Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Oct 22, 2012

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	Help Request	Answers
	2001 Buick Century Custom 3.1L Shift Indicator VIN: 2G4WS52J41 So we have this 2001 century with a shift indicator that will not indicate what gear you are in, the display lights up normally but will not show what gear you are in. With my solus scanner hooked up it will show the correct gear on the scanner, but not on the...	View
	1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu 5.3L Wiper Motor VIN: 11327W4568 Trying to hook up wiper motor on this car. Has a 3 prong switch. No factory conectors. I am sure I got the wires routed right but I cant get to work. Does anyone know how to replace motor? New motor comes with two wires not hooked up. I am having hard time on ...	View
	1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L ABS pump VIN: 2GCEK19T4X Vehicle arrived with ABS pump running constant. Owner had been removing the fuse to stop the pump so the battery would not run down. Connected scanner into ABS system. Shows pump is off even though it is running constant. I believe it to be a bad EBCM. Found a...	View
	2000 Chevrolet Blazer LS 4.3L no 4wd low range VIN: 1GNDT13W7Y Hi There i have a fault with the Autotrac system in that it does not engage 4wd low or Transfer case neutral. also the dash display does not show all of the gear lever positions ie PRND2L only shows R D L we have a donor vehicle which is the same and have sub...	View
	2002 Chevrolet C7500 Kodiak C7H042 7.2L alt, tach VIN: 1GBM7H1C32 Truck came in not charging. Replaced alt and it was good for 10 days. Cust said the ABS light would come on and the charging gauge would peg at 19v. When the ABS light went out the gauge would go back down. The batt light never came on. Truck died and was towe...	View
	2002 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L ignition control module VIN: 1G1ND52J12 customer drove car home from work, parked in the garage. next morning car would not start. found no spark coming from icm, swapped out with good known icm and coils still no spark. removed and replaced all cam and crank sensors at cust. demand, still no spark....	View
	2002 Chevrolet Tahoe LS 5.3L Unknown VIN: 1GNEC13T22 this car came in wt a long crank, we checked the fuel pressure regulator and it was leaking. Replace it wt a acdelco one, long crank is fixed but now the regulator is making a funny noise,we replaced it again but the noise in the regulator is still there,i've ...	View
	2005 Chevrolet Colorado Z85 2.8L Misfire VIN: 1GCCS14855 seems to miss only at idle,none detected past 1200 rpm. Same warm or cold Trouble codes: P0303	View
	2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.4L Lights, Battery VIN: 3A4FY48B56 Owner complaint: dead battery, lights and turn signals not working occasionally. Tested battery and parasitic drain... both fine. Could not confirm any lighting problem. Returned within a week with same problem. Again nothing found. Finally problem occured aga...	View
	2004 Dodge Dakota Sport 3.7L Cylinder Heads VIN: 1D7HG38K54 After sitting the vehicle starts up with a miss and quickly clears out. 1 or mor cylinders are filling with coolant (as it smokes for a min or two) and can smell burnt coolant. Not setting any codes yet.Has anyone seen any cylinder head or head gasket problems...	View
	1999 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L 2-3 shift VIN: 1FAFP53S3X Hello Taurus Techs, I'm setting up to change the tranny on a 99 Taurus DOHC with a floor shift and no overdrive lock out button. Good used Taurus tranny's are getting hard to find around here but I have located one about 150 miles away. The yard that has it sa...	View
	2001 Ford F-150 Lariat 5.4L Surge, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FTRX18L51 Hello all, we have a ford that does not register tp at times. The tp voltage will drop to 0 on the scanner. Trans upshifts but will not downshift. Pintest tps, 5v ref good, ground good, signal good, .8v to 4.3v sweeping the throttle. Pintest tps signal at ecm,... Trouble codes: P0122 (Tps circuit a low), P1121 (Tps inconsistent with maf)	View
