Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Dec 1, 2006

Join Now

Prev	Professional Automotive Repair Technical Discussions for December 1, 2006 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
	2001 Audi Allroad Quattro 2.7L ABS and ESP VIN: WAUYP54B31 Its back, the problem went away for a short while, but has returned. I will summerize our previous efforts with this car, and update with new information. Previous: Problem occurs on a sporatic basis, perhaps 1 or 2 times per week. The ABS light and ESP (Trac...	View
	1996 BMW 740iL 4.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: WBAGJ8323T Hello BMW Techs we are replacing the crankcase ventilation plate at this time but we wanted to retrieve the engine codes, because the check engine light is on,but the scanners will not communicate with the car, we tried the x 431, I scan and generic OBD II sca...	View
	1999 BMW 740i 4.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: WBAGG833XX Checked car over smoked evap system found leak at canister repaired and cleared code light came back on after 2 drive cycles The valve mounted on the oil filter housing is opening and closing on the bench If I check the connection plug I get the noid light on ... Trouble codes: P0443 (Tank Venting Valve)	View
	1999 BMW 528i 2.8L slipping all gears VIN: WBADP6332X Customer just bought this vehicle and drove back from another state. States car was driving fine and he can to stop there was a weird feeling and now transmission slipping all gears. Checked DTC two codes found 100 gear monitoring & 05 magnetic valve main pres...	View
	2002 BMW X5 3.0i 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Surge VIN: WBAFA71062 Dear friends at iA.T.N., This is my nightmare of the year and of course belongs to a very good friend. This 3.0 L Diesel turbo with common rail looses the power of the turbo after driving it up hill for about 20 min and during full load and, a whistling soun... Trouble codes: 1470 (charge-air pressure control)	View
	1995 Buick LeSabre Custom 3.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G4HP52L0S car came in for basic tuneup and check engine light on. light had been on for quite awhile but customer stated the car still ran ok. the only code is [p0341] )cam /crank error... followed diagnostic flow chart and cannot find any problem with circuits or senso... Trouble codes: P0341 (cam/crank error)	View
	2000 Buick Regal LS 3.8L abs VIN: 2G4WB52K9Y Car came into shop Cust. comp. that ABS cme on and off on 3 Diff times for no reason(dry road slow stop)When happens ABS light would come on and so would the SES light. :Last time it happend the car also stalled. Road test Abs did not come one for me, no light...	View
	1997 Chevrolet K2500 Suburban LS 6.5L 1-2, reverse VIN: 3GNGK26F6V got this from another shop in town that rebuilt the trans recently, problem is harsh 1-2 shift, and shudders bad in reverse, in reverse line pressure is low and takes a few seconds then line pressure comes right up, no codes all data looks normal that i can se...	View
	1999 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 5.2L No Start, Stall VIN: 3B7HC13Y6X This 99 Dodge Truck stalls when the engine bay gets warm, specifically I think it is the PCM temp. The PCM gets hot (not super hot, just engine compartment temperature) and shuts down the 5v reference. The gauges die, communication to my scanner is lost, and '...	View
	2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L No Start VIN: 1B4GP44G4Y This customer was in Flordia and while he was there started having problems with a long crank condition much like a fuel system that wont prime. Problem is there is good fuel pressure good spark while its happening. injectors are also pulsing. then once it sta...	View
	2000 Dodge Dakota SLT 5.9L door lock VIN: 187HF16YXY We have a problem child.This actually a Dodge Ram 4x4 truck. The door lock actuators will unlock but will not lock using the remote. Both doors do the same thing.We have tested all electrical connection and all seem fine. We are a little nervous about replacin...	View
	2002 Dodge Stratus 2.4L Unknown Hi guys,I put in a new timming belt and a new design tentioner from the dodge dealer in a 2002 stratus and after reading alldata how to do tention setting and marks ,I ran the engine.The engine runs good and I test drove it, it has good power and no mil lite c...	View
	2003 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 4.7L pcv system VIN: 1D7HU18N83 Hey, I was wondering if anyone could give me some direction on this problem. Now that the temperatures have dropped this truck has a problem that surfaced last year, it has excessive condensation in the crank case and the PCV valve will freeze open, in the oil...	View
