What really does cause induction contamination? - TAT - The ...

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YOU SAID IT! Strike a light – what a weird problem The tail light fuse A Toyota Corolla, an ex hire car, had a dodgy headlight switch. It was a 8/2007 Toyota Corolla ZRE152 with a 2ZR-FE engine and 82,000 kilometres on the clock. The customer complained that the dash lights didn’t work sometimes. I found the park and tail lights were not working either when the dash lights failed. When this happened, sometimes if the switch was left on for a few minutes, the park lights would eventually start working and sometimes stop working. It was a weird problem. Other lights checked OK as did the fuses under the bonnet. The fuse box is inside the car just under the glove box. I found no power to the tail light fuse with the park lights switched on and park lights not working. When they started working, the fuse then had power. Performed basic wiring checks and then moved to the headlight switch. Removed the steering column shroud to expose the headlight switch wiring and connector. Later I pulled the rear cover off the old headlight switch and found the park light switch contacts and pin junction appeared to be the problem. The action of unplugging and reconnecting the wiring harness at the back of the headlight switch made the lights start working most of the time. The slight movement of the pin inside the light switch was just enough for the circuit to work. In case anyone is wondering– Inside the fuse box The headlight switch wires were given a good tug and they seemed OK. The power and earths were OK. The problem was so unpredictable and intermittent. Instant Credit with hundreds of Top Name Suppliers | One Consolidated Monthly Statement | Reward points with every purchase | FREE Online Service Data | Social Events ...and more Established in 1975 as a buying co-operative for the automotive service and repair industry in Australia, Capricorn Society Limited has grown to represent over 14,000 members in three countries, that collectively purchased over AU $900 million in products and services from a network of over 2,200 preferred suppliers accross three countries. With member benefits such as our own travel agency, our own insurance alternative and many great financial services, shouldn’t you be a member too ? To find out more, please visit our website at www.capricorn.coop The Automotive Technician 14 if YOU run a business in the Automotive Industry... ...then you NEED to know about Capricorn..... Capricorn Society Limited - Registered under the Corporations Act 2001 ACN 008 347 When I disconnected and reconnected the wiring harness to the headlight switch, the park lights would start to work most of the time. The wiring connector and pins were also checked but the problem didn’t appear to be in the wiring. It seemed to be the headlight switch. I tapped the headlight switch and still no luck. After using a test light I was able to confirm that the headlight switch internal contacts were the problem and that explained why it was so intermittent. To replace the headlight switch, the driver’s airbag, steering wheel and clock spring must be removed, so follow all precautions when working with airbags. The suspect headlight switch was replaced, all parts refitted and the system tested. Everything, including the park lights were working fine. Time taken was approximately two hours. Inspecting the old switch The switch location yes, you probably could clean the contacts and better secure the pin junction, but I would always recommend replacing the switch to avoid any possibility of lights failure at night. Jason Smith JDS Automotive MOOROOLBARK VIC
with Jeff Smit Multisystem Ignition Analyser W orkshops are constantly on the lookout for equipment or tools that make the job of diagnosing problem vehicles easier and more accurate. A good one to start the year is the TA500 Multisystem Ignition Analyser. The very first day of working with this great little tester, in came a vehicle with a miss. A quick removal of the covers over the coil-onplugs and we were able to test each cylinder’s ignition performance within a couple of minutes. It immediately showed that number three cylinder was the offender. A quick check of the inputs to the coil-on-plug and the diagnosis was done. The workshop has since used it in a number of situations and found it to be very effective in every case. The TA500’s unique and proprietary technology allows workshops to perform quick and reliable diagnostics of non-starts, misfires, fouled up or damaged spark plugs, or spark plug wires by comparing digital read-outs of the spark plug voltage and spark burn Spark plug wire, testing position time between cylinders on engines using coil-on-plug, coil-near-plug, conventional distributor/ignition coil, DIS (distributorless) or waste spark and magneto technologies. It’s so simple to use. The TA500 requires no special adapters or cables and is equipped with a large digital display that shows spark plug voltage, spark burn time, RPM, as well as minimum and maximum readings in real time. The user handbook is very well laid out with complete operating instructions – that in itself is a bit rare these days. The user manual also includes a section on diagnosing problems using spark burn time and spark KV readings. This includes common causes for long and short burn times and common causes for high and low KV readings. It’s certainly pleasing to see a user manual that makes sense, and that educates the reader at the same time. Rest assured that this little diagnostic gem was purchased by this workshop and is now one of the most used diagnostic tools for checking vehicles that are not running well. Coil-on-plug, dead cylinder, no spark Coil-on-plug, testing position Coil-on-plug, good cylinder Spark plug wire, good cylinder Specifications: • Measures spark plug voltage from 0 to 50,000 volts • Measures spark burn time from 0 to 10 milliseconds • Special antenna sensor allows quick testing of coil-on-plug and coil-near-plug modules, and easy hook-up to spark plug and ignition coil wires • No ground wire connections required enables fast troubleshooting • Multiple diagnostic applications are described in a comprehensive handbook included with the tester Tachometer function: • For 1 to 12 cylinders and suitable for 2 and 4 cycle engines with special distributorless ignition system mode • Measures from 200 to 20,000 RPM on a 4.5 digit LCD display • Advanced microcontroller technology gives 0.5 per cent accuracy • Works on coil-on-plug, coilnear-plug, DIS (distributorless or waste spark), conventional, magneto and other spark ignition system Simple and easy to use • Ignition analyser: Place the antenna’s capacitive sensor on top of the coil-on-plug module, or over a spark plug or ignition coil wire. Spark peak voltage and spark burn time are displayed • Tachometer: Set the number of cycles and type of ignition system, and then place the capacitive sensor either on a coil-on-plug module or spark plug wire, and RPM is displayed • Selectable display functions: The display can be set to show all three (RPM, spark burn time and spark plug voltage) measurements simultaneously, or one of the selected measurements with real time maximum and minimum readings • Spark capture mode: Maximum and minimum captures the spark peak voltage and spark burn time for testing of ignition systems for no-start conditions diagnosis Information: Dayle Thomas 0466 909 653 www.olct.co The Automotive Technician 15
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Page 21 and 22: Jason Smith Don’t ignore the hidd
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What really does cause induction contamination? - TAT - The ...

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