Toyota Automotive Technical Training Series

Technical Articles
Toyota Series - Electrical
01 Electrical Fundamentals with questions.pdf file size 401KB
02 Electrical Circuits with questions.pdf file size 319KB
03 Electrical Components with questions.pdf file size 517KB
04 Analog vs Digital Meters with questions.pdf file size 35KB
05 Wire, Terminal and Connector Repair w/qu.pdf file size 270KB
06 Automotive Batteries with questions.pdf file size 741MB
07 Toyota Starting Systems with questions.pdf file size 870KB
08 Toyota Charging Systems with questions.pdf file size 850KB
09 Understanding Toyota Wiring Diagram.pdf file size 1.9MB
10 Electrical Diagnostic Tools.pdf file size 784KB
11 Diagnosing Body Electrical Problems.pdf file size 1.31MB
12 Semiconductors with questions.pdf file size 216KB
13 Transistors with questions.pdf file size 42KB
14 Computers / Logic Gates with questions.pdf file size 205KB
15 Overview of Sensors & Actuators w/quest.pdf file size 287KB
16 Electronic Transmission #1 - Operation.pdf file size 574KB 
17 Electronic Transmission #2 - Diagnosis w/quest.pdf file size 287KB
18 Shift Interlock System.pdf 241KB 
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Toyota All Models 1975-77 Drive Axles Repair Guide

DESCRIPTION

The axle assembly is hypoid gear type with a separate carrier housing. It comes in slightly different models for use in all Toyota vehicles. Two-pinion differential cases are one-piece design while four-pinion cases are two-piece design. The differential side bearing preload is set with adjusting nuts on all models. The pinion bearing preload can be set with a solid spacer and adjusting shim or with a collapsible spacer.

AXLE RATIO & IDENTIFICATION

Toyota uses only one basic type of axle assembly. Any differences in Removal & Installation or Overhaul procedures will be noted where they occur. To determine axle ratio, divide number of ring gear teeth by number of pinion gear teeth.
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Why Brake Repairs Needed? Don't Take Chances With Your Brakes - Repair Them Now!

Use Your Eyes & Ears to Inspect Your Brakes Visually inspect your brakes' condition at least every six months. Here are some things to look for: Brake Rotors (discs) should be inspected all the way around the surface and on both sides for any concentric scoring (grooves) or obvious defects. If defects are found, replace your rotors immediately. Any rotor discoloration may be a sign of overheating and an inspection by a brake repair professional is needed. Brake Pads will normally match rotor scoring but should also be inspected for uneven wear, breakage or cracking on the friction surface. Again, if defects are found, replace the pads immediately. Many cars also have brake pad sensors to warn of pad wear. If your car uses sensors, replace these at the same time as your pads. Brake Drums (if equipped) should also be inspected on a regular basis. Check for the same types of flaws as noted above. The drums should not have excessive grooves or have a deep "trough" dug into them where the shoes ride. Brake Shoes (if equipped) should be worn evenly and have no rivets protruding to the friction surface.

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Cooling System Repairs: It's Easy to Prevent Breakdowns BEFORE They Happen

Cooling systems can be your best friend when operating efficiently. Cooling system repairs . . . your worst enemy if you don't understand how your cooling system works.
Your cooling system performs a critical function. Simply put, it maintains proper engine temperature by circulating coolant through the engine to pick up heat and passing it through a radiator to cool it with air. The coolant passes through a thermostat valve to control flow and possibly over a temperature sensor which controls external air cooling fans.
Cooling systems consist of three main parts:
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Fuel Pumps & Fuel Injection Repairs

The electric fuel pump is the heart of every electronic fuel injection system. Let's review the basics of this critical fuel injection part. Usually located inside or near the fuel tank, the fuel pump's job is twofold: 1) To push fuel from the tank to the injectors, and 2) To create sufficient pressure so the injectors will deliver the correct amount of fuel under all operating conditions. The pressure developed by the pump, as well as the volume of fuel it flows, must both meet the vehicle manufacturers' requirements or engine performance, economy and emissions will suffer. The amount of fuel pressure required for a given application will vary depending on the type of injection system (L-Jetronic, CIS, Motronic, etc.), the flow characteristics of the injectors and the engine's fuel requirements. For example, certain Audi models with Bosch Motronic require 55 to 61 psi (3.8 to 4.2 BAR) of static pressure measured with the engine off. By comparison, a BMW may require 43 psi (3.0 BAR) on some models or 48 psi (3.3 BAR) on others. The differences may not seem like much, but a few pounds of fuel pressure can have a significant impact on engine performance and emissions.

