Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for May 25, 2012

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	Help Request	Answers
	2004 Audi S4 Avant 4.2L Engine knock/tapping VIN: WAUPL68E64 4 months ago tapping developed at rear of right head and increases with RPM's. No codes and no loss of power. I suspect chain rails but need to verify. Any advise from Audi techs would be most helpful.	View
	1999 BMW 328i 2.8L Safety VIN: WBAAM5330X Hi all we have a BMW with code 01 internal control unit fault and 08 l/f side door airbag. Normally 01 would indicate to us that the control unit is faulty, the problem is we replaced the control unit back in October 2011 for this same 01 code. I have never se...	View
	2007 BMW 328i 3.0L entire vehicle VIN: WBAVA33587 The car will run and drive and then without warning it will completely shut down. The key will not come out of the ignition, no lights, no power door locks, no lights, nothing but power at battery is good, and remote battery terminals under hood are reading fu...	View
	1978 Chevrolet G20 Chevy Van 6.6L Rear main seal VIN: CGR357U209 This van has a rear main seal leak. We took it apart and found that the re builder used black RTV on the rear main seal. We did not find this out until after our first attempt to remove the seal failed. RTV was placed on the bearing cap and block to retain the...	View
	1985 Chevrolet Camaro Sport 2.8L Cooling Fan VIN: 1G1FP87S7F Off the road for the past 6 yrs (no rodent damage found), cooling fan will always run switched on by ECM, as long as engine is running. KOEO will not run until engine is started-if engine stalls, cooling fan stops. Removing c.f. to ECM ground circuit will shut...	View
	1989 Chevrolet S10 2.5L aldl VIN: 1GCBS14E2K This is a friends project car. The engine and wiring harness has been changed from a 1991 S10. I have no Data from the ALDL link and have tested the ALDL as well as power and grounds at the computer. All were ok, except that the computer was not grounding the ...	View
	2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring 2.4L ASD Fuse VIN: 3C4FY58B73 Hey yall, thanks in advance for reading. i have this 2003 pt cruser in my shop that was brought in on the hook. no crank or check engine light. check asd fuse blown. replace instant blow. pull out relay and hit power probe on the activation side and it pops my...	View
	2004 Chrysler Pacifica 3.5L gear position sensor/switch VIN: 2C8GF68434 Hi all. Is it possible to replace the trans gear position sensor without removing the trans and completely dismantling? I thought is was a simple fix just to replace the rusted out side pan on the trans and give it a service and while it was opened up to repai...	View
	2004 Chrysler Sebring LX 2.4L compression VIN: 1C3EL46X84 Towed in, broken T belt. replaced head, belts, tensioners, etc. with rebuilt head from reputable company I've used several times. After install engine started and ran for approx 5 mins. Then small intake backfire at idle and stall. Now has no compression. Thou...	View
	2005 Chrysler Sebring 2.4L Right side windows VIN: 1C3EL46X65 Hello. Thanks in advance for any help. The right side windows will not go down on this Sebring. All Data says there is a window drop relay behind the door panel. I cannot locate this relay in any door. Changed out master switch and both right side switches and...	View
	1992 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Surge VIN: 1B4GH44R0N The van has a small buck at 2500rpm and at highway speed van no miss fire no codes in it	View
	1997 Dodge Intrepid ES 3.5L no spark or injector pulsse VIN: 2B3HD56F4V Hello, this car has an intermittent problem - no start - only after sitting a while, usually overnight - cranks o k. Fuel pressure good; when problem happens there is no injector pulse ( but 12 volts to the injectors ), or ignition ( spark ). Car has been tow...	View
	1998 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Steering VIN: 1B4GP44R6W We first flushed out the system due fluid contaminated looked like snot. After the flush problem still present. Replaced rack and pinion, pump, pulley, pressure line, return line as per tech help(recommendation due to contamination). Checked universal on the c...	View
	2004 Dodge Durango SLT 5.7L Misfire VIN: 1D4HB48D84 This truck came in with a missfire when the costumer took it though the car wash. So we spayed it with water on the left side of the motor and it missed. We then changed the wires with the milage on it we thought it was a good place to start. Well that didn't ... Trouble codes: 300 (misfire)	View
	2007 Dodge Sprinter 2500 3.0L start VIN: WD0PE84577 The sprinter will not crank. Can jump starter and it will spin but vehilce still has no start condition. Vehicle had gone into limp home mode after driven with exhaust disconnected before dpf and was driven back to shop. After exhaust was reconnceted vehicle h...	View