	2004 Ford F-450 Super Duty XL 6.0L No Start, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1FDXF46P14 Hi fellow techs. This one is got me scratching my head! 2 months ago this truck went on job about 900 miles from our facility. On it's way up there the driver complained of power loss and than stall and no start when he came to a stop. It was towed to a Ford d... Trouble codes: P0275 (cyl 5 contribution)	View
	1996 Geo Tracker 1.6L clutch release VIN: 2CNBJ1361T Hi techs, This 96 tracker is used 4 to 6 hours a day to deliver news papers rural route. After about one week the clutch starts not to release and free play increases. can adjust back to normal operation than it repeats agian. we have looked at the pedal assem...	View
	1993 GMC Yukon 5.7L driveline VIN: 1GKEK18K8P this yukon came in with a clunk/slip noise when in 4x4.I have replaced rubber mounts @ frame and crossmember.Ireplaced brokem output shaft snap ring t-case and range fork.Front axle has been disassembled and had bearings replaced.checked splines in front drive...	View
	1993 GMC K1500 Sierra SLE 5.7L MIL Lamp on, won't shift VIN: 2GTEK19K7P Trying to fix this old truck. I don't have a scanner for this truck but did get codes 24 & 43(which I think is irrelevant). VSS seems to be good, wiring from the sensor to the VSS buffer is good. B+ & B- are both at the buffer and good. Now I read that if I ta... Trouble codes: 24 (no speed from VSS), 43 (esc)	View
	2007 GMC Yukon SLT 5.3L remote start and door locks VIN: 1GKFK13077 Vehicle can be locked using the key fob. Door locks and remote start are inoperative with key fob. If you unlock the drivers door with the key, the key fob will work correctly untill vehicle sits locked for more than 10 minutes. Found 2 body control codes B320...	View
	2012 Hyundai Accent GS 1.6L Eps VIN: KMHCT5AE2C This 2012 Hyundai Accent has electronic power steering (EPS) and stability control. The toe/caster/camber are within spec but the steering wheel is offset about 10 degrees to the left. Here is my question: do I have to do anything special to the EPS or stabi...	View
	2000 Infiniti I30 3.0L Ignition Primary VIN: JNKCA31A2Y The only code that this vehicle has is p1320 ignition primary the engine runs great,does not skip,does not hessitate.it runs like a new car.has anyone had this problem.i've checked other sites were others have replaced the coils only to have the same code retu...	View
	2003 Isuzu Axiom XS 3.5L 2nd to 3rd hard upshift when gets on hot mode VIN: 4S2DF58X13 once this vehicle gets on hot mode, makes hard shift to direct gear, we tried accesory cooler with longer period of time to start the shifting issue. unit had been removed recently to inspect for cross leaks on 2nd clutch drum or center support bushing, and re...	View
	2000 Jaguar S-Type 3.0L Windshield VIN: SAJDA01C0Y After servicing this S-Type Jaguar we noticed a crack in the windshield coming from under the chrome trim about 4 inches up from the drivers side A-Post, towards the center of the windshield right in front of drivers view. There is no impact mark anywhere alon...	View
	2007 Jeep Liberty Sport 3.7L Trans VIN: 1J4GL48KX7 This jeep has a code p1745 line pressure high. My modis wont give me any data just codes it says it is not in the data base. Also alldata does not give me any tests for this code it says it is an info code only so i need some help on testing and repairing this...	View
	2000 Kia Spectra GS 1.8L engine VIN: KNAFB1616Y I have gotten in a 2000 Kia Spectra with a pretty strong engine vibration at idle while in gear. I checked it out and found a few things that could cause the problem such as engine mounts and the harmonic balancer. i replaced all of those and the vehicle still...	View
	2007 Kia Sportage LX 2.7L Blower Motor VIN: KNDJE72347 Hello this is a problem I inherited from a local shop. Blower motor does not work in any speed. We have verified that all power and grounds are good and mitchell 1 gives wiring diagrams and diagnostic procedures that state replace suspected component with a kn...	View
