Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Jun 4, 2004

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	Help Request	Answers
	1994 BMW 530i 3.0L Hesitation, Car feels sluggish VIN: WBAHE232RG BMW colleagues. When accelerated, this 1994 530i is sluggish. The vehicle is using premium fuel. Code 67 is always present and is identified as #4 knock sensor for cylinders 7 and 8. Running Alldata individual knock sensor tests shows all sensors to be working... Trouble codes: 67 (4 knock sensor Alldata identifies fault from cylinders 7 and 8.)	View
	1995 BMW 325is 2.5L starter,alarm VIN: WBABF4326S Need some help from beemer techs,customer complained of doors not opening,diagnosed bad outside door handles,found used door handles and installed perfectly,now no starter action,reinstall old door handles,still no crank. HELP PLEASE.	View
	1997 BMW 528i 2.8L srs VIN: WBADD6327V would anyone know what the popular fixes for this fault in the srs cntrl. unit are? I don't have any info on this car other than what the Baum cs2000 tells me (only fault code). I thank all the bmw guys in advance for any replies.	View
	1992 Buick LeSabre Custom 3.8L No Start, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G4HP53L8N will not start when hot let sit 10-15min. then it will start I have no spark or inj. I have power& ground to icm also a good crank signal tested power&grounds at ECM thay are good I have installed a new ICM not changes can the ECM have anything to do with spar... Trouble codes: 41 (cam sensor)	View
	1999 Cadillac DeVille 4.6L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 1G6KD54Y5X Car came in with a rough idle cold complaint. Problem occurs when the car is first started. It will always do it if it sits overnight, it may also do it after sitting as little as an hour. Car has to be driven to continue to have the problem. If the car misfir...	View
	1999 Cadillac Catera 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: W06VR52R4X vehicle has random misfires on start up,noticed as soon as completed warm up cycle vehicle smoothed out.replaced plugs & 246 coil pack.coil pack was rusted in housing & 246 was prominent missies at first then switched to 135 and now completly random.cleaned ma... Trouble codes: P0300, P0304, P0305, P0301, P0306, P0302	View
	1992 Chevrolet C1500 454 SS 7.4L rear antilock VIN: 1GCDC14N0N Antilock brake light (which is also parking brake light) comes on at 35 mph every time and stays on till vehicle is shut off. Tried to pull codes there isn't any. It will stay off until vehicle travels over 35mph. used the GM trouble tree which points me in th...	View
	1992 Chevrolet Camaro RS 5.0L Vibration VIN: 1G1FP23E8N Severe vibration...once the car has warmed up it usually vibrates in overdrive at speeds 50mph and above while accelerating with a moderate load (incline). If it begins to vibrate and you take it out of overdrive, the vibration will stop. As the car continues ...	View
	1994 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van 5.7L Ring & Pinion This Van came into my shop With a complaint of Differential Whine from 40-50mph and Back again at 75mph. Upon removal of the cover I discover Normal Wear to the ring @ Pinion And all of the Bearings. Limited Slip Was worn severely. The customer opted to replac...	View
	1998 Chevrolet K1500 Cheyenne 5.7L No Start, NO DATA VIN: 2GCEK19R5W Vehicle was towed in , no-start. Will crank start run for 3-5 sec. then die. Not able to communicate with computer. Used two different scanners. Checked voltages at diagnostic connector, good. Hooked up scope to pin#2 get a varable square wave. Also checked vo...	View
	1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L fuel VIN: 1J4FX58VC6 Hello Techs, this Grand Cherokee is back in my shop again.With same problem. No fuel Delivery, no spark. I have replaced pcm, cps.But still only cranks, no start. I have 5volts on the red-black wire & also at black =white wire at cps terminal. Am I supposed to...	View
	1999 Chrysler Cirrus LXi 2.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1C3EJ56H6X This is a 1999 Chrys. Cirrus with a 2.5l engine. Mil lamp on with code p0442. I can't get any concrete info from All-data. Can someone please point me in the right direction. There is a valve near the gas tank and all 3 terminals read 13.8 volts at idle when I... Trouble codes: P0442 (evap medium leak)	View
