Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for May 27, 2011

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	Help Request	Answers
	1985 Buick Riviera 3.8L radio VIN: 1G4EZ57BXG Pulled radio out to inspect. You can hear static. No music. Unclear where antena plugs in. not a typical antena plug. The antena goes up and down when radio is turned on, just static.radio scans for stations. No music. Thanks in advance for the help.	View
	1991 Cadillac Seville 4.9L Etc VIN: 1G6KS53B6M We had this car in about 6 mon ago & had problems charging ac but did worked good 1 week came back this time full of freon. I have on grown to ac clutch relay. I have tried a new pcm,fan module, lots of time running wires. Now i have decided that it has ate my...	View
	1988 Chevrolet P30 7.4L All power is lost VIN: 1GBJP37W4J Help, I have a Motorhome that has a problem with the power supply to the fuse panel. I have power to the fuse panel with key off, turn the switch to on or start and all power is dropped. Turn the key to the off position, wait about ten seconds power returns as...	View
	2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT LT 4.2L No Start VIN: 1GNDT13S72 Hi need some assistance on this trail blazer came in running good but had a weak battery so we changed the oil and replaced the battery.Reset light pedal depress 3 times Now the car wont start the cel and reduced engine power light on. Now has codes p1515, p15... Trouble codes: P1515, P1516, P1523	View
	2009 Chevrolet Traverse LS 3.6L Mechanical VIN: 1GNER13D39 Hello all and thanks in advance for looking into this...This customer went into a jiffylube for an oil change, vehicle was ticking, low on oil (aparently). Oil was changed 5w30 quaker state bulk oil put in. From there the noise got worse then it wouldnt start....	View
	1991 Dodge Grand Caravan LE 3.3L Stall VIN: 1B4GK54RPM I've got an intermittent stall that's consuming all my time!! It stalls coming to a stop intermittently (restarts immediately). I have noticed that the problem happens after 10 minutes of driving from a cold start.. then after a 1 to 2 minute fault time the pr...	View
	2007 Dodge Charger R/T 5.7L brake lights VIN: 2B3KA43H17 two bottom brake lights stay on when ignition switch is in on position. third brake light is on but dim, gets brighter when you press brake pedal. replace brake light switch it worked for about 5 times. then went back to doing the same thing again. Looked at b...	View
	1986 Ford Ranger XL 2.3L Stall VIN: 1FTBR10A6G Vehicle came in for stalling and fix codes in order to smog in California. Owner stated that the vehicle was running fine until it encountered head winds north of L.A. and started to do the stall at stops symptom. Replaced the TPS and ordered the correct sen... Trouble codes: 18 (No Tach Input or Spout circuit open), 31 (EGR circuit out of range), 63 (Throttle position signal FIPL too low), 52 (Power Steering Pressure Switch open or no change)	View
	1999 Ford F-350 Super Duty XL 7.3L Gem VIN: 1FTWX33F1X My customer purchased this truck along with all of it's problems. I have most of it sorted out but I'm down to a problem with a parasitic drain. I have the circuit isolated to fuse 15 in the central junction box. If I leave that fuse out the truck can sit for ...	View
	2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty XL 5.4L parking brake VIN: 1FTNX20L5Y just put on all new parking brake cables,pedal assembly,and rear rotors on this f-250 super duty. the parking brake pedal goes to the floor with little resistance adjusted up the parking brake shoes until they lock up and it still dosent hold the vehicle. ther...	View
	2003 Ford E-450 Super Duty Custom 6.8L 1-2 shift, 2-3 shift VIN: 1FDXF46S03 We have this F450 witha 4R100 transmission and it shifts fine. However at times when taking off from a stop and the 1-2 shift happens the O/D light starts flashing. May happen also after 2-3 shift as well. The line pressure at idle and at stall is will within ...	View
	2005 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L No Crank VIN: 1ZVHT82H85 This Mustang came into the shop on the hook and will not crank.I have 12V to the main feed of the starter but nothing on the ignition wire. I have voltage thru the neutral switch and thru the starter relay. The 12V is getting to the pcm but it is not grounding...	View
	2006 Ford F-350 Super Duty XL 5.4L Hesitation, Cuts out VIN: 1FTSX31L54 HELP. This truck is a rail truck that runs on hwy or rails , driver says truck after running for 4 to 5 hours starts to lose power, truck will not rev above 2000rpm will hardly pull it self along. tested fuel pressure , was in spec, changed fuel filter, scanne...	View
	2006 Ford Explorer XLS 4.0L Oil VIN: 1FMZU63K35 Car came in with water mixed with engine oil.engine run great,did a block test and blue die staid blue,did not change to yellow or green meaning no gasse escaping into coolant.took all spark plus out and they are all dry.has anybody run into this problem with ...	View
