Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Feb 19, 2006

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Open Help Requests for All Makes and Models

	Help Request	Answers
	1993 Chevrolet Lumina Z34 3.4L timing belt VIN: 2G1WP14X3P My first 3.4 belt job.I need to change a oil soaked timing belt(not broken).Can I lock the cam gears from the outside and mark belt and teeth.I,ve read archives and some have problems with belt whining from being to tight.they said you have to follow instructi...	View
	1996 Chrysler Concorde LX 3.5L engine VIN: 2C3HD56F8T Hey guys I have this chrysler that keeps overheating and blowing coolant out the overflow tube on the resivor tank. I have replaced a leaking water pump and also replaced radiator cap and t.stat. The car will run normal on the temp gauge for a couple of days o...	View
	2002 Chrysler Town & Country Limited 3.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2C8GP64LX2 hi chrysler techs we have a 2002 chrysler town country limted 3.8 dtc po455 large leak in evap. system. we smoke test system no leaks found we test for voltage and ground at purge valve and leak detection pump,we need to know best way to diagnose this system,a... Trouble codes: P0445	View
	2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream 2.4L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 3C8FY68B92 Hello guys I have this pt bruiser it will intermittantly start running rough sets p0300 sometimes,,, when it does its thing the co goes to 7% and the LtFt goes to -24 the StFt -24 also the O2 pegs at 900mv scan tool shows closed loop cts and iat look normal,, ...	View
	1996 Dodge Stratus 2.4L Stall VIN: 1B3EJ46X6T engine will die when shifted from drive/park, drive natural, natural/park. idles good, runs good no codes,scaned all looks ok Thanks Paul.	View
	1996 Dodge Caravan SE 3.3L No Start VIN: 1B4GP54R81 this van came in on a wrecker, it died at hyway speed. it cranks fine, no codes found, cam and crank signal is good, injectors are firing. i have checked powers and ground all is fine. i can not get or find signal at coil pack with lab scope. the auto shut dow...	View
	2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport 3.3L 1 AND R 1-2 shift VIN: 2B4GP44352 Vehicle slips and transmission "clunks" after sitting. A relearning process causes the problem to go away. The vehicle will work fine for several days the after sitting it will repeat the problem. After it is driven a short distance the problem goes away. It h...	View
	1995 Ford Taurus GL 3.0L No Start VIN: 1FALP52UXS This vehicle ran fine when I got it(Ugh!) Replaced the radiator in a 95' Taurus 3.0 (NOT the SHO). Now it won't start, only cranks. Checked the inertia switch outback, it wasn't "tripped", so I tripped it and reset it. Still no start. found NO POWER to the ine...	View
	1997 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L Timing chain tensioner VIN: 2FMDA5147V Hi guys, working another Sunday for what I don't know... I'm doing the timing cover gasket on this Windstar and the owner wants the timing chain replaced. Can this spring tensioner on the timing chain be reset? If so... How??!! Thanks for the help.	View
	1998 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L fuel gauge VIN: 1FAFP52U6W Please help! I have an Taurus with an inacurate fuel gauge. I replaced the sender with no change. Grounds ck good. The wiring to the gauge is good. I verified the gauge with a resistance box. I cycled the key between each change all is good. 135 is full 20 ohm...	View
	1999 Ford F-250 Super Duty Lariat 6.8L p/s VIN: 1FTNX21S2X Common problem just want to know if any one has a fix. The p/s doesn't have enough power assist when the plow is on and up it is better when I roll and don't have my foot on the brake. I have a few theories but would like to find a quick resolution w/o allot o...	View
	2002 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L No Start VIN: 1FAFP42X22 dear fellows. i have ford mustang 3.8l. intermittenly no start crank ok. it happen only maybe once in week. when this happen keep cranking longer. try two three times. then while crank push accelration padle to start. this information provide by customer. i ha...	View
