Friday, August 10, 2012

NDE to Train 200 Women as Automotive Mechanics

Sandra, who is the first female auto mechanic in Nigeria, remarked that “when you empower somebody, you are building a nation economically, socially and technologically,  and reducing crime and social vices.”

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Right to Repair bill awaits Gov. Patrick's signature

Thanks to a last-minute compromise between the auto manufacturers and the Right to Repair Coalition, which gives dealerships proprietary control over warranty and recall work, Massachusetts is set to become the first state in the nation to essentially level the playing field between dealers and independent shops.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Finding stories on auto mechanics and repair shops


The last few years’ economy has been a mixed bag for auto repair shops and parts sellers.  On one hand, you have people holding on to their vehicles for longer than ever before; on the other hand, cash-strapped or nervous consumers have been doing the bare minimum to keep those cars on the road,  according to some industry reports.
With July car sales reports due out from automakers Wednesday, and Truecar.com’s forecast predicting the best July since 2007, a look at the businesses that serve car owners and how a glut of new cars affects them might be a fresh take on the vehicle sales story.
It’s a fairly pervasive sector that doesn’t hit the radar screen very often.  According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for auto mechanics are expected to grow 17 percent between 2010 and 2020, about an average rate across all occupations.  About 723,000 people make their livings this way at an average wage of $35,000 a year.
And the Census Bureau abounds with information about the industry, though data is from the 2007 economic census, which of course doesn’t reflect recession results.  Still, it’s a starting point you can compare local presence with.  According to the bureau, some 81,000 establishments were engaged in general automotive repair and that’s in addition to 8,700 oil-change shops, transmission shops, gas stations that offer repair services, dealer service departments, motorcycle repair shops, tire dealers and more; check out this Census Bureau portal to a plethora of reports on each classification.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Smoke Signals

If your car spits out a cloud of smoke when started, it might be trying to tell you something important. What does a color of the smoke indicate? The exhaust color can give many clues:

  • White - If it lasts for a short time, it could be moisture in the cold engine and exhaust system being burned off. if there's a lot of white smoke and it continues, check for an internal coolant leak.
  • Blue or Blue/Black - Oil is likely being burned along with the fuel. Have your car checked for worn piston rings or it could be as simple as too low of oil viscosity.
  • Black - Excess fuel is being burned.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Number of older vehicles increased by more than 17 million since 2009

Experian Automotive announced that there were 17.3 million more light-duty vehicles seven years and older on the road in U.S. than there were three years ago. Experian Automotive also found that there were more than 245 million vehicles on U.S. roads, and that the age of vehicles increased when compared to Q1 2011, up 1.9 percent to an average age of 11 years.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Man's car nears 3 Millionth mile

Irvin Gordon's 1966 Volvo P1800S, small, red, tow-door, has more than 2,966,000 miles on the odometer, the equivalent of nearly 1,176 times of across the globe. He bought his beloved car on June 30, 1966, for $4,150 and he paid $10 extra to have an AM/FM radio, which, he said, was a big deal. The 72-year-old Gordon drives his Volvo everywhere and he has held the Guinness World Records mark for High Mileage Vehicle since 2002.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L

2003 PT Cruiser 2.4L -- Putting it back together after valves are replaced and the head is resurface.



Thursday, July 12, 2012

Effect of Timing Belt Breakage on an Interference Engine

Basically it is named an Interference Engine by the fact that piston and valve paths may "interfere" with one another as a result of incorrect timing in their movements as a result of broken Timing Belt. On the most recent
case, 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser with 2.4L engine had 8 (out of 8) bent intake valves and 4 (out of 8) bent exhaust valves caused by collision with pistons after timing belt breakage. The engine was running at approximately 3000 RPM.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

A/C LIGHT FLASHING - MAGNETIC CLUTCH RELAY

A/C LIGHT FLASHING - MAGNETIC CLUTCH RELAY
Reference Number: EL011-05, Date of Issue: June 3, 2005
Affected  2001 - 2004 model year Camry, ECHO and Celica; 2002 - 2004 model year 4Runner
Models:   Corolla and MR2 Spyder; 2003- 2004 model year Highlander, Matrix, Sienna and Solara
Related Ref Number: EL011-05

This bulletin is to provide information regarding countermeasures to the A/C magnetic clutch relay for A/C light flashing (inoperative A/C) issues on some vehicles equipped with a magnetic clutch compressor.

Previous Part Number                     Current Part Number                     Part Name
90987-02022                                  90987-02028                               Relay, Magnetic Clutch


Monday, July 9, 2012

Simple Safety Tip for Summer


One simple thing you can do to save gas and keep your vehicle safe this summer is to maintain correct tire pressure and check it at least once a month. Information on correct pressure can be found on a plate/sticker on driver-side doorjamb of your car.