Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Jan 10, 2004

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	Help Request	Answers
	1998 Audi A4 1.8L Drive-axles VIN: WAUBB28DOW Hi, group, the Audi A4, drives and shiftes perfect, but when we use in manual mode, in order to upshift we must push forcefully the handle and downshift is no problem, I think the problem is plate with magnet under the shift indicator position cover, shift lev...	View
	2000 Audi TT 1.8L Steering wheel VIN: TRUUC28N5Y This vehicle has a steering wheel shake on deceleration without touching the brake. It will also intermittently pull hard to the right on deceleration, again without touching the brake or steering wheel. put car on hoist and with the wheels turned to the right...	View
	1990 BMW 735iL 3.5L radio VIN: WBAGC4314L aftermarket radio was installed ..drove car parked , locked the doors . then went to start next morning and crank over but no fire ...the computer is not firing injectors , or spark ..it must be in anti-theft from the radio ..does anyone know how to get around...	View
	1998 BMW 528i 2.8L Accessories VIN: WBADD6322W Hi friends,1998 BMW 528i, with wipers not working,swich and motor is ok, I checked all fuses, ok, any input on this will be appreciated: thank you	View
	1960 Cadillac 4 door 390CID generator VIN: SAJ34RU126 does anybody know how to swap out the generator to an alternator.Only ever worked on British vehicles having been born in England so could use a hand on this one thanks in advance.This a favor for a mate too. By the by i Know the vin is wrong	View
	1982 Cadillac Seville 4.1L pass side tail lite on VIN: 1G6AS6985C once in every 24 to 48 hours the rt rear tail lamp comes on by itself ( this is my own vehicle in excellent [...] ) thru trial & error i found that tapping on the brake pedal will cause the light to go out first i tried moving the steering wheel & directio...	View
	1996 Cadillac DeVille 4.6L starter VIN: 1G6KD52Y4T The car came in because the car had stalled when slowing down but when the customer tried to resart the engine the starter was making a loud noise but the engine was not turning over. Upon removing the starter(rebuilt ACDelco) I found the end housing broke in ...	View
	1986 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 2.8L Window Washer VIN: 1GCCT14BXD The window washer pump is not getting power. Can not find a diagram that has any details, basicly traced the wires by testing. This iswhat I have conclueded, there is an orange wire at the motor that supplies power to the washer switch, what I can not determin...	View
	1994 Chevrolet K1500 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: 2GTEK19K4R Under light load the egr valve will open up to 100% even if I just load in the shop in drive. When it comes back to idle it stumbles untill the egr valves returnes to its seat. I changed the egr valve, egr soliniod, ecm and installed a new prom. The data stree...	View
	1996 Chevrolet Corsica 3.1L Misfire VIN: 1G1LD55M3T hello i had this 96 corsica com in with a missfire code it had been recently tuned up i checked the injetor resitance it was in specs it seemed to miss on every cylinder but no.6 seemed to have the highest so i talked the customer into having injectors cleaned... Trouble codes: P0300	View
	1997 Chevrolet S10 2.2L Power steering pump VIN: 1GCCS1445V Hello, This S10 of mine is driving me nuts!The noise is between a whine and not quite a howl(higher frequency"wooo" type noise)is the best way I can describe it. It occurs in all gears at idle to about 1400rpm.I pinpointed the noise to the p/s pump with a stet...	View
	1998 Chevrolet Tahoe LS 5.7L Interior lights VIN: 1GNEK13R3W Hi there Guys! There is a intermittent door light problem with this truck. The dome lights and interior light wont come on with any of the door switches. However,the overide switch next to the headlight switch will operate the lights and will go out with a ti...	View
	1993 Chrysler LeBaron 3.0L 1-2,2-3,3-4 shifts This car came in with a bad shudder between all gears and would shift into low at the last second before a stop with a big clunk.No codes were found so we proceeded to get the tranny rebuilt.Now the symptoms seem even more defined.We are not a tranny shop and ...	View
	1989 Dodge Dakota 3.9L Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1B7GG66X8K hey guys,this dakota came in for no start. i found the fuel pump not working so i replaced it and it ran .so when i took it on a test drive it stalled before i even got to third gear.i put in park cranked it back up and just got it back to the shop.it will run...	View
