Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Aug 20, 2010

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	Help Request	Answers
	2001 Acura TL 3.2L reverse VIN: 19UUA56681 hello group, customer requested a transmission oil change and check timing belt,test drove car before started doing service but didnt try to shift into reverse..so upon inspection timing belt is about to break,customer said replace it and sold a water pump at ...	View
	1997 Cadillac DeVille 4.6L Instrument Cluster VIN: 1G6KD54Y1V The instrument cluster has gone out, went online and found AutoXpresstech to do the repairs. Has anyone used them, would like a testimonial...Thanks	View
	1997 Chevrolet Tahoe 5.7L Stall VIN: 1GNEC13R1V truck came in for stalling problem after driving for about 5 to 10 minutes. replaced ignition switch. was alright for a little bit than came back with same problem. the engine just dies with no sputtering or any thing sit and wait for about 2 minutes and it wi...	View
	1997 Chevrolet Blazer 4.3L Mechanical VIN: 1GKDT13W1V hi techs I have a 97 blazer I'm trying to get the motor out of. problem is car must be from rust belt cause body mount bolts are rusted solid. I broke 2 trying to remove them and the rest feel like they are going to snap as well. problem is how to get to upper...	View
	2003 Chevrolet S10 2.2L head light VIN: 1GCCS14113 came in for no dash lights intermittantly, no lo beam, hi beam interminttanly, no emergency brake warning lamp. Fuses ok, relays ok. all bulbs ok. Has new DRL relay, multifunctioning combo switch and new head lamp switch. E brake switch contact tang was broken...	View
	2004 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7L Gas smell VIN: 1G1YY22G14 Complaint is of a smell of gas while sitting in the garage overnight. Searched the archives and nothing related to gas smell or leak. Found a sign of gas leaking from the left tank with a noticeable leak/stain of fuel on the aluminum shield for the left gas ta...	View
	2004 Chevrolet Express 2500 4.3L coolant resevoir VIN: 1GCFG29X94 Customer brought van in today with coolant leaking from resevoir.The resevoir had pressure in it.This thing has a wierd setup on the resevoir.It has your usual hose from below the cap to resevoir.But it also has a hose from the neck of the radiator,which is ab...	View
	2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer LT 4.2L Accessories VIN: 1GNDT13S45 Vehicle came in with the speedometer reading 60 mph at idle and 100 mph with the engine off. Diagnosed and found the instrument cluster bad. Going to replace cluster on Monday. What I was wondering if there are any tips on programming the cluster. Got a new te...	View
	2005 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.8L Stall, Hard start VIN: 2G1WF52K05 Car came in with an intermittent no start but will start after multiple tries. Also has intermittent stall when coming to a stop. Only been able to catch it once or twice and all data readings with TECH 2 appear to be normal. IAC counts prior to starting hot a...	View
	2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LS 6.6L crank/cam VIN: 1GCHK29275 Hi techs. This one has me pulling my hair out. Vehicle came in with a no start, so run condition. WE found a P0374 Timing reference signal A problem and traced it back to a loose ruluctor ring for the Crank sensor. Pulled the front cover and found 2 of 3 bolts...	View
	2006 Chevrolet Aveo LS 1.6L Engine Light VIN: 1F34G45672 Replaced engine, everything runs perfect, no lights, no misfires, until vehicle exceeds 60 miles per hour for more than about 1 min, then engine light flashes and hold light flashes and will not shift into overdrive and will not kick down when accelerator is d...	View
	2006 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.5L cruise control VIN: 2G1WB58K96 i ran a procedure /test from identifix on this cruise. the little light on the cruise button which is on steering column doesnt light and cruise inop. theres no codes anywhere stored in vehicle computers although customer insisted light came on while driving. ...	View
	2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.4L power steering bracket VIN: 3C4FY48B72 i am currently enjoying a timing belt/water pump on this chrsyler. where i am having trouble is getting the power steering pump bracket out of the way. if anyone knows an easier way than pulling the engine please let me know. thanks	View
	2001 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L No Start VIN: 3B6MF36741 The truck was towed to the shop because of a no start. Checked for codes and none stored in the ecm. Checked the body computer and found a code for the cylinder lock switch failure. My modis doesn't show pids for the door locks. My main question for you dodge ...	View
