Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Apr 30, 2010

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	Help Request	Answers
	1990 Chevrolet Lumina 3.1L Cuts out, Stall VIN: 2G1WL54T5L Hello everyone. I've got a pandora's box here and I would appreciate any assistance you can render me. I have this 90 Lumina 3.1 (non van) and prior to this problem it ran perfectly. This vehicle will start and run perfectly until it is accelerating. Once you ...	View
	1990 Chevrolet K1500 Scottsdale 4.3L Excessive Emissions, Surge, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1GCDK14ZLE Greetings techs. I really hate to post this request but this thing has eaten our lunch all afternoon. Came in with the complaint of suddenly having very bad surging/bucking, black exhaust, not able to get over about 40 mph. Heck this should be simple but NOOOO... Trouble codes: 45 (Rich)	View
	1991 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 4.3L Poor Idle Quality, High oil pressure VIN: 1GNCS18Z7M Hey everyone. Just a quick question for you guys. I have a 91' s10 with the TBI 4.3 and the complaint is unusually high oil pressure. The pressure starts off at about 40 then after 10 minutes it climbs to 80 under acceleration. While at idle or when off the ac...	View
	2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 Z71 5.3L Heat VIN: 3GNEK13T33 Hey guys need help with this one. Got this one from another shop. Vehicle has dual zone automatic heating/ac system and customer complaint is that if you turn both knobs to full heat (90 degrees)everthing is great...verified by putting temp gauge into vent and...	View
	2002 Chrysler 300M 3.5L 1rst only after warm up in Drive VIN: 2C3HE66G82 After driving vehicle for 5 to 8 minutes - transmission stays in 1rst while in Drive mode. If I turn motor and key off same problem remains, but if I shift manually with the slap stick mode it will shift normal 1-2-3-4, downshifting manually with slap stick al...	View
	2007 Chrysler Town & Country LX 3.3L Pcm VIN: 2A4GP44R27 First off let me say thanks for taking time to read my request! This vehicle has a 41te transaxle. It came in with no park and will only make a 1-2 shift. Fluid is full and clean. Since the vehicle was brought in by someone other then the driver I'm not sure i...	View
	1998 Dodge Caravan SE 3.0L unknown VIN: 284GP4534W hi ! tech! I have a Dodge caravan transmission problem with code po733 that car came in shop with Limp-In Mode that means starts second gear and no more shift maximum speed is 40miles. we check transmission fluid that is clean and normal level. so, we replace ...	View
	1999 Dodge Intrepid 2.7L Instrument Cluster VIN: 2B3HD46R6X Vehicle has had a problem with battery dying. We found a 1.2 amp drain going through fuse 7. Tracing everything down, we traced it to the instrument cluster. When the cluster is removed, the drain goes away. Customer declined a new instrument cluster, so we pu...	View
	2003 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L o/d & lockup VIN: 3D3KU28C83 We have a truck with a complant of surging.After driving we found truck jumping in & out of o/d & torque convertor lockup.The truck goes from o/d loockup to 3rd gear no lockup,also cruise control will not work when it is doing it.We have cleaned grounds at bat...	View
	1992 Ford F-150 XL 5.0L Misfire VIN: 1FTDF15N1N Has a miss at idle and under load it gets bad will accelerate out of it, if timing light on the coil wire can watch it miss in the flash also with spark tester will miss on all cylinders. Belive it is in the primary ignition but can't find where	View
	2000 Ford Excursion Limited 6.8L b pos cable to alt. VIN: 1FMNU42S1Y ford guys help.local dealer parts guys cant find the battry positive cable to the alternator.it runs from the starter relay(solenoid)next to battery on right front fender to alt b pos terminal.the original is burned at alternator.need part number.cable has fus...	View
	2001 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1FMFU18L03 fuel trims at idle on bank 1 -21 on bank 2 +21 when driving fuel trims go normal. Its differant seeing fuel trims opposite on the banks. Short term fuel trims are always normal, so long term is adjusting the problem. both 02 sensors are switching good at idle ... Trouble codes: P0172	View
	2003 Ford F-250 Super Duty XLT 5.4L Speedometer VIN: 1FTNX21L03 Vehicle came in with the speedometer jumping around. when pulling the vehicle into the shop it would read anywhere from 20-80 mph. When you start the vehicle the odometer shows the mileage, then within seconds displays dashes across the entire odoemter. If you...	View
