Fun Reading!

Those Funny Car Sounds

As you drive your vehicle, be aware of its operating characteristics and normal sounds from the engine, transmission, drive line, exhaust system and tires. Excessively loud or abnormal sounds fall into the category of “noises.” These can be very helpful to service technicians when diagnosing the cause of a problem.

BOOM – Rhythms sound like a drum roll or distant thunder. May cause pressure on ear drum.
BUZZ – Low-pitched sound, something like a bee. Usually associated with vibrations.
CHATTER – Rapidly-repeating metallic sound.
CHUCKLE – Rapid noise that sounds like a stick against the spokes of a spinning bicycle wheel.
CHIRP – High-pitched, rapidly-repeating sound, like a chirping bird.
CLICK – Light sound, like a ball point pen being clicked.
CLUNK/THUMP – Heavy metal-to-metal sound, like a hammer striking steel.
GRIND – Abrasive sound, like a grinding wheel or sandpaper rubbing against wood.
GROAN/MOAN – Continuous, low-pitched humming sound.
GROWL/HOWL – Low, guttural sound, like an angry dog.
HISS – Continuous – sound, like air escaping from a balloon.
HUM – Continuous sound of varying frequencies, like a wire humming in the wind.
KNOCK – Heavy, loud, repeating sound like a knock on a door.
PING – Similar to knock, except at higher frequency.
RATTLE – A sound suggesting looseness, such as marbles rolling around in a can.
ROAR – Deep, long, prolonged sound, like an animal, or winds and ocean waves.
RUMBLE – Low, heavy, continuous sound, like that made by wagons or thunder.
SQUEAK – High-pitched sound, like rubbing a clean window.
SQUEAL – Continuous, high-pitched sound, like running finger nails across a chalkboard.
TAP – Light, hammering sound like tapping a pencil on the edge of table. May be rhythmic or intermittent.
WHIR/WHINE – High-pitched buzzing sound, like an electric motor or drill.
WHISTLE – Sharp, shrill sound, like wind passing a small opening.

GM attacks Bill Gates

At a recent computer expo, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: “If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 miles to the gallon.”

In response to Gate’s comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:

If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.
Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would just accept this, restart and drive on.
Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought “Car95′” or CarNT.” But then, you would have to buy more seats.
Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five percent of the roads.
The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single “general car fault” warning light.
New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.
The air bag system would say, “Are you sure?” before going off.
Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they neither need them nor want them. Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause the car’s performance to diminish by 50 percent, or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice Department.
Every time GM introduced a new model, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
You’d press the “start” button to shut off the engine.

This is Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile

Remember that slogan from the Oldsmobile commercials of a few years ago?

What better way to say that the staid and stuffy Oldsmobile sedan that your father used to drive around town is now a sporty, elegant and stylish expression of our times. In fact, it isn’t just your father’s Oldsmobile — it’s Toyota, Volvo, VW, Mazda, Chevy, Ford or Jaguar.

But what could be different? Your car still has four tires, doesn’t it? You still put the ignition key in the ignition cylinder and turn it in the same direction to start the car, don’t you? It starts, stops and runs just about the same way cars and trucks always have. So how much could have changed?

Ask anyone who repairs and services late-model cars and trucks that question, then sit back and relax; you’re going to get more of an answer than you bargained for. Ask me that question and I’ll tell you just how much that car or truck has changed over the past 10 or 12 years and what those changes mean to you and your family. I’m a professional automotive repair technician and I deal with those changes every day.

Electronics Technology

Primarily, the changes have to do with electronics technology throughout the entire vehicle. Since the late 1970s and particularly through the early 1980s, we began to see microprocessors popping up everywhere.

Why? Primarily it’s a way for the automotive manufacturers to meet a spiraling series of ever more stringent emission requirements. As the requirements became more severe, the systems became more sophisticated, finally becoming the fully-integrated electronic engine control and fuel management systems we see today.

Today, we see electronically-controlled automatic transmissions, electronically-controlled active suspension, electronically-controlled climate centers. Ignition systems are so sophisticated that points are no longer required, the distributor itself is superfluous.

Anti-lock braking systems depend on these microprocessors to prevent the wheels from locking up during a panic stop. Similar sensors and electronic modules monitor and control traction. Fuel injection and electronic ignition operation are monitored and controlled throughout an infinite range of possible driving conditions. Body control, comfort, fuel delivery and ignition are often fully integrated by yet another computer with its primary function of communications.

Incredible results

Smaller, lighter, more powerful cars achieve fuel economy ratings that were inconceivable just a few short years ago. Engine control and fuel management systems are adaptable enough to compensate even for their own failures.

No, this isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile and that’s where the problems begin. These cars and trucks are so much more sophisticated, normal maintenance requirements are even more crucial. The use of sophisticated electronic control modules, sensors and actuators, and the cost of replacement parts has become, in some cases, astronomical. Because of the advent of all this space-age technology, a well-educated and properly-trained technician has never been more critical. The importance of the proper diagnostic tools and equipment never more vital.

Keeping Up

The flood of technical literature is staggering. The Society of Automotive Engineers acknowledges the amount of technical service information is doubling every ninety days! The 65,000 pages of technical literature necessary to stay current and competent fifteen years ago has mushroomed into millions of pages of information today. (In 1993-94, Ford published over 1,000,000 pages of technical literature for its product line alone!)

Who can be expected to keep up? Who will diagnose, service and repair these computer-controlled vehicles? The same people who have always shared those responsibilities — you and I, the motorist and the professional automotive technician. In order to do that properly and intelligently, we both have to understand and appreciate the fact that things have changed.

So, this is not your father’s Oldsmobile, and that isn’t such a bad thing. Today’s vehicles have more power, better fuel economy and greater performance as a result of this incredible technology. It will also run better longer.

Your Father’s Garage?

This isn’t your father’s mechanic or garage, despite the fact that we still care about you and your car as deeply as we always have. Autoworks is just as high-tech as the cars and trucks that we work on. We have made the commitment to enter this new age by dedicating ourselves to the automotive service education necessary to remain current. We have made the capital investment necessary to equip our shop properly. We are as dedicated, as ever, to the satisfaction of your automotive service needs.

Understand and appreciate all these changes, and you will enjoy owning and operating that new car or truck. Maintain it properly, and the rewards will be a lower overall cost of operation, less frustration and an increased service life expectancy.