Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Oct 8, 2012

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	Help Request	Answers
	1998 Acura CL 3.0L Lights Fluctuate VIN: 19UYA2257W Hey guys, I have a '98 Acura CL 3.0 that the lights are flickering when you activate the turn signals. The dash lights, low beams and interior lights will fluctuate but they don't turn completely off. If you turn the a/c or the high beams on the fluctuation go...	View
	2002 BMW 745Li 4.4L Mechanical VIN: WBAGN63482 After replacing a solenoid valve, I tried to refill the transmssion as usual, but it is acting weird. When I emptied it, I got about 7 quarts out. (Note: the car came from two other shops that couldn't fix it, so I don't know if the fluid level was right to b...	View
	2002 BMW 325i 2.5L transmission VIN: 3AVEV39292 Hi BMW techs, this e46 is going intermittently into limp mode. The first time the limp mode reset itself just by pulling over and restarting the car. When it is not in limp mode the car drives fine and the transmission shifts are very good.No leaks found and f...	View
	1967 Chevrolet Camaro 5.3L Hesitation, Stall Hello I have a project car Im working on for a customer. We rebuilt the motor and transmission and install the fuel injection system off of a 1995 suburban with a 5.7liter and 4l60e trans. Car idles good and cruises well. The problem is that when you accel mod...	View
	1997 Chevrolet S10 LS 4.3L engine VIN: 1GCCS19X1V We took the engine out for rebuild and it was not as simple as it should have been. My question is about the replacement procedure. We are thinking that we need to remove the automatic transmission and install it on the rebuilt engine and put the whole assembl...	View
	2001 Chevrolet Venture LS 3.4L Misfire VIN: 1GNDX13E31 Car runs rough on a cold start for about 15 seconds and then it will run smooth. Car runs fine on a flat surface but as soon as you start going up a slope (25 deg.), it sill start loosing power, if I will step harder on the accelerator pedal, the Check engine ... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random misfire)	View
	2003 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1L Hesitation, Surge, Misfire VIN: 1G1NE52J23 engine has stumble/misfire just off idle when you give it gas. had egr performance code, egr position and desired voltage was off by 3/4 of a volt so replaced it with ac delco unit. stumble was still there customer took for the weekend, brought it back today a... Trouble codes: P0404 (EGR Performance)	View
	1955 Chrysler New Yorker 5.4L Master Cyl. VIN: N5543787XX Have this pristine old car here that I cannot get the master cylinder to bleed. Replaced all 3 brake hoses, all wheel cylinders upper and lower fronts and both rears. Took the master apart and found it much different than any I`ve ever seen. The piston is part...	View
	1998 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L lack of power VIN: 1B7KF236XW HELP!!! mornin fellas(and gals) need help on 98 5.9 cummins. came in as no/hard start capped all injector lines one at a time and #2 injector was leaking. Replaced all 6 injectors,and it started after 2-3 revolutions each time all day.Well customer said it did... Trouble codes: P0216	View
	1999 Dodge Durango 5.2L Surpentine Belt VIN: 1B4HR28Y1X Installed Used engine in this vehicle approx 3K mi. ago. Installed new Goodyear belt 4070975. Had a decent to good looking NAPA belt on original engine but squealed, so replaced with Goodyear belt. New Belt jumped a groove or two within 100 mil. Installed old ...	View
	2001 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9L hard start VIN: 3B6MF36601 I have one thats irritating for me and my customer.its a 5.9l cummins that starts fine and runs great if it gets started everyday if it sets a couple of days like over the weekend cust states he has to crank it several time to get to start but once started its...	View
	2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Van 3.9L No Start, No communication VIN: 2B6HB11X52 Hello fellow technicians, I have a little issue starting off the week with a 2002 Doge Ram Van 1500 (3.9L); I have just installed a new PCM from the dealership due to a no communication issue. Prior to ordering the PCM/ECM I had installed the Snap On Modis ...	View
	2005 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT 5.9L No Start, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 3D7LS38C25 Customers original concern: It just died at an intersection, it restarted immediatly. As well it had an erratic idle. It did not act up for my customer until about 2 months after the previous repair, then it quit 4 times in 2 blocks (this alway happens at lo...	View
