Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Nov 1, 2008

Join Now

Prev	Professional Automotive Repair Technical Discussions for November 1, 2008 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
	2006 Acura MDX Touring 3.5L Signal Light VIN: 2HNYD18656 Got a strange one here.Wife's vehicle.Only Cold 45 degrees or colder.the (r) rear signal nor the R signal on the dash functions.Front signal works,but fast like bulb out.When it is driven for 10-15 min.it works properly.I have changed the signal switch,Checked...	View
	1993 Buick Park Avenue 3.8L Hesitation, Stall, hard starting cold VIN: 1G4CW53L5P This vehicle came into our shop after if was at another. This vehicle stalls after first starting it up and take 5-6 keys cycles to keep it running and had a slight miss. Also when you try to accelerate while it is cold, it hestitates/bogs down and sometimes b...	View
	1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2GTEK19T7X Misses on acceleration but not at idle as engine warms up it goes away. on the scan tool it shows the cam low and high signal to go away on acceleration. when it is missing the engine will not rev past 3000 rpm. Trouble codes: P0336	View
	2001 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2L gauges do not work and temp/fuel light on VIN: 3G2JB524X1 thankful for anyone's help. working at home have no acc to mitchell or any wiring diag. new customer have not worked on car before. temp gauge a week or so ago went full hot and now does not move off 50 c and temp light and gas light (same light) is on. the ot...	View
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L Stall VIN: 2GCEC19T02 This vehicle on a cold start ONLY will start ...run rough and die about three times and on the next attempt will start right up and run fine. It has never set a code and I have monitored the fuel pressure and it was just over 50 psi and did not drop when probl...	View
	1999 Dodge Ram 3500 Van 5.9L No Start VIN: 2B7KB31Z7X Hey Everyone, I Have This 1999 Dodge Ram Van Here That Was Towed In As A No Start. While Trying To Start I Noticed Dash Odometer Says NO BUS.I Tried Putting My Modis On And It Said No Comunication.So I Started By Checking Powers & Grounds To PCM And Found That...	View
	1999 Dodge Durango 5.2L Convertor VIN: 1B4H528Y7X This vehicle was brought to me from a long time customer. I am not a transmission specialist but the customer insisted on me working on the vehicle. The vehicle came in with a concern of a transmission fluid leak and vehicle stalls when put in reverse, but onl...	View
	2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L torque conv lockup VIN: 1B4GP44G1Y i have one for dodge people, this dodge caravan came in with the mil on and i pulled code p0740 tcc operation fault. fluid is full and good in color ,upon test drive i had cleared the code and noticed that at about 50 to 60 mph the tcc would only go to partial...	View
	2002 Dodge Neon ES 2.0L MIL Lamp on, SPEEDOMETER NOWORK VIN: 1C3ES46C62 this vehicle came speedometer does not work. scan it got p0500, test drive no speed reading on scanner. take both the out put and input speed sensor out. test the resisstence compare with new sensor, they are similer. mitchell trans wiring there is third vss w... Trouble codes: P0500 (novehicle speed sensor signal)	View
	1989 Ford Escort LX 1.9L No Start VIN: 1FABP9594K Customer's complaint was that there was no spark. On testing, we found that there also was no fuel injector pulse. When disconnecting spout at the distributor there was spark. Also checked for 12 volts at the fuel injector and it was present, but the injector ...	View
	1999 Ford F-150 4.6L rear brakes VIN: 1FTNW21F21 Hello to all and hope you can help on this one.This is not the right VIN for this. I had to supply one because the truck is not here at this time. I have a 99 ford f150 that when the brakes are applied the rear wheels lock and slide at all times when brakes ar...	View
	2004 GMC Savana 3500 6.0L Brake System VIN: 1GJHG39U84 In normal driving (99% of the time) the vehicle brakes and steering operate perfectly. However when going down a grade of 5% or greater after a few seconds of braking vehicle starts to shake and the steering wheel begins to shimmy violently making control very...	View