	2003 Ford F-150 XLT 4.6L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTRW076X3 This one has me stumped. This is my first time asking for help on this web site. could not find duplicate problem in fix data base. #'s 5,6,7,8, miss fire only at idle bank 2 has reached its rich limits.Used truck trade in. Dealer could not repaire, one other ... Trouble codes: P0175	View
	2003 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L abs VIN: 2FMZA56403 abs light is on scanned and have every code under the sun cleared codes and road tested ... abs lite comes back on with code for abs power relay circuit !! where is the abs power relay M.O.D. has flow chart of how to test it but it does not tell you where it i...	View
	2006 Ford Freestyle Limited 3.0L No Start VIN: 1FMZK04116 Boy, am I dumbfounded! Car came in on a hook having run it out of oil, knocking, banging, etc... Sold the customer an engine R&R. Got a used one with 21,000 miles on it. The timing cover, valve cover, and EGR valve were all broken (physically) on the "new" eng...	View
	1997 GMC K1500 Sierra SLT 5.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2GTEC19R9V I replaced the intake manifold gaskets on this vehical,it started right up and runs great but the check engine light came on right away with and code of p1345 ckp/cmp correlation problem.ok i think that I did not get the dis back in correctley.@nd problem is t...	View
	2007 GMC Sierra 1500 Classic SL 4.8L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1GTEC19V97 Help just had a customer drop off his truck, wont idle and stalls,has misfire on scan tool cyl 1,3 and [...] or 8 but mainly 1&3 assumed cat was plugged pulled 02 was quick and easy ,not the problem, plugs baddly fouled plugs had replaced them first, same... Trouble codes: P0300 (multiple misfire)	View
	2002 Honda Accord LX 2.3L Misfire VIN: R332425424 vehicle came in with check engine light on. code was p1298 fro manuf. control air / fuel metering. when i look this code up it comes up with a eld problem ( electronic load sensor) has anyone seen this and what do you suggest? i went through a bunch of tests t... Trouble codes: P1298	View
	2001 Hyundai Accent GL 1.6L Starting VIN: KHMHCG45C8 Hello my fellow Iatn'rs, New client, vehicle does not start, has no spark, no fuel pump activation, checked computer grounds and all test fine, i followed the instructions, trace the grounding from fuel pump relay and ignition coils to ECM, all good, check gro...	View
	2002 Hyundai Elantra GLS 2.0L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall VIN: KMHDN45D92 changed tps, cam and crank sensors, fuel pump, ignition coil, plugs and wires, coolant temp. sensor... compression is 100-110psi cold and 110-125psi hot. Trying to sell this car, but I cant trust it. Doesnt restart when hot; after cools down, its ok and restar...	View
	2001 Jaguar S-Type 3.0L temperature gauge VIN: SAJDA01N21 The car came in with an overheating problem,the customer said it got hot,she also said that the temperature gauge went all the way to the red hot area of the gauge and rigth after that the engine shut off,she was able to restart the engine and drove it to our ...	View
	2006 Jeep Wrangler Sport 4.0L directionals VIN: JF449S96P7 now vechile is back with no directionals and found that fuse # 27 blown. changed fuse and fuse snapped right away unplugged multifuntion switch and fuse did not blow. thought mfs was shorted internally tried new switch and fuse 27 still blows	View
	1999 Kia Sportage EX 2.0L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: KNDJA723XY This Kia came in as a no start. The codes in the ecm were P1115 - Water temperature signal malfunction between ECM and TCM (Transmission Control Unit)and p1624. Also had misfire codes for cylinders 2 and 3. We did a voltage drop across all connectors to TPS, E... Trouble codes: P1115 (p1624-), P1624 (testing and results)	View
	2005 Kia pregio 2.7L Cooling Systems VIN: KNHTR73125 hi fello thechs ; good evening to all , i would like the cylinder head torque settings and the valve clearance for the kia pregio 2005 j2 diesel engine.We do not have any info on this van so your help is greatly appreciated . thanks in advance phil	View
	2003 Land Rover Discovery SE 4.6L Excessive Emissions, No Start, Cuts out VIN: SALLTGM733 Stuck on this diesel. The customer said the vehicle just cut out while driving 3rd time it’s been towed in this month, 1st time engine code air flow meter, it was very dirty, cleaned it ok. Also found engine oil in the ECU plug so replaced injector loom, now w...	View
	2003 Lincoln Aviator 4.6L Low Side Port VIN: 5LMEU68H93 Customer stated the a/c was not blowing cold. I connected the manifod gauge set to the low and high side service ports. The low side is almost 0, and the high side flucuates between 50-70 when compressor clutch engages. The odd thing is the low side will not a...	View
