Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Nov 25, 2005

Join Now

Prev	Professional Automotive Repair Technical Discussions for November 25, 2005 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 Audi A6 2.8L auto trans VIN: OWAUGA84AT Hello Everyone, This vehicle will intermittently die at stops. No harsh shifts noticeable. Atf fluid level is on the money. When coming to a complete stop the Rpms sometimes come way down to 200 and intermittently to zero. When the car dies ,you dont even noti...	View
	1994 BMW 740iL 4.0L Poor Idle Quality VIN: WBAGD8324R Car came in with rough idle. Smoked intake, found throttle housing gasket leaking. Pulled intake, replaced PCV plate, and completely resealed intake. All gaskets replaced. With intake off, I hooked up Motorvac machine to activate injectors. Some of them had a ...	View
	2001 BMW 330i 3.0L No Start VIN: WBAAV11001 when you try to start this vehicle it sounds like if the engine is "free". like if there is no timing belt on the engine. if i keep the starter running the sound of the engine will change in a while and then it will start. fuel pressure and spark fine since th...	View
	1995 Buick Riviera 3.8L park linkage VIN: 1G4GD22155 Hello everyone; This buick has high mileage but is well maintained. This car has the park pawl staying engaged in the reverse position, reverse engages but of course the car will not move. If you pull the shift lever down toward neutral enough to keep reverse...	View
	2000 Buick Century Custom 3.1L Unknown VIN: 2G4WS52J4Y This is Eric over at Z's car care. I recently ran into a very difficult noise to pinpoint. Sounds like a metallic, rythmetic sound on right turns only. its coming from both front wheels. happens at slow speeds and cruising but not as severe. if driveing in a r...	View
	1992 Cadillac Eldorado 4.9L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G6EL13B6N This vehicle came in with a complaint that engine ran very rough. Checked engine and found a spark plug was not firing because of a wire defective. Tuned engine up and engine runs better than before. But, MIL's on; code 41. Checked cam sensor and circuit for o... Trouble codes: 41 (Cam reference signal)	View
	1995 Chevrolet K2500 6.5L No Start, MIL Lamp on, HARD START VIN: 1GCGK29F6S This truck has a hard start cold. When it does start it smokes excessively and the check engine light comes on. According to alldata for code 36 - monitor fuel pw should be 1.95 at idle, mine is at 2.18 at idle and varies about .5 above idle, it states that it... Trouble codes: 29 (glow plug relay system), 36 (inj pulse width error - long responce), 73 (force motor currrent)	View
	1995 Chevrolet Beretta Z26 3.1L Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1G1LW15M5S Got this car in shop from used car dealer 1 week ago so I dont have any history with is. The dealer said that the car ran great and all of the sudden it ran awful, missing, jerking cutting off. brought car in shop, no codes present, fuel press tested within sp...	View
	1996 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2L Coolant Temp VIN: 1G1JC1245T Hello, This Cavalier is overheating intermittantly. The customer will drive the vehicle to work (10-15 miles) and the vehicle will drive fine. No overheating issues. When the customer goes to drive home, the vehicle will run up into the red zone after 2-3 mil...	View
	2000 Chevrolet Metro LSi 1.3L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2C1MR5222Y has intermittent misfire,p0303,cyl.3 misfire. #3 wire was rusted at plug, clean plug and replace wires,still#3 misfire,swap 1and3 plugs,still#3 misfire,swap 1-4 and 2-3 coils still #3 misfire.swap #3and #4 injectors,still #3 misfire,check injector pattern , ok... Trouble codes: P0303	View
	2004 Chevrolet Impala 3.8L No Start VIN: 2G1WF55K14 this car runs @ 20 miles then dies while driving. it has crank signal and cam signal but does not pulse the injectors. when yiou replace the module it will start right up. what i need to know why it keeps blowing the module. city has 25 of these cars but we ha...	View
	1997 Chrysler Town & Country LXi 3.8L transmission VIN: 1C4GP64L2V This veh has a nasty vibration at and above 70km. More of a engine and trans shifting from side to side. Feels the same way the old Chrysler 3L engine flet with worn motor and trans mounts. The vibration is only felt under acceleration, as soon as you let off ...	View
