Counterman, August 2013

● Is It The End Of Retail (As We Know It)? ● The Value Of Employee Training

August 2013

AnnualTechnical Forum

AnnualTechnical ForumGet the lowdown on 13 parts categories

to help boost sales

counterman.com/ASAP for reader service


21st Annual Technical Forum By Larry Carley

Mechanic Connection By Gary Goms

Sealed wheel bearing hub assemblies have become the standard. ...............................................................................................56Recommendations for drums and rotors .......................................58

COUNTERMAN (ISSN 0739-3695) (August 2013 Volume 31, Number 8): Copyright 2013 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved:Published monthly by Babcox, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, Fax (330) 670-0874.Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COUNTER-MAN, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333-8318. A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individu-als who meet the qualification requirements. Call (330) 670-1234, Ext. 275, to speak to a subscription services representative or FAXus at (330) 670-5335. Paid Subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69. Samples andback issues - Domestic - $10, International/via air mail - $15. Canada: $89 for one year, $149 for two years. Canadian rates includeGST. Ohio residents add 5.75% sales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds.Mail payment to COUNTERMAN, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. Visa, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

features

2 August 2013 | Counterman

AugustVolume 31, No. 8

INSIDE

26

56 58

A/C ..............................................28

Batteries ......................................30

Belts and Hoses ......................32

Chassis ........................................34

Filters ..........................................38

Friction ........................................40

Fuel Pumps................................42

Rotors ..........................................44

Spark Plugs ..............................46

Suspension ................................48

TPMS ....................................50

Wheel bearings ..............52

Wiper blades ............................54


Track Talk

Pickup-truck lovers never had itso good.

When Toyota unveiled thenew 2014 Toyota TundraCrewMax at the 2013 ChicagoAuto Show in February, theredesigned truck made bigwaves with its new larger-than-life, chiseled persona.

“Toyota prides itself on lis-tening to its customers and thedevelopment of the 2014American-born Tundra is a per-fect example,” said Bill Fay,group vice president and gener-al manager, Toyota Division.

The 2014 redesign representsthe first major change since thelaunch of the current genera-tion in 2007. Per consumerfeedback, Toyota gave the newgeneration Tundra a more chis-eled exterior and refined interi-or with easy-to-use technology.

Combined with perform-

ance enhancements, the all-new Tundra is more of whatmotorists want in a full-sizepickup, in addition to whatthey need.

Translation: upgrades galore.Among them, Toyota design-

ers increased the size of thefront fascia and tightened upthe character lines to punctuateTundra’s pulling power.

For improved performance,shock absorber valving hasbeen re-tuned to improveTundra ride quality over harshsurfaces.

Visually speaking, thechrome grille has a taller, bold-er look visually connecting theupper intake to the lowerbumper. The front lowerbumpers are now a three-piecedesign, while the fenders andwheel wells have been squared-off for a wide, sturdy stance.

The integrated spoiler in thedeck helps with fuel efficiency,while the tail lamps express atool-like quality to match theappearance of the body.

An all-new bed design helpscarry the chiseled characterlines all the way down the pro-file, leading to a rugged newbed and tail gate.

Perhaps best of all, passengercomfort was improved with anall-new front and rear seatdesign with improved frontseat ventilation. CrewMax rearseats are now foldable for addi-tional cargo carrying capability.

The interior is equippedwith an all-new instrumentpanel any gearhead wouldenjoy, plus a number of seg-ment firsts, including a newblind spot monitor with rearcross traffic alert and standardBluetooth.

The new 2014 Tundra willreach Toyota dealers inSeptember.

And that’s just in time for theredesigned truck to take center

stage at one of NASCAR’s mostpopular events – NASCARContenders Live Sponsored byToyota & Sprint – just daysbefore the first race of the 2013Chase for the NASCAR SprintCup at Chicagoland Speedway.

NASCAR Contenders Live,which will feature the Top 12Chase for the NASCAR SprintCup drivers, will take place onSept. 12 at the Grand Ballroomat Chicago’s famed Navy Pierfrom 1:30-3 p.m. CT.

In conjunction with theevent, Toyota is giving onelucky pickup aficionado thechance to take home the new2014 Tundra CrewMax.

“NASCAR Contenders Livegives Toyota a grand stage onwhich to connect with thefiercely loyal NASCAR fanbase,” said Keith Dahl Toyotanational manager of motor-sports and engagement mar-keting.

While the Top 12 NASCARdrivers lay out their strategies toclaim the ultimate prize – aNASCAR Sprint Cup Serieschampionship – a luckymotorist will drive away withthe ultimate prize: the all-newTundra.

Enter to win the new 2014Toyota Tundra CrewMaxnow through Aug. 23, 2013,plus tickets are availablestarting at $10 by visitingNASCAR.com/contenderslive.

For fans following NASCARContenders Live Sponsored byToyota and Sprint on Twitterplease use hashtag#BeAContender.

#BeAContender: Drive HomeWith The NEW 2014 ToyotaTundra CrewMax

By: Kimberly Hyde, NASCAR

Follow NASCAR Performance on Twitter and Facebookwww.twitter.com/NASCARauto ■ www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance


departmentsNASCAR Performance ..................................................................................4This monthly special section takes you behind the scenes of thisfast-growing sport.

MarketPlace ..................................................................................................8,9Every month, MarketPlace showcases the newest automotive prod-uct and service innovations your customers are asking about!

Aftermarket News ......................................................................................12Aftermarket News presents news, views and analysis of currenttrends and events in aftermarket distribution.

News extraExecutive Interview with Jayson Keever of NUCAP ...................24Classifieds .........................................................................................................70

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

HOME OFFICE:3550 Embassy ParkwayAkron, OH 44333-8318330-670-1234FAX 330-670-0874

Bill Babcox [email protected], ext. 217

PUBLISHER:S. Scott [email protected], ext. 229

SALES REPRESENTA-TIVES:Dean Martin [email protected], ext. 225

Jim [email protected], ext. 280

Roberto [email protected], ext. 233

Glenn [email protected], ext. 212

Sean [email protected], ext. 206

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CLASSIFIED SALES:Tom [email protected], ext. 224


P U B L I S H E RS. Scott Shriber330-670-1234, ext. [email protected]

E D I T O R I A LMark Phillips, Editor330-670-1234, Ext. [email protected]

Amy Antenora, Editor, aftermarketNewsManaging Editor, Counterman330-670-1234, Ext. [email protected]

Larry Carley, Technical [email protected]

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R SMandy Aguilar, ColumnistGary Goms, Commercial AccountsGerald Wheelus, ColumnistAllen Markowitz, ColumnistAllan Gerber, ColumnistJerry King, Cartoonist

G R A P H I C D E S I G NLisa DiPaolo, Graphic Designer330-670-1234 , Ext. [email protected]

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C I R C U L A T I O N S E R V I C E SBrad Mitchell, Director of eMedia & Audience Development330-670-1234 , Ext. [email protected]

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Ellen Mays, Circulation Specialist330-670-1234, Ext. [email protected]

C O R P O R A T EBill Babcox, PresidentGreg Cira, Vice President, Chief FinancialOfficerJeff Stankard, Vice PresidentBeth Scheetz, Controller

Edward S. Babcox (1885-1970)Founder

Tom B. Babcox (1919-1995)Chairman

Founded 1983. Copyright 2013Babcox Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved

COUNTERMAN (ISSN-0739-3695) ispublished monthly by Babcox Media, 3550Embassy Pkwy., Akron, OH 44333. Periodicalpostage paid at Akron, OH and additionalmailing offices.

Member, BPA International

Editor’s Ink By Mark Phillips ..............................................................................10We can’t let unperformed maintenance slip away.

Keeping It Simple By Gerald Wheelus ........................................................60Are your ideas bigger than your business?

From The Publisher By S. Scott Shriber......................................................64Do you know what you do well?

Counter-tech By Mandy Aguilar.......................................................................68Is it the end of retail?

Allen & Allan By Allen Markowitz and Allan Gerber ......................................72The value of employee training.

columns



Penray Introduces Liquid Tune-Up

The Penray Companies Inc. has introduced PenrayPlus Liquid Tune-Up, an innovative package of pro-prietary chemicals designed to work in harmony torestore vehicle engines to optimal performance andefficiency, which will help consumers save money atthe pump. Penray Plus Liquid Tune-Up is an inte-grated package containing specially-blended, made-in-the USA chemicals, and designed as a three-step

process to fortify thethree key fluids in to-day’s vehicles – the fuel,the lubricating oil and theengine coolant. Optimiz-ing the fuel, lubricationand cooling systems willhelp extract the best per-formance and efficiencyfrom your engine, whileoffering protection for vi-tal systems that will im-pact service life andresale value.

FAG Premium-Quality Wheel EndComponents

It all comes down to the wheel end. Smart techni-cians know this is no place to cut corners.

For more than 125 years, FAG premium-qualitywheel end components have been the brand of choicefor the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers. Fromtapered wheel bearings to fully integrated hub units,FAG products set the standard for quality, durabilityand performance.

Choosing a FAG brand wheel bearing kit guaran-tees premium-quality products built to the same exacting stan-dards as ourOE product. Soyou can installFAG brandproducts withconfidence.

ContiTech Says Timing Belts AreDriving Today’s AutomotiveEngines

ContiTech’s Power Transmissiongroup says that usage of auto-motive timing belts is on therise around the world.“Many automakers are in-creasingly turning to timingbelts again instead of chainsto drive timing gear,” saidMarkus Pirsch, head of theAutomotive Aftermarket Mar-keting Service at ContiTech Pow-er Transmission Group. “In terms ofimproving fuel efficiency and cutting CO2 emissionsfrom internal combustion engines, belts offer signifi-cant advantages over chains. Their importance willcontinue to grow in the aftermarket, too.”

MARKETPLACE › visit www.counterman.com/ASAP for reader service

Standard MotorProducts Releases388 New Parts forStandard andIntermotor

Standard Motor ProductsInc. (SMP) announces theaddition of 388 new part num-bers to its Standard brand and Inter-motor line of genuine import parts. Thisline expansion features more than 150 newswitches, including multi-function, combination,cruise control, hazard warning, power seat memory,torque converter lock-up, and more, covering greaterthan 78 million additional VIO. SMP has also addedsignificant coverage for cloneable TPMS sensors,airbag clocksprings, camshaft and crankshaft sensors,ABS speed sensors, exhaust gas temperature sensors,EGR control solenoids, ignition coils and power doorlock actuators. All new applications are listed in theeCatalogs found at www.StandardBrand.com andwww.IntermotorImport.com and in electronic catalogproviders.

counterman.com 9

New Rislone EZ Nozzle Funnel

More than 15 million vehicles in North Amer-ica are equipped with capless fuel systems.

While the capless tanks make filling up atthe gas station easy, their internal com-ponents do not permit a free flow offluid from traditional fuel additive bot-tles or portable gas cans. Rislone hascreated a series of solutions for vehicle

owners with obstructed fuel systems.Rislone Gasoline Fuel System Treatment

and the company’s super-concentratedline of fuel additives all come equipped

with capless-compatible packaging. Now,for users who find themselves in emer-

gency situations or want to use up old bot-tles, Rislone introduces the EZ NozzleFunnel. When inserted into the fuel fillerneck, the EZ Nozzle Funnel opens any ob-structions. It features a wide, asymmetricalmouth that makes it simple for users tocleanly empty any bottle or gas can into thefuel tank. Available to distribution in casepacks of 24.

