Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Jul 22, 2005

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	Help Request	Answers
	1997 Acura CL 3.0L compressor VIN: 19UYA2259V acura techs, the compressor will cycle on for about 4 minutes cold for the first time , the it wil start cycling on & off every 30 seconds for about 6 cycles, then quits cycling. when the compressor first starts cold, the cooling fans cycle on & off with the c...	View
	1988 BMW 325is 2.5L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall VIN: WBAAA13085 Car was towed in from another shop with no spark. Verified problem tested crank sensor (at front of engine) and found it to be faulty. After replaceing sensor car started. After 2-3 minutes car would surge, idle rough and eventually stop. Seemed like a fuel ...	View
	1994 Buick LeSabre Custom 3.8L No Start VIN: 1G4HP52L3R Car was towed in w/ a no start problem. Check for spark and injector pulse and there was neither. Replaced the ignition module and the car started and ran for about 30 seconds then died with the same symptoms. Replaced the crank sensor, no change. Checked the ...	View
	1996 Chevrolet K1500 Suburban 5.7L No Start VIN: 3GNFK16R5T ok this is my wifes truck it sat for 4 days on the fourth day i tried to start . crank speed normal no start pulled a plug it was fuel fouled replaces all the plugs hit the key and it fired right up it did great for a week then the same thing happened this tim...	View
	2000 Chevrolet Tracker 2.0L No Start, Stall VIN: 2CNBE1BC7Y Have Intermitton no spark condition.After heat up. Will stall. Sometimes 15 minutes or 40 miniutes.Will crank but will not start. Will restart after a few minutes cooling time. I can use some help. I have ideas but,have had problems justifying repairs.Primaril...	View
	2001 Chevrolet Blazer LS 4.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNDT13W01 I don't know what's making it run so rich; vehicle sets codes P0172 & P0175 (rich banks 1&2). When codes and fuel-trim are reset, it only takes 15-30 seconds before fuel trim is -13%. O2 sensors are sweeping OK even as fuel trim is dropping. Air intake system ... Trouble codes: P0172 (Fuel trim system rich-bank 1), P0175 (Fuel trim system rich-bank 2)	View
	2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 8.1L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GCHK23G81 Hello to all again, this truck is giving me the fits. Small evap leak code stored, fuel trim short term and long term were normal in freeze data leading me to believe purge valve is ok. First checked FTP voltage with gas cap off-1.43 KOEO(a little low,specs. s... Trouble codes: P0442	View
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GCEC14W62 hi guys thanks ahead of time, what i have is code po420 comes on after truck is driven ten miles evert time, started after it came in with hard start when wet, so we tune it up with new wires, cap, rotor, coil, check all four 02 sensor they are switching good,... Trouble codes: P0420	View
	1997 Chrysler Town & Country LXi 3.8L belt VIN: 1C4GP64L7V when engine gets wet the serpentine belt throws. we have replaced the belt and tensioner as well as the power steering pump. we have also performed the tsb regarding a similar condition where as the bracket on the motor mount is replaced.after every repair we ...	View
	1992 Dodge Dakota 3.9L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1B7FL23X1N Please see related repair history. Performance trans. I know it is a 3.9 however I have seen a GM 3100 pull this trailer NO trouble? Please help. David	View
	1996 Dodge Grand Caravan ES 3.3L bubble back VIN: 1B4GP54R3T see above description--thanks in advance!!!	View
	2000 Dodge Stratus ES 2.5L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 2B3EJ56HOY Hello everyone hope i can get some help with this one car was brought in as no start customer had buddy mess with it and now its in my shop car had weak spark needed plugs and wires now finally got car to start well sort of car runs very rough i checked timing... Trouble codes: 1391 (intermintent loss of cam or crank signal)	View
	1979 Fiat 124 Spider 2.0L ign. switch VIN: XXX0152083 will the ign switch from a 78 spider fit(physically) in a 79 model? thanks	View
	1995 Ford Taurus 3.2L No Start Car came in for a noise under the timing cover. I pulled it in, removed the battery, moved the P/S resovior out of the way, disconnected the ICM, removed the front part of the intake manifold, removed the drive belt and the top of the timing cover. Put the ...	View
