Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Nov 15, 2008

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	Help Request	Answers
	1995 BMW 740i 4.0L Alarm VIN: WBAGF632XS Todays Quagmire BMW Alarm system goes off whenever - Temp Chage or Rain seems to cause it - Draws Battery Dead Our good customer bought this car - Real Clean High Milage He only has the Valet KEY (the prior owner only had this key also) The goal is to disconne...	View
	1999 Chevrolet Venture 3.4L Lighting VIN: 1GNDX03E1X Customer complaint of dim headlamps. He has a fleet of all kinds of vehicles, and this is his driver. All other vehicles he drives have much better vision. Even the snotwagon caravan with 313K on it has better lamp fuction. I had replaced the entire lamps due ...	View
	2001 Chevrolet Astro 4.3L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GNDM19W2B Van drives fine however you can feel a slight missfire at idle, seems to smooth out and go away at speed. Codes P0175, bank 2 rich, and P0302 cyl #2 missfire were in memory. #2 plug was replaced, ignition wire swapped with no.4, cap & rotor replaced, missfire ...	View
	2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L gearbox? VIN: 1GCEK19T04 This truck exhibits a vibration noise on turns (mostly left),not a moan like low fluid but more of a vibration telescoping up column -you feel it in the wheel.if you have the hood open and turn the wheel slow to the left you can feel it in the cooler which is ...	View
	2004 Chrysler Pacifica 3.5L blower motor VIN: 2C8GF68454 blower motor runs on high constantly, turn heater system off blower still runs on high, i swapped blower relay with a known good one with no change, changed temp, control head for a TSB for going blank which customer stated he had that problem also,i am thinki...	View
	2003 Dodge Caravan SE 3.3L dr's power window VIN: 1D4GP25R03 This van has intermittent complaint of driver's window inoperative. Have not been able to make it fail long enough to test, but it will be not working, try a few times & will work, and be good for days or weeks. Any info out there about a common failure for th...	View
	1998 Ford F-250 Lariat 5.4L reverse VIN: 2FTPX28L1W have this truck whith no other problems in transmission when shifted from forward to reverse it takes a few seconds to engauge does not slip when in gear . does delay when shifting from park to reverse . all forward stuff works great no delay any help would be...	View
	1999 Ford Mustang 3.8L coolant VIN: 1FAFP4047X Hi, ford experts I have one here that is mixing oil in the cooling system at a very slow rate. about every 6 months it comes in with the overflow and radidator contaminated with engine oil . the engine dosn't overheat, there is no coolant in the engine or tran...	View
	2005 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L fan pully VIN: 1FTYR10DX5 need help truck has bad bearing at fan pully all data and shope key has no proceger too remove bearing from timing cover. i have all removed pully from shaft. removed c clip also that hol the bearing. if iremove bearing from front of the housing or di i have t...	View
	1990 Honda Civic DX 1.5L No Start, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 2HGED6341L Gentlemen: I have thi Honda that was running poorly at cruising speeds. The fuel filter was replaced as was the Distributor Cap, Rotor and Spark Plugs. The vehicle sysmptoms of cutting out and misfire did not improve. Now the vehicle has quit running complete...	View
	2004 Honda CR-V EX 2.4L noise from dash VIN: SHSRD78814 This CRV came in to my shop for AC service! Pressurized system to find lead. The compressor had a 3 inch hole in the side of it, where it had grenaded! Customer said he heard nothing strange! Just didnt work when he started it after going into store!I installe...	View
	1991 Jaguar XJ6 4.0L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: SAJKL194OM Hey good mornign everyone...any jaguar tech out there that can help me out with this one..i have an 91 jag 4.0l ...Customer stated was driving down the road and the vehicle just stalled on her ...towed it to the shop..and we have checked the following it has s...	View
	2001 Jaguar S-Type 3.0L Radio/Steering column VIN: SAJDA01C41 This is a new customer who just bought this car a month ago. He brought it to me with a list of routine services and things he wanted checked. I was able to take care of just about everything except these two items. First, when tuned to an FM station, receptio...	View
	2005 Jeep Liberty Renegade 3.7L Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J4GL38K95 this vehicle has a intermittent(more than not). misfire for just a few (1-2) minutes when first started, then goes away and doesn't return until cold start again. customer has reolaced the coil , injector, and 4 plugs(champion, and correct application) we have... Trouble codes: P0400	View
