TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2OO8 DOMESTICS BY PAUL WEISSLER The buzzword for the new 2008 domestic offerings is infotainment, and its rapid integration into body electronics presents a number of challenges and questions for the independent repair shop. We’ll cover those, and tell you about the significant changes in engines as well.

aving come a long way since the once self-contained radio/au- dio and navigation sys- tems, infotainment Hfeatures on the 2008 domes- tic vehicles have been pro- liferating at a dizzying pace. That means indepen- dent repair shops must be one their toes and gird for major challenges. With many cars already equipped with up to eight air bags, ABS and vehicle stability systems, brake assist and some degree of automatic braking (in conjunction with adap- tive cruise control), driver information is

Photos: Wieck Media & Jupiter Images

30 November 2007 Town & Country

Ford Taurus

Buick Enclave Chevy Malibu

Saturn Astra

November 2007 31 TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2008 DOMESTICS

the focus of new safety-oriented greater fuel economy, so our annual changes. The addition of cameras only domestic nameplates report will look adds to the mix of informational safety at some of those, too. features, including drift-from-lane warnings and rear view and total blind General Motors spot detection warning systems. The The Cadillac CTS was a breakthrough array of communication and entertain- vehicle when it was introduced as a ment systems that are being marketed 2003 model, and the new edition makes is dazzling. an even more powerful statement. It’s Although infotainment features al- priced against the BMW 3 Series and most overshadow the cars themselves, competes against it in handling and per- we do have a lineup of new domestic formance, but it’s also very close to the nameplate vehicles, including Ford’s 5 Series in size. Focus and Taurus/Sable, Chrysler’s Its infotainment system includes a Town & Country/Dodge Caravan built-in 40-gig hard disk drive and minivans, GM’s Cadillac CTS, Chevy computer with iPod and MP3 player Malibu and Buick Enclave, plus the capability, plus a USB port connection Saturn Astra subcompact and VUE for updates. IfIf thethe chartchart and Outlook crossovers. However, styling and powertrain atat rightright isis missing,missing, pleaseplease circlecircle #40#40 onon thethe ProductProduct InformationInformation Photos: Paul Weissler Paul Photos: The amber indicator in the outside mirrors (driver and passenger side) of the new CardCard onon Buick Lucerne indicates a vehicle in the blind spot, detected by radar sensors.

The expansion of data buses im- changes are the big story. The base proves the ability of vehicle electronics 2.8L V6 price leader engine is gone, pagepage 65.65. to share sensor readings, and computer replaced by the 3.6L V6, an engine algorithms put a premium on accurate rated at 263 hp/253 ft.-lbs. of . communication throughout the vehi- There’s also a direct-injection (DI) cle. And remember when those “U” version of this engine as an option, rat- codes for communication among com- ed at 304 hp/273 ft.-lbs. of torque. The puter modules were something you DI engine has an engine-driven high- just saw in some trouble code charts? pressure fuel pump that starts at about Today there are lots more of them, and 508 psi at idle and increases with de- they’re becoming a more important mand to a peak of 1740 psi. factor in diagnostic procedures. On models with either of two uplevel The industry also is continuing to suspensions (touring and sport), the DI make significant changes in engines, engine is equipped with a three-fan sys- for both better performance and tem—two pullers and one pusher, trig-

