Comments by "SeanBZA" (@SeanBZA) on "Wrenching With Kenny"
channel.
-
38
-
33
-
19
-
The white centre is the element. The resistor is there to bleed voltage away. The sensor develops a voltage when vibrated, and the spring transfers it to the connector, and then to the ECU. The ECU will show knock, measuring the voltage developed by the sensor, reading up to 30V on the sensor for severe knock, and then adjusting to reduce it. The spring is the connection so it allows the disk to flex, as it is held in place only by the edge, and under it is a small hollow area so the brass disk can bend with the vibration, like a speaker cone. Exact same disk as is used in musical cards, held at the edge, and the voltage applied makes it flex, and produce a sound, but in reverse, the flex making a voltage. Resistor is there to bleed off DC voltage, and also so the ECU can tell the sensor is there, as the ECU applies 5V via a similar value resistor, and measures the DC voltage on the wire, to see the sensor is there, and the wire is not shorted or open. The signal is strong enough that the resistor does not interfere, you can test them with the tapping, after checking resistance is correct, by putting the meter into AC volt mode, selecting the 30VAC mode (as otherwise the meter autorange will make it display all over the place) and tapping it, where a good sensor should develop anything from 5 to 30VAC signal on impact, depending on where you tap, and also how it is held. Some of the sensors ( VW being one, but all that use a bolt through the centre are the same) are very sensitive to the bolt being the correct torque, too little and they do not work well, and too tight and the ceramic material breaks inside the housing, generating low or erratic output.
11
-
10
-
@WrenchingWithKenny You are thinking of old generators, where you can get a failed voltage relay, that allows the generator rotor to be powered all the time, and then the one winding burns out from the current, going open. Thus the draw that will, because the engine generally will shut down at a preferred set of positions, depending on the cylinders holding pressure, so that you would get that open coil in position, and no draw, or get one that still works in position and a flat battery.
Alternators draw will be constant, because you have at least one shorted diode, and one leaking one, so that the stator is now always having a current flow. Leaky diodes will not be too much issue, but a leaky and a shorted one causes draw, though normally a shorted diode is nearly unnoticed, as all it does is reduce current capacity of the alternator, and the voltage regulator still controls voltage. Second failed diode kills the alternator, but before that the ones that is opposite the shorted one is getting very hot.
Had that before, one shorted diode, just a power supply that is a little more grumpy. 2 shorted on the same power rail it still runs, till it gets hot enough to burn out, which was a million dollar fix to order the spares, as the transformer came as a complete unit, as the cooking would destroy the entire inside of the equipment box, and fixing was going to cost more than that in spare parts. Was standard when servicing any of them to look for faulty diodes, and replace them immediately. I had a row of failed ones, used for spare parts that had not been totally cooked, for the others. My replacement power supplies came as ordinary untracked parcel post as well, despite being the price of a half kilo of gold.
9
-
8
-
7
-
7
-
7
-
6
-
6
-
Gap was critical with points and regular coils, but with modern ignition systems they are well capable of firing the plugs to a point. Antiseize is good, but yes a thin film, not blobs, as the thread will remove it at the contact points, and the rest will fill the voids, which is what it is there to do, fill up gaps and not allow rust to form. I use a white Loctite anti seize on boats, and where you have corrosion problems, and it works well to keep things from sticking, even in sea water. Boaters that do not use it generally replace motors every 2 years, because they turn into solid blocks of corrosion.
Aircraft you use a yellow anti seize compound, which is specifically for aluminium, but it is a very expensive product, and I used it by the gallon. Worked, only took 6 of us with sledgehammers to remove the leg strut from the housing, and it was slathered with that from the last change a decade or two before. No compound, and we would have had to drill out 600 rivets, and replace the entire strut housing, and rivet the new one in place. We did not want to take another month on that service though. 2 in stores though, from the 1970's, in steel containers and in lots of cosmoline. Old stuff was hard as cement though, but the new strut went in with lots of it after cleaning out the housing well.
6
-
6
-
I saw years ago at a Ford dealership workshop the smallest skinniest mechanic, who was the guy they had who did all the interior under dash stuff. His speciality was clutch pedals, brake pedals and putting in the cable reinforcement kits, as he could get up under the dash and do the job, without needing to remove the front seats. When i did the same job I used a pair of chocks on the back wheel, then put the handbrake off, put the car in third gear, and went in from the passenger side, so I could get my head under, with the driver seat all the way back, and passenger seat all the way forward. Did not want to undo all the trim to get to those 4 seat mounting bolts, especially as the trim was almost guaranteed to loose another clip in the brittle plastic, and they were no longer available new.