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Engine Knock? Low Oil Pressure? How To Diagnose Needed Repairs

Oil pressure light flickering? Engine knock? Both? Major repair problem or minor annoyance? Either way, you should always quickly investigate the source before it becomes an even bigger problem.
Oil pressure - or more precisely the lack of it - in certain parts of your car's engine can become a major repair nightmare. All engines lose a certain amount of oil pressure over time as normal wear increases bearing clearances. But unusually low oil pressure in an engine, regardless of mileage, is often an indication that something is seriously wrong and requires immediate repairs.
That "tappet" noise may be only one sticking lifter but it may also indicate an oil flow problem that will eventually cause damage to at least one valve.
A flickering oil light is more difficult to troubleshoot if your engine is not obviously in need of major repair work.
Modern engines with hydraulic lifters, tight tolerance bearings and miniature oil filters require conscientious monitoring of oil pressure.
The following diagnostic tips (excerpted from "Troubleshooting Low Oil Pressure", Underhood Service, 10/97) will help you determine whether you have a major repair problem or just a minor annoyance.
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Tuneup & Auto Maintenance Tips to Lengthen Your Import Car's Life

Tuneup - an old-fashioned maintenance term that's nearly non-existent today. With electronic ignition and fuel injection came computers that took over control of engine settings. Early versions allowed for some tinkering, but today's engines require advanced equipment and training. You can, however, replace normal maintenance parts and still see improved engine performance. Here are common maintenance parts you can replace to significantly increase performance and reduce major problems: Basic Ignition Parts Spark Plugs: Spark plugs are good indicators of engine condition. Removing and inspecting spark plugs tell you a lot about how well the engine is running and what may be causing problems. All spark plugs should be removed and checked every 30,000 miles - even if your car is "low maintenance" - you're told to change spark plugs at 100,000 miles. This prevents the plugs from seizing in the block, causing expensive repairs down the road. Always note which plug came from which cylinder. This tells you if a particular cylinder has a problem. BEWARE: New spark plugs can make a difference in your car's performance but only if replaced with the appropriate OE replacement plug.

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Replacing Wiper Blades Regularly Saves Lives & Windshields

Are you as conscientious about your windshield wipers as you are about your car's engine? Car safety is a critical concern for everyone. Worn wiper blades are dangerous. Because 90% of your driving decisions are based on a clear, unobstructed view of the road, it's a critical safety concern that your car's wipers provide you with the cleanest windshield possible. Ozone, airborne contaminants, oil, sunlight and dirt all act to weaken and reduce your wiper blades' ability to keep your view unobstructed. And exposure to sunlight and ozone cause the wiper blades to age, even if they're not used much. Weather also plays a critical role in your windshield wiper blades' deterioration. Freezing temperatures make the rubber in your wiper blades hard and brittle, which increases their tendency to crack or tear. Hot weather warps the rubber and prevents the blade from wiping your windshield cleanly. Heavy use is hard on the wipers because dust, abrasives, road grime and bug juice wear away the cutting edge the blade needs to wipe cleanly. Even road dirt acts like an abrasive to wear away the flat surface necessary for a good squeegee effect.

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Understanding Your Import Car's Electrical System

Today's auto electrical systems are getting more intricate and are stressing the limits of current technology but they are basically the same design as 30 years ago. What can today's do-it-yourselfer do to keep from being electrically-challenged in the middle of nowhere? A quick overview of your car's electrical system would be a good start. The major components of your car's electrical system are explained below, along with some troubleshooting tips.
Your Import Car's Battery
The battery is a storage device, currently 12 volts, used to start the engine and help operate the electrical accessories installed on your car. The battery consists of six cells of stacked positive and negative lead plates, separated by insulators and immersed in electrolyte, which is a water and sulfuric acid mixture. Each of the six cells "produces" 2.1 volts for a total of 12.6 volts (although it's actually stored energy, not produced).
The chemical reaction created between the lead plates and the electrolyte creates dangerous, explosive gases that vent through the battery cover vents. Care should always be taken when charging or jump starting low batteries and whenever working under the hood of the car. Always keep the battery clean to allow proper ventilation.
Some batteries use a gel to replace the electrolyte for a somewhat safer battery and the use of "maintenance-free" batteries has eliminated the need for refilling the electrolyte. However, all batteries lose charging capacity over time through the loss of the electrolyte, deterioration of the plates and chemical breakdown of the connections.
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Oxygen Sensors Are Critical Key to Passing Emissions