32 November 2007 TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2008 DOMESTICS gered through four relays. The standard is a two-fan/three-relay system. The application of the three-fan system to the DI engine and uplevel suspension was based on requirements for severe- service engine and transmission cool- ing and a/c performance. The DI engine also has an auxiliary electric water pump that’s triggered by the powertrain computer when there’s a near-overheat condition. There’s no service manual temperature spec for pump operation, so the trigger appar- ently is determined by a varying com- bination of factors, including HVAC operation (as the HVAC module is part of the circuit). Direct injection engines produce a diesel-like idle clatter, so the 3.6 DI is covered with silencing pads—not the In this photo, the dashboard display for the Ford/Microsoft Sync system in- super-thick padding you’ll see on dicates that the Bluetooth wireless is active and ready to communicate. diesels, but a new thin type offering enhanced performance. This padding similar to the GMC Acadia crossover Astra is a GM/Europe model, sold as also is used on the base engine to sim- that was introduced last year. the Opel Astra, so aside from U.S. cali- plify assembly line operations. For 2008, the new Saturn Astra sub- bration changes, it’s a duplicate, even The engines are mated to a six- compact will be powered by a 1.8L, down to the nameplate. This car has speed manual or a six-speed automatic 140-hp engine, to compete with the electrohydraulic power steering, not a with what GM has been calling a Per- Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. The fully electric system. Its main advantage formance Shift Algorithm, a computer is power saved by running the pump strategy that holds a specific gear to only long enough to pressurize the sys- improve handling in turns. tem, rather than continuously via a belt The all-wheel-drive system has an drive off the engine. active torque transfer coupling capa- The Buick Lucerne sedan is basically ble of shifting up to 100% of the a carryover model, but it’s the first Gen- torque to the front of the basically eral Motors car that offers blind spot rear-drive car. There’s also a rear limit- detection, which GM calls Side Blind ed-slip differential available with the Zone Alert. It uses radar sensors on sport suspension. each side of the car (behind the rear The engine cradle is a direct mount fascia) to monitor a 150°-wide, 12-ft. to the chassis—no bushings. However, back area to detect other cars. If the the front control arms use hydraulic sensors find a vehicle entering the field, bushings for extra damping power. it lights an amber warning in the appro- The port-injected 3.6L V6 trans- priate outside mirror. verse engine has been a successful mill The system is not flawless because it in the Saturn Aura, and for 2008 it also doesn’t always cover 100% of the zones, goes into the Chevy Malibu, which is and will miss if there’s water or dirt on built on the same platform. The Mal- the sensor “eyes.” So an occasional ibu has the 2.4L Four as a base en- missed alert is possible even though gine, plus a mild hybrid version as in there may be nothing wrong. The sys- the Aura. However, the 3.5L pushrod tem does need attention when there’s a V6, used as a base engine in the Aura, “Service Side Blind Zone Alert System” is not used in the Malibu. Chrysler minivans offer a satellite or “Clean Side Blind Zone Alert Sys- The transverse 3.6 V6 also is offered video system that shows Disney and tem” on the driver information display. in two new Saturns—optional in the other children’s programming on ei- And if the driver inadvertently turns it compact VUE and standard in the mid- ther or both rear screens, and even off, that also produces a message. size Outlook crossover utility vehicles. the dashboard navigation system This system is combined with a lane The Outlook and Buick Enclave are screen when the vehicle is parked. departure warning system, which uses a

November 2007 41 TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2008 DOMESTICS camera in the rear view mirror to pro- vide pictures to a computer, which ana- lyzes road markings. If the vehicle is drifting out of lane, a warning chime sounds. Add in a rear ultrasonic sensor- based parking obstacle warning, and you can see a lot of safety information is reaching the driver. The sensors for each system are different, so the diag- nostics and any parts replacements have to match the symptoms, even when there’s damage to the rear fascia from an accident. That lane departure system, inciden- tally, carries the acronym VDAAW (Ve- hicle Direction Alert Alarm Warning), whereas the parking obstacle system is called ROADS (Rear Object Alarm De- tection System). The optional direct-injection 3.6 V6 on the new Cadillac CTS uses engine cov- Chrysler Group ers to silence idle noise, not merely for appearance purposes. For assembly Look under the hood of the new Dodge line simplicity, they’re also used on the port-injection engine. Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans and you’re likely to see either swivel second-row seats, you might no- nels of child-oriented programming. the 3.3 or 3.8L pushrod V6. Ah, familiar tice that the overhead console has a But the minivan’s infotainment sys- stuff. But just maybe you’ll see a 4.0L screen—maybe even two. They aren’t tem is more than kidvid. A look at the single overhead-cam V6, and if you read self-contained DVD players. They’re in- interior data bus shows an “HFM” our 2007 domestic car report in the No- tegrated into the vehicle’s body elec- (hands-free module—Bluetooth) for vember 2006 issue, you’ll realize, Ah, tronics, and these screens (as well as the the voice recognition feature, along the new version of the old 3.5 V6 they dashboard navigation system screen) al- with a pair of VES (Vehicle Entertain- put into the Pacifica last year, with the so may be tied into the Sirius satellite ment System) modules, and PTS (Park- six-speed automatic. system’s new streaming video. Yes, it’s tronics, the obstacle alarm system). The Before you feel too comfortable and television, but for the present it’s strictly integration of all the systems on a data perhaps relax in the optional new 180* “kidvid”—Disney and two other chan- bus means more “U” codes. Does this system and features such as used on the Buick Lucerne give you the idea that you may need an infotainment specialist to keep up with all this— someone to follow the trouble code trees, check the connections, isolate a fault to the right module or component and do the necessary R&R? Adding in the Sync system in 2008 Fords (de- scribed later) could certainly lead to that conclusion. The with its V10 engine isn’t something you’d see very often in your service bays. But we’re talking about the 2008 model not just because it’s rated at a whopping 600 hp (up from 510 last year) but as an innovative engi- neering achievement. It’s still a pushrod engine, but it’s the first ever with truly (VVT) from a novel two-camshaft sys- This photo shows the underside of the CTS’ main engine cover. Although the tem—a solid camshaft within a hollow padding is thin, it’s a special type that has enhanced sound-absorbing qualities. camshaft. So the setup fits into the

