TECH TIP FOR APRIL, 1997

A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS:

FIRST; WE ARE STILL CLOSING ON THE SATURDAY OF ALL THE HOLIDAY            WEEKENDS, THE DOOR WILL BE LOCKED AND THE PHONE ON ANSWERING       MACHINE.        

SECOND;  WE WILL BE CLOSED ON SATURDAY, JUNE 7, SO DANNY & I               CAN GO TO A SEMINAR IN DETROIT.

THIRD; I WILL NOT BE HERE ON MAY 16th, BUT THE SHOP WILL BE             OPEN. I'M GOING TO A SEMINAR/TRADE SHOW IN KANSAS CITY.

FOURTH;  CONTRARY TO WHAT I HAVE INDICATED IN THE PAST, THERE              WILL BE ANOTHER TRIP TO A TECHNICAL SEMINAR THIS YEAR.            BUT, THIS TIME IT WILL BE DIFFERENT. IT WILL BE PAY IN            ADVANCE AND THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS IF YOU CHANGE YOUR           MIND. EVERYONE WHO ATTENDS THE SEMINAR WILL HAVE HALF             THEIR MONEY REFUNDED EITHER ON THE WAY HOME OR BY A               CREDIT TO THEIR ACCOUNT, DEPENDING ON HOW IT WAS PAID             FOR TO START WITH. THE SEMINAR WILL TAKE PLACE IN                 OAKVILLE ON JUNE 11th, AND THE BUS WILL "LEAVE"                   BRANTFORD STARTER AT 6:30pm AND WE SHOULD GET BACK ABOUT           11:00pm.

         THE LECTURER THIS YEAR WILL BE ROBERT (BOB) GOULDING,             TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OF THE "AUTOMOTIVE PARTS REBUILDER'S           ASSOCIATION". BOB IS VERY KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT WHAT THE             FUTURE WILL BE BRINGING TO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AND            SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A GREAT INSIGHT INTO WHAT TO            WATCH FOR.  PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN THE ATTACHED               REGISTRATION FORM, INDICATING WHO WILL BE ATTENDING AND           IF YOU WANT TO ISSUE A CHEQUE OR AUTHORISE CHARGING THE           FEES TO YOUR ACCOUNT.

THE ANSWER TO LAST MONTH'S QUESTION IS BIG.THE CABLES TO AND FROM THE STARTER MUST BE 3/0, IF YOU USE THE FRAME AS A GROUND PATH, THE CABLE TO AND FROM THE FRAME MUST BE 3/0. ON THE ALTERNATOR THE POS AND NEG CABLES MUST BE 2/0 AND THE SAME APPLIES IF THE FRAME IS USED FOR A GROUND PATH. IT'S THIS NECESSITY FOR BIG CABLES THAT HAS THE INDUSTRY THINKING ABOUT HIGHER VOLTAGES.

EVERY YEAR THE CONSUMER'S REPORTS HAS AN ISSUE COVERING THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY FOR THE PREVIOUS 6 YEARS. MY COPY ARRIVED DURING THE LAST WEEK IN THE MONTH AND I LOOKED THROUGH IT TO SEE WHAT I FELT WAS IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT. THEY ALWAYS BEGIN WITH "THERE'S GOOD NEW AND THERE'S BAD NEWS". FROM THE GOOD NEWS DEPARTMENT, IT APPEARS THAT ENGINES, TRANSMISSIONS & SUSPENSION SYSTEMS ARE BETTER AND THAT THE HIGH END JAPANESE VEHICLES ARE GOING TO LEAD THE DEPENDABILITY PARADE AGAIN THIS YEAR. FROM THE BAD NEWS DEPARTMENT COMES THE WARNING THAT EVEN THE LATE MODEL CARS CAN BE PLAGUED WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS.

THE REPORT BREAKS THE PROBLEM AREAS OF CARS DOWN INTO ENGINE, TRANS, BRAKES, ELECTRICAL ETC., AND RATES THEM BY A SOLID RED DOT FOR VERY GOOD, A HALF RED DOT FOR GOOD, NO COLOUR FOR SO-SO, A HALF BLACK DOT FOR PETTY BAD AND A SOLID BLACK DOT FOR "OH! MY GOD".

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ABOUT 3 MANUFACTURES'S AND THEN ONLY SELECT MODELS, THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THE REPORT USED NO COLOUR, HALF BLACK AND MOSTLY FULL BLACK WHEN RATING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ON MOST CARS BUILT SINCE 1988.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GOOD AT ELECTRICAL THIS IS GOOD.  FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT AND/OR ARE IGNORING IT IN THE HOPE THAT IT WILL GO AWAY, THIS IS A WARNING. IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE AS THE CARS AGE. I CAN FORESEE A TIME IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE(READ LESS THAN 5 YEARS), WHEN THE "AUTO ELECTRIC" SPECIALTY SHOP WILL BE THE BUSIEST AND MOST PROFITABLE PART OF THE REPAIR INDUSTRY. 

A CUSTOMER SENT ME THE ALTERNATOR OFF A 1987 SUNDANCE, 2.2L AND IT CHECKED OUT PERFECTLY. THE SYMPTOM WAS THAT THE CAR WOULD HARDLY START, RAN POORLY AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS FULL FIELDED AT 18VTS, UNTIL YOU TRIED TO INCREASE RPM AT WHICH POINT THE CAR STALLED AND WOULD ALMOST NOT START AGAIN. AFTER CHECKING EACH INDIVIDUAL WIRE FROM START TO FINISH, ALL CONNECTIONS, AND TRYING A NEW BATTERY; THE COMPUTER WAS REPLACED AND THE CAR IS NOW RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD.

ANOTHER CUSTOMER CALLED ABOUT THE ALTERNATOR OFF A 1989 HONDA ACCORD W/ CARB. THE CAR WAS SITTING FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND WHEN THEY WENT TO SHOW IT TO A POTENTIAL BUYER THE ALTERNATOR LIGHT WOULDN'T GO OUT, ALTHOUGH THE ALTERNATOR WAS CHARGING AT 14.2 VTS. WHEN THE ALTERNATOR WAS REMOVED IT WAS FOUND TO FUNCTION PROPERLY AND IT CONTROLLED THE LIGHT PROPERLY. AFTER MUCH SEARCHING THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE FUSE MARKED "ACCESSORY" IN THE MAIN PANEL WAS BLOWN. WHEN THE FUSE WAS REPLACE, THE LIGHT WENT OUT.

WHILE MOST CHRYSLER PRODUCTS SINCE ABOUT 1984, HAVE THE REGULATOR IN THE THE COMPUTER, FROM 1984 UNTIL ABOUT 1986 SOME OF THE E CLASS, THE NEW YORKERS AND THE LeBARONS WITH THE 2.2/2.5L ENGINE USED A BOSCH ALTERNATOR THAT WAS INTERNALLY REGULATED.