	2003 Dodge Grand Caravan ES 3.8L Water Pump VIN: 2D8GP54L83 Hi all. This is a heads up for all you out there. I got this van in and on a basic inspection I found the water pump leaking. I replaced it with a Airtex AW7165, all when well Until i started the engine, i found the pulley was not running true, looked bent. I ...	View
	1995 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L Gasket VIN: 1FALP42T9S Hi there, I am an Automotive Tech student at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff Nebraska. While assembling my engine I am having trouble finding a head gaskets for my car. My car is a 1995 Ford Mustang 5.0, fuel injection, manual tranny. The eng...	View
	1998 Ford F-150 Lariat 4.6L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Misfire VIN: 2FTZX1766W Vehicle has been sitting at our shop approx. 6 months or so, wouldn't start, we found that the fuel pump was bad and it had bad fuel in the tank. Replaced fuel pump and got all of the bad gas out of the tank. Now we have a constant misfire. Replaced plugs, wir...	View
	1998 Ford Taurus LX 3.0L power steering VIN: 1FAFP52S9W power steering quits while driving. turning engine off and restarting solves problem. no leaks, no noise...does not seem to be weather related or due to driving style	View
	2000 Ford Focus SE 2.0L Door latch VIN: 1FAFP36P3Y This vehical came in with the customer stating that the passenger side doors would not open. We confirmed the situiation and proceeded to investigate. After testing we discovred the power door lock actuators in thoses doors were bad. The problem is that we hav...	View
	2000 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L oiul pressure VIN: 1FAFP53U8Y Oil light will occassionally come on hot idling in gear. Car is extremely clean and so is engine, well maintained. Oil pressure is as stated, hot at 2000 RPM is 55 PSI, hot idle in gear 12 PSI. Customer requested oil pump replacement and I explained this may o...	View
	2003 Ford E-350 7.3L Hesitation, Cuts out VIN: 1FTSE34F93 i am hoping a diesel tech can help me here. we are working on a 2003 e-350 diesel, the complaint is lack of power and white smoke from exhaust. when we drive the vehicle and try to accelerate it will shake and lose all power, white smoke will come from tailpip...	View
	1998 Geo prism 2.0L wheel bearings VIN: 1Y1SK528XW We have had to replace right front wheel bearing & hub 3 times in 6 wks. Customer just bought this car recently. We looked it over before and there was no bearing noise. After he had it about 2-3 wks it got real noisy real fast on right front. We replaced hub ...	View
	1996 Honda Civic CX 1.6L Rear brakes VIN: 2HGEJ6328T Hi guys. I need some help on this one. This Civic was sitting on driveway for 11 months. When it came to shop I replaced front brake pads and rotors, machined drums,cleaned and adjusted shoes. In two weeks came back with scrubbing noise comming from rear, not ...	View
	1999 Honda Accord EX 2.3L door locks VIN: 1HGCG5655X This car has been acting up intermittantly. When it acts up it tries to keep the doors locked. Even pulling up on the knob the locks keep trying to lock. The switches dont seem to be sticking. The switches dont even need to be depressed for this to happen. My ...	View
	1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 5.2L No Start, start stall VIN: 1J4GZ58Y4V i have done a search on this ... everything points to antitheft system ... called dodge and they say that it doesn't have it (don't believe them)... also has remote start ... disconnected it) ... tried disconnecting battery and lock unlock with key phob and ke...	View
	1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L whole vehicle VIN: 46WL184524 Hi Fellow Techs, I have in my shop, a 1998 Jeep Cherokee sport that vibrates and growls at 58mph and up, the faster i go the worse it gets. the nose sounds like it is coming from all around, no specific area, and I can't duplicate it on the hoist. The noise do...	View
	2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L all guages VIN: 1J4FF48S2Y I am looking for a second opinion in hopes I am on the right track. On start up the odometer reads and in a few seconds it reads no bus. All guages are out, air bag & check engine lights are on and code P1687 no cluster bus message & P1698 no ccd message from ...	View
	1998 Lexus GS300 3.0L Int. hard start VIN: JT8BD68S0W Car came in with blown head gasket. Customer drove car overheating until it quit running. Pulled head and resurfaced. After repair was completed vehicle ran great. Noticed that it had been run completely out of gas. five dollars did not even move needle off em...	View
	1999 Lexus RX300 3.0L heat VIN: JT6HF1OU4Y this lexus has no heat. all vent controls work as designed, air is great, engine warms up and runs at proper temperature, electronic temp control seems to be working. no heat in any setting. i am a german car guy and don't know much about lexus climate control...	View