	1998 Chrysler Town & Country LXi 3.8L left front suspension VIN: 1C4GP64L2W This van has a knock on the left side. It appears to be coming from the cowl/strut area. I have replaced the sway bar bushings in the past two months and this has not cured the problem. The following items have been replaced within the past two years/25,000 m...	View
	2000 Chrysler Sebring LX 2.5L Heads VIN: 4C3AG52H71 This vehicle was taken down and left apart by an other Tech. He has left for an other job. We have mitchell on demand but it gives no details on reassembly. (Reverse what You did when You took it apart)I did not take it apart. What I Am most concerned with is...	View
	1994 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L Surge, Cuts out VIN: 1B7HF16Y3R This vehicle would stall only when it was cold and only when a load was put on it, it would idle good but if you put it into gear it would stall unless you feathered the throttle, it would even stall if you turned the steering suddenly due to the load from the...	View
	1996 Dodge Avenger ES 2.5L No Start VIN: 483AU52N7T This vehicle is making me old real fast. Vehicle was driven to the shop, ran real bad, backfired through the intake manifold, died when put into drive. This was the customers original complaint. We found that the timing belt was off by two teeth, seems simple...	View
	2001 Dodge Intrepid SE 2.7L Excessive Emissions, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2B3HD46R91 Hello, This vehicle failed the State inspection. We found the lont term fuel trims maxed out negative, indicating a very rich condition. Feul pressure is normal, all the scan data looks normal, the o2 sensors test good using the snap on vantage. The map sensor... Trouble codes: P0172 (Right Bank Rich), P0175 (Left Bank Rich)	View
	1993 Eagle Talon ES 2.0L MIL Lamp on, not start cold VIN: 4E3CF44E9P car is very, very hard to start when cold. You have to crank and crank on engine. Once it starts you have to play with gas pedal to keep running for a couple minutes. Sometimes it dies and you have to restart it. Once it is started good and warmed up it runs g... Trouble codes: 13 (intake air temp. sensor), 14 (tps sensor), 21 (coolant temp. sensor), 25 (baro. pressure sensor)	View
	1998 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L No Start, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 2FMDA5140W Hello fellow technician, I have this 98 windstar came to my shop for proplem in the tranny it wasn't moving forward or backword, so we install a used tranny in it.and the way she go. Next day the van is back because it cuts off and stall and won't start after...	View
	1999 Ford Ranger XL 4.0L Misfire VIN: 1FTZR15V1X did plugs cap rotor wires a month ago because of #5 missfire, and it is back a month later with same problem, cannot duplicate miss. does anyone know if there is a common problem with these that would affect just one cyl? if it was a coil it would be 2 cyl mis... Trouble codes: P0305 (cyl 3 missfire)	View
	2000 Ford F-150 5.4L Excessive Emissions, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1FTRX173YN vehicle was towed to shop, no start. have 40psi fuel pressure, does not drop except over long period of time. have spark and also injector pulse. removed plugs, were completely saturated with fuel. replaced plugs, vehicle did start but running excessively rich... Trouble codes: P0174, P0302 (2 misfire), P0304 (4 misfire), P0307 (7 misfire), P0308 (8 misfire), P0443 (evap ctrl syst purge ctrl valve circuit malf)	View
	1992 Geo Prizm 1.6L brake and alt lights on intermittently VIN: 1Y1SK5463N this one has us stumped. our customer came in complaining of her alternator and brake lights (on the instrument panel) coming on simultaneously when she accelerated. also her exterior and dash lights get brighter and dimmer as this happens. we have tried every...	View
	2003 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Denali 6.0L Surge VIN: 1GKFK66U83 this truck keeps coming up with lean codes on both banks,it has not come up on me personally but every time the costomer takes the vehicle it comes on that very day. so i checked the fuel press good according to all data spec. so then i check mass air flow sen...	View
