Modern Auto Mechanics
By Bill Kuhl from http://www.scienceguy.org Special Thanks to Dave MacLeod
Last summer I had the good fortune to take a tour of a modern auto mechanics training facility where a friend and former classmate of mine is an
instructor, Dave MacLeod. Increasingly modern vehicles are a marriage of electronics and mechanical components. Special equipment and
skills are needed to keep these vehicles operating in top shape. Like almost any profession continuing education will be necessary to keep
current with new technologies. The following is a brief article with pictures from my visit.
Vehicle Computer Fault Light On Plug Snap-on MODIS
Modern automobiles may show problems through fault lights that correspond to fault codes that require electronic equipment to decipher.
Even with the proper test equipment like the Snap-on MODIS device pictured above the problem can be complicated to diagnose as one problem
can generate multiple codes.
Sensors communicate with the vehicle computer.
Quote from article by Dale J. Long website:
“Automobile sensors can be classified into three basic areas: drive-train and vehicle control, driver safety/comfort/information and emissions.
They are used to monitor temperature, gases, voltages/currents, vacuum and torque to name a few. Twenty years ago, the typical automobile had
approximately five sensors. Today, over fifty sensors are used to control everything from braking to the fuel delivery
system.” Dale J. Long
The Snap-on MODIS device can read engine fault codes and many types of data. It could even be connected to the vehicle when driven monitoring air,
brakes, etc. The device can create many graphs and other data. Dave said it is very important that students are comfortable reading graphs and be
able to interpret the data because the scales on the graphs are ever changing.
Carburetor Fuel Injectors in Manifold Fuel Injector
Computer technology has enabled fuel injection systems to almost completely replace the carburetor system used for many years before that.
By processing the data from a variety of sensors, the fuel-air mixture can be more precisely controlled for a better operating engine.
Engines should start better, run smoother, are more fuel efficient and less polluting.
The modern method for checking the alignment of an automobile utilizes electronic camera type sensors and a computer to give readings for
such as camber, toe, and caster. Newer equipments sets up quicker which allow the service provider to charge less yet make more money because
of the faster time for the alignment.
Only balancing tires is not enough to ensure that there are not additional issues with the tires that could be causing steering problems
or causing the car to pull when going driving down the road. Newer testing equipment such as the StraightTrak Road Force Measurement System
in the pictures above can check for tire conditions such as “conicity”. Conicity can be a manufacturing glitch where the tire’s tread has cured in a
slight cone shape.
In the three pictures above left the components from old type electrical system, the picture on the right is from a newer electronic ignition system.
Electronics in newer cars have replaced the mechanicals parts that wear out in older cars that had points and a distributor.
Before the new electronic ignition, cars would often require points to be adjusted or replaced every 10,000 miles or so. Electronic ignition
provides more accurate spark timing which improves the combustion and emissions.
Auto mechanics students will increasingly need to be able to work on radically different types of automotive technology now and in the future.
The pictures below are of a transaxle from a Toyota Prius hybrid. Hybrid cars unite a fuel powered engine and an electric motor to increase fuel efficiency
and reduce emissions. This system is rather complex in that various techniques are employed to increase efficiency such as charging batteries
while braking, turning off the engine while stopped, and assisting the power to the wheels with electric power.
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Improved Internal Combustion Engine Videos
Electric / Hybrid Car Videos