BlueDevil FUEL MD Fuel System Cleaner

BlueDevil Products has introducedthe first product in the new FUELMD product line: BlueDevil FuelSystem Cleaner. BlueDevil Fuel Sys-tem Cleaner will remove fuel de-posits while increasing vehicleperformance. FUEL MD improvesgas mileage, fuel efficiency, vehiclestart-up and will restore a consistentengine idle while lowering fuel oc-tane requirements. Recommendedevery 3,000 miles, BlueDevil FuelSystem Cleaner will maximize yourvehicles performance, guaranteed.Bottles can be ordered directlythrough any major auto parts retaileror online athttp://www.gobluedevil.com.

ADVICS Brake System Expertise

The optimum control derived from the ADVICS to-tal braking system results in a comfortable and saferide every time. With applications for passenger carsand light trucks, ADVICS products meet or exceedOE specifications, assuring industry-leading brakingperformance.

Visit www.ADVICS-na.com to learn more aboutADVICS braking systems or email: [email protected]

New Philips LED Rough Service Light BulbIdeal For Rugged Shop Use

The new Philips LED Rough Service Bulb featuresadvanced LED technology, making it extremely effi-cient and durable, especially in rugged environ-ments. The bulb creates a brilliant white light at atemperature of 3,000K with an output of 800 lumens,yet remains cool to the touch. Plus, it only needs 10.5watts of power — a fraction of the consumption re-quired by conventional Halogen and fluorescentlamps. Shatter-resistant, the light is mercury-free andcan be used in service lamps, inspection lamps andautomatic garagedoor lights. It isdesigned for longlife and can lastup to 18-plusyears.

MARKETPLACE › visit www.counterman.com/ASAP for reader service

Irecently got back from a road-trip familyvacation down south. The drive took usthrough some beautiful country. Thedrive also took us past a staggering

number of disabled vehicles. I stopped counting after seeing about 60

vehicles with hoods up, tires blown orpulled over for some other unplanned re-pair emergency. After seeing so many vehi-cles this way (and many of themapparently fellow vacationers, judging bythe full roof racks and luggage), it got meto thinking: There’s still a whole lot of un-performed maintenance out there. It wasright there before my eyes.

Unperformed maintenance was at $50billion in the late 1990s, up to $67 billion in2011, according to the 2013 Automotive Af-termarket Status Report published by theAutomotive Aftermarket Suppliers Associ-ation (AASA). While $67 billion is a big

number, that’s not the one that catchesmy eye. It’s another number tallied

by AASA, which is 26 percent.That’s the figure of unperformedmaintenance as a percentage ofautomotive aftermarket potential.In 2008, it was 21 percent. That

means more than a quarter ofthe money the after-

market could begetting is slip-

ping away. The2013 reportstates, “Whilethe automo-tive after-

markettotaled anestimated

EDITOR’S INKBy Mark Phillips

Don’t Let UnperformedMaintenance Slip Away

$187 billion in 2011, if consumers had per-formed maintenance they should to keeptheir vehicles safe, reliable and running ef-ficiently, the aftermarket would have to-taled $254 billion.”

I wish I had a copy of the AutomotiveAftermarket Status Report on me because Iwould have stopped to show each andevery stranded motorist (Yeah, I’m surethat would have been received well.)

While I drove past the motorists alongthe side of the highway (they were OK,they had cell phones), I saw dollar signs.Sure, NOW those motorists were going toget their vehicles repaired, but wouldn’t ithad been good to get that money a fewmonths ago?

Automotive analysts I talked to recentlysay motorists often use tax returns to payfor neglected maintenance. Anyone whogets a tax return does it: We think of a newTV, a vacation to spend it on, a new iPad.Whatever. But few people, I’m supposing,ever think months in advance, “Wow! Icould get that new fuel pump/battery/ro-tor I always wanted!” But here’s where a bitof marketing and persistence on our partwill pay off: We need to project and remindmotorists as an industry that they don’twant to get left by the side of the road. Espe-cially not during that family vacation. Weneed to teach them that paying attention tomaintenance means they won’t have to dealwith unexpected hassles later on.

Perhaps we need to market a “vacationpackage,” where we as an industry give aspecial inspection to motorists prior tothem going on their holiday. It’s a chanceto reinforce that we care about them andtheir vehicles and it’s also a chance to iden-tify sales and take care of problems beforethey happen. CM

■ ■ ■

For more information: www.counterman.com

Perhaps weneed to marketa “vacationpackage,”where we as anindustry give aspecialinspection tomotorists priorto them goingon their holiday.



NEW YORK — Standard MotorProducts Inc. has released a newTechSmart Tech Session that featuresthe TechSmart line of expansion tankservice kits, providing useful infor-mation for this growing product cate-gory. The new video, as well as theentire Tech Session video series, is available for viewing atwww.youtube.com/TechSmartParts andwww.facebook.com/TechSmartParts byclicking on the video channel button.

The OE-designed expansiontank system can fail over time,leaking coolant and in-creasing the risk of over-heating, the companysays. The thermostat lo-cated on the oil cooler isoften damaged while re-moving the expansion tank.TechSmart Expansion Tank ServiceKits provide the expansion tank,oil cooler thermostat and coolantlevel sensor to replace the dam-

aged unit and restore the vehicle’sproper cooling functions.

“We currently offer 25 premiumTechSmart expansion tank servicekits for the most popular Euro-pean applications,” said Phil

Hutchens, vice president, enginemanagement marketing, SMP.“These kits contain everything atechnician will need to do the jobright.”

Tech Sessions are designed to help professional techniciansfind new and better ways tosolve their automotive repair is-

sues. Videos also areavailable for TechSmartelectronic throttle bod-ies, PMD relocationkits, steering columnshift tubes, air door ac-tuators and the VVTchain tensioner.

The TechSmart line ofenhanced engine control

parts are designed to meetthe needs of today’s profes-

sional service technicians byproviding them with high-quali-

ty, hard-to-find, problem-solvingparts featuring new categories andnew technology that they can trust.

For more information on TechSmart, contact an SMP salesrepresentative or visitwww.TechSmartParts.com.

AFTERMARKET NEWS

What vehicle does this picturerepresent? If you think youknow the answer, go towww.counterman.com andclick “Guess the Car” on thenav bar. Submit your answerand contact information. Awinner will be randomlyselected by the Countermanstaff from all correct answers.The deadline to enter is Sept. 3.The winner’s name will appearin the next issue. Stay tuned!

This Month’s Puzzle

Guess the Car / Win $100!

#67

Honda Fit

Congrats to Phillip Xayasane

Last Month’s Correct Answer:

#66

“Let’s get physical!”

“I’m Going for the Gold!”

TechSmart Releases New Expansion Tank Service Kit Tech Session Video

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Federal-Mogul has been awarded a U.S.patent for its flat (beam) blade wiperdesign, which includes a number ofproprietary features designed tohelp ensure superior windshieldcontact and wiping performance ontoday’s curved windshields. The Ar-ticulated Contact Technology (ACT),covered by U.S. Patent 8,347,449, isfeatured on all ANCO Contour andProfile flat blades.

“This important technology helpsenhance the performance of flatblade wipers in a full range of oper-ating conditions, providing excep-

tional conformance to curved wind-shields,” said Michael McKee, direc-tor, global visibility, Federal-Mogul.

The patented ANCO ACT tech-nology incorporates a unique spoil-er design that generates down forceto reduce wind lift and maintain op-timum blade-to-glass contact. Thistechnology, featuring two co-extrud-ed materials, permits unrestrictedflexing of the blade for more uni-form pressure distribution and im-proved conformance and contactwith the windshield.

For more information, visitwww.ANCOWipers.com.

counterman.com 13

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Federal-Mogul Awarded PatentFor ANCO Flat Blade Technology

GMB Introduces UpdatedFull Line Of Fan Clutches AtPAACE AutomechanikaMEXICO CITY, Mexico – GMB NorthAmerica Inc. says its time at thisyear’s PAACE Automechanika was a“tremendous success,” following theintroduction of its updated full line offan clutches and social media launchin Mexico. GMB created a completevisitor experience at its booth to pro-mote visitor engagement. The compa-ny highlighted various features with acustom iPad application, includingsocial media, 3-D product features, aswell as its mobile catalog application.

GMB’s next trade show appear-ance will take place at AAPEX in November at the Sands Expo Centerin Las Vegas.”

STAUNTON, Va. – The winnershave been chosen and it’s nowtime to “Get Dirty with Kenny andthe Two Guys.”

NASCAR legend Kenny Schrad-er and his buddies, Kevin Byrd andWillie B., hosts of the Federated-sponsored television show “TwoGuys Garage,” will welcome thelucky winners of the exclusive Fed-erated Car Care promotion to theannual dirt driving extravaganza.

The Federated Car Care Centermembers sending winners to raceKenny and the Two Guys in earlyAugust at the Federated Auto PartsI-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., are:

● Hill’s Automotive, Owensboro,Ky.;

● Broadway Auto Salvage,Braceville, Ill.;

● Team Ramco Northwest, Dal-ton Gardens, Idaho;

● Absolute Import/DomesticAuto, Snoqualmie, Wash.; and

● Holly Oak Towing and Serv-ice Center, Wilmington, Del.

The winners will get a behind-the-scenes look at the racing busi-ness, and Schrader and the TwoGuys will tape a special on-loca-tion episode of “Two GuysGarage” that will air later this year.

“We want to congratulate thewinners and thank them for beingloyal Federated Car Care cus-tomers,” said Phil Moore, seniorvice president of Federated AutoParts. “We also want to thank Bren-ton Productions for filming the‘Get Dirty’ weekend for a futureepisode of ‘Two Guys Garage.’Kenny and the Two Guys are firedup and ready to race, so we knowour winners will have a terrifictime.”


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Over the Counter By Jerry King

Winning Federated Customers To

‘Get Dirty’ With Kenny And The Two Guys


Spectra Premium Donates $25,000 To University Of The Aftermarket Foundation

port the mission of the University ofthe Aftermarket Foundation tomaintain and grow a strong after-market workforce through educa-tion and training,” said Jason Best,vice president of aftermarket salesand marketing for Spectra Premium.

“The University of the After-

market Foundation sincerelythanks Spectra Premium for theirgenerous donation,” said Wash-bish. “Their support of the foun-dation’s goal to educate andattract talent to the aftermarket iscritically important to the futureof our great industry.”

For more information on Spectra Premium, visit www.spec-trapremium.com.


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BETHESDA, Md. — Spectra Premi-um has contributed $25,000 to theUniversity of the AftermarketFoundation, it was announced byJohn Washbish, secretary of theUniversity of the AftermarketFoundation.

“We are extremely proud to sup-

About the University of the Aftermarket FoundationSince 1986, the University of the Aftermarket Foundation has fundedmillions of dollars of scholarships, grants, research and ongoing educa-tional programs to help develop a strong, knowledgeable aftermarketwork force. The foundation encourages industry support, including donations for the purpose of honoring or memorializing individuals orotherwise recognizing special events, to help ensure the continued avail-ability of training and education that strengthen the industry. For moreinformation about the University of the Aftermarket Foundation, call(816) 584-0511.

