Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Nov 23, 2011

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(Also Available: All, Asian, Chrysler, European, Ford, GM.)
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	Help Request	Answers
	1996 BMW 318i 1.9L Readiness monitors VIN: 4USCD8327T Customer has been driving vehicle for months in hopes to complete readiness monitors. Thermostat was not allowing vehicle to reach operating temperature, so we replaced that. Could not find any other anomalies.we have also noted that under acceleration, at hig...	View
	2004 BMW M3 3.2L Cuts out, Stall VIN: WBSBL93444 this bmw can in with a no start due to battery dead. you can start the car and it dies almost right away. Will start and run on alternate fuel. scanner shows that car is not in double no start and we get a rpm signal from the scann on starting attempt. Seems t... Trouble codes: 179 (bank 2 cat), 178 (bank 1 cat)	View
	2008 BMW 328xi 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: WBAVC93508 Hello all, i had a 07 328xi come in for 65k service today. I changed engine oil, air filter and cabin filter. After performing the service, we started the car. It ran rough and stalled. Tried again and it started and idled but misfired. Check engine light came... Trouble codes: 2D06	View
	2005 Buick LaCrosse CXL 3.8L Abs Module VIN: 2G4WD56285 Intermitent unwanted abs activation ( every couple of days ) and sometimes abs & traction control lights will come on, but not always. Replaced the right front sensor & hub 1 month ago ( although it tested fine ohms & millivolts ) and was good for three weeks....	View
	1994 Cadillac DeVille 4.9L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out VIN: 1G6KD52B7R I even tryed a map sensor, just because, talked to a few techs in area about this, no help	View
	2005 Chevrolet Express 3500 6.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GBJG31U25 Truck arrived with engine light on. Pressure tested the evaporative emission system and found no leaks present. Found the vent control valve inoperative when commanded with the scan tool. Removed and replaced the vent control valve and the purge valve. Both va... Trouble codes: P0455	View
	2006 Chevrolet Equinox LT 3.4L heater VIN: 2CNDL63F16 this vehicle arrived for the first repair with a blown heater core. replaced the core and thermostat and filled and bled system. all seemed to work normally. gave the car back to customer . shortly after she returned complaining of no heat at idle. test drove ...	View
	2006 Chevrolet Impala LT 3.5L ebcm VIN: 2G1WT58K36 I have a C0561 code on this vehicle, mitchell does not list this code. any help would be great thanks!	View
	2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 3C8FY68B73 The check engine light is on with code P0441: Incorrect Purge Flow. Using scanner in ATM mode to operate the purge solenoid, the scanner would only turn the solenoid ON or OFF. It would not cycle it ON and OFF. (It does cycle everything else.) The solenoid has... Trouble codes: P0441 (Evap Incorrect Purge Flow)	View
	2004 Dodge Ram 2500 ST 5.9L Cuts out, Stall VIN: 3D7KU28C54 I'll start off by saying that I am not very experienced with Cummins diesels and my shop is not equipped for diesel repair. We got stuck with this because the bosses cousin just bought it and is having problems. It died going down the road, acted like it lost ... Trouble codes: P0483 (Cooling fan fault)	View
	2006 Dodge Dakota SLT 3.7L Shift VIN: 1D7HE42K36 The truck will drive perfectly, but sometimes when you go over a rough road or maybe railroad tracks the transmission will go into limp mode and shift into what I believe is 2nd gear. There is no shifting, but if you shut the engine off and restart it the truc...	View
	1989 Ford F-150 Custom 5.0L loud ticking this is my personal truck.truck sat for at least a year.bought and drove home.engine was quiet.went to start.long crank,finally started.ran rough and loud tapping noise from passenger side,lifter? started and ran several times over several days.now have noise ...	View
	1997 Ford F-150 Lariat 4.6L Surge, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTDX18W6V to all ford gurus out there. got this F150, kicking my but. it stumbles on load when cold when shifted into gear on idle. misfires under load too when accelerated. got the genesis and u can see the misfire count go between 12233 and 18902 on cylinders 5,6,7 on... Trouble codes: P0174 (Lean code bank 2)	View
