Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Mar 18, 2011

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	Help Request	Answers
	1998 Chevrolet Blazer LS 4.3L turn signals VIN: IGNDT13W22 New customer, so don't know any history on this vechile. Here's the problem - - first time driving in the morning everything is fine. Use the turn signals and they work - everything lights up as it should. Make your turn and turn signals cancel lights go out ,...	View
	2002 Chevrolet S10 4.3L Filter VIN: 1GCCS19W02 I hate having to ask this, but the only similar cases in the forums were mostly low pressure issues. The Oil Filter Gasket was pushed out, Initally I thought the Lube Shop had again overtorqued a filter and split the seal, and it was on really tight. We put a ...	View
	2008 Chrysler 300 LX 2.7L Cuts out, Stall VIN: 2CEKA43R48 Have not been able to duplicate customer concern. Code P2172 stored. customer states that throotle light on IPC comes on, engines runs rough and throttle becomes unresponsive. Turn ignition off and resets. Will be OK for a while Trouble codes: P2172 (High airflow)	View
	2000 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.0L Starter VIN: 1FMDU74E9Y Thanks to all that replie.I have a 2000 Ford Exploder with a starting issue.Truck starts and runs fine,but after a couple seconds of running it acts like the solenoid sticks and keeps the starter running,burning up starters.It doesn't have a remote start that ...	View
	2002 Ford Mustang 3.8L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 1FAFP40452 used car lot purchase. previously another shop put plugs wires. came to us with a pretty dead but intermittent miss. we put plugs in it, and it still had same problem so i pulled the coil wire # 4 and spark looked weak to me so i replaced it. miss kind of impr...	View
	2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLS 4.0L LR turn signal VIN: 1FMZU77E32 I have replaced the MFS, the bulb, the socket, the flasher and the harness coming out of the back of the MFS. eveything in the ckt tests out just fine. I know these vehicles have a problem with the connectors to the MFS, due to the tilt wheel function causing ...	View
	2004 Ford F-150 XLT 4.6L No Start, Stall VIN: 1FTRX14W84 Hi fellow Ford Tech's. Thank you for reading my post and offering your time to help. I have a real fun one. This truck will start and run great until it warms up. Then it CAN die at will. Sometimes it will run for an hour and sometimes it will run for 5 minute... Trouble codes: P0351 (Ignition coil a primary/secondary circuit), P0352 (Ignition coil a primary/secondary circuit), P0353 (Ignition coil a primary/secondary circuit), P0354 (P0355 p0356 p0357 p0358 codes all present), P1000 (Obd systems readiness test not complete)	View
	2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty XL 6.0L Surge VIN: 1FDWF36PX5 This customer is very hard to deal with and wants to solve this problem himself/online. When the truck was dropped off he told us to change the oil and fuel filters. So we did. But the problem is progressing and is still not fixed. We have asked for scan test ... Trouble codes: P0272, P0281, P0266, P0611	View
	2006 Ford F-150 FX4 5.4L Cylinder Heads VIN: 1FTPW14516 Customer came in with a dead miss on cyl #2. Removed spark plug #2, but only 3/4 of the plug came out. In an attempt to remove the rest of the plug, it fell in the engine. I spent a whole day trying to remove this material without removing the head by removing...	View
	2000 Honda Accord LX 2.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 9XYC007516 Thanks in advance for your help. This car came in with a P1457 code, Evap system. We replaced the cut solenoid located on the canister, cleared the code and it came back. I removed the hose from the purge valve located at the intake manifold and put my smoke m... Trouble codes: P1457 (Evap system)	View
	2006 Honda Ridgeline RTL 3.5L rear diff VIN: 2HJYK16506 I have an 06 Honda ridgeline that needs your help! Customer complaint was a shudder experienced while powering through corners. confirmed customer complaint. Dropped drive shaft as it felt that the U-joints were bad, had a clicking to them, u-joints non servic...	View
	2005 Hyundai Tucson GL 2.0L Poor Fuel Economy VIN: KM8JM72D25 This vehicle had a p0305 code originally, we replaced ignition wires, performed carbon clean, checked plugs etc, erased code. Ran well since then, over a week, after sitting overnight, started to run rough, codes above showed up, all on same bank, we performed... Trouble codes: P0300, P0302, P0304, P0306	View
	2002 Jaguar XJ8 4.0L Stop Lamps VIN: SAJDA14C82 Car came in with right rear stop lamp inop. Not having time for proper diag due to customer time restraints, we temp. jumpered left stop lamp to the right side. Now 3 weeks later both lamps are inop. No power going to rear stop lamps. ?? Both bulbs are good.	View