Akebono Brake Corp. Expands Coverage With40 New Part Numbers

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. —Akebono Brake Corp. has released40 new part numbers in its Pro-ACT, Performance and EURO ce-ramic brake pad lines to expandcoverage on a greater number ofvehicles. Withthese additions,Akebono pads,featuring model-specific ceramicformulations, cannow be applied tomore than 97 per-cent of the vehi-cles on the road,the company said.

“We are makingthis enhancementas a sign of ourcontinuous com-mitment to sup-port and grow ourcustomers’ busi-ness,” said KenSelinger, director,Akebono Aftermarket sales andmarketing. “We are pleased thatthere is growing demand for ourultra-premium braking solutions asthe market is increasingly embrac-ing our industry leading technolo-gy and best-in-class performance.”

Precise application listings canbe found at http://www.showmethep-arts.com/akebono.

With theseadditions,Akebono pads,featuringmodel-specificceramicformulations,can now beapplied to morethan 97 percentof the vehicleson the road, thecompany said.


SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – WagnerBrake Products has announced abreakthrough in low-copper auto-motive brake friction technology thathas resulted in the brand’s best-everlevels of stopping power, noise con-trol and fade resistance. The newWagner OE21 ceramic formula-tions are available immediately inWagner ThermoQuiet CeramicNXTbrake pads.

“Our engineers have developedan advanced technology that im-mediately meets the requirementsof impending environmental restrictions and provides across-the-board improvements in per-formance, NVH control, durabilityand dusting characteristics,” saidMartin Hendricks, vice president

and general manager, braking, Federal-Mogul. “The OE21 formu-lations have enabled us to makeWagner ThermoQuiet Ceramic-NXT brake pads the best pads we have ever produced for the aftermarket.”

Reduction of copper content invehicle friction materials is requiredwith the recent passage of environ-mental legislation in California andWashington. Legislation mandatesthat the use of copper in new origi-nal equipment and replacementbrake pads be reduced to less than 5percent of material content byweight by Jan. 1, 2021. Rather thanwait for the 2021 deadline, severalglobal vehicle manufacturers haveworked with Wagner brake engi-

neers to integrate low-copper OEbrake pads into next-generationmodels soon to go on sale.

Federal-Mogul reports that theproprietary OE21 formulationswere developed through an ad-vanced tribological “fingerprint-ing” process that enabled Wagnerbrake engineers first to map thedynamic properties of copper in afull range of operating conditionsand then identify alternative mate-rials that could provide improvedstopping, NVH control, wear anddusting characteristics. The newformulations offer 15 percentgreater stopping power and are 35percent quieter, on average, thanprevious Wagner ThermoQuiet Ce-ramicNXT formulations.


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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Wagner Brake Products Announces Low-Copper Friction Breakthrough


BETHESDA, Md. – The Universityof the Aftermarket Foundationwelcomes O’Reilly Auto Parts as alifetime trustee. The O’Reilly andWooten families recently con-tributed $100,000 to the founda-tion, investing in the future of theaftermarket through education andtraining.

“For many years, AWDA Univer-sity, as well as numerous other in-dustry contributors, provided ourfamily and company outstandingeducational opportunities and val-ue. We are so very grateful for theuniversity and what it has done forus, we wanted to participate in theongoing educational effort of thefoundation and its programs,” said

David O’Reilly, chairman of O’Reilly Auto Parts.

David O’Reilly will serve as thecompany’s representative on theUniversity of the AftermarketFoundation board of trustees.

“On behalf of the University ofthe Aftermarket Foundation, wethank the O’Reilly and Wootenfamilies for their generous contri-bution and welcome O’Reilly AutoParts as a lifetime trustee,” saidRusty Bishop, chairman of the Uni-versity of the Aftermarket Founda-tion. “Aftermarket education isimportant to O’Reilly Auto Partsand we know that David will be anexcellent addition to the founda-tion’s board of trustees.”


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O’Reilly Auto Parts Joins University Of TheAftermarket Foundation As Lifetime Trustee

VERNON HILLS, Ill. – ZF Services LLC, the strategic aftermarket business unitof ZF Friedrichshafen AG, has announced that its SACHS clutch brand wasrecently selected as a Co-Approved Clutch Vendor to the Automotive Distri-bution Network (ADN). A “Co-Approved” vendor is supported by the ADN toits membership with pricing services, data warehouse information, Net Inteland marketing support.

ZF Services stated that this is an important step for the company in itsgrowth initiative within the group. ZF Services supplies several productbrands to the aftermarket, including SACHS shocks and struts, SACHSclutches, Lemförder chassis components, ZF Parts remanufactured transmis-sions and components and STABILUS gas-charged lift supports.

SACHS Clutch Brand Selected As Co-ApprovedClutch Vendor At Automotive Distribution Network

DENSO Enhances Rewards Program With IncentivesAnd Online Tools To Promote DENSO First Time FitCabin Air Filters And Wiper Blades

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Denso’s MyDENSO Rewards program for dis-tributors and professional techni-cians who purchase, sell and installDENSO First Time Fit cabin air fil-ters and wiper blades has beenwell-received by WD and Jobbersalespeople, shop owners and tech-nicians across the country, the com-pany says. Now, DENSO has madeit easy to participate with online

claim forms, specific reward cate-gories and extra points for enrollingin this sales incentive program forcabin air filters and wiper blades.

These forms will provide a sim-ple solution for tracking claim activity. For those who wish touse a more traditional method, aconvenient “tally sheet” is nowavailable for download atwww.MyDENSOrewards.com.


McHENRY, Ill. – The makers ofRaybestos brand brake andRaybestos brand chassis productshave teamed up to develop a busi-ness-building promotion that willgive counter professionals cash re-bates. In addition, technicians areable to purchase a customized pro-motion kit, and their customers canreceive free custom T-shirts. Onelucky fan will win the grand prize: acustomized 2014 Raybestos Rattlesnake Toyota Tundra.

The Story Behind the Truck

The 2014 Toyota Tundra is Texas-made and Texas-tough, according toRaybestos, capable of rippingthrough severe off-road trails andharsh desert terrain. The Raybestos

Rattlesnake is being customized byAddictive Desert Designs and willfeature custom bumpers, side stepsand chase rack.

Thanks to Toyota Racing Devel-opment (TRD), a Toyota 5.7-Literaluminum i-FORCE DOHC 32 valveV-8 with a tuned TRD Superchargerhelps the Raybestos Rattlesnakereach more than 600 hp. It also willinclude a high-lift off-road suspen-sion and off-road shocks.

The truck's stopping power willcome from the same Raybestos shorttrack racing brake package used bythe Joe Gibbs Racing team, and willstretch its off-road muscle withRaybestos Professional Grade chas-sis parts.

TRD also will also install head-

ers and a full stainless steel mufflerexhaust with polished stainlesssteel tips.

The Raybestos Rattlesnake pro-gram runs July 15 through Oct. 15.Participating technicians can offertheir customers a free RaybestosRattlesnake custom T-shirt withevery $25 purchase of qualifyingRaybestos brake and/or chassisproducts. Each redeemed rebatecard serves as an entry to win thegrand prize. Technicians also canearn a free T-shirt and up to $25 forselling qualifying product. The freeT-shirt offer and the chance to en-ter the grand prize drawing endOct. 15.

Second prize is a Joe Gibbs Racingcustomized 2013 Yamaha YZ450Fdirt bike; third prize is a TRAXXASremote control vehicle; and fourthplace receives a Replay XD camera.

During the promotional period,counter professionals can earn a freet-shirt and reward up to $25 for sell-ing qualifying Raybestos brandbrake and/or chassis products. Atally card is provided to track re-wards, and the tally card also servesas an entry into the grand prizedrawing.

To promote the offer and sweep-stakes, participating installationshops can purchase a Raybestos Rat-tlesnake promotional kit for $99.The kit includes: a limited editionRaybestos Rattlesnake graphic tinsign, a promotional window poster,a counter card with 25 T-shirt re-demption cards and five T-shirts.They also receive a free goods cer-tificate to offset the cost of the kit!

Visit www.RaybestosGarage.com toenter to win the 2014 Raybestos Rat-tlesnake and to view updates on thecustom build.

No purchase necessary. Officialrules can be found at www.raybestosbrakes.com andwww.raybestoschassis.com.


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ceAFTERMARKET NEWS

Raybestos Brand Brakes And Raybestos Brand Chassis Launch 'Raybestos Rattlesnake' Promotion


Please give us a brief history of NUCAP and its involvement withbrake systems.JK: NUCAP was founded in 1994,remains privately owned, and hasmore than eight operating loca-tions in four countries designingand manufacturing disc brakebacking plates, shims, hardware,electronic wear sensors and sys-tem solutions like NRS, pistoncushions, DRT and Brake Align.We are a major supplier to theoriginal equipment market, andthe largest supplier of aftermarketbrake components for passengercars, commercial vehicles and in-dustrial applications. Our missionis to support our customers/part-ners with innovative braking sys-tem products that improve thevalue, performance, durabilityand safety.

In May, NUCAP launched a prettybold promotion – the 100 percentbrake pad performance guaranteeon any brand of brake pad equippedwith NUCAP’s NRS technology. Tellus about the technological advance-ment (NRS) that is enabling you to offer such a guarantee.JK: Brake pads have been treatedas a commodity item where pricehas been the one and only sellingpoint for way too long, and theproduct has suffered as everyonehas been looking to take costdown. We know many technicians

and end-users understand this ulti-mately cost them performance andmore money in the long run. Thesecustomers want to purchase anduse high-quality products, and wefeel that products like NRS helpensure that they are receiving atop-quality product. We hope the100 Percent Brake PerformanceGuarantee will help raise aware-ness for the brands that are provid-ing the best products and solutionsas well as bring awareness to prod-ucts that do provide a safe, quiet,more durable braking product.

How are you getting the messageout about this technology, and theguarantee, to your customers, andon to their customers?JK: NUCAP is holding direct dis-cussions with our manufacturingpartners, both OE and aftermarket,on a consistent basis to show themhow NRS can improve the qualityof their product while not increas-ing their final production cost. Weare also communicating the bene-fits of a more secure friction at-tachment directly to techniciansand enthusiasts with a fully inte-grated marketing effort, includingtrade media, an active Web pres-ence, public relations, direct mail,social media, plus, we are activelyinvolved on 40 enthusiast maga-zine websites like Hot Rod, Car and Driver and Motor Trend, toname a few. CM

EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

Executive Interview With Jayson Keever,Vice President Of Global Marketing, NUCAP

This AMN Executive Interview by Editor AmyAntenora features Jayson Keever, VP of globalmarketing for Toronto, Canada-based NUCAPIndustries. In the interview, Keever brings us up tospeed on exciting changes taking place at the company,including the launch of a bold new brake padperformance guarantee.




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AnnualTechnical ForumGet the lowdown on 13 parts categories to help boost sales

By Larry Carley

A/C ....................................28Batteries ..........................30Belts and Hoses ............32Chassis ............................34Filters ..............................38Friction ............................40Fuel Pumps ....................42Rotors ..............................44Spark Plugs ....................46Suspension ....................48TPMS................................50Wheel bearings ............52Wiper blades ..................54




Air Conditioning

vehicles, but a controversy over its safetyresulted in a delay until sometime nextyear. Hyundai and Suzuki have some 2013cars out with HFO-1234yf, but Cadillac re-called their 2013 XTS and ATS models thathad HFO-1234yf and converted them backto R-134a).