	1995 Ford F-250 Special 7.3L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTHX25F73 Vehicle came to me with a no start hot problem found to have low oil pressure in high pressure pump, replaced o-rings on IPR valve truck starts great, but on decel CEL comes on and code P1211 ICP above/below desired. Injecion control pressure readings are abou... Trouble codes: P1211 (ICP Below/Above Desired)	View
	1994 Geo Metro 1.0L No Start VIN: 2C1MR2468R vehicle dies and does not restart after hot (hour) has good spark but loses injector pulse, after flow chart test replaced ecm, with used (new being more than car is worth). same problem. found simular problem in IATN fix data that talked about replacement for...	View
	2002 GMC Envoy SLE 4.2L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GKDT13S82 the customer says the cruise will intermittently not work and truck has a slight hesitation at take off, she complained that at a stop sign it acted like it wanted to take off by itself(sounded like it tried to give itself some gas and she had to hold onto the... Trouble codes: P0340, P1523, B1440, B2961, P0171	View
	1993 Honda Accord EX 2.2L Hesitation VIN: 1HGCB7674P car only has problem after cold start. starts and runs fine at first. can drive car about 1-2 blocks before power loss starts. fuel pressure never varies. also fuel sample ok. fuel volume ok. car responds and feels just like car with plugged cat converter. rem... Trouble codes: 12 (ho2s circuit)	View
	1994 Honda Accord EX 2.2L Compressor VIN: JHMCD5650R The compressor is cutting out at higher RPM's (1500 to 2000). The pressures are normal low side 32 high side 180 to 200 psi It loses the ground signal to the relay for the compressor from the ECU. It stays on when idleing, but cuts off when you hold it at a hi...	View
	1998 Isuzu Rodeo LS 3.2L all VIN: 4S2CM58W1W Has a hard shifting problem sometimes will slam so hard it feels like it is ready to break drive line all shifts including down shifts are hard. The customer says that if they get in it and drive without letting it warm up it does not do it. or after driving a...	View
	1990 Jaguar Vanden Plas Majestic 4.0L Accessories VIN: SAJMY1741L Hello Jaguar Techs, Can anyone tell me how to program the REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY CONTROL. Customer bought a new Remote Control and nobody knows how to program it. I called the dealer and they told me, "The car is too old and we do not service or support it any...	View
	1999 Kia Sportage 2.0L MIL Lamp on, Monitors VIN: KNDJA7233X This car will not pass NJ OBD state inspection, reason all monitors read N/A, except Comprehensive which reads READY. Kia streses that the car must be running to retrieve accurate data. Checked for problem cars that must have OBD inspections,but Kia is not lis... Trouble codes: P0137 (RearO2 sensor voltage low), P0141 (No rear O2 sensor Activity)	View
	1993 Mazda B2200 2.2L bogs down under load VIN: JM2UF3137P hey guys, this is my first posting, hope someone can help me with this one... we recently received a 93 mazda b2200 pick up that recently had a new engine and catalyst installed elsewhere, but did not idle and or perform well afterwards... during the diagnosti...	View
	1990 Mercedes-Benz 500SL 5.0L compressor VIN: WDBFA66E0M We bought this car and we can't seem to get the A/C to work somebody had worked on it previously and changed the compressor and expansion valve there seems to be plenty of freon in the system we borrowed a control unit in the console and plugged it in no diffe...	View
	1995 Mercury Cougar XR-7 4.6L Hesitation, slow response VIN: 1MELM62WOS Hi Guys! This car I am working on, when you press on the gas has no response (too slow), like it hesitates. Doesn't speed up at all making it seem like it is running out of gas. First thing I did was change the fuel filter, worked for a day or two, then came b... Trouble codes: P1151	View
	1999 Mercury Sable GS 3.0L Surge, IDLE SURGE-HOT START VIN: 1MEFM50S7X Customer complaint is the idle runs too high on hot restarts. RPM reads approx 2000 rpm for about 20 secs on hot restarts. Will return to idle after a total of approx, 30 secs, IAC starts high - 57% and follows the rpm down to 37%. PCM is definitely controllin...	View
	1979 MG MGB MK IV 1.8L cyl.head VIN: GHN5UL4955 does anyone know where i can find a good used head? thanks.	View
	1998 Nissan Frontier XE 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N6DD26S3W This frontier has an intermittant problem with setting P0130 and P1148. It appears according to the freeze frame that the vehicle will "fall" out of closed loop at highway speed. All data values appear to be normal sitting in the bay and when road testing. Is ... Trouble codes: P0130, P1148	View