	1996 Honda Accord LX 2.2L Crankshaft Pulley VIN: 1HGCD5633T Customer brought unit in for timing belt replacement. I'm having extreme difficult getting crankshaft pulley bolt out. Is this a normal thread or is it backwards threaded?	View
	2000 Honda Civic Si 1.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1HGEM1153Y This 2000 Si had 1 code of p0108- map/baro sensor high input. Pulled mitchel and followed flow chart. Good wires and ref voltage. Put MAP sensor from 2000 EX on Si( dealer said all 2000 Hondas use the same MAP sensor), same results. Put Si MAP sensor on EX, Mi... Trouble codes: 0108 (high map/baro)	View
	1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L 1st gear VIN: 1J4GZ58S5V trans seems to be stuck in 1st gear all the time. no matter what position the shifter is in the scanner reads 1st gear & it is in 1st even in reverse (trans binds in reverse). the position p/r/n/od/2/1 read correctly on scanner. no codes stored. any ideas.	View
	2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.7L blend door VIN: 1J4GW58N2Y Hello, I'm removing the ac/heater box to repair blend door failure. I got the front dash section off. I am working on removing dash frame to access a/c box. I've got every bolt out I can see but cannot remove it. It seems like something close to the middle is...	View
	2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.7L atc VIN: 1J8GW58N74 Set the temp on both sides @ 77 degrees, floor/vent position, fan about 1/4 of the way up.(this is how I verified the problem but can happen at other settings) After a short drive, 1 of the sides will start blowing cool/cold air, the other side will be fine. A...	View
	2004 Kia Rio 1.6L No Start, Stall VIN: KNADC12524 Car towed because it died while driving down the road.checked to see if it had spark. had spark, butkind of week. initially all plugs were sparking while cranking, just not a good bright blue spark. checked for codes and found a po 340 cam sensor code. did wir... Trouble codes: P00, 340 (cam pos sensor circuit malfunction)	View
	2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS 2.4L Excessive Emissions, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4A3AC44G23 I have a Mitsubishi that sets a P0171 lean exhaust code after driving for about half an hour. I have checked the fuel pressure while running the engine and ther is no change hot or cold. I replace the Bank 1 sensor 1 O2 sensor. I pinched off the fuel pressure ... Trouble codes: P0171 (exhaust lean bank 1)	View
	1987 Pontiac Fiero GT 2.8L Excessive Emissions, No Start, Hesitation, Surge, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G2PG1198H This is a 1987 Pontiac Fiero with a no-start condition. 170K. Replaced the fuel pump and filter right off the bat (been sitting for 5 years before customer wanted to have it running again) and it then started right up. No power, seemed the timing had alot of s...	View
	2002 Renault Trafic 2 1900CC Various VIN: VF1FLACA63 Investigation reveals the following. With the ignition off he immobiliser lamp continually flashes on the fascia. When the ignition is switched on the immobiliser lamp continues to flash, it does not go steady and extinguish as it should. When the ignition is ...	View
	1999 Volvo S80 T6 2.8L "position light" light failure warning on. this is a very well maintained -99 S80. the "position bulb" failure message stays on permanently. this is normally a matter of an easy bulb replacement in the tail lights. not this time. all 4 bulbs are new from volvo. spent about two hours checking the whole ...	View
	2001 Volvo S40 1.9L turbo VIN: YV1VS295Y7 Hello Volvo techs! I have this S40 in the shop with massive oil leaks and smoke coming out of the exhaust!I power washed the engine and was able to repair what I believe most of the oil leaks, including the turbo drain tube, one of the upper oil lines, not sur...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1991 Acura Integra GS 1.8L pedal VIN: JH4DB1667M The car is not yet fixed but is still with me. Someone mentioned that they saw this problem more than once in the past and that replacing the rear calipers solved the problem. Another tech added that the rear caliper pistons are a high failure item. The sugges...	31