	1993 GMC Safari SLE 4.3L Cruise control VIN: 1GKDM19Z9P This van came in a month ago as no cruise control. It did not work at all. I replaced the module with a used one. New ones are no longer available. It worked for one day and then it quit again. I replaced the servo and it worked again. Then it comes back now w...	View
	1990 Honda Accord LX 2.2L Mechanical VIN: 1HGCB7650L Hi Tech. When i acceleration my car & feet off Gas Pedal it has chuck little bit on transmission, Is any problem with the Trans. Any help will be approciate.	View
	1996 Lexus GS300 3.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JT8BD42S6T please help, customer live very far from here. car has random miss fire code, scan car to find cly# 1 and # 6 miss firing. car has new ignition parts and distributor. check timing mark and it shows good. we move the injector around to see if miss fire follow b... Trouble codes: P0300	View
	1994 Mazda MX-3 GS 1.8L Hesitation, Stall, Misfire Hello I have a hessitation problem that seems to be hiding from me. Repaired this vehcile for a overheated cat that melted a number of the transmission control wiring as well as some of the computer wiring. vehicle ran well for about a month now back with hesa...	View
	1995 Mazda MX-3 Precedia 1.6L Master cylinder VIN: JM1EC4332S To all Mazda Tech. We have this MX3 came in with a very low brake pedal feel. After verifing the entire braking system, we noticed that the master cylinder was a little bid wet, front caliper pin all seized. We then change a new master cylinder, both new fron...	View
	1983 Mercedes-Benz 380SL 3.8L turn signal and hazard flasher VIN: WDBBA45A3D car came in with no flasher operation, changed hazard switch and they worked, customer came back with light on and no flashing. Ordered a new flasher unit, Mitchell says its in front of the shifter, I can't find it looked all over and under car, any help would...	View
	1991 Nissan Pathfinder SE 3.0L Lower control arm front VIN: JN8HD17Y4M We found that the front lower control arm rear rod bushings were bad. Upon removing the rods to replace the bushings the rod looked like a beaver had eaten away the sleave wich was rusted to the rod, also it wore the hole in the frame that the rear part of the...	View
	1998 Nissan 200SX 1.6L can not fuel car VIN: 1N4AB42D0W ok guys this is a strange one , this nice young lady comes in complaining that she couldnt put more than 25 cents worth of gas into her car at one time, at that point the automatic shut off on the pump shuts off the nozzle, she can wait a few seconds and then ...	View
	1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere 3.4L cooling system VIN: 1GHDX03E2X hi every one. hope every one had a good christmas & a happy new year. need some g.m. help. strange one to start the year off!!! customer bought vehicle recently from individual. customer noted vehicle using minor ammount of coolant on long trip. brought vehicl...	View
	1993 Pontiac Sunbird SE 2.0L hard start VIN: 1G2JB14HOP Hello, need help with this Pontiac Sunbird. On initial startup in the morning it starts very hard. Once the vehicle has been started for the day it will start and run all day long no problem. No misfires or driveability problems. On initial startup with key on...	View
	1994 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.7L Excessive Emissions VIN: 2G2FV22P8R When car was brought in, ran pretest on ASM. Found HC and CO in limits, but NOX was 1100-1600 ppm,(Calif. cut point is 700 ppm for this car.) Checked for codes, and found none, checked operation on EGR system with Tech 2 and got a 100 RPM drop. Checked vacuum ...	View
	1997 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 3.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G2WJ52K5V I would appreciate some help on this one.I checked for voltage at the tan/blk bypass wire after engine is started and their is only .02 volt.When i start the engine the KS noise is 2.99,the timing advanceis about 20 degrese, then the KS noise goes down to .43 ... Trouble codes: P0350 (Knock sensor problem), P1359 (Ignition control IC circuit), P1361 (Ic circuit ckt not togling or grounded)	View
	1997 Saab 900 SE Turbo 2.0L No Start VIN: YS3DF58N0V Hello I just did a head gasket replacement on this 97 turbo due to a major oil leak. 2 days later car needs to be towed back in. I Checked the cam timing first but it is spot on. Next I pulled plugs and saw they were wet with fuel so I checked spark and it def...	View