	1996 Jeep Cherokee Classic 4.0L engine VIN: 1J4FT68S2T hi guys i have this 1996 jeep cherokee sport in our shop ,with a 4.0 litre. it has a chirp noise when the engine is cold and goes away as the engine warms up. it doesnt go away right away , but it really fades away as the engine teperature rises. it first soun...	View
	1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J4GX58S6V Vehicle has codes PO135, Po138, and PO141 that keep returning. Both O2 sensors have been replaced, both O2s have power and ground to heater circuits. Sliced open whip and traced wires to and from ASD and ground w/ no probelms. Thanls for any help Trouble codes: P0135, P0138, P0141	View
	1990 Mercury Topaz GS 2.3L No Start, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2MEPM36X8L No start, no injector pulse & constant running fuel pump ? plenty of spark. codes are too numious to list mostly undefined codes also if the key is placed in the ON position sometimes the relays above glove box start to click on off rapidily ? This is has me p...	View
	1995 Nissan 300ZX Turbo 3.0L hvac VIN: JN1CZ24D7S Customer's complaint: Vehicle not getting warm under normal conditions for heating. The vehicle's coolant system was pressurized. A radiator hose was found with a hole in it. The hose was replaced. The coolant system was checked again. This time, the coolant w...	View
	2005 Nissan Altima SE-R 3.5L heater VIN: 1N4BL11D75 To all Nissan techs My friends Altima which has never had any cooling system work since new, all of the sudden the heater is cold at idle. when you give it a liitle gas you can hear a gurgling sound coming from the heater core area inside the car and then the ...	View
	1986 Other European MONDAIL 3.2L Hesitation, Cuts out VIN: ZFFXC26A5G idles fine but will not rev. up. If I place my fingure in the CSI plate and slightly tap it down . The engine will rev. normally. Fuel presure with in specs control psi 75, starting cold 32 psi, warm 51 psi. Coil Kv at idle 7 kv, push on throttle 28 Kv, max Kv...	View
	1973 Plymouth Baracuda 340CID need info VIN: BS23H3B5Y3 I got this 73 Cuda with a gimp MSD system. Customer wants to go back to OE stuff. Parts house lists a magnetic pickup type dist. I cant get any good info or wiring diagrams for the ignition system. Did this come with points??? Any help and/or diagrams would be...	View
	1993 Plymouth Voyager LE 3.3L ABS light and pump VIN: 2P4GH55R9P hello, i have this van in our shop and it came in with the complaint of the abs light and brake light coming on anytime the brake pedal is pressed when the key is in the on position. the lights only stay on for a couple of seconds and go out. also the pump run...	View
	1996 Plymouth Voyager 3.0L Heat / AC VIN: 2P4FP2532T Everthing has been checked but still no heat in this van. We suspect a blend door, but are not sure. Help us go in the right direction.	View
	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix 3.1L Excessive Emissions, No Start VIN: 1G2WJ14T2K This car was towed in from another shop. It won't run, but tries to run for one or two seconds. There is no service code, it has new crank sensor, new module, new coils, new plugs, three new injectors and new ECM ( rem ). It has good compression and good injec...	View
	1996 Pontiac Sunfire SE 2.2L Oil PSI VIN: 1G2JB5243T When you start the engine had 50psi (cold) within 5 Min it's down to 10psi rods & mains have .002 clearance.	View
	1987 Saab 900 2.0L Excessive Emissions, No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: YS3AK36D4H I have this Saab here that was unfortunately given to me, I ran the california dyno test which is required, and I failed myself gross polluter for nox. Niiice. I'm really looking for someone who has seen this problem before on Saabs.I found several similar Saa...	View
	2001 Saturn L200 2.2L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G8JU52F21 Hello, I hope you can help. Vehicle was dropped off, with a rough idle, like it wants to stall. No cel @ this time. Checked for vacuum leak, found none. Inspected spark plugs, ignition system for signs of prob's, found none. the wierd thing is, the cooling fan... Trouble codes: P0300	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1995 BMW 740i 4.0L Temp. control VIN: WBAGF632XS Hi group, thanks for all the great replys and humor. We tried to update this a second time and we were unable as it appears they do not allow this. Well back to the point. After having very little info we started just following wires and motors and such. We ob...	6