Automotive exhaust emissions are everyone's concern because we all breathe the same air. Fifty percent of Americans live in areas that exceed national clean air standards. Reducing tailpipe emissions, therefore, is a top priority in the effort to fight air pollution. In 1976, Bosch introduced what would eventually become one of THE most important technologies for reducing exhaust emissions: the oxygen sensor. By 1996, Bosch had produced its 100,000,000th oxygen sensor. Today, Bosch oxygen sensors are original equipment on a wide variety of European, Asian and domestic vehicles and are the #1 best selling brand in the aftermarket. Oxygen sensors have been standard equipment on passenger car and light truck engines since 1980-81. Most such vehicles have one or two oxygen sensors (two are typically used on selected V6 and V8 engines starting in the late 1980s). Since the introduction of Onboard Diagnostics II (OBD II) in 1995-96, the number of oxygen sensors per vehicle has doubled (the extra sensors are used downstream of the catalytic converter to monitor its operating efficiency). Yet, as important as oxygen sensors are today, few people are even aware of their presence, let alone the key role oxygen sensors play in engine performance and reducing pollution. One survey found that 99.7% of all consumers did not know their vehicle even had an oxygen sensor!

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Know Your VIN & Get Exactly the RIGHT Auto Repair Parts Every Time

Vehicle identification numbers (also called VINs) are critical pieces of information for identifying the exact car you have and the engine that was put into it when it was built. A car‘s vehicle identification number (VIN) is the automotive equivalent of human DNA.
History of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
In the mid 1950s, American automobile manufacturers began stamping and casting identifying numbers on cars and their parts. The obvious purpose was to give an accurate description of the vehicle as mass production numbers were starting to climb to very significant numbers. Research has shown that early VINs came in all sorts of variations, depending on the car manufacturer.
In the early 1980s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began requiring that all road vehicles contain a 17-character VIN. This established the fixed VIN system for major vehicle manufacturers as it is known today and thus, created a unique "DNA" style number for each unique vehicle that rolled off the assembly line.
The Vehicle Identification Number was "officially" described in ISO Standard 3779 in February 1977 and last revised in 1983.
Explanation of Unique Identifiers Within Your Car's VIN
Vehicle identification numbers are standardized - all contain 17 characters. VIN characters may be capital letters A through Z and numbers 1 through 0; however, the letters I, O and Q are never used in order to avoid mistakes of misreading. No signs or spaces are allowed in the VIN.
The position of each letter or number in the VIN code reveals important information about where and when your car was made, the type of engine it has, the model or series of the car, various equipment/attributes and its production sequence. Each character or digit has a particular purpose as follows:
1st Character: The 1st character of your car's vehicle identification number identifies the country where it was manufactured.
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Top Tips to Improve Fuel Efficiency - How to Improve Your Car's Gas Mileage

In today's world, fuel efficiency is becoming a higher and higher priority. With average gas prices hovering around $3 a gallon in the U.S., more and more consumers are trying to find ways to decrease the amount of gas they use. We have compiled a list of some of the best ways to reduce the amount of gas consumption for your household.

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Bosch Icon Wiper Blades Provide Cleanest Windshields Ever

Basic wiper blade design has remained virtually unchanged for 80 years. The familiar steel or plastic bracket with multiple joints and pressure points has been the automotive industry standard for many years. But now, OE wiper blade technology is taking a new bracketless shape. This new bracketless technology conforms more precisely to the curvature of today's windshields for better wiping quality than conventional blades. Simply put, bracketless wiper blades are designed without metal or plastic brackets, joints or hinges, offering design and performance improvements over conventional wiper blades. Bracketless wiper blade design is the very latest in original equipment wiper technology. Each year, more and more vehicle manufacturers are specifying bracketless blades. Bosch is the leading OE supplier of bracketless wiper blades, equipping manufacturers such as Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Porsche. Bosch's advanced bracketless wiper blade design is the recipient of three major design awards: 1) Motortec 2001, Madrid, Spain; 2) Automechanika 2002, Frankfurt, Germany; and, 3) Automotive News PACE Award 2002, Detroit, Michigan.

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Gas Pump Tricks You Can Use to Save Money on Fuel

With today's high gas prices, we're all looking for any way we can to save money at the gas station. We're driving less. We're driving slower. We're buying cars based on fuel efficiency ratings. We're even buying hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles. Gas has become one of the bigger items in all of our monthly budgets.