	2002 Oldsmobile Alero GL 2.2L temp gauge VIN: 1G3NL52FX2 hi, everyone! have an 02 olds alero here that the all dash waring lights come on while driving and the temp gauge will go to full hot and then with in a couple of seconds will go back to normal, tach also jumps. the only thing i find abnormal was battery cable...	View
	1996 Plymouth Breeze 2.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1P3EJ46C3T heres a crazy one we just got in- customer complaint is engine bogs no power, wants to stall @ idle in gear, sometimes rough running. we checked it out and have 54 psi of fuel pressure. engine sounds like it has some spark knock at idle and right off idle. it ...	View
	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 2.8L Cuts out VIN: 1G2WP14W4K Hello there, fellow IATN mechanics. This is relating to my own personal car, so I would love to hear from those Pontiac W-body specialists out there (and any one else with experience with this one) What I am having is a problem every now and then with the vehi...	View
	2000 Subaru Legacy GT 2.5L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4S3BE6450Y Need some help on testing for this problem, I suspect A/F sensor is causing my trouble. The fuel trim stays at -15 to -25 all the time. I can't find how to test sensor. Fuel pressure is in spec and there are no exhaust leaks or intake leaks, which is what alld... Trouble codes: P00, 170 (Fuel Trim Problem)	View
	2001 Volkswagen Passat GLX 2.8L coolant leak VIN: WVWBH63B71 car has an intermittant coolant leak,the obvious stain is behind the crankshaft pulley,i can assume it is leaking at the water pump,concerns are the access to it and do i need a new timing belt on demand says to remove the whole front of the car to replace the...	View
	2001 Volkswagen Golf GTI GLS 1.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 9BWDD61J11 This vehicle came to us running very poorly. #3 cylinder was not firing. After a brief diagnosis we determined that the coil was defective. All coil units were replaced and a complete maintaince was performed at this time. As for the code P1200 we did the outp... Trouble codes: P0300 (general misfire), P0303 (misfire 3), P1200 (turbo recir. valve 249 mechanical malfunction)	View
	2001 Volkswagen Passat GLX 2.8L a/c will blow warm intermittantly VIN: WVWRH63B71 customer states a/c will blow warm intermittantly. does not matter on settings or fan speed. fan speed does not change but output air is considerably warmer. system will return to blowing cold. performed evac, weighed freon and recharged with 30 min vacuum. cl...	View
	1997 Volvo 850 T-5 2.3L outside temp sensor VIN: YV1LS5720V Car came in with complaint of intermittent cooling. A/c will work ok for 15-20 minutes, then quits cooling and customer shuts the system off: tries again in 10 to 15 minutes and it will be ok again. The time amounts vary but symptoms are the same. Refrigerant...	View
	2000 Volvo V70 2.4L Starts and dies VIN: 1V1LW56D6Y after installing new motor engine will start and stall imediatly. Found tps at 0 all the time can get the motor to run at 2500 rpm if throttle held wide open. checked all grounds and connections, vaccum lines and intake system, found no ovious problems. Any he...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1995 Acura Legend SE 3.2L abs VIN: JH4KA7693S Thanks for all the help!! We put another new brake master cylinder on and worked great. We think the shop that put the first one on pushed the peddle to far and cut the seal.	6
	1998 Acura CL 3.0L transmission VIN: 19UYA2255W i'm sorry it took so long to reply. we wanted to make sure this vehicle was fixed. after many many hours spent on this vehicle we finaly fixed it. it turns out that we had a couple of issues. the first one was stumbled upon by accident. it was at the lock-up c...	4
	1994 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Surge VIN: 2G1FP22PXR Hi everyone. Sorry for the late reply but i was waiting for the customer to call me back to see if the guys at the dealer found the problem. I got a call yesterday, basicly they gave up on it. They told him they would need to replace some parts and see if that...	8
	1999 Chevrolet Blazer 4.3L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out Sorry to report have not fixed this vehicle. Thank You ALL for your replies. I tried and tested most of what everyone sent. Except what I had already done. I hate to say it, but it looks like it is going to the dealer and try flashing the PCM. Hope it helps. T...	30