	2002 Dodge Intrepid SE 2.7L No Start, Hesitation, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2C3HH46R42 Hey guys i have a very werid problem car first came in for a misfire so we scanned it and we found cylinder #6 dead and then we noticed that the coil was melted so we put a new one in same thing happened so then we tested the wires going to PCM all was okay so... Trouble codes: P0356 (Ignition Coil 6 Circuit)	View
	2004 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 5.7L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1D7HA18D04 Well i have a truck here thats pulling my hair out. Customer brought me his truck from another shop that did a tune up and could not get a rough idle out of it. i checked vacuum with a gauge and is a steady 15inhg. no codes are stored or pending. rechecked all...	View
	2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500 2.7L Mechanical VIN: WD0PD64406 Thanks to all who take the time to read and respond. Customer complaint A/C not cooling. Found high side presure 275 to 375 elec radator fan cycles off and on at these presures. Low side 55 to 75 psi at ides and 2000 rpm. have ran water on condensor no change....	View
	2002 Ferrari 575 M Maranello 5.7L No Start VIN: ZFFBT55B00 Hello iATN members and Ferrari Tech!this Ferrari come my garage no A/C ,idle speed too high about 1200rpm and MIL lamp on, I was turn off engine and restar engine the A/C OK.Then turn off engine and disconnect battery negative. About 5 min later connect the ne... Trouble codes: P1586 (p1587-), P1587	View
	1999 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L convertor VIN: 1FAFP53U0X please help, the tcc seems to be staying partly applied and the service engine light never comes on even when codes are stored. the car after driving even a short distance will surge when coming to a stop and holding the brake. certainly feels like the tcc is ...	View
	2001 Ford F-450 Super Duty XL 7.3L No power VIN: 1FDXF46F21 Hi diesel techs--power stroke 7.3l turbo recurring p1247 & p1248-- with no power upon acceleratiion, customer states ocurreed suddenly. Fuel pressure 67 psi-good-. I'm not to familiar with diesels. I checked map sensor readings, to my knowledge i'm not suppost... Trouble codes: P1247 (Turbo boost pressure low/not detected), P1248 (Turbo boost pressure low/not detected)	View
	2003 Ford Windstar Limited 3.8L Fuel smell VIN: 2FMDA58433 Heres the problem our shop courtesy shuttle is a 2003 ford windstar limited. For the last couple months we have had a real bad fuel smell problem while driving coming through the a/c vents doesnt matter what the a/c is set on. It starts to smell when it is hot...	View
	2005 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1ZVHT82H75 Ok, this vehicle has a bit of history. It belongs to one of my students. The student tried to replace the spark plugs on this car and of course broke them all. He ended up removing the head to remove the broken porcelin pieces that were dropped in the cylinder... Trouble codes: P0345	View
	2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT 4.0L fuel guage VIN: 1F38U77385 hey guys,i got this sport-trac,and sometimes the fuel guage quits working,sometimes the tachometer jumps around,the odometer vanishes and then comes back,all of it comes and goes,and most of the time it works ok.i scanned it and got troubles codes u1041 and u1...	View
	1993 Honda Accord SE 2.2L No Start, Poor Fuel Economy, trans 4th gr light VIN: JHMCB7683P Honda Techs HELP PLEASE!!! This Accord came in first complaining of loss of power when accelerating at highway speeds. I couldn't verify the complaint at that time. Customer came in and to pick up car and it would only crank but wouldn't start. Then I found ou...	View
	2006 Honda Civic EX 1.8L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 2HGFG11606 Hello My fellow IATNers: I have a 2006 Honda civic 2 door with a 1.8 L engine, customer has had vehicle for about 6 month, 2 days ago came in complaining that when 1st start engine runs rough, no check engine light coming on, it does it for about 3-5 minutes u...	View
	2006 Jeep Commander 3.7L Unknown VIN: 1J8HG48K96 Thanks in advance. This Jeep has a vibration and noise at 40-65 mph that comes and goes. Hard to tell where it is coming from but feels like front end. Checked all ujoints, bearings, steering and suspension, even rebalanced new tires. All physically ok. Also c...	View
	1999 Lexus GS300 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: JP8BF28G0X Is the 2 codes related,I'm testing heater circuit for both.The front O2 passes power side,but unless computer only turn ground on when engine is running I have no ground,so that would be a computer issue.I'm going for rear O2 power next.I cleared codes,mils of... Trouble codes: P0125 (insuff / time for closed loop), P1155 (A/Fsensor heater circuit fault B2S2)	View
	2005 Mazda 3 S 2.3L alarm VIN: JM1BK14384 Vehicle will have false alarm activation regularily. viewed PID for alarm history, says "TAJAR". Reviewed operation of all door switches, all work fine. Has PID for Trunk Ajar which is always "CLOSED" however there is a Liftgate Ajar which functions properly w...	View
