When It's more than the bulb

 So when most shops, including ours, performs an oil and filter service, a complimentary inspection is made of lights, belts, hoses, fluids and things important to the survival of your vehicle... from a maintenance standpoint.  So when this chariot comes in this is what we see.  The customer also commented they thought the lights would flicker from time to time.


 OK, all we need is to get a new headlight bulb out of the cabinet and away we go.  But wait!

 You can see the bulb.  It's the silver shiny part sticking out from the back of the headlamp housing.  Connected to it, is the headlight wiring connector,  Note the dark black near the base of the plug closest to the bulb.

See the melted plastic around the wiring connectors inside the plug?.  This was caused by the wire terminal loosing contact with the bulbs electrical connectors.  The result of this poor connection is the generation of lots of heat.  Over time, you can see the result of this.

In order to properly repair this problem, it required the replacement of the connector and the bulb too.  (The old bulb actually still worked, but the terminals were badly oxidized from the heat).  As extra measure, we checked the other headlight too, to make sure it was ok.  It was :)  It's worth mentioning, if you ever do attempt to replace you own headlight bulb, NEVER touch the bulb glass.  The oils from your skin will get on there and reduce the lifespan of the bulb.

Even though this is somewhat of a trivial repair, I have seen several vehicles come in where people claim they have had to replace this bulb or that bulb time and time again and don't understand why.   Now you do!

 Thanks for reading!
 Chris

97 Chev Blazer 4X4 4.3 litre V6

When it don't go!

How many times has this happened?  You turn the key and it either it does nothing or just cranks over until the battery finally poops out.  This is a case I get to see on a regular basis and the last few days have been no exception.  This beauty above is a 97 Chevy Blazer.  There are a million of these things still on the road and just about the same number of problems can happen to these things which result in a no-go :(  

Turns out, the fuel pump had failed, resulting in the engine not starting.  So no big, just replace the pump and all is good... easy, right?

One can always tell when a car has never spent any time in the salt belt.

Wrong.  99% of every vehicle on the road has the fuel pump assembly mounted inside the fuel tank.  This was done for several engineering reasons I'm not going to get into.  So, time to break out the WD-40, spray down those rusty threads, and get busy!  Notice the tank is made of metal!  This is becoming rare as most tanks are now made from poly.

So I gotta make some room to get the tank out.  Disconnecting and removing the driveshaft is needed.  By the way, see the rust inside on the universal joint?  That's bad.  Were gonna have to take care of this too to prevent a break-down.  Time to call the customer and get the OK.

This thing was heavy!!

Ok, so it's out and there is the top of the old fuel pump unit.  Spent lots of time cleaning the dirt off as to not let it fall into the tank when I take it out..

Here's the old dead one

Here's the new happy one.  This one also has an updated electrical connector in favor of the old style which was a big problem with GM for years.  We gave this guy the option to use this pump versus a cheaper one... wise choice Grasshopper!

Anyway, from start to finish, 3.5 hours including driveline repair and a new fuel filter.  The Blazer runs remarkably well despite having 199,990 miles on the odometer.  I have done so many of these, I lost count years ago.  Not only do the pumps die, but the little sensor that tells your gas gauge what to read give up a lot too.  I would bet if you have not experienced a gas gauge problem in a GM vehicle, you have at least one friend who has.

Thanks for reading up.  Let me know if there is any specific content or topics which should be covered or changes to the blog itself.  Chris.

Hello Everybody!

Welcome to Mechanicsdaily!

My name is Chris and I have been an automotive repair technician for 24 years in Bellingham, Wa.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingham,_Washington  I am certified by the ASE  (www.asecert.org) with Master and Advanced level certifications.

I am starting this blog to share some of my knowledge and expertise I get to deal with in the real world.  I have always felt there has been somewhat of a disconnect between the mechanic (technician) and the customer (you).  All too often, the source of many problems comes down to poor communication and lack of general understanding as to what is going on.  Hopefully, this blog will help clear the air and bring some understanding and enlightenment.  

I will begin posting at least once a week with photos and perhaps a video now and then, focusing on the things I do on a daily basis,  the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.  Please always feel free to post comments and questions.  I will answer them as soon as I can.

One of the most frequent questions I get about automotive service is recalls and bulletins.  To check for recalls which may apply to you go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm  This is the NHTSA website and does a good job of informing the general public of current recalls.  NOTE:  This site does not cover engineering TSB's or Technical Service Bulletins (I like to call them engineering bloopers).  For those, you pretty much have to contact the manufacturer or preferably your local independent repair facility.  Don't be surprised or intimidated to find out your Chevy Cavalier has TSB's numbering in the hundreds.