	2001 Lincoln Continental 4.6L Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1LNHM97V51 HELP!!! This lincoln is making me bald at arapid pace.The vehicle came in several weeks ago with a misfire complaint.I went into mode 6 and found mis fires on CYL 1,2,3.I pulled plugs and found them worn.I replaced plugs and the 3 coils that had misfires.I tes...	View
	1994 Mercedes-Benz S420 4.2L No Start VIN: WDBGA43ERA car was brought in with a no start condition. customer informed us that it just lost power going up an incline and just stopped running. we pulled codes and found nothing so we ran a fuel test and found everything to be good and in spec. so we moved on to comp...	View
	1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 3.2L Misfire VIN: WBDEA32E6S No injector signal to one injector. The computor is not sending a ground signal. Other injectors are working fine. We've checked all signals and grounds to ecu and they seem to be ok. Now the interesting part of this problem car! The car first came to us a few...	View
	1996 Nissan Maxima GLE 3.0L Unknown VIN: JN1CA21D1T po740 mil is on torque converter clutch check the wiring is good clear the code comes back in 5 min while driving otherwise there is no driving problem any help welcome thanks	View
	2001 Nissan Pathfinder LE 3.5L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JN8DR07Y31 Vehicle has a P0300 stored with check engine light on.Has an intermittant skip.When i first checked it for skip cyl.#4 was not working.Pulled coil and plug.Fired coil on the bench seemed ok.Plugs were worn bad.Replace spark plugs and recheck.Now it seems like ... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random misfire detected), P1300 (Misfire code)	View
	2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue GLS 3.5L headlights VIN: 1G3WX52H61 hi everyone. HELP!!! this vehicle has a problem on cold starts especially. after sitting, you can start the car and the warning lights in the cluster perform bulb check properly. then after going out, the abs, brake, trac off, pcs, and airbag lights come back ...	View
	1993 Plymouth Acclaim 3.0L all dash gauges VIN: 1P3XA4632P customers car quit on road. They turned on emergency flashers until he got it going. Now customer complaining of hazard lights staying on. He pulled fuse to stop them. In the shop the hazards and signals work properly with the koeo. The simptom now is when you...	View
	2003 Saturn Ion-3 2.2L ignition VIN: 1G8AL52F63 To all you great techs and soon to be great techs, we have this 03 ion and it came in for an intermittant no crank/start. this would only happen once or twice a month. after reading the posts in the archives, we decided to replace the ign. switch, electrical...	View
	2000 Toyota Avalon XL 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4T1BF28B9Y OK, before i get too deep into all these codes, I have found some vacuum line problems. On the front motor mount, there is PWM electronically controlled vacuum valve. There are three vacuum lines attached, one out the top that goes to the air intake, the upper... Trouble codes: P0174 (p0440-), P0440 (p0441-), P0441 (p0446-), P0446 (p1150-), P1150	View
	2003 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8L 3-4 shift VIN: LSVCB49F33 This car came in with complaint of 3rd shift could not shift to 4th gear when cold.This often happened when first 5-10 mins after start in the morning .But when it can shift all day long it works ok. Sometimes it can not shift at 40KM/H when hot. Check the cod...	View
	1998 Volvo S70 T5 2.3L engine VIN: YV1LS5342W Volvo S70 that is sucking oil (qt. in 500 miles) is driving me crazy. First saw the car had major oil leak. Found the intake system saturated in oil and the oil leak was from the hose going to the intercooler. Cooler was full of oil. we drained and cleaned the...	View
	1998 Volvo V70 2.4L No Start I have a friends volvo I'm working on trying to figure out a cold start problem. Car may fire up for a few seconds on a cold morning and will then die. It will crank but not fire. After 15-[...] of trying to start it will usually fire and run fine. Apparen...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2001 Audi Allroad Quattro 2.7L abs VIN: WAUYP54B31 Many suggested the ABS module. This is new type, the module is NOT located on the side of the hydralyic block, but instead is located inside the car. Spoke with Gavin at Module Master, he indicated that he does not have the high failure rate with this unit tha...	5
	1997 BMW 328is 2.8L Poor Idle Quality, Surge VIN: WBABG2328V Thanks for help from Dave, Victor, Bruce, Charles and Adalberto. The problem was resolved by cleaning and freeing up a partly stuck open idle air control valve. Mike Trouble codes: 232 (jump time O2 2 cyl 4-6), 230 (control frequency 2 cyl 4-6), 242 (misfire cyl 5), 254 (vent leak large).	5
