Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Oct 1, 2004

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Open Help Requests for All Makes and Models

	Help Request	Answers
	1997 Audi Cabriolet 2.8L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on, VIN: WAUAA88G3V i am looking for the control module coding numbers . the original was 01034 but seems to not work. i also tried 01151 but think the last number is wrong. any ideas? Trouble codes: 18020 (electronic control module incorrect coding cyl. 1 permenant), 17090 (trans. range sensor circuit range performance cyl. 1 permenant), 18021 (mil call-up circuit open/short to batt.)	View
	2002 Audi A4 1.8L Stall VIN: WAULC68E02 Towed in died driveing down road one time. We found no fuel pressure. Rapped tank engine started and has run for 3 days ok. Fuel pump meets all specs found in MOD5 and has about 5.5 to 6 amp draw after 6 hours. We later found that vehicle has 2 pumps and tanks...	View
	1995 BMW 325is 2.5L MIL Lamp on, NO COMMUNICATION VIN: WBABF3321S This BMW came in for a check engine light on with no drivability complaints. When we tried to connect are scan tools (both CS2000 and X-431)- we get no communication with any system (DME, ABS, SRS). I checked for voltage on pins 15 and 20 of the DLC, pin 15 ha...	View
	1997 BMW 740iL 4.4L 1-2, 2-3 shift VIN: WBAGJ8327V Hello transmission technicians. Have this trade in here where we noticed a whining noise during up shift only from 1-2 and 2-3 only. Doesn't matter cold or hot. As soon gear is fully engaged no more noise. The shift is smooth, no jerk or slip. Anybody out ther...	View
	1989 Buick Century Custom 3.3L Misfire VIN: 1G4AH51N4K This thing has a misfire, worse on cylinder #2 but somewhat reflected on #5 (companion cylinder but seems to share nothing else but the coil). I feel a little stupid that I can't figure this thing out. It seems to be lean on #2 and the O2 waveform cycles at 5....	View
	1971 Chevrolet Corvette 350CID wipers VIN: 194671S104 Help. We are looking for a wiring diagram for the wipers. The switch appears to work and so does the wash part of the system but we do not know the specs of the three wires at switch or where the ground is at. Currently there is 12v at two wires on motor with ...	View
	1992 Chevrolet Blazer Cheyenne 5.7L No Start VIN: 1GNEK18K4N Hi guys Have an interminent problem starting this beast. At times during crank will have injector pulse but no spark. Negative lead at coil is flat lined at battery voltage when this happens. Disconnecting four wire lead at distributor will give me spark ever...	View
	1995 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2L abs/sir VIN: 1G1JC1244S i can comm. with everything until i start the car. then i loose comm. with the ebcm and the sir mod. when you put car in gear the brake/abs light and air bag light comes on. the also come on sometimes when you turn the light switch on the column on and off a c...	View
	1995 Chevrolet C1500 Suburban 5.7L a/c compressor VIN: 1GNEC16K6S Vehicle came in with awful sounding compressor and no cold air. Installed new aftermarket compressor, accumulator, evaporator, and oriffice tube. Flushed condensor. Compressor was a little noisy from the start and after a month customer requested new unit whil...	View
	1997 Chevrolet C1500 4.3L Poor Idle Quality, HIGH IDLE VIN: 1GCEC14W9V vehicle idles ai 1100 and has new iac and no problems found	View
	1997 Chevrolet S10 4.3L Unknown VIN: IGNDT13WIV This lady bought this as a repo. She has had it for several months. Fuel gauge didn't work - fixed it right away. She brought it in a couple of days ago with a ( as she put it ) funny noise under the hood. It is very intermittent and sounds like a gurgling - s...	View
	1998 Chevrolet C3500 Cheyenne 7.4L Excessive Emissions VIN: 1GBKC34J1W okay here you go guys and gals. i have this truck. it came in for a state emissions test. this truck failed for excessive hc at idle. i have replaced both upstream o2 sensors. checked all 8 plugs. gap was god and plugs looked ok. ignition system looks ok. has ...	View
	1999 Chrysler Town & Country LX 3.8L torque converter VIN: 1C4GP64L9X Hello, intermintently, cold only, put into reverse or drive, engine stalls even when holding rpm @ 2500. I suspect problem with torque converter or tcc soleniod . Have not seen this type of problem with chrysler product. Always restarts wont act up if engine i...	View
	1996 Dodge B2500 5.2L Poor Idle Quality, Surge VIN: 2B7HB21Y6T hi, I need help with this one. This van runs fine with full tank of gas. When you have below half tank of gas this van does not idle right, and hesitates. Has new fuel pump from the dealer. I greatly appreciate it if anybody has any ideas on this one.	View