	2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4A3AC34G21 Thanks in advance for help evryone.a used car lot dropped this one off- has tank pressure error code+purge flow error code.checked the purge+vent solenoids manually. They work ok,smoked system+found no leaks.pulled tank down+visually looked at lines+connection... Trouble codes: P0441, P0451	View
	2002 Nissan Altima 2.5L Accessories VIN: 1NAL11D22C Hey all, I replace the immobilizer on the igntion key to correct p1610 and ther Nats codes. Is there a way to reprogram this short of going to the dealer?? Thanks for the info.	View
	2004 Nissan Titan LE 5.6L engine VIN: 2GGG3HJKJH hey guys.we have an 04 nissan titan with a 5.6l engine.this thing smokes out the exhaust when you drive for say 10 miles then let it sit fow a few minutes then re-start it.its oil smoke.no blow-by at the crankcase vent.took engine apart and you would not belei...	View
	1985 Plymouth Caravelle 2.2L Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1P3BJ46D4F To all Techs, We have a 1985 Plymouth Caravelle with a 2.2L TBI that has an intermittent stalling problem that can occur at idle or at cruise. The engine will restart and the car will run fine for awhile. Sometimes the engine hesitates but the engine does not ...	View
	2003 Saab 9-5 Aero 2.3L transmission VIN: YS3EB49EX3 Thank you in advance for your help. We replaced a transmission cooler line and refilled the transmission fluid to the correct level. When tech attempted to pull out of the shop the transmission would not engage; in fact we couldn't push the car in neutral with...	View
	1995 Subaru Impreza L 2.2L compressor VIN: JF1GM635XS This system cycles about once a minute, on for about 45 seconds and off for about 15 seconds. When it cycles the pressures stay about the same high and low side. The cooled air stays about 45 deg. Customer says that he has installed several compressors due to ...	View
	2004 Subaru Outback 2.5L Transfer VIN: 4S3BH67504 Car does OK until driven approx. 30 miles, then will grind and pop on sharp turns. Very similar to the A/T version which is cured with an additive to the trans fluid. Sounds like very bad, dry outer CV joints, but both of these axles are new. Driveline does ha...	View
	2006 Subaru Outback R L.L. Bean Edition 3.0L Cruise Lamp VIN: 4S4BP86C26 Cruise control lamp in instrument cluster flashing intermittently. I'm having difficulty finding any information on this, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Customer stated that after hittiing a "bump" the fuel gauge read empty; this vehicle also has a ...	View
	2006 Subaru Forester X 2.5L rocker arm VIN: JF1SG63646 hello everyone i just have a question regaurding installing the rocker arm on this subaru. Came in with a broken timing belt and bent valves. Heads are back from the machine shop and i was wondering if there is anything special that i have to do because of the...	View
	2006 Suzuki Reno 2.0L 4-3 shift VIN: KL5JD66Z85 Have this vehicle customer states that has lack of power on acceleration. Found DTC P1884 4-3 shift malfunction. Test drove vehicle, and have not experience problem yet. Did not find any other article on here with that same DTC. On mitchels the diagnostic flow...	View
	2002 Toyota Camry LE 2.4L Incorrect Vehicle Speed VIN: 4T1BE32K02 In the morning the speedometer jumps up to 140-150 mph while on the highway. The vehicle will not accelerate any more when this happens. It acts like it hits a speed limiter. It is a very intermittent problem and seems ambient temperature related. The problem ...	View
	2002 Toyota Tacoma DLX 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 5TENL42N82 I am trying to find a source for the maf sensor connector. Does anyone have knowledge of a vendor? toyota only sells the complete harness.	View
	2006 Toyota Tacoma 2.7L Ignition random miss fire VIN: 5TENX22N36 It has random missfire after comes off high idle	View
	1998 Volkswagen Jetta GT 2.0L interior lights, radio, clock, and sunroof VIN: 3VWVA61H4W I have in the shop a 1998 volkswagen jetta gt, came in for the interior lights, and sunroof inop. After testing fuses found that fuse #21 was blown, tested ohm and it is shorted to ground. I have unplugged the radio, cluster, interior lamps, and trunk lamp. Th...	View
	1995 Volvo 850 2.4L convertor area VIN: YV1LW5534S Hi guys. This [...] recently came in w/ solenoid 2 code. Pulled the pan and found lots of clutch so we rebuilt it. After reinstalling. customer reports high idle to 2k after placing into park or drive, hot or cold. Unfortunately we don't have the BAUM scann...	View
	2004 Volvo XC90 T6 2.9L engine VIN: YV1CZ91H14 Looking for help on this Volvo XC90 T6. Customer came in for 90k service ( LOF and inspect ) and check blue smoke at start up from tail pipe. Customer stated that he had to add 2 quarts of oil recently. When I got the car there was no oil on the dipstick so I ...	View