	1992 Honda Accord EX 2.2L Excessive Emissions VIN: HONDAS7891 Hi all and thanks in advance for the help (sorry about the fake vin didnt have it at home).I have a 92 accord coming in friday that I need to clean egr ports on I have had limited success with chemicles and have always ended up pulling intake. I read a post in...	View
	2000 Mercedes-Benz ML320 3.2L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4JGAB54E8Y Hello guy's I hope you can help me on this one. Begining to look like a problem child and want to get some input before I get too deep. This car used car dealer vehicle so no repair history is available. vehicle came in with complaint of cold hesitation and mi... Trouble codes: P0301, P0304, P0300	View
	1987 Porsche 911 3.2L Excessive Emissions, No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: WBA35765OP Hello Porsche tech, I need some help on this 87 Porsche 911 non-turbo 3.2L with no start problem. Towed in, cranks but no start; it does start only when after sit overnight runs rich, hesitate, surges and dies and no restart. It has spark, fuel pressure, inje...	View
	1998 Subaru Legacy Brighton 2.2L overheating VIN: 4S3BK4259W The customer came to us after a lube place flused her rad complaining of overheating,no prior problems. Another tech in our shop installed a t-stat and water pump,but it came back overheating. I ran it in the shop for an hour with no problems. Good circulation...	View
	1998 Toyota Camry CE 2.2L both front calipers VIN: 4TIBG22K7W Greetings. This is my first time using this great resource! I have been with you for only 3 months and enjoy all the information and help that you all offer. I have not run into this problem before with a diagonal split system. From my diag info it seems to b...	View
	1999 Toyota 4Runner Limited 3.4L engine noise VIN: JT3GN87R8X this truck has a slight knocking noise that comes and goes. seems more so when warm and only at an idel in gear. can isolate noise to front crankshaft area. there is a slight vibration also when the noise is present. any help is welcome!	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1997 Audi A8 3.7L Limp home VIN: WAUAF84D7V Dear IATN members.Last try to keep this trans running had interesting results.I re-coded ABS/ASR CU ,cleared DTC's from trans ECU,cleared trans related DTC's from engine control unit memory, and - miracle - vehicle starts normal at first ign. cycle. I had long...	4
	1998 BMW 740iL 4.4L intake or head gasket VIN: WBAGJ832WD Thanks to all that responded to my question. I am still assuming it is going to be the lower valley pan, Customer will return after he recovers from the 1200. he spent on the suspension. lol	19
	2003 BMW 330i 3.0L starter VIN: WBAEV53433 Well, after beating our heads against the wall for more time than I care to think of, we were finally able to contact the owner and obtain another key. She had recently purchased the car used; the only other keys she had were an unprogrammed master key and the...	11
	1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 5.7L front brakes VIN: 1Z3716S414 Hi, I recieved 20 replies to this request, and all had great advice. The lower control arm bushings are loose,which many had suggested. Most of the bushings on this car are dry rotted also. They will all have to be replaced. What solved the pull for now was sw...	23
	1988 Chevrolet K2500 Cheyenne 5.7L differential VIN: 2GCFK24K6J Well guys, don't know what to tell you. The only thing left was the switch on the transfer case. Ordered a new switch, pulled out the old one, and noted that the connection didn't seem plugged in all the way. Pulled the switch, checked it out seemed okay. The ...	15
	1996 Chevrolet Corsica 3.1L Surge, MIL Lamp on, bucking VIN: 1G1LD55MXT The fix for the corsica was replacing the cam sensor. Circuit 631 the red wire to both the cam and the 24X crank sensors supplies the power. The cam sensor was shorted and took the power from about battery voltage to 3.87 volts. When the cam or crank sensor wa... Trouble codes: P0336.	3
	2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 8.1L Cuts out VIN: 3GNGK23G32 Well there was no easy way of removing the crank sensor. The motor wasn't that hard to pull. We just unhooked everything and hoisted the motor forward about 6-10 inches then drilled a hole in the center of the sensor, then ran a tapcon concrete screw in the br...	3
