Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Jun 25, 2004

Join Now

Prev	Professional Automotive Repair Technical Discussions for June 25, 2004 International Automotive Technicians' Network (iATN) - Members Only	Next
(Also Available: All, Asian, Chrysler, European, Ford, GM.)
Vehicle Owners: If you are seeking an automotive repair professional to service your vehicle, visit the iATN Repair Shop Finder.

Open Help Requests for All Makes and Models

	Help Request	Answers
	1996 Cadillac DeVille 4.6L extended crank VIN: 1G6KD52Y1T this car came in with a hard start after hot soak 1 hour. we checked fuel pressure, pressure droped to zero in 10 seconds. replaced fuel pump assembly. pressure now holds to spec. checked fuel pressure regulator for leaks and found none. replaced both crank se...	View
	1986 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 2.8L Hesitation, Sometimes backfires VIN: 1C8CS18R8C Morning folks, another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Got a strange one it seems. This blazer came in running bad cold, hesitation. Checked codes (see list below) and found a bad pigtail on the coolant temp sensor (read -41). Replaced pigtail and read fine... Trouble codes: 44 (Lean Exhaust), 24 (No VSS Received), 15 (Coolant Temp Sensor High or Open), 33 (Map Sensor or Circuit Open or High), 32 (EGR System Problem)	View
	1987 Chevrolet R10 Custom Deluxe 5.0L Stall VIN: 1GCER14H9H Truck has a dual tank setup. We can get it to start by holding the tank switching switch in either position. This rocker switch is designed so you must push all the way in either direction. It is spring loaded on both directions. Truck will start and run while...	View
	1989 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Surge Hi fellow tech's I have still got a problem with this Corvette where the engine starts to hunt and surge at idle when hot.I have removed injectors and had them tested and no fault could be found with them.The engine control unit we have determined is faulty du...	View
	1996 Chevrolet C1500 Suburban LS 5.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNEC16R9T I'm the third one to get involved in this vehicle. Code PO441 sets at random. It may take a week in between settings, its a 2 trip code. Another tech installed a purge solenoid and a purge canister on the truck. According to Alldata, pin 15 at the grey connect... Trouble codes: P0441	View
	1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L Misfire VIN: 1GCEK19T4X Hello techs. This truck came to me this afternoon and i had a little time to mess with it. Complaint was that mil is on and runs very rough. Sure enough as soon as it started it was missing very badly. Also had multiple cylinder missfire code. So i looked at t...	View
	1999 Chevrolet C1500 LS 5.7L abs VIN: 2GTEC19T6X Hello everyone, I got this truck that has co265 ABS code, the scanner doesnt exsplain the code. The code can be cleared but comes wright back, Ive ordered a abs manual but wont get it untill next week, I would like to know what this code means and how to diagn...	View
	2001 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 6.6L No Start, Hesitation VIN: 1GCJK33131 Fellow Techs, This truck came in on the hook, a no-start after a six hour cold soak. For some previous history, approximately 5000 miles ago it was towed in, a no-start immediately following a hot shut down. Customer complained of extended cranking time along ... Trouble codes: P0088 (Fuel Rail Pressure Control Problem), P0089 (Fuel Rail Pressure Not at Desired PSI)	View
	1999 Chrysler Cirrus LXi 2.5L front end clunk VIN: IC3EJ46X5X hello, I have a Chrysler cirrus with a clunking in the left front end area. It only happens in the parking lot going over agressive bumps and potholes. I can duplicate it by stall testing the vehicle and releasing the brake repeatedly to let the front end bou...	View
	1996 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L belt VIN: 1B7KF23C6T came in for no a/c and belt noise replaced belt also tenshioner and compresser belt wares out in about 1 week rubbing on inside can,t see any thing out of align need help has any one eles had this problem	View
	1996 Dodge Dakota 3.9L Stall VIN: 1B7GG23X4T when first starting cold, there is no engine fast idle, if you hold down the accel. the truck will start and run, let your foot off the accel and it will run or stop. the iac steps are 52 when starting. checked the iac with snop-on scanner and it will work as ...	View
	1997 Dodge Caravan SE 3.3L no comunication VIN: 1B4GP45R7V hello,i have no comunication at dlc.pin 16 is supposed to have min of 11.v. their is no power at all to dlc.the vehicle came in yesterday and i had no com. on the obd2 screen .so i went to generic screen and retrieved code p0403. com.was fine on the generic si... Trouble codes: P0403	View