6
-
6
-
6
-
5
-
5
-
5
-
5
-
4
-
4
-
Well, you have now met the French design philosophy, make it easy to assemble in the plant, when it comes as a complete assembly, and you simply bolt it in place. They put the rotor there to get it inboard a little, and leave space for a thinner rim with less offset, so it can be lighter, as there is more even loading off the sidewalls, but did not consider that you would need to change rotors outside of the warranty period. Figured pads would be changed every 2 years, and the rotor would not be worn below minimum spec before end of warranty. Who cares if it got grooves or warped, so long as it was outside warranty, more money for the dealership to make off book rate.
The studs are simply using the existing holes for the threaded bolts, as they figured the US market cannot use a bolt into a wheel, too much training needed. So went for the stud instead, simply changing the tooling used on the CNC mill to a drill size for the stud, instead of a clearance hole for a tap, and then a spiral machine tap making the thread. One extra assembly step for the OEM, to put 5 studs into the unit, and press them into position, and on the assembly line just give them the 5 nuts, instead of the regular bolts.
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
4
-
3
-
3
-
3
-
3
-
Brake seals are all made from a synthetic rubber that is perfectly compatible with brake fluid. Other fluids though will make them start to swell, as they are absorbed into the seal, and this means the seals grow, and no longer can slide, and the hoses grow soft, and are no longer capable of holding pressure.
The swollen seals in the master cylinder, the calipers and the back wheel cylinders now no longer can be moved back to the resting position by the release of the pedal pressure, so the calipers stay in contact with the disks causing a lot of extra friction, the drums will not be able to relax to the off position, and the master cylinder can no longer return, trapping fluid in the system under pressure, as as the brakes heat up the pressure increases, making them grip more, till the disks and drums are red hot and the linings are totally degraded and worn.
You also no longer have working brakes, and as well if you have ABS you now also need to replace every rubber seal in the ABS control unit, which means a new ABS block, and for older transmissions where the trans gets brake pressure to disengage it, you now also have to replace the actuator in the trans as well.
In a pinch, if you are totally out of brake fluid, you can add in pure alcohol to the system, as that is compatible with the seals, though it will need to be over 150 proof, to not cause damage, and will need to be flushed fully with new fluid as soon as possible. In ultra cold climates the brake fluid is mostly alcohol, either methanol or ethanol, as it will not freeze easily, though synthetic esters and glycols are more common there, but they are miscible with alcohol.
With modern cars fluids are now critical, if it says use x fluid, use it, do not just chuck generic ATF into the power steering, as you will run into issues, and the same for trans fluids, where there are now dozens of different fluids, and the wrong one can be a very expensive fix. Even manual trans the fluid is critical, many vehicles need a SAE75 oil, and will balk with SAE80 oil, or grind with SAE70 oil in them, and some are even more critical with what they need, you put OEM in only. Even engine oil the same, SAE30 is not going to work on many, especially newer vehicles where the oil viscosity is critical in engine operation.
3
-
Going to say the stuff started with a weak battery, that then dropped voltage as the vehicle sat, meaning different ECU units stopped working at different points, leading to the BCM and ECU loosing comms with the TCM, so the one set error codes, and then the error was left, and with the new battery the modules came back up, and communicated all the errors, refusing to allow start via the ECU because it was unsure of the status of the transmission, thus disabling starting till it could get a valid status. After all safety circuits only allow starting in neutral or park, and with an unknown status of the trans starting could be in gear, so default to no start till scanned and cleared.
Other shop should have, as a first ting, looked at stored codes, noted them down, then cleared them all, as there are plenty of errors that will result in a no start, due to the modules inhibiting it. Either no scanners, or they are only able to be a box and panel changer. till, good money for you to fix their mistakes, just that it costs the customer in the end a lot more throwing the parts cannon at it, and not actually sitting and looking at it first. But we all often will do that, hopefully leaning along the way.
3
-
Yes, just means they do not deal with that manufacturer more than once a year, so do not want to have the software cost, because that $50 per make adds up if you are dealing with multiple scan tools, and multiple makes of vehicle. Also some will charge you per use, unless you pay a stupid annual fee, or are a registered dealer for them, in which case they stop charging per time. Some just flat out refuse to deal with shops outside the dealer network they have, you have to go to them for coding of parts, or have a cracked version of that code around. Then you get the green tractor company, who will invalidate the warranty if you do not use the dealership to do everything, even change the oil on the more expensive things, and you have a very expensive field ornament till they decide to come fix your broken one.
3
-
Oil yes regular changes is important. For a cheap and safe engine clean simply add in a half quart of SAE30 HD3 diesel tractor oil in a few days before doing the next oil change. High detergent oil for farm tractors, it will clean a lot of the gunk off the engine, as it is meant to keep soot in suspension for farm tractors, that spend a lot of time idling.
Yes filters almost always have a bypass valve ( though some of the no name brands do not actually put it in, adds 10 cents to the cost) that will typically open at around 20PSI pressure differential across the filter media, on the theory that having oil flow, even if dirty, is a lot better than no oil flow. But having this valve operate does mean all the junk and tramp metal the filter is supposed to remove, and a lot of the stuff it has removed, and which is inside the can, now can travel past the filters. Not great for bearings and the rotating surfaces, and definitely not great for small clearance holes, like lifters and variable valve timing actuators.
