Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Mar 13, 2005

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	Help Request	Answers
	2001 Acura MDX 3.5L vtm-4 VIN: 2HNYD18251 Hi, I got this problem and don't know where to start . After vehilce driving for 10 minutes the VTM-4 light on the dash come on and the 4 wheel drive inoperated either automatic nor manual.The daeler said he need the trans but I don't think so . When the engin...	View
	1991 Cadillac Eldorado 4.9L very high idle speed VIN: 1G6EL13B9M Hello group, This vehicle will start up normally and then after about 10 minutes, if you step on the accelerator pedal the idle speed control plunger will go out and the vehicle will race at over 3,000 rpms. Once warm, if you shut off and restart the vehicle,...	View
	1999 Cadillac Catera 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: WO6VR5ZR5X Hello group, Car came in with the MIL on.Scaned for codes and P0171 was stored.The datastream was kind of weird because when using generic OBD-II mode,the fuel trims show as though they were normal.When swithing to VIN specific,the fuel trims showed that both... Trouble codes: P0171 (hego sensor b1s1 lean)	View
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 8.1L No Start, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1GCHK23GX2 This is my personal rig. I hate working on my own stuff. Have not did alot of testing as this is really intermittent and so far has not left me walking. First noticed this while waiting to pick up someone with engine idling in neutral. It died and would restar...	View
	1998 Chrysler voyager 3.3L climate control VIN: 1C4GHB5R5W Battery went flat and now a/c lights are flashing, how do we reset the e.c.u	View
	2002 Daewoo Lanos S 1.6L MIL Lamp on customer came in for a t-up. asked if could check why MIL on. I found code P0300. No misfire detected. car runs smooth. good fuel press. no restrictions. I found no vaccum or airleaks at intake manifold or vac. lines. I did find a chaffed wire at the coil. fou... Trouble codes: P0300 (random/mult. cyl. misfire)	View
	1995 Dodge B1500 5.2L Poor Idle Quality, Pops out exhaust VIN: 2B6HB21Y9S This vehicle came in with the complaint of rough idling on cold start, but runs fine otherwise. My first thought was ECT or lower intake gasket leaking, but all checks out ok. I have checked all sensor readings and nothing is out of the ordinary...except it al...	View
	1991 Ford LTD Crown Victoria 5.0L 3-4 shift VIN: 2FACP74FMX We just put a used transmission in this car. The orginial transmission had 1st only and a missing bushing at the TV cable. The used replacement has a good 1-2 and 2-3 shift. The 3-4 shift comes in late at about 42 Mph under light to moderate throttle and abou...	View
	1996 Ford Bronco XL 5.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FMEU15H2L Hello all, I have a Bronco here I'm having some trouble diagnosing. The only complaint is the check engine light stays on. There is no driveability problem associated with the complaint. Codes P1351 and P1359 were stored in memory. I checked to make sure the s... Trouble codes: P1351 (idm input ckt fault), P1359 (spark output ckt fault)	View
	1997 Ford F-350 7.3L engine white smokes VIN: 1F1JW35FOV Engine will tack up to about 2200 RPM then starts white smoking (fuel smoke, not steam) and smothering down then will no go any higher for a long time ( 30 to 40 seconds or more ) hot or cold. When test driving it will do the same thing in first and second gea...	View
	1999 Ford Ranger XLT 4.0L Electronic VIN: 1FTZR15XXX Good evening techs I got a trans problem thats kicking my butt. Customer had Jasper trans installed 3000 miles ago and had a terrible 1-2 shift After talking to jasper support they suggested replacing unit, which we did. Now it has a sloppy 1-2 shift, worse t...	View
	2000 Ford E-150 Econoline 4.6L Misfire VIN: 1FMRE1W6YH My friend and customer has mentioned to me that this van will miss at cruise RPM's, on a slight pull, intermittantly. I thought that he may be describing a lock up torque converter problem ,but upon driving the van , I don't think so. I've checked for computer...	View
