Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Nov 24, 2006

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	Help Request	Answers
	1996 Acura RL 3.5L heater core VIN: JH4KA9644V Hi I have this Acura that when idleing for an time like 10-15 minutes. The heater is luke warm. But as some you get moving or rev up the heater works great. Cleaned heater core and replace stat. Removed heater hoses to see the flow not happening at idle, but...	View
	1998 Acura CL 2.3L No Start VIN: 19UYA3149W this car will not start...tested car for no start and found no injector pulse but does have spark...car sat for a year while customer was out of town...customer replaced fuel pump thinking it was bad...both codes p1362 and p1382 will set while cranking car. la... Trouble codes: P1362 (tdc sensor signal missing), P1382 (cyp sensor signal missing)	View
	2001 Acura CL Premium 3.2L Steering Wheel Vehicle came in for a steering wheel shake. At all speeds, accel or decel does not effect. Comes on at slower speeds (15 mph) on up and gradually gets better, but NEVER goes away. I rebalanced the wheels, test drove. Shake still there. Rotated tires, no effe...	View
	1994 Audi RS2 2.3L Immo VIN: WACZZZ8CZR Hello Sometimes immobilizer mil will be on (blinking). Engine will start and stall. VAG immobilizer code 01176 (key - sporadic: signal too low) My problem is I don´t know this system and I did not find complete information/wiring diagrams about this immobi...	View
	1998 Audi A6 Quattro 2.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: WAUBA24B7W Hoping somebody can give me insight here. This car is in for mil lamp and regular checkup. This secondary air injection system seems to be operating normally. I have checked flow at the pump (per tsb for clogging of injection pumps and O2 codes that I have pul... Trouble codes: P1129, P1127, P1141, P0411 (Sec. air injection system), P1139	View
	2002 Buick Rendezvous CX 3.4L hvac VIN: 3G5DA03E72 This car has very little air flow through the vents in the dash while in the heat position but ok through floor and defrost. While in the cold position, flow is ok through all settings, including dash vents. Our scanner can't communicate with the hvac module, ...	View
	1990 Chevrolet Camaro Iroc-Z 5.0L Cuts out, Misfire, Stumbles VIN: 1G1FP33F6L Hi, I am posting this for a friend. This problem child has a big flat spot when you step on the gas. It has a new fuel pump installed. The TPS and MAP have been checked with a lab scope and no drop outs have been found, Fuel pressure was withing specs, also th...	View
	1997 Chevrolet Express 1500 5.0L radio dsplay VIN: 1GBFG15MXV After repairs were made . There was no display on the radio. Replaced fuse antena works up and down . relearn procedure was tried . All that happens is the volumn is real loud then fads away . The radio has no lights or display . It seems that the theift lock ...	View
	1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS 3.1L Misfire VIN: 2G1WW12M3V I am having trouble with this car. The check engine light is on with a multiple missfire code. As you drive the car the engine light flashes aswell. When you watch the missfire counters cylinder #4 shows a miss. It is not severe enough for you to feel the engi... Trouble codes: P0300	View
	1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34 3.8L Engine Fire VIN: 2G1WX12K7W Customer came in to get his headlight bulb changed. I changed the headlight and the customer went to leave, he started his car with a remote starter. 5 seconds later an explosion was heard and the engine compartment was engulfed in fire. The upper plastic inta...	View
	2000 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2L Misfire VIN: 1G1JC124XY Hi guys, we have a cavilier from hell. this car came in with a skip under load. had a code for #1 cyl. miss fire. driving car looking at misfire data and car skipping shows no misfires. replaced plugs and wires. checked coils--ok grafted module-crank sensor, m...	View
	1997 Ford F-150 XL 4.2L Valve Lifters VIN: 1FTDX1724V Hello All, I have not had the joy of working on many of these awesome designed engines and know most all of the pitfalls from reading the archives. Question is what in the world is all of the free play between the push rods, lifters and rocker arm when the lif...	View
	1998 Ford Explorer XL 4.0L Leaking VIN: 1FMZU34X7W Hello. I got this explorer OHV because the car is overheating and using coolant. I am pretty sure it may be head gaskets but was hoping maybe the intake gaskets are bad which would save me some time and customer some expense. I looked in the archives to see if...	View
	1998 Ford E-350 Econoline Club Wagon XLT 5.4L No Start VIN: 1FBSS31LXW Had a 1998 E250 towed in for a no start. Upon getting to the shop it started up, ran great. Drove around the block & into shop. Would not restart. It was late in the day so didnt get to far. Next morning same exact thing. Started right up, ran good, then would...	View
