The Guild · skilled trades & applied crafts
Automotive & Diesel
Engines, drivetrains, and diagnostics — how vehicles work, and how to find the fault when they don't.
Intake, compression, power, exhaust — what a gasoline engine does thousands of times a minute.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~18 hours
Unit I — The Cycle
The four strokes in order · Pistons, rods, and the crankshaft · Valves and the camshaft · Timing: why order is everything
Unit II — Support Systems
Fuel delivery and injection basics · Ignition: coil, plug, and spark timing · Cooling and lubrication · Intake and exhaust paths
Unit III — Hands on the Engine
Identifying parts on a real engine · Checking oil and coolant properly · Compression testing · Reading spark plugs
From battery to bus network — twelve-volt systems, wiring diagrams, and the multimeter as first tool.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~30 hours
Unit I — Twelve Volts
Battery construction and testing · Charging: the alternator circuit · Starting: solenoid and starter motor · Grounds, and why most faults live there
Unit II — Reading the System
Wiring diagrams and their symbols · Voltage-drop testing · Fuses, relays, and load circuits
Unit III — Electronics and Networks
Sensors and actuators · The CAN bus in plain terms · Body electronics and modules
The systems that stop and steer — hydraulics, friction, alignment, and the physics of grip.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~28 hours
Unit I — Hydraulic Brakes
Pascal's principle in the brake line · Master cylinder to caliper · Disc and drum service · Bleeding and fluid care
Unit II — Suspension
Springs, dampers, and control arms · MacPherson struts · Bushings, ball joints, and wear diagnosis
Unit III — Steering and Alignment
Rack-and-pinion steering · Camber, caster, and toe · Reading tire wear patterns
Compression ignition from injector to aftertreatment — why diesel pulls, and how to keep it pulling.
Syllabus · 4 units · ~36 hours
Unit I — Compression Ignition
Diesel versus spark ignition · Compression ratios and heat · The combustion event · Torque, and why diesels make it
Unit II — Fuel Systems
Low-pressure supply and filtration · Common-rail high-pressure injection · Injectors: testing and failure modes
Unit III — Air and Aftertreatment
Turbocharging fundamentals · EGR and its trade-offs · DPF and SCR systems · Emissions rules a technician must know
Unit IV — Service
Cold starts and glow systems · Fuel contamination diagnosis · Preventive maintenance schedules
A trouble code is the start of the diagnosis, not the end — a repeatable method for finding root cause.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~20 hours
Unit I — What the Port Knows
OBD-II: what the vehicle monitors and why · Reading codes and freeze-frame data · Live data, and what normal looks like
Unit II — Method
Verify the complaint first · From code to hypothesis to test · Bidirectional controls · Confirming the fix and clearing honestly
Unit III — Case Files
A misfire traced end to end · An evaporative leak hunt · Intermittent faults and data logging