	2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Misfire VIN: 1D8HN44H68 This one is driving me crazy. When accell from a stop at around 1/2 to 3/4 throttle there is a severe miss as rpms increase. I have monitored and recorded several pids. The rpm spikes straight down from 1900 to 35 as though the engine cuts off. The throttle an... Trouble codes: P1128	View
	2009 Dodge Journey R/T 3.5L tires VIN: 3D4GH67V99 this car will ware the rear tires right off the rims in about 6000 miles, was wondering if anyone has seen this, don't know if the awd is not working right or if the diff fuild needs to be changed. any help would be great. thanks	View
	1987 Ford F-150 Custom 4.9L No Start VIN: 1F1EF15Y8H This customer came in a couple of weeks ago complaining of a no start. He had also mentioned that the vehicle had caught fire and died. I did not see any evidence of a fire but from what he was telling me it was in the area of the cat. The truck cranks fine, a...	View
	1998 Ford Crown Victoria 4.6L lights VIN: 2FAFP71W6W Customer came in with a intermittent no headlight, all lights flickering concern. Checked all fuses- good. Checked wiring to the headlights-good. Verified concern after 2 days. There was a buzzing/clicking from under the dash when the lights starting flickerin...	View
	2002 Ford Focus ZTW 2.0L timing belt idler VIN: 1FAFP36342 There are 2 timing kits available, one for 2 idlers and one for 1 idler pulley. Can I put a single idler pulley kit on a dual idler pulley car? It seems that all the singles have the place for the 2nd pulley, just ford did not put it in. The singles also seem ...	View
	2002 Ford Focus SE 2.0L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire thanks for helping this 2.0 focus dohc the customer broke water pipe at the front of the radiator they fixed it them sellves then said that the car is cutting out and called me, said it would some times stall before the pipe broke,it is backfiring threw the in...	View
	2003 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L Stall VIN: 1FAFP53U03 Customer complains & I've verified intermittant stalling condition. Vehicle immediately starts back up on first attempt. The one time it stalled with me I was idling at a stoplight and it gave me no warning. Multiple checks of fuel pressure & volume are normal...	View
	2004 Ford Thunderbird 3.9L No Start VIN: 1FAHP60A44 Car came in with intermittent no start, cranks good. No codes present. Found no rpm present while cranking on scanner, also no tach movement on the dash while cranking. Fuel pressure is good. No spark and no injector pulse. Replace crank sensor. Still no start...	View
	2004 Ford F-150 FX4 5.4L Misfire VIN: 1FTPX14524 Ford Techs, This is a weird one. If I clear the code I can power brake this truck all day long without a problem but as soon as I accelerate to 15-17 MPH it bucks and the wrench on the dash come on with code P1106 setting at that point, if I power brake the tr... Trouble codes: P1106 (Reduced power)	View
	2004 Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch 6.0L oil VIN: 1FTWW33P04 Hello all, i'm in dire need of HELP!! This is my own truck,im supposed to be leaving town in a few hours.Anyways, 04 superduty 6.0. If yoy shut the truck off when warmed up it will not restart.If you let it sit for an hour or so maybe less,it will fire right u...	View
	2004 Ford F-250 Super Duty King Ranch 6.0L No Start VIN: 1FTNW20P94 The problem is present only when you drive under heavy load for more than 30 minutes. No other symptom while you drive it, no matter how long you drive, engine runs great no power issues. The no start prob is present only If you turn engine off when hot and tr... Trouble codes: P2290 (ICP too low)	View
	2004 Ford F-250 Super Duty Harley-Davidson Edition 6.0L No Start VIN: 1FTNW21P14 When this truck first came in the complaint was no start when hot. Customer drove truck to shop and would not restart after he shut it down. I hooked up IDS and icp pressure would not go above 400 psi. WE let truck sit for a couple of hours and it fired right ...	View
	2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Limited 4.0L Reverse VIN: 1FMEU33K07 Hello and THANKS in advance for looking at this request!!! This vehicle came in with customer complaint of a delayed harsh reverse engagement. I connected snapon verdict and checked for codes. There where NO codes in transmission or engine pcm. I took vehicle...	View
	2008 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT 6.4L Clutch pedal VIN: 1FTWF31R28 Hey folks have a funny one,The clutch peddel will stay on the floor on a higher rpm shift (Approx 3000).You can pick up the pedal with your toe and the clutch will work just fine untill you hammer on it again.We have already replace the clutch slave and master...	View
