Auto Repair Mesa, AZ
Automotive Engineering auto service is a trustworthy full-service, preventive maintenance shop, performing excellent guaranteed, quality car & truck repair for Mesa, Arizona. Servicing your vehicle since 1987. We service & repair all makes and models of import & domestic vehicles. Our facility offers guaranteed quality repairing at a competitive price. You can Visit us with complete confidence, that your car or truck will be serviced or repaired correctly, in a timely fashion. We are an independently owned, family operated, advanced auto care facility. Using the latest full automotive diagnostic equipment, training and knowledge to guarantee your vehicle is properly repaired or serviced on your first visit. We only use quality guaranteed replacement parts and our technicians are ASE-certified. Bring your car in today for honest, reliable automobile care.
Oil Change in Mesa
The Automotive Industry is changing immensely. Vehicle Care will save money. For auto repair help read on.Regular automotive preventive maintenance on your vehicle will not only preserve your cars life, it will save you a ton of money. There are certain service intervals recommended by your vehicles manufacturer. Those service procedures are important, but are only a start, using other techniques along with the dealers recommendations will keep you driving to financial freedom from expensive repairs. A good independent mechanic is a great alternative to the dealer, offering dealership quality at a lower price. Remember preventive maintenance is a strong building block to a healthy automobile, considering most repair bills are due to the customers lack of auto service. We see neglected vehicles day in and day out. This article is intended to educate the reader about using preventive maintenance to prevent repairs and how to find a mechanic that only services what your car needs.
Preventive maintenance is hard to discuss, but using these guidelines will clean up the subject. Make sure you read the vehicles manual and learn the proper service intervals on your automobile. Have a record of any service or repair you have already had done. Find any recalls on the vehicle. These steps build a platform to achieve a reliable auto and mechanic. Plus a kicker "save a ton of money", on the other hand you could just "trade your car in", no matter how new your ride is, it will always need service and not just an oil change. There are other services needed throughout the life of your vehicle. We will explain some general automotive services in another article.
Finding a reliable mechanic, that services or repairs only what is needed on the vehicle and knows how to perform the proper services will be the final task to a saving money on your vehicle; Requiring research and patients, again make sure you educate yourself on the recommended maintenance intervals (30K, 60K, 90K etc.). Have your services and repair records handy. Locate any recalls the auto may have and use the knowledge you have obtained to your advantage when consulting a mechanic.
Defining the Engine Tune-Up
The old dreaded tune-up, this automotive service has changed immensely. In the older cars a tune up consisted of several replaceable items. We will mention some of these items in this article and compare the old vs the later model tune up. Read on.
-Distributor type ignition systems require more tuning than distributor-less found on newer vehicles. Distributors have been around for years and continue to show their presence. Distributor type ignition and the related components are the reason the tune up was born. This service helps allow the average, basic mechanic to keep working in the auto repair industry. Again their are several replaceable parts that you will need when performing "distributor type ignition tuning". These parts may include the distributor, cap, rotor, wires and spark plugs. Use caution, these components can get extremely expensive, especially when there is someone replacing them and they are not bad. A good auto repair technician can perform the service in his sleep and can pin-point whether or not the vehicle needs to be tuned. Note Drive ability problems are not necessarily because you need a tune-up.
-Distributor-less type ignitions need much less maintenance. This makes tuning as easy as changing the spark plugs. We educate people, who frequently state, "my check engine light is on, my car needs a tune-up". Warning, most of the time a vehicles check engine light takes more to repair than just a tune up for repair. This is why a qualified automotive repair technician is needed. Exercise your right to understand your automobile, one of your most important possessions.
Preparing For A Long Trip
Getting to your destination is better than siting on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck. Preparing your car for A long trip is simple. This article is intended to briefly educate on how simple checks will keep you moving forward. Read on.
We repair and service an average of one to five a day, with a comeback rate of 2%. Only 2 out of 100 vehicles return to me because of my mistake or a part failure. We take pride in educating auto owners about the importance of a reliable automobile. In order to prepare yourself for a successful commute on a long trip use a basic check list.
- Check the oil, you should check the oil on your car or truck once a week, but absolutely check it before a long drive.
- Check the tires, automotive tires will lose air over time. This can result in a major problem on the road, like a blow-out. Tires will malfunction if not inflated properly.
