Prev iATN Members TechHelp for May 23, 2008
Automotive Technical Exchange for the Automotive Repair Professional		 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
1999 Acura TL 3.2L left headlamps
vehicle came in with left lamp burned out. system has the 25000 volt system. not very familiar with system. replaced bulb, and it burned out in a few minutes. there is an inverter, or ballast in line inside the bulb cover. cannot retrieve any related body code...		 View
2002 Acura TL 3.2L Excessive Emissions, MIL Lamp on
Honda/Acura techs, some help is needed! There is a reoccuring P1457 code for evap leak cannister side. Both of the solinoids (purge control solinoid and the cannister purge solinoid have been replaced) and we still have a reoccuring code. All lines appear to ... Trouble codes: 1457 (Evap leak cannister system).		 View
1993 BMW 325is 2.5L Hesitation, Cuts out
Hello all hope everyones week is good, For all the BMW techs out therte I have a strange one. I have a 1993 bmw 325is that has a hesitation under a load and when warm. notice that the other day while driving it I made a left turn and the lights on the dash cam...		 View
1999 Buick LeSabre 3.8L Cuts out
got this buick that cuts out intermittenly the first day i ran it several hours with nothing doing,i then road tested it and it did cut out.it starts right back up with no problems.i let it run again in the shop for almost two hours with the scope hooked on th...		 View
1973 Chevrolet NOVA 350CID alternator
unsure of how to correctly wire in new alternator from 2 wire to 4 wire set up. i have had conflicting instructions on how to wire in correctly so as not to damage the internal regulator and to also turn off the alternator warning light in the dash. thouhgt i ...		 View
1988 Chevrolet S10 2.5L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall
Hope someone can offer some insite on a crazy one. This truck was brought to us by a long time customer for a pre purchase inspection. It is an extra vehicle and gets driven maybe 3-4 times a year the last few years. Had not been driven in a couple of months w...		 View
1992 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7L No Start
Car came for no start .When car is cold and has not been started for about an hour it starts okay.When you restart when hot or warm it doesnt start.When this happens there is no injector pulse.Owner replaced disributor assm, thinking that was it because he tho...		 View
1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 3.1L No Start
HELP HELP!!! WE have replaced the pump TWICE in the last 2 months, and it just was towed in with another one out!!! Any ideas???		 View
1999 Chevrolet K2500 5.7L No Start, MIL Lamp on
Hi Everyone. I have this truck is in the shop for a no start. It started out not having spark. I fixed that problem. First i put a crank sensor in for code P0338. This took care of the code. There is also a tsb for that code. I also had to put an ignition cont... Trouble codes: P0338 (ckp Sensor Circuit High Duty Cycle), P1361 (Ignition coil control circuit low Voltage).		 View
2003 Chevrolet Tahoe 5.3L compressor
This vehicle when it wants shuts the compressor of and when it comes in with the compressor off while I am trying to get a voltmeter on sensor and compressor clutch it starts working and is good for a short while and it happens again. It has automatic temp con...		 View
2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 HD 6.0L Poor Fuel Economy
When you just tip in the accelerator, this truck will take off so hard that it spins the tires. It has very little low end. It idles normal, no stall or surge. Must use the cruise on highway to keep throttle stable, touchy and hard to maintain cruise speed. Va...		 View
2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 5.3L Hesitation, Cuts out, MIL Lamp on
Truck came in for ABS & Brake coming on & all guages dropping out. One code for ABS relay loss of power, cleaned grounds cleared codes & road tested. When hitting a bump Abs light comes on, speed-o & tach drops for a split second & slight loss of power, also A...		 View
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 6.0L MIL Lamp on, reduced power
This vehicle sets an intermittent P1125 code. This seems to happens on mostly on decel. The problem happens when the APP 1(V) drops to .4V, while APP 2 remains at .7(V). I have checked the wires and connectors, and have found no problems. I have replaced both ... Trouble codes: P1125 (The PCM detects a difference between APP sensor 1 and APP sensor 2).		 View