42 November 2007 TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2008 DOMESTICS

haust cams. The solid shaft is inserted into the hollow (exhaust valves) camshaft. •The hollow camshaft is slotted at the locations of those round holes, where the exhaust lobes are to be locat- ed. Those slots set the range for variable exhaust valve timing. •The exhaust lobes are pressed onto the hollow cam, so they’re fixed in place. The intake lobes simply slide over the hollow cam into position over those slots. They could rotate on the hollow camshaft, but a dowel pin goes through the intake lobe, through the slot in the hollow shaft, into the dowel pin hole in the solid shaft. So the intake lobes are pinned to the solid camshaft A section of Chrysler minivans’ interior data bus includes two VES (Vehicle and the range of the slots sets the limit Entertainment System) modules. Other acronyms in this partial illustration that the hollow exhaust lobes camshaft are CCN (Cabin Compartment Node), HFM (Hands-Free Module), DMRR and can be rotated back and forth by a cam DMFR (door modules), PSDMR (Power Sliding Door Module-Right), ITM (In- phaser as the solid camshaft turns. trusion Transceiver Module) and PTS (Parktronics module). •The hollow-camshaft phaser is simi- lar in operation to the GM single-cam same in the valley as a convention- lize idle and part-throttle combustion, phaser. Both phasers are computer-con- al single-pushrod camshaft. for both smoothness and misfire detec- trolled through engine oil pressure and You may be thinking, Don’t some GM tion. a solenoid valve. But in the case of the pushrod engines have a cam phaser on The cam-within-a-cam is something Viper V10, it just changes the relation- the camshaft for variable timing? Yes, you have to see to understand, so check ship between the two camshafts, so the but that changes both intake and ex- the illustrations below and note: exhaust valves’ timing changes indepen- haust timing exactly the same amount. •The solid intake camshaft, which is dently of the intake valves. It’s techni- The Viper V10 can change exhaust the primary valve timing control shaft (it cally possible to produce a more com- valve timing alone—without making the has the chain drive), has round (dowel plex double-phaser that would change same change to intake timing—to stabi- pin) holes at the locations for the ex- intake valve timing, too. So a pushrod

Hollow (Outer) Exhaust Camshaft

Lockpin

Intake Lobe Assembly

Solid (Inner) Exhaust Camshaft This cutaway illustration shows the solid intake valve’s camshaft-in-a-hollow-camshaft design on the Viper V10. This labeled view of the dual camshaft design shows that The bronze-colored hollow shaft—for exhaust valves—has exhaust cam lobe’s rotation on the hollow cam is within the slots through which lockpins project from the red solid range permitted by the slots through which pins pass from shaft into the intake cam lobes, which are colored green. the solid intake camshaft, which is the primary camshaft.