	2000 Ford F-150 Lightning 5.4L MIL Lamp on, Lean VIN: 2FTZF0730Y Truck came in 2 mos. Ago w/ codes po171 too lean bank 1, p0401 insufficient egr detected & p1260 theft detected. Dpfe was no good, which fixed p0401. Then reset kam. Truck came back 2 weeks later w/ p0171, so we replaced b1s1 ho2 sensor. 2 weeks later truck ca... Trouble codes: P0171, P0174	View
	2001 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTYR14U91 Customer came into shop to see if the MODIS Scanner would pickup any other data than its P0171 (ran both KOEO and KOER both didn't show anything other than P0171); cleared codes and the code didn't reappear until approximately 50 miles. Then code reappared a... Trouble codes: P0171 (Leank Bank 1)	View
	2003 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L Warped rotor VIN: 1FAFT55213 Has anyone ran into this problem 2003 ford taurus i have 2 different customers with the same problem rotors are warped within 6,000 miles New extreme duty rotors same thing calipers are not hanging up bearings are tight all front end components are good machin...	View
	2006 Ford F-250 Super Duty XLT 6.0L No Start, Stall VIN: 1FTSW21P66 Howdy all, got a 6.0 here giving me some trouble. Truck was towed in after it died going down the highway and wouldn't restart. Checked codes and found P2290 and P2291. Also an EGR code, but I don't think it's related. Oil is full and clean. Fuel is good press... Trouble codes: P0401 (Insufficient exhaust gas recirculation flow detected), P2290 (Injector control pressure too low), P2291 (Injector control pressure too low/engine cranking)	View
	2009 Ford Ranger Sport 4.0L vent controls VIN: 1FTYR14EX9 This vehicle has a manually controlled HVAC system w/ a vacuum controlled hot water valve. The problem I am having is that the only time I can get cold air to come out of the vents is in the Max air position. As soon as the control is switch to normal a/c or v...	View
	2003 Hyundai Sonata 2.4L Alternator VIN: KMHWF25S93 new 2 this srry. car came in not chargeing tech condemed alternator. after replacement still not chargeing tested bolth original and new 1 bolth good. learned there is a valero and a mondo and that valero is 10 amps higher rated. mando was original but tryied ...	View
	2004 Infiniti G35 3.5L No Start VIN: JNKCV51E34 Hey Guys need help on this one. we have a 2004 G35 came in 0n a Hook. it died suddenly while driving on the highway. cranks fine scaned for codes we had no comunication I did notice that when turning key to on position the cooling fan came on high speed. after... Trouble codes: P0301 (Cyl 1 missfire)	View
	2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4.7L heat VIN: 1J4GW58J13 If any techs have had this problem.i would like your help with this problem. For i have not work on any of these units befor, i have done ford tauras in the past. This is a 2002 grand cherokee limited with dual climate control. Everything works fine with the a...	View
	2003 Mazda Protege DX 2.0L ABS Module VIN: BJ5W113053 ABS light on continuously. Unable to communicate with scan tool (tried with two scantools). Shorted TBS and GND for DTCs, light did not flash. Checked fuses, checked for power and ground at ABS module (3 powers and 2 grounds - told by Mazda tech), ALL OK. Fitt...	View
	1993 Mercedes-Benz 600SL 6.0L asr light VIN: WDBFA76E4P hello group, i have this 93 600sl here that runs down the road fine till the asr light decides to light up then a loss of power untill it is switched off and started back up then all is fine. we have a solus ultra with the euro software and for some reason i c...	View
	2003 Mercedes-Benz E500 5.0L Battery Protection Light, Instrument Cluster VIN: WDBUF70J93 Looking for some help. I have this 2003 Mercedes E500 in for the battery protection, convience functions temporarily diasabled coming on and off and for the instrument cluster intermittently goes dead on start up (all guages and back lights inop, usually comes...	View
	1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 4.6L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out VIN: 2M2LM75W6P Vehicle comes in sputtering most of the time...once in a while, it will start and run just fine. Vehicle seems to load up, and then backfire when cleared with throttle blip. Work listed was done at another shop. Runs on highway pretty decent, do not feel cats ... Trouble codes: 172 (EGR not switching lean bank 1), 176 (EGR not switching lean bank 2), 181 (cruise rich still lean bank 2), 186 (inj pulse width hi or MAF too low), 189 (Cruise rich still lean bank 1), 332 (EGR valve not opening)	View
	2000 Mercury Cougar 2.5L Fuel Gauge VIN: 1ZWFT61LXY Hi pals any mercury tech that can help me on this on...came in from another shop . The problem is the fuel gauge stays empty. So far from what i know the sending unit has been changes and the ipc was replace and also sent out to verify it work. I checked the g...	View