2003 Chrysler Concorde 2.7L front brakes
while driving after about 15 minutes car starts to slow down on its own, front brakes apply by themselves. Let car sit on side of road and they release. Also sometimes when accelerate hard they release.		 View
1989 Dodge Raider 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Stall
Unable to get code out of this Raider with Modis. Runs good under load, but it idled too fast (over 2500 rpm) when it came in. After I cleaned MAF sensor, the idle dropped to 500 rpm when warmed up. Cannot get rid of high fast idle (cold) and warm idle is to s...		 View
1996 Dodge Neon 2.0L No Start
purchased vehicle cheap no start, no power to ign coil or injectors, auto shut down relay wont power up to ign circuit. My question is what will keep the pcm from sending signal to auto shut down relay? could I still have a bad crank sensor that is not letting...		 View
1999 Dodge Caravan 3.0L Cuts out
We have a caravan in our shop that quits on acceleration. This only happens when vehicle is warmed up. Van only quits when opening throttle over about 1/4 throttle. If you only accelerate slowly the van seems to run fine. I have checked fuel pressure, 48psi. I...		 View
2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Truck 5.9L drivetrain
Just out of the body shop, tech was driving our empty shop-truck back over 3000' pass (in 2WD) and the rear axle locked just as the descent started (float to backdrive condition). Vehicle skidded to a halt. Shift t-case to neutral allowed the vehicle to roll a...		 View
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Truck 5.9L Mode control in a/c head
This is a single system. Truck came in for blower inop and customer stated mode controls had quit some time ago. The blower issue was a burned up ignition switch and wiring. This is fixed and working. The a/c head had no output to any actuators when selecting ...		 View
1992 Ford Ranger 4.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy
ok hello everbody thanks in advance for any help provided don^T know where else to turn.first thing we did read codes none came up said system passed.next checked fuel pressure both running and not both in specs.drop down test for regulator and leaking injecto...		 View
2002 Ford Explorer 4.0L MIL Lamp on
This vehicle has come up from Florida, now it has an intermittant P0171. I have repaired all vacuum leaks (intake, egr, and pcv valve). The o2 sensors were replaced because of faulty heaters. MAF was missing the resistor when we first received this exploder. I... Trouble codes: P0171 (Lean bank 1).		 View
2003 Ford F-150 5.4L Unknown
i have a customer that has a clunk while transmission downshift or you gun it hard from a stop and let off. i have read the tsb about greaseing the slip yoke and another shop has already did that and there is no change. we have overhauled the transission of a ...		 View
2003 Ford Crown Victoria 4.6L Stall, START/DIE
vehicle intermittently will start/die after a hot soak of 30-45 minutes.(takes 45 minutes to an hour of operation under heavy load to get it to a point where it will act up after an additional 30-45 minute hot soak, & then will only act up for 2-3 starts..very...		 View
2005 Ford Crown Victoria 4.6L air bag
air bag light flashes code 81 scan tool reading code b2293.possible causes faulty clock spring , drivers air bag module, faulty restraints control module. our air bag simulators do not work with this vehicle. this police car application.		 View
1998 GMC K1500 Suburban 5.7L MIL Lamp on
flow chart leads to distributor incorrectly installed or timing chain or distributor is at fault. im nervous, how do i verify timing chain slop? what is too much? any help would be very helpfull. Trouble codes: p1345 (cam to crank sensor position correalation fault).		 View
1996 Honda Accord 2.2L comp
we have a honda thats kicking my techs hiney,vehicle came in with low presure on old comp would not cool at all,we think easy fix clean system replace exp valve and new ac delco comp wrong.With the correct charge and temp outside of 87 degreees we can only get...		 View
1997 Honda Civic 1.6L windshield washer
Hi IATN members. I have this 1997 Civic that has a problem with the #26 under dash 20AMP wiper fuse that blows when using the windshield washers only. The fuse will not blow if only the wipers are being used at any speed. I have replaced the washer pump and ch...		 View
2003 Kia Sorento 3.5L MIL Lamp on