HFO-1234yf is slightly flammable, andcrash tests by Daimler (Mercedes-Benz)found that HFO-1234yf might create a firehazard in an accident. This caused Euro-pean automakers to hold off on plans tostart using HFO-1234yf this year. Subse-quent testing by the Society of AutomotiveEngineers (SAE) found that HFO-1234yf issafe for automotive use.

Currently, the U.S. EPA has no require-ments for converting new cars to HFO-1234yf. But in Europe there are rules thatrequire using a refrigerant with a low GWPrating. Unlike the changes that occurredwhen R-134a replaced R-12 back in 1993 to1996 to address the ozone issue (R-134acontains no ozone-damaging CFCs), R-134a will remain in production and avail-able for the foreseeable future. The newHFO-1234yf refrigerant will only be usedin new production vehicles.

Because HFO-1234yf is a different refriger-ant chemically, it requires a different PAGcompressor oil and different service fittings.It also requires unique service equipmentthat must meet SAE J2843 recovery and recy-cling requirements. HFO-1234yf should notbe mixed with R-134a or used to top-off cur-rent A/C systems. It will only be available inbulk containers (no small cans) and willNOT be available to do-it-yourselfers. Serv-ice equipment designed for HFO-1234yf willcheck for leaks and will NOT allow a leakyA/C system to be recharged until the leakhas been fixed. CM


QIs a new refrigerant going to replace R-134a?

A. Yes, but the question is when? The newrefrigerant is HFO-1234yf. Its cooling per-formance is very close to R-134a (the refrig-erant that is currently used in all new carsand trucks) but it has a much lower GlobalWarming Potential Rating (only 4 versus1430 for R-134a), making HFO-1234yf amuch better refrigerant in terms of its po-tential impact on climate change.

Automakers had planned on introduc-ing HFO-1234yf in some 2013 model year

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Batteries

A. Most “maintenance-free” batterieshave sealed tops so it is not necessary (orpossible) to add make-up water. If thecase is translucent plastic, the electrolytelevel inside can be seen through the case.But if the top is not designed to be opened,forcing open the caps can damage the bat-tery and void the warranty.

Batteries that have removable caps(“maintenance-accessible”) can have make-up water added to individual cells if the

level is low. However, only clean distilledwater should be added to the battery —never ordinary tap water because it usuallycontains dissolved salts and minerals thatwill contaminate the electrolyte.

Acid should NEVER be added to a bat-tery that has been in service because it con-tains all the acid it needs. Addingadditional acid will not rejuvenate an ag-ing or sulfated battery. The only time acidshould be added is when filling and acti-vating a brand new motorcycle battery(which are usually shipped dry with theacid in a separate container). AbsorbentGlass Mat (AGM) and gel cell car batteriesdo not use liquid acid but have an acidpaste between their cell plates.

The only maintenance that most car bat-teries require is (1) maintaining the batteryat or near full charge and (2) keeping thebattery terminals clean and tight.

Except for deep cycle marine batteries,most car batteries should be maintained at75 percent or higher charge level for maxi-mum service life. Allowing the battery torun down or to remain in a low state ofcharge for a prolonged period of time allowssulfate to build up on the cell plates, reduc-ing the ability to accept and hold a charge.

A fully charged battery should read12.66 volts. A reading of 12.45 volts or lessindicates the battery is low and needs to berecharged.

Q. What kind of problems can a weak or

low battery cause?

A. Hard starting is the most commonproblem. Fuel injected engines usuallystart very quickly, but if the battery is weakthe engine may not spin fast enough tostart quickly — especially during coldweather. CM


QDo car batteries require any maintenance?

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Belts & Hoses

A. Before they fail is the short answer.The long answer is it depends on the typeof hose, the age of the vehicle and the ap-plication. Today’s cooling hoses, fuel linehoses, vacuum and emissions hoses, PShoses, A/C hoses and brake hoses are allvery durable and long-lived, but they don’tlast forever. There are no factory recom-mended service intervals for any type ofhose, but all automakers do recommend in-specting hoses when normal maintenanceor repairs are performed.

A recent nationwide survey conductedby the Car Care Council found that 13 per-cent of vehicles inspected had one or morebad coolant hoses. The survey didn’t evenlook at the other types of hoses.

There are millions of vehicles that are 10or more years old that have NEVER hadany of their hoses replaced! There are alsomillions of vehicles that experience sometype of hose failure every year.

One of the most common hose failures iswhen a radiator or heater hose springs a

leak. Leaks can result from normalaging and deterioration of the hosematerial, from internal corrosion(electrolysis) or external physicalcauses (like chaffing or rubbing).When a radiator or heater hose fails,coolant seeps or sprays out of thecooling system causing the engine tooverheat. According to AAA,coolant hose failures are one of theleading causes of roadside break-downs and emergency service calls(right after flat tires).

It makes more sense to replace ag-ing or leaking coolant hoses and oth-er types of hose when it isconvenient to do so rather thanwaiting for a hose to fail. Yet that’swhat most motorists do. They waitfor a problem to occur like engineoverheating, a dangerous fuel leak,brake failure or an emissions/per-formance problem.

Hose replacement for preventivemaintenance is still as important asever, so always recommend replacinghigh-mileage hoses on older vehicleswhen a customer is buying a waterpump, thermostat, fuel pump, brakeparts or emissions-related parts. CM


QWhen should hoses be replaced?

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Chassis Parts

A. A lot! It depends on which chassis partis worn, but some like tie rod ends, controlarm bushings and ball joints can and do in-crease tire wear if the parts are worn andloose. Worn tie rod ends in the steeringlinkage typically cause the front tires totoe-out. It doesn’t matter if only one tie rodend or both are worn because looseness ateither end of the steering linkage will causeboth front tires to wear equally. The greaterthe toe misalignment, the more the tiresscrub and wear with every mile driven.The wear is usually greatest on the insideedges of both front tires.

As a rule, tie rod ends should have novisible play. If one tie rod end is obviouslybad, it’s often a good idea to replace bothat the same time (or all four if the vehiclehas a recirculating ball steering linkage) be-cause all have the same mileage.

If only one front tire shows heavy shoul-der wear on the inside edge, the problem ismost likely worn control arm bushings (ora bent or misaligned strut) that allow thecontrol arm to move and change toeand/or camber alignment (camber is theinward/outward tilt of the wheel asviewed from the front).

On vehicles with independent rear sus-pensions, worn control arm bushings (orstock bushings that are too soft and com-pliant) can also allow unwanted movementthat changes the toe/camber alignment ofthe rear wheels. This may produce innershoulder wear on the tires, or more typical-ly a diagonal wear pattern across the tread.If the tires are not rotated regularly, thetread can develop a rough uneven wearpattern that causes noise and vibration.

Worn ball joints typically produce sus-pension noise and also can affect camberalignment and tie wear. But the greatest

danger with worn ball joints is that thejoint may break or pull apart and allow thesuspension to collapse. When this happens,one of the front wheels usually fold up in-side the fender and the driver loses allsteering control — which could be verydangerous if the ball joint fails while driv-ing at highway speeds.

Ball joints should be replaced when ver-tical or horizontal play exceeds specifica-tions. As with tie rod ends, it’s usually agood idea to recommend replacing all ofthe ball joints at the same time because allhave the same mileage. Loaded ball jointsusually wear out more quickly than un-loaded follower ball joints.

A special removal tool such as a balljoint/tie rod fork or separator tool is usual-ly needed to replace these chassis parts. Onsome newer applications, the ball joint maybe part of a “unitized” control arm assem-bly. Unless there is a special replacementball joint for the application, the entire con-trol arm usually has to be replaced if theball joint is bad.

Q. What are some causes of steering

looseness?

A. On vehicles with rack and pinion steer-ing, an often overlooked cause of steeringlooseness is worn, loose or broken rackmounts. The mounts hold the rack in thechassis and help isolate road vibrations. Ifthe mounts are bad, the rack can move andsquirm when the steering wheel is turnedcausing the steering to feel loose.

Other causes include worn outer tie rodends or inner tie rod sockets on vehicleswith rack and pinion steering, or wear be-tween the pinion gear and rack inside thesteering housing. CM


QHow much impact do worn chassis parts have on tire wear?



Filters

A. As often as necessary to prevent themfrom clogging. The engine managementsystem can compensate for a dirty air filterup to a point, but when the restriction be-comes too great, engine performance andfuel economy will suffer.

A recent Car Car Council survey foundthat 23 percent of vehicles inspected (near-ly one out of four!) had a dirty air filter thatwas overdue for replacement.

The factory recommended service inter-vals for air filters tend to be overly opti-mistic, with many in the 30,000-to-50,000mile range. The life of any air filter de-pends on driving conditions, how muchdirt the filter is exposed to, and the designof the filter itself.

Some air filters have greater “depth” andholding capacity to extend filter life. Thetrick is to design the filter so that it is bothhigh-efficiency, but does not clog up tooquickly or become too restrictive. A filter’sefficiency depends on the media used.Most pleated paper air filters are made ofcellulose and/or synthetic fibers. The sizeand distribution of the fibers determinesthe filter’s ability to trap dirt, the amountof dirt it can hold and the amount of re-striction it creates to the incoming air. Bet-ter-quality filters may be treated to makethem water-resistant. Rain and road splashcan sometimes enter the air filter housingwhere it can make untreated paper filtermedia swell and deteriorate.

The air filter should always be checkedwhen the oil is changed or when othermaintenance is performed. Tapping orblowing out a dirty air filter doesn’t reallydo much to unclog it because the smallest

particles will remain embedded in the me-dia where they are likely restricting airflow.Holding a bright shop light behind the filterelement is the best way to inspect it.

Q. How often should fuel filters be re-

placed?

A. Most late-model vehicles have no fac-tory-recommended service for the fuel fil-ter because the filter is a “lifetime” filterpart of the fuel pump assembly buried in-side the gas tank. So the only recommen-dation is to replace it if it is clogged or thefuel pump is being replaced. New fuelpump modules usually come with a newfilter as part of the assembly, but if a cus-tomer is replacing the pump separately heshould also change the filter and pickupscreen.

On vehicles that have inline fuel fil-ters, there may be a recommended serv-ice interval (typically 50,000 miles). Butif the filter becomes clogged with dirt,rust or sediment from the fuel tank, itmay have to be replaced sooner. Fre-quent fuel filter clogging would tell youthe fuel tank is being contaminated withoutside dirt, or it is rusting (a steel tank),or is flaking (older plastic tank). The fixhere may require cleaning or replacingthe fuel tank.

A common symptom of a clogged fuelfilter is loss of high-speed power caused bya restriction in fuel flow when engine de-mand is high. If the filter becomes com-pletely blocked, it will starve the engine forfuel causing the engine to die. Technicianswill often cut open a clogged fuel filter tofind out what caused it to clog up. CM


QHow often do air filters, oil filters and fuel filtersneed to be changed?



Friction

A. It depends on what your customer wants. The “best” frictionmaterial for one customer might not be best friction material foranother. One customer may want longer brake life or quieter brak-ing while another is more interested in stopping power and faderesistance.

The best advice is to follow the friction recommendations provid-ed by the brake manufacturer. Most brake suppliers offer a range ofspecially formulated friction materials in their product lines. Themay have “good,” “better” and “best” products, with good beingsome type of low-cost economy pad, better being an OEM equivalenttype of friction material, and best being some type of premium fric-tion material such as ceramic or semi-metallic.

Semi-metallic friction materials, for example, can handle highbraking temperatures better than nonasbestos organic (NAO) and ce-ramic compounds and have good fade resistance. But semi-metallicpads may require more brake pressure when the brakes are cold, andincrease rotor wear and noise due to their harder consistency.

