Auto Engine Repair will help you learn to diagnose and
rebuild all makes and models of gasoline engines. The text will
prepare you to use factory service manuals and specifications to
complete competent engine service and repair work on any gaso-
line engine found in today’s cars, vans, SUVs, and light trucks.
This book has been revised and reorganized to help you
pass the ASE certification test on engine repair. The engine
repair test primarily includes questions on how to troubleshoot,
repair, and rebuild passenger vehicle engines. This edition also
has new information on engine machining and rebuilding.
Automobile manufacturers are now using advanced
engine designs to improve power, efficiency, and depend-
ability. Today’s cars and light trucks are equipped with
computer-controlled; high-performance; 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-,
and 12-cylinder engines. Many engines have three or four
valves per cylinder, overhead camshafts, aluminum heads,
aluminum blocks, turbochargers, superchargers, plastic
parts, and many other engineering advances. This textbook
was written to help you understand and service engines
with these challenging innovations.
Auto Engine Repair has 26 chapters that are grouped
into six sections. Section 1 reviews fundamentals of engine
operation, equipment, and safety. Section 2 details engine
construction and design so you will know how engines are
supposed to operate and how they are manufactured.
Section 3 summarizes the theory and service of engine-
related systems. To be a competent engine technician, you
must understand and be able to service starting systems,
ignition systems, fuel systems, emission control systems,
diesel injection systems, turbochargers, and more. The ASE
engine repair test includes questions on engine support sys-
tems. Section 4 explains how to diagnose both mechanical
and performance problems. It also summarizes engine
tune-up procedures. Section 5 covers the overhauling or
rebuilding of engines. This section has been expanded to
include more information on automotive machining.
Section 6 summarizes ASE certification tests and career success.
Auto Engine Repair is written so you may study the
chapters in the sequence presented or concentrate on cer-
tain topics. The chapters are small and cover specific
engine assemblies or related subjects. Cross-references help
you find additional information elsewhere in the book.
Each chapter begins with learning objectives, which
emphasize the important topics you will study in that chapter.
A summary is provided at the end of the chapter to help you
review the most important concepts. The review questions
at the end of each chapter allow you to measure your
progress. ASE-type questions are also provided at the end of
the chapter to help you prepare for certification.
Auto Engine Repair was developed to help you
become a professional engine technician as quickly as
possible. Since engine repair is very technical and precise,
the book was written using short, easy-to-understand
sentences accompanied by carefully selected illustrations.
Color photos and line drawings have been used to illus-
trate as much as possible about engine repair. Technical
terms are printed in bold italic and defined so you can
quickly learn the “language” of an engine technician.
Chapter 5 provides general information about shop safety.
Additional instruction regarding safety is stressed throughout
the book. You can never know too much about safety. There
are three types of special notes you will encounter in this book:
Note: A note may highlight important techni-
cal information, present information related
to the topic, or cross-reference the material.
Caution:A caution identifies a situation that may
result in damage to the vehicle,tools,or equip-
ment if the proper procedure is not followed.
Warning: A warning identifies operations
that may potentially result in injury.
Specific repair procedures are presented in a sequen-
tial, step-by-step list. This allows you to easily follow the
procedure as you perform the operation.
Auto Engine Repair is a valuable guide to anyone
wanting to understand or work on today’s engines. It will
help a student enter the trade more easily, but it will also
help the vehicle owner know more about the operation and
servicing of engines. An experienced technician can also
benefit from this text by using it to become better informed
about the latest engine technology and repair methods.
—James E. Duffy
3
Introduction