	1991 Cadillac DeVille 4.9L heat VIN: 1G6CD53B7M well feel kind of dumb here but owell here it goes, pulled all lines apart and blew air through everything all hoses ok no restrictions, when pinching the supply line up to heater tee would blow nice and hot, started searching around and for kicks and giggles ...	15
	2000 Cadillac Escalade 5.7L fuel gauge VIN: 1GYEK63R2Y thanks for the help everyone gave me.. it seams like the buffer in the gauge is the problem, i just havent had time to pull the cluster out yet to verify	10
	1996 Chevrolet Blazer 4.3L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNCT18W4T To all of you that replied..thanks for your input... Can't say which componet of the distributer was faulty... but I swapped the whole unit and vehicle runs fine... Trouble codes: P0300.	22
	2003 Chrysler Voyager LX 3.3L head/tail lmps VIN: 1C4GJ45343 cust will drop car off later date thanks for all the input	9
	2004 Dodge Ram 2500 ST 5.9L No Start, Surge, Stall VIN: 3D7KU28C64 first-thanks to the 4 replies i recieved- especially to matt for sending the voltage/pressure chart- as i stated in the post it had more than one problem- the turbo had spun on the housing and put the waste gate actuator in a bind causing no boost dump- the on...	4
	1996 Ford Contour GL 2.5L airbag light VIN: 1FALP661TK This vehicle has not been repaired. Two of the three replies I received gave info I already had or tried. The third offered to help if I gave more info which I did and never heard back. We own this vehicle so I will just work through it on my own as time allow...	4
	1996 Ford Contour GL 2.0L water pump VIN: 1FALP6530T Well the owner was provided with a repair estimate that was based on the information that was provided here. They took the car to think about the repair and have decided not to fix. The info given was very good and fit right in with what was happening. Several...	9
	1999 Ford F-150 Lariat 4.6L forward gears VIN: 2FTRX17W9X customer picked up vehicle, stated he would take to transmission shop, last time i talked to customer, about a week ago he stated that his son added some type of additive to transmission fluid & was a little better, was not ready to take to transmission shop a...	7
	1999 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.0L Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: 1FMDU34E4X Sorry for taking so [...] to close this help request. The customer picked up the truck and was going to try premium fuel.He called back after a few weeks.Truck still runs rough when cold.I got the truck back and replaced both upper and lower intake gaskets. Alo...	26
	2004 Ford Focus LX 2.3L warning lights VIN: 1FAFP33Z04 I have to appologize for not getting back to everyone sooner. The good news is that we were able to solve the problem. this was my first help request and I am gratefull for everyones help. James from Califoria nailed the problem for us. We removed the cluster ...	7
	2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch 6.0L blowing antifreeze out VIN: 1FTWW31P05 This vehicle is fixxed. Removed heads and found left Gasket blown between cyl 4 and cyl 6,right gasket blown into water jacket on cyl 3 at 5 oclock position. Replaced head gaskets, Egr cooler (per recommendations) and checked turbo actuator. It worked fine. On...	11
	1984 GMC C-7000 7.0L No Start VIN: 1GDJ7D1E8E Thanks to all of the techs that responded to this problem. Many wiring issues because the vehicle is operated in So Cal and gets very hot during the summer. Many wires had to be patched to eliminate those circuits as being suspect, so this was a looonnng proce...	5
	1999 Honda Accord LX 2.3L radiator VIN: 1HGCG6659X Thank you to those of you who replied. After getting permission to pull head, we found nothing wrong. I called customer and told him what several of you who ran into this problem had said. We found a 21k salvage engine and installed it. Car is fixed. Thanks ag...	13
	2006 Honda Pilot EX 3.5L immolbizer VIN: 5FN34FN873 I got it programed after browing a HIM from a friend. the local dealer gave the pcm code with no problem by the time I got the HIM I still used the code given 3 days ago by changing the date on the lap top to the date I got the code. I still could not get a an...	8
	1988 Isuzu Trooper LS 2.6L No Start VIN: JACCH58E4K Customer decide to not fix this truck. There is some good stuff in the replies like us OEM parts, timing is set off of #4 not #1.	6
	1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L Instrument Cluster VIN: 1J4FJ58L5K Only got 4 replies... I thought this problem was more common considering there was a recall/TSB. This cluster has two male connectors built into it and the dash has two sockets captured into it, so the cluster just pulls right out of the dash once the screws...	4