Ceramic friction materials are typically quieter than semi-metalliclinings, resist wear better than most NAO friction materials, and pro-duce little visible brake dust.

Many ceramic compounds also are rotor-friendly and reduce rotorwear. But ceramics can’t handle as much heat as semi-metallics canunder hard braking conditions.

Some replacement pads use one type of friction material for the in-ner pads and a different type of friction material for the outer pads tooptimize overall braking performance.

The performance for any type of friction material will depend onits hot and cold friction characteristics, its wear and fade resistancecharacteristics, its noise characteristics and the type of dust it pro-duces. Price also is a big factor, too. For some customers, cost may bethe only thing that matters (they usually want the cheapest!). Othercustomers may be more interested in reducing noise or brake dust.Others may want to upgrade stopping power and fade resistanceover the original equipment brakes. The only way to find out whatthey really want is to ask them.

Some customers also may have a brand preference when it comesto choosing a particular friction material. If you carry that brand,great! You’ve made a sale. Follow the brake supplier’s recommenda-tions and try to match the product with the customer’s expectationsbe it cost, overall value or performance. CM


QHow do you choose the “best” friction pads for a vehicle?

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Fuel Pumps

A. Fuel pumps have a high return rate be-cause any number of things may preventthe engine from getting fuel. Commoncauses of no fuel include a plugged fuel fil-ter, blocked fuel line, blown fuel pumpfuse, bad fuel pump relay, electrical faultsin the fuel pump wiring (opens, shorts orexcessive resistance), a dead fuel pump orno fuel in the tank. In cases where thepump is dead and does not spin when thekey is turned on, the problem may be thepump itself or it may be the pump’s volt-age supply or wiring connections. A prob-lem with a vehicle’s anti-theft system (orPCM) may also disable the fuel pump cir-cuit and prevent the engine from starting.

Sometimes a fuel pump will run but notspin fast enough to develop normal fuelpressure. This may cause hard starting andpoor engine performance. A weak pumpmay deliver enough pressure and flow forlow-speed driving but starve the enginefor fuel when engine speed and load in-crease, causing the engine to misfire.Sometimes the problem is not the pump atall, but a leaky fuel pressure regulator thatcan’t maintain adequate pressure to thefuel injectors.

Accurate diagnosis requires making var-ious electrical checks if the pump is notworking to rule out other possibilities suchas a blown fuse, bad relay or wiring fault.In cases where the pump runs, fuel pres-sure needs to be checked with an accurate-ly calibrated fuel pressure gauge. A flowmeter can be used to check fuel delivery, orthe pump’s output can be measured by dis-connecting a fuel line and seeing howmuch fuel it can deliver. A good pumpshould usually deliver a quart of fuel in 30seconds.

A new or used fuel pump that is not in-

stalled in a vehicle should never be jumpedto test it. Fuel pumps must be submergedin fuel for both cooling and lubrication.Running a pump dry can damage it.

When a “bad” fuel pump is returned tothe manufacturer under warranty, it is usu-ally bench tested wet on special equipmentto determine why it failed. According toone major fuel pump supplier, 62 percentof the pumps returned have no fault foundand work perfectly — which means a lot offuel pumps are being misdiagnosed and re-turned or replaced unnecessarily.

The best advice here is to ask your cus-tomer if they’re sure they really need a newfuel pump. Have they ruled out all of theother possibilities? If not, they should dosome additional checks to make sure thepump needs to be replaced.

Q. Is there any way to tell if a fuel pump

is failing?

A. Sometimes a failing fuel pump willgive some clues to its impending demise,but more often than not the pump justdies with little or no warning.

Sometimes an aging pump will becomenoisy. The buzzing sound may get louderand louder as the pump nears the end of itslife. This is more typical of roller vane fuelpumps than turbine-style pumps, whichare typically much quieter.

A failing fuel pump may cause hard-starting or cause a noticeable drop in en-gine performance when accelerating hardor when driving at highway speeds — butnot always.

New original equipment fuel pumps willusually last 100,000 to 150,000 miles ormore — but may fail sooner if the pumpbecomes contaminated with dirt, rust ordebris inside the fuel tank. CM


QWhy are fuel pumps so often misdiagnosed?



Rotors

A. The price, obviously, is one difference,but there are also differences in rotor de-sign and cooling, the type of iron alloysused to cast the rotor, noise, wear and over-all performance.

Good brakes are essential for safe driving.One of the key components in a disc brakesystem is the rotor. When the brakes are ap-plied, the calipers squeeze the pads againstthe rotor to create friction and heat. This con-verts the kinetic energy of motion into ther-mal energy (heat), which the rotors absorband dissipate to slow the vehicle.

If the rotors are not up to the task, and donot absorb and dissipate heat efficiently, thedistance it takes to stop the vehicle may in-crease. Poor rotor cooling also increases therisk of brake fade due to overheated brakepads, and can shorten the life of the pads.The hotter the pads run, the faster they wear.

The quality of the metal from which a ro-tor has a major impact on rotor life and per-formance. The better the metallurgy in therotor, the better it will perform on the vehi-cle. Economy rotors are typically made fromthe cheapest scrap iron. Quality can be veryinconsistent from batch to batch and evenfrom one rotor to the next. This can createhard spots that lead to warping and pedalpulsation problems later on as the rotorswear. Rotors that are too soft may wearquickly, while rotors that are too hard mayincrease pad wear or be noisy. Poor-qualitycastings that lack the proper hardness andstrength are also more likely to warp orcrack at high temperature.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to judge thequality of a rotor by its appearance alone.An economy rotor may appear to be nearlyidentical to a premium-quality rotor, but themetallurgy is often far different. There aremany different grades of cast iron, and some

make much better brake rotors than others.The specific metallurgy affects the hardnessand wear resistance of the rotor, its soundqualities and even its friction characteristics.

Some economy rotors also have thinnerfacings than standard or premium rotors toreduce weight and cost. The air gap betweenthe two rotor faces is made wider to saveseveral pounds of cast iron in the casting.This reduces the rotor’s ability to absorb anddissipate heat, which also increases the riskof brake fade under hard use, rotor warping,cracking and rotor failure.

Another area where economy rotors cutcorners is in the design of the cooling fins be-tween the rotor faces. OEM engineers go togreat lengths to design specific fin patternsfor specific vehicle applications. The numberof fins and how they are oriented affectshow well the rotor can dissipate heat. Aneconomy rotor may have fewer fins, or thefins may be unidirectional so fewer partnumbers can fit a wider range of applica-tions. But most premium rotors will followthe original equipment design and use thesame number of fins and fin configuration toassure proper cooling.

Replacing an OEM rotor that has 35 cool-ing vanes with an economy rotor that hasonly 28 fins may not seem like a big deal, buta 20 percent reduction in cooling capacitycould make a big difference with prolongedheavy braking.

Many OEM rotors also have coolingvanes that are directional, so the right andleft rotors are different. Directional rotorsare designed to draw hot air away from thehub when rotating forward. Replacing di-rectional rotors with unidirectional, straightvane rotors may cause a significant reduc-tion in the venting and cooling of the brakesand hub. CM


QWhat’s the difference between economy, standard and premium rotors?



Spark Plugs

A. The answer here depends on the appli-cation, what’s available to fit it and whatyour customer wants. There are standardspark plugs, long-life platinum and iridi-um spark plugs, and even “performance”plugs with special electrode configura-tions and other features designed to re-duce misfires and increase fuel economyand performance.

The type of spark plug that works best ina given application depends in part on thedesign of the ignition system. On wastespark systems, each pair of cylindersshares a common ignition coil. Cylindersthat are opposite one another in the en-gine’s firing order are paired so their sparkplugs share the same coil. Only the plugthat fires during its compression strokeproduces power. Even so, both spark plugsexperience roughly two times the electrodewear that spark plugs in other types of ig-nition systems undergo (because they fireevery engine revolution rather than everyother engine revolution). On these types ofapplications, spark plugs with dual pre-cious metal electrode designs (platinum oriridium) are typically required. Standardspark plugs will be very short lived inthese types of applications, and single plat-inum plugs won’t last as long as doubleplatinum.

With Coil-On-Plug (COP) ignition sys-tems, each spark plug has its own separateignition coil mounted directly over thespark plug. The type of spark plugs usedwith this type of ignition system are not asimportant because the plugs fire with thesame frequency as those on an engine witha conventional distributor. It’s the samewith Coil-Near-Plug (CNP) ignition sys-tems. Single platinum or iridium plugs (oreven standard spark plugs) can be used.

However, long-life platinum or iridiumplugs will last the longest.

As for brand, most spark plug supplierstoday offer a wide range of standard, plat-inum and iridium plugs for most makesand models of vehicles, not just the onesthey supply as original equipment. Somespark plugs that are sold under differentbrand names are actually made by thesame manufacturer.

The brand on the spark plug usuallydoesn’t matter in most instances if a plug islisted for a particular application. Brand Ashould perform just as well as Brand B inthe same engine — assuming the plugmanufacturer has done their homeworkand has validated the application and isnot just cross-referencing plug applicationsto broaden their coverage.

In spite of this, many motorists and pro-fessional technicians are brand-loyal andprefer to use the exact same brand andtype of replacement spark plug that cameas original equipment in the vehicle. But insome cases, a change may be recommend-ed if they are looking for longer plug life(switching from a standard spark plug to aplatinum or iridium long-life plug) or theywant a performance plug.

Q. Are some spark plugs easier to re-

place than others?

A. Some spark plugs have a tendency tostick and/or corrode, which increases therisk of the plugs damaging the threads inan aluminum cylinder head when theplugs are removed. Spark plugs that havea nickel coating on the plug shell are lessapt to stick when the time comes to removethem. Spark plugs with plain steel shells orthat have a black oxide coating are moreprone to corrode and stick. CM


QWhich type of replacement spark plugs shouldyou recommend?



Suspension Parts

A. It depends on why the suspension wentflat. Cadillac and Lincoln have used air-ridesuspensions under their cars for manyyears. Other makes and models have airleveling suspensions that use air shocks andan onboard compressor to maintain rideheight. If an air spring or air shock developsa leak (which most do after many years ofservice), the air spring or shock can’t holdpressure. It will leak and eventually go flat.

To make matters worse, a constant airleak at a spring, shock or air line causes thecompressor to run constantly. The compres-sor is not designed to run constantly andsooner or later it burns out and fails frombeing worked to death. Consequently, if acompressor has failed, there is usually an airleak somewhere in the air ride suspensionthat needs to be found and fixed before anew compressor is installed.

Replacement compressors for some ofthese applications are hard to find, and ex-pensive. The same goes for the air springsand air shocks. Once a vehicle is 10 or moreyears old, original equipment parts may nolonger be available — and if no aftermarketreplacement parts are available for the ap-plication (which is often the case with lesscommon vehicles), the vehicle owner mayhave few repair options.

Used parts from a high-mileage vehicle ina salvage yard are risky, and new air ridesuspension parts may cost more than anolder vehicle is worth. The answer herewould be a conversion kit that converts theoriginal air spring or air ride suspension toa normal suspension with conventionalsprings and shocks or struts. Such kits areavailable for many of these older applica-tions and offer an affordable alternative toreplacing the original air springs, shocks orcompressor.