	2004 Ford Freestar SES 3.9L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2FMZA57614 This Freestar sets a P0401 (insufficient EGR flow) code immediately, checked vacuum sources and electrical. Pulled upper plenum and cleaned passages. The only monitors pending are the Evap & EGR. This EGR has the control solenoids, BPFE, and position sensor bu... Trouble codes: P0401 (insufficient flow EGR)	View
	2005 Ford Five Hundred SEL 3.0L oil pressure VIN: 1FAFP24165 Well Its a holiday weekend so of course we have a problem vehicle. Ford came in for an oil change and a tune up. Did the work, test drove, and parked the car. After sitting for and hour or so, when the vehicle was started - the low oil pressure message + lite ...	View
	2007 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L valve lifters VIN: 1FAFP53U17 Good morning, I have this 07 taurus in my bay that came in with a complaint of an engine noise. It sounded like a typical valvetrain noise,like a collapsed lifter. Pulled front valve cover and confirmed two lifters collapsed yet had lubrication through pushrod...	View
	2006 Honda Accord EX 3.0L radio VIN: 1HGCM66556 I need a little help with this Honda radio code and the dealer is not any help.Here is the serial #U1227 L1960.Any help would be awesome	View
	2004 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 3.5L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, MIL Lamp on VIN: KM8SC13EX4 I could use a little help on this one. Car came in with a code po154. The customer took it to another shop and said it was the o2 sensor and just wanted me to put in an o2 sensor. Put new denso o2 sensor in and code came right back. Hooked up my scanner and fo... Trouble codes: P0154 (Bank 2 sen 1 no activity)	View
	2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.7L gas cap message VIN: 1J4GR48K55 unable to clear gas cap loose message in dic after replacing purge solennoid and clearing code p0455	View
	2008 Kia Sportage LX 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: KNDJF72498 po133 returns within 10 miles as pending code. @ idle o2 sensor #1 flips nicely and sensor #2 seems to show cat okay, already odd for idle data on the downstream. When cruising the #1 sensor gets latched wherever it wan'ts or just hangs flipping maybe .2 volts... Trouble codes: P0133	View
	1995 Lexus LS400 4.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JT8UF22E1S This vehicle came into my shop at 205,980 for an SES light and Trac light on, vehicle had codes P0305 and P0306 set. Removed the spark plug wire cover and found vehicle had the original spark plug wires and spark plugs, it also had the original timing belt whi... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random misfire), P0302 (Cylinder 2 misfire), P0308 (Cylinder 8)	View
	2003 Lincoln Town Car Executive 4.6L Headlamps VIN: 1LNHM81W53 This one for the ford guys out there Even with the switch and multifunction switch disconnected , one low beam on the right and one high beam on the left.the lighting control module is getting very hot .the ground to the elm has been checked .To me it looks li...	View
	2001 Mitsubishi Diamante LS 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 6MMAP67P71 thanks in advance need clarification on this codes setting conditions(P0441 Check Conditions ON duty cycle of the evaporative emission purge solenoid has been at 0 percent for at leaset 20 seconds.) am i correct in the meaning of this definition that the ecm c... Trouble codes: P0441	View
	2005 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 2.0L timing belt VIN: JA3AJ26E65 Vehicle was towed in had quit on the highway. We determined that the timing belt was broken. We did leak down test on engine before doing belt to make sure no valves were bent when the belt broke. Tested ok. We replaced the timing belt and the water pump as we...	View
	2000 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.4L Poor Idle Quality, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1G2NF52T7Y Hi, I am really struggling with this one, this vehicle has a very rough idle when warmed up, enough to cause missfires, everything off idle it runs great, even under load, that leads me to believe this is not an ignition problem although I have checked over th... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random Missfire)	View
