By Gary Goms. When we're attempting to diagnose a charging system failure, it helps to think of the battery's state of charge (SOC) as a type of checking account. If we overdraw our account, we wake up the next morning with an engine that won't crank. Or, if we overdraw our account and not balancing our account at the end of the day, we again are greeted with a slow-cranking engine and an overdrawn charging system account.

If you've spent hours struggling to master a new computer software system, you can well understand how a modern auto technician might feel when confronted with not just one, but hundreds of different software configurations built into the platforms of the 17 different vehicle manufacturers now being sold in our domestic market.

While new car recalls have been among the biggest news stories of the year, an analysis by Edmunds.com, assures consumers that despite these recent headlines, recalls were much more of a concern in decades past.

By Ken Shriner. Does ethanol usage reduce fuel economy compared to conventional gasoline? What vehicles can use ethanol-containing fuel? Can ethanol-containing fuel affect cold starting? Does it dry the fuel system? Can it cause engine deposits? Read on to find the answers to these questions and more with BG Products, Inc.

By Wayne Colonna. A scan tool can be an effective transmission diagnostic tool. But to understand what’s happening inside the trans, you must be able to properly interpret the raw sensor data the scanner provides.