	1998 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L no first gear VIN: 1B7MF3364W Trans overhauled one year ago. Believe problem is internal. Any help would be appreciated.	View
	1999 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L compressor VIN: 2B4GP44G6X i am working on a caravan. the customer brought me the parts to install. tha catch is that they were replaced three months ago. long stor short, i can not get the fans to come on with the ac on so the pressure rises and does not cool down the interior. i even ...	View
	1999 Dodge Ram 3500 Van 5.9L mil VIN: 2B6LB31ZOX Hello all, This mini bus has a code PO 500. The ABS & check engine light were on. I believe they are related on this one. All my scanner tells me is " speed sensor". Any further info on this one is appreciated.	View
	1999 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L No Start, died while driving VIN: 3B7MF3668Y customer had truck towed to shop he is from another state & truck died on him driving down the interstate with no warning. fuel tranfer pump is working & no air in fuel system. i am getting out of fuel pump lines to injectors. fuel pump relay is working & i am... Trouble codes: P1688, P1689	View
	1988 Ford F-250 Custom 5.0L Starting VIN: 1FTHF26H9J the truck was on went in the house came out and the truck was off we have puls in the injecters but no spark in distriubutor or coil we change both distriubutor & coil still no spark cumputor is good	View
	1993 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe 3.8L Hesitation VIN: 1FAPP64R6P please read repair history the tach drops off than a slight miss than every thing is o.k checked all grounds repaired bat to body ground but still acts up please help this 1 nice car with great maintanace Trouble codes: 212 (IDM circut failure spout circut grounded), 214 (clynder identifacation circut failure), 542 (fuel pump ground failure)	View
	1994 Ford E-150 Econoline Club Wagon Custom 5.8L Surge, Misfire VIN: 1FMEE11H9R This van was at several different shops for this same problem. The vehicle shows what appears to be a misfire, first impression was a spark plug or a plug wire (has brand-new Motorcraft set)Scoped without results, all ignition patterns look ok, except cylinder...	View
	1995 Ford F-150 Eddie Bauer 4.9L hydralic system/clutch VIN: 1FTEF14YOS Customer had vehicle towed in for clutch inop.He said that he started to lose his cltch and he topped off the cluch m/c and it worked untill the next day.I Changed the clutch assembly and slave/master cylinders.clutch was almost disintergrated,the bearing on t...	View
	1996 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2FMDAS140T This Windstar failed an OBD II emission test. Prior to the lean codes I cleaned the EGR ports that were clogged. I had a code for restricted EGR flow. Cleaning of the ports cleared that code. I suspected a MAF problem but the voltage seems normal at idle (.6 V... Trouble codes: P0304 (Cyl 4 miss fire), P0171 (Bank 1 lean), P0172 (Bank 2 lean), P1000 (Monitor Cycle not complete)	View
	1997 Ford Escort LX 2.0L Mechanical VIN: 1FALP13P8V hello all, i have this little escort with a noise that i can describe as similar to a harmonic balancer going bad. it only happen at rpm over 2500 on very hard accel or a hard throttle snap at a stand still.i've run it withour serp belt, with t belt cover off...	View
	1997 Ford E-150 Econoline 4.6L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FDEE1463V Ford Gurus need some help. We extracted codes #P1131 and #P1152 it also had pending codes of Po133 o2 sensor ckt. slow response (bank 1-sensor-1) and Po153 o2 sensor ckt. slow response(bank-2 sensor-2). Customer says it has normal idle within the first 15 minu... Trouble codes: P1131 (Enhanced DTC), P1151 (Enhanced DTC)	View
	1997 Ford E-150 Econoline 5.4L air delivery VIN: 1FDEE14L8V ac works good but when engine accelerates air goes from vent to floor. where is the check valve and reservoir. according to ford parts dept its on top of evaporater by blower fan its not also i looked at 2 other vans (95,01,e350) not there eitheri trace vac li...	View
	1998 Ford Taurus SE Comfort 3.0L radio ac VIN: 1FAFP53S5W customer picked up vehicle and stated radio and ac controls inop - checked today and found that the integrated control module i believe thats what the call it - does not operate at all no lights , nothing - fan is stuck on med speed out defrost on heat . check...	View
	2001 Ford F-150 Lariat 4.6L Cuts out VIN: 1FTRX17W11 Customer complained that on the interstate at 60-65 MPH and about 2000 RPM the vehicle seems to fade and lose power. It will not do it in park and in gear under load. We have test driven the vehicle and it acted up once at 45 MPH, seems as if the key was turne...	View
