Automobile Service Mesa, AZ

General Auto Services, Maintaining a Reliable Automobile

General auto service may not be important, unless paying for automotive repairs interest you. The majority of automobile owners do not
service their "ride" properly, resulting in costly repairs. Most of the oil changes I perform, the vehicle is way overdue for new oil. This
service is one of the most important services, your car will need. That means on time, oil will loose its oiling properties due to
combustion gases, resulting in possible motor damage and oil leaks. This article will highlight some general auto services, including the
"oil change" and their importance for a reliable automobile.

-Oil change, conventional oil replace every 3k miles, synthetic blend at 5k and full-synthetic around 10K miles. I believe a good full-
synthetic oil is beneficial to your engine, I will discuss the benefits of synthetic oil in another article. Change your vehicles oil at the
recommended mileage, this will prevent engine sludge and oil seal problems. Oil sludge causes motor damage and oil leaks. Many of
the cars I diagnose for oil leaks reveal the leak is due to not changing the oil on time. Regardless of your oil change habits, your vehicle
needs other services.

-Fuel system service, advanced engineering is making the in-line fuel filter obsolete. In the instance your car has an in-line fuel filter, it
should be replace roughly between 19 to 29K miles. Replacing it at the mentioned interval, will add life to the fuel pump. The filter in the
tank (Not serviceable), just use some good fuel injector cleaner, this should clean the in-tank fuel filter and injectors, "two for one". Fuel
injector cleaner, does well on vehicles with an in-line filter, just make sure you replace the filter, before using the cleaner.

-Cooling system service, this service is due in conjunction with the type of antifreeze your vehicle requires. Reference your vehicle
owners manual for the type recommended. Dex-Cool is a common type, it is rated to last up to 5 years. Again review your manuals
recommended interval, for replacement.

-Belts and hoses, these items, I will normally replace when needed, unless instructed otherwise. The recommended replacement by
most belts & hoses manufacturers is 2 years. A quick inspection and analysis of these parts, will prove beneficial.

General auto repair service is a must to keep you on the road. Failure to service your vehicle will leave you stranded. This means
expensive auto repairs. Remember the service recommendation is provided by manufacturer for a reason. Utilizing this information will
help you financially. This article was intended to briefly educate the reader on auto service for the purpose of maintaining a reliable
automobile.

Arizona 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.

Finding and honest, knowledgeable that is properly trained can be a nightmare. The day 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 an auto repair shop that should not be in business? This article will examine some 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.



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 do not 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 Diagnostics
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 Emission 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 is not a good experience if you can not 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.