	2008 Porsche Cayenne S 4.8L airbag system VIN: WP1AB29P88 This car ran off the road and the curtain airbags and seat belts went off also the main airbag power shut down relay. Other than that you couldnt tell the car was crashed. We replaced all affected items. We were then left with 2 codes for the aws not calibrate...	View
	2002 Saab 9-5 Arc 3.0L Poor Idle Quality VIN: YS3ED59Z82 hi guys, this car had a bad overheat. We bought rebuilt cylinder heads and timing belt, pulled oil pan because oil sludge. Car runs perfect just off idle. Accelerates extreme! Used factory tool on t-belt. I did the same t-belt on the next car and was perfec... Trouble codes: P0300, P0304	View
	2006 Saab 9-3 2.0T 2.0L Traction Control VIN: YS3FD49Y76 Customer complaint is that traction control light is on. Does not appear to have set a code. Car seems to drive fine and as far as both the customer and myself can tell all systems are working as they should. This is my first venture in to this system on this...	View
	2000 Saturn LW2 3.0L radiator VIN: 1G8JW82R3Y Hello cust brought this saturn in with it getting hot. Found ALOT of oil in the coolant and low on oil. There does not seem to be coolant in the oil. Have heard something about an oil cooler under the intake manifold. Just curious if that sounds right. Possibl...	View
	1998 Subaru Legacy Outback 2.5L No Start, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4S3BG685XW problem is quite intermittant. took four drives by us before problem occured. engine started missing badly & no power. found no injector pulse to #1 & #2 cylinders. after determining this to be the issue, it went back to running normal. in the reading i've don... Trouble codes: P1507	View
	2001 Suzuki Esteem GL 1.8L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JS2GB41W21 vehicle arrived with mil light on for random missfire code and lean fuel mixture, Customer had already replaced mass air flow sensor, we replaced spark plugs and coil packs and verified proper egr operation. vehicle left facility and ran fine for couple of mil...	View
	2007 Suzuki XL-7 3.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2S3DA91777 Hello! I have this car with a po455 code that sets within a couple of days. Have smoked the vehicle and replaced vent valve and purge valve with factory parts. I do not have the proper scan tool to turn on and off emmission related components. We ended taking ... Trouble codes: P0455	View
	2008 Toyota RAV4 3.5L Entire System VIN: JTMBK35V78 Dies intermittantly when cornering to the right for approx 1-1.5 seconds enough time to scare the poop out of driver. This is a complete shut down ,power steering drops out, also electrical shuts off,radio etc. Thats the way the driver knows something is going...	View
	1999 Volvo C70 2.4L engine VIN: YV1NK56D7X Used Vida to read all codes in all computers. The only engine computer code was ECM-720A Immobilizer communication - signal missing. There were no codes in the immobilizer computer. There is only one key. Volvo Technical Journal RTJ8853 address this code. It w...	View
	2001 Volvo V70 X/C 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: YV1SZ58DX1 i have this volvo that is killing me,within 5 miles the long term fuel trim will go to -25% and set the code we have smoke tested the intake for leaks/none,checked fuel psi 55-58lbs,checked the crankcase ventilation system 6mbar of vacuum,removed the fuel rail... Trouble codes: 261A	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1989 Chevrolet Camaro Iroc-Z 5.7L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 1G1FP21F4K Thank You IATN, The (3) injectors with lower than 12 ohms were replaced. No more misfire. It is interesting that the design of this system caused this type of problem. There was no restriction in any of the injectors, confirmed by an injector balance test. T...	15
	2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 HD LS 6.0L connector body VIN: 1GCGK13U61 I went to the local John Deere dealer and they matched up a close fitting o-ring. I could have done this without asking in this forum, but I thought someone might have some experience in getting one from GM. Thanks for the advice and comments.	11