	1998 Ford E-150 Econoline 4.2L Hesitation, Cuts out, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FT8E1427W Hey Ford tech's, I got a doozy.This 1998 E-150 with a 4.2 came to me after engine rebuild.Had a terrible spark knock and lack of power.Engine rebuilder stated spark knock was there before engine rebuild.I found spark plugs improperly gapped and bad connection ... Trouble codes: 1747 (epc circuit failure)	View
	1999 Ford F-250 Super Duty Lariat 7.3L Pads, Rotors VIN: 1FTNX21F5X Please help! This truck came in for a brake pull to the left about a week ago. Another tech diagnosed it as needing new pads, rotors, calipers, and hoses. I installed all the parts on his day off, so I'm stuck with it now. The pull has not changed since all th...	View
	2000 Ford Windstar 3.8L Forward VIN: 2FMZA5043Y Vehicle has reverse, but no forward, however in D2, the transmission does try to pull forward, but does not fully engage, transmission was working fine until concern ocurred. I was wondering if someone could point to what the actual cause may be, before I remo...	View
	2001 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L a/c compressor VIN: 1FMPU16L81 a/c blows warm. check and found a/c compressor only comes on when brake is depressed. same for backup lights does not work till brake pedal is depressed. found fuse 5 burnt.customer neede car back so will reschedule.	View
	2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch 6.0L blowing antifreeze out VIN: 1FTWW31P05 This is probably for dealer techs. Based on this data I am inclined to replace head gaskets. Question is,has anyone had luck with the updated gaskets or would engine replacement be better? Also it seems that removing cab would be the route to go (I would if 7....	View
	1989 GMC S15 Jimmy 4.3L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1GKCT1826K ok, this thing has got me over a barrel. it runs rough when cold then smoothes out when fully warm (not when it goes into close loop),around 170f.it will still have a slight hesitation at tip in,but, runs fine after warmed up.i can't see the smoking gun on my ...	View
	1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L noise VIN: 1J4FF68SXX This jeep belongs to my son. On cold start-up there is a dry bearing type noise that I thought was coming from one of the pullys. After the engine warms up the noise does go away. I removed the belt and started the engine and the noise persisted. As i listened...	View
	2000 Mercedes-Benz S500 Guard 5.0L radio/cell phone VIN: WDBNG75J9Y Hi Everyone, I could use some help on this problem I'm having with this Benz. Customer had 4 large flower vases on her rear seat that tipped over and flooded the right rear side. A week later, she brought it in to us because of a draw problem. I found that th...	View
	2000 Mercury Grand Marquis LS 4.6L Cuts out VIN: 2MEFM75WXY this car will misfire, and eventually shut down, the system is designed to do so when overheating is detected, however the car is not overheating. we tested the cylinder head temp sensor and circuit and found ok. we then replaced the ecm with a new unit and ha...	View
	1993 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: JN1HJ01C7P Nissan Techs, "HELP" This vehicle is very nice and clean and one fine day the owner decided to shampoo the Engine and he regrets the day cause the vehicle never ran right after that. I checked every thing, there was moist here and there and I did as much as I ...	View
	1995 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0L Engine VIN: 1G3GR62C05 Car initially was running rough, at times would not go over 30 mph. Found fuel pressure to be low. Regulator & fuel pump replaced. No signs of coolant problem at the time. Car came back within a week , died while driving , and was smoking coolant smoke. Found ...	View
	2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue GLS 3.5L Starting/theft system VIN: 1G3WX52H1Y Car came in and stopped running when it got here with instrument panel light flashing and theft deterrent system light on. Checked for codes and it had a code of B2960 at this time. I replaced the lock cylinder assembly which was worn out, you could pull the k...	View
	1996 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3.8L Stall VIN: 2G3WE4748T this is my car have a problem lately car drives fine drive for an hour shut off then restart and car just dies. its losing spark but has injector pulse. when i changed the maf the ran great for a week then same prblem occurs. only code is crank sensor code. so...	View
	2004 Pontiac Grand Am GT 3.4L Steering VIN: 1G2NW52E93 Customer came in complaint is loss of power steering..the steering gets stiff at times...i have no expierienced this. Do these cars have the speed sensative steering? or bad preasure hose problems? I checked fluid levels and for leaks and any other abnormaliti...	View