	2002 Jaguar X-Type 3.0L transmission VIN: SAJEA51C42 The customer was driving home from work when out of no where the car downshifted into 2 or 3 not sure which is limp home mode and a couple of lights came on on the dash. He brought it straight to me and I scanned and found a P0778 code (Pressure Control Soleno...	View
	2002 Jeep Liberty Sport 3.7L MIL Lamp on, No Speedometer VIN: 1J4GL48KX2 Jeep came to shop with no speedometer, Scanned vehicle to find a P0500 No speed sensor input. Found that the e-brake cable had rubbed through the wiring on the rear end housing and broke the speed sensor. Wire were rubbed through and shorting to the housing al... Trouble codes: 500 (No Speed Input)	View
	2003 Jeep Liberty Limited 3.7L Rocker arms fell off VIN: 1J4GL48K63 This is the second Liberty that we have had come in with rocker arms falling off. We got them back in and it ran fine after warm up. What can be done to make sure the rockers stay in place?	View
	2005 Kia Rio 1.6L Fuel pump lock ring VIN: KNADC12545 How do you remove fuel pump lock ring from tank, need to replace the pump assembly. There is a metal cover with 8 holes in it but it will not turn or pry up. Mitchell shows bolts for an 06 but nothing for 05 & down.	View
	1999 Lexus RX300 3.0L Mechanical VIN: JT6HF10U5X No codes set transmission shifts fast and shudders while driving low speeds has reman trans twice and new speed sensors and two ECMS used same problem scoped sensor wave patterns good wiring check over no problems found	View
	2005 Mazda Tribute S 3.0L 1-2 shift VIN: 4F2YZ06135 2WD 05 Mazda Tribute came in with a late 1-2 shift, finally kicking around 4k rpm, always when cold. Has trouble with 2-3 shift as well when cold. Its fine when its fully warmed up. Nothing substantial in old fluid. Flushed and filled, same problem. I have an ...	View
	1991 Mercury Capri 1.6L No Start, Stall VIN: 6MPCT01Z1M HELP!Ford Techs. LOL I have this old clunker that is giving me a hard time.It came into shop on a hook a no stsrt. I went out to bring it in & it started of course.I let it run in the shop & after an hr or so it died.I found that I loose spark & injector pulse...	View
	2000 Mitsubishi Diamante ES 3.5L Electric Window VIN: 6MMAP67P6Y Passenger side window motor not working from either switches (Master or Pass switch). I applied power and ground to motor and it does work. I tried tracing wires under dash and they disappear into a main harness. A WIRING DIAGRAM WOULD HELP ME cant seem to fi...	View
	1997 Nissan Altima GXE 2.4L Hesitation, Surge, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N4BU31D5V Help iam getting crazy. Vehicle came to the shop for smog failure and mil on with code p0115 ect sensor circuit problem, checked wiring: ground ok, power 4.98v, ect sensor resistence ok, temperature ok fans working on time, i replaced ect sensor same problem, ... Trouble codes: P0115 (Ect sensor circuit problem)	View
	2004 Nissan Quest S 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 5N1BV28U44 Hi all Nissan expert Tech. Car came in engine light on code P1273, check fuel trim before repair ST B1 15, B2 15, after replace B1S1 sensor ST B1 9.4, B2 1.6, customer took car and came back couple days later, light on same code. Ck for vacumn leaks none, fuel... Trouble codes: 1273 (B1 Fuel ratio)	View
	2002 Subaru Outback 2.5L No Start, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall, MIL Lamp on, p1518 VIN: 4S3BH67552 The car will fail to start the first time stalling during start up. Then once started it will act like the ecm shuts off momentarily and the engine will cut out then comeback before it has stalled. I preformed a wiggle test on everything I could find and check... Trouble codes: P1518	View
	2000 Volkswagen Golf GTI GLX 2.8L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Stall VIN: WVWDE21JXY upon doing repairs the battery was disconnected. after repairs test drove vehicle and everything was ok ,customer picked up vehicle and returned back day after stating that the epc light was on. the customer vehicle would not idle. i am in need for help on wha...	View
	2005 Volkswagen Beetle GLS 2.0L Revers and drive VIN: 3VW5E1CA35 Car came in with delay 2-3 shift. Road tested and some times actually was slipping. Pulled pan found some clutch material and pulled trans. Rebuilt and also repaired valve body. Installed had no rev at first thought trans was low filled got rev but bangs from ...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2002 BMW 530i 3.0L Safety VIN: WBADT63442 Amazing respond & the majority of you guys nailed it right on, it was the ignition switch ( Electric Portion ),That's why we are part of this Wonderful IATN. Thanks Again	11
