TECH TIP FOR OCTOBER,  1999

SEVERAL CUSTOMER'S HAVE  COMMENTED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 10 YEARS, THERE WAS NO TECH TIP LAST MONTH. ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, I INJURED  MY BACK AND SPENT THE NEXT 5 DAYS IN BED. SINCE THEN IT HAS SLOWLY BECOME BETTER AND I AM ALMOST BACK TO NORMAL (BUT BEING A LOT MORE CAREFUL).

ANYWAY, IT'S TIME TO TALK  AGAIN ABOUT BATTERIES. WE ARE COMING INTO THE "BATTERY SEASON",  BUT WHAT MOST OF US DON'T THINK ABOUT IS THAT THE BATTERIES WE REPLACE AT THE BEGINNING OF WINTER WERE KILLED BY THE HEAT OF SUMMER. HEAT IS THE WORST ENEMY OF BATTERIES AND WHEN SUBJECTED  TO THE EXTREMES WE HAD THIS SUMMER  WE CAN EXPECT A LARGE VOLUME  IN EARLY SEASON BATTERY SALES.

I USED TO WAREHOUSE ONE OF THE NATIONALLY KNOWN BRANDS OF BATTERIES AND NOW HAVE CHANGED. THE BATTERIES I NOW DISTRIBUTE ARE MANUFACTURED BY DELPHI/DELCOR AND DISTRIBUTED THROUGH "BLUESTAR INTERNATIONAL".  THE MAIN REASON I CHOSE TO CHANGE WAS THE OUTSTANDING WARRANTY  BEING OFFERED AND THE NAME BRAND OF MANUFACTURE. THERE ARE SEVERAL WARRANTY PACKAGES AVAILABLE IN THE LINE, ALL OF WHICH ARE  LONGER THAN ALMOST ANYTHING IN THE INDUSTRY TODAY. THE AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY I CHOSE TO HANDLE, HAS A 60/60 WARRANTY. THAT IS 60 MONTHS WARRANTY WITH 60 MONTHS OF FREE REPLACEMENT. NATIONWIDE  WARRANTY IS HANDLED THROUGH TOLLFREE NUMBER  1(888)AMPHOUR AND SINCE I AM THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR I HAVE FINAL SAY ON ANYTHING LOCAL.

BATTERIES ARE PLACED ON A  CONSIGNMENT BASIS AND REPLACED AS THEY ARE USED. IF ANYONE IS  INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM PLEASE CALL ME FOR  INFORMATION.

ON THE GENERAL MOTORS CARS WITH THE 3.4L ENGINE, IN MOST CASES THE ALTERNATOR IS HIDDEN,  DOWN LOW, BEHIND THE ENGINE. IT'S ABOUT 3 - 5 HOURS WORK IT CHANGE  IT. THESE ALTERNATORS ALMOST ALWAYS COME WITH A DUCTING SYSTEM OF SOME KIND TO GET AIR TO THE BACK OF THE ALTERNATOR TO COOL IT.  MUST REPLACE THIS DUCT WORK OR THE ALTERNATOR WILL FAIL IN SHORT ORDER. IF THE CAR YOU  GET DOES NOT HAVE A DUCT, CALL THE DEALER TO FIND OUT IF IT  SHOULD. IF IT SHOULD, ORDER AND INSTALL THE DUCT, OR BE PREPARED TO  DO THE JOB AGAIN IN AN UNBELIEVABLY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. BUT,  THIS TIME IT WILL PROBABLY BE FOR FREE!

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KEEP TALKING ABOUT IN DIAGNOSIS, IS VOLTAGE DROP TESTING. THIS DOES NOT MEAN READING THE VOLTAGE IN A STATIC CIRCUIT, THERE MUST  BE CURRENT FLOWING! IT ALSO DOESN'T MEAN THAT BECAUSE IT WILL  LIGHT YOUR TEST LIGHT THAT THE CIRCUIT IS OK. I THINK THAT WHEN I SAY "VOLTAGE DROP TEST" EVERYONE NODS THEIR HEAD WISELY AND SOME HOPE THAT NO ONE ASKS ANYTHING FURTHER. IT YOU DON'T  UNDERSTAND WHAT AND/OR HOW, FIND OUT. IT WILL MAKE YOUR JOB A WHOLE LOT EASIER AND FASTER. EASIER & FASTER MEANS MORE PROFITABLE, WITH  LESS COME BACKS.

A REBUILDER FRIEND REPORTS THE FOLLOWING FOR 1992 BUICK PARK AVE W/3800  & ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS: A GARAGE CUSTOMER  HAD A VEHICLE COME IN WITH ALTERNATOR NOT WORKING, AND A BLOWN ALT/IGN FUSE   ALTERNATOR REPLACED. TWO WEEKS LATER, VEHICLE CAME IN, ALTERNATOR NOT WORKING, FUSE  BLOWN AGAIN. THIS TIME ALTERNATOR REMOVED AND BENCH TESTED AND  WAS OK. ALTERNATOR REPLACED ANYWAY IN CASE. THREE WEEKS LATER VEHICLE CAME IN, ALTERNATOR NOT WORKING, AND FUSE TO ALTERNATOR BLOWN AGAIN. REFUSED REQUEST FOR THIRD ALTERNATOR. CAR WAS  EVENTUALLY SENT TO AN "ELECTRICAL SPECIALIST" WHO FOUND THAT THE FEED WIRE TO THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD SHORT TO THE COLUMN  WHEN THE TILT WAS IN THE CORRECT POSITION, AND THIS IN TURN WOULD BLOW THE FUSE TO THE ALTERNATOR.

APPARENTLY THIS ONLY HAPPENED WHEN THE OWNER'S WIFE HAD THE CAR, BECAUSE SHE WAS SHORTER THAN  HE, AND WOULD TILT THE WHEEL LOWER. WHILE READING PROBLEMS AND FIXES ON THE iATN. I AM SEEING MORE AND MORE PROBLEMS RELATED TO  BAD GROUNDS AND THE ECM, I THINK THAT THERE WILL BE A LOT  MORE IN THE FUTURE, WHICH MEANS BUSINESS FOR THOSE WHO ARE READY.

ANOTHER THING THAT SEEMS VERY COMMON IS A WON'T START, CAUSED BY A FLAT BATTERY THAT RESULTS  FROM LIGHTING SWITCHES IN THE TRUNK, ENGINE COMPARTMENT, OR GLOVE BOX, WHICH STICK OR ARE MISALIGNED AND JAM. THERE ALSO APPEARS  TO BE A HIGH INCIDENT OF RELAYS THAT STICK INTERMITTENTLY AND FLATTEN THE BATTERY. SOMETIMES WE NEED TO USE THE "SHERLOCK HOLMES"  METHOD OF DIAGNOSIS. IF YOU HAVE CAREFULLY AND SERIOSLY CHECK  ALL SENSIBLE THINGS, THEN WHATEVER IS LEFT, REGARDLESS OF HOW IMPROBABLE, MUST BE CONSIDERED AS A POSSIBLE CAUSE.