqued at regular intervals.

Replacing components was relatively quick and cheap, and parts were easy to locate and install. Additionally, any noises which developed were usually fairly simple to locate and eliminate. This style of bearing was used on front and rear axles, and manufacturers recommended service intervals for inspection, cleaning and adjustment.

Overall, these bearings were usually cheap and easy to service.

When manufacturers began using sealed hub and bearing assemblies, however, bearing service was no longer possible.

Furthermore, many carmakers no longer mentioned wheel bearing inspections in their recommended maintenance schedules.

But the fact remains that wheel bearings do an important job and should be inspected regularly to prevent expensive problems. Just because the component is

T

24 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

FEBRUARY 2007

Wheel bearings do an important job and should be inspected regularly to sealed doesn’t mean problems won’t develop. Reviewing wheel bearing service and inspection procedures—even for sealed units—may be a good idea.

Sealed Bearings Sealed wheel bearings are usually integrated units. Typically they come with a hub and sometimes a speed sensor which provides the control modules with the information needed to determine if the vehicle is skidding, about to flip over, or is stuck in the snow.

There are usually no serviceable parts on these assemblies. Bearings may be available separately but may not be cost effective to install since a complete assembly may be only slightly more expensive.

Even though a sealed bearing and hub assembly can’t be serviced, you may still need to inspect the component and make a decision on whether or not the bearings need to be replaced (on a safety inspection, for example).

As always, refer to service information for guidelines on when to replace bearings for reasons such as excess play or damage. Obviously any bearing which is out of specification or is obviously damaged or unsafe should be replaced.

But deciding to replace a wheel bearing for another reason—such as to correct a noise—can be tricky and mistakescan be time consuming and expensive.

Faulty wheel bearings are often quite obvious. Aside from looseness, the most common wheel bearing symptom is a “humming” or “growling” sound which may not be present at low speeds but is audible and annoying at about 60 km-h.

The noise may be mistaken for front-end wear, transmission wear, or driveshaft problems. Swerving from side to side may make the noise worse (or better) but if the bearings are bad enough they may make noise no matter what. If they’re not repaired, faulty wheel bearings may become noisier, cause premature tire wear, poor road feel or handling—or much worse if the wheel separates from the vehicle. Since FEBRUARY 2007

prevent expensive problems.

correct part is important. Check carefully to prevent problems.

Possible problems the integrated assemblies are so expensive, correct diagnosis is essential.

Diagnosing noisy wheel bearings does take a bit of skill and judgement if the problem isn’t immediately obvious. If the wheel bearing is off the vehicle, fully rotating the bearing in both directions usually reveals a binding or damaged component which should be replaced.

Even very small amounts of binding may create problems at cruising speed.

Diagnosing problematic wheel bearings which are still installed on the vehicle may be a bit more difficult. Swerving from side to side (the old method of diagnosing bearings) may indeed indicate a wheel bearing problem, but may be misleading and result in replacing the wrong bearing. It could also be dangerous!

One method which tends to work very well is raising the vehicle off the ground so that the wheels spin freely, then putting the vehicle in “drive” and accelerating up to about 60 km-h. Now put your hand on a suspension component on one side of the vehicle – a tie rod end or control arm – and feel for vibration. Compare this to what you feel on the other side of the vehicle.

The side with the faulty bearing will usually vibrate more. Obviously, you have to use caution and good judgment since this test could be very dangerous if you grab the wrong part!

Another tip: AC style (two-wire) hub assemblies which are setting DTCs may show continuity on a DVOM connected between one terminal of the harness and the hub. That’s usually a sign of internal problems in the assembly.

Even though many strange “clicking noises” have been successfully repaired by servicing and adjusting the wheel bearings (retorquing the nut) most wheel bearing problems can only be repaired by actually replacing the bearing. Since sealed units are expensive, diagnosing the

Most wheel bearing replacement jobs go smoothly. But occasionally the job can become complicated.

For example, the drive shaft may seize to the splines. The bearings may come out in pieces. Or the replacement part may not be an exact match for the original and may not be usable.

One of the most frustrating problems when working with wheel bearings is trying to separate stubborn components.

There are a few options... but, again, use good judgment and caution. Brute force is a typical first response, but smashing wildly with a hammer will likely cause more damage (especially to the CV joint’s threads), and carelessly using a chisel may damage the knuckle. Try not to become frustrated and be particularly careful when you use an air hammer or hydraulic press. You don’t want to damage sensitive parts and other components (such as backing plates). If time permits, it’s best to soak the components in penetrating fluid.

Watch for shims on older vehicles. And never use a bearing which doesn’t fit properly.

Fortunately most wheel bearing replacements go smoothly but every once in a while you get unexpected developments that keep things interesting.

Road testing every vehicle and shaking every wheel before removing it is a quick way to assess a wheel bearing without too much trouble.

Checking these components is as important as ever – even if they aren’t as serviceable as they once were!

ASE certified technician Claire Newman has been licensed since 1994 and has attained GM Grandmaster status since 2001. She has worked at a number of dealerships and independent repair shops, including a specialty race shop.

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 25

Repositioning SHOCKS and STRUTS ost vehicles go to the junk yard at the end of their life still wearing their original shocks and struts. In fact, most cars miss the replacement interval for suspension components not once, but three or four times before they die.