Great on the oil, I got some filters for my car cheap, old stock ones that were sitting at a store on a shelf, at the price they were selling them in 2008. So next service filter is there already. Will differ with you on the dry filter, if the surface is just wiped clean, yes you can put it on dry, as the oil film on the housing will lubricate it, but if it has been washed clean with brake cleaner, oil the filter seal. I just grab a bit of the old oil and wipe it, then pull that seal out, flip it over and oil the underside as well, and make sure it fits back in the groove properly. Recently had a no name filter which, brand new, was leaking, I assume from the metal face not being true, and thus the seal not holding. I only buy 2 brands, GUD or FRAM, as they are locally made by me (20km away), and are the OEM brand for most vehicles in the country. 1 million Toyota filters made by them, they pretty much have it right.
As to tyre pressure, the top end of the vehicle manufacturer spec is the one to go for, as yes that is the one for either heavy load, or for economy. You want comfort make sure you have a high profile wheel and tyre. Painted on rubber and all alloy is always going to be harsh ride, and noisy.
Drivetrain yes likely dry universals, or they lost a needle when putting them in, grease will tell you quick if the UJ was dry, or if you are spending a hour changing both sides. Gearbox simplest first test is change the fluid, fill back to level, and run it, as otherwise the issue is a sticking ball inside, or a seal that is leaking when cold internally.
3
-
3
-
Would also suggest getting a trailer relay unit, so that you have the trailer load not on the existing vehicle wiring. Very important on modern vehicles, as the BCM is very often likely to fail with a short in the trailer wiring, though some do come with the trailer module already there, and often enough also will show faulty trailer lights and connections up on the cluster as well.
Made my own, ran a fused wire direct from battery to the rear, and put 4 relays to drive trailer wiring, with the 4 relays driven from stop, left and right indicators, and the side lights, as all vehicles by me are regulation bound to have separate turn signals different from brake lights, EU spec. Thus any failed trailer wiring will just blow a 10A fuse in the front, and not blow an expensive ECU, disabling the vehicle till it is repaired or replaced. Also added in a simple current monitor, which will light up a small green LED on the console, to show that you have at least one functioning indicator or brake light.
3
-
3
-
3
-
3
-
Had that with an AMT box, after changing the clutch. As no dealer support, they went bankrupt and closed, and left the country for a few years, and the new models and dealers do not support older models. Plus spares come from Malaysia via the UK, as they do not deal direct with my country for political reasons. So to teach the TCM about the new clutch, a bit of driving, using a few hills, so as to have lots of start stop cycles, and then drive it so it would hunt up and down the gear ranges a lot, and after around an hour the TCM had learned the new timings. Had to rebuild the AMT hydraulic pump, as the brushes wore out, and the cost of a new one, from Renault, was almost the value of the vehicle, so a new set of $5 brushes, salvaged from a Bosch alternator regulator, was a good fix.
3
-
I bought a can once, on special, and actually used it on my sister's car, as it did not come from factory with a spare. Now she has a working spare, and the can got her through a month of not being able to get to fix the flat. Did check my spare tyre, and yes it was flat, but you have to remove it from the boot to check it. Also with that spare under the car, please take a can of dry chain lube, and spray on the threads of that stud, so it can actually come loose off there when needed. Dry lube, so it does not attract dust and become a dust block. Same for the jack, as they do not come with much lube from the factory, so spray with brake clean, and get the grease off, and spray with chain lube, and run end to end, plus on the bearings and pivots, and then wrap in a cloth, sprayed with a thin coat on the inside, to both protect from rattles, and to provide you with a cloth to clean your hands when changing.
Yes have had the pleasure of getting the spare off, using a hacksaw blade, on the side of a highway, because the steel bolt rusted fast to the nut. Fixed that the next day, stainless steel bolt, and a loose fitting nut, with a nice coat of molyslip between then in the threads, and a split pin to prevent the nut coming off. Was a tank hold down bolt, but 10 minutes with a grinder and a welder, to make a plate that was used to fix to the trailer chassis, and it never gave any issues ever again. Worst came to the worst use a shifter and pliers to undo the 2 M8 bolts that held it down, and slip through the centre hole. Next time I had to change it, again on side of freeway, after finding a nail I assume (only had the sidewalls left, after the middle shredded itself off, actually same spot I twice had to dodge a Hiace half shaft and wheel assembly complete, as it came past me) it was so easy to undo, jack up with the jack, and get the bolts off the trailer wheel.
Tip as well, lube the threads on the wheel fasteners, light coat works, and use a torque wrench to put them on, not Cletus and turn till it half way snaps. Impact driver to put them on means you never get them off with the socket in the car kit.
3
-
3