Q. How important is ride height?

A. Ride height is the normal height atwhich a vehicle sits with respect to theground when it is unloaded. Ride height isan important dimension because it can af-fect the caster/camber alignment of thefront wheels, and the camber alignment ofthe rear wheels on vehicles that have an in-dependent rear suspension.

Caster is the forward or rearward tilt ofthe steering axis. The caster angle affectssteering effort when turning and steeringreturn. European cars typically have a lotof caster to enhance high-speed steeringstability.

Camber is the inward or outward tilt ofthe wheels when viewed from the front orrear. Camber affects shoulder wear on thetires, steering stability, traction and han-dling (especially when cornering). Whenride height changes, it can alter both cam-ber and caster — usually for the worse.Weak, sagging springs or a broken springmay change these angles so much that tirewear, steering and handling are adverselyaffected. A simple wheel alignment cannotcorrect for weak or broken springs, so newsprings are needed if the original springsare not capable of maintaining the speci-fied ride height.

Ride height is measured at specific loca-tions on a vehicle with respect to theground. The vehicle manufacturer indicateswhere ride height should be measured, andlists an acceptable range for the distance.Ride height should be checked on both sidesand the front and rear of the vehicle. Align-ment technicians should always measureride height as part of a pre-alignment in-spection (but they don’t always do it!). Ifride height is less than specifications, the ve-hicle needs new springs. CM


QHow do you fix an air ride suspension that has gone flat?



Tire Pressure Monitor Systems

A. It depends on the age of the sensors. By the time the tires are worn out, the TPMSsensors may be nearing the end of their useful service life — or they may not haveenough remaining battery life to last another set of tires.

The lithium ion batteries inside TPMS sensors may last anywhere from five to 10 years.Five to six years is a more typical lifespan for older TPMS sensors. TPMS sensors don’tbroadcast a continuous signal but only broadcast when the vehicle is in motion. Eventhen, the signal is intermittent to conserve battery life.

On most applications, the battery is molded into the TPMS sensor assembly so it can-not be replaced separately. Consequently, if the battery is run down or dead, the entireTPMS sensor has to be replaced — at a cost that may range from $50 up to $150 or moredepending on the application and type of sensor.

Though TPMS has been around since the early1990s and has been mandatory on new vehicles since2008, there’s been little or no standardization of origi-nal equipment TPMS systems or sensors. Fortunately,several aftermarket suppliers have introduced “uni-versal” TPMS sensors that can replace more than 100different OEM sensors with only a few SKUs — andat less cost than the OEM sensors. These sensors re-


QIs it necessary to replace all of the TPMS sensors when a vehicle needs new tires?

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TPMS continued on page 66



Wheel Bearings

A. Original equipment wheel bearingsare engineered for a service life of morethan 100,000 miles, and many are capableof going twice that distance. Even so, av-erage bearing life can range from 80,000 to120,000 miles depending on how a vehicleis driven and what the bearings are ex-posed to.

Wheel bearing cartridges and hubs aresealed and lubed for life so no maintenanceis required. But if a vehicle is driventhough hub deep water or mud, contami-nants may get past the seals and enter thebearing. Once this happens, the bearing isdoomed to premature failure. Water breaksdown grease, and abrasives scour away atthe highly polished bearing surfaces. Even-tually, lubrication breakdown and/or wearcause the bearing to fail.

Hard driving, specifically hard corner-ing, can also shorten the life of front wheelbearings. The ball bearings that are used inmany passenger car applications can han-dle normal driving but not the extremeside forces that can be generated by racingor overly aggressive driving. Police carsand taxis are notorious for eating frontwheel bearings depending on how they aredriven.

In high-mileage wheel bearings, “fatiguespalling” may result in bearing failure. Fa-tigue spalling produces tiny cracks in thesurface of the rollers and races and allowflakes of metal to break loose. The sametype of cracking can also be caused by se-vere overloading or misalignment in thebearing assembly.

If a wheel bearing has developed loose-ness or is making noise, it needs to be re-placed — the sooner the better, because acatastrophic wheel bearing failure increas-es the risk of losing a wheel. The same goesfor rear axle bearings on rear-wheel drivecars and trucks.

A common symptom of a pending wheelbearing failure is noise from the vicinity ofthe wheel. The sound may be a whine,hum, rumble, growl, chirp or cyclic squealthat increases in frequency with vehiclespeed. But sometimes, wheel bearings canfail without making a squeak. Any noisethat appears to be coming from a wheelshould be investigated without delay.

Wheel bearing noise is usually propor-tional to vehicle speed, and may changewhen turning, or become louder or evendisappear at certain speeds.

A dragging brake pad that’s rubbingagainst a rotor can often make the samesound, but it usually goes away when thebrakes are applied. CM


QHow long should sealed wheel bearings last?

counterman.com 53

Tips For IdentifyingHub UnitWheel BearingNoise

Courtesy of SKF

Wheel hub units can often wear out overa period of time due to heavy usage. Asa result, ABS sensors also can breakdown electronically, causing safety

risks to the vehicle’s driver and passengers. In order to properly diagnose a vehicle before

component replacement, SKF recommends perform-ing a vehicle road test to listen for any unusual noiseand to note if the ABS Sensor light is on. During theroad test, if you find the ABS sensor light is on, SKFrecommends following the vehicle manufacturer’sguidelines for testing.

The manufacturer’s guidelines may include con-necting a scanner to determine which brake compo-nent system shows failure. If a wheel speed sensorfault is detected, complete inspection of the hub unitwith a sensor resistance value reading and furthercheck the value against the manufacturer’s specifica-tion. Also, verify all wiring and connectors for prop-er fit or wear.

Hub assemblies also can develop excessive end-

play and/or growling noises that can affect vehiclehandling or alignment. As a first step, check endplayspecification. If the endplay is out of specification, re-place the hub assembly.

Bearing failure noise can be misleading and cansometimes occur at the opposite wheel of the failedbearing. This occurs when an overload takes placeduring driving on the good bearing. A good way todetermine bearing noise is to lift the car on a hoistand run the vehicle at a moderate speed. This re-lieves the overload on the good bearing. While stay-ing clear of all moving parts, listen to both wheelswith a stethoscope or another recommended listen-ing device. This will help determine the noisy bear-ing. Note: Checks should be done on the spindleassembly, axle joints, wheel flanges and the vehicleframe for damage. Additionally, an alignment may benecessary to determine a bent component.

It is important to follow proper bearing installationprocedures and torque specifications to avoid bear-ing failure and noise. CM

A good way to determine bearing noise is to lift the car on ahoist and run the vehicle at a moderate speed. This relieves theoverload on the good bearing. While staying clear of all movingparts, listen to both wheels with a stethoscope or anotherrecommended listening device. This will help determine thenoisy bearing.

Advertorial

For more information about SKF, visit www.vsm.skf.com, call 800-882-0008,

or visit the SKF automotive e-catalog at www.SKFpartsinfo.com.


Wiper Blades

A. Replacing the wiper blades once a yearhas always been good advice, but someblades last longer and others may need tobe replaced more often depending on useand environmental exposure. Wipers thatare seldom used and are on a vehicle that isparked indoors can last years. By compari-son, blades that are used frequently in dusty,dirty environments experience more wear sotheir service life will be shorter. Likewise,wipers on vehicles that are parked outdoorsyear-round in hot climates can deterioraterather quickly and may need to be replacedevery six months.

A recent Car Care Council survey foundthat 16 percent of vehicles inspected hadworn, damaged or missing wiper blades,and 23 percent (almost one out of four!) hadlittle or no windshield washer fluid in theirreservoirs.

Many motorists don’t realize they neednew wiper blades until it’s pouring and theycan barely see the road ahead. Good wipersare absolutely essential for wet weather driv-ing and for clearing the windshield of bugsplatter, dust and road splash. Following asemi-truck on the expressway in a downpouris not the time to discover new wiper bladesare needed.

A good time to check the wiper bladesand windshield washers is when the oil ischanged or the tires are rotated. If thewipers are chattering, streaking, wipingpoorly or are damaged, it’s time for a newset of wipers. The wiping edge of the blademust be perfectly smooth, flat and clean.Dirt and debris on the windshield has anabrasive effect on the wiping edge duringnormal use, and once the edge becomespitted, torn or ragged, the blade will streakand smear.

Weak wiper arms also can prevent an

otherwise good set of wiper blades fromwiping cleanly.

Not replacing a worn set of wipers also in-creases the risk of windshield damage. If theblades are the conventional type with a metalframe and the rubber portion of the bladetears loose, the metal frame can rub andscratch the windshield leaving a permanentscar as a constant reminder that the bladesshould have been replaced.

New blades may also be needed for theback glass or tailgate on a minivan, sport util-ity vehicle, station wagon or hatchback car.Rear wipers are often more neglected thanthe ones up front because they’re not in thedriver’s direct line of sight. Even so, goodrearward visibility is necessary for drivingawareness, backing up and parallel parking.

Q. What are the advantages of upgrading

to a beam or frameless flat-style wiper

blade?

A. The new style wipers don’t have a super-structure or frame to support the blade. Aspring is molded right into the blade itself,allowing the blade to hug the glass as it fol-lows the changing curvature of the wind-shield. This design provides an infinitenumber of contact points allowing constanteven pressure across the glass and won’t clogwith ice or snow like a conventional bladebecause there is no frame or superstructureabove the blade. It’s like having winterblades year round.

Aerodynamics is another advantage. Theblades have a “spoiler” molded into the up-per surface to reduce wind lift at high speed.The lower height of the blade also reduceswind lift. The new style blades also make less“flopping” noise when the wipers reverse di-rection because the blade is lower and morerigid (no frame to flex back and forth). CM


QShould wipers be replaced yearly?



By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

Sealed Wheel Bearing Hub Units

Sealed wheel bearing hubassemblies have becomestandard equipment on themajority passenger vehicles

and light-duty trucks because theyoperate with zero end-play, whichreduces rotating friction on thebrakes and also because they requireno periodic adjustment and lubrica-tion. In four-wheel, all-wheel andfront-wheel drive applications, thewheel bearing hub assembly is madewith two opposing bearings, andwith the inner bearing races pressedonto a splined hub that slips over thesplined axle shaft. Non-driving hubssimply mount to the axle or suspen-sion knuckle with the wheel boltedto the inner spindle of the hub. Sincesome wheel bearing hub assemblieshave the anti-locking brake wheelspeed sensor built as an integral partof the hub, the hub must be replacedif the wheel speed sensor fails.

In most applications, a wheelbearing hub will last through the

normal service life of a vehicle. Onthe other hand, wheel bearing hubassemblies usually begin to fail af-ter the vehicle has been exposed todeep, muddy water encounteredin mountain streams or flooded in-tersections. The first indications ofa worn bearing hub assembly areticking or grinding noises that in-crease in frequency with vehiclespeed. In most cases, turning asharp corner in one direction oranother will increase the noise lev-el of a defective wheel bearing.Wear in the wheel bearing can besuch that the anti-lock braking(ABS) reluctor will contact the ABSwheel speed sensor, which willcause a C0-series diagnostic trou-ble code to be stored in the ABSmodule and the orange ABS warn-ing light to illuminate.

