Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for May 6, 2006

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	Help Request	Answers
	1984 Buick Regal T-Type 3.8L engine VIN: 1G4AK4790E Ok, to those who think they have had the "hell" car... here's one that you may send me flowers and condolences. This T-Type came from an auction. It was purchased by a local auto sales that sent the car to me for a high idle and a lack of power (not too bad, j...	View
	1990 Chevrolet Lumina Euro 3.1L No start VIN: 2G1WN14T7L This car has a cranks ok, but no start problem. No injector pulse, good spark. The scan data shows the computer has a rpm signal when cranking (250rpm), good fuel pressure, and all other sensors appear to be right on the money. The possitive side of the inject...	View
	1997 Chevrolet K1500 Suburban 5.7L lines VIN: 3GKFK16RXV good afternoon fellow iatn members. surely some one else has ran into this. this customer blew the low side line running from the front of the vehicle to the rear. when attempting to remove the line from rear evap core fitting, all the threads came with it. i ...	View
	1999 Chevrolet Tahoe LS 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNEK13R7X Engine misfires at idle does not misfire [...] rpm. fuel pressure is below spec. , but pump was previously replaced. Compression checks out ok at all cyls. Removed the egr cleaned the pintle and passage. The #3 cyl acted up during an injector balance test.... Trouble codes: P0304, P0300	View
	1994 Chrysler Concorde 3.5L dash VIN: 2C3EL56FXR Hi, this one got me running in circles. Sanner shows two code 66 no body ccd massages and 66 no eatx ccd massages received. Guy drove it in to shop and only complainte was no gauges. You can start it and fuel,temp & tach work for a few second then drop and air...	View
	1996 Chrysler Concorde LX 3.5L No Start VIN: 2C3H056F2T car was towed in , died while driving . i hooked up scaner, noid light, fuel pressure guage and spark tester . no coeds , ckp ok and cmp ok and sync all ok , noid light flashs ,fuel press.45 psi , found no spark while cranking. run trouble shooter on system ti...	View
	2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 5.2L Mechanical VIN: 3B7HC12Y8Y This all started as a low oil pressure when hot. Help my uncle put oil pump in about a month ago. Was ok for about a day. Lost oil pressure again and took out a lifter. Let uncle use shop while I went on vacation. He replace oil pump again, oil pump pick up tu...	View
	1991 Ford F-250 Custom 7.3L Binds in reverse VIN: 1FTHX26M0M To solve problem, but so far but without success, the transmission case (from an 89 case to a 92 case), valve body, separator plate, center support, gaskets, and solenoid pack have been replaced, and the checkball locations have been confirmed. No success. Bin...	View
	1997 Ford Crown Victoria LX 4.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2FALP74W4V hey guys...thanx to all in advance...vehicle came for failed emission test due to MIL on...no readings the smog tech just told customer its an automatic fail...customer took vehicle to local Ford dealer where they replaced intake manifold due to coolant leak..... Trouble codes: P0171 (bank 1 system too lean), P0174 (bank 2 system too lean)	View
	2001 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTRW07W01 Sorry, I forgot to bring the code number with me. Throttle position sensor voltage too high. When code was cleared it came back within a couple of minutes driving. Couldn't find anything wrong with tps but replaced it any way. Long test drive later and no ligh...	View
	2004 Ford Focus LX 2.3L engine oil VIN: 1FAFP34244 hi everyone, got this 04 focus in with water in oil.it has no oil cooler.has anyone seen this,i hate to just assume the head gasket is leaking.have been unable to reproduce any symptoms of a leak.thanks for your replys	View
	1987 GMC R2500 High Sierra 6.2L Coolant VIN: 1GTGR24J3H Hello, This truck has motor oil in it's cooling system. Customer stated she was experiencing a squeeling noise from the engine on start-up, and for a minute or two thereafter. She said someone listening under the hood during the noise had identified the noise ...	View
	2002 GMC Yukon Denali 6.0L abs pump VIN: 1GKEK63U62 I got this GMC truck that the L/F wheel bearing was replaced due to worn out,before we changed the bearing the customer said the abs would kick in when slowing down driving at 15 km,after the bearing replacement it did the same thing you hear the abs pump kick...	View
	1992 Honda Accord EX 2.2L 2-1 downshift VIN: 1HGCB7673N Hellow group! This vehicle is my sisters car and it came in to my shop for regular service. I took it for a road test and happen to notice about 80% of the time I came to a stop the vehicle will take off in second gear instead of first gear. I brought this to...	View
	1993 Infiniti G20 2.0L 3-4 shift VIN: JNKCP01D0P customer complaint, car would not go into overdrive,verify complaint,check fluid,dirty.trans was not serviced for approx 70,000 miles.after servicing trans,problem still exist.replace trans with a used one.this trans camefrom a nissan sentra and it fits well,b...	View