	2002 Chrysler Sebring LX 2.7L ignition VIN: 1C3EL46R92 im having a big problem with this chrysler, is blowing the #8 and #23 fuse in the power distribution center. i have replaced the starter, took apart the ignition switch, removed all the relayes on that circit and it still shorted. it started a couple of times ...	View
	1998 Dodge Caravan 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 2B4FP2530W Had a P0306 before any repairs. After repairs code does not return. Ater engine is hot idles very rough in gear. Did motor vac. Fuel trim when acting up goes from -3% to .6%. Cylinder balance test is even. Check for vacuum leaks with smoke machine (egr was lea...	View
	1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria 5.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2FAPC79F0L i have this air bag light flashing 10 times then pause ...it does it with just key on or engine running..does anyone have a schematic of this air bag circuit...or know where the crash sensors might be so i can trace some wiring if need be???...the car has neve...	View
	1999 Ford Escort ZX2 Hot Coupe 2.0L timing belt VIN: 3FAKP1133X Good afternoon Techs, Got this Escort towed to me as a no start. Timing belt stripped 3 or 4 notches. Replaced belt with Gates, car leaves for 2 days and I have to tow it back in. The new belt is shredded. Replaced Gate belt and all idlers and harmonic balance...	View
	1993 GMC C1500 Sierra SLE 5.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GTDC14K6P this veh. has a hard fault code 43 we have changed everything in the system according to the wiring schematics . the resistance of the wire from the sensor to the computer is good & not grounded we cheched the ign module wiring still has a hard fault . veh. dr... Trouble codes: 43 (knock sensor)	View
	1993 Honda Accord LX 2.2L No Start VIN: 1HGCB7154P Hi All, What I have is this accord that right after start up it quit running and would not restart. I checked for spark and there is none. I then checked the resistance of the coil primary and secondary windings and within specs. Next I checked for B+ at the p...	View
	2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J4FA49S5Y Hi guys, This vehicle came in yesterday with mil light on. Pulled codes and found po123 set. Replaced TPS and code will not clear. Scan data shows TPS at 5.0 volts all the time. Perform circuit test and found 5.7 volts on orange/blue wire all the time.I though... Trouble codes: P0123	View
	1998 Lincoln Navigator 5.4L Poor Idle Quality, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 5LMPU28LXW Hi, I have what seems to be a case of unmetered air getting into the engine. The codes p0171 and p0174 set quickly. The engine has been checked for vacuum leaks using a smoke machine. I am satisfied that there are no hose leaks, but am not confident that the s... Trouble codes: 171 (Bank 1 Lean), 174 (Bank 2 Lean)	View
	1997 Mazda Millenia 2.5L Hesitation, Stall VIN: JM1TA221XV hello ,this mazda came in with a knock sensor code .so i changed the knock sensor,and the code went away.then it started cutting off everytime you try to acell.and sometimes you dont have to touch the pedal and it will keep cutting off.when you first start it ...	View
	1994 Mercedes-Benz S420 4.2L evaporator VIN: WDBGA43E9R The question is for anybody who was trying to fix leaking evaporator with evaporator leak sealer "CryoSeal" I did replace evaporator in other s500 (140 body)and it was a lot of work. In this car I was able to reach 29" vac. and it was holding vacum above 25" ...	View
	1997 Mercedes-Benz S420 4.2L Misfire VIN: WDBGA43G8V Hi techs, I have this 97 s 420 with a coil pack problem. about a year ago coil pack# 5 died, seven day's ago cyl# 2 coil died, and today cyl # 6 died. I need some help to find out if this is age related, and I should replace the rest of them at 145.000 k miles...	View
	1992 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 4.6L 3-4 shift car would shift 1-2-3 fine but would go full neutral when it tried to go into od. pulled it apart,found fried 4th gear clutches w/lip seal ripped and busted intermediate roller clutch,everything else great.replaced damaged parts,airchecked everything,put it ba...	View
	1991 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 2.4L No Start VIN: JA7FL24W3M Engine turns over but no start. Inig. coil missing ground. Have tried new igin. coil and transistor. Still no start. ground from pcm to trans. .25v while cranking.	View