Bearing Hub Inspections

As mentioned above, modernwheel bearing hub assemblies are

designed to operate with zero end-play in the bearings. A worn bear-ing can therefore be detected byplacing a vehicle on a lift andgrasping the wheel at the 12 o’clockand 6 o’clock positions. If loosenessin the wheel bearings is detected,the hub should be replaced. Sincethe wheel bearings are operated inan unloaded position when the ve-hicle is suspended on a chassis lift,it’s difficult to locate bearing noiseswith the engine running and trans-mission engaged. In some cases, aset of electronic microphones or“ears” designed to locate chassisnoises can help pinpoint the defec-tive bearing. But, even when thedefective bearing is located, it’s stillbest to sell wheel bearing hubs inaxle sets because both tend to wearat the same rate.

Installation Tips

Wheel bearing hub assemblies fitinto a precisely machined recess inthe steering knuckle. The hub as-sembly is then held in place byspecially hardened bolts. Unfortu-nately, bearing hub assembliestend to rust in place when continu-ously exposed to water or road saltand can therefore become very dif-ficult to remove. In any case, ap-plying a professional gradepenetrating oil and using some ju-dicious hammer work to loosen theold bearing hub will work most ofthe time. If the bearing hub is in-stalled in an aluminum steeringknuckle, heating the knuckle witha hot air gun can help loosen thesteel hub from the aluminumknuckle. In any case, never heatsuspension components with anacetylene or propane welding torchsince doing so might weaken theknuckle. CM

As this example illustrates, wheel bearing hubs live in a harsh environment of dirt,water and rust. The ABS wheel-speed sensor is attached at the 10 o’clock position.



By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

Drums and Rotors

As a general rule of thumb,the run-out or “wobble”on a brake rotor’s frictionsurfaces should never

exceed .010 inches, nor should themore critical thickness variationexceed .0005 inches, which is lessthan 1/6th the thickness of thispage. Most recently, the relevanceof brake rotor specifications becameapparent when two brake rotorsthat I had turned for a local shopcame back with a low-speed brakeshimmy complaint. I suspected therotors might have a problem in thehub area. The technician had jarredthe badly rusted rotors loose withsome very hard hammer blows tothe rotors’ hub surfaces. Measuringthe distortion at each rotor hubtook some time and ingenuity, but Idiscovered that the hammer blowshad indeed distorted the rotormounting surface on one rotor,which in turn distorted the rotorfriction surfaces after the wheels

and rotor were torqued to thewheel bearing hub assembly.

Rotor Economics

While the above case study is arelatively rare occurrence, it illus-trates why clean and distortion-freemounting surfaces at the hub/rotorinterface are required for goodbrake rotor performance. If thetechnician had initially recom-mended new rotors, the problemmight have been avoided altogeth-er. On a more economic level, re-placements can also be justified,thanks to modern rotors havingless available machinable stock forresurfacing. The narrowing gap be-tween the labor involved withresurfacing old rotors and the costof new replacement rotors is caus-ing more shops to sell their brakelathes and delegate the resurfacingof larger, more expensive rotors tospecialized local jobbers and auto-motive machine shops.

Rotor Types

In most cases, the rotors on oldervehicles are cast as a rotor/hub as-sembly. On modern vehicles, therotor is usually a separate “hat”configuration that clamps betweenthe wheel and wheel bearing hubassembly. The hat-type rotor canalso be of a composite design witha sheet metal hub welded to a cast-iron friction surface. Due to run-out problems created by thelightweight sheet metal hubs, mostshops opt to replace with one-piececast units. Rotors can also be vent-ed or non-vented, with vented ro-tors most often used on heavierdomestic vehicles and non-ventedrotors most often used on lighterimport vehicles. Some rear disc ro-tors also have provisions for an in-ternal drum-type park brakemechanism.

Selling New Rotors

As with brake friction, parts pro-fessionals are often faced with sell-ing “good,” “better” or “best”brake rotors. The low-end rotorgenerally won’t be designed withthe same number and configura-tion of cooling fins nor with thesame quality materials as the high-end OE-style replacement rotor.The high-end rotor tends to dupli-cate the OE configuration and alsotends to produce less noise andpedal pulsation complaints. Sincewarranty comebacks are an issuefor any repair shop owner, it’s al-ways better to initially recommendthe premium-grade rotor.

Performance rotors are a com-pletely separate market. On the up-side, most performance rotors havevent holes drilled or vent slots cast

Dirt, corrosion, and distortion in the hubarea of any brake rotor can cause pedalpulsation complaints.

Continued on page 65


needs a plan. The company’s goal is tokeep its initiative moving forward andwithin the plan that has been designed.Hopefully, the company you work for has aplan of some kind, and that plan may notinclude your ideas as of this moment. Thatdoes not mean your ideas are not of value.They may not be on the agenda, for now.This is where your attitude has to stay incheck. You have to be patient.

Ambition can actually be our worst ene-my if it’s not harnessed correctly. Ambi-tious people are often the ones whoseattitudes are affected the most as most of-ten the clock ticks slowest for them. Fre-

quently with ambitious people,self-expectation is the highest.But, the one thing that rarely wa-vers in those with ambition is amore positive attitude than thosearound them. This combination ofattitude and ambition often trans-lates into an innate ability to con-trol their attitudes and achievetheir ambitions by developingand honing their abilities.

Some people call ambitious peo-ple lucky. I don’t think of it thatway. “Luck” gets cited as the reasonmany things happen in life. Butlearning, studying, sacrificing andbeing patient are how most ambi-tious people make things happen.

When all is said and done, thecompany may not be asking youto check your brain at the door;just to let it rest for a bit until theappropriate time comes when At-titude, Ambition, Ability and Ac-countability meet. CM


Can our attitudes sometimes forcecompanies to contain our enthusi-asm? Sometimes, enthusiasm canoutrun the companies we work for.

Maybe the company is not ready to absorbour ideas. Or, it may not have the means toimplement them. Maybe the timing isn’tright. Our ideas may be great; they mayeven be needed; but again, the timing maybe off. It’s not so much that the companywants us to check our brains at the door,rather they want us to work within thecompany’s current plans. But we may notbe privy to all the big-picture ideas.

Everyone needs plan. Every company

KEEPING IT SIMPLEBy Gerald Wheelus

Learn To Be Patient

■ ■ ■

Gerald Wheelus is general manager ofEdgewood Auto Parts, Edgewood, Texas.

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Ambition canactually be ourworst enemy ifit’s notharnessedcorrectly.



Today’s vehicles can haveup to 50 computersembedded beneath theskin, all communicating

with each other through complexnetworks containing tens of mil-lions of lines of computer code tomanage interconnected systemsincluding engines, brakes andnavigation, as well as lighting,ventilation and entertainment.Virtually every repair requires theuse of a diagnostics tool. Interest-ingly, however, on most vehicles, afailed fuel pump will not set anydiagnostic codes. The engine willcrank normally, but will not startbecause it is not getting any fuel.

There are diagnostic codes avail-able for some electrical-relatedproblems (shown below and atright), but a good checklist is reallywhere a technician needs to beginto diagnose for fuel pump electri-cal-related failures. Check the fol-lowing areas for electrical faults:

● Is the fuel pump fuse blown?(Use a DMM to test for an electri-cal short or excessive amperagedraw, caused by damaged wires,corroded electrical connections,faulty fuel pump).

● Is there power at the fuelpump fuse/relay? (Use a DMM tocheck for opens in the electrical cir-cuit, such as, blown fuses, brokenwires, faulty electrical connec-tions).

● Is there agood groundfrom the fuelpump to thechassis? (Usea DMM tocheck voltagedrop acrossthe groundconnection.)

Open Circuit Voltage Test

Using factory service informationor equivalent, locate the fuelpump supply circuit.

● Disconnect the fuel pump con-nector and connect the DMM posi-tive probe with correct adapter tothe fuel pump wire harness powersupply terminal.

● Connect the DMM negativeprobe with correct adapter to thefuel pump wire harness negativeterminal.

● With the ignition in the ONposition, the reading should bebattery voltage. If the reading isless, check for resistance or anopen in the power supply andground circuits to the fuel pump.

Note: Fuel pumps only run for ap-proximately two seconds while the re-lay is energized to prime the systemor until an RPM signal is received.

Important: Do NOT probe the ve-hicle electrical harness connector withDMM leads. Doing this can damagethe terminals in the harness creatingthe potential for an overheated fuelpump connector due to excessive elec-trical resistance. Always use theproper test probe to perform electricaltests.

Voltage Drop Test Power Side

With the fuel pump wire harnessconnected to the fuel pump, test

the power circuit for voltagedrops. Ideally, this circuit shouldhave a voltage drop of less than0.2v DC.

● Set the DMM to 20v DC scaleor DC on meters with auto-rangecapabilities.

● Connect the DMM positiveprobe to the battery positiveterminal.

● Connect the DMM negativeprobe to the power feed wire atthe fuel pump connector.

● With the ignition in the ONposition and current flowing inthe circuit, the reading should beless than 0.2v DC. If the reading isgreater, check for resistance in thepower supply circuit to the fuelpump.

Voltage Drop Test Ground Side

With the fuel pump wire harnessconnected to the fuel pump, testthe ground circuit for voltagedrops. Ideally, this circuit shouldhave a voltage drop of less than0.2v DC.

● Set the DMM to 20v DC scaleor DC on meters with auto-rangecapabilities.

● Connect the DMM positiveprobe to the ground terminal ofthe fuel pump connector.

● Connect the DMM negativeprobe to the battery negativeterminal.

TECH TIPS

Fuel Pump Failure: Is it Electrical?

By Delphi Product & Service Solutions

Continued on page 65



Do you know what you do well?It seems like such a simple ques-tion to answer, but in reality, it’sprobably one of the most diffi-

cult. The only one harder is the reallyimportant one: “Do you know and areyou willing to admit to what you don’tdo well?”

I think it’s human nature to avoid thesetwo questions because they make us goplaces that are uncomfortable. Internal re-flection can be a rewarding journey, but itcan also be a train wreck. Still, I think it’swell worth the risk if you go at it in theproper frame of mind.

All of us have things we’re good at.Usually, these are things we enjoy doing.Personally, I like working with people anddoing things that help people and organi-zations. It gives me a sense of purpose andgratification.

Conversely, laboring deeply on spread-sheets and analytical work is just not what

I like to do. I’m probably not really good atit, so it’s best if I leave those tasks to othersin my organization.

The old adage that you have to have theright people on the bus is only half the an-swer. You have to have those people in theright seats on the bus doing things theycan excel in.

I urge you to take a look at yourself andreally dig into what you’re good at andnot so good at. Then, do the same for thepeople on your team. Make sure you haveall your business tasks covered – but bythe people in your organization who arebest suited for those tasks.

This simple procedure, although diffi-cult to complete, will take your organiza-tion to the next level and beyond. Doingthe same thing and expecting a differentoutcome is known as insanity.

Go ahead, look in the mirror and takethe next step toward driving your team tothe next great thing. CM

FROM THE PUBLISHERBy S. Scott Shriber

Do You Know What You Do Well?

■ ■ ■

For more information: www.counterman.com

NUCAP delivers innovative technology solutions to the automotiveaftermarket with its NRS® mechanical attachment system for brake

pad backing plates. Research shows that the adhesive (glue) bonded brakepad backing plate is a leading cause of most premature braking system noise,vibration and wear-out issues; they are an accident waiting to happen! NRS®

technology was developed to help technicians eliminate brake system comebacksand warranty returns. Brake pads manufactured with NRS Mechanical Bond,will last up to 30% longer, avoiding the most common causes of pad failureslike rust jacking, edge lift and friction material vibration and delamination.They will not fail!