	1996 Lincoln Town Car 4.6L rear air suspension VIN: 1LNLM81W7T two months ago, i inspected this vehicle with the air suspension light on. found two fuses blown. replace fuses, perform auto test and function test. all system pass but during road test light came back on. reinspect system and found air compressure running fo...	View
	2001 Lincoln LS 3.9L SRS light ON VIN: 1LN012N003 Hi there! I have this 2001 Lincoln LS 3.9L with SRS light ON. Sorry for VIN#. The light is flashing code 36 and using my OTC I've pulled code B1994. Driver's air bag high resistance. It is possible to have a bad air bag? Car has'n been involved in any collisio...	View
	2001 Mazda Millenia 2.5L Poor Idle Quality VIN: JH1TA22161 This vehicle came in with a check engine light on p0400 egr malfunction code . We cleaned carbon from the ports and the throttle body plates . everything seemed ok but customer is saying ever since then the idle does wierd things such as it will intermitantly ...	View
	1994 Mercedes-Benz S420 4.2L Hesitation VIN: WDBGA3E1RA This is a strange problem, maybe a Mercedes tech has seen this one. Vehicle runs normally in park, engine revs smoothly, when try to accelerate from a dead stop it is almost good at a very light throttle, normal throttle it goes to about 1500-1800RPM and bogs ...	View
	1987 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 5.0L starter VIN: 2MEBM74F8H The starter stays engaged unless the battery cable is disconnected. We have replaced the starter, starter relay, battery cables, ignition switch several times. Each time we replace the components, the car is fixed for about a week. The car is then towed back i...	View
	1991 Mercury Sable GS 3.0L Starting VIN: 1MECM50U5M This vehicle came in on the hook cranks but won't start. Customer has replaced the coil, ignition module, and told me to replace the pickup in the distributor I did and the car still has no spark, I went back and checked everything he did and it was all done p...	View
	1999 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0L steering VIN: 1G3GR62C3X steering wheel shakes at 60 to 75 mph	View
	2000 Oldsmobile Bravada 4.3L drivetrain VIN: 1GHDT13W1Y this vehicle vibrates or is binding on slow left turns only. no noise from front axle shafts or suspension. we've check for technical bulletins and other related issues on iatn and identifix still have no answers. any help would be gratefuel.	View
	1986 Porsche 944 2.5L oil pressure VIN: WPOAA0945F Thanks in advance from anybody that can help, especially Porshce techs. Customer recently bought this 944 with a leaking water pump. I replaced the pump and timing belt, found the cam off by 1 tooth, balance shafts each off by 2 teeth. Car ran well upon comple...	View
	2001 Saab 9-5 Aero 2.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: YS3ED48L91 This Saab is coming back in, this coming Tuesday for the same code which is P1181 Mfr Ctrlled Fuel & Air Metering (too lean). The first time it came in the fuel trims looked good at idle and cruising down the road (Fuel trims are + or - 5 % either idle or crui... Trouble codes: P1181 (Mfr Ctrlled Fuel Air metering too lean)	View
	2004 Toyota Sienna LE 3.3L noise i see a costomer drives seinna 3.3L complaint about knocking or pinging noise under light load between 1000 to 2000. i test drove the car i heard the noise but i can't tell what causes it. not just seinna, alot of 3.3l with vvti system seems to make the common...	View
	2000 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.8L Cooling Systems hey guys! thanks in advance to anyone who replies.i have a 00 volkswagon jetta 2.8l.the customer drove in complaining of overheating and coolant loss.i found a bad head gasket leaking right by the motor mount.i changed the head gasket and also new waterpump,th...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1998 Audi A6 Quattro 2.8L bleeding VIN: WAUBA24B1W good morning; this car is gone, but i dont feel like the brake pedal is as good as it should be. however the car stops fine. all the bleding replies were allready done. i even borrowed a special bleeder (phenix something or other) and bled it up from the b...	7
	1998 BMW 740iL 4.4L starter VIN: WBAGJ8323W finally had a little time to take vehicle to an independent bmw specialist...after about 1 hr...they call me up & tell me to pick vehicle up that its ready...charge $75 for recoding amplifier...in short summary... new amplifier $1200.00 diagnostic fee at BMW d...	5
	1990 Chevrolet R1500 Suburban Silverado 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1GNER16K8L Sorry it has taken me so long to post a fix for this truck! It is hard working on a vehicle that is at someone else's shop twenty miles down the road. Upon inspection of the engine, found that it had been running for most of it's life on straight water...no ...	22
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L warning lights VIN: 1GCEK19T12 found the problem to be a spice block problem that is located 6' behind the headlight switch secured to the wiring harness.it had heated up and came loose enough to cause problem.it is a connector to the computor data line between the ecm,bcm and ipc.	8