	1987 Nissan D21 SE 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: JN6HD16S3H need help from you nissan techs. the head temp sending unit is at .8 at operating temp. information in this vehicle is schetchy at best from mitchell. all the basics have been checked, compression is at 165 x6 timing marks ok and spark is advancing and i had t...	View
	1995 Nissan 200SX 1.6L ac clutch VIN: 1N4AB42D8S This Nissan does not want to be fixed. The AC will quit working and may or may not come back on. Pressures are normal. Called tech line and checked all grounds and power circuits. All test okay. My tech has gone home, so I am not sure, but I believe the comput...	View
	1996 Nissan 200SX SE-R 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N4BB42D5T NISSAN TECS: I DON´T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS SENTRA,I´VE TRIED TO HOOK UP THE SCANNER AND ANY LUCK.TRIED WITH THE NISSAN 12 PINS CONNECTOR INSIDE THE FUSE BOX AND NO COMUNICATION.TRIED WITH THE OBD-II AND NOTHING,BUT IF I HOOK UP THE SCANNER IN THE OBD-II GE...	View
	1990 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale 3.8L Hesitation, Cuts out VIN: 1G3HN54COL customer replaced his iac due to continues to buzz once shut off for any amount of time. now you can feel it but not here it. why would the iac motor continue to runn hours after car shut down? i replaced the o2 sensor due to slow readings and took to long to...	View
	1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue 3.8L abs VIN: 1G1FRTGHQW Hello to all GM techs, this is a strange one. This vehicle came into the shop with a binding ignition switch, we replaced the switch and had to relearn the key to start the vehicle. Anyway that worked fine, now the customer is complaing of all 4 wheels locking...	View
	1988 Other European Modial Cab. 3.2L electric rear windows VIN: XFFXC26A5J rear windows no movement all the way down have not worked for a while. I hear a clicking towards the rear(relay ?) no wiring and no clue at this time any leads will be appreciated.	View
	1993 Saturn SW2 1.9L Excessive Emissions VIN: 1G8ZJ8573P This car came in failing emissions. High on HC and CO. 74% of failure is on acceleration. Aftermarket cat was empty and replaced with an OE, a new O2 sensor, and updated the coolant sensor and harness connector. Still fails on HC, and CO is lower but just unde...	View
	1994 Saturn SL1 1.9L 2-3 shift VIN: 1G87H5592R Techs, I feel like the Saturn transmissions have a different shift strategy than common GM or Ford or Chrysler automatics. I am surprised at the enguagement of the pwm converter clutch in 2nd gear, it makes early 2-3 and 3-4 shifts too hard on the engine. Is ...	View
	1999 Subaru Legacy Limited 30th Anniversary 2.5L oil pump VIN: 4S3BD6858X Need to reseal oil pump to engine block ,Subaru calls for [...] or equivalent..What is equivalent? I do have some 3 bond 123 will this work?Dealer doesnt have sealant nor do any parts houses.	View
	2000 Subaru Outback 2.5L MIL Lamp on, P0462F VIN: 4S3BH6651Y This car was purchased used with this P0462F DTC problem. We first attempted to fix it Oct 16th 2003 with 60k miles, But found no real diagnosable problems. We replaced the fuel guage at61861 miles, the problem went from triggering a dtc weekly to lasting 3 m... Trouble codes: P0462	View
	1998 Toyota Camry CE 2.2L Power Door Lock VIN: JT2BG22K3W This Camry will intermittently lock the doors, you will be driving down the street and you can hear the intergration relay clicking when the doors are already locked. Sometimes the doors will lock with the door mounted switch but won't unlock, and sometimes th...	View
	2001 Toyota Sienna LE 3.0L power door locks VIN: 4T3ZF13C51 Hello fellow members. We have had this veicle for a shor while, we replaced the logic relay for the power door locks and the problem still occured, The problem is that the locks will operater continuously by themselves, we kept the keyless transmitter away fr...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1969 American Motors AMX 6.4L tach VIN: A9M397X126 the tach has two wires coming from it. blue and yellow. the blue wire comes from the starter sylonoid to the tach with the yellow one going to the old coil. the tach feeds the old coil 10.5 volts and gits its signal from this wire some how. we tried hooking th...	4
	1997 BMW 528i 2.8L Unknown VIN: WVTY57HR5V Greetings again on this BMW. First I replaced the solenoid in the valve body with no avail. The real fix was replacing the box with a reman unit and all is well. This was a GM box not the normal ZF. Thanks again.	7