	1998 GMC Yukon SLE 5.7L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GKEK13R6W vehicle came in no start, replaced ignition module now vehicle runs but very poorly. missing and backfiring. sets code p1345 crank cam correlation. cked cam retard reading 27 degrees try to set to 0 vehicle will not run. pulled dist and reset to cyl 8 mark ret... Trouble codes: P1345	View
	1998 GMC Sonoma SL 4.3L Charging VIN: 1GTDT14X2W Thanks all; This little GMC has a charging system problem. Most times when the truck starts cold the battery light goes out and it charges normally, when you shut it off and restart hot, about 50% of the time the battery light is on and it is not charging. Whe...	View
	1999 GMC K1500 Suburban SLE 5.7L No Start VIN: 3GKFK16R3X Hello Tech's. I have replaced this vehicles fuel pump with an updated style unit once before. Checked both power and ground at the fuel pump, both good. PSI at the fuel rail was 40psi. Spec. is 55psi with engine running. Dead head pressure on old pump was 40ps...	View
	1998 Honda Accord EX 3.0L calipers, wheel cyl. VIN: 1HGCG2258W Fluid didnt appear contamiated. Couldnt push piston back on left front originally till opened bleeder. Thought bad hose as lots of miles on car. That didnt help. Test drove after replacing master, felt good first mile or so, but short distance later could tell...	View
	2006 Honda Element LX 2.4L engine hey guys, this motor is very noisy on decel while driving and standing still between 2500-3000rpm, remove exhaust no change removed serp belt no change, motor was replace 3000k ago with new one, checked tsb none, teck line no luck, replaced oil pump, gear, low...	View
	2000 Hyundai Accent GL 1.5L Hesitation, MIL Lamp on VIN: KMHCG45G1Y Data stream -[...] int. Air temp. Intermitent -.6mv before & after ho2ss. Yes negative data.is this a plug in &play ecm.	View
	2005 Hyundai Elantra GLS 2.0L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: KMHDN46D15 Need help with the camshaft timing on this one. Replaced head gasket and set cams to the only info we could find tsb - alldata etc. Has vvt and we used the mark on the phaser on exhaust cam that lines up with mark on front of exhaust cam for tdc. On intake cam... Trouble codes: P0016	View
	1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L Start and Stall VIN: 1J4FX48SXW Thanks for any help. I will try and sum this up quickly without leaving out any critical info. My friends Jeep (which has VTSS) had a BCM that was causing a 2.5 amp parasitic draw. We bought a used BCM (without theft) and it would start and die. The theft LED ...	View
	2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1J4GX48S52 I have a P0353 code and no ground signal to coil driver #3 (tan and orange wire). Ohm tested the 3 driver wires from the coil connector to PCM connector and all 3 are are good. Ohm tested tan and orange wire (#3 driver) to ground and its not grounded. Replaced... Trouble codes: P0353	View
	1994 Lexus LS400 4.0L No Start VIN: JT8UF11E0R The car came in on the hook as a no start as it went dead going down the road. I tried to start it and it would start and go dead . I checked to find out the left side [#1 side] would fire but the right side [#2 side] would not. I checked the igt signal and it...	View
	1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E 4.2L Ignition VIN: WDBEA34E4P Hey guys, This 400E is generally running great, but has a poor idle condition that I haven't been able to track down. Initially had code for idle speed contact switch, Thought that would fix it. I replaced it and there are no other codes. Car starts and runs ...	View
	2003 Mini Cooper 1.6L drivers window VIN: WMWRC33413 We have a 2003 mini cooper which the drivers window will only work for a split second w/ the power window switch. Each push of the button takes about 30 attempt to roll the window completely down and the same for going up. The passenger window works fine. We h...	View
	1998 Mitsubishi Montero Sport LS 3.0L Timing belt tensioner VIN: JA4MT31P6W Hello everyone, Replacing the timing belt and components on this vehicle. Using a Gates timing belt kit, dealer water pump, and dealer hydraulic timing belt tensioner. After installation of these items and checking to make sure that the tensioner's pushrod ex...	View
	1999 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0L headlites/taillite/stoplite VIN: 1G3GR62CXX noticed battery would go down fast w/door open.tested battery n had bad cell,also was old as the moon.replaced n was told earlier by owner that they got rid of car cause of hi dollar application on parts n had no head lites except for when u pull for hi beam t...	View