	1995 Lexus ES300 3.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JT8GK13T8S Customer complained of MIL on and rough running. Codes: P0303 and P0170. I first swapped coil positions to see if the misfire would follow the coil. It did not; still #3 misfire. I then looked at spark plugs and found single electrode plugs. I replaced plugs w... Trouble codes: P0303 (Cylinder 3 misfire), P0170 (Bank 1 lean)	View
	2000 Lincoln Town Car 4.6L heater core VIN: 1LNHM81W0Y I am in the process of removing my heater core.I have dropped the steering column,pulled the dash rearward,removed 1 nut on top and 2 nuts on the bottom of the heater core case.I can not seem to remove the case from the firewall.Am I missing some nuts or bolts...	View
	2006 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI 3.2L Lighting VIN: WDBUF26J46 This car came in with the following inop, trunk lights, third brake light, the remote wont open the trunk, and platelights are out. So after taking the trunk apart and looking for anything that was unpluggged or was left loose. I found everything was aok. The ...	View
	2004 Nissan Patrol 3.0L Lack of power VIN: JN1TANY61Z This nissan direct diesel engine came with the complain of lack of power. We replcaed mass air flow sensor and catalytic converotr and still there is lack of power always and in all gears. Turbo pressre check and found ok. Customer complain that problem starts...	View
	1997 Saturn SL2 1.9L MIL Lamp on hey techs, just want some opinions on what this problem is. car needs to pass smog. retrieved 1 code P0172 runnin rich. ive checked compression good,spark plugs good, valves ok,map sensor working ok. the fuel pressure however is kinda low. somedata says psi sh... Trouble codes: P0172	View
	1993 Toyota Land Cruiser 4.5L Gauge Fuse VIN: JT3DJ81W8P Good morning gents. Maybe it's a little too late at night over here and my brain is spark knocking. When Low transfer case range is selected and vehicle is shifted from neutral to forward gears the "gauge fuse" 10 amp blows. A quick test of that circuit shows ...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1999 BMW Z3 M Coupe 3.2L Clutch pedal VIN: WBSCM9331X Thanks to all that helped out. The fix was to take off the slave and invert so that ALL of the air could be bleed out. The pedel is now as good as when it was new and no more stick pedel. Thanks to Chris in CA on that one, but also to all that chimed in.	12
	2002 Cadillac DeVille 4.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G6KD54Y62 thanks for suggestions fellas,did crank relearn,only problem there was,4000rpm was needed,and rev limiter at 3800.disabled limiter and got light to go out.lots of help from this great site.where was this years ago when stuff ws simple.guess old dogs can learn ... Trouble codes: P0300.	9
	2002 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L ignition? VIN: 1G1ND52J52 Well,i believe we have fixed this one ,although this car was so intermittent you never know for sure.recieved 10 posts on this ,most indicating ignition switch failure which is what we replaced.some indicated pcm or bcm reflash.one stated a bad t/s switch migh...	11
	2003 Chevrolet Venture LS 3.4L right side sliding door VIN: 1GNDX03E83 i HAVE BEEN WAY TOO BUSY TO GET BACK TO THIS VEHICLE ( WE OWN IT ), OTHER MORE PRESSING WORK. WHEN I DO GET BACK TO THIS AND I DO FIGURE IT OUT I WILL POST MY FINDINGS HERE. THANK TO ALL WHO REPLIED, I WILL CHECK ALL SUGGESTIONS. MANNY	6
	2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L gauges VIN: 1GCEK14T44 We got the vehicle back from the dealer and i drove it for a day. Things are back to normal now and the dealer covered the repair under warranty for us. What i dont understand is how the cluster rebuild place could send it back to me saying it had no problems....	17
	1993 Ford Ranger STX 2.3L clutch pedal VIN: 1FTCR10A8P Most everyone said there was air in the system, but that was not the problem. Some said the clutch was bad, but I did not see any problems there, and the clutch has been working fine for several years, and just recently acted up. The customer did not want to...	13
	2000 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FMPU18C5Y Thanks For all the info. turned out to be maf harness between maf and factory harness. Customer Stated she had just been to jiffy lube and they changed the air filter. My guess is they did not disconnect the harness and pulled on it and eventually lossened up. Trouble codes: P0171 (p0174-), P0174 (p1131-), P1131 (p1151-), P1151.	12
	2002 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0L Driver Air Bag VIN: 1FTYR44U12 All 3 posters gave good info that was related to problem. Bagmen identified the code gave and directed me to a connector under the seat that I cleaned and siliconed. Poster 2 Gave me info on removing the clock spring as I didn't know where it was on a Ranger. ...	4