	2006 Ford F-150 XLT 5.4L Cuts out VIN: 1FTPW14596 Codes: p0102- MAF A - Circuit Low p0113- IAT - Circuit HIgh p0198- EOT - Circuit High p0340- CPS (1)A - Circuit p0344- CPS (1)A - Circuit Intermittent p0345- CPS (2)A - Circuit p0349 - CPS (2)A - Circuit Intermittent P0443 - EVAP Purge Solenoid Circuit *** Thi... Trouble codes: P0102, P0113, P0198, P0340, P0344, P0345	View
	2008 Ford F-350 Super Duty XL 6.4L engine VIN: 1FTWW31R08 engine has a knock almost like lifter noise all the time no codes runs fine other than the noise dont have much knowlage of deisel engines this a friend of the boss so i was asked to look at it	View
	1999 GMC Yukon Denali 5.7L Transfercase VIN: 1GKEK13R7X This is my personal truck and the service 4x4 light is driving me nuts. I checked cleaned and tightened the connectors at the transfer case, I do not see any corrosion or cut wires. It seems when I disconnect the 2 connectors at the transfer case motor the lig...	View
	2002 Infiniti QX4 3.5L Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: JNRDR09Y62 Vehicle was towed in with no start with smoke coming from under dash(customer states). Pulled ecm out and smelled burnt opened up and found burnt componets. Ordered used ecm and installed. no faults. relearn security and could not relearn idle volume. after at... Trouble codes: P0505 (Iacv-aac valve system/circuit)	View
	1988 Jaguar XJ6 3.6L No Start VIN: SAJHV1641J Hi all. Hopefully there's a Jag guru out there who can help me with this vehicle. I'm rarely stumped by anything that's British but this one has me almost beat. This vehicle sat for several months without being started. I put a charger on it and it fired (mor...	View
	2005 Jeep Liberty Limited 3.7L compressor VIN: IJ4GL48K75 Goopd morning, This Liberty's A/C compressor runs while the temp setting in all the way on hot and the mode setting is on floor, is this normal? The customer states that this just started happening. I have check all of my online resources and have not found an...	View
	2002 Kia Rio 1.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: KNADC12322 DTC P0717, customer says trans felt funny once. Of course it does nothing for us and the MIL was off when it came in. Read some posts and decided to flash the PCM, Kia's software says it's up to date and lets me go no further. So that's where I am now - not su... Trouble codes: P0717 (Trans input speed sensor a circuit no signal)	View
	2001 Lincoln LS 3.9L windshield wipers VIN: 1LNHM87AX1 Wipers sometimes will not shut off and when this is occuring there is no "delay function". They will just run on low setting constantly until the vehicle is turned off and restarted after a few seconds. Sometimes they will work normally but most of the time th...	View
	2002 Lincoln LS 3.9L Power windows, seats VIN: 1LNHM87A82 Hello and thank you in advance for your help on this one. This LS was brought here for a complicated electrical issue. Some time ago the battery went dead on this vehicle and after replacing it the customer complained that the power windows and power seat woul...	View
	2003 Mazda Tribute LX 3.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4F2CZ941X3 This vehicle sat for two weeks the customer drove car developed missfire. The missfire comes and goes. I used our lab scope to look at coils in the front of motor. The pattern looked the same on the three coils. Then we cleaned injectors and upper intake clear... Trouble codes: P0396, P0300, P0303, P0306	View
	2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2.0L spark knock VIN: JM1NC25F56 This 6 speed manual transmission Miata has ignition knock (pre-Ignition) From a stop and at other acceleration modes. The knock retard only goes negative 2 degrees and the TPS reading is 20% at idle and 90% full throttle. The TPS reading look like they are inc...	View
	2006 Mercury Mariner Convenience 2.3L No Reverse VIN: 4M2YU56136 Vehicle came back Monday only 400 miles on it since we repaired it and again no reverse this time we get transmission slipping after about 10 miles. Removed transmission for the third time found the same bushing burnished so we replaced the stator the pump and...	View
	2000 Nissan Sentra XE 1.8L Spark knock VIN: 3N1CB51D8Y Vehicle came in with a loud spark knock we checked out the car and found a p0430 code cat efficiency below threshold. Spark plugs were OE. We replaced with NGK and did a motor vac with MV3 ad MV4 also used BG induction cleaner. The car ran better but spark kno...	View
	2004 Nissan Cedric 2.5L Excessive Emissions, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: MY34-12452 Car came to the shop droping black smoke through the exhaust pipe. Smoke's bad when you rev it to about 300rpm. It is burning a very rich mixture on both banks. I replace the ECM, o2 sensor and spark plugs same thing. It have a high perssure puump on the engin... Trouble codes: P0172 (System to rich bank one)	View