	2003 Land Rover Freelander S 2.5L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, Low Power VIN: SALNM22233 PLEASE HELP!! This thing has some serious problems as do all of these freelanders from my research. Ok here we go, this truck has been here for a long time and we have all but replaced the vehicle for the customer! it first came in because the customer thought... Trouble codes: P0301	View
	2006 Mazda 5 Sport 2.3L engine VIN: JM1CR29L96 This car came in for a rattling noise coming from the engine area. It rattles realy bad at start up and at 2000 rpms. At idle its very faint. At 1500 rpms its very faint. The noise is the worst between 1800 and 2300 rpms. Above 2500 rpms the noise goes away. I...	View
	2008 Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring 2.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: JM3ER29L18 I have a vehicle that had been hit hard in front end. Have a hard code p2006, IMRC stuck off. System operates intake flap correctly. It appears the lever that the actuator is connected to does not contact the switch that tells the pcm whether the flap is open ... Trouble codes: P2006	View
	1985 Mercedes-Benz 300D 3.0L Vacuum pump VIN: WDBAB33C8F I'm a little stymied here. Great car in great shape. All vacuum circuits work great. Engine runs perfect and smooth. Power great. But still pumps oil into vacuum circuits. Or seems to? On 3rd brand new OEM vacuum pump assembly. Under the dash and carpets getti...	View
	2004 Mercedes-Benz S500 4Matic 5.0L Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: WDBNG84J84 vehicle came in with a check engine light,,code po104 checked harness changed airflow meter smoked intake scoped circuit checked wiring and scoped circuit several times .. changed air meter several times and smoke tested for leaks ,, also checked harness ba... Trouble codes: P0104, P0103	View
	2000 Mercury Villager Estate 3.3L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out VIN: 4M2XV14TXY Vehicle came to me with complaint of rough idle and suges when driving. Found engine light on for knock sensor code. Smoke tested intake and found leaking. Replaced intake gaskets & knock sensor. Test drive with no real improvement. No codes thrown after repai...	View
	2005 Mercury Mariner Premier 3.0L shift interlock VIN: 4M2YU57195 This vehicle is not where I can physically check it out. The customer states that there is a continuous clicking noise coming from the center consol under the gear selector. The noise occurs when he is in park at an idle, noise goes away when another draw is u...	View
	2002 Nissan Altima 2.5L Engine R&R VIN: 1N4AL11D02 AllData states that this engine is removed by lowering the entire drive-train out the bottom, with the front sub frame. Has anyone removed and replaced an engine in one of these cars from the top? Can it be done?	View
	1996 Oldsmobile Silhouette 3.4L heater core VIN: 1GHDU06EXT If you remember on these engines they have that little bleeder pipe that has the heater hose coming off it back to the heater core. Every hose, is around 180 degrees except for this hose. Right at the point where it meets the pipe it is 180 degrees. The furthe...	View
	1993 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.7L Hesitation VIN: 2G2FV22PXP I have this firebird in here with a loss of power when taking off and feels really sluggish. wide open throttle is ok, it seems like idle vac a little low for sea level, but idles fine. To me it acts like the timing is retarded, this engine has opti spark and ...	View
	1995 Pontiac Trans Sport 3.8L Poor Idle Quality, Surge, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GMDU06LBS Thanks in advanced for your help. we are mainly a European shop but this minivan belongs to a really good client of ours. Here's the story, this transport runs very rich at idle when hot and at start up. At the same time that is runs rich, it also surges at id... Trouble codes: P0172 (Fuel Trim Rich)	View
	1999 Toyota Sienna LE 3.0L Wipe/wash VIN: 14T3Z13C5X Journeymen good day, This is my personal van, the wipers just quit at the first rain fall. Several months ago they had an intermittent stop age that was only a few seconds long. Since absolutely nothing worked I thought is was the fuse. The fuse was good and...	View
