Category Archives: What happened!

Man Made

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A Man Made failure can be very hard to find. I get two or three a year that make me pull my hair out. Most of the time I know something is rotten, because it looks like some one has man handled the area in question.

A man-made failure is still a failure, but a man-made failure will cause many more issues during the diagnosis.

Someone caused the failure, it did not happen on its own.

What did they do or not do right…

Man made failures are not a normal condition related to age or heat. A man-made failure is caused by an owner doing DIY repairs or a junior mechanic working on the car the wrong way.

The part pictured above is from a Nissan. The Nissan was at a car wash for an engine detail and two days later it would not run correctly and set a lean code (P0171). Yes, the check engine light came on.

Issues after an engine detail are very common.

I have many car owners that have skills, and they bring the car to me when the job is outside what they can do. I am Ok with that. Doing your own repairs is fine, just do not bring it to me in a basket and expect it to be cheep to put back together.

The image above and just below are from a 6.0 V8 Chevy engine. The two Chevrolet knock sensors, live in a well under the intake manifold. The ash look on the sensors is due to an engine detail. The hot water under high pressure went into the well area and worked its way into the sensor. Boo Hoo, it set a code and it was only four days after the engine detail.

If your car is 8 years old or older, I would not recommend to do any high pressure washing around the engine and engine harness. The damage high pressure water will do, can cost you more trouble than its worth. I wash my engine bays with hot low pressure soap & water. Then I blow dry everything before re-starting the engine.

Car owners can cause more issues than a junior tech, because they just do not know any better. The next image below is just that case. The owner installed a fancy gauge kit on his Toyota Supra and then odd things started to happen about a month later.

Clients lie, yes I said it, they lie. It is just like a little kid getting in trouble, they did something that caused a problem, and now they need a bail out, but they do not want to admit they did it.

The normal story I hear often is a friend installed it for me or I had a shop install it and now it does not work.

With more Q&A you find out that they never had a friend or shop install it. Go figure.

I have worked with many junior technicians and every one of them had questions. I like it when they ask before they jump right into the fire. The image above is from a man-made failure that an 8 year tech made.

I worked with him for 4 months and never questioned his work. One day I had a Toyota Camry pop in that had an odd issue. It was running rich and had an odd flutter upon acceleration. I had never seen anything like this before.

After 2 hours of tests I had my answer. I did not like what I found. The cam shaft gear was touching the signal wire to the #1 injector. It was causing extra injection pulses, causing the rich fuel mixture and engine flutter.

The tech had just replaced the valve cover gasket the week before.

When I showed the tech the findings, he had a I don’t care response. When I asked him why he felt this way, he said, look at the car, it’s a P.O.S.

The tech quit that Friday.

It does not matter how old a car is or the condition the car is in. Every repair needs to have the same quality. Service above self. Doing your best every time not just some of the time.

P.O.S. defined:  pile of shit

 

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

P0171 & P0173

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Engine codes P0171 and P0173, a lean fuel system condition, the engine may miss fire or feel lazy. Modern cars and trucks have many sensors that send information to the engine computer. The engine computer looks at the information coming in from all the input sensors and then it makes changes to the, transmission operation, ignition timing and fuel injector delivery. The computer does this very fast, so fast most drivers will never feel the changes taking place.

The computer adjusts many outputs at the same time, every second.

The PCV hose pictured above, is for a 2009 Ford truck. The old hose went bad and caused two codes in the engine computer. P0171 and P0173 are codes for a lean condition inside the engine. The hose below failed, causing the codes to set in the engine computer.

When the C.E.L. (check engine light) comes on, it makes you wonder, is it critical or a minor issue. Plus now you have something new to fit into your budget, Great!

As long as your check engine light is not flashing at you, you can still drive your car, but should get it in for service as soon as possible. The light is on for a reason.

A lean condition can cause many issues. Fuel economy will become poor and the engine may even stall when coming to a stop. It will run rough when cold and lack power when warm. It needs attention, your ride is unhappy, and it’s time to make a repair.

Hose failure is the most common cause of a lean fuel system. Many parts on the engine can cause a lean code issue, so you should have a ASE certified shop look at your engine light issue. Free code checks at the auto parts store will not be 100%.

I use dealer parts often. In this case, the PCV hose has been updated. When ever I have a chance to make a repair that will solve more than one issue I do it. The hose was updated to prevent PCV carbon build up and the rubber hose joints are made thicker. The part was less than $30.00. An investment vs just using a regular chunk of hose, but it will last. At Tony’s service center every repair we do comes with a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty.

Stop in for a visit today.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

Check it!

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It’s Monday, and I see a Chevrolet truck on the lot that has not been in for about 5 months.

On its last visit, it was low on oil, it did not read on the oil dip stick at all. It was low due to, the engine burns oil. The engine has no oil leaks, it burns the oil inside the engine because of its age. It’s old and has 140,000 miles of hard use.