	1995 Buick Skylark Custom 2.3L engine temp. VIN: 1G4NV55D5S I'd like to thank all who took the time to reply. Gerry from Michigan and Chris from North Carolina hit the nail on the head. When I first checked for C/O with my block check, it came out negative. After some exhaustive disassembly, I went back and checked for...	12
	1997 Buick Century Limited 3.1L windshield wipers VIN: 2G4WY52M8V found broken cam on the crank arm upon removal. most posts refered to bent or broken stop tab. this was also apparent on this vehicke. the tab was bent back into respective position and the new crank arm was installed ( dealer only part approx $55 cost)fairly ...	29
	1988 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 2.8L No Start VIN: 1G8CS13R8G Well I and my tech over looked the obvious and tried to make this harder than it was I appoligize first off for the long time it has taken me to post. We have been covered up! Praise God thats a good thing these days. Anyways it turned out that Dan from Texas ... Trouble codes: 24 (no vss), 32 (egr fault), 53 (fuel pump relay open), 45 (rich).	16
	1998 Chevrolet K3500 Cheyenne 7.4L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 1GCHK33J5W Basic were gone over (plugs,wires,cap,rotor,fuel pressure & volume,regulator,injectors,vacuum leaks,compression) more than once in most cases. Vehicle had restricted exhaust (high backpressure @ 2500 rpm) but don't think it was causing miss. Customer didn't wa...	6
	1998 Chrysler Town & Country LXi 3.8L starter VIN: 1C4GT64L7W Thanks for the replies, but I did not fix the van. Replies suggested it could be a BCM problem. One person had trouble with BCM's for lighting problems. Another suggested a possible ground problem. The 3rd person had problems with the ignition switch. All logi...	3
	1996 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L Excessive Emissions, Hesitation well this one is fixed and out the door,i went back to basics.even though i checked the cat converter i was not happy with the results,so i hooked up my scanner and went on a road test and i watched the map vacumn when i stomped down on the gas the car was los...	5
	2001 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L power steering VIN: 1B7MF33771 Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if I made it clear, but it was actually the drive on the vacuum pump that drives the PS pump that broke, not the flange. I received an interesting reply from a tech at a Dodge dealership stating that unless it is improperly...	3
	1988 Ford F-150 Custom 5.0L No Start, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTEF14Y2J Well most agreed to run fast and furious as I sent this down the road, closer look under the hood found wires cut and taped and a real mess, The only thing I offered was to start traceing wires from bumper to bumper at $80.00/hr. of course then I was the crazy...	6
	1997 Ford Taurus GL 3.0L cooling fans VIN: 1FALP52U5V thanks for all the help it was the that the 96 engine harness had pins in the wrong place for 97 taurus we were working on, even though connector was exactly the same. thanks again,RAY	9
	1997 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.0L Misfire VIN: 1FMDU32E8V Ok, the customer checked with the ford house and they said it was out of warrenty. The couple have decided to just drive the vehicle. It runs fine down the road. I think with a little time and continued fuel treatment, it will enventually clear up. Thanks agai... Trouble codes: P0442 (evap sys leak detected...Gas cap), P0153 (H02s21 ckt slow response. Stays lean hard accel. bad snsr), P0171 (sys too lean bank 1), P0174 (too lean bank 2).	15
	2001 Ford Focus ZX3 2.0L Transmission VIN: 3FAHP31381 I received help from 5 people who have been there before. I always appreciate when that happens. Larry [...] said it is the tran...	5
	1992 Honda Accord LX 2.2L Surge, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1HGCB7658N Well everyone, this vehicle is now fixed. Thanks for everyone who applied. We had pretty much checked everything that was suggested. The vehicle had normal fuel pressure, normal signals from the crank sensor and igniter, the exhaust wasn't restricted, and the ... Trouble codes: 14 (Electronic Air control Valve).	30
	1990 Jaguar Vanden Plas 4.0L limp home mode VIN: SAJKY1748L This post generated several similar posts re. the water incursion problems under the battery tray where the vacuum reservoir seals against the body. Here, water can enter the cabin right over the trans. ECU. This early 90 MY car has no relay for the ECU, but i...	6