	2003 Chevrolet Express 1500 4.3L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1GCFG15X23 thank to all of you guys that help me fix this van the problem was i changed the engine and all good . thank you guys again	16
	2008 Chevrolet Express 3500 6.0L back up lights / alarm VIN: 1GBJG31K38 no dic buttons on this veh. monitored bcm when shutting off, headlites and b/u lites commanded on. front lites, rear lites, nuetral safety switch etc, cluster, disconnected. it appears that bus company wiring in b/u alarm to b/u lites must draw too much and da...	8
	1997 Chrysler Town & Country LXi 3.8L Lighting VIN: 1C4GP64L4V turned out to be the wiring harness rubbing on the trans causing the fuse to blow	7
	1998 Chrysler Town & Country SX 3.8L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1C4GP55L7W we checked all the information we received to no avail so we took the car to a Chrysler dealer to get an estimate and they said 3600.00 (three thousand six humdred) dollars, so the customer refused because the car is worth about half that, so the next step w...	6
	2003 Chrysler Town & Country EL 3.3L one time cut out VIN: 2C4GP24R73 Thanks for all the replies, I did find connector C4 of the IPM corroded, I replaced this connector and test drove vehicle again, while on this test drive I had my lab scope connected to power ground and data lines to the TCM, this time I lost all power to the ... Trouble codes: P0884.	10
	1991 Dodge Dakota LE 5.2L Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1B7G123Y5M I checked the distributor positioning in relation to the wires on the cap and it seems fine. From there, they can haul it off to some other poor soul. I'm 53 Y.O., and life's too short to fight with this kind of wreck! Thank you all for your help.	9
	1996 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9L Excessive Emissions VIN: 1B7HC16Z8T I finally got this truck back in the shop today. If I'm reading the schematic right, I'm suppose to get a 5 volt signal from the Speed Sensor. ?? I have 5 volts going to the sensor but nothing coming out on the blk/blu wire that apparently feeds the o2 circui... Trouble codes: 171 (Lean).	19
	1990 Ford F-150 Custom 5.0L starter VIN: 1FTDF15N8L OK...I waited long enough. IT IS FIXED!!! For all of you who said "get an OEM starter solenoid" YOU WIN!!! I have NEVER run across this, and I will forever remember this. A factory starter solenoid fixed our headaches. Thanks so much to all of you who post...	33
	1998 Ford F-150 Lariat 4.6L stuck lean VIN: 2FTZX08W7W This vehicle is still not fixed. Customer has decided to sell it rather than fix it. In regards to the responses I received, some didn't even look at the testing results before replying. To answer Bill from Georgia's question, Yes the compression was still low...	19
	2003 Ford Windstar SE 3.8L cooling fans VIN: 2F6BUJ269H ok guys thanks for all your help i found the problem the a/c press signal wire was chewed in half repaired wire and all is good now thanks to all for helping and happy holadays	6
	2000 GMC Sierra 2500 SL 6.0L Steering VIN: 1GTGK29U8Y Sorry for the long delay. Finally got this one back in. Did what most said and replaced the aftermarket pump with one from GM. However after installing the GM pump my problem got worse. Had no assit at all at any time. Pulled off pressure line and had no fluid...	15
	2004 GMC Envoy XL SLT 4.2L cam/crank correlatio VIN: 1GKET16S84 Thanks for the input, we fixed the issue by cleaing the phaser and removing the new Dorman cam actuator solenoid and reinstalling the original one, I'll explain. We removed the valve cover(no fun) and found the engine to have a lot of sludge. We suspected ... Trouble codes: P0016.	8
	2006 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 5.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2GTEK13T96 Well I hate to close this but iATN won't let me update some more so I'm gonna close with summary and add additional info hoping to get some replies that might be helpful. As of now the truck has new OEM canister,vent valve with relocation kit,pressure sensor ... Trouble codes: P0446.	7
	1999 Honda CR-V EX 2.0L Starter VIN: JHLRD1868X Well I fixed the vehicle. Should have checked the basics first. Turned out to be a bad ground cable from fender well to transmission. What was Honda thinking? There are no direct ground from the battery. Battery cable goes straight down to body and then 2 othe...	7