	2006 Mazda 3 i 2.0L power steeri VIN: JM1BK12F76 Had one reply that got this one... as it goes the newer version with the steering angle sensor behind the clock sping uses a different pump and module. the wrong pump will give you a code for the steering angle semsor amd will not program. install the correct ...	6
	1993 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 2.5L leak VIN: WDBEB31E8S Well I have finally got this thing to stop leaking thanks to Danny [...] and Brian. It turned out that the pre combustion chambers were loose. First I replaced all the sealing rings under the injectors,well after doing this the # 6 unjector leak was worse. Da...	8
	1995 Mercury Mystique 2.0L Hesitation, Cuts out VIN: 1MELM6530S Just on a hunch, And having the car lot not be too clear with why they did what they did, combined with the fact that I could unhook the MAF and the problem would dissappear I replaced the MAF The car runs fine. Reinstalling the old MAF causes the problem to r... Trouble codes: P0519.	7
	2003 Nissan Xterra SE 3.3L Power Steering VIN: 5N1MD28YX3 All replies confirmed my suspicion that the gearbox was at fault. Although I haven't had a chance to coordinate with the truck's owner to make the swap, I'm confident that this is a good fix. Thanks for all the help, as always.	4
	2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8L Ign.lock cyl/shifter VIN: 1G2WP52K5Y Hello again and thank you very much for all your input. As it turns out, I traced the power source from the BTSI fuse and found that the ignition switch was to blame. It was intermittently failing to connect power from the Ign. MAIN 1 fuse (40A) to the BTSI fu...	8
	1996 Toyota Corolla 1.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2T1BAC2E1T Transducer or valve or modulator, what ever it is called was leaking vacuum intermitantly. It seams to have a small amount of water from exaust port inside it. I can't dissect it because it is only a couple of weeks old. Thanks for all replies, they motivated ... Trouble codes: P0401.	4
	1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.4L starter VIN: JT3HN86ROV Thanks to all who replied. I removed the starter to bench test it. Same problem. Removed solenoid cover to inspect inside & found feed terminal to starter motor was slightly bent. Turns out the solenoid would pull in but not make contact to starter motor feed ...	11
	1997 Toyota Camry CE 3.0L rear defog VIN: 4T1BF22K5V Thanks to Paul, Glen and Wayne for responding to this request. It turned out that the blue wire at terminal 4 did not have power from fuse #20. We made the mistake of checking power to this at the relay instead of at the switch directly. We then followed the h...	3
	2002 Toyota Tundra SR5 4.7L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 5TBBT44142 Well this one is gone but not fixed. !5 replies. Lots of you pointed out that the compression reading I posted was low. I retested with a different gauge and the compression was 155psi.(ok). Threw away the other old gauge. Many great ideas for testing pcm, inj... Trouble codes: P0301.	15
	2002 Toyota Camry SE 2.4L fill valve (ORVR) VIN: 4T1BE32K82 thanks to the 3 techs that took time to help me on this they were right on! the canister I had to compare was off a 99 and its non-invasive my 02 is invasive it wasnt an acurate comparasson thats what got me off track. I sure would have thought it would have b...	3
	2003 Toyota RAV4 2.0L Stall VIN: JTEHH20V43 Problem was a 'not locked' connector on the fuse block beside the battery positive terminal. There is two big connectors with two wires each. As one of them was not locked, sometimes it would cause a contact problem, very hard to duplicate. I discovered it b...	7
	1990 Volkswagen Golf GTI 8-Valve 1.8L No Start VIN: 3VWDK21G4L Thank you everyone for the information. I replaced the ignition switch, but it still would not start. Still only had injector pulse when releasing the key. Luis nailed it. The car has a antitheft alarm. I completely removed it after replacing the ingtion switc...	14
	2001 Volkswagen Passat GLX 2.8L Heater VIN: WVWBH63B21 Hi Group Thanks for the great response. The replies were pretty much split between plugged heater core or bad waterpump, once I realized how easy it was to flush the heater core I did that first and guess what? It was full of fine grit and what looked like s...	13
	2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9L lack of power VIN: 3VWSP69M01 We have to close this one because iATN tells me that the time has run out. We have not fixed this car yet. We decided to send the injection pump to an injection pump service shop and have not heard back yet. When we get this fixed I will try to add a fix updat...	13

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