At the last L.O.F. service, I talked to the client about checking the oil every 30 days or stopping by so I could check the oil for him. It only takes a moment to prevent a failure!

Well the engine ran out of oil for the last time. The engine failed. Checking the oil in your car or truck only takes 2 minuets, so why wait till the engine is making noise or worse.

I talk to clients about checking the engine oil, engine coolant and tire pressure every 30 days, but I only have a hand full that do it regularly. It only takes a moment to stop by for us to check it.

So why wait, check it today!

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

Lady Saturn

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Saturn

I have worked on hundreds of Saturn cars. I like them, but I find some Saturn owners are odd. Not a bad odd, just odd. Lady Saturn is just that, she is odd. Lady Saturn thinks she knows everything about everything. Google is just a click away, so why should Lady Saturn take our word that her car needs to be repaired. Lady Saturn can click her car into good health.

Lady Saturn stopped in today for me to look at a noise. (Note Lady Saturn has been in the shop 8 times in 12 months, but never said yes to any repair we estimated.) The noise was related to a drive belt that was ready to fail. The belt was missing chunks of rubber and it had a tattered edge. It was needing replacement today.

When I showed Lady Saturn the belt she debated that is was not bad enough to change yet and I must be wrong about the cause of the noise.

I just closed the hood and walked away. Lady Saturn was not seeing the need for the repair. The car is ready to break down today and Lady Saturn wants to debate that nothing is wrong.

So why did she stop in to have us look at the car? I am still wondering why.

I hate to say it, but I hope Lady Saturn does not come back.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

Green Grass

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Is the Grass Greener on the other side?

Green grass with mint plants along a fence.

Green grass with a shrub fence line, it looks nice, but what is on the other side?

The big question of the week, is the Grass Greener? Yes, yes it is, if you are on the right side of the fence.

When do you know you are on the right side of the fence? When you get what you want, duh.

So is it Ok to jump ship for something better, yes! If it is better and not a tease.

Many “big chain” retail shops today will bid low to draw you in, then slowly add things until they get what they want. This is called (a bait and switch) Coupon shopping automotive repair can lead you to bigger problems.

mesh fence and green grass on the other side

Wow, this looks good, it’s green.

At Tony’s we have an up front pricing system.

Yes, it may seem higher if you are a discount shopper, but it is real world pricing with quality parts and a solid warranty.

Some people, including my wife will drive 10 miles to save $1.00 on a pair of $18.00 shoes. The percentage of savings ‘vs’ gas cost does not add up. The grass was not greener.

The savings has to be BIG for me to look across the fence. Service providers like to know you use them because you like the work they do. The price is not the main issue, it’s about the quality! Anyway, if I want a service to match a price, most of the time they can match apples for apples, you just have to ask.

Stacy was a long time client and her truck needed transmission repairs. Our transmission vendor looked at the truck and advised a full overhaul. The transmission had 147,000 miles on it. It lived a good life and then some. Stacy did not like the price of the repair. Stacy was mad, because she felt our price was just too high. Stacy picked up her truck and took it to a big name transmission retailer that said they could do the full overhaul 20% cheaper than we could.

Fast forward 2 months, Stacy finally got her truck back from the transmission shop. Yep, It was in the shop a long time. The first overhaul only went a week before it failed. Stacy’s second visit to the retailer took 2 weeks to sort out who would pay for the failure. In all, Stacy had to take her truck back to the shop 4 more times before it was working correctly. It was a big mess. Stacy, spent over $4,000 for all of her efforts, not including rental car charges. Stacy was not happy.

Our overhaul price was only $3,200 and it came with a 24,000 mile / 2 year warranty. The other shop only offered 1 year and 12,000 miles.

I know the full story, because Stacy’s brother is a client at our shop. I hope Stacy will return to our shop some day. Stacy found out too late, the grass was not greener.

weeds and dirt with rocks

No body want to land in something like this. Bouncing from shop to shop will not save money in the long run and you could land in a nasty mess.

Price matching an estimate is easy. I know my estimates will always be higher, I am picky about quality. If a client has a legitimate written estimate from a competitor, we can match that estimate apples for apples.

Quality vs price; the quality will be remebered long after the price savings.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Going to the dealer for repairs. Auto Repair 85016

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I have some clients that say this: I do not want to go to the dealer. 

Why?

The dealer has all the cool tools, great parts and factory trained mechanics. So why not go to the dealer. They know everything about the car you drive. It must be a great place.

I have worked in three dealerships. Everyone of them was challenging. Shop politics, back stabbing, steeling work from each other, breaking things to flag warranty time, high mechanic turn over and the list goes on. In short, it sucked.

Because I have morals, I never did very well at the dealership level. I did not play along with the shop games, politics and shady ways to flag time.

