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Advanced Engine Performance Diagnosis, 8th edition

Published by Pearson (October 25, 2024) © 2025

  • James Halderman
  • Curt Ward

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For courses covering Advanced Engine Performance (L1).

This title is part of the Pearson Automotive Professional Technician Series.

Preparing tomorrow’s automotive professionals for success

Advanced Engine Performance Diagnosis meets the needs of a 2nd-semester Engine Performance (A8) course. It covers tasks of the ASE A8 content area as well as topics to prepare students for the ASE Advanced Level Engine Performance (L1) certification test. Practical applications and step-by-step photo sequences help students learn and retain procedures.

The 8th Edition has been revised throughout to correspond with the latest ASE A8 tasks. It includes two new chapters, new case studies and more than 75 new images. Contact your Pearson rep for information on the ASE Test Prep and Study Guide, plus the ASE Correlated Task Sheets workbook.

Hallmark features of this title

A format geared toward student success

  • Learning outcomes and objectives are aligned with ASE standards and chapter content.
  • Concise, easy-to-read chapters present content in manageable sections, making it more digestible and easily understood by students.

Practical applications

  • EXPANDED: Case studies in technical chapters cover the 3 C’s (complaint, cause and correction) of handling real-world customer issues.
  • All terms used adhere to the SAE J1930 standard, for consistency with industry requirements.

Learning aids and resources

  • Step-by-step photo sequences detail best-practice approaches for procedures such as diagnosing and troubleshooting faults.
  • A chapter-ending summary, review questions and quizzes provide ample practice.

New and updated features of this title

Streamlined organization and content

  • REVISED: Content has been reorganized for a smoother flow from beginning to end.
  • REVISED: Chapters have been rewritten to be more concise.
  • EXPANDED: More than 75 new full-color photos and line drawings bring subject matter to life.

Alignment with the latest ASE Education Foundation tasks

  • NEW: Two new chapters were added as part of the content reorganization: Service Information, Work Orders, and Vehicle Identification (Ch. 1) and Scan Tools and Scan Tool Diagnosis (Ch. 6).
  • NEW: New content includes stop-start added to the chapter Battery, Starting, Charging Diagnosis and Stop-Start (Ch. 11), and push button start and immobilizer systems added to the chapter Push-Button Start and Immobilizer Systems (Ch. 12).
  • NEW: A new Appendix 3 adds the ASE L1 Test Correlation Chart. Also, Appendix 2 has been updated with the 2022 ASE A8 Correlation Chart.

Features of Pearson+ eTextbook for the 8th Edition

  • 90 instructive animations give students an enhanced visual reference for essential automotive concepts and skills.
  1. Service Information, Work Orders, and Vehicle Identification
  2. Strategy-Based Diagnosis
  3. Gasoline, Alternative Fuels and Diesel Fuels
  4. Digital Meter Testing
  5. Digital Storage Oscilloscopes Testing
  6. Scan Tools and Scan Tool Diagnosis
  7. In-Vehicle Engine Service
  8. CAN and Network Communications
  9. On-Board Diagnosis
  10. Global OBD II and Mode $06
  11. Battery, Starting, Charging Diagnosis and Stop-Start
  12. Push-Button Start and Immobilizer Systems
  13. Ignition System Operation and Diagnosis
  14. Engine and Misfire Diagnosis
  15. Variable Valve Timing and Displacement Systems
  16. Temperature and Throttle Position Sensors
  17. MAP and MAF Sensors
  18. Electronic Throttle Control Systems
  19. Narrow and Wide-Band Oxygen Sensors
  20. Fuel Trim Diagnosis
  21. Fuel Pumps, Lines, and Filters
  22. Fuel-Injection Parts and Operation
  23. Gasoline-Direct Injection (GDI) Systems
  24. Fuel-Injection System Diagnosis and Service
  25. Electronic Transmission Controls
  26. Vehicle Emissions Standards and Testing
  27. Emission Control Devices Operation and Diagnosis
  28. Module Reprogramming

APPENDICES

  1. Sample L1 Test
  2. 2022 A8-ASE Education Foundation Correlation Chart
  3. ASE L1 Test Correlation Chart

Glossary

About our authors

Jim Halderman brings a world of experience, knowledge and talent to his work. His automotive service experience includes working as a flat-rate technician, a business owner and a professor of automotive technology at a leading US community college.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio Northern University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Jim also holds a US patent for an electronic transmission control device. He is an ASE-certified Master Automotive Technician (A1-A9) plus Advanced Engine Performance (L1), L3 and L4.

Jim is the author of many automotive textbooks, all published by Pearson. Jim has presented numerous technical seminars to national audiences, including the California Automotive Teachers (CAT) and the Illinois College Automotive Instructor Association (ICAIA). He is also a member and presenter at the North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT). Jim was also named Regional Teacher of the Year by General Motors Corporation and a member of the advisory committee for the department of technology at Ohio Northern University.

Jim and his wife, Michelle, live in Dayton, Ohio. You can reach Jim by email.

Curt Ward, prior to his years at Chrysler, had worked as a technician, shop foreman and service manager in the retail sector of the automotive industry for 13 years. During this time, Curt became a Chrysler Master Technician. Curt has an Associates of Applied Science in Automotive Service Technology from Southern Illinois University. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Organizational Communications from North Central College. He earned his master’s degree in Adult Education at the University of Phoenix.

Curt is an ASE Master Automotive Technician. Curt has presented technical seminars at numerous conferences around the country. He has presented for the Illinois College Automotive Instructor Association (ICAIA), the California Automotive Teachers (CAT) and the North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT). Curt is an active member of the Illinois Automotive Instructor Association (ICAIA) and the North American Council of Automotive Teachers (NACAT). He has served as secretary and president of the NACAT organization and was the Conference Host for the 2015 NACAT Conference. In 2015 Curt was named the NACAT MVP award winner for his outstanding contribution to the NACAT organization.

Curt and his wife, Tammy, have five children and six grandchildren. Together they enjoy traveling and exploring historical sites. In his spare time, Curt enjoys modeling three-rail O-gauge railroads. You can reach Curt by email.

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