- Check the coolant, overheating can be damaging to the vehicles engine resulting in roadside assistance.
- Inspect the belts & hoses, a belt braking can cause a number of things; including battery charging and power steering malfunction.
In summary, We have briefly explained some basic checks on your car that should be performed, before a long trip. Make sure to consult a qualified auto service mechanic for further assistance. The auto mechanic should be able to assist you with other procedures that are necessary to make your automobile road worthy. Keep your ride off of the hook and have a save trip.
Locating the Right Mechanic
Finding and honest, knowledgeable auto repair shop that is properly trained can be a nightmare. The day's of having a brother in law or friend that is a mechanic seem to be in the past. Automotive repair needs to be seriously examined, have you ever experienced auto repair shop's that should not be in business? This article will examine some automotive diagnostic strategies and auto repair knowledge.
Engine analyzers come in varying sizes:
-Big box roll-away
-Hand-held scanner
An engine analyzer should be considered one of the essential tools for any type of drive ability diagnostics, not just intermittent. No other single piece of equipment can provide as much information about the basic function of the engine. The engine analyzer of today is typically hand-held, versus the big box of yesterday. I have owned a big box and they take up lots of space. Although there are some benefits to the hand-held such as portability; there are also draw backs, such as fewer features and smaller screens. To overcome this drawback, many hand held engine analyzers can now display directly on a PC monitor for easier viewing and greater clarity. I highly recommend setting up a display station.
similar features:
-Starting and charging system tests
-Ignition system analysis
-Cylinder balance test
-Relative compression test
-Cylinder time variations
Big box or hand-held, most engine analyzers offer similar features that are helpful in diagnosing intermittent problems. Since many drive ability related problems are still related to basics, the engine analyzer is a fast and effective way to pin-point drive ability problems in a wide variety of areas.
Late Model Vehicles are complicated:
In the past, there were two common methods of dealing with intermittent problems. First, we could wait until the intermittent problems becomes consistent or at least repeatable. Then we could apply standard diagnostic techniques to solve the problem. Second, we could start at the front of the vehicle and begin changing parts until either the problem goes away or, at the very least, becomes less of a problem. The first solution seldom works because customers need there vehicles to be ready for the daily commutes, nor do they want to drive a vehicle with a known problem waiting for it to break. The second solution is an even bigger problem, as the customer will end up paying for parts that we most likely don't need. Or worse yet, the unneeded parts end up costing a customer way too much money, therefore a good, knowledgeable auto repair shop is needed.
Automotive diagnostic strategies
Barometric pressure, manifold pressure, intake air temperature, volumetric efficiency and exhaust gas recirculation these items are all involved along with modifiers like battery voltage, coolant temperature and throttle position. Of course you have to look at trim, short term fuel trim and the adaptive strategy being long term fuel trim. The most important input to the PCM needs for most any calculation is engine speed. This input comes from a sensor that is located in the distributor.
-Barometric pressure, when the key is first turned to the on position, the PCM reads the BARO sensor to determine the altitude the vehicle will be operating at. Higher altitudes have less dense air and less molecules of oxygen in a given volume of air.
-Manifold absolute pressure or (MAP) is the measurement of potential air. This measurement tells the PCM how much air is ready to enter the combustion chamber when the intake valve opens.
-Intake air temperature or (IAT) hot air is less dense than cold air. Volumetric efficiency, this value is stored in the PROM. It is a value measured by the engineer when the vehicle was developed that represents the amount of air that has the ability to enter the cylinder on the intake stroke at a given rpm.
-Exhaust gas recirculation or (EGR) the PCM needs to know how much exhaust gas is being recirculated into the cylinders to effectively know the real weight of the air in the chamber. This action performed by the EGR system actually cools the cylinders to reduce NOX emissions and engine ping. Modifiers tweak the calculated values to compensate for operating conditions that always change. I recommend a good emissions repair shop for any repair EGR related.
-Battery voltage, the PCM looks at battery voltage as an input to modify parameters, which is important to all systems and will maintain fuel efficiency and catalyst. Therefore a good battery in is crucial to all operating systems!