kia techs! 3.5 po340,starter kicks back, feared out of time -pulled cover to discover that timing marks perfect. front of motor off, started and scoped cam and crank sensors, matches data base wafeforms exactly of a known good 2002 3.5. now it starts and runs ... Trouble codes: P0340.		 View
2003 Lincoln Navigator 5.4L Steering Hoses
Hello everyone. The steering rack is leaking at the connections for the steering lines. We removed & inspected the lines for wear & they looked good. Now these line ends are made up like Ford A/C lines where the seals are recessed into the line but without the...		 View
2004 Lincoln LS 3.0L Cuts out, MIL Lamp on
Car came in with a missfire .Wrench light would come on and car would not accelarate.Had code P0306 replaced spark plugs and #6 coil.This seems to have taken care of miss but intermittantly wrench light comes on and wont accelarate still.Has codes P2107-TAC pr... Trouble codes: P2107 (TAC Microprocessor), P2110.		 View
1991 Mazda Protege 1.8L engine
Hello, Got this car from hell here that is driving me mad. Towed in for a no start. Car starts fine but it barely idles (very rough) and will not accelerate at all. Traced it down to a alternator problem. When I disconnect the main wire to the 80 A fuse/batte...		 View
2000 Mercedes-Benz C280 2.8L Windsheild Wiper
The last two times this car was in the wind shield wiper motor had failed completely. This is a single wiper blade,dual action wiper system . The customers most recent complaint is that the wiper seemed to be dragging. When we first tested the operation of the...		 View
2002 Mercedes-Benz ML500 5.0L esp system
Hello, I need some on this 2002 ML500.I am having trouble diagnosing code #1314.I am not really sure what the code means.The description reads"ASR ET ESP hydraulic unit [A7/3y7]solenoid valve voltage supply from N47-5". I am assuming this means that the ABS h...		 View
2003 Mitsubishi Galant 2.4L compressor
Hi all, This car came in with complaint of intermittently blowing warm. With a/c on and compressor engaged, and condenser fans on, the low side drops into a vacuum of 25 inches and the high side is 70 lLBS of pressure. I evacuated the system and found it full,...		 View
2000 Nissan Frontier 2.4L MIL Lamp on
dear group , and Jimmy N , PO400 is wearing me out, customer replace Valve and temp sensor with oem parts , I checked EGR backpressure transducer , as per somedata , it wouldnt hold vacume so we replaced it , oem of course.The EGR ports have been checked and d... Trouble codes: P0400.		 View
2002 Nissan Frontier 2.4L Air Bag Light
When I got involved I was told to splice in terminal ends. When I first saw the car the terminal ends were physicaly damaged (conflicting stories on that but thats a different post) So I soldered & heat shrinked new ends from new harness then checked resistanc...		 View
2000 Oldsmobile Alero 3.4L No Start, will start at times
this car will start at times,runs fine when it does start. sometimes will die while running or sometimes will not start after shut off. there is no security light on or flashing. the condition has gotten worse to the point it has to be found and repaired. Trouble codes: p1626 (fuel enablesecurity).		 View
1996 Pontiac Grand Am 3.1L starter
Thanks to all in advance, this car came in with a complaint that the key came out in any position, so we tore apart tumbler and found tumblers to be worn so we opted to replace the the whole key cylinder set with new tumblers.When we got it back together it wo...		 View
2002 Pontiac Aztek 3.4L all guages
Ever since the intake was done the dash has not worked. All the illumination, the warning indicators, message center, all work fine. The guages do not sweep with the key on nor do they register while running. I am not sure if the intake would have anything to ...		 View
1993 Subaru Legacy 2.2L No Start, MIL Lamp on
car came in with ck engine light on & very hard to start cold, and no power, I tried to extract codes by plugging wires together which turned the ck engine light out, now it starts fine I could not get it to flash the codes for me is there any way to get the c...		 View
1997 Subaru Legacy 2.2L MIL Lamp on
The car has a flashing MIL and the fans turn on and off.as aoon as the key is turned on. Trouble codes: p0500 (vss), p1101 (neutral post. sw.), p1121 (neutral post. sw.), p1540 (vss).		 View
1996 Toyota Corolla 1.6L engine cooling fan
The car came in with an over heat condition, we found a seized engine cooling fan motor. After fan replacement the fan runs steady will not shut off, we have replaced both temp sensors, relay, power dist box, traced all wires in the harness & still no further ...		 View