And that tell us two things.

One: there are lots of cars on the road that don’t have the handling they should have and that require more talent to control than needs to be the case.

And, two: a lot of shop owners, service writers, and technicians are failing to educate their customers about the importance of suspension components.

Bill Dennie, director of channel management for ride control at Tenneco, says shock wear is so gradual that most drivers are unaware of their ride control problem, and an improvement in OE quality means the most obvious signs of wear simply aren’t seen as often.

“There are a lot of technicians that are really hesitant to sell ride control unless they can absolutely see a leaking shock,” he says. “Unlike rotors or ball joints or tie rod ends, which you can measure, there’s no definitive way to tell if a shock is bad. So people just avoid the sale of shocks because they don’t want to be accused of over-selling.”

Mac McGovern of KYB says that has resulted in “one of the worst categories of sales” in the aftermarket.

“Most vehicles would benefit from a replacement of shocks or struts within 50,000 miles (80,000 km),” he says. “And yet you hear of shops with a car count of 300 to 1,000 vehicles a month, and they’re only putting on 10 units, which is just two-and-a-half cars. That doesn’t add up.”

Having talked with hundreds of shop owners and technicians, McGovern thinks he knows why the industry has

M

26 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

dropped the ball on suspension.

“With suspension, the missing element is often a clear definition of why the motorist needs it,” he says. “It remains a mystery to consumers.”

Furthermore, he says, the aftermarket has been remiss in developing the language to educate the consumer.

“You’ve got to bring it down to terms they’re familiar with and concepts they can relate to,” he says.

Ride control is a term which describes four systems: steering, suspension, brakes and tires. The reason there is an umbrella term for all those system, is because their combined purpose is to keep the largest possible footprint on the ground, pointing in the right direction at all times, under all conditions. Anything within those four categories that is less than vehicle design contributes to reduced handling and control.

FEBRUARY 2007

“Perhaps, it should never have been called ‘ride control,’” says McGovern. “To better describe it to consumers, it should have been called ‘tire control.’ That’s the key wording because the shock or strut is there to control spring oscillation and ensure that tires stay on the ground. Unfortunately that gets too technical for some motorists, so I like to discuss it in terms of events they’ve experienced, like nose-diving, acceleration squat, body-roll, swerve, and buckboard ride.

It’s fair to say, adds Dennie, that brakes make your car stop, but shocks make your car stop faster. Simply asking a few questions of the customer and explaining the physics of ride control will result in more shock absorber sales.

“Interview your customers,” he suggests. “Ask if they’ve noticed any difference in the way it drives. Have they noticed any brake dive – which is the way the weight transfers from the back to the front when they hit the brakes. Have the discussion about why that is occurring. When you get that weight moving from the back to the rear, it takes you longer to stop because in addition to stopping the vehicle, you have to stop that momentum that is propelling you forward.”

“It’s not all about taking bumps,” says McGovern. “It’s about keeping that tire on the ground and pointed in the right direction. Using terms and descriptions that the customer can relate to helps bring that home.”

Most motorists have very little understanding of the physics that apply when they face various road conditions and obstacles.

For example, many drivers instinctively brake as they go over a set of railroad tracks. They believe that slowing their speed is going to give them more control and cause less of a stress to their vehicle. And they’re right, as long as they’re not still braking when they hit the tracks. When a vehicle brakes, the front end collapses and all the components crunch together. In this condition, they can’t do their job properly, and the bumps are actually hitting harder.

In addition to a compressed and vulnerable front end, think about what’s happening at the other end of the vehicle. During braking, the back end comes up, reducing tire contact with the road. When you do that, you reduce handling and control.

So in the same way that if you’re only going to put two new tires on a car you should put them in the back, if you’re only going to put one pair of shocks or struts on a vehicle, they should go where you need them most – in the back.

There are a lot of things a driver can do to safely gauge the effectiveness of his suspension components. For example, a good test of swerve compensation is to simply pull the steering wheel left to right at low speeds and gradually increasing the intensity. When a customer does this, he gets a sense of what his vehicle is capable of. Swerve the wheel at 10 or 20 kilometers per hour, in controlled conditions, when it’s not an emergency, to feel how the vehicle recovers from that.

In a way, that is what Tenneco’s ongoing ‘ride-and-drive’ program has been about: educating technicians about the difference new shocks make to the handling of a vehicle. Technicians drive two vehicles – same model, make and year, and with slightly over 80,000 kilometers on the odometer – but one with OE shocks that are not leaking, and one with new shocks. The difference in handling and cornering is remarkable.

FEBRUARY 2007

“Part of the MAP (Motorist Assurance Program) guidelines say that if an installer has experience with a particular driving condition, he can use that in recommending replacement,” says Dennie. “He has relevant experience that he is simply passing along to his customer.”

Tenneco plans to continue the ride and drive program through 2007, featuring more import vehicles and sports and luxury cars, including the BMW 325i. That’s a driving experience aimed at technicians… but the real student should be consumers.

For its part, KYB has introduced a training initiative called Ride Control Solutions, aimed at giving service providers a way to benchmark current vehicle ride control conditions against the vehicle’s designed capabilities. It also features a comprehensive ‘technician and consumer communication worksheet’ that can increase sales dramatically.