44 November 2007 TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2008 DOMESTICS engine would provide the same effects the future of infotainment, particularly wirelessly (the Bluetooth protocol) or as a double overhead-camshaft engine in lower-priced cars. No one wants a with a wired connection, such as a USB with dual VVT. But the main result cell phone built into the car anymore, (universal serial bus) connection as would be more low-end torque, not ex- and more people carry hand-held navi- used on personal computers. Good actly a priority on the Viper engine. gation systems, including ones that are speakers and a small dashboard digital just a function of their cell phones. Why display (not a separate screen) are all Ford spend more for expensive hardware anyone would need. The Sync infotainment interface, from a built into the dashboard? As for music, An in-dash interface, such as Sync, joint venture with Microsoft, makes its more people are using hand-held de- would certainly simplify diagnosis. If a debut on a number of 2008 Fords—the vices, such as iPods and MP3 players, device works as a hand-held but not in subcompact Focus, Taurus/Sable (for- wherever their favorite music is stored, the car, all you’d have to do is test the merly Ford 500/Mercury Montego), even a simple flash drive. And the Ap- connection (wireless or wired) in anoth- Taurus X (formerly Ford Freestyle), ple iPhone, with its ability to provide all er car to isolate the problem area. The Edge, Fusion, Explorer/Mountaineer infotainment features in a hand-held heart of the Sync system is the APIM and Lincoln MKX and MKZ. device, also is what people are buying. (Accessory Protocol Interface Module), Many believe this approach, which So the dashboard just has to provide located behind the right instrument allows motorists to use hand-held de- the capability to access and use all trim panel. There also are Sync-specific vices more effectively in their cars, is these features and be updatable, either steering wheel controls, a microphone in the rear view mirror, the USB port and an audio jack. So some simplicity is lost. The Sync system does most phone and music wirelessly (Bluetooth) and most music players by a USB connec- tion. What’s significant is that it has basic controls at hand on the steering wheel, along with the voice command and response. The voice command is more sensitive to phrasing of com- mands than promised, as we found out in on-car testing. But Ford and Microsoft are promising to make up- grades, and they won’t require a vehicle- programming device. The motorist will download an update from a web- site, store it on a flash drive and just In this photo, Sync is being used to operate a cell phone wirelessly. A voice plug it into the USB port to execute. command will make a phone call, in this case to a hotel. Ford says it’s responsible for the soft- ware it develops with Microsoft, so if there are problems or complaints, you won’t have to deal with the Windows people. Hand-held navigation systems of all types, including cell phones, are not supported at this time, but are com- ing within the year, says Ford. Sync is standard equipment on all but the most inexpensive Focus, on which it carries a hefty $395 price tag (obviously an incentive to buy one of the premium models). Although Sync is the feature on the Focus and other models Ford is pro- moting in its advertising, the Focus has been given a major refresh underhood and under the dash, and the changes The USB port on the center stack permits connecting an iPod for voice control of have major service-related implications. the driver’s music list, to command the playing of specific artists and/or songs. The a/c condenser is combined with

46 November 2007 TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2008 DOMESTICS the transmission oil cooler—separate modules in the same frame, with the tranny cooler taking the top third. The engine air intake system was re- shaped to increase from 136 to 140, matching the current generation Japanese competition. However, there’s also a 130-hp version that meets PZEV (partial zero emission vehicle) standards. This edition, sold in California and the northeastern states, has an upgraded fuel vapor control system, of course, plus what Ford calls a lifetime intake air filter. The air filter on the 140-hp engine is a conventional replaceable type. The engine cranking circuit on the Focus and the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable joins many other cars with com- This kit works well on a puncture as shown, but won’t help if the car goes into a puter control. So turning the key is sim- pothole and the tire bead is unseated. In that case, the car will have to be towed in. ply a signal to the powertrain computer to operate the starter until the engine ignition key, as the computer will de- Under the dash (near the steering starts (with a time-out, of course). This tect no spark. Use an auxiliary starter column) on the Focus is the Smart means that you may not be able to per- switch if you’re not satisfied with dy- Power Distribution Box, a combina- form a true compression test with the namic compression testing. tion fuse/relay box combined with a body computer, seemingly similar in concept to the GM IBEC (Intelligent Body Electrical Center). This combo design permits a sharp reduction in wiring connections for reliability and provides a convenient central location for diagnosis. If you’re in the road service business, don’t assume a 2008 Focus has a spare tire. The spare is a $70 option, so many motorists may settle for the sealer/infla- tor kit instead. This setup, used on many VW/Audi products and cars with- out much trunk room, means that if the car goes into a pothole and the tire bead unseats, you’ll have to tow the car in; the sealer/inflator kit won’t work. The Taurus/Taurus-X/Sable—the for- mer 500/Freestyle/Montego—with All Wheel Drive corrects a fluid level ac- cess problem by relocating the torque transfer coupling fluid fill hole, so you can see into it (and top up to the bottom of the hole). On other models, such as the Ford Edge, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ, the fill hole is in the old location and requires a shop-fabricated dipstick (made from a tie strap) to check the oil level.

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Circle #21 48 November 2007