	2001 BMW 325i 2.5L outside temp sensor VIN: WBAAN37461 Thanks for all the replies. Turned out at some point in the past that sensor had been ripped off entirely and the wires stuffed down in a cranny where I couldn't see them. Lots of squinting and staring finally located the wires in front of the left front tire ...	12
	2002 Buick Rendezvous CX 3.4L thermostat VIN: 3G5DA03E02 Thanks to everyone that responded. To answer the very popular question 'why flush a dex-cool system?', the answer is that Dex-cool is NOT usually good for 150,000 miles. This particular customer had another G.M. vehicle and his coolant turned into what we call...	9
	1994 Chevrolet C3500 Cheyenne 7.4L pedal VIN: 1GBKC34N6R We replaced the aftermarket clutch and pressure plate with OEM parts. The fingers on the aftermarket pressure plate must not have had the right spring pressure or travel length. As for the bleeding problem overnight I think that because the aftermarket clutch ...	10
	2000 Chevrolet Blazer LS 4.3L No Start VIN: 1GNDT13W9Y Thanks for the info,we went back over the wiring harness,including the area in behind the engine that is so hard to reach,pulling pushing and wiggling and could not reproduce any amp changes in either circuit. Customer decieded to try it again rather then pa... Trouble codes: 135 (o2 sensor heater [...] sensor 1), 147 (o2 sensor heater circuit [...] 3), 155 (o2 sensor heater [...]).	5
	1999 Chrysler Cirrus LXi 2.5L Instrument /wipers VIN: 1C3EJ56H2X Well, sorry to say I have been unable to get this car fixed. The customer needed to have car back, and has been unable to return for further diagnostics. If it does come back in, I will let you know what I find. Thank you!!	5
	1988 Dodge D150 5.2L Surge VIN: 1B7FD14Y6J Well, Mike from New Jersey nailed this one. The rubber hose connecting fuel pump to top of module was split and not delivering enough fuel to the injectors under accelerating conditions. I had alot of response to this one, mentioning EGR opening too quickly, a... Trouble codes: 33 (A/C WOT Relay Problem).	17
	1993 Dodge Caravan 3.0L Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: 2B4GH2535P Thanks for the suggestions that it was still the converter locking up. After consulting with the owner i found out he had recently had the trans replaced with a 200$ YARD trans. He is declining any further repairs because of cost. I believe the fix would be a ... Trouble codes: 37 (tcc solenoid circut).	4
	1996 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L pump\torque conv. VIN: 1B4GP44R0T IATN has done it again!. Most of the replies that I recieved pointed right to the pump o-ring and pump gasket. I pulled the trans. again, and when I removed the pump, the flat gasket was pushed out right at the bottom. Also the O-Ring was hard as a rock and ve...	24
	1993 Eagle Talon ES 2.0L No Start VIN: 4E3CF44E9P Thanks to everyone for the help. It turned out to be the main control relay. What lead me on to this was, I could unplug and plug the computer connector and I would get fire and fuel and the relay would click. Put on a new main relay and car is cranking and ru...	8
	1989 Ford F-150 Custom 5.0L Cuts out VIN: 1FTEX14N4K to all who gave advice on this truck is greatly appreciated.but we are at an end for now,we are in our buisy season and to play with this will have to go on the back burners.all the grounds have been cleaned and re soldered if needed.the unfortunate thing abou...	26
	1995 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L transmission VIN: 2FMDA5144S Replacing the EPC solenoid did cure the noise. It was not TOO bad to replace, given the limited access.	8
	2000 Ford F-150 XL 4.2L Fan Belt VIN: 1FTZX1724Y We replaced the belt tensioner & it seemed to help.	17
	2000 Ford F-150 Lariat 5.4L engine VIN: 2FTRX18L2Y Thanks to those who took the time to reply. I ended up removing the oil pan. Every single rod was seized to the crank. The oil pump must have stopped for some reason. Please let me know if any of you have seen this before. If anybody would like to see pictures...	17
	1994 GMC Sonoma SL 2.2L Belt VIN: 1GTCS1448R Thanks to all that replied.. I replaced the tensioner and the belt, And it now sits away from the crank-pulley. Dealer wanted about 150 for the tensioner which is crazy. So I made a call to a local 'Murrays' $35 bucks another 20 for belt.. Customer Happy...I a...	12