	1995 Chevrolet K2500 Suburban 7.4L Excessive Emissions VIN: 1GNGK26N7S RAN THE TEST WITH EGR UNPLUGGED AND PLUGGED IN, NOX TEST RESULTS WERE THE SAME, PULLED INTAKE AND FOUND RESTRICTIONS IN INTAKE. TRUCK IS FIXED. EVEN WITH THE HUGE VACUUM LEAK THE TRUCK EXIBITED WITH THE EGR OFF, IT STILL WAS NOT CLEAR FOR THE EGR GAS TO GET BA...	5
	1997 Chevrolet S10 4.3L control system VIN: 1GKCT18W7V I finally fixed this beast after maney hours of troubleshooting. there where 5 seperate problems. 1 The neutral safty switch had opens on ckt 276 and 434. 2 The tccm was bad. 3 The encoder moter was out of sync. I could not find any info on how to align it cor...	11
	2002 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1G1ND52J12 it turned out that the wire behind the rear cylinder head touched again, rerouted and insulated with heat resistant tape adn all is well;	9
	2003 Chevrolet Venture LS 3.4L Idle too hight VIN: 1GNDX03E83 it di not have a vaccum due too i took iac motor off and plug it ond idle came down.i replaced pcm and that fixed it thank to all	13
	2004 Chevrolet Express 1500 5.3L Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1GNFH15T54 Thanks for the info. I replaced the throttle body per customer request. I cleaned the pcv hoses and intake plenum again. I had a long talk with the customer and he said they use it "in the yard" and it doesn't shut down at night for about 12 hours at a time. I...	5
	2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2.2L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G1AK52F85 Thank You for the help.Alvaro i think you hit it on the head,I took apart the bcm and tcm connectors again and sprayed them with cotact cleaner.Since doing this i have driven it over 400 miles in the last week and half and it has been fine. Trouble codes: U0101, U2107, P0742, U2100, U2105, U2107.	4
	2007 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 2.2L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G1AK15F97 Well this was pretty simple. Thanks to Alex for telling me how to test this. It was the check valve was stuck open. Just to let you know this though. The only way to get this right now is through the dealership. And when you order it, make sure you order the g... Trouble codes: P2440 (Secondary Air Injection System Switching Valve Stuck Open Bank1), P0446 (Evaporative Emmission Control System Vent Control Circuit).	2
	2005 Chrysler Sebring Limited 2.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1C3EL56R35 checked everything again no exhaust leaks. changed down stream o2 with dealer o2 and that fixed the problem. Thank you for the help Trouble codes: P2098.	8
	2000 Dodge Durango SLT 5.9L Fuel pump VIN: 1B4H528ZYF Thanks everyone. Found a wire sliced together improperly. now it works	5
	1998 Ford F-150 XLT 4.6L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2FTZX08W1W HELLO TECH. WELL THIS FORD IS ONE FOR THE BOOKS I TRIED ALL YOUR IDEAS AND MY THEN DIRECT HIT, LAST RESORT INDENTFIX THEY HAD ME DECARBON THE ENGINE STIIL SAME PROBLEM ONLY OCCURED HEAVY ON 1 TEST DRIVE 30K MISS FIRES OUT OF 132 MILES OF DRIVING. I BELIEVE I M... Trouble codes: P0304.	17
	2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT 5.4L Fuel press. VIN: 1FTWF31545 OK so both wires from PCM to module were partially broken, ran 2 new wires, no reprogram needed. Thanks to all for the info, much appreciated...until next time	8
	1999 GMC Jimmy SLE 4.3L serpintine belt VIN: 1GKDT13W6X First off let me say thanks to all those who replied. Several replies took me in the right direction with possible belt alignment problems. I checked the alignment of the PS pump pulley and it wasn't inline with the crank. Next question would be Why not?...	30
	2004 GMC Yukon SLE 5.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GKEK13Z64 Thanks to all that replied. I replaced the knock sensors and harness and that was it. It always seems to happen that with multiple codes and issues that I do the codes that at are easliy seen and most common repairs and reset odd ball codes and attack them the... Trouble codes: P0332.	8
	2007 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE 5.3L Mechanical VIN: 1GTEK19047 u guys were right as always. replaced master cylinder next am and had it bled out in less than 15 minutes. thanks again!	5
	2006 Honda Civic DX 1.8L Mechanical VIN: 1HGFA16846 I JUST NEEDED TO KNOW IT WOULD COME OUT FROM TOP, EVEN THOUGH JUST ABOUT EVERYONE SAID TO DROP FROM BOTTOM,I PULLED FROM TOP VERY EASY AND PLENTY OF ROOM ,I TOOK CRANK PULLEY AND EXHAUST MANIFOLD OFF,DISCONECTED INTAKE AND LEFT IN CAR,DROPING IN WAS VERY EASY,...	18
	2008 Honda Odyssey LX 3.5L heater control unit VIN: 5FNRL38628 Ok after making every input test followed from troubloushooting tree in regards body code every single test past...my last resource it was the climate control unit behind the glove box...and what a surprise when I lower the glove box the control unit was MISSI...	3