-Coolant temperature, when cold the engine coolant temperature or (ECT) will cause the PCM to add time to the base pulse width or (BPW) to compensate for lack & fuel vaporization. The PCM will never subtract time for BPW, it will only add. The ECT is the main control sensor when the engine is cold or in closed loop. When the engine warms up, it remains in closed loop and the o2 or oxygen sensor takes charge.
-Throttle position sensor or (TPS) affect the BPW in two ways. The PCM looks at throttle position to determine which strategy to use (idle, cruise or wide open throttle). The PCM looks for rate of change from the TPS to effect BPW and cause either and accelerator pump effect or a fuel cut effect.
Auto Repair can be a bad experience if you can't trust your mechanic. The days of the back-yard mechanic are over and a technician is needed. Technicians should be master certified and extremely experienced in all makes and models. Providing the public with professional, dealership quality service and repair at an affordable price.
Free Diagnostic Information:
Developing Diagnostic Strategies, Using Exhaust Gas Analysis.
Welcome to another diagnostic & general knowledge article for your auto repair insight. Emissions repair can be extremely
"Exhausting". A good Technician is one that can diagnose a check engine light, considering that 90% of diagnosing a check
engine light is emission related. In this article I will examine diagnostic strategies using 5-gas analysis.
Lambda, Combustion Efficiency, Carbon Gases, CAT Efficiency and EVAP Emissions:
-Lambda is perfect air fuel ratio 14.7 parts of air to 1 part of fuel. The closer you get to Lambda, the less carbon emissions.
Lambda is a great diagnostic tool, more fuel and less air means rich condition, which will cause the CO and HC gases to be
high. We will discuss carbon emissions further in the article.
-Combustion efficiency speaks for itself, the more efficient the combustion is, the cleaner the emissions gases are and the
better the fuel mileage is. For checking combustion on your vehicle, consult an auto repair technician with the proper
equipment. Carbon Gases pollute the earths atmosphere and can cause a number of Ozone problems including "Acid Rain".
There are three very harmful gases; Carbon Monoxide, Hydrocarbons and Oxides of nitrogen.
-Carbon monoxide or (CO), this harmful gas will usually be out of range when there is a fuel problem and the vehicle is rich,
considering it is a reading of unburned fuel or raw fuel escaping the tailpipe.
-Hydrocarbons or (HC), this gas is will be seen usually with an ignition problem. HC is read in parts per million or grams per
mile. It is the reading of partially burned fuel escaping the tail pipe. Both of these carbon emission gases can be easily
diagnosed, using the correct procedure and checks, including your Lambda Numbers.
-Oxides of Nitrogen or (NOX), A gas that has been known to cause acid rain. NOX basically boils down to Cylinder pressure or
temperature. The more pressure or heat in the cylinder the higher the NOX will be. If a cylinder exceeds 2,500 degrees the
vehicle will produces excessive NOX. This can be achieved in different ways including the exhaust gas recirculation or (EGR)
system.
-Catalytic Converter or (CAT) efficiency, the catalytic converter is the most important emissions component on a vehicle with
an internal combustion engine. The CAT cleans the carbon emissions to virtually zero when it is 100% efficient. Engineers have
created an ozone preserving automotive part, which needs to be in excellent operating condition.
-Evaporative Emissions or (EVAP) one of the most complicated emission repairs, if you do not have the training and equipment.
EVAP emissions pollutes the Ozone 10 times more the vehicles tailpipe because to the CAT. Evaporative Emissions is actual
fuel vapor that is creating carbon gases. Gasoline is a huge carcinogen, which means it causes cancer and is very harmful, be
careful gassing up your ride. The invention of the catalytic converter has significantly reduced tailpipe emissions therefore
EVAP emissions is now the major contributor to carbon gases. I have experienced many different problems concerning the
EVAP system and have a great skill for Evaporative system diagnosis.
Most importantly, find the proper auto repair facility to diagnose and repair harmful emissions failures. Not only will this
preserve our Ozone, it will also save you money. The best way to locate a great auto mechanic is to look at their emissions
work. If they are poor on diagnosing carbon emission failures and do not have a 5-gas analyzer, then they do not have the
training and or equipment to diagnose a drive ability problem or check engine light. I have worked on cars all of my life and
currently perform quality auto repair in mesa AZ. In this article I have examined carbon emissions and 5-Gas analysis.
Mechanic Mesa, Arizona
