Summary: In this auto service article we review the Jump and Carry booster pack line-up. These booster packs (jump starters) are manufactured by Clore automotive, which is one of the largest jump box suppliers in the automotive service industry – we cover the reasons why they maintain their top position. Jump and Carry booster boxes are available in several different CCA’s (Cold Cranking Amps) ranges, which allows the auto professional to purchase the size unit that best fits their needs.

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AC Machine by Robinair

Robinair AC machines are the most popular machines for servicing car air conditioning systems in repair shops throuought the USA. Robinair is an industry leader in the air conditioning field, developing new and innovative products. Robinair was started in 1956 by the Kent-Moore Corporation in Michigan. The Robinair division of Kent Moore was created to design and manufacture specialty tools for repairing home appliances.

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The Rigid brand video inspection scope is called the SeeSnake 

Rigid Micro SeeSnake is an option with a 3 foot reach, a magnet and clip on mirror included. The main drawback with this tool is that the camera at the end of the wand is 0.70″ and that prevents the use of this tool in smaller areas like in an engine’s cylinder through a spark plug hole. A better size for the probe on borescopes and video endoscopes is under 0.50″ this allows access to much tighter areas. The Micro SeeSnake inspection camera has a 2.4″ color LCD screen that has 160 x 234 resolution.

The Visual Optics brand inspection scope is called the Video Stik 

The Visual Optics video inspection tool is called the Video Stik, Visual Optics’ inspection scopes come in 36″ or 72″ and are made in the USA. The Video Stik with it’s 320x 240 pixel resolution, provides a more defined image compared to the Rigid SeeSnake with it’s 160 x 234 resolution. The camera on the end of the wand is smaller too. Compared to the Rigid brand that has 0.70″ diameter, the Video Stik has a 0.42″ diameter, allowing access to more spaces. The Visual Optics Video Stik also comes with accessories. The magnet an mirror are small enough to access very tight areas, after-all if they don’t fit into the area needed they are useless.

Automatic Focus allows for ease of use when compared to fiber optic borescopes. Fiberoptic bore scopes were at one time the only game in town when it came to affordable inspection scopes. New technology in affordable video based inspection scopes has changed this forever. New electronic gadgets like these, are sure to spawn more competition in the new Affordable Inspection Tool Arena, DLT’s top pick for automotive inspection is the Video Stik.

 OTC Hand Held Battery, Charging System/ Starter Tester

The OTC Sabre is a hand held tester that is an easy to use alternative to the OTC Minuteman electrical tester. This tool is very easy to use, quick and accurate. The Sabre being a hand held unit, is not subjected to the abuse of rolling across rough shop floors. It comes in a nice storage case, some models come with a wireless infrared printer. The printer capability is nice since many customers will believe the print out over what the technician says. There is an optional amp probe needed for testing amps drawn by the starter. This unit is especially good for not taking up floor space in smaller auto shops.

Old Style Toaster/Battery Tester

The OTC Sabre uses technology that doesn’t create the heat that the old style dead short toasters did. The name toaster for this type of tester was obviously derived from the fact that you could literally toast bread on one of these testers when putting a load on a battery. They work though, and for many years that is all I used at the Goodyear shop that I started at back in the 80’s.

MinuteMan OTC Tester on Roll Around

The OTC Minute Man tester has the capability to check starters without having to purchase an optional amp probe. Larger shops that space is not an issue may favor this tester. There is also something to be said for being able put batteries on the bottom of this cart instead of carrying them by hand to and from the car!

This Bearly Used Grizzly Grinder was for sale recently – Classified Site 

Back in the early eighties when I first started working on front wheel drive cars, the Goodyear shop that I worked at got one of these Grizzly Grinders (sold by Bear). It was the newest best way at the time, to sort of machine rotors on the vehicle when doing a brake job. Actually it didn’t really machine the brake rotors, it would grind them. The Grizzly Grinder only worked on front wheel drive vehicles, since there was no built in motor to spin the rotors. The Grizzly Grinder was bolted on where the caliper goes, the grinding discs were adjusted and then you would run the car in drive trying to maintain around 35 miles per hour! Metal would fly and you’d better be sure you’ve got it adjusted right or the rotors would be ground unevenly in a hurry. This was definitely a job you didn’t want the customer to watch.