“For motorists, the only way you’re going to know is to exercise your vehicle,” says McGovern. “When I owned a service facility, I would make a print-out advising them to test their ABS brakes. It’s not about stopping distance, it’s about control during the event. Unless you practice it, you’re not going to know how to use it.”

Replacing shocks and struts will improve owner satisfaction to the point where they might keep the vehicle longer. They’re going to be much happier driving the car because it’s driving like new. But the primary selling point should not be about comfort, says McGovern, it should be about control.

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CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 27

Who killed the cat?

When faced with a failed catalytic converter, put your detective hat on and be prepared to sleuth out the cause.

By Allan Janssen ou know what they say about catalytic converters. They never die of old age… they’re always murdered.

So when you’ve got a dead cat on your hands, start looking for suspects.

A few years ago, we told the story of a 1991 Escort with concerns about excessive emissions. The story bears retelling because, in this case, the technician replaced the cat three times before solving the root problem: a faulty oxygen sensor that was causing an extreme lean condition. The converters stopped failing as soon as the oxygen sensor was diagnosed and replaced.

For the record, a rich fuel mixture can be just as lethal as a lean condition. A failed oxygen or MAP sensor that allows too much fuel through the system, or repeated engine misfires could lead to a catastrophic condition for the cat. So could repeated engine misfires. Too much

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28 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

unburned fuel will cause tremendous heat stress when it hits the hot core of the catalytic converter and ignites. The resultant meltdown of the ceramic guts or insides of the converter will block the exhaust path.

(Sometimes you can hear a whistle when revving the engine – a noise which usually indicates a clogged catalytic converter.)

The point is, a failed catalytic converter should always be replaced after the root cause of the failure has been properly diagnosed.

In many instances, an inefficient converter can be traced back to another engine or fuel-management problem.

Replacing the catalyst in these instances will result in temporary emissions improvement, but only until the replacement converter is damaged by the same circumstances suffered by the original.

The usual cause of death is suffocation (clogging) or poisoning.

A clog, stemming from the introduction of debris from upstream, will block the flow of exhaust gas from getting out of the system. Performance will immediately suffer, and if left to worsen the engine ultimately won’t even start at all.

Early signs of a clog include loss of power, engine hesitation, and a noticeable drop in fuel economy.

Poison can be introduced through the use of unsafe chemicals, or through engine problems that change the composition or temperature of exhaust gases.

Leaded gasoline, for example, will shorten the life of a catalytic converter considerably. Even some gasket sealers and cements can poison a converter. And, as has already been cited, incorrect air/fuel mixtures, incorrect timing, and misfiring spark plugs are other forms of poisoning.

Contamination is another.

Carbon flushing or top-cleans will FEBRUARY 2007

move a lot of dirt and deposits. But the real danger is in just running the cleaner through and taking the car for a simple spin around the block. You’re courting disaster. Rather, take the vehicle on at least a 40-km road test to not only help blow the carbon through the engine, but to bring the catalytic converter back up to light-up efficiency.

A flush will flood the converter with a whole host of contaminants and unless you give it time to adequately burn away, you could plug the converter. Sometimes it takes a week or longer to get back to normal.

The list of potential dangers is long.

Cats are susceptible to overheating, thermal shock, physical damage, and the illeffects of a malfunctioning O2 sensor, plugged or inoperable fuel injectors, piston blow-by, leaking head gasket, broken or frozen choke or carburetor float, excessive cranking time, and repeated incidences of running out of gas.

Signs of a deteriorating catalytic con-

verter include rusted or broken casing or end tubes, bits of substrate in other sections of the exhaust system, and the sound it makes when you shake it or pound it with a closed fist. In pellitized converters, no rattle could mean the pellets may have melted together or fallen out. In monolithic converters, a rattle often indicates the substrate has separated.

If the system is clogged, a pressure tester will confirm that. For confirmation of your diagnosis, disconnect the catalytic converter, and run the engine to see if everything runs smoothly.

The catalytic converter is designed to take minimal emissions – or left-over gases – and clean them up. If the vehicle is grossly polluting, the converter is not going to be able to take those exorbitant amounts of failure gases and clean them up. It’s not meant to be the first line of defense. It’s meant to be the last tweak as the gases are exiting the tailpipe.

Pre- and post-cat read-outs will gives you a baseline for your diagnostics.

What makes diagnosis tricky is that the catalytic converter is so susceptible to failure in another part of the combustion or exhaust system.

This vulnerability also means you should be especially wary when swapping over an engine. The cat may look great, but whatever the old engine was sending downstream may have caused problems downstream. If it was leaking oil or coolant internally, for example, the catalytic converter would have suffered. As a result, the cat is probably all gummed up.

Again, check the back-pressure to prevent problems.

Too often, catalytic converters are thrown on a vehicle prematurely… and sometimes unnecessarily. Replacing one without tracing the root problem is courting future problems.

They’ll last forever unless they’re murdered by something else. Figure out who the culprit was or you could be investigating another murder six months down the road.