	1999 Saab 9-5 2.3L Twice module VIN: YS3EF4823X I'm hoping you saab guru's can help! One of my techs is replacing the Twice module due to water intrusion from a/c drains and a sun roof drain disconnected.We got a used Twice mod and key from gold wing used saab parts. The key was of different style but tech ...	View
	2003 Subaru Forester X 2.5L No Start VIN: JFISG63663 Hello Friend, I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving, mine was nice I have this 2003 Subaru Forester 2.5 liter single cam, that quit on the owner and will not start, the can was tow to my shop, when I try to start, it seem to clank like the timing bel...	View
	2003 Toyota Camry SE 2.4L MIL Lamp on, Will not accelerate VIN: JTDBE32K03 Vehicle was towed in after customer was driving on interstate and went to accelerate when the car just lost power and coasted to a stop & would not accelerate. Customer stated vehicle did not stall. Check engine light came on immediately. Code P2102 was in mem... Trouble codes: P2102 (Throttle actuator control motor circuit low)	View
	1998 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 3VWRF81H2W this vehicle runs poorly when cold. in colder ambient temps the vehicle starts hard and runs rough for a few minutes then seems to run ok after brief warm up. the only recurring code is the p0303. we checked the coolant and intake air temp sensors when the car... Trouble codes: P0303 (clyinder 3 misfire)	View
	2000 Volkswagen Passat 4 Motion 2.8L all gear VIN: WVWUH23B1Y i have a problems in this car , the transmission sometime lose the pressure, no move any range,no forward and reverse. i repair the transmission , i found forward, 4/5 gear burnt. i fix it by replacing the damages parts .now, i dont have aplication on any rang...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1999 Audi A4 1.8L Hesitation VIN: WAUCB28D5X Thanks for your time guys. I stated that the boost pressure regulator was replaced before we got this vehichle. I removed inlet hose and saw marks on the waste gate rod as if someone had turned the adjustment so I decided to adjust it my self. I found that it ...	6
	2000 BMW 740iL 4.4L brake rotor VIN: WBAGH834XY There were a number of veteran techs that replied to this informal survey and gave excellent answers. For the most part, the replies and opinions were studied, fair and balanced answers. My humble formulated policy regarding Brembo rotors will be as follows: I...	16
	2002 Buick Century Custom 3.1L tcc VIN: 2G4WS52J32 Thanks to all that replied. The pressure control solenoid seems to be the problem with this car. However the customer declined to repair the car or let us diagnose it any further. So...I guess on this one we will never know for sure, but it looks like most of ...	7
	1994 Chevrolet K3500 6.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GTHK33F8R checked with local GM dealer for updated prom - non. Got used ECM from wreckers and so far no codes. ECM No. - [...] Thanks to all who replied! Trouble codes: 36 (injector pulse width - long response time).	4
	1997 Chevrolet Tahoe LS 5.7L battery VIN: 1GNEK13R5V OK guys finaly this pain in the neck is done . what i found out was a bad bcm that would just wake up intermitently i actualy caught it in the act while watching the dvom , once i was able to see the spike of roughly 800ma i decided to unplug the bcm and let i...	6
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 6.6L No Start, Surge, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GCHK29142 Sorry for the late close, but wanted to make sure it was fixed, what i found was the bleeder on top of the filter head was loose and sucking in air when turned off, as far has the code u1800 i think when the engine turns over with out starting it will set this... Trouble codes: U1800.	6
	1997 Chrysler Cirrus 2.5L no start VIN: H7VN571867 Thank you all for your insight, i wish i had a lab scope here i could have found that the cam sensor was intermittently shorting out. thanks especially to Dwayne, Chris, Craig, Zbigniew, Jeffery and Paul, you were all dead on with the faulty distributor. i rep...	26
	2001 Chrysler Town & Country Limited 3.8L p.s pump VIN: 2C8GP64L31 Almost everyone said the same thing,replace the reservoir.I replaced it this morning and let it sit outside all day.After about 4 hours and some crossed fingers I started the van.No noise!Although it wasn't very cold today(about 40),I think it's fixed.Thanks f...	13
	1996 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Stall VIN: 2B4GP44R3T well many of you were right the iac was sticking shut causing a stall..clean throttle plate did relearn put iac in customer took and not been back so far..thanks for the replies.	10
	1997 Dodge Avenger ES 2.5L no power VIN: 4B3AU52N7V More info on this vehicle. from car lot bought at auction.Exhaust was dropped no restriction.Checked everything I can think of. all replies stated either dist or exhaust plugged. I tend to think distributor all along but dealer did not want to try new distribu...	11