	2001 Chevrolet Impala 3.8L Flexplate VIN: 2G1WF55K01 As most everyone stated we firmly beleive this to have been a runout issue with either the crank or convertor. After taking several measurments, at several different points, and having the convertor rebuilt, we made a shim to fit between the convertor and flex...	15
	1998 Dodge Durango 5.2L MIL Lamp on Hi everybody, I appreciate the time you all took to help and advise me on this problem. Most of you had talked about the clockspring and I didn't know that it was a common issue with the chrysler/jeep vehicles to cause other computer problems. However that was... Trouble codes: P0123 (TPS voltage has exceeded max voltage limit.).	19
	1985 Ford Bronco Custom 5.8L Distributor VIN: 1FMDU15H4F I don't know who to thank most. I combined the information, and before attempting, I grease the shaft area of oil pump, It looks centered, then I took a diamond file to the distributer shaft and tapered the area of acceptance, then I sanded the perriferal hous...	17
	1987 Ford E-350 Econoline Custom 6.9L Charging VIN: 1FDHS34M2J I am closing this post due to the time limit restraints that iATN requires. We have not had the vehicle for a long enough period of time (on those times we were able to work on it) to find and fix the problem. I feel confident though that we will be able to co...	11
	1988 Ford f350 wrecker 7.3L fuel gauge thanks for all that replied. i will check the wires from the valve to the gauge once i get a chance, for now just keeping the tanks full.	4
	1994 Ford E-150 Econoline 5.8L Cuts out VIN: 1FDEE14H7R Thanks for all the replies. I had already considered the obvious like ignition module and fuel pump. After discussing this with the customer I learned that this problem has been going on for over 2 years. I hate when they don't give all the info. He told me th...	10
	1995 Ford Escort 1.9L MIL Lamp on VIN: 3FASPL5J15 well same as last post the customer did not want to go any further with diag. here are the things I checked before customer picked up the car. I could set a check enging light when I un-pluged TPS but same condition-all 3 code librarys empty, but running the K...	4
	1997 Ford F-150 XL 4.2L Hesitation VIN: 1FTDX1722V first, thanks to all who replied.i got 6 replies the most common sugestion was to check the cam position sensor for posible 180 deg. out this seened the most logical but was not the fix. the fix was the #3 spark plug wasnt fireing properly. we replaced the plu... Trouble codes: P1537 (imrc stuck open bank 1).	6
	1998 Ford Mustang 3.8L ac compressor VIN: 1FALP4041V Well after all replys we agreed that we had volts and no amps, so we started at compressor and checked each circuit till we found that the low pressure switch had good power in and only volts out. What stumped us is originally we just jumpered the low pressure...	8
	2002 Ford Explorer Postal 4.0L axel seals VIN: 1FMZU62E02 Thanks to all of the Ford tech's, hit the nail on the head. When the redesigned seal is installed, the old dust sheilds must be removed from the old axel stub. If not, you have a large leak. Thanks again for all of your help, IATN ROCKS!!!	10
	2002 Ford F-150 King Ranch 5.4L Steering box VIN: 1FTRW08L42 I installed a used steering box and all problems are fixed.	3
	2002 Ford Focus SE 2.0L No power VIN: 1FAFP34P62 We ended up replacing the Intake manifold runner control to correct this problem. Thanks for all the help. It seems like alot of you have had fuel problems with this type of car. We will keep that im mind when the next one comes in with similar problems Trouble codes: P1518 (intake manifold runner control stuck open).	9
	1991 Honda Accord EX 2.2L trans? VIN: J645GFE543 Thank you, everybody!!! It was the speed sensor on the transmission... You guys are the best - thanks!!!	10
	1997 Honda CR-V LX 2.0L Unknown VIN: JHLR1854VC We unhooked the wires to the converter sol. The problem is gone. The customer has decided to live with it.	3
	2000 Infiniti G20 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: JNKCP11A6Y replaced mass air flow sensor.car runs great. thanks for the help. Trouble codes: P0171.	7
	1990 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer 4.0L Excessive Emissions VIN: 1J4FJ38L2L sorry i could not respond sooner.the computer had a virius that caused about two weeks of grief,anyway the old jeep problem was cured by replacing the new o2 sensor with one from a jeep dealer,the co reading dropped to 2 percent,still to high but the car had e...	6