	1991 Mazda Miata 1.6L Excessive Emissions VIN: JM1NA3514M Please bear with me because this is my first post. This Miata is a big pain for me. The customer told me that car was sitting in his driveway for 4 years after failing the smog test. We drained the gas, filled with fresh one and have the car tested again - NOX...	View
	1995 Mercedes-Benz S500 5.0L Left-Rear VIN: WDBGA51E7S Hello everyone, I could really use some help here. I have been working on this Benz for quite some time now and I am so frustrated and worn out from crawling all over it; I may have lost some common sense over this. Customer came in with a complaint of a loud ...	View
	1994 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3.8L cluster lights VIN: 1G2HX52L5R When i key the vehicle up and turn the running lights on the cluster lights flicker for about one min, then they will stop and act as normal. if i turn the lights off and try to make it act up again it wont, the car has to sit for arond five min off in order t...	View
	1998 Saab 900 S 2.3L slave cyl. VIN: YS3DD55B2W This one will not bleed out. I have bled the slave cyl as per instructions in manual. You're not supposed to be able to do it with the trans installed but if you clamp off the clutch hose and retract the slave cyl with a long screwdriver you can make the bubbl...	View
	1999 Saab 9-3 SE 2.0L long cranking to sta VIN: YS3DD55NXX This is a new customer and we have no history. This car came in on a hook with a no start condition. we found no compression (blown headgasket). The Dad does not know how hot it got before it died. We replaced the head gasket, had the head surfaced,replace bot...	View
	1997 Subaru Legacy L 2.2L Poor Idle Quality, Surge VIN: 4S3BK4350V We never take the time to ask questions we can answer, which is why I'm here now. We have a 97 Subaru that had a leaking head gasket - common enough. We foolishly tried to resurface the heads, and had it apart 3 times trying to get them to reseal. (word to the...	View
	2002 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: JT3GN86R52 After doing tune up, vehicle came back with same codes. It is picking up misfire on cyl. 1 on computer but can not feel skip. Rechecked coil and it was fine. Checked cam and crank signals and are good. Did compression check both running and cranking are fine. ... Trouble codes: P0301 (Misfire on cylinder 1), P0300 (Random misfire)	View
	2007 Toyota Tundra Limited 5.7L Starting VIN: 5TBBV58137 Hi everyone, My personal truck is acting up. The vehicle will start and then stall within 2 seconds. The immobilizer light in the center of the dashboard is not lit at all at any time that i have noticed. This seems like an imobliser issue to me, but im not v...	View
	2003 Volkswagen Golf GTI 1.8T 1.8L Mechanical VIN: 9BWDE61J83 Hello everyone I have this vw that has a strange problem that we cannot reproduce coustomer say that when driving to work aprox 40 to 45 minutes in stop and go traffic vehicle struggles increasingly to move the farther it goes and sometimes gets to the point i...	View
	2006 Volkswagen Beetle 2.5 2.5L Generator VIN: 3VWSF31Y96 vehicle brought into shop with a dealer diagnosis of bad Generator. R&R Generator From DLR , No charging. Tested and Assumed bad alternator from Dlr. R&R Alternator with another from Dlr. Same Result. Testing Plug at back of alternator with key on have Aprox. ...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2002 BMW 745i 4.4L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: WBAGL63442 I did try alot of thing .. swap camshaft sensor , camshaft ajuster motor from this bank to other bank the code always the same 27BB missfire 1.2.3.4 ..open valve cover out and in to inspect about 5 time ,, check all wire harness nothing broken ... finally i de... Trouble codes: 27BB.	7
	2001 Buick LeSabre Custom 3.8L Misfire VIN: 1G4HP54K91 Pulled no. 6 plug and done compression test. Have 100 psi which is min. compression for this engine. Compared to no. 1 which is 160psi. Misfires have dropped to single digits andis not setting a misfire code . Customer has decided to drive car the way it is. T... Trouble codes: P0300.	38
	2005 Buick Terraza CXL 3.5L Steering VIN: 5GADV33L75 Thanks for the replies to our request. The fix turned out to be a rack and and pinion from GM even though we had the existing rack rebuilt locally. The lines were replaced too even though we could not verify any restrictions. But even after the hoses were repl...	6
	1991 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 5.0L break out box VIN: 5123263881 i was having problem with knock sensors but wound up using a volt meter taped into wires had a bad knock sensor	1