	1998 Dodge Caravan SE 3.3L Speedo,Tach VIN: 1P4GP45R8W First the detail in the information I had asked for was great,thanks.When the dash went blank again the van would start and stall 3 times then no start,I went back to archives this time with a search for no start and found many fixes for my problem.I checked v...	5
	2005 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1FMPU16505 thanks for all the replys,everyone suggested to replace the fuel injectors and that fixed the problem. thanks again to everyone for your help.	16
	1998 GMC K1500 Sierra SL 5.7L Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 2GTEK19R5W I'd like to thank everyone for some of the great ideals for hard mileage. Believe it or not it boils down to the driver. I talked to his father and he even said that he has 2 speeds, idle and full throttle. When I went for a road test with him, it was a scary ...	16
	1999 GMC Sierra 1500 SL 5.3L batt light,fuelgauge,gear shift indicator, VIN: 2GTEK19T5X fuses & grounds were good. found problem to be short to voltage inside transfer case control module sending 5 volt reference signal down the buss to other modules & causing erratic operation of several items.	4
	1997 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 4.6L heater/air- fuse VIN: 2MELM74W6V Dear members, thanks for your replies but I have checked on the replies to no avail and need to investigate in the future more info. The customer has not returned for more help and can not supply additional info. to the members. Thanks for all the support.	4
	1999 Mercury Mystique GS 2.0L lighting,igntion switch functions VIN: 1MEFM6530X I am at this time going to consider this car fixed. I still was not able to duplicate the conditions that would blow this fuse. After reading over the post from Tom on the number of chafing issues, I still was not able to find any suspect areas that would even...	4
	1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT 3.0L No Start VIN: JA3XD64E8N thanx again for al the replies, the problem was the ecm along, the rePAIR FACILITY took two attempts to fix it and finnally got it right (ill never use them again) as usual iatn is the best tool in mi box!!!	11
	1990 Nissan skyline 3.0L clutch many thanks to all that responded-have clutch on order ,customer happy.sorry for the delay in closing this post,haven't had access to a computer for over a week.	7
	1995 Nissan Maxima GLE 3.0L Stall VIN: JN1CA21D5S i cleaned the throttle plate it was full of carbon drove it 30 miles runs great thanks for all help	4
	1996 Nissan Maxima GLE 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: JN1CA21D8T sorry. i got good info but customer took back to dealer before i recived any replies. Trouble codes: P0136 (o2 sensor b1s2 voltage high.).	4
	1997 Nissan Sentra GLE 1.6L No Start VIN: 1N4AB41D5V thanks to all who helped, we replaced the distributor and cured the problem. Trouble codes: P1320.	8
	1978 Other European Silver shado 412CID Upper blend door The part I could not identify turns out to be called a'socket chain'(if I only knew proper English!) As it turns out, the temp. controller gears being split was the problem. The reason the fascia vents would not work after replacing the controller was because ...	9
	1995 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.6L Cuts out VIN: WPOCA2996S First I want to thank all the Porsche guru's that took the time to reply to my request. I am going to call this a fix but the nature of this problem was so intermittent that to be 100% sure will take several months. My experience with cars with broken distribu...	12
	1988 Subaru GL 1.8L No Start VIN: JF2AN53BX5 The fix on this car was to make a new harness between the ECU and distributor, it was shorted to ground and I could not locate the short.	8
	2001 Subaru Forester L 2.5L harsh shift VIN: JF1S63562H gave customer estimate for tear down and inspect. customer decided to sell vehicle . thanx guys	5
	2004 Volkswagen Golf GTI VR6 2.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 9BWDH61J44 I really opened a can of worms here. But aren't most EVAP problems? I got 8 replies, and about 6 different suggested fixes, depending on your interpretation. Among the most logical (to me) were 1)a crack in the canister from the accident, either along the seam... Trouble codes: P0455 (Large leak in evap system).	9
	1994 Volvo 850 2.4L Heater Blower runs at all times with key off. VIN: YV1LS5527R Many thanks to all who responded, but especially to Frank [...] who hit the nail right on the head when he suggested that the plugs from the high blow relay and the blower motor plugs had been swapped...(crazy that 2 plugs in close proximity would be interchan...	4
	2003 Volvo S40 1.9L Power Assist VIN: YV1VS27533 Thank you all for your help with this problem. As almost all of the replies indicated, is was a problem with the vacuum valve. The replacement valve and hose assembly was stocked at the dealer, and after just a few minutes, the car was fixed. Just a quick note...	7

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