Car question

[glatt]

lol. yeah, I was gonna just let that one go.

Edit: I think it's fair to say that cars are more reliable now and don't need fixing as much as cars back then did. But when they do need fixing, it's exponentially more complicated.

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

I think it's fair to say that cars are more reliable now and don't need fixing as much as cars back then did. But when they do need fixing, it's exponentially more complicated.

Actually it is not. Ever try to fix a Pinto? It took multiple part replacements before we finally traced the failure to a cam shaft and then to many burned out diaphragms in the carburetor. Nothing would tell you what was wrong. The solution was to just start replacing parts - ie always start with a tune up.

I have traced failures immediately to a defective part by simply viewing a computer code. For example, fuel injectors were on too long. That was immediately traced to a fuel pump that worked just fine - but had insufficient fuel pressure.

View this My check engine light is on discussion. The computer code said exactly what was wrong. Only problem was a mechanic who could not understand how to see a defect clearly identified by a computer code.

Many problems are not complete failures. Most problems are changes (ie worn camshaft, sticky Idle Air Control valve, etc) that cannot be found without a computer. In one case, a partially obstructed nozzle cause an EGR valve to respond slowly. Computer quickly identified that defect that would only get worse with age.

In days before computers, one car would sometimes knock. It was taken back to a dealer multiple times who could find nothing wrong. It took me quite some times to find her problem. Centrifugal advance and vacuum retard plates inside a distributor were sticking. This could only be observed when the car accelerated and since plates did not always stick. Had a computer existed, this problem would have been identified immediately. Distributor removed, cleaned, and all knocking ended. Sometimes it takes courage to disassemble something as complicated as a distributor especially when it is not your own. It took quite some time of driving, playing games of what if, and eventually removing and disassembling that distributor to find the defect. Computer would have identified it immediately.

Computers have clearly made defects now so easy to identify - in some cases before that defect causes a roadside breakdown. Computers have clearly made auto repair easier as now seen by more reliable cars and even by a reduced number of roadside breakdowns.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by glatt

I think it's fair to say that cars are more reliable now and don't need fixing as much as cars back then did. But when they do need fixing, it's exponentially more complicated.

Agreed, 100%.