	1995 Chevrolet Astro 4.3L Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1GKDM19W3S Thanks to all who helped on tis one. I think my next investment is a secondary pickup for my Vantage one. I think I could have determined that it was fuel and not spark. Anyway this van was heavy with soot all through the intake and after cleaning it runs fine...	36
	1997 Chevrolet K2500 Silverado 5.7L Fuel Guage problem VIN: 1GCGK24R2V Hey guys... Thanks so much for all your help. It did end up to be the IP cluster. From what I understand from TSB 73-83-15 the anti slosh module is in the IP cluster.I got one from the bone yard and it smoothed it out perfectly.I put the old sender in and w...	8
	2001 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L Water pump VIN: 1G1NE52J31 Thanks for the replies. Turned out I went with my gut feeling on this one and replaced the front cover. and the noise is gone. There was a very slight rub mark dead center on the back of the housing where the shaft was making contact. My guess is housing wa...	9
	2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LS 5.3L drops into neutral at cruising speed VIN: 2GCEK19T41 Some times we just overlook the obvious cause it would be to simple what I found was the rear third member is shot have not tore into it yet but apparently ther is enough slop in it that it will let the truck coast and then grab again funny thing is the rear a...	9
	2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 6.0L Charging VIN: 1GCHK29U33 sorry it took so long but i can never get in touch with this lady.the new alternator was bad. replaced with oem part. all is well. thank you for all your help.	9
	2000 Dodge Durango SLT 5.9L 1-2 shift VIN: 1B4HR28Z5Y All replies were fantastic and thank you to everyone that did. I pulled the pan and saw what I now know is the strut lodged between the band and the case. At first I thought the band was broken but after dropping the valve body I could see how the anchor was...	8
	1992 Ford E-150 Econoline Club Wagon Chateau 5.8L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FDEE14H9N First I want to thank everyone who answered my help request . The one tech was right on point about the MAP sensor! It read 130 Hz with the key on (engine off). It should show 159 Hz on the scan tool. Here are some things that may help others working on these ... Trouble codes: 171 (lean), 172 (rich), 542 (intermittent fuel pump circiut), 634 (MLP senser out of range).	10
	1993 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L Starting VIN: 1FMDU34X0P There was an aftermarket alarm installed. When this device was removed and the wiring refitted to original the vehicle started. Thank you.	5
	1997 Ford F Super Duty 7.3L Mechanical VIN: 1FDLF47F3V Thanks for all the information I recieved from all.I ended up on the advice of a few installing a factory idle control box that has worked out great so far.Thnks again for all the advice.	10
	1997 Ford Explorer Limited 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FMDU34E3V had to let this one go for now. found no leaks, no plugge exhaust, but fuel trims still alittle lean at idle. will get back into it later and advise in future. Trouble codes: 171.	10
	2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty Lariat 7.3L Starting VIN: 1FTNW21F22 i don't know how to update again so ill make a other request.I drove around with the scanner hooked up for 2 weeks and it never would not start,so I took it out and 20 minutes later no start.go figure.After about 15 minutes it started and I went and got the sc...	14
	2003 Ford Escape XLT 3.0L Unknown VIN: 1FMYU92183 Hey Guys thanks for the help what we found was the rear cat was clogged up again. But we also found that these have an update kit they want you to change the front cat, downstream cat and the egr seal or it will keep killing the downstream cat. Performed updat...	13
	2004 Ford E-250 5.4L Misfire VIN: 1FTSS34L34 thanks guys the screens on the affected cylinders injectors were completely plugged pulled all 8 injectors and cleaned the screens replaced two and viola the truck ran great once again thanks Trouble codes: P0303, P0308, P0171, P0174.	11
	2002 GMC Yukon Denali 6.0L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GKFK66U92 finally got this one fix sorry about the delay the problem was when i looked at the fuel trim it was at +52 on the right bank which led me to o2 sensor air and fuel when i disconected it the car level off so i replace o2 and that fix my problem thanks to all w... Trouble codes: P0300 (Multiple random misfire).	6