	1999 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L lock-up/overdrive VIN: 1B7KC2367X Need help with this one, has a surge in and out of what feels like OD or lockup - customer had trans. rebuilt and problem still there, then it came to use, did find reprogram for shift but did not help, computer changed and worked great for few days and now it...	View
	2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L cooling fans VIN: 1B4GP44R9Y this van came in several weeks ago overheating.did thermostat and flush everything checked ok. now it's back this time it has overheated in traffic. i tested and fan had not come on at 238 degrees. read the info from all data. the system uses a duty cycle to v...	View
	1988 Ford Bronco Custom 5.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1FMEU15N8J Hello everyone, This vehicle is quickly turning into an absolute nightmare! Customer came in with emission failure sheet in hand. Readings on the sheet were 4.88gpm HC (3.00 allowable) 133.52gpm CO (25.0 allowable) 1.04gpm NOX (5.5 allowable) You would think ... Trouble codes: 44 (Thermactor AIR system not working)	View
	1995 Ford Contour GL 2.0L oil pump lifters seem to be holding valves open when you rev engine up then let it back down to idle then it loses compression.has anyone seen this ?may try oil pump due to maybe relief valve is staying closed or maybe oil is not returning from lifter oil passege?	View
	1996 Ford Escort LX 1.9L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1FASP15JXT ok fellow techs i know i dont have alot of info on this problem as far as any fault codes or 5 gas readings.i am currently a bmw tech at a dealership and dont have anyway of checking for faults in a ford.but dear old mom called today and said her car is idlein...	View
	1996 Ford Thunderbird LX 3.8L Hesitation, SEVERE BOG NO POWER VIN: 1FALP6249T car goes into a severe bog until 20mph then car takes off like normal.fuel pressure stays in spec.but the o2 sensors go full lean when the problem occurs and fuel pressure stay in spec. did change mass air flow sensor did not change symptom.	View
	1998 Ford Explorer Sport 4.0L Cruise control VIN: 1FMYU22X4W This 2wd 5spd explorer has a strange problem when driving and set the cruise at 55 mph the cruise surges I can feel the throttle pedal move with the surge and occassionally the vehicle will buck. If I slow it down to 35 and set the cruise the surge is worse. I...	View
	1999 Ford Explorer XL 4.0L Steering system VIN: 1FMZU63X1Y Customer came in after long trip complaining of one incident where steering wheel started oscillating at highway speeds. Vehicle became very hard to control and had to be brought to a stop before oscillation stopped. This occurred about 5 days after having rot...	View
	1999 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L fuses blowing VIN: 2FMDA5143X This vehicle came in much like one in the Archives - Dead and Fuses #9 & #16 blown. Replaced them and they blew immediately. Eventually during testing smoke came out of the Instrument Cluster and the fuses stopped blowing and the vehicle ran but the dash didn'...	View
	2000 Ford Focus ZX3 2.0L No Start, Poor Idle Quality VIN: 3FAFP3137Y Complaint: When car sits overnight or extended time period cranks but will not start. We have duplicated problem in shop, car sits for a few hours and when you start, engine cranks but will not start, has good fuel pressure and spark. Contuine to crank and ca... Trouble codes: P0460 (fuel level circuit malfunction)	View
	2001 Ford F-250 Super Duty Lariat 7.3L 1st gear VIN: 1FTNX21F61 i am not a transmission specialist but I feel that the truck has a chatter in first gear at take off very slight in feel but starts to chatter as truck starts to roll but not on immediate on take off. i have no real transmission testing equipment but i am maki...	View
	1991 Honda Civic DX 1.5L Stall VIN: 2HGED6359M Road tested vehicle and it dies whenever it feels like it. Will always restart right awaay. Checked computer for codes, code 15 ignition output signal. Removed distrubutor cap and inspected, found the center electrode on the cap broken off. Insalled a new cap ... Trouble codes: 15 (ignition output signal)	View
	1995 Honda Civic EX 1.6L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 2HGEJ1124S Thanks for any help in advance. This vehicle has a poor/low idle when at idle and with an electrical load(ie: a/c on, headlights on etc.) Testing is pointing to a bad IAC motor. We held the rpm's up to 3000 until cooling fans came on and returned to idle. Afte...	View