	1994 Infiniti Q45 A 4.5L No Start, less thn 60 psi comp VIN: JNKNG01D2R After removing all eight plugs and reinstalling them without oiling the cylinders, I cranked the engine several times, resorting to desperate measures, I sprayed carb, cleaner (B12) in the intake manifold while cranking, no start condition persisted. one more ... Trouble codes: 55 (everything OK).	6
	1997 Jaguar XK8 4.0L vehicle stays running VIN: SAJGX2747V Hi Guys...Thanks to those that responded I checked all of the things that were suggested and could not find anything wrong..All of a sudden the vehicle starting acting normal again and stayed that way for about a week and a half..called the customer and he sai...	6
	1995 Mazda Millenia 2.5L MIL Lamp on, lack of power VIN: JM1TA2215S thanks, to all fellow techs that replied, as I stated in my letter, this car had some cylinder head work done in another shop. One of the replies I received was to check the timing components, which was mentioned to the customer who then decided to take the ca... Trouble codes: P0154, P0325.	8
	1994 Mercedes-Benz E320 3.2L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Stall VIN: WDBEA32E4R Hi all, Thanks for all the great help as always. We continued checking into possible suspects. I found the small harness going to throttle actuator and sliced it open to see the wires. All wires at the harness dry rotted and broken apart (down to copper). This... Trouble codes: 2 (o2 sensor), 5 (egr system), 10 (air flow meter), 16 (closed throttle position function), 26 (up shift delay switch over valve).	5
	1996 Mercedes-Benz S420 4.2L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on, ASR & EPC VIN: WDBGA43E2T Well it looks like a bust on this end. I want to thank all who responded. We invested in a new air slide and that did not fix the problem. Also purchased a new base relay, it to was a bust. We decided to send the car to the dealer and get it fixed. Again thank...	17
	1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 5.0L electric window VIN: WBDFA67FXW the antenna repair was fairly simple once we got it out of the car. currently we are still waiting for the door switch to repair the up and down for the soft top. thanks for all the insite and help...	7
	2000 Mercedes-Benz ML320 3.2L No Start VIN: 4JGAB54E1Y Had not enoung amp to the coil packs to fire off. We had 12 volts but no current. Finding out to test the theroy, using a jumper wire to fuse # 26 in the main fuse box , if engine starts there are two possible causes. Bad fuse box soilder joints, or ignition s...	17
	1995 Mercury Grand Marquis LS 4.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2MELM75W1S When following the vaccuum diagram on the car, it didn't show the DPFE. Our shop had to dig a little deeper to follow the vaccuum trail. We tested the DPFE, and found the results out of specs. We knew our voltage was right on the solenoid. Now, when a Ford com... Trouble codes: 401 (egr flow insufficient), P1408 (egr flow out of self test range).	21
	2001 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 4.6L Battery VIN: 2MEF7SW61X The problem ended up being I was chasing the wrong circuit. There was two green / orange wires in the system. The short was above the head liner on the left side. The wiring for the visor mirror light shorted out and melted part of the wiring harness. He did n...	3
	2002 Saturn L100 2.2L anti-thief & fuel gauge VIN: 1G8JS54F72 The problem with our Saturn was the BCM. Evidently, when the car was jump started either the cables were crossed or a voltage surge took out the Body Control Module. The original shop took the car to the nearest Saturn dealer for a new module and programing.	7
	1992 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.0L lack of power VIN: JT3VN29V3N Thanks to all of you who offered help. Robert [...] got it right, the idle switch of the TPS was not adjusted right. The truck was not seeing idle and as a result the timing was 15 degrees slow. The customer had fiddled with the idle stop screw (and everything ...	13
	1999 Volvo S80 2.9 2.9L cam timing VIN: YV1TS97D1X well guys, you just can't get the varible cam timing light to go away without the computer access which is dealer only. they charged $250.00 to reposition the varible cam timing to the correct position which allowed the code to go away. the timing of the cam i...	6

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