	2000 Ford Expedition XLT 4.6L gem VIN: 1FMRV1665Y Good Morning We have this 2000 Ford Expedition that has no w/wipers,mno left front power window and no courtesy light operation. We are fairly certain that the Generic Electronic Module(GEM) is at fault. We checked the powers and grounds to it. Also it smells...	View
	1996 GMC C2500 Suburban 6.5L Misfire VIN: 1GKGKZ6F4T Hello, I have this GMC Suburban 2500 here with a tricky miss, what it does is while driving it occasionally gives a puff of black smoke and loses power, but not really bad just enough to cause alarm to the driver. he thinks it might be a sign of something fail...	View
	1996 Isuzu Bighorn 3.1L engine VIN: UBS96GW-72 This vehicle has had numerous running and starting faults. We have replaced injection pump and injectors, this left the vehicle starting and running good. The customer took the vehicle away to try all seemed well, just over a week and a half and it was back wi...	View
	1998 Isuzu Trooper S 3.5L reverse gear VIN: JACUBS26GW Hi this is my wife's vehicle and i used it yesterday and when i went to move backwards there is little or no reverse. All forward gears are ok. the reverse gear has always taken a few seconds to engage but there is nothing now. i have very limited experience ...	View
	2000 Lexus LS400 4.0L Drive-axles VIN: JT8BH28FXY hello fellow techs , im a honda guy and i need help. this car started vibrating at about 35mph , feels like a shudder , up and down and continues to about 45 mph ,after that its gone smooth to 80 mph. you can feel it in the seat, and will vibrate on accelerati...	View
	1985 Lincoln Town Car 5.0L burns rich fuel VIN: 1LNBP98F6G this town car has been a can of worms,see repair history. in breif,the car was towed to my shop,basically a jigsaw puzzle,the customers concern was it smoked alot,the customer had different weekend warriors look at the car as time whent by,many parts were repl...	View
	1988 Lincoln Town Car 5.0L door locks VIN: 1LNBM82FJ6 fellow linc technicians i need help is there a code i can use to get the door locks open in my 1988 linc town car i just bought the car the doors will not open with the key i need the combination are a way to reset the combination please help	View
	1984 Mazda B2000 Sundowner Base 2.0L Differential VIN: JM2UC1214E Hi everyone, This problem is on my own work vehicle, a 84 Mazda B2000 5-spd. A few weeks ago I noticed a clunk on sharp turns. It sounded like something was shifting under the truck. I put it on the lift checked to see if anything was loose. The trans mount w...	View
	1994 Mazda 626 DX 2.0L Timing belt tensioner Hello Mazda/Ford tech's! Just a quick question that came up on a recent timing belt job one of my tech's did on this vehicle. Sorry about no VIN but it's one that we don't have on record for some reason. During routine maintenance on the car we replaced the ti...	View
	2002 Nissan Sentra CA 1.8L No Start VIN: 3N1CB51D62 hi techs : this vehicle came to our shop.This car would not start ,we check the fuel side and the fuel pump is not being activated,we check for current and current is comming to the coils but no output.any help on this job would be appreciated . Does any one ...	View
	1994 Plymouth Voyager 3.0L Compressor VIN: 2P4GH2532R I must first say that I have not done much A/C work since R-12. The A/C compressor cycles on and off every 2 seconds, so does the fan. All switchs and sensor were checked by the garage we use for A/C work. The evaporator was an aftermarket one and made by Spec...	View
	1990 Pontiac Grand Prix LE 3.1L Running Rich VIN: 1G2WJ54T6L A few months ago this car wouldnt start cause it was flooded. Got it running and it cleared itself out and I never found the cause,when the problem fixed itself.Afterwards I just put some injector cleaner in the fuel and replaced the filter.Was fine for a few ...	View
	1996 Saturn SL1 1.9L Mechanical VIN: 1G8ZH5288T having problem getting a good brake pedal, travels way to far before stopping... is this a characteristic of this model? the master cyl. was bad when car arrived at the shop, so im not sure how it is when normal... car stops good can lock up all four wheels......	View
	1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8L engine valves VIN: WVWMA6382W Has anyone a good technique for getting the valve springs depressed enough to remove the valve keepers. The stems are so badly bent the springs are completely compressed. We have cut the valve heads off but still are struggling with getting the springs decompr...	View