	2002 Saab 9-5 Arc 3.0L No Start, Hesitation, Stall, Misfire VIN: YS3ED59Z32 This one feels as though it is missing when accelerating but does not register misfires on the TechII. The hesitation is marked, feels like a bad cap and rotor or worn plugs on a traditional ignition system. Scoped CKPS and pattern is good, 13.6 v ac and resis...	View
	2003 Saab 9-3 Arc 2.0L ignition lock VIN: YS3FD49Y43 Car was bought by junking business in it's current condition and is why original owner was getting rid of it. Cannot turn keyfob in ignition lock. Keyfob operates locks,trunk, sunroof and will set panic with horn. park lights will come on, but not headlights. ...	View
	2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: JT3HN86R11 evap cod p0441 p0446 p0440 evap system replaced canster pressur sensor purg valve gas cap and the check engen light still on according to the service manual for cod po446 checked voltage e9 connector at ecm all connected pin 11and 25 i found normal volt 5.29 v... Trouble codes: P0441, P0446, P0440	View
	2006 Toyota Avalon XLS 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4T1BK36B56 This car turns on the check engine light and trips code p0013 (camshaft position B actuator circuit bank 1). Sometimes after clearing it will immediately return and sometimes you have to go a few miles. It will always come on within five miles. I don't see any... Trouble codes: P0013	View
	2005 Volkswagen Golf TDI 1.9L Looses power VIN: 9BWGR61J85 This car looses Boost pressure when going up long hills. I took it for a drive and couldn't get it to do it. If you turn off the ignition and start it back up it resets and works fine. The last time it happened he was going about 60 mph at a 60% load at 2,058 ... Trouble codes: P0299	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2005 Audi A4 1.8L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: WAULC68E35 Joe was dead on, thanks Joe. The PCV valve was bad causing the Vent Valve on the top rear of the engine (at the rear of valve cover) to rupture the diaphragm. We originally replaced the vent valve and all hoses under the intake due to a P0171. The vehicle kept... Trouble codes: P0507, P0171.	4
	1995 Chevrolet K2500 Cheyenne 6.5L Convertor lock up VIN: 2GCFK29S7S Three responses received: Check eng. temp., check brake switch and check for a shorted lock up solenoid. All three of these were in spec. Will close this request for now and try to get back to this truck at a later date. Thanks for all the help!	4
	2004 Chevrolet Tahoe LS 5.3L compressor VIN: 1GNEK13Z44 It's fixed, and now I know a lot more about that outside air temp sensor.The scan gives two readings for the same sensor. The raw reading is the actual real time temp. But it is located in front of the condenser, so it can pick up a lot of heat. The filtered ...	13
	2008 Chrysler Crossfire Limited 3.2L shifter VIN: 1C3LN65L48 Got it fixed. Seems there have been a few people who have ran into this. Inside the shifter assembly the interlock fails. The Alldata said to adjust but I could not see no where on the shifter that was adjustable. If you are getting power to the shifter with t...	3
	1992 Dodge Dynasty 3.3L No Start VIN: 1B3XC46RXN the car was in fact out of time due to slack in timing chain and the coustmers are just going to by a new car	9
	2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport 3.3L Compressor VIN: 1B4GP44301 Hey all, Matthew from Illinois hit it on the head! The driver side mirror was broken and taped up, causing the #18 fuse to blow. Everytime he would adjust the mirror, the a/c would cut out. We replaced the mirror and tested it. Everything working as it shou...	13
	2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Van 5.2L bus connections VIN: 2B7JB21Y61 This help request was originally posted by another tech. as I have been out sick for the past six weeks. When I came back this week this van was waiting for me. The tech originally posted that the bus was down. The bus was actually up, there was no cummunicati...	12
	2004 Dodge Dakota SLT 4.7L 4th gear/ od VIN: 1D7HG48N34 we were unable to verify 100 % if related to internal trans issue or pcm problem. most help responses point at bad pcm. our local trans shop drove it & felt internal in transmission. customer picked up & need to think if he is going to fix it. if truck comes b...	8
	1990 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe 3.8L Flywheel VIN: 1FAPP64R6L Thanks for all the replies techs! I had no way of knowing what was taken off the flywheel as it was cut 6 months ago by a machine shop that did not stamp the thickness removed and they have no way of remembering. The only two thickness available were .025 and ...	10
	1994 Ford E-250 Econoline XL 4.9L Unknown VIN: 1FTFE24YXR signal return wire, not signal wire, wow guys, read the post.	10
	1999 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat 6.8L door ajar VIN: 1FTSW31SXX door switch mode reverse/install new switch thank you !!!	13