	2004 Kia Sedona EX 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: KNDUP13194 Cust. has not returned with it to do further testing. Replies included problems with the tuning valve assembly from poor electrical connections, gunking of the plates, and even plate screws falling off and getting sucked into a cylinder. Another suggested lo... Trouble codes: P0304 (4 misfire), P1159 (Intake tuning valve).	3
	2000 Lexus RX300 3.0L Mechanical VIN: JT6GF10U7Y I have not fixed this vehicle yet.(waiting on customer) I got some good info from the IATN members. The valve clearance was good and no sludge under the valve covers. Oil pressure was good as well. I am down to replacing the VVT gears and now waiting on approv...	7
	1973 Mercedes-Benz 450SL 4.5L fuel sender VIN: 107044-12- Thank you to all that replied.Well, there is only one way to fix this, change the tank to a newer one with later sending unit, it has been updated about 5 times to later version. The tank has a larger capacity, and taller sending unit.MB shows this to be the ...	6
	1992 Mercedes-Benz 300SE 3.2L Oil Pressure VIN: WDBGA32E4P most people agreed that this car was likely not in a dangerous position with oil pressure since the engine wasn't noisy, they are known for lower pressure at idle, and it looked clean inside. It may have been the old filter falling apart that plugged stuff up...	10
	2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 4Matic 3.5L battery VIN: 4JGCB65EX6 I want to thank to all of you who helped me, especially to Charles from New Jersey who sent me a good artical. To be honest I do not know yet if the car is repaired already 'cause I put another battery to it. So I got the car in the shop for three days and whi...	5
	1997 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 4.6L No Start VIN: 2MELM74W6V I WOULD LIKE TO tHANK ALL OF YOU GUYS THAT RESPONDED TO MY REQUEST FOR HELP. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT SUGGESTED A WIRING PROBLEM IN THE MAIN LOOM THAT RUNS FROM THE UNDER HOOD FUSE PANEL TO THE IGNITION SWITCH YOU WERE EXACTLY CORRECT. THE BROWN WIRE WAS THE MA...	14
	1994 Nissan 300ZX 3.0L condenser fan VIN: JN1RZ24D0R After checking all of the wiring and signals to the ECM,replacing the dual pressure switch which changed nothing, I grounded the relay so the fan will run all of the time. We are in southwest Florida on a island so this is not a such a bad thing. The lack of a...	5
	2003 Nissan Altima SE 3.5L No Start, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N4AL11D23 Ok... I finally got this car running. I had already checked compression and the wiring schematics. Compression was good. 155-160. I had checked and rechecked the connector view schematics and the plug on the cam sensor was wired correctly... To the diagram... Trouble codes: P0340 (Cam Position Sensor).	9
	2004 Nissan Frontier SC 3.3L Timing Belt VIN: 1N6ED29X14 We found a crack in the harmonic balancer and it was separating from the inside part. The crack ran about 50% around. We put it back together with a new balancer and so far no problem. I did not see anything wrong with the first install, so I am think the bala...	5
	1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: WP0CA2997X THANKS FOR THE HELP. WE FOUND THE PROBLEM WITH THE VACUME RESIVORE, A SLOW LEAK FROM A CRACK IN THE RESIVORE. THE RESIVORE IS UPDATTED FROM THE DEALER. WE FOUND A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF VACUME TO THE SWITCHOVER VALVE. TRACED VACUME TO THE RESIVORE. Trouble codes: P0410 (Secondary air injection malfunction), P0411 (Secondary air injection).	5
	1995 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: JT3VN39WXS o.k guys i decided to close this request, first power is back & code is gone, second we understand customer needs to use 1st gear for take off, customer agrees & will try it from now on.But power is back & he is happy. I want to thank all the technicians who p... Trouble codes: 52 (knock sensor circuit problem).	13
	2007 Toyota Tacoma Pre Runner 4.0L brakes VIN: 3JTMMU52NX Man all you guys where right it was just the pads shifting. I just cant belive they could sound so loud like someone pinging a hammer on some metal. All it took was some lube on pads sides and on the pins to quiet the rackit. Well thinks alot for all your help	9
	2003 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: WVWPD63B03 Thanks for the help. The real answer to the problem was just diving in a little further than we initially wanted to. We found that the combo valve (what I call a diverter valve) to be stuck. The book said that we needed to use low pressure air to blow in it fr... Trouble codes: P0411, P2181.	11
	2003 Volkswagen Beetle GLS 2.0L dome light VIN: 3VWCK21C83 I have not fixed it yet, but I need to close this. Everyone said the door latch is faulty, my cost is $150 for part. Thanks to everyone.	12

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