In addition to those timely tips, below are some tricks you can use to give you your money's worth for every gallon of gasoline. These gas pump tricks were provided by someone who's been in the petroleum industry for more than 30 years.

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Ford AVI IDS Training Video

Here is a training video from AVI for Ford IDS.
Download Now
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How to remove instrument panel in Audi A6 4B C5

How to remove instrument panel in Audi A6 4B C5
An Instrument panel servicing e-book for Audi A6 4B C5 owners. In the e-book you will find:
- Instrument panel component locations, overview.
- Instrument panel removing.
- Trim strip for instrument panel, removing.
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How to Repair an Instrument Cluster in an Audi A6

The instrument cluster is one of the most vital components in your Audi A6 as it provides you with the necessary information needed to drive your vehicle safely on the road. If any parts of the instrument cluster become damaged, you should look to repair the cluster by removing it and inserting a fully functioning one. You can pick up a replacement instrument cluster from your local auto store.
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1976 Fiat Honda Jaguar Wheel Alignment Guide

FIAT

Model X1/9 Front and Rear - Camber is nonadjustable. If not within specifications, inspect suspension for damage and repair or replace parts as necessary.
TOE-IN
Model 128, 131 and X1/9 Front - Place front wheels in straight-ahead position. If toe-in is not within specifications, loosen sleeve locking nut on tie rods. To adjust, rotate hexagon on ball pin to set toe-in to specifications. Hold hexagon in position and lock nut against tie rod sleeve.
Model 128 Rear - If rear toe-in is not within specifications raise rear of vehicle and compress one end of leaf spring, shifting it from flexible guide anchoring spring to control arm. Remove guide and slowly release spring. Remove nuts attaching pivot to body and loosen screws to free adjustment shims. To increase toe-in, add shims to rear screw or remove shims from front screw. To decrease, add shims to front screw or remove shims from rear screw.
Model 124 Front - Place front wheels in straight-ahead position. If toe-in is not within specifications, loosen four clamps securing sleeves on tie rods. Rotate tie rods in opposite direction (by equal amounts) to set toe-in to specifications. Tighten clamp nuts. NOTE - Expansion slot in sleeve must coincide with clamp joint when clamp is fully tightened.
Model X1/9 Rear - If rear wheel toe-in is not within specifications, loosen clamps securing sleeves to reaction rods. Adjust toe-in by lengthening or shortening reaction rods. Tighten clamps and recheck toe-in.
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1975 Honda Wheel Alignment Guide

HONDA SPECIFICATIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS

TIRE INFLATION (COLD)
Before checking or adjusting wheel alignment, make sure tires are correctly inflated. Refer to manufacturers specifications located in glove box
RIDING HEIGHT
Make sure tires are properly inflated. Measure from bottom of side marker lamps to ground. If height measurement is not within specifications, check rear height before attempting to repair front suspension
CASTER
Caster is nonadjustable. If alignment is not within specifications, inspect for damaged parts and replace as necessary.
CAMBER
Camber is nonadjustable. If alignment is not within specifications, inspect for damaged parts and replace as necessary.
TOE-IN
Front - To adjust toe-in, loosen lock nuts at each of the tie rods. To increase toe-in, turn the right tie rod in the direction of wheel rotations when the vehicle moves forward and turn left tie rod in the opposite direction. Turn both tie rods an equal amount until toe-in is within specifications. Tighten lock nuts of each tie rod.
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1974 Honda Wheel Alignment Guide

HONDA SPECIFICATIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS

TIRE INFLATION (COLD)
Before checking or adjusting wheel alignment, make sure tires are correctly inflated. Refer to manufacturers specifications located in glove box.
RIDING HEIGHT
Make sure tires are properly inflated. Measure from bottom side marker lamps to ground. This distance should be 25.78" in front and 24.01" in rear. NOTE - If height measurement is not within specifications, check rear height before attempting to repair front suspension.
CASTER
Caster is nonadjustable. If alignment is not within specifications, inspect for damaged parts and replace as necessary.
CAMBER
Camber is nonadjustable. If alignment is not within specifications, inspect for damaged parts and replace as necessary.
TOE-IN
To adjust toe-in, loosen lock nuts at each of the tie rods. To increase toe-in, turn the right tie rod in the direction of wheel rotation when the car4 moves forward and turn the left tie rod in the opposite direction. Turn both tie rods an equal amount until toe-in is within specifications. Tighten lock nuts of each tie rod.
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