	1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L Surge, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1J4996858X Hello again, This problem occurs intermittently. It bucks very bad for a few seconds then its ok again. While it bucks the speedo and tach drops and the check engine comes on and off, but no code stored. I do not think it is a misfire problem due to the speed...	View
	1995 Mazda 626 DX 2.0L No Start, Stall VIN: 1YVGE22C5S Car will start and run as long as throttle is not touched, once warm, will run perfectly. If you blip the throttle or attempt to drive DURING WARM UP car will die and not restart for half-hour or so.	View
	2000 Mazda Protege DX 1.6L Cuts out VIN: JM1BJ2228Y I have a problem with this Mazda Protege cutting out at light throttle. It occurs while in gear or park while the throttle is open with a tps voltage between .7 and 1 volt. If you open the throttle past that point it revs and no longer cuts out. When you get j...	View
	1993 Mercedes-Benz 300SD 3.4L a/c compressor VIN: WDBGB34E8P I have made some repairs to the A/C system and need to charge it to check for leaks. My problem is that I can't figure out how to run the compressor to complete the charge. With my a/c service unit I can get approximately 1/2 lb of freon in the system before t...	View
	1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 2.3L ac VIN: WDBDA24C7F Hi gang! I just lost a long winded post (not the first time) I hit a key somewhere at bottom left and closed the window..DOH Notes at work, tests done too many days ago, but I need a head start tomorrow. It's late and i'll be brief: New Employer, no WIS yet, ...	View
	1990 Nissan 300ZX 2+2 3.0L late shift VIN: JN1RZ26A9L late shift all the time at apx. 4000 rpm ?	View
	1995 Nissan Altima SE 2.4L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1N4BU31D75 good morning nissan techs ,got a problem towed in,was at my shop in january for a no start ,no spark condition, distributor was replaced and customer went merry on his way till about two weeks ago. had it at another garage and was told dist was defect,changed ...	View
	1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager 3.3L Misfire VIN: 1P4GFGGROR car came in on the hook, not running. close examination of ignition shows normal lack of maintence, was a damp day here, and it looked like a thunderstorm under the hood. plug wires dated 1994, filthy air filter, you know the rest. replaced plug wires first, s...	View
	1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8L rear main VIN: 1G2WP12K5W 3800 has oil leak in oil pan / tranny area.Front mount had oil laying in the saddle so I did a pan gasket.I think I have a rear main or something on the back of the block leaking. Dye wasn't conclusive.Is there anything on the back of the motor other than the ...	View
	1999 Toyota Avalon XL 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4T1BF18B2X Hey Guys, I have a Toyota here with a Problem.. It came in with a P0446 for EVAP vent control Circuit Problem and as I try to diagnose I just get more and more confused by this thing. First thing I noticed as I checked it out on Mitchell was that there was a T... Trouble codes: P0446	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1995 Acura Integra LS 1.8L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: JH4DB7555S After receiving an e-mail from Milciades from So Cal, I replaced the OE cap, rotor, and wires. Amazing... It actually worked. Thank you for your help. It was rather unbelievable that the aftermarket tune-up parts could cause the problem. NEVER ran into that be...	6
	1993 BMW 740iL 4.0L No Start VIN: WBAGD8321P Thanks to the three that replied. After many hous of testing and retesting all the inputs I took a shot in the dark and replaced the crank sensor with one off another car and it started right up. The pattern on the old sensor was picture perfect according to t... Trouble codes: #6?.	3
	1987 Cadillac Cimarron 2.8L Misfire VIN: 1G6JG51W2H Sorry I took so long to thank every one who offered advice on this'CADDY'.I have not fixed it yet because my neighbors son say's the price of the part is too high!he say's he can get it cheaper. My price for the part-$40.00. I should remember that NO GOOD DEED...	12
	1998 Cadillac Eldorado ETC 4.6L etc VIN: 1G6ET129XW Thanks for all the help.the fix was soldering new termanals in all the inputs at the ebtcm.thankyou stephen [...] for the info.	3
	1988 Chevrolet S10 Blazer Sport 4.3L Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNCT18Z6J Thanks to all the replies Scott,Richard,Mike,Eric,Gene,Walter,Jerry,Mark,Rodger and Angelo. The customer has never been seen since so I assume what we did is a fix. We lowered fuel pressure until fuel trims were within an acceptable range. Thanks again for the... Trouble codes: 44 (lean exhaust).	11