Ammco Brake Lathes.  Some brand names make you automatically think of certain products. Ammco is one of those brands that makes one thing come to mind…brake lathes. Ammco is one of the oldest and best known names in brake lathes and by far has more brake lathes in use today than any other manufacturer. Ammco was founded in 1922 and has an excellent reputation among professional auto technicians.

Not just Hondas.  For several years there were some Honda cars that had rotors that were not easily removable from the hub. Sometimes bearing damage would occur when using the slide hammer to separate the rotor from the hub. Even if the bearings were not damaged, since the rotor was being machined without the hub, accuracy was sacrificed. That is one reason in the past that many repair shops wanted on the car brake lathes.  

Preferred Method.  Due to possible variances in the car’s hubs, on the car brake lathes are the preferred way to machine rotors on any car today. When the rotor is machined off the vehicle no allownces are figured in for possible hub run-out. When using an on the car brake lathe, the run-out is checked before the machining begins. This insures the most accurate cut is obtained. When comparing on the car machining to turning rotors on a conventional brake lathe, the on the car brake lathe always yields better results, with a much higher likelihood that the rotors will not become warped as quickly over time.

I’m not sure when Bear stopped making the Grizzly Grinder, but I am sure that my Grizzly Grinder experience  is better left, somewhere back in the 80’s…

What’s in your toolbox?

Recently I sat in on a CarQuest sponsored auto technician training class for Auto Enginuity and the Carman Wi. Both of these scan tool softwares are PC (Personal Computer) based. The Auto Enginuity scan tool software is an up and coming player in the scan tool arena that has more USA Domestic capability than the Carman Wi. The Carman Wi is a Korean based auto scan tool software that has much more capability when it comes to Asian vehicles, in particular the Hyundai and Kia. The Carman Wi lacks OBD II function, it’s not surprising since this tool is made mostly for the Asian market place where OBD II does not exist. Each of these tools are a work in progress. Each tool had it’s advantages and disadvantages and apparently CarQuest is pitching them as a pair to be able to provide the most complete vehicle coverage. The Carman Wi had an extra module that was placed precariously on a side tray on the computer cart. The trainer warned as he displayed on the overhead projector, whatever you do “don’t drop the module.”  You guessed it, just as the words came out of his mouth, he dropped the module, catching it by the computer cables before it crashed to the floor, the classroom broke out into laughter. There is something to be said for scan tools that are encased in a durable shell that are designed for exposure to the real shop environment. There’s always at least one joker in the group, one in our group said that he would rather have a Nintendo Wii instead of the Carman Wi.

Many Cables.  Each tool had many different connection cables required for interfacing to different makes and models. Someone in the class made the statement that they should have all the cables incorporated into one, like the OTC Genisys Smart Cable. The instructor said that OTC has had a lot longer to develop their scan tools and that we just have to understand that improvements are on the way.  When either tool lacked in any area of capability, the trainer also responded by saying “it’s not cooked yet…it’s not done.”  This was his way of saying that both scan tool soft-wares are in constant development and are not complete at this time.

Colors on Parade.  The bar graphs for each scan tool were customizable by changing the colors of the background and the lines themselves to be able to see the readings more clearly. The Carman Wi being Korean made and losing some meanings in translation, calls the background color setting, the bottom, since it is the bottom color. I couldn’t help thinking that flat rate techs are not going to be too concerned with the color of the graphs, they just want to quickly diagnose the car and move on. The Carman Wi also did not show much of a reading on the graph, it looked more like a straight line. One of the techs pointed this out, the instructor adjusted the graph to show more definition as the tech just stood there and shook his head no, not happy with the degree of movement of the bar graph line. The Auto Enginuity’s graph was much easier to read variances since there was much more movement of the line on the graph. From what I gathered, both of these scan tool products will eventually have the capability to reprogram computers if the the updates are accessed through the car manufacturer’s paid website links.  

Genisys.  There’s no doubt that when these scan tools are further developed they will have great capability. I came away from this training class with a renewed respect for the OTC Genisys scan tool with the Smart Cable. The OTC Genisys may not ever have the capability of flashing car’s computers but with it’s user friendly interface and wide range of use, it will have a place in tool boxes for many years to come.