	1992 Lexus ES300 3.0L Engine VIN: JT8VK13T6N Thanks to everyone that responded. The head gaskets were installed incorrectly. It was a sloppy mistake on our part. The gaskets are different, and the difference is obvious. One head gasket has a large water port that the other one does not have. The gasket w...	11
	1995 Mercedes-Benz E300 3.0L Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: WDBEB31E25 Thanks to Mr. Poole from Dallas Texas for the phone call on this Benz. He provided info on a missing o-ring about 1 inch in diameter around the the top of the pre-filter. This o-ring does not come with the filter. It must be ordered separatly. The biggest prob...	None
	1997 Mercedes-Benz E320 3.2L valve train? VIN: WDBJF55FOV Thanks for all the responses. I apologize for the delay of post. This really stunk but I learned a lot from it. The punch line is when the valves bent it broke at least three guides. The guide material damaged the pistons. I saw the damage when we first took t...	10
	2000 Mercedes-Benz E320 3.2L MIL Lamp on VIN: WDBJH65J9Y Thanks to all 16 members who replied. It was 15 to one in favor of replacing the Air Mass Sensor. Only Dana [...] said it might be an intake leak.. Well it was the Air Mass Sensor and after the ecu relearned new LTFT the reading came right down to 4.8 and 5.1 L... Trouble codes: P0173.	16
	2001 Mercedes-Benz C240 2.6L turn lights, wipers, fuel indicator VIN: WDBRF35W51 Problem is a bad rear Signal Aquisition module / SAM (located in the trunk togheter to fuse box). Looks a really commom (and expensive) problem. i believe client caused the problem doing a wrong jump start. Thanks a lot for the help!	1
	1991 Mercury Capri 1.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 6MPCT01Z3M Well I only got 3 replies but I took Joseph's idea and put a used distributor in it from a boneyard and the engine light is off.Thanks for the help!! Trouble codes: 03 (Cylinder ID cam sensor).	3
	1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 3.1L Cuts out, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G3W754T6M I must say--there has never been a better resource that I have found to exchange ideas and suggestions than iATN. I received 11 replies to my plea for help on my Grandmother's 91 Olds Cutlass Supreme which was repeatedly flagging code 42 (EST circuit problem) ... Trouble codes: 42 (Electronic spark timing problem).	11
	1997 Ferrari F355 Spider 3.5L cooling fans VIN: ZFFXR48AXV I ordered workshop manuals for this car, but in the meantime the customer towed it to the Ferrari dealer. So we will be prepared next time.	2
	1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager Expresso 3.3L headlights,parking lamps, dash lights VIN: 1P4GP44G8W REcieved two replies. since the scan tool indicated the lights where on. and the lights on chime would work when the key was removed. we had no ground signal from the BCM at the relays and all lights where lost at the same time. we replaced the BCM and all is ...	2
	2001 Saab 9-3 2.0L No Start VIN: YS3DD552Y2 The fix turned out to be the replacement of the MIU. How I got there is another story. I got 6 replies, justin from NC answered twice. Here's the advice I got (and very helpful it all was.. Bart from Massasschusetts warned me to make sure that the basics w...	8
	1996 Toyota Corolla DX 1.8L converter lock up VIN: JT2EB02E40 I verified the TPS and ECT were working correctly as some of the replys suggested. Thru processes of elimination I deduced the problem had to be mechanical. The trans was sent to the rebuilder for inspection. There was some clutch dust in the pan, but the tech...	5
	1998 Toyota Camry CE 2.2L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JT2BG22K7W Hello! I have not been able to get this car back in since this help request was posted. Our customer states that lately, the vehicle has been running fine. Three help replies received stated that the EGR system was possibly at fault and the vehicle should be... Trouble codes: P0300 (random misfire detected), P0301 (cyl. 1 misfire detected), P0304 (cyl4 misfire detected).	8
	1987 Volkswagen Vanagon GL 2.1L Excessive Emissions, Surge, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: WV2YB0256H Thanks to all of you who replied, no further work has been authorized. Repairs that were authorized will not be paid for, the Vanagon will be lein sold as is. The compression was checked, 145-165. Wiring checked back to the control unit, includes O2 Sensor sig...	14

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