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION – FILL IN THIS CARD! ❏ Yes, please send (continue to send) CANADIAN TECHNICIAN magazine – FREE! ❏ No... do not send CANADIAN TECHNICIAN magazine to me.

Signature

Date

Please Fax Back To:

416/614-8861 or mail to

Name: Company Name: Company Address: City:

Province:

Telephone:

Fax:

Postal Code:

IMPORTANT!

You must answer all questions

e-mail:

2. I am provincially licensed to repair vehicles: ❑ Yes ❑ No

3. I specify, select, approve or influence/recommend the purchase of automotive replacement parts, tools, or equipment (check all that apply): ❑ Specify ❑ Select ❑ Approve ❑ Influence or recommend ❑ None of the above 4. The type of work we do here includes (check all that apply): 1. ❑ Oil / filter / lube service 2. ❑ Battery sales / service 3. ❑ Brake service 4. ❑ Engine repair / overhaul 5. ❑ Engine performance / emissions / tune-up

6. ❑ Electrical service - chassis 7. ❑ Electrical service - engine 8. ❑ Exhaust / muffler / catalytic converter 9. ❑ Shock / strut service 10. ❑ Steering / suspension service 11. ❑ Wheel alignment / wheel service 12. ❑ Transmission / transaxle service or overhaul (automatic) 13. ❑ Transmission / transaxle service or overhaul (manual) 14. ❑ AC service 15. ❑ Cooling system / radiator service 16. ❑ Emission control service 17. ❑ Clutch service 18. ❑ Fuel injection service 19. ❑ Diesel engine service 20. ❑ Tire sales / service

Have a comment to make about Canadian Technician?

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❏ Please call me, I have a story idea for Canadian Technician.

FEBRUARY 2007

MY JOB TITLE IS (CHECK ONE ONLY): ❑ Shop owner / Shop manager ❑ Administration ❑ Service writer / Service manager ❑ Lead technician / Shop foreman ❑ Technician ❑ Apprentice ❑ Other (specify):_________________ 5. Average number of vehicles serviced at this location per week: _______________________________________________________ 6. Number of service bays at this location: _______________________________________________________ 7. Number of mechanics/technicians employed at this location: _______________________________________________________ 8. Number of apprentice technicians employed at this location: _______________________________________________________

What would you like to see more of in Canadian Technician?

❏ Human interest stories and profiles ❏ Technical articles ❏ Business management articles ❏ New product information ❏ News about supplier companies

February 2007

1. This location is a (check one only): A. ❑ General service and repair shop B. ❑ Specialized service and repair shop C. ❑ Service station with repair facilities D. ❑ Automotive rebuilder E. ❑ New car/truck dealer F. ❑ Body shop with repair facilities G. ❑ Fleet owner with repair facilities H. ❑ Other (specify): ________________________

451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5C4

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 29

Seeing INSIDE the circuit

The low-amp probe offers high-tech results when you learn how to interpret what it’s telling you. By Hans Zundel

s modern automobiles have increased in complexity, so too have the skills and tools required to repair them.

High-tech scanners and sophisticated digital multimeters have joined a host of specialized instruments that are as commonplace today as vacuum gauges and compression testers were 20 years ago.

And, while we still have a use for some basic diagnostic tools, there is a relatively new one that stands out for its diagnostic capability and versatility: the low-amp probe.

When clamped around a wire, the lowamp probe measures the magnetic field created around a conductor as current passes through it. From this, it produces a readable voltage signal. These non-intrusive and highly sensitive capabilities make it ideal for modern diagnostics.

The onset of large multi-pin connectors have made series connected ammeters nearly obsolete. To properly diagnose modern electrical components, we must be able to accurately measure current, not just voltage. Couple this ability with a graphing or scope-type meter and you’ve

A

30 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

got a real-time snapshot of what’s happening inside the circuit.

The ability to fully monitor current flow means you can diagnose fuel pumps, blower motors, fuel injectors, and coils – or almost any electrical device, each of which has a unique signature or waveform created by how the current flows while it operates. By interpreting what we see in these patterns and waveforms, an accurate diagnosis can easily be made.

Imagine being able to see the open circuit in the commutator of an electric fuel pump that is causing an intermittent no start.

The sensitivity of this tool allows it to indicate worn or sticking mechanical components, short or open circuits, and the relative resistance of circuits such as fuel injectors.

What’s more, you can test the current at any point in the circuit. This is particularly useful for components such as fuel injectors, which may be under an intake manifold plenum or a relay buried under a dashboard. Testing can be done at the fuse panel, near the PCM or any other

location since current in the circuit is constant at any point in the circuit.

By learning to interpret the information in the waveforms, we can diagnose worn electric motors, verify ignition coil firing, or even see if an injector is being activated.

High spikes or peaks that rise above the rest show higher current versus low flat lines that indicate little or no current flow.

For example, while viewing a V6 fuel injector current pattern at the power source, you would expect to see six upward patterns evenly spaced (one for each injector). The absence of one spike would indicate an open circuit while one spike higher than the rest would indicate a shorted injector (remember that higher spikes mean higher current).

Gentle slopes on a waveform indicate a gradual rise in current and conversely a sharp slope indicates a sudden change. So a sharp downward drop would indicate a switch opening and current flow stopping.