	2003 Toyota Matrix 1.8L timing chain tensioner VIN: 2T1KR32E63 trying to remove timingm chain tesioner. will not come out any helpful hints!!!	View
	2005 Toyota Echo 1.5L No Start, MIL Lamp on VIN: KSP90-5020 HI FELLO TECHS , THIS is the third one that came to my shop with this problem ,the problem is as follows: first thing on mornings when car has been sitting overnight and you go to start the car , the engine would crank but not start ...turn the key off and c... Trouble codes: P1589 (Acceleration system learning value), P1602 (p1603-), P1603 (p1605-), P1605	View
	1997 Volkswagen EuroVan Camper 2.8L fuel injector VIN: WV2EH8703V Need to replace an injector, shopkey doesn't show procedure. Curious to know if i need to remove air pump and alternator to replace. Have been going at this for 1.5 hrs and still not sure how to get it off. Feel kind of stupid considering that it pays 1.7 hrs....	View
	1999 Volkswagen Golf GL 2.0L Cool System VIN: WVWBA31J8X I replcaed the t- stat still over heats top hose hot bottom hose that comes from the t-stat. Cold radiator seems to be hot can get to check diff location .is there a common problem with these's maybe the water pump not pumping . Need some help. Thanks in advan...	View
	2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9L clutch VIN: 3VWSP29M51 we have a diesel jetta here with a clutch problem. it works fine until you really load it in 2nd or 3rd gear, it seems that when the turbo builds up boost the clutch slips, rpms go up 1000 or so , then it catches and goes. if you try taking off in a higher gea...	View
	2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLX 2.8L brake vac, pump VIN: VW3TH69MO3 hi gents, ive spent way to much time on this car and am in need of some help.Car shows up on the hook no crank,found melted fuse block on the battery.I replace said fuse block and fuses, the root problem now shows its self as a brake vac. pump(v192) stuck on a...	View
	2003 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo S 1.8L No Start VIN: 3VWDD21CX3 additional codes are p0418 secondary air injecion system control a circut p0010 camshaft position a actuator posion 1 p0414 secondary air injection system switching valve a circut shorted car has been siting out side in back yard for 2 years + checked for mice... Trouble codes: P0261, P0267, P0270, P0267, P0445, P0037	View
	2002 Volvo V70 AWD 2.4L Steering VIN: YV1SZ58D32 Hi this car came in with binding powersteering . as you turn the wheel it gets harder the easyer then harder then easyer to turn. we replaced the resevour and the hose to pump. we put new volvo ps fluid in. The problem was fixed for about an hour now it is bac...	View
	2005 Volvo V50 T5 2.5L Starting VIN: YV1MW68275 Towed in with No start No crank,Steering column locked,key turns and can hear click and can remove key.Vida can read key,only fault on key test says ignition switch not activated 50 all others ok. Fuses under hood ok,battery ok. Codes CEM-3a00 ECM sofeware f...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2003 BMW 745Li 4.4L no gear at all VIN: WBAGN63423 we brought the bmw to the dealer , after 3 days thay informed us that we needed a new trans. so when you replace the trans, in an 745li replace it with a new one .dont make the same mstake that i made ,that way you will not have the same problem,and tha...	6
	1997 Buick Park Avenue 3.8L Entire System VIN: 1G4CW52KXV Well after much time and heart ache we got this car fixed, we pulled the evaporator core out and found nothing, so we went over the whole system again and finally saw some dye coming out of the compressor around the bolts that hold the case together, we had lo...	14
	2004 Cadillac CTS 3.6L 3-2 Coastdown VIN: 1G6DM57794 Thanks for the replies, customer has not gotten back to me to try any of the suggestions. I also went to GM's TIS site & found 2 flash updates that may or may not apply. My thought is that the trans flush may have cured it since customer has not gotten back o...	4
	2000 Chevrolet Blazer LS 4.3L No Start, backfires Thanks to all that replied John from Michigan nailed it on the head ordered crank sensor from dealer this morning part number [...] put it in and all is good thanks to everyone on IATN	17
	2001 Chevrolet Express 3500 5.7L Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GCHG35R91 First thanks for all the help. I tried the new A/C delco cap and rotor tonight with no luck. But after replacing the rotor I kind of did a double take at how much free play there was with the distributor in the engine. The rotor could probably turn 1/4"... Trouble codes: P0300.	20
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LS 6.0L Door locks and Daytime Running Lights VIN: 2GCHK29U82 Well, the problem turned out to be a bad keyless entry receiver. The unit is located under the top center of the dashboard. This is a good friends vehicle and he gave permission to snip the serial data wire at the BCM that comes directly from the keyless ent...	5