2002 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L Unknown
need some help on this vehicle-it has an ac vent fault im assuming-the far left vent blows 68 degrees-center left vent blows 50 degrees- the right center vent not blowing at all- the passenger vent blows 68 degrees-system is full on freon- my question is- is t...		 View
2003 Volkswagen Passat 2.8L MIL Lamp on, p1176, p1177
Car came in with p1176 and p1177. Cleared codes and adaptives and let customer drive. Came back with same codes. Monitored O2 operation and O2 sensors seem to work ok. Smoke tested sys. and found small vac. leak at the throttle body inlet and repaired. Also cl... Trouble codes: p1176 (Lambda correction after cat bank1 limit attained. code 17584), p1177 (Lambda correction after cat bank2 limit attained. code 17585).		 View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models
Fix/Summary Answers
1993 Chevrolet Corsica 2.2L Stall
Well the over all response was a sticking TCC. The customer does not want to fix the problem at this time so I have unplugged the TCC as many of you suggested and they are going to take it after the weekend. I did also clean the throttle body and remove and ...		 26
1995 Chevrolet Astro 4.3L No Start, Stall
I will close this now hoping that it is fixed. Although I could not get it to cut off and not start in the shop so that I could unplug sensors to see if the ref volts would return I replaced the map sensor, test drove and it did fine. Before I could go less th...		 14
1998 Chevrolet Express 3500 5.7L front pads
As most of you know, we will not know if this is "fixed" or any better until 15,000 miles go by...I will try a fleet hd pad of somesort, I am searching for them as I write this. Generally, I have heard what I needed, that most evryone has had a premature wear ...		 30
1999 Chevrolet Malibu 2.4L cluster - turn signals - a/c - starting
well I think this one is fixed - removed LH IP fuse block after finding voltage difference in the 2 pins as suggested - found no burnt,wet,or damaged wires - refitt block with a little dielectric lube and not a issue ever after. Thanks to all that helped. A/C ...		 7
1999 Dodge Ram 1500 Truck 5.2L fog lamps
Thanks Jesus, Wade and Kent -- all of you were certainly right on. I have been in this auto world for 30 years and have never installed fog lamps!!! Go figure. It was as easy as you all said. Thank you so much for your time in my petty matter. What a help you...		 7
1987 Ford F-150 5.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire
A RUBBER BAND COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB AS A TIMING CHAIN THAN THE WORE OUT, SLACK, STRETCHED CHAIN THAT WAS IN THIS TRUCK!!! thanks to everyone that took the time to respond to my request. just cranked her up about 5 minutes ago. idled like a charm and rev...		 21
1990 Ford F-250 4.9L fast idle
I have tryed all of the suggestions , they were grate , the one that fixed the problem was smoking the engine.I have never did that before but will do that more in the future.I am old school with the spaying tests , but it opened my eyes when I found it was ... Trouble codes: 23 (tps out of range).		 7
1993 Ford Tempo 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, high idle
Thank you very much to all who helped. Despite powers and grounds appearing ok at the TPS I decided to remove and clean both ground connections at the radiator support. Several long road tests and a couple of weeks in the hands of the customer with no more pro...		 10
1998 Ford Escort 2.0L Mechanical
Thanks to all; I got a number of very quick replies. Almost everyone was of the same opinion, that the information indicates that this is an interference engine. But almost everyone had replaced a few without valve damage, as was the case with this one. The p...		 12
1998 Ford Windstar 3.8L MIL Lamp on
Thanks for all the replies, I had talked with the customer about needing more diagnostic time but they declined to have any further testing, I have a hunch that this van was going to need PCM replaced or wiring issue, due to the difference in voltages between... Trouble codes: p0303 (3 Cylinder miss), p1512 (IMRC stuck closed), p1513 (IMRC stuck closed).		 4
1999 Ford F-250 Super Duty 7.3L Stall, MIL Lamp on