By comparing one suspect cylinder to another or several known good ones, defective components can be quickly isolated.

For example, if a misfire code for cylinFEBRUARY 2007

der #5 is indicated, a quick view of the injector current against coil current might indicate that the injectors are all firing, but one coil is not or vice versa. You could then focus on the appropriate component for further diagnosis.

The waveform created by most electrical components is usually very consistent in appearance. The change in “signature” is what indicates trouble. The trick is in recognizing the waveforms you encounter and interpreting them correctly. This will give you the foundation for utilizing this tool to its full potential.

Each hump represents a segment of the fuel pump winding circuits. The yellow arrow indicates where high resistance in the commutator reduces current flow dramatically.

This pump also indicated failing brush contact in the segments before the drop (flat humps).

As with any other form of testing or repair, however, it’s important to start with the basics.

1. Make sure your probe has a healthy battery, or your readings may be compromised.

2. Select a one- or two-volt scale on your scope. Remember, the amp clamp outputs a calculated voltage. Most lowamp probes have at least two scales: one lower (around 10 mV/amp) and one higher (around 100 mV/amp). This means that on the lower setting, for every 10 mV produced by the low-amp probe, one amp is flowing in the circuit.

On the higher setting, for every 100 mV produced by the low-amp probe, one amp is flowing in the circuit. So, on the 100mV/amp scale, a reading of 645mV equals 6.45A. Select the 10mV scale for higher outputs like cooling fan and blower motors, and the 100mV scale for things such as relays, parasitic FEBRUARY 2007

drains and other low draw devices.

3. Finally, the clamp must be zeroed to give accurate readings. Some probes have an auto-zeroing feature, others have a dial.

Now, because we can test at any point in the harness, we may not know which way the current is flowing. If your waveform appears below the zero line, simply flip the probe the other way. Now you’re ready to test.

Once you have a waveform in the display, you can adjust voltage scale and time base to better suit your waveform.

The same vehicle after fuel pump replacement. Notice the even spacing and amplitude compared to the previous capture.

Every part of the waveform tells a story about what’s going on in the circuit and soon you’ll start to recognize familiar patterns.

A sharp downward slope (straight

This is a capture from the power wire of a 4-cylinder coil pack. The PCM is obviously firing the coils.

A failed driver would leave an empty space between the peaks.

down), for example, indicates a sudden drop or stop in current flow. This could show a driver in a PCM shutting off or not holding on when it’s supposed to.

A disruption or hump in a steadily rising current usually indicates an opening fuel injector or relay engaging. The pattern is caused when the current required to keep the component on is less than what is required to initially open it. Recognizing this pattern could help you diagnose almost any electric actuator to see if it’s moving, such as EVAP solenoid valves, TCC and transmission shift solenoids, or even HVAC door motors.

There are countless applications for low-amp probe use. Some of the ones mentioned here find common use in diagnosing issues we face every day in the service bay. There are many more applications that we have not touched on, and not every facet of waveform interpretation has been discussed. But you should now have

Both of these waveforms are from the same fuel pump. By using a shorter “capture window” on the right, we can view the waveform in more detail. To view only two of the humps in the waveform, you would use an even smaller time base, such as 5 m/sec. In the same way if a waveform has too much amplitude (off the top or bottom of the screen) the voltage scale can be adjusted accordingly.

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 31

See the difference in appearance made by moving from the two-volt scale to the one-volt scale. By moving the voltage scale and time base you can concentrate on a single part of the waveform (highlighted in red) to analyze it.

The areas circled in green show a sudden drop in ignition coil current.

This indicates that this ignition module is about to fail completely.

a taste of how this valuable tool can make your life easier and give you the edge to provide fast, accurate diagnosis of just about anything that works on electricity.

This hump indicates the point at which mechanical action occurs, providing evidence that a component is functioning, even if we can’t see inside it.

After using a low-amp probe for a while, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it!

Hans Zundel is a licensed technician at Premier Automotives in Fort McMurray, Alta., and an administrator on www.canadiantechnician.ca/forum.

32 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

FEBRUARY 2007

Cam guide pins NAPA Chassis has announced availability of OE replacement cam guide pins for a variety of vehicle applications. These replacement cam guide pins install quickly and easily. The old pin can be removed with a small hammer and punch.

Installation does not require special tools, and is typically done using a Vice-Grip and small socket wrench.

NAPA – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/43001

Lens restoration The new MLSK Lens Restoration Kit is a biodegradable, water-based product which rejuvenates vehicles headlights. To speed the process, use MATCO buffers RL730K or MT1650K. They are safe for paint-jobs with no need to tape.

A package can do 20 to 40 vehicles, depending on size of the lens.

Matco – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/43010

Shock and strut catalog The 2007 Monroe Shocks and Struts Master Catalog is now available from Tenneco. The 2007 catalog includes more than 100 new replacement strut part numbers, more than 40 additional strut mount SKUs and 21 new Monroe Quick-Strut assemblies for import and domestic passenger vehicles.

Tenneco – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/43011

Unicoil Hoses

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ACDelco has introduced Unicoil hoses, which allow techs to make custom hoses using stock heater hose. Unicoil is ideal for out-of-stock situations and troublesome routing conditions.