	1995 Volvo 850 T-5R 2.3L Valve train VIN: YV1LS5811S This Volvo is quiet @ idle but as soon as you come off idle there is noise like lifter clatter from beneath the cam cover. I found a TSB in Alldata which referred to a newly designed set of valve tappets but there was no indication as to why the re-design. I'm...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1988 Acura Legend L 2.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: JH4KA4552J Dear friends, Thanks to everyone for their help. Suggestions included: (1) intermittent failure of the EGR vacuum solenoid (2) plugged vacuum filter (3) bad O2 sensor (4) clogged intake ports (5) leaking diaphram in the EGR valve (6) damaged temperature co... Trouble codes: 12 (EGR System).	12
	1995 BMW 525i 2.5L Starter VIN: WBAHD6320S Thanks to all that helped on this one. Turns out it was a faulty EWS unit. But to big problem was locating it. BMW's wiring diagram says its located in the right side of passengers compartment behind the glove box. Not so on this vehicle. Its was hidden under ...	7
	1995 Buick Park Avenue 3.8L computer VIN: 1G4CW52K7S Hello gentlemen I read the replies and decided to ground the caseing of the computer to the inside of the chasis. I ran 2 grounds incase anything happened to one ground the other would be there it would also help with current load.I let idle 1 hour seemed to g...	8
	1998 Buick Century Limited 3.1L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2G4WY52M0W I had several replies that sugested a computer problem, which is what I suspect also. I had a couple of techs sugest checking waveforms coming out of MAF sensor and going into PCM. I did check waveforms and I had good patterns at MAF and PCM, but still had no ... Trouble codes: P0506 (low idle rpm).	7
	1993 Chevrolet K1500 Cheyenne 5.7L excessive pinging VIN: 2GCEK19K8P i would like to thank everyone for thier advice on the pinging problem with my vechicle. summarizing my e-mail,i changed the knock sensor (no-fix),upon performing a (b /g) top engine cleaning 3 times over the next 2 days each time the ping has diminished less ...	24
	1999 Chevrolet K3500 7.4L Hesitation, sever hesitation VIN: 1GVKC34J9X thanks for all your advice,checked the cats,set cam timing and replaced the pcm.runs great,thanks to a great bunch of mechanics out there. ken.	11
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 6.6L noise at steering colm VIN: 1GCHK23163 Thanks to all who replied. The customer opted to not do anything until the condition got worse and we could definatly pinpoint there problem. Most replies were for the steering shaft issue, but we were just not 100 sure so the customer said they would wait.	14
	1994 Chrysler Intrepid 3.3L Cuts out VIN: 2C3HH46T7R Thanks to each and every one of the people who replied to my problem. 19 of the 22 replies said 'crankshaft sensor' That was indeed the answer. Thanks also to the 3 who said 'ignition switch' as that was a very real possibility also. Your expertise and input...	22
	2000 Chrysler Concorde LX 2.7L Cuts out, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2C3MD36J2Y Thanks to the four who took the time to reply. Here is a brief summary of their suggestions. The first one said to moniter voltage on the 5 volt reference wire and unplug the four sensors on this circuit until voltage returned to normal. At the present time I ... Trouble codes: 1496 (5 volt supply output too low).	6
	1999 Dodge Avenger ES 2.5L No Start, Stall VIN: 4B3AU52N5X First, I want to thank everyone that responded. It is time to call this a fix. The problem manifested itself one time with my scanner hooked up as having no crank signal. I would have preferred to have verified that I still had reference voltage and a good gro... Trouble codes: P0335.	5
	2001 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L Front Crankshaft seal I installed the seal the same way I always have, I just wish that there was an easier way. Time will only tell if this one will leak again. Thanks to all that helped, and I will order the installation tool that Paul turned me on to. Thanks again!	4