	1993 Toyota Supra 3.0L Electronics VIN: JT164JA800 This Supra was brought to me on the end of a rope. the engine turns but we have no spark. The guy bought it after it being laid up for around 2 years. When they went to jump start it they put the leads on the wrong way and i think have done damage. I sent the ...	View
	2002 Toyota 4Runner Limited 3.4L alarm VIN: JT3GN66RX2 Hello fellow nut busters,kinda lost on this one.This 4 runner has a factory theft deterrent system.Out of the blue the system will activate[horn honks,lights flash-alarm triggered for unknown reason].Does'nt matter whether it is sitting locked with key out or ...	View
	1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC 2.8L bucks on acceleratio VIN: WVWEE450XP v.w. guys.the owner of this shop has had a problem with this car for about a year now.several different repairs listed have been done.nothing seems to work.this car bucks very hard on acceleration.it can happen in any gear,but most commonly in first or second ...	View
	1997 Volvo 960 2.9L Engine VIN: YV1KS9601C Hello Members, this car on acceleration is sucking oil into the air intake. If this car had a (modulator valve)and Distributor vacum advance) I would replace the Trans.modulator valve.I removed the air box & air intake boot, oil is pooled in the bottom of inta...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1996 Audi A6 2.8L Stall, Stall when stopping In three replies, two suggested PCM problems and one suggested a failed TCC solenoid. Thanks for responding. The MIL finally came on with a P0116, ECT sensor circuit. The sensor checks out OK and so does the circuit. According to the instrument panel gauge, ...	6
	2000 BMW 740iL 4.4L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: WBAGH8341Y This engine frequently gets an internal vaccum leaks at the rear of the intake manifold which is a plate that is part of the crankcase ventilation system. This can create idle problems and fuel trim codes. It's usually about 4.5 hours(billable) to R&R the inta... Trouble codes: 213 (Knock sensor circuit 4), 26 (fuel trim out at partial load).	10
	1995 Cadillac Seville SLS 4.6L Convertor VIN: 1G6K7529XS After much research regarding transmission convertor design the repair was to install a mem-cal that matches the convertor design of the transmission that was installed. There are 2 different transmissions listed for this vehicle from GM with the 3.71 ratio. H...	6
	1984 Chevrolet C20 Suburban Custom 7.4L spark VIN: 1G8GC26W0E First I would like to thank all of you for the replies.(33) This was a strange one but Terry [...] once had a clinic instructor who said that the inside of the distrubitor can become ionized. When you remove the cap and reinstall you are simply allowing fres...	33
	1992 Chevrolet Astro CL 4.3L No Start VIN: 1GNDM15Z4N Thanks for all the replyes... come to find out the control mod was defective... and i did not go on here to have anyone fix my problem car... i just to see if anyone had this same problem	12
	1996 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 5.7L vent temp VIN: 2G1FP22P8T got many replies, ranging from water pump problems, heat control valve, to clogged heater core. i decided since i was not having any engine cooling concerns, i eliminated the water pump. there was no heat control valve i eliminated that, which left the heater ...	18
	2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 HD LS 6.0L Oil Pressure VIN: 1GCGK13U01 This oil pan does come down with ease after removing the front differential -- not worth trying without removing it as a few had suggested. The oil pan was .75' deep with parrafin deposits that had broken loose from above and plugged the pump pickup screen. Cl...	10
	1991 Dodge Dakota 5.2L rear brakes VIN: 1B7F126Y4M well this one is out the door, i cant say its 100% fixed but it is much better, this was an old beater that the customer got to drive in the steel mills and is retiring in 4 months, so they didnt want to put alot of money into it, the best fix ended up being f...	9
	1997 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.0L trims VIN: 1FMDU34EZV As Ty stated, if the ECM sees low O2 voltage (lean condition), it should respond by adding fuel (possitive fuel trims). I believe in both cases, the ECM has good fuel control, but putting out false diagnostic PIDs. The one with lean codes may have the start of...	15