	2003 Mercury Mountaineer 4.0L Front Differential VIN: 4M2DU86K73 Vehicle came to us with front differential completely empty, evidence of gear oil spewing out of vent, diff had a heat band around area of pinion bearing. Normally we overhaul these here, however woman was in a hurry and we thought it might have hosuing damag...	View
	2002 Oldsmobile Alero GL 3.4L engine VIN: 1G3NL52E22 We have a 2003 Olds Alero with the 3400 series engine. Customer states that approx. 1 month ago the check engine light came on and it was code P0301. Customer changed plugs, wires and replaced the coil for cylinder 1. Car seemed to run okay but problems at idl...	View
	2009 Other European R Rover TDV8 3.6L turbocharger VIN: SALLSAA249 This diesel TDV8 Range Rover has broken left turbocharger. Huge amount of engine oil going to intercooler hoses/engine directly from turbocharger. My question is: how is the right way to remove this turbocharger? I know Discovery 3 demands removing complete b...	View
	1992 Porsche 968 3.0L Rubber damper VIN: WP0CA2960N Hello all. I need some assistance on how to remove the torque tube from this Porsche. I have never worked on a Porsche until now and alldata isnt very clear on the procedure on how to remove the torque tube. I need to replaced the rubber damper it has split. S...	View
	2003 Porsche Boxster Roadster S 3.2L check engine light VIN: WP0CB29873 the car came in with check engine light on. Dme faults P1157( turned out to be bad resistance in air temp sensor), P0422 ( turned out to be cracked gas cap seal). I also have two faults in the transmission module ; P1823, P1818 and according to the diagnostic ...	View
	1997 Volkswagen Cabrio High Line 2.0L no start VIN: 3VWBA81E8V Car will not start cold. The engine will turn over and both turn signal indicators will light up and sometime flash and the engine will not start.When head light switch is turned on the engine will start. When warm problem is not there and when no start is the...	View
	2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS 2.0L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: WVWAE63B45 Hi all, I have this diesel passat with a misfire on #3 cylinder and no power. When I say no power it literally will not hardly pull itself. To make a long story short the complete engine has been replaced by another shop. Compression is 450 psi on all cylinder... Trouble codes: P0303	View
	2005 Volkswagen Passat GLS 2.0L Hesitation VIN: WVWCE63B55 Hello, Need some information on this BHW diesel. Car came in as basket case. Reman head. Installed cam and injectors set with dial indicators. dynamic timing could be wrong since person took cam gear apart. Vehicle starts and runs very good at all times. excep...	View
	2007 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T 2.0L Compressor VIN: WVWXK93C87 Hello everyone! First and foremost, thank you all for taking the time to read this and giving me some input. This little VW is giving me fits. So it originally came in with some noise and intermittent operation. Checked for power and ground, everything looked ...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2002 Audi Allroad Quattro 2.7L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Stall VIN: WA1YD64B82 Boy you guys are good! And I get the dumb a$$ of week award. Took off the intake tubes and sure enough, a bolt lodged under the throttle blade. How lucky can I be that the bolt didn't go through! Took out the bolt, re-set throttle body & all is good! Thanks ag... Trouble codes: P1545 (Throttle valve controller malfunction), P1568 (Throttle actuator mechanical failure).	5
	1994 Buick Century Special 2.2L suspension VIN: 1G4AG5540R Well after removing the belt the vibration was still present. Tried putting it in neutral going down the highway and it did not change much. Went ahead and swapper out the first torque dampner as it had already pulled the rubber from the steel bushing. This li...	15
	2003 Buick Century Custom 3.1L Misfire VIN: 2G4WS52J63 After testing engine compression several different was, including with a pressure transducer, I bought a leak down tester and found #3 cylinder leaking down 40%. Removed valve cover and loosened rocker arms and leak went away. Removed intake and lifters and ... Trouble codes: P0300 (Misfire detected).	34
	2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT 6.0L Power Loss VIN: 3GYEK62N44 Well some really great ideas from all of you guy that love to stay sharp... Timonthy that was some really great stuff i kinda overlooked that but i have seen many car in the past with a few ohms and work great but some system can't handle it.. Well in all i ca... Trouble codes: P1516 (Throttle Actuator Control TAC- Position Performance), P2108 (TAC Module Performance), U0107 (Lost Communications with TAC Module).	4