	2000 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L Elec. cooling fans VIN: 1G1ND52J8Y Out of the 6 replies I recieved the 1st. day 5 said let temp come to 235 in shop and fans will come on. That turned out to be true, however I have contected Mitchel on demand and told them to put that info out. Acording to mitchel the fans will run at 223 and ...	11
	1998 Dodge Grand Caravan ES 3.8L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1B4GP54L7W this help request received 3 replies one suggested running compression on other cylinders which i felt was irrelevent as #2 cylinder was actually missing the other two suggested in determining which injectors were swapped and they were correct the front inject... Trouble codes: P0302.	3
	1998 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L ABS module VIN: 3B7KC26Z1W Rear diff speed sensor replacement fixed this, as many respondents thought. Thanks Gerry, Bill, Christopher, and Rusty. And all responders! SnapOn says their next release of updates will work so I'll hold my breath. I replaced the 30.00 sensor and all's well. ...	8
	1999 Dodge Dakota 3.9L Front Left Caliper VIN: 937HLN6X5X Hi friends, Thank you by yours help... I did replaced the flex hose. It is clogged partialy. Anderson Sao Paulo/Brazil	35
	1999 Dodge Ram 3500 Van 5.9L check engine VIN: 2B6LB31ZOX thanks to all whow shared thier wisdom! I will try to sell the trans service & govenor pressure sensor. I dont get out to service this fleet often enough, sorry for the delayed close.	5
	1984 Ford Mustang LX 3.8L Excessive Emissions, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1FABP2734E Well I finally figured it out. Turns out the O2 ground (orange wire at back of engine) was frayed and not tight. Thank for all who helped.	7
	1999 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FMZU34E2X Thanks for all the replies, I changed the intake gaskets, (upper and lower) cleared the computer memory and put it through a drive cycle to reset all the flags. LT trim dropped to +2% and I'm happy enough with that. I suspected the intake gaskets to begin with... Trouble codes: P0171 (system too lean bank 1), P0174 (system too lean bank 2).	16
	2000 Ford Focus Sony Limited Edition 2.0L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1FAFP3434Y 3 replies but no real fix yet. I cleaned MAF sensor, injectors (again) and rechecked vacuum and timing.I scoped the ignition and firing is good. Customer is understanding BUT I am getting in a knot about this one! I am taking a short family vacation and then I...	7
	2001 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out VIN: 1FAFP45X21 this car had a bad computer ,as i told before when hit the gas i cuts and die it crancks over but wont fire it has ijection pulse but too wide if battery is diconected then it fires ok again replace the pcm fix it.thank u all.	5
	2000 GMC Yukon XL 1500 SLE 5.3L Cylinder head VIN: 3GKFK16T4Y Thanks to all that replied to share their experience. The customer, however, did not return. The job sounds pretty straight forward and looking forward to tackling this job sometime soon! It's nice to get real world experience and information before taking on ...	3
	1990 Hyundai Excel GLS 1.5L No Start VIN: KMHVF32J3L Well folks, once again I am overwhelmed by the support I recieved from fellow iatners...the coincidental part was another 90 Excel, identical to problem child, showed up at the shop for some suspension work, while he was in the bay torn apart, I 'borrowed' his...	12
	1994 Isuzu Rodeo LS 3.2L comp Sorry for the delay. I was waiting to hear back from the customer, so all I can do is assume the a/c is still cold as if it wasn't it would be right back in front of My toolboxes! THANKS again to everyone who takes part in IATN	5
	1995 Jaguar XJS 4.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: SAJNN2749S Thanks guys to all you who offered advise,a couple of you nailed it with the maf sensor,I tested the voltage from the maf to the computer,it was 1.6 volts,my snap on vantage spec was 1.2 volts,i dialled in 1.2 volts with my sensor simulator and the car wouldnt...	4
	1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L Engine VIN: 1J4FJB854T Many thanks to all who replied. The general consensus of opinion was that the crank sensor was faulty, this proved to be the case. The sensor was breaking down under abnormal heat, e.g. under load. Checking resistance you could see the resistance changing as t...	14
	1993 Land Rover Range Rover County LWB 4.2L 2-3 upshift VIN: SALHC1349P Hello All, I only received one response indicating a problem with the forward A clutch.I ran pressure tests as per the factory shop manual.The pressure readings were lower than the book called for however I tested another Rover with the same 4HP22 trans and th...	1