	2000 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L door ajar lamp VIN: 1FMZU73E4Y thanks for all the help...the switch is located in the latch. as 99% of you told me, the repair was to clean the switch, (you all said to use WD-40, but we only have Sea Foam 'Deep Creep' at the shop, so i used that), with penetrating lubricant and slam the do...	18
	2001 Ford Focus LX 2.0L locks VIN: 1FHHP38391 The Focus is fixed or at least partially. No help from this group though, kind of disappointing actually, I got alot more replies on something when there were only 2000 of us, but I digress. I recieved the pasenger side front door latch and tried it by apply...	3
	1988 Honda Civic RT 4WD 1.6L Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JHMEE4766J The fix for this car was a ecm.. Ordered a used ecm from a junk yard; and it fixed the car.. Doubled check everything grounds, power and distributor signals to the ecm; found no problems.. Called a dealer and a tech said this car does not have a rev limiter; a... Trouble codes: 4 (distributor problem).	9
	1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 Kompressor 2.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: WDBKK47F0W Sorry I had to close this one, the car has not yet retured to the shop. I now have plenty of info to get me started with a diag. when it returns. Thank you for all the replies. Trouble codes: P0130, P0410.	10
	1985 Mercury Cougar 3.8L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1MEBP9238F this was an easy one that had me questioning my abilities, thanks to all that responded and most of all to the group in the lobby chat room, the harmonic balancer had come apart, causing symtoms, what was most suprising it did not make a pip of noise at all. Trouble codes: 41 (ego not switching lean exhaust bank one), 31 (egr ckt out of range), 33 (insuffient egr flow), 43 (ego lean at wot), 91 (o2 sensor not switching ss1 ct. fault), 93 (ccc sol ss3 sol ckt fault).	4
	1991 Mercury Sable GS 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: IMECM5OUOM I did not fix this car.. Sorry it took me a while to get back to you guys; waiting to hear from the customer if it set a code back.. The egr system was working correctly with the car in the bay testing it the best I could.. Question I can't answer is the scope... Trouble codes: 326 (pfe sensor), 173 (o2 bank 1).	5
	1999 Mitsubishi Mirage DE 1.5L Limp in VIN: JA3AY11A7X Well, first of all thanks for the replies, it seem like I should give more information about the code in specific. The code that was P0760 second solenoide circuit, when I checked for resistance there were 5 solenoides to check, I did start over the proces to ...	4
	1989 Nissan Sentra 1.6L dash lights VIN: 1N4GB22S7K Well the problem was the after market radio that this customers teen age son had installed. He had the grounds cut from the vehicle's harness, and this ground is part of the dash lights. I recieved a couple of replies that pointed me in this direction, thanks ...	7
	1994 Nissan Altima SE 2.4L harmonic balancer thanks for the help we managed to release the pully with prybar..	8
	1998 Toyota Camry CE 2.2L 1-2 shift VIN: JT2BG28K0W well its fixed now it turned out to be internal problem ,the customer opted for low milage used trans . when i dropped the fluid after flushing it completely clean spotless red, the fluid got brown in very short time of driving. so that gave it away. i knew th...	10
	1995 Volkswagen Golf GL 2.0L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on, Lack of Power VIN: 3VWFC01H6S Hey, and thanks to everyone who replied... The responces were almost all identical, and in the end that was the problem... the distributor was out a tooth... Thanks again for all of your help... Trouble codes: 00515 (Cam Position Sensor open/short to battery).	15
	1997 Volkswagen Passat GLX 2.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: WVWDE83AOV Thanks for help from Richard, Jurgen, Byron, David from Indiana and David [...] who was willing to go above and beyond the call.Instead of checking all related components thoroughly and methodically I was trying to understand the ECU and why it had decided no... Trouble codes: 16795 (secondary air injection incorrect flow).	5
	2004 Volvo XC 90 2.5L Head light low beam Thank you for all 4 replies. This car is a network car, and we just can't modify it. This car originally comes with H11 light buld, and we installed the HID conversion kit. The volvo network system is not seeing the same or right resistance on the bulb, and th...	4

(Also Available: All, Asian, Chrysler, European, Ford, GM.)