I did have an advantage, I could work on anything that rolled. I always had work when everyone else was standing around. In the long run I still made my pay check, but I did it the hard way, I worked for it.

I like working at a family owned repair shop.

Clients like the family owned repair shops because they get better overall service. A family shop is a great place to go for all your repair and maintenance needs. A family repair shop works on anything that rolls. Any year and model, we do not mind. A family owned shop can do everything the dealer can do. A family repair shop offers you a personal touch.

A family shop will always be a better place than the dealer, because we care about you.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Water pump replacement – Auto Repair 85016

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When is a good time to replace your water pump?

I have at least 2 cars a month that need a water pump replaced ASAP. If a water pump is leaking, you risk over heating your engine. An overheating condition can destroy an engine in less than couple of minuets.

If the engine over heats from coolant loss, repair costs can get ugly fast.

leaking water pump

This leaking Nissan water pump was changed before engine damage could happen, the leaky pump was noticed during the oil change service. Regular service visits can prevent bigger failures.

The best time to replace a leaking water pump is before engine damage occurs.

This is a no brainer. At least we would think that is the case.

On the web, you can find many auto forums that say, do not get ripped off by replacing parts before they break. Yes and No. Most forums are 50% helpful. Populated by wannabe mechanics or shade tree D.I.Y. guys and you can get advise that will cost you more in the long run.

So are you getting ripped off if you can prevent a bigger failure?

water pump failure causes timing belt and related engine damage audi a6

This mess is from an Audi A6. The water pump failed and caused the engine to over heat. The repairs totaled $6,400.00 because a $86.00 water pump failed at 39,000 miles.

Sometimes it is Ok to replace a part before it is 100% broken.

Would you fly in an airplane, if you knew the ground crew waited till an engine part was 100% broken before they replaced it?  > No! <

If I knew the airplane could break down when it was at 30,000 feet, I would never want to fly at all.

Preventative maintenance is just what it implies. Fix it before it fails.

I have a BMW client that comes in every 45,000 miles to replace the water pump, upper radiator hose, thermostat and coolant. This is because the water pump life span is about 50,000 miles and the client does not want to have any breakdowns. The above repair is only $590.00, but an engine replacement is around $9,000.00. The client understands the value and loves his car.

Volvo s80 water pump impeller failure

Water pumps do not have to leak to cause engine damage. This Volvo S80 water pump has a broken impeller. Repairs for this condition can range from $550.00 to $6000.00. It all depends on how hot the engine gets.

Yes, I know cars do not fly, but many states have safety inspections to keep cars in a safe working order. Brakes, tires, lights, steering, suspension and drive train parts must be in good working condition. If the car needs repairs, you do not drive the car till it pass’ inspection.

I do not like to wait till my car is broken down on the side of the road to take action. Maintenance is required to keep everything ship-shape and ready for the road.

leaky water pump removed from engine

This water pump caused over heating damage and the engine needed replacement because the over heating melted the pistons to the cylinder walls. The car was only 2 years old with 47,000 miles on the clock.

I like to see our clients in at least twice a year for service, but they can stop in anytime to get free air in the tires. Our clients know they are welcome to stop in anytime for a quick under hood check. A quick look costs nothing, but could save you big.

You do not have to wait till the next oil change to pop the hood.

 

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

My tires are worn out? Why are they worn out?

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I just replaced my tires last month. Well, sort of.

The client in question, did replace the tires on this month, but it was 3 years ago this month. Time just zips by, and I have this happen to many clients, they lose track of when they last visited the shop. That is why we mail out reminders to clients, so they come in for service regularly.

I see 4 to 5 cars a week that need tires. So why do drivers wait till the tire fails? Why wait till you are on the side of the road.

I blame it on an old school idea, the myth is that Abraham Lincoln’s head is a good judge of tread depth. In the last couple years I have seen many automotive articles on tire wear and when it’s time to replace the worn out rubber.

Penny vs Quarter for checking tire depth
Penny @ 2/32″ of an inch vs a Quarter @ 4/32″ of an inch.

When you use a penny to judge the tread depth, you are waiting too long to replace your tires. Waiting till your tires are at 2/32″ of an inch to replace them puts you at risk of hydroplaning in wet conditions.

Hydroplaning; “Verb”  To slide uncontrollably on the wet surface of a road : a motorist whose car hydroplaned and crashed into a tree.

Many tires may still have tread in the center, but may be worn at the edge, or worse. Your tires could be age cracked, or have cuts on the side wall from hitting curbs.   You must look at the condition of the entire tire, not just the thread thickness.

I know, I live in Arizona. It never rains in Arizona, right? Well the fact is, yes, it does rain in Arizona just not very often. But when it does rain, all the oil in the road rises to the top of the wet surface. That makes the road very slick. Any tire at 2/32″ of an inch will slip, slide and lose traction very easy in that type of wet condition.