Simply bend straight hose into any shape. No tools or special equipment are needed. It also reduces inventory requirements while providing a hose solution for custom applications. Can be used for heater hose, fuel line hose, fuel injection hose, and transmission oil cooler hose.

ACDelco â&#x20AC;&#x201C; For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/43007 FEBRUARY 2007

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 33

Rechargeable work light The new POD Light is billed as the next generation in portable lighting. It’s a flashlight, a work light, and a flashing safety strobe light, all packed into a rechargeable, heavy-duty rubber, weatherproof housing that is virtually indestructible. LED technology provides extended cordless operation. Unlike

conventional bulbs, they won’t blow out when dropped. The Podlight Model POD1000 comes complete with a 12-volt auto and 110-volt wall charger. For hands free operation, the unit has a strong magnetic holder on a 360 degree collar to allow positioning to hold light where it is needed.

Canbuilt – For more info, go to www.aptmag.ca/products/43006

Job Board Busy independent shop seeks licensed tech for permanent employment. Monday to Friday only, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., no overtime asked or expected.Contact Ralph Jarvis,Renfrew Auto Service, 1212 Edmonton Trail NE, Calgary, AB. ralphrenfrew@shaw.ca Ph:403-277-8621.F:403-262-1005.

Shop seeks transmission rebuilder / specialist and quality controller for automatic and manual models. Must have technical college/ school diploma and minimum of five years experience in auto mechanics. Fluency in Persian (Farsi) is a requirement.

Call Daniel Transmission 905-856-3333.

Clean and bright independent automotive shop in Edmonton has a opening for a general technician or experienced apprentice. Wages negotiable. Benefits, no weekends, no nights.Team environment. E-mail resume to accessauto@hotmail.com.All replies confidential.

Chevrolet dealership in Camrose, AB seeks third- or fourth-year apprentices or journeyman technicians. We offer competitive wages,benefits,and an excellent work environment. Contact Ralph Gau, service manager, McClellan Wheaton Chevrolet, 3850 48th Ave., Camrose AB,T4V 3Z8.Phone: 780-672-2355.

Well-equipped shop in Valleyview, B.C. (two mechanical bays, three tire bays) seeks licensed tech. All makes and models but mostly full-size domestic pickups. Starting wage for the right person is $26/hr straight time.Contact Mike Macnab at f074@hotmail.com or 780-524-3408.

Have tools… need work! A potentially great technician seeks first period apprenticeship in Southern Ontario.

I am mature and hardworking with a sense of humor,college education, Drive Clean certification, and lube tech experience. Call Robert 416-652-6392 or e-mail car_guy2007@hotmail.com.

Flat-rate shop seeks 1-2 Ford technicians for 4-days-on/4days-off shift, 8am to 8pm.Starting wages from $30-$35 per hour. We offer living accommodation assistance and moving allowances, immediate benefits, and paid Ford technical training.E-mail scampbell@hansenford.ca.

Successful, busy, well-equiped shop in Southern Alberta seeks lic. tech with good diagnostic skills and ability to think for himself.Pays up to $30 per straight time hour for the right candidate.Potential for ownership.

Call Allan at 403-223-6449.E-mail:mustang7@telus.net.

To place your ad, contact Allan Janssen at 416 614-5814 or e-mail ajanssen@canadiantechnician.ca.

40 words max.$250 per ad.

34 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

FEBRUARY 2007

Canadian Technician & Cochrane Automotive present the

PREMIER TRAINING EVENT IN CANADA GET READY FOR TOMORROW’S VEHICLES! Three days of industry-leading training from Jim Linder’s famous GURU SCHOOL THIS IS A WEEKEND THAT WILL EQUIP YOU TO FIX WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SEND AWAY!

ON THIS YEAR’S AGENDA: WHAT ATTENDEES SAID AFTER LAST YEAR’S EVENT:

John Thornton

“I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Linder conference.The training we received is going to help us in our increasingly difficult jobs.We plan to make this a yearly event and we’ll tell anybody that will listen that this will be the place to be next April!

Craig Shoemaker Woodstock, ON

Craig Van Batenburg

“The training was great, and it directly relates to what I do on a daily basis at my shop.I’m actually looking forward to going back to work tomorrow and trying out some of the methods I’ve learned.”

James Taylor Oshawa, ON “I just got back from Toronto and I’m still flying high.What a fantastic conference.The training was top-notch, the atmosphere was positive, and the food was great! Cochrane Automotive couldn’t have done a better job!

Cale Friess Kelowna, BC “This is the kind of training you need if you’re going to survive in this business.”

Philip Wilkie Nova Scotia

Key Off EVAP Systems & Electronic Throttle Control

Hybrid Help, Hype & Hindsight

Bruce Amacker 7.3 Powerstroke Diagnostic Tips & Strategies

Luis Ruiz Volkswagen Driveability

Glenn McNally Diagnostic Hints & Tips

PLAN TO ATTEND

APRIL 27-29

To r o n t o , O n t a r i o

FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit www.lindertechnorth.ca or call 416/236-1763 ext.2, 866/970-7720

2

3

6

10 11 13 15 16 17

5

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

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ACROSS

1 4 6 8 9

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February 07

AUTO PUZZLE

1

Volkswagen nameplate.