	1994 Ford F-250 XL 5.8L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1FTHF26HXR well being a trans tech i didnt have all the proper tools and test equipment for driveability concerns but iatn members came to my rescue.it seems that the vacumn gauge i was using wasnt accurate.after doing many of the checks recommened here i was told by num...	18
	1998 Ford F-150 4.2L Cooling Systems VIN: 1FALP5124W dropped tranny and replaced the leaking freeze plugs. Thanks to all that replied. Once again, another 100% satisfied customer.	3
	2001 Ford F-250 Super Duty XL 5.4L Battery Thank you all for your replies Dan, Tuan, Charles, Don and John. The door switches were sticking. Lubed the door latch area, amd slammed the doors a few times. The door switches being stuck on made a .15 amp draw. I checked the draw after an hour of lubing the...	6
	1997 GMC Jimmy SL 4.3L warning lights VIN: 1GKDT13W9V Most replies stated that ignition switch was faulty. Customer declined repairs at this time. Oh well, he didn't pay me now, so he will be paying me later! He is leaving tomorrow to drive to Colorado to go skiing, hope it doesn't fail on him! I failed to mentio...	11
	2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1JXGW48S94 Once again this will close before I comfirm repair. I took Steve from Connecticut suggestion and description of the system of it being a Natural Vacuum Leak Detection (NVLD) systm and plugged the vent, started the vehicle, disconnected the evap solenoid, and s... Trouble codes: P0442.	6
	1998 Lexus SC300 3.0L keyless VIN: JT8BD6859W i recieved 9 replys and thank those that took the time to help! the general concensus was to take it to a dealer or get a scan tool that will program the keyless entry system.	9
	1999 Mercedes-Benz ML430 4.3L Surge VIN: 4JGAB72E2X Thanks to the members that helped me with this one. Mirek offered to bring his dealer scanner over and check the car out for a fee. This would have been a big help. Kenneth suggested that thre trans sensor might be bad. Micheal thought the TPS might be intermi...	3
	2001 Mercedes-Benz C240 2.6L Air Bag VIN: WDBRF61J21 Hello Group. Alexander from Georgia helped us find the problem. The 'Air Bag Light Off' button above the radio which we disconnected while doing diagnostics created the trouble code. It is interesting how Mercedes expresses their trouble codes. Thanks to every...	5
	1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT 3.0L Charging VIN: JA3AM54J1R After checking every wire and circuit related to the alternator, I was wondering why when the key was on I didn't have a battery light on the dash with the key on. The NAPA alt and the part store reb alt would not turn the light on, but testing the circuit did...	2
	2001 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0L Hesitation, Surge VIN: 1G3GS64C81 I was not able to repair this car. Thanks for everyones help but this car was purchased back from the customer. No more work is to be done on this car. Trouble codes: P1599 (stall or near stall detected).	3
	1999 Subaru Forester L 2.5L valve train VIN: JF1FSF6554 First, thank all of you for the very well written responces to this particular dilema. As to why the bolt broke, we'll never absolutely know for sure. There are two large washers, one on each side of the tensioner housing, which must be there. Ours were. The n...	12
	2004 Toyota Camry SE 2.4L Starting VIN: JTDBE30K40 thanks all.i have called a locksmith,he unsolder the immobilizer IC from ECM,use a programer,read and write the immobilizer.those man also can progrom SRS computer for second use ,change odometer reading.this is unsafe,i would not like to contact them again	13
	2003 Volkswagen Golf GTI 20th Anniversary 1.8L hydrolics or Pressure plate VIN: 9BWKE61J53 Several of you asked us to check for correct engine, clutch and trans. All of this appears to be right. The most likely problem is that we may have missed a shim next to the throw out bearing. We are waiting for some open space in the shop to get it back in. T...	9

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