	2003 Ford F-250 Super Duty XLT 6.0L No Start VIN: 1FTNW21P93 Wow i definitly took the long hard road on this one. I put an amp clamp on the negative battery cable and cranked the truck, it drew 511 amps. So i then checked an 04 6.0l and it drew about 230ish amps. I then removed the belt and it started right up. The a/c ... Trouble codes: P2617.	19
	2006 Ford F-150 XLT 5.4L Instrument Cluster VIN: 1FTPX14596 Well this was a doozey! Thanks to all who responded. I found the ABS Module was faulty. There was tons of corrosion on it and the pins inside the connector were all rusty! We replaced the module, cleaned the connector on the harness side, and sent it to the de...	7
	2008 Honda Accord EX 2.4L rear brakes VIN: 1HGCP26878 dealer said nothing wrong they will not warrenty brakes we will put oe pads on car and watch the ware thanks again for all replies	22
	1999 Kia Sportage 2.0L Cuts out, Stall VIN: KNDJA7230X Group, I had 17 great replies to this problem. My customer is a used car lot and they did not want to put any more diagnostic time into the vehicle. I really think it was going to be the computer. I checked all the splices and tightened all recommended pin fit...	17
	1999 Lexus RX300 3.0L no heat VIN: JT6GF10V7Y Thanks for the help on this one we removed the glove box got to the 2 servos we could see the blend door servo would not move fully so we removed it and move the lever by hand to verify that it truly was the servo making us not get full heat the other servo ap...	6
	1992 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 2.5L Lifters rattling Pulled T-chain cover and found no problem, oil jet in place. Blocked open passages with plugs and pumped ATF through passages via oil perssure sender port to check flow to lifters, all seemed ok. Installed another set of lifters which were all pumped up nice a...	6
	1992 Nissan D21 SE 3.0L hard start VIN: JN6HD16Y4N Thanks everybody for your help. I'm going to celebrate now that it is repaired. In the end what fixed it was filling the tank up with fuel! After endless testing and parts swapping and retrying things over and over. We did the cold compression test and...	15
	2006 Nissan Frontier SE 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N6AD06W46 sorry about the late close . with the help request replies and the i recommended the updated fuel level sender. also upon further review of my scan data i noticed that the pressure sensor data would at times fluctuate from 3.5 to 4 volts i suggested a further ... Trouble codes: P0448, P0446.	5
	1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager Expresso 3.3L Cooling fans VIN: 1P4GP44G3X Received 20 replies to my cry for help in locating this relay. Most were correct in that it is a solid state relay. But only 4 had the correct location. It is mounted under the left headlamp.	20
	1995 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 3.1L Stall VIN: 1G2WJ52M5S Sorry for the long time to respond. I have been having internet problems. The vehicle is fixed. I had some good responses, they included tapping the ECM and watching for glitches or stall, ignition module failure, use only GM crank sensor, tap fuel tank, ignit...	5
	2002 Pontiac Montana 3.4L noise VIN: 1GMDX03E62 WELL THANKS FOR THE HELP BUT IT TURNS OUT THIS ONE WAS NOT AT ALL WHAT I EXPECTED, THE STARTER WAS STAYING ENGAGED AND MAKING THE SQUEEL, JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE ITS NOT THE STARTER SWITCH THEN ALL WILL BE WELL. THANKS AGAIN	8
	2006 Pontiac Solstice 2.4L no start VIN: 1G2MB33B26 Hello I did not fix the car yet I found bead wiring still working on at after it is finish keep you posted. Thanks for your help.Mike	4
	2000 Toyota Avalon XL 3.0L idle in drive VIN: 4T1BF28B9Y Folks, I had some great feedback on the pulsing problem. I'm listing it as "not fixed" because it is just too small of a problem and too large an investment for the customer to wash. The root "failure" is transaxle-related, with no base engine, engine manag...	5
	2004 Volkswagen Touareg V8 4.2L MIL Lamp on Thank you Craig for the great response. We ran this fuel tank down to less than 10 miles to go on the trip computer and did not get the fault to reset. Craig your discription makes perfect sense to me. I have had a vent valve stuck shut code on a couple early ... Trouble codes: P2422 (18854 Purge solenoid stuck closed).	4
	1990 Volvo 240 DL 2.3L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall VIN: YV1AX8843L Well after taking injector rail off and making sure there was no leak down, or constant spray when cranked over.No fuel laekage through cold start injector and the regulator was okay. double checked cts and Maf sensors, no fault.Someone suggested maybe not a f... Trouble codes: 113 (fuel injectors), 221 (lamda operation), 231 (lamda operation).	26
	1995 Volvo 850 2.4L Rear Main Seal VIN: YV1LS5533S Very good advice on precautions and repair info. The customer is not sure about whether to deal with the leak or not, due to the expense. I have saved all the tips and will use them if the customer wants to fix the leak. Thanks!	15

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