2017 Editions Archives - Tomorrows Technician
Hunter High School: 2017 School Of The Year

The third high school program to claim the honor, Hunter High School is the 10th overall recipient of the annual program that names the best technical training school in the country. WIX Filters and O’Reilly Auto Parts are title sponsors of the national award in conjunction with Tomorrow’s Tech.

Matching The Components To The Application: Ride Control System Protocol

A shock absorber is designed to dampen oscillations in leaf or coil springs by enclosing a piston and rod assembly inside a cylinder filled with oil. The shell or casing generally mounts on the axle or control arm while the piston rod assembly mounts to the frame.

Powersports Tech Tips: CVT Tuning Part 1

Manufacturers like CVT transmissions for ATVs and UTVs because they are cheap and simple automatic transmissions. The CVT often gets a bad rap from users because the transmission doesn’t deliver the power how the user wants. Like stock suspension settings, the manufacturer is shooting for a middle-of-the-road approach that will function fairly well under a

Evaporative Emissions Diagnostics: Start With The Basics When You Have Multiple Codes For The Same System

Recently, the shop had a 2002 Lexus SC 430 in for a check engine light with evap codes P0440 – evap malfunction; P0441 – evap incorrect purge flow; and P0446 – evap vent control malfunction.

Career Corner: The Power Of A Thank You Note

Ah yes, the skill of hand-written thank you notes. A ritual from the past that continues to be a very important part of the interview process. You don’t have to write a thank you note, but you would be very wise to do so. It shows gratitude, appreciation and professionalism (let alone the punctuality of

BMW: Electric Water Pump Replacement

From the time I started working professionally in the automotive repair world, I have often told stories about the mechanics I used to hang around with when I was 14 or 15 years old. They would often complain about new technology and how they were not going to be able to work on cars anymore.

Drifting: An Education

It’s a special moment seeing your project car come to life on the track, but it’s not every day you get to see your auto instructor crash it. For a dozen Rolling Meadows High School auto technology students, their drift car project is continuously a work in progress; getting better and better after each race.

A Day In The Life At The 2017 SEMA Show

The SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is Disneyland for car people, and it isn’t the easiest place to get to, especially for a young high school gearhead like myself. The struggles for my Hot Rodders of Tomorrow team to get there were quite large, but we made it happen together. Getting to Vegas Our

AGM Batteries And Testing

Two of the greatest changes in starting/charging systems during the past few model years have been the expanded use of the Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery as standard equipment and the accelerating pricing structures of both AGM and conventional flooded-cell batteries. In the past, I knew many shop managers who simply replaced any battery that

Step By Step: Carbon Fiber Structural Repair

Is carbon fiber structural repair really black magic? The answer, of course, is no. It’s true that carbon fiber structural components such as “tubs” are a relatively new technology for high-volume production street cars, but structures like tubs have been used in Formula 1 racing since the early 1990s and in heavily loaded aircraft structures

The Turbo Comeback: The Small Engine, Big Performance Trend

Turbochargers are great for adding power to any gas or diesel-powered engine, but especially for small displacement engines. They were all the rage back in the 1980s when BMW, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volkswagen all offered turbo options on a variety of engines. Over the years, turbos have come and gone, but recently, they are making

Friction And Formulations

Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of elements sliding against each other. In the case of cars and trucks, it is the brake pads pushing against a rotor that changes kinetic energy into heat.