	2003 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT 6.0L Hesitation VIN: 1FTWW33P93 All the replies I received were excellent and well though out. Thank You. Injectors did fix this truck, at least 95% percent better. After repeated test drives, I'll call this a fix, I found a TINY crack in the Y pipe to the turbo, customer wants to recover... Trouble codes: P0132.	15
	2007 Ford Fusion SEL 3.0L Hesitation, Stall, Misfire VIN: 3FAHP02107 thanks, to all who replied ,we done practialy every test everyone mentioned didn,t change anything we sent the pcm to standard ign fo test, didn,t know anything else to do,will try to keep everone up dated thanks, Trouble codes: P2198.	8
	2008 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L lacks power on accel VIN: 1FMFU16568 After consulting with a good friend at a local Ford Dealership, we determined that we needed the Ford Factory scan tool to initialize or recalibrate the YAW module we had replaced. Until that occurs, the YAW module keeps the system in a reduced power mode. Ini...	11
	1997 GMC Yukon SLE 5.7L fuel system. VIN: 1GKEK13RXV Thanks to all that helped. The problem was indeed the week fuel pump. This was my first time experiencing a pressure issure that wasnot a blockage or restriction. And I now know when it says 60 to 66 psi, 56 isn't close enough. Can't thank you enough!	18
	2001 Mazda 626 ES 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1YVGF22C31 Thanks for everyone that replied, both valves are good, the info. from All Data, On-Demand, and Snap-On is incorrect. I work with these EVAP systems almost on a daily basis, but when the info. your using is not accurate it will lead you astray. The problem tur... Trouble codes: P1451 (Canister drain cut valve CDCV circuit malfunction).	3
	2003 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor 1.8L Engine VIN: WDBRN40J53 Thanx to all..here's the latest..there is a recall that expired last year...this car had the work performed per the recall..leaky check valve fixed it...I would like to know how, without being plastic man, you can replace these without removing the supercharg...	6
	2005 Mini Cooper 1.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: WMWRC33505 Thank you to the two guys that replied, it was big help and lead us to the new DMTL pump being bad. We had to take the car to the dealer for them to honor the warranty on the DMTL pump. After the car came back from the dealer we had to search further for leaks... Trouble codes: 1477 (Reed switch does not open / no signal detected).	2
	2001 Nissan Altima GLE 2.4L Cooling System VIN: 1N4DL01A21 HI, EVERY ONE. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHICH TAKE TIM [...] TO HELP ME .PROBLEM WAS THE WATER PUMP, FIXED AND IS GONE. THANKS AGAIN. MATT	10
	2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi 3.8L Stall VIN: 1G2HZ5410Y IATN IS RAZZING ME TO CLOSE THIS REQUEST ALTHOUGH I AM NOT SURE WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN YET. THE CAR HAS BEEN OUT FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS NOW AND HAS NOT ACTED UP. AS I SAID IN MY LAST POST WE CUT THE INPUT WIRE FROM PCM TO THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE. THIS CAUSES FU...	14
	2008 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP 5.3L Erratic Shift VIN: 2G2WC55C48 Thanks everyone for the help. A new TCM fixed this car.	5
	1987 Porsche 924 S 2.5L rattle VIN: WP0AA0922H as uall allready know n informed me well on the parts that is bad..well like usual everyone was correct on engine coupler attached to flywheel so i will have to drop either engine r pull trasmission back for acess to part.part is very high in cost n my sons c...	14
	1989 Toyota Pickup SR5 2.4L Cuts out Thanks for all the responses, Neal from Virginia got it right, it was rodents chewed the bottom of the harness on the fender near the firewall,couldn't see it until I took the harness out of the loom. Luckily only one wire was cut.	22
	2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 4.7L Brake lites on VIN: 5TBDT44186 Thanks to all that replied. The vehicle does have trailer brakes so went thru checking them out and all is fine there. It ended up being the rubber button for the brake lite switch. It looks fine but the new one is thicker and different color which is the upda...	8
	2006 Volkswagen Beetle 2.5 2.5L Air Bag Light VIN: 3VWSF31Y26 I GOT AND UPDATE FOR THE GENISYS BUT IT STILL WOULD NOT CLEAR THE CODE. I TOLD HER TO TAKE IT TO VW,AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK YET.	8
	2007 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 2.5L Drain VIN: 3VWSG71KX7 Thank you for all the replies, door lock module which is part of window motor fix this one. Happy holiday and enjoy the weekend.	5

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