OTC (Owatonna Tool Company) is a very large tool company as you may already know. OTC’s tool line includes hand tools, shop equipment and diagnostic scan tools. The OTC Genisys scan tool has been a very popular choice in auto scan tools for many years, but now Pegisys is staged to be OTC’s next generation of automotive diagnostic scan tools. Genisys is still a very good scan tool and will continue to be very popular due to it’s much lower cost and it will continue to be supported by OTC. OTC has many automotive code readers, scan tools and diagnostic tools. OTC currently has the OTC 3499 (no fancy name), the Nemisys, the Genisys and now the Pegisys. The Pegisys has AirBridge technology which allows wireless communication with the vehicle and the Internet. I suppose there is a correlation between the Pegisys and Pegasus, Pegasus is a winged horse in classical mythology and is also a northern constellation between Cygnus and Aquarius. It represents the freedom of the wireless capability that allows the auto tech to move around the vehicle when performing diagnostic tests. Auto scan tools normally have an interface cable that keeps the tech in the seat or requires the cable to be draped through the door or window to reach the engine compartment. 

Pegisys has a touch screen. In addition to being able to use the scroll to change frames when using the scan tool, the Pegisys allows the user to make selections right on the touch screen. Everyone knows that guys are “visual” creatures. So, what better way for a guy to find the application he wants than to just touch the image on the screen?

OTC 3825 equipped with a scope.  Sometimes when testing a particular component on a car, a scope is needed to see the wave patterns to help detect momentary glitches. This is particularly helpful when testing sensors like the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor).

Updates through the Internet. The Pegisys comes with a one year subscription that starts when the tool is registered for warranty on the Pegisys website. It comes with USA Domestic and Asian software and even has OBD I and OBD II cables included. Optional software enables the Pegisys to be used on European vehicles and Heavy duty truck applications.

OTC also produces car dealer specific diagnostic scan tools like the Tech 2 Scan tool for Chevrolet. While the Tech 2 has programming/flashing capability it is limited to GM. The key to the Pegisys scan tool is that it has the capability to access many different makes and many systems. This makes the OTC Pegisys a good choice for repair shops that need to service many different makes and models. With access to the Internet, technicians can also easily find more information from Identifix an optional data base that has fixes that auto techs in the real shop environment have uploaded. Indentifix can of course be accessed without the Pegisys, but with the wireless Internet it just makes it very convenient.

Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems are in place today in large part due to law suites, brought forth by the Ford Explorer roll overs in the past blamed partially on low tire inflation. Now vehicles equipped with TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems) are able to warn the driver of an under-inflated tire. The vehicle’s computer can tell us when the tire pressure is low, some can indicate the exact tire pressure reading. But what about when the low tire pressure warning light stays on after a tire has been repaired or replaced? Tire and auto repair shops today need to have the right auto specialty tool to deal with this. I was recently asked “Which Tire Pressure Monitor Reset tool is best for my shop?” Well, choosing a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) tool that can reset the warning light on most makes of vehicles is needed, since most shops work on more than one type of car. Read on for information.

Direct or Indirect TPM systems are used on cars today. Direct tire pressure monitoring systems have sensors that can measure the exact tire pressure in each tire (including the spare on some models). The tire pressure sensors are either mounted by a steel band or built into the valve stem. These type sensors have a battery that can fail over time like any other battery. The sensors are not serviceable, so when the battery fails the unit is replaced. Caution must be taken when changing tires with the direct type TPM sensors, they can be damaged inadvertently when breaking the bead of the tire down while using the tire machine. Consumers should also be aware that ”fix a flat” or any similar tire sealer can damage the sensors. Indirect TPM systems do not have tire pressure sensors on each wheel, they use the vehicle’s ABS (Anti Lock Brake) wheel speed sensors to calculate the speed of each tire. The idea is that equally inflated tires will travel at the same speed. The computer detects the slight difference in speed of the under inflated tire and turns the warning on. It is also important to match tread depth and brand since variations in wheel speed can cause the warning light to come on with this type of system.

OTC is the primary OE (original equipment)  tool manufacturer, therefore OTC makes most of the car dealer manufacturer specific essential (required by the manufacturer) TPM diagnostic/reset tools. GM’s OTC TPM reset tool number is J-46079 (Kent Moore), Ford’s auto specialty tool number for resetting the TPM warning light is Rotunda 204-363 ( Rotunda TKIT-20006V4-FLM). OTC owns both Kent Moore and Rotunda among other companies. The problem for the average auto repair shop is that it’s not feasible to own each of the manufacturer specific TPM tools for each vehicle manufacturer. And, each manufacturer specific tool is only capable of resetting their specific brand. For instance if you have the Ford Rotunda TPMS tool it will work only on Ford and not Chevrolet, Nissan etc. The OTC 3833 TPMS is a very popular choice when it comes to TPMS auto specialty tools. The reason is that it is made by OTC and has software that allows it to have a wide range of coverage, not just one vehicle manufacturer. This is why the OTC 3833 TPM tool is a favorite for repair shops that need an auto specialty tool that can be used for a wide variety of vehicle manufacturers.

Will a $150 hydrogen generator turn a 97 Saturn (Beater) into a miracle water car!?

Myth Busting.  Those of you who read our last post titled Is Hydrogen the Answer to America’s Rising Fuel Costs? know that I am skeptical of the claims found on the Internet, like Run your car on water and Save 57% Fuel & Double Gas Mileage. But after speaking to the aftermarket warranty inspector mentioned in that post, that thought it was plausible and he was willing to install a hydrogen generator on his 08 Civic, I figured I would give it try as well. Although the guys he talked to are sure that their hydrogen generators definitely work, for me seeing is believing. Even Popular Mechanics is also going to be testing a hydrogen generator to see if increased mileage claims can be verified or debunked. Even grown men have to play sometimes, right?

