Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [testing]

59 questions
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6 answers

Finding a possible vacuum leak

One of our cars has a bit of a rough idle which disappears at about 1,000 RPM. After eliminating everything else I concluded that this is due to a minor vacuum leak. This was confirmed by the use of a gauge connected to the system, which showed the…
John Gardeniers
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Are resistance/capacitance based brake fluid testers reliable?

I would like to test my brake fluid to see whether it needs replacing rather than spend the time and money on it unnecessarily. I've seen inexpensive brake fluid testers on the market which work on the basis of detecting water percentage based on…
GdD
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Test Gasoline for Water Content

I live in a small town, and the Gas station there has a bad reputation for gas quality. With rumors like peoples gas tanks freezing solid and such. Is there a quick, safe, cheap way to test for water content in gasoline so we can put the final word…
Kratz
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3 answers

Hand-testing Shock Absorbers

Does manually hand-testing shock absorbers have any validity for checking if a shock is good or bad? Does hand-priming shock absorbers help? I usually hand-prime shock absorbers that I feel are acting inconsistently or behaving not as it should.…
agent provocateur
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Cylinder Leak-down vs Compression Test

I understand that both cylinder leak down and compression tests are used to test for cylinder head, cracks, warps, and gasket leaks. I understand the difference between how each works: compression uses engine compression and leak-down uses an…
amphibient
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Is there a way to test ignition coils with built-in ICM?

My car's service manual shows this for the ignition coils: What is the ICM? Related to https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/a/2850/31, is there a way to check the coils to see if they are working correctly? 2003 Honda Civic EX D17A2 1.7L SOHC…
endolith
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Emissions - High CO reading only

My 1999 Honda CRV has just failed it's UK MOT test on emissions. Results are below: 1st test: CO 0.73 (FAIL - max is 0.30) HC 78 (PASS - max is 200) Lambda 1.008 (PASS - between 0.970 & 1.030) 2nd test: CO 0.59 (FAIL - max is 0.30) HC 76…
GoldieLocks
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Do no-name tires go through thorough testing?

Tire (tyre) brands come in three categories: Major brands that advertise extensively Relatively unknown brands that are actually made by the major brands Relatively unknown brands that are manufactured in their own factories. Tires in categories 2…
Amazon Dies In Darkness
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How to test the function of a water pump?

Is it possible to test a water pump for proper function (ability to move a certain volume of coolant) without disconnecting it from the engine? If so, how would one do that?
cdunn
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Does driving at top speed damage a car or stress the engine?

Lots of manufactures like Vauxhall/Opel and Ford seem to test their new models of cars by driving it at top speed for hours on end. What is the point of this? Does it stress an engine?
George
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What is surface charge and how does it affect battery testing?

I've read in numerous places that "surface charge" can give false positives when testing a battery, and you need to remove the said surface charge to get an accurate result. I've also read various recommendations for removing surface charge such as…
Robert S. Barnes
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How do I know when to replace shock absorbers?

In my last trip to the shop, the mechanics told me that I should replace my shock absorbers. When I inquired as to why, I don't feel that they were very clear with their answer, like they normally are. So my question is, what are the symptoms that…
tarheel
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The top speed in the my owner's manual seems to be too low. Is this normal?

How the quoted figures for top speed determined for a car (from 2003)? To be specific, my 2003 Opel Agila 1.2i has a quoted top speed of 96mph, but I have exceeded this on several occasions on flat ground. Is it safe to exceed the top speed? EDIT: I…
George
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Is cylinder leak down test needed if compression test results are fine?

If I compression test my engine and the results are fine, could there ever be any need to leak-down test it as well? IOW, can a leak down test ever fail if the compression test is fine. RELATED: Cylinder Leak-down vs Compression Test
amphibient
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Block Test: Can't suck any more air, is this normal? (1999 Suburban)

I performed a block test recently to diagnose a problem I'm having. The liquid stayed blue, but I want to clarify I have done this right. The purpose of the test was to see if I could prove a head gasket failure. After removing some of the coolant…
musicwithoutpaper
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