	2005 Chevrolet Uplander 3.5L rear suspension VIN: 1GNDV23165 Good afternoon to all I tried to let the customer,let me replace the trailing arm bushings,but he doesnt beleive that is the problem because he called auto zone and they told him it has control arms so he told beleive me so I guess he is taking it to a dealer,...	11
	1996 Chrysler Town & Country LXi 3.8L 3-4 shift VIN: 1C4GP64L4T I received 12 responses and thanks to them. I got very fast replies. All agreed on internal transmission problem and most said was overdrive clutch or snap ring. We did not tear this down. Customer wanted to replace the trans. Quick learn and test drove. Shift...	13
	2005 Chrysler Pacifica 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2C03024GM6 Hi group. Thanks to all who replied. The problem was in the wiring harness. The wire that controled the solenoid was crossing into another circut. Which is popular on chrysler products. Customer could not afford another harness so I ran a wire from the PCM to ... Trouble codes: P0403.	9
	2008 Chrysler Sebring 2.4L Rear Running Lights VIN: 1C3LC46JX8 After verfing power out of the "totaly intergrated module. I found broken wiring and corrosion under the drives front carpet caused by excessive salt that ate through carpet. Repaired wiring works great.	7
	2002 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L fluid VIN: 3B7M33C72M I am so sorry guys, I don't know how I could have assumed that you knew I was talking about the standard trans oil. Any way we will go with the mopar, or amsoil product, to save the trans. I'm sure when the customer finds out about the 5 k replacement cost it...	15
	2006 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT 5.9L Electrical VIN: 306WX48C36 Well, this one is fixed. Turned out to be the Totally Intergrated Control Module had failed. Replaced it and all is well. I want to thank those that took the time to respond to my query! IATN rocks, Joe	3
	2006 Dodge Durango SLT 4.7L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1D4HB48N26 after replacing all 4 o2 sensors with factory sensors, vehicle runs normal. no sel. thanks for all the replies. Rick Trouble codes: P0300, P1128, P1129.	13
	2008 Dodge Avenger SE 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1B3LC46K08 I want to thank everyone for their input. The customer to the car to the dealer, and i have been waiting to her back from him.. So i still haven't found out anything. I pretty sure its an up date or ecm... so thanks to All... Trouble codes: P1607 (PCM internal shutdown timer slow rationality).	5
	2001 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 4.6L Mechanical VIN: 2FAFP71W51 Thanks for all the info. Pretty much what I thought, as I never work on these but had heard the engines were real problems. #4 has no compression and #5 is real low. This is a good customer that bought this car from the city real cheep and is determined to fix...	15
	2004 Ford Excursion XLT 6.0L No Start VIN: 1FWSU45P44 Well I took the ipr out and the tip stayed in the housing and I never found the o-ring for the tip, the screen was clean. I tried a new ipr and still the same. We removed the hp pump and there was some thrust/end play on the gear, about 030-.040 and when turne... Trouble codes: P2285 (Icp sensor circuit), P2617 (Crank sensor circuit open).	10
	2005 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L vent VIN: 1FMZU63E45 We asked the customer if they had the trans serviced recently and they were clueless. So I contacted the last place they had the vehicle serviced and found out that they had flushed the trans. So we got the vehicle up to operating temp and then pulled the fill...	13
	2005 Ford E-350 Super Duty 5.4L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTSS34L95 Well Ford Fans, Thank you to all that replied. We should have went straight to the cats in the first place but... We cut the converters out saw they were stopping up, replaced and viola. Went ahead and completed all maintenance with confidence and shipped vehi... Trouble codes: P0300 (Multiple cylinder misfire), P0306.	7
	2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty Lariat 6.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTSW21R58 i took as long as time would allow on this one, hoping i would have a fix but so far, he has declined the replys, i got were all the same, and that was to r&r the h. s. pump. i had recommened also first to replace the f.r.p. sensor, he hasn't give me the go ah... Trouble codes: P0087, P0088.	5
	2005 GMC Savana 3500 6.0L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out VIN: 1GDUJG31U9 THANKS TO ALL 3 MEMBERS THAT OFFERED HELP. howie was correct about the harness rubbing on the lf control arm mount but had not damaged the wiring yet, so we fixed a future issue which is always good.The actual issue was a large braided ground strap that g... Trouble codes: U1064, U1016, U1000, B1420, C035/.	4