$150 Plus shipping. The kit I ordered from HydrogenGarage.com arrived sooner than expected, it basically consisted of a water filter canister (like for home use), stainless steel plates, threaded rods, nylon washers and steel nuts. The directions, that are available on-line in pdf format, were simple to follow. There were a few typographical errors, but they made up for that with plenty of good pictures that made assembly easy.

Prior to assembly. The instructions said to clean the threaded rods and stainless steel plates to remove any oily residue that may be present and to scuff the stainless steel plates by sanding them with 60 grit sandpaper to create a cross hatch scoring effect. After sanding the plates you clean them again prior to the assembly.

Plates attached. Once the plates were assembled, the next step is to put the plate and rod assembly into the canister and test it, out of the car. The Hydrogen generator is said to produce brown gas, I see why they say brown, the water turned brown within minutes after supplying power to create the electrolysis. 

Finding room. It was a tight fit in this little car. The washer fluid reservoir was removed to make room for the hydrogen generator. Power was supplied from a switched/fused source. The directions say that a spark arrestor or bubbler can be used, however I decided to run the 1/4″ vapor tube directly to the air intake.

Testing the gas mileage. To be honest I thought there would be little difference in mileage with or without the Hydrogen generator, but I couldn’t have predicted the actual results. This is what happened. So, I started my trip-ometer at zero and filled the tank up. After driving 102 miles with the Hydrogen generator on, it took 4.189 gallons to fill the gas tank up. I divided the miles by the gallons it took to fill the tank up and came up with 24.3 miles per gallon. I then reset the trip-ometer and with the Hydrogen generator turned off, drove 100.8 miles. I filled up the fuel tank again, this time it only took 3.28 gallons to fill up. After calculating the mileage, I found that the car got 30.7 miles per gallon. I actually got less miles per gallon with the Hydrogen generator on! Uh, is anyone interested in a slightly used Hydrogen generator? 

The Internet is littered with seemingly unbelievable claims, like “Run your car on water”. What does this mean? Pour water in my fuel tank? I must admit, until recently I’ve been a skeptic and have attributed all this Internet hype as another scam that only the gullible would fall for. After thinking about it though, all major car manufacturers are developing and testing hydrogen cars today. Most talk of the need for infrastructure providing hydrogen filling capabilities at gas stations. At the time of this post there are only a few filling stations that dispense hydrogen in the US.

Yesterday when talking to a car warranty inspector friend of mine, the subject of hydrogen fuel came up. He was very excited at the prospect of adding a hydrogen generator to his 2008 Honda Civic. He recently downsized from a Honda Accord since his job requires him to drive many miles everyday, he’s always looking for ways to save on gas. The Inspector was like me, he never really listened to all the talk about running your car on water.

After-all if it is too good to be true, it usually is. Besides, we are both Master auto technicians and have heard it all throughout the years. He changed his way of thinking and was now open to the idea. He had been doing warranty inspections at a couple of repair shops and found that there are auto technicians that were running hydrogen generators on their personal vehicles. Now this changes everything, no longer only Internet hype he could actually see the hydrogen rise from the clear containers. The process involves putting an electrical charge in the water which creates electrolysis and this act releases hydrogen gas that rises and can be ran by a tube to the engine’s air intake to be burned along with regular gas. One of the guys at a repair shop he was visiting, said he has increased his Mitsubishi Endeavor’s mileage by 10 mpg. So far he has noticed no drive-ability problems, no check engine light, just increased gas mileage. He theorizes he has no computer problems since he still uses gas to run his car and only supplements the fuel supply with hydrogen. The other mechanic drives an old Chevy pick up with a 454, (without a vehicle computer) he’s using a similar hydrogen generator and has plans to go all Hydrogen. Converting to all hydrogen may prove to be much more difficult but if he succeeds the rewards could be great.

To date, there are no hydrogen generators that are pre-assembled that I have found. There are many plans for sale that may or may not work. The success most likely will depend on the plans and the mechanical ability of the person following the directions and performing the assembly and installation. This can be very dangerous since the hydrogen is obviously flammable. To be very clear I am not endorsing or selling any of the hydrogen generator kits that are available. However, I am considering purchasing a hydrogen generator kit for myself, I will keep you posted. Be sure to check out the video below.  

When working under the hood, one of the most frustrating things is to knock removed nuts and bolts off their precarious pearch, to fall somewhere into the great abyss we call….the engine compartment. All mechanics have done it, we knock bolts off the air cleaner, the battery, the inner fender etc. And when we hear the nudged bolt hit the floor safely, it is a sweet sound. Because if it reaches the floor, we know we won’t have to waste our time searching for it somewhere on the sub-frame by the rack-n-pinion, or wedged between the inner fender and the the power brake booster.

Magnetic tool trays have been around for a long time, but they typically are designed to be placed on a level surface, and how many times has your tray runneth over? That’s where this new tool tray that swivels comes into play. The swivel capability allows you use it in many places that a regular tray cannot be used. This swivel tool tray was designed by a guy that has spent plenty of time in the trenches (over 30 years as an auto tech). Technician’s have invented many auto tools and improved on existing designs. Sometimes it’s the simple ideas that are the best. If you would like to try one of Tool Mate’s newly designed swivel tool trays contact Tom by email at cicle@comline.com, also see the manufacturer’s pdf brochure that shows this tray in use.