	1993 Lincoln Town Car 4.6L air bags VIN: 1LNLM81W7P good morning, thank you for the many replies, as you know the pump and system would work fine but would not raise car at all. we were looking for a spec on what the pump would put out. i got that information from the supplier of the parts. the compressor put...	13
	1991 Mazda Miata 1.6L Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Stall VIN: JM1NA3522L First of all, allow me to apologise for the incorrect year stated in the original post. It's a 1990 MX-5 Miata, not a 1991. Fortunately in this case, diagnostics are not hampered as these vehicles are similar from 1989 to 1993. I received four excellent post...	4
	1997 Mazda MPV ES 3.0L Stall VIN: JM3LV5236V Recieved 3 replies one for air intake boot which was ok. one for distributor igniter problems and one for ignition switch failure. we never got the vehicle to stall but customer elected to replace the ignition switch and see what happens. Since stall occurs so...	3
	2000 Mitsubishi Galant ES 2.4L No Start VIN: 4A3AA46GXY I like to thank all the technicians who offer me help with this no start condition. I called the service department at the Mitsubishi dealer about this no start condition. They told me that when ever the E.C.U. is replace, the immobilizer unit has to be replac...	15
	1999 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0L Starting customer took the car since i will run. and had advise customer this is a emission related issue should get it fix if it act up again. what i did was secure all pins behind the fuse box all connectors on all these valves. i run it for two days fuses ok. custom...	None
	1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette GL 3.4L Hesitation, Surge, Misfire VIN: 1GHDX03EIW we road tested it with the gynese on it and commanded the lock up torque converetr on and the problem went away so we installed a used transmission	8
	2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8L Wheel Speed Sensor VIN: 1G2WP12K51 Thanks for all the help. Test drove with the scanner on it and the left front wheel speed sensor goes nuts at times. Customer declined to repair. Take care and God bless	10
	1988 Porsche 944 Turbo 2.5L Poor Idle Quality, Surge VIN: WP0AA295XJ We could not duplicate the customer concern. But I would like to thank everyone who helped out. I have kept the information for future use. Thank you	5
	1997 Saturn SL1 1.9L low brake pedal VIN: 1G8ZG5288V Saturn is fixed! Thanks to Larry, and Bill from Ar., it turned out to be the upper sliders on the calipers almost fully seized up. Sometimes when we techs get focused on a problem, it is hard to think outside the box! So thanks to IATN for saving a Saturn (fro...	7
	2000 Saturn LS1 2.2L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G8JU52F2Y IATN WORLD ROCKS) We have tracked it down to a misfire. I called the dealer, there is an open recall on ign module and reprogamming is part of the recall along with new plugs. The customer will be booking an apointment with them. thanks so much for the help. ... Trouble codes: P0300, P0420, P1599.	9
	1990 Toyota Pickup 3.0L Poor Idle Quality VIN: JT4VNI3GXL Thanks for all the help with this problem the fix was that the pcv valve was letting to much vacumme into the crankcase. I cant beleve that i got so far off track on this deal. I recevied 4 replies that were for the most were help full in getting me back on tr...	6
	1999 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.4L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on VIN: JT3HN86R7X All 3 replies were correct. The MAF sensor was dirty. I have never seen a dirty MAF cause rich codes. I see dirty MAF sensors alot, especially in Fords, but they always cause lean codes. Thanks for the help! Trouble codes: P0172 (System Rich Bank 1).	3
	1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 3VWSA29M6X First, I would like to Thank all that replied to my situation. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back to you all, but was waiting for customer to come back to the shop. The Fix: replaced MAF sensor with dealer part. No more Check Engine light. Thanks aga...	15
	1998 Volvo V70 GLT 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: YV1LW5641W First, I would like to thank all who responded with some help. The fix was a replacing a faulty air intake temperature sensor under the front bumper. YES it was under the bumper not in the fresh air hose at the MAFS. Part number 1347010-1 There are two of thes... Trouble codes: P0111.	7
	2000 Volvo S40 1.9L Poor Idle Quality, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: YV1VS29531 The problem ended up being the air intake sensor. I was waiting for Volvo to order the sensor in, even though I had a sensor simulator in place of the sensor this vehicle would not idle until I plugged in the new sensor. Thanks everyone! Trouble codes: P0113 (Intake Air Temp High), P0237 (MAF sensor low flow).	4

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