So I like to use a Quarter, I keep one in my pocket to show clients how important thickness is when the road is wet. A Quarter will give you 4/32″ or 1/8 th of an inch of tread thickness. I use 4/32″ of an inch as a guideline for tire wear. Many tests have shown that tires worn to 4/32″ of an inch will still grip the wet road and bring your car to a safe stop.

The video below is showing a tire that is worn too much, it needs replacement now. If you look at the center of the tire you can see the tread is still thick enough that it could give the owner the idea the tire is still good. The client did not think the tread was that bad till I showed him up close how cracked and worn the tire was. In fact all 4 tires looked just like the one in the video clip. He only came in to get the fluids checked and the tires aired up because he was going on a trip in the morning.

So as your tire wears down below 4/32″ it will start to lose traction when the road is wet. Tests on tires looking at tire wear vs wet traction showed that at 3/32″ of an inch the wet stopping distances starts to increase by 15 to 50%.

At 2/32″ of an inch almost all the tires tested showed the cars using over double the amount of distance to stop. That is almost 100% more stopping distance needed when the road is wet. Replacing your tires at 4/32″ is a good idea. Think safety first.

By the way the client was very happy we found this before he had a break down. With 4 new tire an oil change and new wiper blades he was ready for his trip.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

DTC P0300 Random Engine Miss Fire Condition

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DTC P0300 is a Random Engine Miss Fire Condition

An engine miss fire feels like a bumping sensation. Most of the time, this is noticed by the driver when accelerating. A miss fire condition may cause the Check Engine Light to turn on or start flashing at you.

Carbon tracking on a spark plug

This is a spark plug with carbon tracking. The dark black lines running left to right in the center of the image is a carbon trail caused by a faulty spark plug wire. This type of condition will cause a single cylinder miss fire.

If an engine miss fire condition is causing poor tail pipe emissions, the check engine light will start to flash on and off.

When you see the check engine light flashing at you, do not continue to drive the car. Get it in for repairs right away. The catalytic converter maybe damaged if you continue to drive the car with the check engine light flashing.

catalytic converter failure core melted

A Catalytic Converter damaged by a miss fire condition. A miss fire condition will melt down a converter very quickly.

A catalytic converter is not chump change. On a Nissan Pathfinder, I just replaced both front catalytic converters on the Nissan and it was related to a miss fire condition. It was over $1,400.00 just for the dealer cats.

Worn spark plugs, causing engine code P0300

This set of worn spark plugs was causing a DTC P0300 on a Ford 4.2 V6. The plugs are 8 years old with 102,000 miles of use. The engine needed more parts than just spark plugs. This set of plugs also shows oil build up, the engine was due for a valve job on top of all the other needs.

If the check engine light is flashing, get it in for repairs!

OBD2 cars today can store a code that will direct the mechanic to look at a specific area.

A good example of this is when you have a DTC P0302 miss fire detected on cylinder #2, you have a place to look (cylinder #2 has a miss fire). You just have to look at things that would affect cylinder #2.

Oil fouled spark plug

Oil fouled spark plug, this plug was causing a single cylinder miss fire. (DTC P0304)

On a DTC P0300, this is a random miss fire condition that could be caused by anything. Anything that changes the air/fuel mixture to all of the cylinders in the engine at the same time.

A dirty MAF sensor can cause this type of change to all the cylinders.

MAF: Mass Air Flow Sensor, is a sensor that takes reading of the incoming air into the engine and sends a signal to the computer. The signal is used to make fuel system, cam timing and ignition timing adjustments.

The driver may not feel the engine miss fire with a DTC P0300, but the driver should see the check engine light turn on. Other things the driver may notice. The engine may feel like it is not responding crisply or the driver may notice that the fuel economy has been poor.

A couple other things that can cause a DTC P0300. Poor engine compression or an engine that is out of time due to a faulty timing belt or timing chain. A large centrally located vacuüm leak or a restricted exhaust system.

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DTC P0300 Defined: Random Cylinder Miss Fire, this condition could be caused by any parts attached to the engine or parts inside the engine. You have to look for any condition that will change the air/fuel mixture, spark or compression to all the cylinders at the same time.

DTC P0301 Defined: Miss Fire on cylinder #1 or any cylinder that the code lists. (P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304) The last number in the DTC is pointing to the cylinder that set the code.

 

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

2008 Toyota Corolla Dirty Cabin Air Filter

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Toyota Corolla, Dirty Cabin Air Filter

I see many cars that need love, but I find it odd when you show someone how bad something is and they still feel it is not needed. That is just crazy.

It is the clients choice to do what they want, when they want, but waiting till it is broken just does not pay off in the long run. Preventing a break down saves time and money.

Dirty Cabin Air Filter

This filter was from a Toyota Sequoia. It was over due and blocking the air flow.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013