	2004 Honda S2000 2.2L Mirror VIN: JHMAP21444 Hi everyone; I'm not sure where to post this as this is a "strange" request. Customer bought an aftermarket mirror w/compass and auto-dimming with temp. Problem is mounting it on the windshield. This vehicle does NOT use a cam lock or the old style button on t...	View
	1993 Isuzu N NPR 5.7L output speed sensor VIN: JALB4B1A9P i wasn't sure of what to post this as, but here it is. this is a Isuzu NPR heavy truck with a GM 350 TBI system with a 4L80e trans. this came in as a no start, now it starts & runs fine but the trans won't shift. i did a search but nothing of use came up. the...	View
	1998 Jaguar XJ8 4.0L dash illumination VIN: SAJHN1249W Hi there, the centre console has small l.e.d. display that shows heater fan control etc, it appears to be backlit by two bulbs, the right side appears out, does anyone have info on system, if bulbs are replaceable and if so, does the panel need to be removed a...	View
	2000 Jaguar XK8 4.0L cooling system VIN: SAJJA42C7Y Vehicle came in with customer saying it showed hot on the gauge ,they had had it towed from on the road but drove it into the shop. The coolant levels were good,both fans were working ,coming on at the right time.the customer said that it showed hot while on ...	View
	1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 5.2L ABS Pump VIN: 1J4GZ58Y4R Vehicle was in an acident involving the right front fender. The body shop replaced the fender only and the front axle assembly as it was bent. The car came to me to diagnose the ABS light. I found a short in the bus that was not allowing the Modis to communica...	View
	1995 Mazda Millenia 2.3L overun clutch solenoid VIN: JM11A2220S vehicle intermittently sets code p1770-overun clutch solenoid fault. test drove 150 miles over 3 day perion, while monitoring voltage at pin terminal 10 at tcm. voltage was always bat. voltage while in drive. voltage goes to 0 v. the back to bat. voltage in dr...	View
	1995 Mercury Grand Marquis LS 4.6L heater -- a/c controls VIN: 2MELM75W3S Customer complaint: "when it rains or when I wash the car, the ambient temperature display on the temp. control starts dropping steadily to -40 deg. and the A/C cuts out." First thing I checked was the ambient temp sensor out in front of the rad. It was within...	View
	1994 Nissan D21 SE 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, no power VIN: 1N6HD16Y9R Truck came in with complaint of no power. Test drove vehicle and verified complaint. It would barely pull itself. Customer said it happened all at once. Checked the basics first. Exhaust flows freely, fuel pressure seems ok. Nissan dealer had installed a new d...	View
	1995 Plymouth Voyager 3.3L Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 2P4GH25R7S Hi Guys and Gals, help! this vehicle misfires or cutsout on slight grades. It is very consentant which furstrates me that we cannot find the problem. We have a Modis and have used the graghing meter on each sensor and we see no gliches. As memtioned in history...	View
	1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2P4GP243XT Need Help,please Vehicle has been to dealer serveral times for misfire. Now here, yea.(Very Grumpy customer) Code is for cyl #4, but #6 seams to be more affected, going by scope pattern. HC clean up, off idle. But does not show like a wire or plug problem. Has... Trouble codes: P0300 (multiple cyl misfire), P0304 (cyl 4 misfire)	View
	1994 Pontiac Trans Sport 3.1L Speedometer VIN: 1GMDU06D3R Im new at this so please bear with me.We have an interesting situation - a 1994 Transport came into us that needed a transmission.I purchased one from a reputable local salvage yard & installed it.All was well- no leaks,road tested out great- customer was very...	View
	1997 Pontiac Sunfire SE 2.2L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G2JB524XV Hey guys this one has got me. It came in on the hook from another shop. The car has no power missfires on all cyls. It blows black smoke and has codes for multible misfire and running rich. The car has a new ignition module, coils ,crank and cam sensors. We ch...	View
	1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8L ABS Warning Light VIN: 1G2WP52K7V After replacing a leaking steering rack assembly on this 97' Grand Prix with a AC/Delco rebuilt unit, the ABS light came on and off intermittently a couple of times during the road test and now stays on all the time. At first I hadn't adjusted the toe-in when ...	View