	2006 Volvo S40 2.4i 2.4L Gauges VIN: YV1M538256 Customer brought in vehicle for engine light on and when he starts the car, other dash warning lights come on and then turn off - according to customer. When scanning system with Bosch scanner, had a U0001 code. No data available in Mitchell or Alldata. Need h...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2002 Acura TL 3.2L Unknown VIN: 19UUA56612 It turns out, after "listening" with some new electronic ears the road noise/hum was coming from the right rear wheel hub & bearing - replaced and all is well. Thanks for the responses.	8
	2006 Buick Terraza CXL 3.5L Fluid aerated VIN: 5GADV33L26 Ok, this was a first for me, and hopefully a last! Taking into consideration that a rack and pinion is a very expensive job, even though there is small fluid leakage from both ends, I cannot feel confident that this will fix the problem. Plus the fact that e...	12
	1995 Cadillac DeVille Concours 4.6L compressor VIN: 1G6KF52Y6S found the low pressure temp sensor after the orfice tube to be bad, replaced and cleared codes utilizing the climate control buttons, problem solved. thanks again	11
	1984 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1G1AY0786E ok got this one figured out the vent on the fuel pump module was plugged i took the ball and cage apart and boom the little hole in the middle of the plastic valve was plugged up clean it out no gas no pressure no problems and when you take off the non vented ...	5
	1997 Chevrolet Blazer LS 4.3L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality VIN: IGNDT13W5V after a fresh start , new day, in a quiet shop,, we noticed a very faint snapping on bank 2 , yes a bad wire intermittently snapping to ground under the wire harness near the cap, coil wire looked white too,,as if one section got quiet warm at some point. ...	20
	2004 Chevrolet Colorado 3.5L No Start VIN: 1GCDT136X4 Thank you all for the help! Turns out my technicians were not following the instructions to the T. Unlike most GM's you need to actually crank the vehicle over when coming off your 5 second key off not just turn it back to the on position. I came in early yest...	4
	2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx LS 3.5L shift solenoid b VIN: 1G1ZT64815 well it was the 2-3 shift solenoid. ohm out at 15ohms, below specs. also took the valve body off because of tsb to check for debis found nothing. what a pain in the butt getting this thing apart.	4
	2009 Chevrolet Impala LT 3.5L Air Bag system VIN: 2G1WB57K39 Thanks to all who responded, some who responded again, and sent some photos in effort to help. One thing I did, as a result of response information, was to replace the B-pillar pretensioner/retractor assembly. Since the GM factory scanner said that the problem...	10
	2006 Chrysler Town & Country 3.3L ABS sensor circuit VIN: 2A4GP54L46 Thanks for the quick replys. Found corroded wires at LF inner fender area. Removed forward part of inner fenderwell to inspect harness, corroded wire was obvious.	6
	2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500 2.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: WDOPD64426 All seem to agree that turbo and servomotor are replaced as unit. I am still waiting for him to get off the road long enough to get it looked at buy a dodge tech. I will post if they find some thing Thanks Andy Trouble codes: P2359.	4
	2006 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT 5.9L Compressor VIN: 3D7KR28C76 I removed electrical connectors from back of TIP Module and cleaned/inspected. After reassembling, the loss of current was gone and A/C worked fine. Before disconnecting TIP Module, the incandescent test light was enough of a draw to drain current at a/c clutc...	6
	1998 Ford Taurus LX 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FAFP5351W found a vaccum line elbow by the throttlebody that had a small hole in it. thanks for all the help.	6
	2001 Ford Taurus SE 4-Valve 3.0L Rack & Pinion The problem was the installation of the check valve in the pressure port. I transfered it from the old rack, small hole up, but it must have changed position as I installed the rack. The retainer was gone so it just sat at the bottom of the bore, only gravity...	14
	2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4.6L Surge, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FMDU73W82 Thanks to those who replied. most mentioned MAF one mentioned DPFE, Robert and Jeff came closest. when I scoped the O2 sensor for 1/1 I noticed it was a square wave signal at 1.5v and almost looked like a pulse width modulated signal. I cut the wire going to... Trouble codes: P0172, P0301, P0316, P1130, P1132.	6
	2004 Ford Thunderbird 3.9L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FAHP60A73 WE REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS AND VALVE COVER GASKETS. THE TPS CODES WERE FALSE CODES. ENGINE HAD A SMALL MISFIRE CAUSING THE ERRONEOUS CEL LIGHTS. CUSTOMER HAS BEEN GONE FOR WEEKS, AOK. THANK YOU IATN GODS. Trouble codes: P2110, P2107.	3