	1996 BMW 328i 2.8L Lower Ball Joints VIN: WBACD332XT Thankyou all for taking the time to read and reply to my post. There was a lot of good information which helped me to inspect the vehicle. I brought the car back in and rechecked the bushings and ball joints, and have a better understanding as to how the suspe...	14
	1998 BMW 328i 2.8L Stall VIN: WBACD4321W YEAP!!. As I was thinking and many of you guys too, the idle air control valve was the problem. It was stuck closed. I removed it and turned the key on and the valve did not move, when I pluged the new one the valve did move. I replaced the grummet, the thrott...	18
	2000 Buick LeSabre Custom 3.8L fuel gauge,radio,abs lite VIN: 1G4HP54K7Y Again thanks for all the input from all.turns out the problem was the rear intergration module.all good now,thanks all.	17
	2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer North Face 4.2L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNET16S43 Thanks to everybody who responded. As most respondents suggested, it was fuel stains in the area,where filler neck joints gas tank. Therefore I replaced those 2 items. Trouble codes: P0442.	10
	2005 Chevrolet Venture LT 3.4L battery VIN: 1GNDV33E25 Hi, thanks for the help on this. Most replies said that the DVD player can come on & drain battery. The van does have a factory DVD, but customer says it is never used. There was not a disc in it, so we unplugged it & so far it has been ok. There are no other ...	13
	2005 Chevrolet Express 2500 4.8L starter VIN: 1GCGG25V35 finally got the vehicle to act up a coupe of time and was able to catch it. monitored ignition voltage with dvom and also hooked in a remote start button in case it did act up. when trying to start here is what happened the volt meter went to 2.3 volts then fe...	9
	2001 Chrysler 300M 3.5L No Start, Stall VIN: 2C3HE66G01 As many have stated, the skim module needed to be changed but this did not fix the problem. It is still doing the same thing: starts and dies after running about 5 seconds...when it starts and dies, there is no tach signal but when it starts and runs, immedia...	12
	2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.4L Hesitation, Surge VIN: 3C4FY48B32 Thanks to everyone who take time to anwser me ,the problem was the crank sensor and the cam sensor i removed it and cleaned it whit the cam and crankand since this time the car is ok ,so monday i will change this 2 sensors.Thanks again. Trouble codes: P0300.	10
	2005 Chrysler Town & Country LX 3.8L battery draw VIN: 2D4GP44L65 Thank you for the responses, most told about MIC's and BCM's being the problem childs. The customer had extended warranty which was for Chry dealers only. Local dealer already had numerous times and said no problem or bad battery, gave customer print of draw f...	7
	2000 Dodge Stratus ES 2.5L ignition lock cylinder VIN: 1B3EJ56H8Y I love you guys. Almost all of you said to tap on the key to move the tumblers. I did it and it worked, so monday I'll be replacing the tumbler. Thank you for all the quick responses. Doug	11
	1995 Ford F-250 XL 7.3L Unknown VIN: 1FTHX26F1S Everyone was pretty well right with a cracked flexplate. Pulled trans back and flex plate was in 2 pieces. Thanks again	23
	1997 Ford F-250 Lariat 5.4L all gauges VIN: 1FTFF28L9V found shorted overdrive switch wiring at steering column, customer replaced 5am fuse with 30 amp fuse shorting out instrument cluster. Repaird wiring and replaced cluster and all gauges work again.	5
	2002 Ford Focus ZTS 2.0L 4th gear? VIN: 1FAFP38382 YES,It's fixed! Only the second time in 20 years I've been inside an automatic trans. Most everybody was right on top of this one. TOM [...] lighten up a little eh, we all begin and end somewhere, just not at the same time, same place, ya know what I'm sayin? Anywa...	14
	2006 Ford F-250 Super Duty XL 6.0L noise after shut dow VIN: 1FDSF20P06 Good day everyone, and a special thanks to all 14 who help me with my questions. I have not seen the vehicle again-they run them long and hard so it sjust a matter of time. Most had the concences that this is normal and some said that there is a newer reflash.... Trouble codes: P0299.	16