	1992 Jeep Cherokee Limited 4.0L Ignition and fuel VIN: 1J4FJ78S9N Several people said to check the positioning of the distributor and the crank sensor. We thought that the problem was related to the security system due to the fact that the vehicle was driven to the shop for the motor repair. However, after several attempts t...	4
	1993 Lexus ES300 3.0L P/S fluid VIN: JT8VK13T0P Thanks to all who responded. I did clean the reservoir as was suggested by 3 members-twice to be sure. I was checking the cap & noticed an 'X' pattern in the center-like something used to be there. I tried to get info about the cap. Finally ordered (2 differen...	5
	1981 Mercedes-Benz 380SEL 3.8L Configuration VIN: WDB1260321 Thanks to Bill [...] for their replies. Bill sent diagrams of this Emission system. Also Thanks to David in Texas and Pat Hartman who called us by phone to help. Unfortunately I didn't get back until the next day. The customer has been informe...	3
	1986 Mercedes-Benz 300SDL 3.0L prechambers,glowplugs VIN: CB25D26A25 Hello to all, and thank you to all ten techs that took the time to give thier opinion. We replaced all the broken parts;valves, pre-chambers, and glow plugs. Tested the glow plug system, all was ok. Started the engine and found that the control lever on the in...	10
	1991 Nissan D21 2.4L Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: 1N6SD11Y6M Thank You all for some great suggestions. Many of you hit on the cause which was the PCV hose. Alot of you said EGR, which I checked by making a cardboard blockoff gasket. one person said to check the T/body base gasket and another said the wiring harness can ... Trouble codes: 41 (Intake Air Temp).	10
	1998 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0L Safety VIN: VN1CA21A8W i do believe the code os code 2-drivers airbag module.checked wireing in curcuit-ok.needed more time to continue,but customer did'nt have time & has'nt returned.they are thinking of tradeing it in.thanx.	2
	1993 Oldsmobile Silhouette 3.8L hi. idle VIN: 1GHDU06L3P waiting for van to return,most reply's said to check tps witch i will if van returns. i will post a fix if i have one. thanks for your help.dusty;	4
	1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.4L instrument cluster VIN: 1G2NE52T1W Let customer take car while getting information and a few days later, car came back and was hard to start intermitatntly. recall in igntion was not done. Took car to dealer for recall for igntion relay. Preformed recall and it would not stay running for them (...	4
	1998 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3.8L upper plenum VIN: 1G2HX52K7W Thanks especially to Knick [...] who posted the link for the tech disc forum that I was unable to find yesterday. The problem is the EGR tube being a tight fit on the upper plenum and the 99 and newer 3.8 have a smaller tube and GM also has a updated l...	11
	1999 Suzuki Vitara JX 2.0L timing chain VIN: 2S3TA52C7X Hello, thanks and a big Thank You to Rich, Jim, and Robert, the three who gave assistance! This one is done, the vacationing couple is un-stuck and hightailing down the road, back to Montreal, Canada. I am in New Mexico, so I will post as a summary until I hea...	4
	1995 Toyota Tacoma DLX 2.4L No Start VIN: 4TAUN53BXS Thanks to all who replied . we cleaned the the mass air flow sensor and the connections to it . the veh no longer had a problem and the customer has been happy with the performance..	5
	1995 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.0L dome lights VIN: JT3VN29VXS Thanks to all that replied and a special thanks to those that mentioned the integrator was located behind the fuse box. I never would have found it if it wasn't for them. What would I do without iATN ???	6
	1999 Toyota 4Runner 3.4L lean VIN: 3D7MU48CX3 Thank you to all who sent me the great help,everyone seemed to be on same page.Test drove while observing long trim value,cleaned MAF hotwire(contrary to the reccomendations of several of you,parts are always a ways off)drove again,and O-BOY,long trim dropped ...	17
	1999 Volkswagen Beetle GLS 2.0L Mechanical VIN: 3VWCA21C3X thanks for all the help the crank sensor fixed the problem	6
	1999 Volvo V70 T5 2.3L vvt cam timing VIN: YV1LW53D1X We were very carefull about marking the cams when we removed them, but putting them back in the correct position without the cam/crank locking tools can be a bit of a challenge. This is how we did it. (First a word of caution.USE EXTREME CARE IN ROTATING CAMS ...	5

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