	1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L Stall VIN: 1J4G258S4T Well several days now and jeep is working fine. We replace the pcm with a rebuilt one from crysler, (which I was told had a high rate of returns for being defective),but it was the only PCM arround for this vehicle. We flashed the PCM right after install with ...	7
	2005 Kia Sedona LX 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: KNDUP13265 Well, so far I have tuned up this vehicle with kia plugs and Kia ignition wires. I have also scheduled the timing belt replacement. It has been gone for a few weeks and has not returned. If anything else shows up I will update the fix... Thanks for all the inp... Trouble codes: P0300, P0304, P0306.	5
	1998 Land Rover Discovery LE 4.0L abs VIN: SALJY1248W Replaced the master cylinder and bled the system, cleared codes and pedal is back to normal and no antilock light. Not sure why we had a solenoid power problem code. If anyone has an explanation we would like to know how the faulty master cylinder set this c...	3
	1995 Mercedes-Benz C280 2.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: WDBHA28E5S O.K. Didn't have too many takers on this beast. Well: I had a feeling it was the PCM on this one, but didn't to just throw parts at this one. So, I talked to some local Mercedes shops & mechanics. After the run around, one of my friends has a friend with the M...	3
	2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 3.2L Misfire VIN: WDBLK65G3Y Thank you everyone for your replies. Fermin from California ( the first post ) hit it on the head. The problem was I did not perform the adaptation after fixing the problem and clearing the code. Though everything needed for combustion was there ( fuel/compres... Trouble codes: P0306.	10
	2003 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor 1.8L Excessive Emissions, black smoke VIN: WDBRN40J73 This vehicle is a 1.8L engine and has no check valve on back of head. It has had the service buletin performed for the harness. There are no mil or codes stored. The value for the sensors ie the air mass meter and cam sensors ect are all in spec. Fuel pressure...	5
	2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 3.5L Mechanical VIN: WDDGF56XX8 ok thanks to all i drained the fluid then dropped the pad being carefull as the pan still had some fluid in it. installed new filter and gasket and reinstalled pan. mercedes sent new pan bolts so i used them. did not have special filler tool so i used a clea...	3
	1995 Nissan 300ZX 3.0L Hose VIN: JN1RZ24D0S I want to thank everyone that responded to my help request. Dan from Illinois was right on the button! Piece of cake and made some$$$. Thanks again.	3
	2006 Saturn Vue 2.2L Mechanical VIN: 5GZCZ33DX6 Thanks to all that healped. Both seal that leaked was aftermarket. I ordered a dealer seal and was much softer that the aftermarket and the lip was slightly longer. After installing the dealer seal. Extensive road test. Deliver to customer, its being 3 weeks n...	11
	1998 Subaru Legacy Outback 2.5L shift ok VIN: 4S3BG685XW Found out this transmission was never going to work on this car. Its the wrong transmission. Make sure the numbers on the top left of transmission match, mine almost match but not good enough. The difference in the transmission was the torque converter. 1997 m...	4
	2004 Suzuki Verona EX 2.5L coils VIN: KL5VN52L14 Thanks to everyone for the help,I decided to sell the vehicle for parts.Even if I spend the money to fix it selling it to anybody can come back to haunt me and ruin my reputation as a mechanic.	4
	2007 Toyota Yaris 1.5L Battery light VIN: JTDBT92307 We installed a Toyota alternator and it took care of the battery light. I checked the voltage at the blue wire with the new alternator and it was at 11.6 volts koer. I loaded down the alternator with the headlights, blower motor and rear defroster and the volt...	5
	2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS 2.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: WVWVH63B63 alright guys! this car is officially fixed! The culprit was in the coil packs that I've been getting from my reputable parts supplier. I had to order one from the dealer and now the problem is fixed. Ran all the monitors, kept and drove the car another two day... Trouble codes: P1393 (Ignition Coil Power Output 1 Electrical Malfunction), P1394 (Ignition Coil Power Output 2 Electrical Malfunction), P1395.	17
	1998 Volvo V90 2.9L Stereo VIN: YV1KW9608W OK, First of all, thanks to all of you who took the time to reply. The first step to the fix was the suggestion to disconnect one of the wire plugs and try it. If I took out the speaker half, it wood accept the code and go to radio, so I knew it was not the he...	5

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