Steering arm.

Nameplate symbolized by a bowtie.

Toyota nameplate.

GM, Ford and Chrysler used to be known as “The Big _____”.

Restored.

Complete.

Wood fasteners.

What you spend much of work-time doing.

Then-Chrysler head Lee Iaccoca changed the AMC brand name to this.

Keyboard command.

DOWN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 12

What a frog does.

Hockey home.

Official documentation of achievement.

Type of valve.

Gun. Device which stores an electrical charge.

Crowding.

Tricks of the _______.

Temporary suspension, as in a _____ of judgment.

13 The “N”in NVH. 14 To guide a vehicle or keep it on course.

OCTOBER 2006

October 2006 Auto Puzzle T A C I M S I V Y N N G T C H I E M T P S I A C C T O Y

O M A B D S E A T C O R C H E V L l W A I N S C C K N O W D O R N E R N S O T A S S

R O N N V E R E Y V U E K I R O S N I N I N G U A T U

C O P T G I M A T N I O S S A R N

Add More Life To Your Car Havoline® has entered a new century of adding more life to your car.

Moving forward, we will continue to embrace vital new technology that translates into value-added solutions for your business.We’re looking towards the future, but we’ll never outgrow the world-class performance and solid technical expertise that got us here in the first place.

For more information call 1 800 465-2772 or visit www.Havoline.com

Congratulations to Donald Brum of Coiteux Hyundai in Montreal, QC, winner of a Havoline jacket for solving our October 2006 puzzle.

Win 100! $

Send your solved puzzle to Canadian Technician.We’ll draw a winner on April 17, 2007.Send to 451 Attwell Drive,Toronto, ON M9W 5C4.Or fax to 416-614-8861.

Name: Workplace: Work address: Phone:

email:

Question of the Month: What’s your favorite car to work on and why?

© 2006 Chevron Global Lubricants. All rights reserved.

continued from page 38 “Hold it, Basil,” I protested. “What do ‘resplendent waters’ have to do with this Explorer?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Not the waters, Slim; the revealing mists. Let the engine cool down, run a smoke test on the intake manifold, and you’ll soon discover your problem.”

We knew that we’d have to work for our answer, so we did as Basil suggested.

Sure enough, the smoke machine revealed that the O-rings used for gaskets between the upper and lower intake had hardened up and shrunk, causing a vacuum leak when cold. We changed the lower intake gaskets at the same time, just to be sure.

Once we were finished, the Ford ran as good as…well, as good as a Ford can run.

“How does he do that?” asked Beanie, referring to Basil’s boundless fountain of knowledge.

Tooner shrugged. “Beats me. I’m just glad he works here and not for the competition.”

“I agree,” I said. “And here’s one Explorer that’s no longer cranky when cold.”

Tooner looked towards the office.

“Speaking of cranky, here comes Quigley.

Should we warn him?”

“Naw, let’s just see what happens.”

The employee in question, with clipboard in hand, was on his way over to get Tooner’s list of parts. Unfortunately for him, he had to pass by Beanie’s oil change that was up on the hoist thawing out.

Suddenly, a large clump of snow slid off the hood and landed squarely on his unprotected head, soaking his shop coat and his paperwork.

“Hey, Quig,” called Tooner, struggling to keep a straight face. “Can’t you read the sign? This is a snow-hat area; proper head protection required!”

Quigley grit his teeth and stomped back to the office, slamming the door behind him.

“Sheesh!” said Beanie. “Talk about no sense of humour!”

I chuckled. “He can’t help it, Bean. He said it himself; ‘I was ‘b-b-born to be warm!’”

Solved a tricky shop problem lately? Think it would make a good story for The Car Side?

Contact Rick at rick. cogbill@shawcable.com.

FEBRUARY 2007

ADVERTISER INDEX Advertiser

Page

Website Address

Phone

Chevron Global Lubricants 6975A Pacific Circle Mississauga, ON L4T 1A1

36

www.texacohavoline42.com

1-800-465-2772

Henkel Canada Inc. 2225 Meadowpine Blvd.

Mississauga, Ontario L5N 7P2

23

www.loctite.com

1-800-263-5043

KYB America LLC 140 North Mitchell Court Addison, IL 60101

39

www.kyb.com

1-630-620-5555

Maremont Canada 3600A Lakeshore Blvd.West Toronto ON M8W4Y8

32

www.maremont.com

1-800-882-6833

Matco Tools 25 Carissa Lane Holland Landing, ON L9N 1R6

33

www.nmtccanada.com Franchise Opportunities

1-866-BUY-TOOL 1-800-368-6651

6

www.mevotech.com

416.783.7800

11

www.mopar.ca

1-866-38-MOPAR

4

www.ngksparkplugs.ca

1-877-2-SPARKY

Quaker State 1101 Blair Road Burlington, ON L7M 1T3

15

Qpower.com

1-800-263-6200

Robert Bosch, Inc. 6955 Creditview Rd. Mississauga, ON L5N 1R1

40

www.bosch.com

1-800-618-4729

SKF 40 Executive Court Scarborough, Ontario M1S 4N4

34

www.skf.ca

1 (866) TEAM SKF (1-866-832-6753)