	1996 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Sliding door VIN: 2B4GP44R8T Well I Received one answer before I had to attack this vehicle, any two the next morning. I ended up disassemling the main latch at the rear of door [die grinder quickly removed rivet heads]as I had a new latch to compare to.Since I found no connection to the ...	4
	2000 Dodge Intrepid 2.7L engine VIN: 2B3HD46R9Y Thanks for all the suggestions. In short, disconnected cam sensor to start, plugged sensor back in while running and drove about 15 miles. RPM was limited to 2500 rpm due to cam sensor code. Stopped, cleared codes, left sensor plugged in and it started. My gue...	8
	1995 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L abs VIN: 2FMDA5141S The rear speed sensors were corroded enough to increase the gap causing the signal to drop out at very low speeds. Wilfred and Norm were excatly right. Thank for the help.	22
	1997 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.0L Mechanical VIN: 1FMDU32EXV thanx to all those that replied...everybody mentioned the special cam tool kit..but special thanx goes out to Techman who send me an OTC part # 6488 & even told told me where to buy it at a reasonable price at carquest $189.95 + tax.Life is much easier when u ...	9
	1998 Honda Accord EX 2.3L Cuts out I want to thank everone that took time out from their busy day to help with my problem. The fix turned out to be a defective TPS! You guys are great and the experience on Iatn is unbelievable! Thanks again. -Dave	8
	2002 Hyundai Santa Fe LX 2.7L Unknown VIN: KM8SB82B91 performed vaccum test low vaccum found front cqat cracked in half replace front cat performed road test and performance test all is ok thank for the help	5
	1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.7L Front Differential VIN: 1J4GW68NXX Well I installed a used differential to get this vehicle to go away. I tried a ring gear set and still could not get the noise out of it. I am wondering if it is possible that the Vari-Loc Plenum on the side of the carrier could cause this noise but I did not ...	18
	1999 Land Rover Discovery SD 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: SALJY1242X Three responses suggested likely vapor leak. I've checked for leaks a number of times on this vehicle with no success. Part of the problem is that code only occurs occasionally, every few months. I've discussed gas cap/fueling warnings with customer more than ... Trouble codes: P1447 (Evap canister vent valve performance).	3
	1995 Lincoln Continental Diamond Anniversary 4.6L 1-2 shift VIN: 1LNLM97V4S Most of the replies said the 1-2 accumulator spring is the most likely problem, after proving to myself you can't do that in the car, I removed the subframe, exhaust, and trans. When I got the chain cover off, the all accumulator springs were good and the pist...	13
	1996 Mercedes-Benz E300 3.0L A/C system VIN: WDBJF20FXT I want to thank all of you for your help, especially Steve [...], who hit it dead on!! The electric fan assembly purchased by my customer shop from world-pak was wired backwards. The wiring at the connector matched by color with the other fan and the vehi...	9
	2000 Mercedes-Benz A140 1.4L srs VIN: WDB1680312 Thank you for all the usefull information i received about the srs modul. I sent the car to mercedes benz and i am waiting for them to fit a new modul. I am waiting to hear back from them.	3
	2001 Mercedes-Benz ML430 4.3L rear suspension VIN: 4JGAB72E91 I thought I had closed this before, it must not have taken.:) Thanks to all and I will remember all the posts when dealing with this model again. I don't know if greasing the ball joint in previous vehicles eventually worked (it didn't work in the time I still...	7
	1993 Mercury Grand Marquis LS 4.6L No Start, Poor Idle Quality VIN: 2MELM75W9P Finally pulled the fuel pump relay to let the fuel rail run dry. Then put pump relay back and cycled the key to put fuel pressure in the rail. Pulled the plugs and sniffed in the holes for raw fuel with 4 gas and found a leaky injector. Thanks for all the quic...	11
	2002 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.4L starter VIN: 1G2NF52E02 Well this one is done. After receiving a number of replies and I attacked a number of things, the problem turned out to be chafing through the wiring loom and 2 wires broken. I repaired them, soldering a piece in, and everything is back to working great. I rec...	5
	1986 Toyota MR2 GT 1.6L Mechanical VIN: JT2AW1501G Customer tells me that diconnecting the parking brake solved 80% of the problem. A new parking brake cable has been order. Thanks to eveyone who replied.	9
	1998 Toyota Camry CE 3.0L Cuts out VIN: 4T1BF22K0W thanks for the replies as many of you said the egr valve was the problem. No more problems since replacing	8
	1999 Toyota Tacoma DLX 2.4L compressor VIN: 4TAVL52N3X Thanks to all who responded. Problem was 2 fold. 1) aftermarket expansion valve was of different style. Replaced with oe unit and system started to take freon and stabilize.2) Apparently these low volume systems are really sensitive to a low charge. I forced 2...	16

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