	2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty XLT 6.4L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: 1FTSX21R48 This vehicle ended up in a lawsuit.They are now not interested in fixing but just to get a new vehicle.I gave them all the specs and what I found and all the info. from the IATN techs and they were very happy and were taking it all to their lawyer to try and s... Trouble codes: P0001 (fuel volume regulator circuit/open), P0087 (fuel rail/systempressure-too low).	9
	2000 Jaguar S-Type 4.0L Poor Idle Quality VIN: SAJDAO1D8Y Thanks to all who offered advice on the poor idle problem with this S Type Jaguar. I eliminated about everything except the injector of the problem cylinder, so I used some injector cleaner in the fuel system, and the miss-fire improved. The engine wasn't perf... Trouble codes: P0307 (Missfire 7).	7
	1999 Mazda Miata 10th Anniversary 1.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: JM1NB353XX Many thanks to all who responded. Somehwere in all the checking of related wiring I was able to recover a good ground signal so a PCM was not required. I did check Mitchell on this car and as usual they had clearer wiring diagrams and in fact within the troubl... Trouble codes: P0107 (Baro Pressure Circuit Low Voltage).	3
	2003 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor 1.8L MIL on VIN: WDBRN40J53 Thanks guys, with your input I was confident to reccomend a new thermostat only and tell him to drive and see what happens. The coolant temp. reading low was fixed immediately and he hasn't called or come back for over 3 weeks so I'm calling it fixed. Thank yo...	3
	1994 Nissan D21 2.4L dash lights VIN: 1N6SD11S3R i would like to say thanks for every one input you guys were right it was the dimmer that was bad thanks agian	5
	1973 Pontiac GRAND AM 400CID programmer VIN: 2H29T3P381 We found a programmer on-line at Hemmings.com (I think). When it showed up it was a one size fits most...just not the one I'm workin on. The Wire harness connection is different, there was a little note in the bottom of the box that read if the connector is di...	3
	1985 Saab 900 2.0L Transmission VIN: YS3AT4615F Well, it seems that these transmissions have had pump and converter problems from the get go. I did receive the name of a rebuilder (Ericksson Industries) in Connecticut that, according to their web site, has them in stock. I will make the call on Monday and ...	10
	2004 Toyota RAV4 2.4L tpms light VIN: JTEG020V54 THANK ALL OF YOU FOR ALL OF THE INFO ON THIS. THIS SYSTRM DOES NOT USE INDIVIDUAL TIRE PRESSURE SENSORS SO AS FAR AS THE SPARE BEING THE PROBLEM DIDN'T SEEM TO FIT. I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT IT AND ALL WE REALLY CHANGED WAS THE TIRES. I INSTALLED 4 NEW DIFFE...	11
	2003 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 3VWRK69MX3 This one puzzled us because we could not see or show the misfire . So as suggested we installed a new coil and away it went.Thank you to all for great heads up.Robert [...]. Trouble codes: P0302 (misfire on 2).	25
	2004 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8L coolant VIN: WVWND63B34 The flucuating temp gauge was caused by a bad coolant temp sensor. I verified this by driving the vehicle with the scanner. I watched temp in the PCM data list and it was reading 180 when the gauge was at 90. I replaced the sensor and gauge is now steady. The ...	12
	2006 Volkswagen Golf GLS TDI 1.9L MIL Lamp on VIN: 9BWGR61J06 Found that the valves where hanging up in the cylinder head causing low compression. Replaced cylinder head (which came with new injectors). Runs great with no faults. Trouble codes: P0101 (mass range/performance).	5
	1998 Volvo S70 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: YVILT56D4X I want to thank everyone who took time to respond, maybe I just didn't word my question just right the only answer that really applied was from Greg the car hasn't been back in so will call it good for now! Thanks Joe Trouble codes: P0455.	8

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