Sorry, I forgot to close with a fix. What had happen was, with the four cam sensor we replaced, three before me. I had found out that we had never replaced it with a ford sensor. With that I went out and bought my own Ford cam and put it on. Guess what. It fix... Trouble codes: p0344.		 7
2001 Ford Windstar 3.8L electric rear windows
thank's everybody for you'r help and advice.the motors where bad just replaced them with new units from the ford dealer.thanks again jim		 15
2001 Ford F-250 Super Duty 7.3L Oil Pan
Many thanks to the 10 responders who have travelled down the same road. Pulled the front end off, popped the turbo out for clearance ( damn wiper cowl ) and yanked 'er like a loose tooth. Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend ! Carl		 10
2003 Ford Taurus 3.0L Stall, MIL Lamp on
The vehicle was fixed by replacing the fuel pump. Thanks all. Trouble codes: p0191 (fuel rail pressure circuit performance), p1233 (fuel pump module driver off line).		 7
1997 GMC Savana 3500 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire
First of all I just want to say thank you to everyone who tryed to help me. I got alot of input. I checked the distributor again like suggested for signs of wear. Didnt find any but replaced anyway just to be sure. unfortunatly, didnt work. Swaped the distribu...		 15
2003 Jeep Liberty 3.7L No Start
thanks for the responces Lamont was probably correct i removed the valve cover as recomended and found 2 rocker arms that had some how fallen off,they were just laying there in the head, 2 different cylinders and both were for exhaust valves, cam looks ok, thi...		 5
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0L Excessive Emissions, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall
I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR INPUT. THE PROBLEM WAS THE IGNITION COIL ASM. IT WAS CAUSING THE ASD RELAY TO GO CRAZY,SOMEHOW IT WAS BACK FEADING THROUGH THE DARK GREEN WIRE WITH ORANGE TRACER, WHICH IS A FUSED WIRE OUT OF ASD RELAY. IT IS THE 12V SUPPLY T...		 9
2002 Lexus LS430 4.3L Timing Belt
Thanks for replies. but this one seemed to stump everyone. Spoke to a few Lexus/Toyota techs and none has ever seen this problem. If the engine had more damage or the customer did not drive 300 miles before this happened I would say my tech installed the belt ...		 5
1996 Mazda 626 2.5L Hesitation
Thank you all for responding. It turned out to be the coil in the distributor. It took forever to get a yard distributor (didn't want to pay $600 for a new one with not being sure). But that was it. Car runs great! Thanks again everyone. 		7
1991 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6L No Start, Poor Idle Quality
thank you for the info we replaced the over voltage relay and the fuel pump relay and problem has not reoccured yet..		 2
1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500 5.0L door locks
well I believe that from the replies , and looking into the owners manual. Along with other internet searches. This vehicle does not have the option for auto unlock with key off or removed. I believe the customer has this confused with other vehicles that h...		 6
1999 Mercedes-Benz ML320 3.2L Transmission
Thanks for the help guys.This was an odd one.The position sensor/motor for the transfer case fixed it .So I tried putting valve body and module back and BAMM didnt work again.Changed back and everything fine.What is the odds of both going out at the same time....		 4
1999 Mercury Mystique 2.5L No Start
thanks to all who replied,sorry it took so long but the customer insisted on finding a used pcm and now the vehicle has spark.		 4
2001 Nissan Sentra 1.8L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out
We cleaned the injector and the customer tell me that the car run fine and it still ok for a week thanks for all the answer. Trouble codes: p0130 (ho2s lean), p0131 (ho2s bank 1), p0705 (pn switch).		 4
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix 3.8L Fuel Gauge
All had it right, and I knew that I would probably doing the fuel sending unit but the the fact that it all happened at the same time raised some questions with me. I did replace the sending unit and fuel pump assy. so it is all taken care of and I don't have ...		 4
1998 Volkswagen Beetle 1.9L master cyl.
Good morning everyone, Well this car has finally arrived.Supposedly another shop had put brakes on and when the customer received car back she had to pump the brakes everytime to stop.That is when she had the master cylinder changed.Now the vehicle arrives a...		 7
Prev (Also Available: All, Asian, Chrysler, European, Ford, GM.) Next