2

www.snapon.com

1-800-734-2676

Speedy Muffler, Brake & Wheel 365 Bloor St.East Toronto, ON M4W 3M7

27

www.speedy.com

1-877-287-4277

SPX/OTC 5695 Whittle Road Mississauga, ON L4Z 3P8

12

Tenneco Automotive 1 International Drive Monroe, MI 48161

9

www.monroe.com

Visit our website

Wakefield Canada Inc. (Castrol) 3620 Lakeshore Blvd.West Toronto ON M8W 1P2

8

www.wakefieldcanada.ca

1-888-CASTROL

Mevotech 240 Bridgeland Ave. Toronto ON M6A 1Z4 Mopar Contact your participating DaimlerChrysler Retailer NGK Spark Plugs Canada Limited 505 Apple Creek Blvd.Unit 1 Markham ON L3R 5R1

Snap-on Tools 2325 Skymark Avenue Mississauga, ON L4W 5A9

www.genisysotc.com Contact local agent

CANADIAN TECHNICIAN 37

The Car Side

By Rick Cogbill

In the dead of winter, some vehicles respond just like Slim’s thin-blooded service writer.

38 CANADIAN TECHNICIAN

Caution: Cranky When Cold!

Will Enns

I

glanced at my watch as the bell over the front door tinkled to life.

“Morning, Quigley,” I said without looking up. “Aren’t we running a little late this morning?”

My innocent enquiry was met with a torrent of indiscernible rantings, and one look told me why; our normally-tranquil service writer had three scarves and a toque wrapped around his face as protection from the winter elements. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “Are we having a war with Old Man Winter?”

Quigley removed a glove the size of a goalie’s mitt and unwrapped his facial protection. “C-c-can’t s-stand the c-cold!” he muttered through clenched teeth. “I was b-b-born to be warm.”

“Oh, poor baby,” said Tooner, reaching for the coffee pot. “Let me pour you a cup of Slim’s morning gut killer. It ain’t the tropics, but it’s guaranteed to scorch your innards.”

“Very funny,” I said. “It doesn’t seem to stop you from drinking your share.”

I watched as Quigley removed multiple layers of sweaters and jackets. “Aren’t you being a little extreme with this cold thing?”

“Yeah,” said Beanie. “You look like Porky Pig in a parka.”

“Never mind,” grumped Quigley. “I hate winter, and can’t wait for it to be over.”

“Hate winter?” Tooner gave a snort.

“Huh! Some Canadian you are.”

“All right, let’s not get personal,” I said.

“Quigley, what’s the deal with that 1998 Ford Explorer sitting in the parking lot?

This computer must be broken, ‘cause I can’t find the appointments anywhere.”

Mr. Thin-blood shuffled over to the keyboard and instantly pulled up the daily appointment sheet, making me look as dumb as I felt. “You mean this schedule?”

He squinted at the screen. “It’s got a 4.0 litre engine that idles terrible when cold.

The customer says it surges between 800

and 2000 rpm, and often stalls.” He blew on his cold fingers to warm them up.

“Apparently it doesn’t like cold mornings any more than I do.”

I sent Beanie and Tooner out to bring in the vehicle, and while Bean brushed of the snow, Tooner connected his scan tool to get some readings on the cold engine.

When the vehicle was in the shop, they got to work and before long were back in the office, presumably to give us their professional opinion. In actual fact, Tooner was after more coffee.

“Well, what’d you find,” I asked.

Tooner squinted at his mug. “Hmm. Strong corrosive mixture, repugnant odor, badly in need of a WHMIS label…”

“I meant with the Explorer!”

“Oh. Well, there’s no trouble codes.

We’ve got good O2 crossovers, MAF readings that match the rpm, and accurate

coolant and air temp readings.” He shrugged. “If you ask me, I’d say a dirty IAC motor, or maybe the throttle body needs cleaning.”

In other words, it was time to go ask Basil.

Our mechanically-minded mentor listened as we explained the dilemma, closing his eyes as he stroked his goatee.

“Cranky when cold, eh? I do believe I’ve run into this before, only it was a Ranger pickup with the same engine. It brings to mind a poem by Lindé Ravizé. I came across it on the internet the other day…”

He opened his eyes and began to quote: “Resplendent waters burst with light while purple mists reveal the sight in treasured hues of dawn’s delight, a jewel to the eye…”

continued on page 37 FEBRUARY 2007

“Since introducing ‘Ride Control Solutions from KYB’ we’re selling almost 10 times as many shocks and struts.”

– Darryl Croft OK Tire Store, Ontario

“Ride Control Solutions from KYB helped us increase our average sales from 4 to 30 shocks a month.” “ For the first time a manufacturer actually came into our shop to teach my team how to better inform our clients about shocks and struts. ‘Ride Control Solutions from KYB’ allows us to properly identify worn shocks and mentor our clients with confidence about ride control.

This is an exciting process! Our goal has always been to provide our clients with the best in ride control, and KYB has always been known for high quality products and trouble free installation. This quality, combined with Ride Control Solutions and the continuing KYB support, ensures that our team and clients are better informed and can make educated choices about ride control.” – Darryl Croft Ride Control Solutions from KYB’ is the industry’s most effective way to sell shocks and struts.

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