	1996 Chevrolet K1500 Cheyenne 5.7L power steering VIN: 2GCEK19R1T Thank you to all who replied and offered support. It appears the fix was a BRAND NEW pump for a 99 chev truck. The pumps are identical and was a direct replacement. Installed the new pump and the truck steered like new. The post on the contamination issues may...	35
	2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G1AM58B26 Well it's finally done!! Hurray. Re-flashed the PCM to recognize the new TB and all is well. I tried the idle reset procedure that was described in one of the posts but after 25 miles it did absolutely nothing to fix. Resetting fuel trim had no effect eithe... Trouble codes: P0121 (TPS Sensor), P0507 (Idle Too High).	10
	1998 Dodge Grand Caravan ES 3.8L No Start VIN: 1B4GP54L3W Thanks again for all the help. I replaced the circuit board on the cluster and everything is working fine. I have been waiting for the customer to return from the Dealership,they reset the speedo and tach using DRB scan tool. I talked to the customer yesterda...	23
	2004 Ford F-350 Super Duty XL 5.4L Mechanical VIN: 1FTSF31L04 well yuo guys that said the abs booster had trouble was right. never came across one that had an internal leak most i have seen corroded through and leaked externally. anyway yes keep things simple and don't over think it. thanks for your help all you guys are...	8
	2009 Ford Explorer XLT 4.0L Fuel ow warning VIN: 1FMEU63E79 Thanks Brian and all who helped. It turned out to be the I.C. As luck would have it I had another one with a bad fuel gauge reading. The wiring diagram showed a wire leaving the IC and another wire returning. The "power wire" BLk/YEL had battery voltage. There...	3
	1989 Honda Civic LX 1.5L Surge VIN: 1HGED3651K CLEANED PCV VALVE AND CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THANK EVERY ONE FOR YOUR TIME	16
	1998 Honda Accord LX 3.0L Pcm VIN: 1HGCG1646W Wow. Unanimous vote. I have gone ahead and replaced the ignition switch. I'm closing this early as a summary because the time I want to wait to verify fix is much longer than time alloted. However, I do feel good that the vehicle is fixed. I performed some vo...	14
	2001 Honda Accord EX 2.3L 1-2 Shift VIN: 1HGCG56641 Thanks everyone for your help. I had topped off the fluid before. No leaks could be seen so I don't know why it was low. Girl friend says the transmission seems to be shifting OK now. If she is happy so am I. We don't have the money to spend for a replacement ...	27
	2011 Hyundai Accent GL 1.6L transmision VIN: 4S3BH6654Y Turns out car has been i a crash which pinched TPS wiring harness. We found the problem with an aggrssive wiggle test. Wires were not compeletey severed just hanging on by a few strand.	12
	2004 Jaguar XJ8 4.2L Cooling VIN: SAJWA71C34 Thank you to everyone that replied, the problem was the high speed fan not coming on. Their was a ground side issue with by the right side headlight assembly, Did a voltage drop found more than a 1 volt fixed problem.	3
	2002 Kia Sedona EX 3.5L Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: KNDUP13162 Unfortunatly during the latest test cycle the timing belt jumped and busted the number two valve and plug. I am pretty sure it was from the bucking and staling that caused the jump, but if anyone has related info I would appreciate the input. Otherwise i wil...	3
	2008 Lexus RX400h 3.3L Struts VIN: JTJHW31U28 thanks to all, Brad and James nailed it, the rear knuckles lower bushings were the problem,you really have to move the vehicle latteraly to see the play,	10
	2007 Mazda 3 i 2.0L cooling fan thanks to all who answered. I figured it was the module, it's just nice to have a second opinion before spending $300 on a new unit. Installed a new fan and module and the problem is gone.	5
	2005 Subaru Outback R 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Surge, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4S4BL84C15 It took some patience,but we were able to capture the very brief fault on this one. The power input to the ecm via the power relay was dropping voltage through the relay contacts. It didn't take much though, at 600 mv drop the code would set and the throttle w... Trouble codes: P2101 (Throttle control motor performance).	3
	2005 Suzuki Verona LX 2.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: KL5VJ56L55 THANKS EVERYONE FOR TAKING TIME FROM YOUR BUSY SCHEDULES TO REPLY.I HAVE ORDERED A NEW CONVERTER AND AM WAITING ON IT TO ARRIVE.AS SOON AS I INSTALL IT AND VERIFY THAT THIS THING IS BEHIND ME I WILL REPOST. Trouble codes: P2096 (Post catalyst fuel trim system lean bank 1).	8
	2003 Toyota Solara SE 3.0L airbag VIN: 2T1CF28P53 Thanks to all who responded. The crash module was the problem. While I had previously replaced the right front side airbag sensor which is mounted in the rf pillar area not the passenger seat which would make sense, the code went away for about 2 weeks.This ti...	3

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