	2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat 6.0L No codes VIN: 1FTWW3P7SE everbody was right, one of the pipes was just a hair off, actually the egr cooler to y ,, which is kinda weird because we smoked tested the whole system and did not see any leaking. we pulled the turbo twice checked all the clamps and did not see anything wrou...	7
	2005 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L instruments cluster VIN: 1FTPD12345 Thanks all for your help, at this time my customer is in search of a used instruments cluster, until he finds one i will install and see if all your suggestions are good. Thanks again... E.V.	6
	1998 Jeep Cherokee Classic 4.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J4FJ68S3W i replaced the pcm with used unit due to customer having limited funds jeep is fine runs great sorry i forgot to close this sooner i work alone and i am real busy i will close future cases sooner thank you guys for your help	6
	1999 Lincoln Town Car 4.6L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1LNHM81W6X Thanks for everyones help,some of you were right suggesting that the #8 coil pak was not firing. Plugged coil pak into connector with spark plug in it and started engine,No Spark! Checked harness to coil, had power but open circut to PCM After much time spent ...	19
	2001 Mazda Tribute DX 3.0L in cab vibration VIN: 4F2YU07141 i feel pretty dumb but the mount that was replaced about 9mths ago colapsed and was grounded out replaced again!with a new one and retested perfect...thanx for the input guys	3
	2001 Mazda Miata 1.8L no start/no spark THIS ONE FOOLED ME, MAIN RELAY WAS BAD, RELAY WOULD CLICK AS IF IT WERE CONNECTING BUT APPARENTLY WAS NOT CONNECTING, REPLACED MAIN RELAY(GREEN ONE IN UNDERHOOD FUSE BOX) ALL IS OKAY, THANKS TO ALL !!	5
	2001 Mazda B3000 SE 3.0L Misfire VIN: 4F4YR16UX1 as suggested by all replies problem turned out to be a valve problem . the difficulty was that when we backed off the rocker compression would return while cranking engine and would go away when re tightened suggesting possible pumped up lifter or weak valve s... Trouble codes: P0306.	4
	2001 Mitsubishi Galant ES 3.0L Compressor VIN: 4A3AA46H41 I fixed the vehicle by replacing the Expansion Valve. After I recharged the system to spec all pressures went bacl up to normal. Be sure to put the exact amount of freon in this car. They are very picky with refrigerant levels.	8
	1995 Nissan Maxima GLE 3.0L water pump VIN: JN1CA21D1S I think most of concern was the unknown not having done one before. The only thing that threw me off was the fact that in order to get the tension of the cahin off the pump I had to turn the crab nkshat clockwise almost 30 degrees and the bolts needed to remov...	10
	2008 Nissan Altima SE 3.5L Steering VIN: 1N4BL23E78 CUSTOMER COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THEIR CAR HAD ISSUES AT 47,000 MILES AND OPTED TO TAKE THE CAR.I PRESUME THEY WENT TO DEALER.WE DID HOWEVER FIND A BAD FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHING ON PASSENGER SIDE.THANKS TO ALL WHO RESPONDED.	6
	1989 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale 3.8L Extended Crank VIN: 1G3HY54C1K Thanks for all the great replies. Customer did not want to go any further since he can always get it to eventually start. If it gets worse he will bring it back in and I will post the fix. Thanks again to everyone who sent replies.	24
	2001 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0L Steering Gear VIN: 1G3GS64C51 replaced steering sensor and fixed stability light and hopeful that loss of steering is fixed but only happens once in while so my fingers are crossed	4
	2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8L heater core VIN: 2G2WP52255 Thanks to Bill and Mike for their replys and advice. I removed glovebox to get some extra working room. This repair can be accomplished without removing dash. Their are two seperate portions to the heater core cover panel . The first one directs air to the duc...	3
	2006 Pontiac Torrent 3.4L hold start feature VIN: 2CKDL73F36 Thanks to all that replied. 80% of you indicated that the throttle body should be clean as this could cause the vehicle not to achieve the 400 rpms needed to shut the starter off. The vehicle came in yesterday and we cleaned the throttle body, we were unable t...	6
	2002 Saturn Vue 3.0L Mechanical VIN: 5GZCZ63B42 as it turns out I was the throttle body relearn procedure wrong. a friend of mine came by and showed me the right way to do it. you can guess how small i feel right now	4
	2005 Subaru Outback i 2.5L engine VIN: 4S4BP61CX5 thanks for all the replies. cust didn;t want to wait for the engine to be rebuit, so we replace the engine with a used one while using his original heads. car runs fine and cust is happy.	7

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