NUCAP NRS® Equipped Brake Pads have up to a 30%extended life, eliminate vibration and delamination noise,offering drivers a safer, quieter, longer-lasting brake system.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Internalreflection canbe a rewardingjourney, but itcan also be atrain wreck.

into the friction surface designed tochannel frictional gases and watercontamination away from the brakepad surface. On the downside,these holes and slots in the frictionsurface tend to wear brake padsmore rapidly than does the premi-um standard rotor. Remember alsobrake squeal can be a normal con-dition when using performancebrake pads and rotors.

Brake Drums

While less complicated than brakerotors, drums can also have eithera cast or composite hub surface. Ineither case, the drum must fit snug-ly on the axle hub. In general, max-imum stock removal for mostpassenger vehicle drums is .060-inch or less while light truck drums12-inch or more in diameter can ac-

commodate .090-inch of stock re-moval unless otherwise stated.Third, care must be taken to avoidknocking a new or resurfacedbrake drum out-of-round. Last,most drum brakes will create atemporary noise complaint in wetclimates, which will usually disap-pear with use. CM

counterman.com 65

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MECHANIC CONNECTION

Remaining machinable stock on mostbrake drums is indicated by the chamfercut into the edge of the drum.

Drums continued from page 58

● With the ignition in the ONposition and current flowing inthe circuit, the reading should beless than 0.2v DC. If the readingis greater, check for resistance inthe ground circuit to the fuelpump.

Common Fuel Pump Electrical-

Related Diagnostics Codes:

● P0230 - Fuel Pump Relay Pri-mary Control Circuit Malfunction

● P0231 - Fuel Pump SecondaryFeedback Circuit Low Voltage

● P0232 - Fuel Pump SecondaryFeedback Circuit High Voltage

● P0233 - Fuel Pump SecondaryCircuit Intermittent

● P0628 - Fuel Pump RelayControl Circuit Low Voltage

● P0629 - Fuel Pump RelayControl Circuit High Voltage CM

Delphi continued from page 62

duce inventory requirements andcan be easily programmed to the ve-hicle application. Universal replace-ment TPMS sensors are availablewith clamp-in (nut at the base of ametal valve stem) and snap-in (rub-ber) valve stems. These can even be

used to replace many of the older“band” style TPMS sensors that areclamped inside the drop center ofthe wheel.

When TPMS sensors are re-placed (either individually or allfour at the same time), or when thetires are rotated, the vehicle’s tirepressure monitoring system has to

relearn the wheel location of eachsensor. On some newer vehicles,this function occurs automaticallywhen the vehicle is driven. But onmost of the older applications,there is a specific learning proce-dure that must be performed be-fore the TPMS system will operatecorrectly. Some of these procedurescan be rather lengthy and must befollowed exactly otherwise theTPMS system may not learn thecorrect wheel locations. Many ofthese procedures require using amagnet or special TPMS servicetool to activate the sensors duringthe relearn procedure. Some appli-cations may even require a scantool to enter sensor ID informationinto the TPMS system.

Q. What can cause a TPMS sen-

sor to fail prematurely?

A. Corrosion has been an issuewith some original equipmentTPMS sensors that have a nut atthe base of the metal valve stem(snap-in style TPMS sensors withrubber valve stems are not subject tothis type of corrosion). Exposure toroad salt and moisture promotesgalvanic corrosion that weakens themetal valve stem. Eventually, thiscan lead to failure of the valve stem,causing a sudden loss of air pressurefrom the tire (the very problemTPMS was supposed to prevent).

Using some types of aerosol tiresealer/inflator products may alsocause sensor problems if the sealergums up the TPMS sensor. Recom-mend a product that is “TPMS safe.”

Q. Does the law require replac-

ing a bad TPMS sensor?

A. It depends on the situation.There is no legal requirement (yet)at the national level to replace a badTPMS sensor if the TPMS warninglight is on or flashing. That’s a deci-sion the vehicle owner has to makeregarding their own safety. Obvi-ously, if a TPMS system has one ormore bad sensors, it can’t warn themotorist of a low tire. CM


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TPMS continued from page 50



I’m an ecommerce junkie — not only as a cus-tomer, but as a seller. I seem to buy everything Ican online, from boxer shorts to peanut butter.Yes siree, I am that online shopaholic who even

buys his medicines via the Web (although thepharmacy is right across the street from myhome!) Thankfully, I’ve been able to turn some ofmy weaknesses as an ecommerce junkie to ourcustomers’ benefit by learning first-hand whatcustomers look for in an ecommerce experience.Mixing some of what we have learned online withthe efforts from our fantastic team of peers whoformulate our company’s ecommerce strategy, wehave created a rewarding experience forthousands of customers who support our ecom-merce platform. We feel ecommerce will continueto play a significant part of our growth strategy;thus, we must continue to improve our customers’experience when they buy from us online.

How much of our industry’s business willeventually move to an ecommerce platform? Ac-cording to some tech visionaries, perhaps all of itwill soon be virtual. Marc Andreessen, venturecapitalist extraordinaire and creator of the firstWeb browser, predicted earlier this year the ad-vance of the “absolute death of retail.” An-dreessen feels ecommerce is about to growexponentially in a significant uptick he nick-named “ecommerce 2.0.” His vision is groundedin his belief that retailers will soon disappear, andconsumers will have no choice but to buy online.Retail stores will become more like showroomsthan prettied-up warehouses. Rising real estatecosts, margin compression and tied-up capital ingoods waiting to be sold are insurmountable ob-stacles that many retailers will not survive oncethey’ve lost their critical-mass customers to on-line marketplaces (remember Circuit City?)

As an auto parts business owner, I’m not sureAndreessen’s views will play out in our industryas they are scripted in his head. We are in thebusiness of accumulating parts near the end-user,and you need tons of bricks and mortar to accom-plish that. However, as a consumer, there is oneaspect of his vision that resonates with me like

COUNTER-TECHBy Mandy Aguilar

Is It The EndOf Retail?

Mandy Aguilar is aregional vice president forJacksonville, Fla.-based

The Parts House.

Thankfully, I’vebeen able toturn some of myweaknesses asan ecommercejunkie into ourcustomers’benefit bylearning first-hand whatcustomers lookfor in anecommerceexperience.

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non-stop conga drums in my ears: inventory at brickand mortar stores oftentimes does not match withwhat consumers need.

Every once in awhile, I do abandon my computerand venture to a mall to go shopping. Almost everytime I do this, I can’t quite find what I am looking for;they just don’t have the right size, the right color, theright brand or the best price. The only thing the storecan provide me with is immediate availability. Grant-ed, sometimes I just need a shirt right then and there,so I succumb. Still, the experience of visiting the storeis dismal, as I spend time and effort searching for whatI need, with little help from the staff, to mostly com-promise on my choice in the end.

What about the experience of visiting an auto partsretail store? While I do visit many auto parts stores, I’mnot usually a customer. But I do keep a keen eye on howcustomers act while at the stores. One thing I see againand again is customers searching for what they need,

with a level of frustration similar to what I feel when Igo looking for a shirt at the mall. They just can’t find theright part, the right fit, the right brand, the right price.This is especially true of replacement parts that arestocked in front of the parts counter, on the stores’shelves and where the customers have to do their ownlookup; oftentimes they have to compromise as well.Stores can clearly mitigate this with more personnelreadily available to look up parts for visiting customersand by adding more and more inventory. However, weall know this is so expensive most retailers have to finda balance that more times than not supports the bottomline and not the customers’ experience.

For consumers, there is a tectonic fissure betweenthe ability to search for products easily online andthe roll-of-the-dice experience of visiting a store hop-ing to find exactly what you need. The more reward-ing the online experience, the harder it will be forstores to remain open. On that, I agree. CM

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Visit Mandy’s blog: www.mandyaguilar.com

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Advertiser Page Advertiser PageAAPEX 15Advance Auto Parts Professional 71ADVICS 57Affinia Undercar Group 59Air Suspension Parts by Arnott, Inc. 49Airtex Corporation 61, 68Akebono Corporation 45APA Management Group 67Apex Automobile Parts 3Autolite 36, 37Bartec USA, LLC 50BlueDevil Products 65Centric Parts 24, 27DEA Products/Pioneer Inc 1Denso Products & Services America, Inc. 19, 55Eastern Catalytic 14ExxonMobil Cover 4Gabriel 66GMB North America 21Intermotor/SMP 51KYB Americas Corp. Cover 2

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As a training company, we arealways on the lookout for thegood and bad in our industry inan attempt to make things better

and consequently, do more business. There are times my wife will admit that

she does not really enjoy going shoppingwith me as I tend to critique the businesseswe shop in as to their level of customerservice or their use of technology. I willagree that sometimes she is right.

I have shopped in a few of the Macy’sstores in the New York area and have nev-er been terribly impressed with the salesstaff or how the merchandise displays werefixed up after the customers got finishedbrowsing and left everything in disarray.

This all changed after I visited theMacy’s in NYC. While I cannot specificallysay why, this was a totally different storeand a very enjoyable shopping experience.Even my wife noticed.

First of all, there was an abundance ofstraightening up the merchandise displaysafter the customers were finished lookingthrough them. Next, there seemed to be anawareness of the fact that customer servicewas important. While I was looking for acertain size of shirt, an employee came upto me and offered to go into the back roomand see if there were any in stock. In a de-partment store?

While my wife was shopping for shoes(what else?) the salesperson, with an iPadtype of device contacted the stock room tobring out her size. When notified that hersize was not in stock he replied, “Let mego and take a look to be sure. Is there any-thing else you might be interested inwhile I am back there?” Not only a terrificuse of mobile technology, but a great atti-

By Allen Markowitz & Allan Gerber

The Value Of Employee Training

tude to make a sale. Of course, there was ashoe purchase.

I have shopped in other Macy’s stores,but never experienced this level of cus-tomer service. Needless to say, we made anice donation in purchases.

I now look back to our jobber stores andour vision of customer service. Our staffwas trained that when a customer came ineven for something simple like a fuse orbulb, not only did you ask, “How may Ihelp you?” but state, “They are in aisle sixon the left, about three quarters of the waydown the aisle.” And then you were to takethe initiative and walk with the customerover to the proper area of the store and as-sist them with the purchase.

Now was the time to ask the customer ifthey needed anything else, while you wereassisting the customer with their initial rea-son for coming into the store. The fact thatyou would come out from behind thecounter was always noticed and genuinelyappreciated. A very simple, yet effectivemethod to build customer satisfaction.

We shop in a good number of jobberstores, sometimes independent, big box orchain locations many times just to see whatlevel of customer service is present andhow or where improvements can be made.

While still perplexed as to the reason theNYC Macy’s was so customer-friendly as op-posed to some of their other locations, bothmy wife and myself have agreed that we willgo back and shop there again. Somehow, thisis what customer service is all about — mak-ing the customer a repeat customer!

If you are interested in having a mys-tery shopper evaluation of your business,contact us directly, [email protected] or (914) 447-3097. CM

While my wifewas shoppingfor shoes, thesalesperson,with an iPadtype of device,contacted thestock room tobring out hersize.

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For more information, go to: www.autobizsolutionsllc.com or e-mail [email protected].

Allen Markowitz and AllanGerber operate Auto BizSolutions, which providestraining, marketing, man-agement and businessconsulting services to boththe automotive jobber andindependent repair shop.

ALLEN & ALLAN



Documents

Counterman, August 2013