	2003 Hummer H2 6.0L Temp Gauge VIN: 5GRGN23U13 Most replies indicated that the instrument cluster was most likely at fault. One key indicator to suppport a bad cluster was if the gauge did not drop to 0 with key off. Customer has not returned vehicle and proably won't. I will reopen if he does. Thank you t...	6
	2000 Infiniti I30 3.0L Misfire VIN: JNKCA31AXY customer came back the week after we replaced the coils with infiniti coils. still the same problem.. i unplugged every coil stripped all the wire loom off all the way from the firewall to the coils. tested all the wires and still no problem everything was pe... Trouble codes: P1320.	6
	1998 Isuzu Rodeo LS 3.2L timing? VIN: 4S2CK58W43 Thank you all for your help. I replaced the fuel pressure sensor, but still had the problem of losing fuel [pressure immediately when switched off. I replaced the fuel pump assy today, and it starts up like a champ and maintains fuel pressure after stitching...	9
	2001 Isuzu Rodeo S V6 3.2L Misfire VIN: 4S2CK58W21 thanks. drivers side is 2-4-6. found a bad coil, car fixed	6
	1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 5.2L Blower Motor Inop VIN: 1J4GZ48Y8W The customer did not want to go further with diagnostic or anymore percieved investment. He felt that if the blower motor was good then he would "hot wire" if on all the time. Thank you for your help and I believe the majority of the techs were correct in th...	13
	2005 Mercedes-Benz S430 4Matic 4.3L Instrument Cluster VIN: WDBNG83J55 Hello everyone, as I suspected the cluster was the problem. The majority of the 11 replay said the cluster and that it was covered under Mercedes cluster extended warranty 10 years and 100k miles.You need the VIN to be sure just call a dealer. One of you said ...	11
	1998 Mercury Mountaineer 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4M2ZU54E9W Well, it's fixed! We questioned the customer further on the history of this vehicle and found out that the engine was replaced with a used unit prior to purchasing the vehicle. We then discovered that the engine was date coded 12/20/99. This engine used dif... Trouble codes: P0171 (System too lean bank 1), P0174 (System too lean bank 2).	12
	2002 Nissan Maxima SE 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: JN1DA31D12 Thank you all for the replies. dont see many u-codes. first tryed unpluging the motor mounts but didnt help, already had the battery cables disconnected and touched together when cleaned cables. tested for 2.5 volts at the blue and red wires at the ecm and was... Trouble codes: U1000, U1000, P0021.	4
	1999 Plymouth Voyager 3.3L prndl VIN: 2P4GP44R2X Ignition switch fixed the vehicle. In hind sight I guess I should have been checking power and grounds when the concern was present, engine running?	4
	1999 Toyota Tacoma DLX 2.7L rear brakes VIN: 4TANL42NXX thanks for all the replies...it backs up what I told the customer that I thought was happening...that the load compensator would probably prevent lock up if it was functioning normally. this brake system works so well that i have not had this question come up ...	10
	2004 Toyota Tacoma 3.4L A/C Light VIN: 5TEWN72N44 This one is fixed. A big thank you to Philip who sent me a Toyota wiring diagram for this truck. The fix was to replace the compressor because the pulley bearing had seized up, causing the clutch coil to melt. I chased my tail a bit when testing the A/C fuse i...	3
	1999 Volkswagen Cabrio 2.0L No Start VIN: 3VWBB81E9X tested cranksensor showed bad and replaced works great thank you	11
	2000 Volkswagen Passat GLS 1.8L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: WVWNA23BXY Almost every one of youz suggested the coils. I had my doubts because the misfire was not noticeable, but headed the customer to the dealer for the recall based solely on your suggestions. I should not have doubted for a second! Customer stopped in to tell me ... Trouble codes: P0300, P0301, P0302, P0304 (Cyl 4 Misfire).	22
	2007 Volkswagen Eos 2.0T 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: WVWDA71F97 A thanks goes out to the four techs who gave me pliable information on this car. At this time we felt it was better for the customer to take it to the dealer… And just to let you know we had the car three more days. The evap. Monitors ran with NO codes… I am s... Trouble codes: P0087 (00135 fuelrail/system pressure too low lower limit reach Intermittent), P0456 (01110 evap/system very small leak detected upper liimit reached).	4
	2004 Volvo XC90 2.5T 2.5L Unknown VIN: YV1CM59H04 Thanks, guys. Tried the suggestions given but no change. Finally removed right front axle and the inner CV joint was VERY tight. It wasn't bouncing because of the support bearing right by the inner CV joint! We had overlooked that because the car had this comp...	4

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