	1990 Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer 2.9L hard start VIN: 1FMCU14TXL the vehicle works but really is not fixed.i got a new cts and let it sit outside and then ck the resistance readings of both of them, there was about 4 ohms difference so i replaced it. the problem was still there. let truck sit overnight and gave it a shot of...	13
	2000 Ford Windstar SEL 3.8L Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2FMZA5346Y i wish i could tell you guy that i fixed this windstar but the customer took it back. i hope they return so i can get to the bottom of this problem. i would like to thank all who replied. if i get it back in i will post the fix if i can solve it thanks jkogan6 Trouble codes: P0171, P0174.	20
	2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L no power VIN: 1FMZU73E72 it has bad plugged catlic conerter. put new one . and road test runs good .thanks every one	8
	1989 Honda Accord LX 2.0L Charging VIN: JHMCA5533K Thank you all for the help, car is fixed. Cleaned and corrected weak grounds. Replaced Alt. again, possible defect or possible bad ground did take it out. I also replaced the battery, strange tested good three times and failed once. All I know for sure is ...	6
	2000 Honda S2000 2.0L engine VIN: JHMAP1147Y Thanks to all the guys who took their valuable time to reply. I meant to wrap this up sooner, but I have been in a rather complicated battle with a kidney stone. This stone has now kept me out of work a total of 6 and 1/2 days. Try not to have these! The vast ...	20
	1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.2L T-case VIN: 1J4GZ78Y1T Hi Everyone, the problem turned out to be 2 fold. First the T-case went back because of shoddy work, but the real problem turned out to be fried forward clutch packs in the trans.	4
	2003 Jeep Wrangler X 4.0L cruise control VIN: 1J4FA39S23 Hi everyone, finally got the cruise on this monster working. The problem was a bad connection at the gray 32 pin PCM connector, and Jeep had the brake switch wired differently from the cruise instructions. I'll never do another!	11
	1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham 5.7L routing VIN: 1G3AY69N9C I did not get very much help with this post. For the most part I was very dissapointed with the replies. I did not need to hear put a gas engine in it, get rid of it,it was junk when new. A lot of people posted replies that they had the information and would s...	16
	2001 Oldsmobile Alero GL 3.4L Gaskets? VIN: 1G3NL52E91 ngine&tmv=1&au=1&closing=3&a=notyetfixed Will close this for now. Customer has not yet returned. Thanks to all who replied. Responses were very fast. (24 replies in 2 Days) Most said to replace Inta...	24
	1993 Subaru Legacy L 2.2L MIL Lamp on, Extended Cranking VIN: 4S3BC6331P Well, it's fixed! It ended up being a faulty ECM. The cooling fans were coming on KOEO, as a couple of the responses mentioned. I did notice that originally, but forgot to mention it in my first post. I also tried clearing the memory by disconnecting the batte... Trouble codes: 12 (Starter signal), 21 (Water Temperature Sensor Problem), 32 (Oxygen Sensor Problem).	5
	2002 Subaru Outback 2.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4S3BH67572 At this point I'm not 100% sure that the car is fixed , but so far so good . I checked the solenoid resistance and for shorts and found none . I also checked the hoses to and from the solenoid and things around the throttle body. The connections seemed good so... Trouble codes: P0065 (air assisted injector control range/ performance).	3
	1996 Toyota Camry DX 2.2L cv axel support brg VIN: JT2BG12K6T 20 thanks to You for your quick help replies!-Most replies(which saved me a lot of work) were to pull the engine/axel brg mount with the axel assembly- and on the bench seperate the two loving parts(which could be expected to take about 90 minutes). A few sugg...	21
	1999 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8L Radio VIN: WVWMA63B8X Hello Ladys and Gentelmen! Thank you all for your help! Those Japanese radio(no offense) mounted an German cars refuse to cooperate. I didn't rescue the radio. It seems that somebody must change the code or the radio just went bad. The manufacturer should thin...	10

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