	2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT 3.4L 1336 VIN: 1G2NW12E5Y car came in with no headlights and no a/c, we repaired shorted wiring and replaced bcm,, we now have a code 1336 when we try to run the relearn procedure our modis locks up at the beginning of the test or it just keeps flashing, waiting for full throttle, does... Trouble codes: 1336 (ckp variation relearn)	View
	1995 Saturn SL1 1.9L No Start VIN: 1G8ZG5280S Hello all Basically when the problem occurs, the engine has spark, has fuel & injector pulse but no cranking RPM on the scanner. Our MODIS shows the crank sensor generating a wave form but not a very good one (compared to the example shown on the scope). Anot...	View
	1996 Toyota Tacoma DLX 2.4L No Start VIN: 4TAVL52N7T This engine fails to start after 30 sec hot soak. Found the previos repairs were not actually done. Replaced cap, rotor, wires, pcv, fuel filt, cleaned throttle bore. fuel press is in specs during failure, have noticed cracking the throttle seemsto make engine...	View
	2000 Toyota Tacoma Pre Runner 2.7L gearing VIN: 4TASM92N9Y when first taking off or in reverse it feels like tried to engage twice.once past this point transmission seems normal.	View
	1985 Volkswagen Vanagon GL 1.9L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: WV2YB0255F Vehicle came in chugging black smoke. I checked the the coolant sensor, ohmed all the injectors, ohmed the air flow meter. the meter was out of specs and when I unhooked the meter and took it completely off the engine the car ran better. The customer brought ...	View
	2002 Volvo V70 2.4L Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: YV1LW55A5X Car was towed in because it was running too rough to be driven safely to the shop. When it arrived, it was rough and the mil light was on. Retrieved codes with generic scanner: P: P0600,1057/1017/1081/10722. Called dealer and gave them this information and the...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1992 BMW 325i 2.5L abs pump VIN: WBACB4315N I informed customer of the cost to repair his car using used parts he decided to forgoe the repair at this time. I was going to go ahead and replace the hydraulic modulator unit if he would go for it, I am pretty sure that will take care of it. If he returns t...	4
	1998 BMW 528i 2.8L cruise inop. VIN: WBADD6322W I determined that until I could access the codes I would be unable to decipher whether the module was bad or the actuator. My feeling is that the actuator is the problem. I told the customer that it would have to be the dealer at the time but in a week or so I...	11
	1998 BMW 740i 4.4L Interior lights VIN: WBAGF8325W The problem was the left rear reading light. The bulb socket came apart and was shorting out, resulting in the blown fuse. Thank you to all who helped out on this one.	5
	1982 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G1AY0782C All the suggestions I received were greatly appreciated. The fuel pump and filter were recently replaced, the MAP sensor was properly functioning, the oxygen sensor was also OK. The fix was to rebush the throttle shafts on both throttle bodies. Thanks again fo... Trouble codes: 44 (lean exhaust).	15
	1997 Chevrolet p chassis 454CID engine VIN: 1GBLP37J4V Thanks for all the great suggestions as to how to get this thing out, still waiting for customer ok (the motor alone is $4500) so I think he is saving some money. Anyway I've done a partial teardown pulled condensor and rad. After careful measuring this will c...	11
	1999 Chevrolet C65 3126CC alternator VIN: 1GBJ6H1CXX thanks to all that helped,bob [...] said they see worn brushes. the problem was one brush wire was broken,install new brushes and all is well. dale.	3
	2000 Chevrolet S10 2.2L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GCCS1451Y Hi,Finally I got this one fix,after fllowing the good information from,Robert,Michael and Richard they lead me to replace again the knock sensor,installed a GM P#1045209 and drove it few times and the MIL never came back,sent the truck to customer and the driv... Trouble codes: P0325 (knock sensor circuit).	4
	1999 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L Stall VIN: 3B7KC23Z0X first i just want to thank all the ones who replied to the trouble. the tech at the dealership who sugested the intake gskt must have been smooking something ha . following the dtc p0720 we found that the speed sensr at the diff. was broken. the trany was not ... Trouble codes: P0720.	10