	2000 Honda Odyssey EX 3.5L body VIN: 2HKRL1860Y First of all thank you for all of the help. I re-turned the drums and chamfered the leading/trailing edges of the shoes but the noise was still there. Following someones advice I drove the vehicle and applied the parking brake. After doing this a few good time...	17
	1998 Jeep Wrangler Sport 4.0L No Start VIN: 1J4FY19S2W We have not yet fixed this problem child and it just seems to get worse. We got another rebuilt pcm and it is worse than the one that we were fighting already. The harness off the pcm that goes to the cam,crank injectors o2's, fuel pump and some other things h...	7
	2003 Kia Sorento EX 3.5L Rear Differential VIN: KNDJC73313 Thanks everyone for the comments. I am getting a used rear end to fix this problem. I was worried about the metal quality the rear end consists of also. That and some liability...easy choice.	3
	2006 Land Rover LR3 4.0L Engine VIN: SALAE24416 Thanks for all the help guys. After discussing it with the closest Land Rover dealer they found an open recall on the fuel pump. The head tech there suspected it was the cause of the lean codes and the hard start. (sorry he never told me the exact nature of th...	8
	1990 Mazda B2200 2.2L Engine VIN: JM2UF3135L I'm going to go ahead and close this help request even though I haven't finished the repairs yet. I received a couple more tips after the last info update. Thank you David and Stephen. As an update to the update, the engine never overheated, just started l...	8
	2003 Mazda MPV ES 3.0L MIL Lamp on, VIN: JM3LW28A23 Forgot to close this out sorry.Thanks for the help!!And William i wish the front counter guys would quote real time when needed but they don't and it sucks especially on flat rate!!.We ended up hiring a double jointed 3 armed midget and he was able to change i...	4
	1993 Nissan D21 SE 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1N6HD16S5P Removed exhaust and still had acceleration problem. Noticed that the engine was running really rich so removed plugs and found two plugs badly gas soaked. Ran fuel injector cleaner through tank and got much better. Customer decided to wait before replacing ...	5
	1998 Nissan Altima GLE 2.4L No Start VIN: 1N4DL01D4W we have changed the purge valve and so far everything is good	13
	1991 Pontiac Trans Sport 3.1L Faulty ECM VIN: 1GMCU06DXM Well, the Pontiac is fixed. Actually, the fix was no fix at all. There was never anything wrong with the van. As someone pointed out, I overthunked this one and, without having you guys as a reference, I'm not sure if I would have ever found any documentation ...	19
	2003 Porsche Cayenne S 4.5L abs VIN: WP1AB29P13 removed the main abs connector at the module to further check wiring and found water contamination, probably from clogged cowl drain. Cleaned and re connected all is well.	None
	2007 Suzuki SX4 Sport 2.0L fan belt VIN: JS2YB41747 The water pump pulley had moved inward & made belt walk off wp pulley. Thanks for the help	5
	2001 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.8L lock-up, drive VIN: 3VWSG69M01 Set adabtive settings and added a little more fluid. Drove it 15 miles . Seems O.K.! Displays at shifter and instruments work. Thanks much	4
	2003 Volkswagen Beetle GLS 1.8L Cruise/Speedo VIN: 3VWCD21C73 as most of the replies stated it was the speedo driven gear on the differential inside the transmission that was loose-replaced the gear and all is well-Thanks to all who replied-Deke	3
	2004 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0L Stall VIN: 3VWSK69M04 yes it was in the pump and no longer stalls around corners when at 1/4 tank of gas. What was exactly wrong I can only surmise it was air getting sucked in someplace. The sender was correct but I still replace the sender and module, no use in too many return ...	10
	2003 Volvo V70 2.4T 2.4L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: YV1SW58D33 Thanks to all that replied. Going concensus is that the Throttle body needs cleaned and that a bad pcm is rare. Unfortunatley the car has not been back and is rummored to have been sold. Trouble codes: 130A, 1300 (mass air flow sensor).	5

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