Protect Your Fuel Tank and Pump With Delphi Technologies 

Starters & Alternators - Tips For Diagnostics

Protect Your Fuel Tank and Pump With Delphi Technologies 

Starters & Alternators - Tips For Diagnostics

Sponsored By BCA Bearings by NTN

Sponsored By Carter Fuel Systems

Rotating Electrical: Solving the “No Problem Found” (NPF) Return

Alternators have historically been one of the highest returned “No Problem Found” parts in our industry. For shop owners, this means reduced efficiency, unnecessary operating costs, and reduced customer satisfaction. This webinar will discuss how you can avoid the unneeded parts returns and more accurately diagnose today’s charging systems.

Join us as we cover:

Speakers Randy Briggs, Carquest Technical Institute, Research and Development Manager Brian Sexton, Automotive Technical Writer, Babcox Media

ShopOwner includes technical and management content and is free to download and read.

The knock sensor is not the only sensor responsible for detecting engine knock.

Throttle-by-wire systems proactively manage the air and fuel going into the combustion chamber.

Underhood Service targets repair shops that derive 50 percent or more of their revenue from the service and repair of under-the-hood systems. The expanding amount of knowledge and capital needed to keep up with technological advances has led these shop owners to concentrate on underhood systems, while also offering preventive maintenance services on most major vehicle systems. By subscribing, you’ll receive the ShopOwner digital edition magazine (12 times/year) featuring articles from Underhood Service and the Underhood Service eNewsletter (twice weekly). Access to digital editions, contests, news, and more are ready for you today!

Underhood Service targets repair shops that derive 50 percent or more of their revenue from the service and repair of under-the-hood systems. The expanding amount of knowledge and capital needed to keep up with technological advances has led these shop owners to concentrate on underhood systems, while also offering preventive maintenance services on most major vehicle systems. By subscribing, you’ll receive the ShopOwner digital edition magazine (12 times/year) featuring articles from Underhood Service and the Underhood Service eNewsletter (twice weekly). Access to digital editions, contests, news, and more are ready for you today!

High underhood temps, increased power demands and vibration can damage alternators or starters. Sponsored by ACDelco.

Don’t settle for “almost” - it matters where the engine is manufactured or remanufactured. Sponsored by ACDelco.

Brake pads are thoroughly developed to produce the best result. This video is sponsored by ZF Aftermarket.

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Here are five techniques you can use to solve belt noise problems.

Engineering a belt system is one of the most difficult jobs for OEMs. There are contact, frictional, centrifugal and peripheral forces that must be taken into account. If the designers get it right, the belt will be quiet, efficient and last up to 100,000 miles. If they get it wrong, the belt will be noisy or rob the engine of power.AdvertisementFor technicians, the job is even tougher. Variables that the engineer did not factor into the belt can put your diagnostic skills to the test. But, there are five techniques you can use to solve belt noise problems. Remove the Belt If you have a hard-to-isolate accessory drive belt noise, try removing the belt and running the engine. If the noise is still present after the belt is removed, it might be an issue with the motor mounts or the timing chain/belt. With the belt off, it is also a great chance to examine the pulleys and belt for potential problems like worn bearings inside the idler pulleys.  Tensioner Twist Place a wrench on the tensioner and move the arm its entire range of motion at least three times. Feel for spring tension along with a fluid motion throughout. Any sticking or notching movement may indicate a problem with the spring or pivot bearing. The arm should move up and down. Any lateral movement could indicate a bad bearing or spring. Inside some belt tensioners, unseen to most technicians, is a dampening mechanism that absorbs shock. Excessive chattering or tensioner arm movement is not only the result of weak spring tension but also a worn dampener. This makes the tensioner a wear part with a limited life span. Spray it Down In the 1950s, a sales trick to sell a new belt was to spray a running belt to show that it was slipping or that the noise went away when wet. This trick diminished when serpentine belts became more popular. But, this test can be used to isolate worn pulley bearings by eliminating belt noise that could be caused by an alignment problem. Use only water; old-school belt dressing will damage modern EPDM belts and cause more noise.AdvertisementGet in the Groove Like a tire, the friction between the belt and pulleys wears away at the belt, usually on the tops and walls of the ribs. Eventually, the grooves of the pulleys will bottom out on the grooves of the belt, and then the belt will start to slip. According to one belt supplier, as little as 5% of rib material loss and surface wear can affect how the belt performs, and just 10% belt slippage can affect the overall drivability of a vehicle. Belt manufacturers have simple gauges that can measure groove depth, overall thickness and cracks to quantify wear. Check the Alignment Pulley alignment tools can help you rule out alignment issues. They can give you the piece of mind that there is a pulley that is out of alignment. It is also a great tool to have if you do a lot of power steering pump or A/C compressor replacement jobs.  Remember – the belt doesn’t operate on its own. It’s part of a system and all of the system’s components have similar life expectancies. Always the check the other components when servicing a belt to maximize life and minimize comebacks.

For technicians, the job is even tougher. Variables that the engineer did not factor into the belt can put your diagnostic skills to the test. But, there are five techniques you can use to solve belt noise problems.

If you have a hard-to-isolate accessory drive belt noise, try removing the belt and running the engine. If the noise is still present after the belt is removed, it might be an issue with the motor mounts or the timing chain/belt. With the belt off, it is also a great chance to examine the pulleys and belt for potential problems like worn bearings inside the idler pulleys. 

Place a wrench on the tensioner and move the arm its entire range of motion at least three times. Feel for spring tension along with a fluid motion throughout. Any sticking or notching movement may indicate a problem with the spring or pivot bearing. The arm should move up and down. Any lateral movement could indicate a bad bearing or spring. Inside some belt tensioners, unseen to most technicians, is a dampening mechanism that absorbs shock. Excessive chattering or tensioner arm movement is not only the result of weak spring tension but also a worn dampener. This makes the tensioner a wear part with a limited life span.

In the 1950s, a sales trick to sell a new belt was to spray a running belt to show that it was slipping or that the noise went away when wet. This trick diminished when serpentine belts became more popular. But, this test can be used to isolate worn pulley bearings by eliminating belt noise that could be caused by an alignment problem. Use only water; old-school belt dressing will damage modern EPDM belts and cause more noise.

Like a tire, the friction between the belt and pulleys wears away at the belt, usually on the tops and walls of the ribs. Eventually, the grooves of the pulleys will bottom out on the grooves of the belt, and then the belt will start to slip.

According to one belt supplier, as little as 5% of rib material loss and surface wear can affect how the belt performs, and just 10% belt slippage can affect the overall drivability of a vehicle. Belt manufacturers have simple gauges that can measure groove depth, overall thickness and cracks to quantify wear.

Pulley alignment tools can help you rule out alignment issues. They can give you the piece of mind that there is a pulley that is out of alignment. It is also a great tool to have if you do a lot of power steering pump or A/C compressor replacement jobs. 

Remember – the belt doesn’t operate on its own. It’s part of a system and all of the system’s components have similar life expectancies. Always the check the other components when servicing a belt to maximize life and minimize comebacks.

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Technical resources to help diagnose and repair engine-related service issues.