	2000 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L 1-2 shift VIN: 1B7MF3362Y I sent this one to the dealer. I had some good replies. The repairs were a little over our heads so we shipped it. The intermediate band has some type of cast connector that broke. Thanks to all, hopefully this will help the next guy.	4
	2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 5.9L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Stall, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1B7HF16Z61 Thanks, guys, for your help. Many of you said it had to be a timing problem. You were right. Incorrect timing caused the weak fire on plug wires. As it turned out, the ais motor I used as a test piece was a bad part. I reset the timing and installed a new ais ... Trouble codes: N0NE.	14
	2001 Ford Taurus SE 2-Valve 3.0L Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1FAFP55261 i removed the mass air flow sensor to find a spider web stuck in the air tube. not allowing the meter to work, after cleaning it out every thing is normal. the five replys did not contain much info. thanks to every one for their help.	5
	1990 Mazda RX-7 GXL 1.3L Turn signals Thanks for all of the great information everyone sent. I haven't gotten to work again on the vehicle to try the ideas but will soon. I'm thinking that the idea of the broken solder connections in the control box is going to fix it based on the symptoms I'm get...	6
	1997 Mercedes-Benz E420 4.2L valvetrain VIN: WDBJF72F1V As suspected, it was the oil tube, not the tappet. Thanks to all who responded. I look forward to becoming an active on this site...	7
	1998 Mercedes-Benz E300 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: WDBJF0WA65 After posting, I read every thing that alldata prints regarding this circuit. Burried somwhere other than the logical place was the small snippet about 'open or shorted glow plugs setting a code'. Remembering the way I tested diesel Maximas of the early '80's ... Trouble codes: P1482.	6
	1998 Mercury Grand Marquis LS 4.6L Electronic VIN: 2MEFM75W6W Since my post the car has been working as it should, so the customer does not want to replace the actuator at this time. Almost all the replies said to replace the actuator and if it fails again customer said she is willing to let us replace it. Thanks for all...	6
	1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX 3.5L scan data VIN: 1G3WH52H5X sorry for the late close, but we wanted to be sure car was fixed. in short, we were loosing class 2 serial data to the scanner. you are supposed to eliminate each module one at a time, by unplugging each, serial data is a 0 to 7 volt signal, you are to watch f... Trouble codes: P1602 (serial data failed between pcm and etc module).	4
	1994 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.7L crank pulley VIN: 2G2FV22P1R Thanks very much to all who replied. The hub on this vehicle really requires a special puller that goes all the way inside of hub and bottoms on the crankshaft. You can use a regular balancer puller by installing an appropriate bolt that will bottom in the hub...	17
	1995 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 3.1L Unknown VIN: 1G2WJ12M6S well, thank you to everyone who replied all the help was greatly appreciated. Replaced pcm still no fix. So we replaced the transmission with another gm reman. Works great. My assumption is that the tcc solenoid was not working properly. I just wouldn't have t...	6
	2001 Saturn SL2 1.9L No Start VIN: 1G8ZK52751 hi, looks like its fixed, so far so good. i recieved some good responses, thanks to all. a few said bcm, one pointed out a connector on the back of the inst cluster, another a weak spot in a bulkhead connector behind the center console. one said a dirty batter... Trouble codes: U1300.	11
	1991 Toyota Camry 2.0L Cooling Fan VIN: 4T1SV21E6W Thanks to all the replies. It ended up being the main relay. Just as one reply said, it 'welded' itself together. Thanks again	10
	1985 Volvo 244 DL 2.3L No Start VIN: YV1AX8841F Hello everyone and thanks for the replies on this one. I recieved several replies and many hit it on the head. There is an inline fuse up near the left front inner fender that was all rotted and melted. We replaced the fuse holder and fuse and off it went. No ...	20
	1996 Volvo 850 Turbo 2.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: YV1LS5728T Sorry to get back to you all so late but the customer just brought the car back to me, I checkrd the vacuum nipple that was mentioned but it was fine, the customer does't want to spend any more money right now so I explained the we should us OE sensors instead... Trouble codes: P0131 (02 low volt B1/S1), P0137.	6

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