	2006 Volkswagen Golf GTI 1.8T 1.8L No Start Hello fellow techs, I am not a VW guy and this job has turned into a trajedy. Came in from another shop that did not want to work on it. They diagnosed timing belt failure and bent valves. Verified diagnose and sold customer on an engine swap. Bought engine fr... Trouble codes: 16395 (CMP over advancing), 16725 (CMP performance)	View
	2008 Volkswagen Beetle SE 2.5L battery VIN: 3VWRG31Y98 Vehicle came in with a dead battery, battery is new so we charged it and tested alternator. Customer told us that the Battery light never came on, warning her of low voltage. We replaced the alternator and still no charging or battery light on dash. We found t...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1999 Acura CL Premium 2.3L ABS Module VIN: 19UYA3256X Bad connection at ABS module. Removed signal wire for another WSS and got same 4 volt coming out of module. Played around with terminal inside connector and cleared code. ABS light has stayed out, but if it comes back on, that connector is going to be replaced...	10
	2000 Audi A6 Quattro 2.7L Radio and Switch lighting VIN: WAUED24BXY Thanks to Chris who pinpointed the problem. "The lighting comes from the instrument cluster micro prossesor. Unplug the cluster to make sure not shorted to power somewhere else." The short to ground off of the back of the radio must've taken out the module. Th...	1
	2002 Audi A4 Quattro Avant 3.0L No Start VIN: WAUVT68E32 its a fix,thanks for all the info flexplate can go 2 diff ways when the motor is at tdc if your looking in the back of engine tdc open gap in flex plate should be at 6:00 clock position not the 4:00 position.hope it helps someone in the same boat-mike Trouble codes: 1670E, 16750 (16775-), 16775 (16725-), 16725 (16730- camshaft postion impausble signal), 16730 (camshaft postion impausble signal).	4
	2007 BMW X3 3.0si 3.0L Hesitation VIN: WBXPC93477 This was quite the headache. Several techs drove it and looked at it. I had suggested tires on my initial inspection, and the owner of the shop said he had a dream that he put tires on it and the problem went away. Not kidding, that's what he said. He has ... Trouble codes: 2A82.	6
	2003 Cadillac CTS 3.2L timing belt VIN: 1G6DM57N33 well found the problem guess i cracked the key way in the crank gear takeing the crank bolt out .and when i put back must of finshed it off. causeing the timing to go out .most likely bent the valves . thank you for the help.	14
	2006 Chevrolet Impala LS 3.5L No Start VIN: 2G1WB58K46 Thank all who replied. As some of you said, change the BCM. We did and it corrected the problem. Sorry for the delay, the customer had to wait for funds. Thanks again. Trouble codes: U0140.	12
	2006 Chevrolet Uplander LS 3.5L No turn signals VIN: 1GNDV23L86 I am closing this because the customer declined further inspection/repairs. They will be getting rid of the van, to many issues. Robert the van does not have a trailer harness. Alex [...] have heard of the harness issues before and im sure that is part of the ABS ...	4
	1992 Ford E-350 Econoline Club Wagon Custom 5.8L Fuel Pump VIN: 1FBJS31H4N Thanks for all the help. The van had a differnt computer not for this van. It was a used one someone else put in.We replaced with a new one.Runs good now.All tests on power and grounds checked good.	14
	1997 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 5.4L ecu VIN: 1FMEU17L9V Thankyou all for responding. The customer deceided he should not have to pay diagnostic time to find an issue such as this.	6
	1997 Ford Ranger Splash 2.3L Timing Belt VIN: 1FTCR10A8V With engine timed at TDC. I found that markings on the Cam, and Oil pump were not spot on like I wanted to see. I then installed a spark plug, in one of the many Spark plug holes (this engine is a four cylinder with 8 spark plugs and dual coil packs) Using sh...	22
	2000 Ford F-150 Lightning 5.4L MIL Lamp on, Lean VIN: 2FTZF0730Y WE REPLACED THE PCV HOSE W/ FACTORY PART ( ORIGINAL ONE HAD SPARKPLUG BOOT IN PLACE OF LOWER HOSE ). WE ALSO REPLACED & RESEALED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS & SUPERCHARGER GASKETS. FUEL TRIMS ARE BETTER BUT STILL HIGHER THAN THEY SHOULD BE. ALL MONITORS HAVE... Trouble codes: P0171, P0174.	21
	2005 Ford Freestar SES 3.9L Radio & Cluster VIN: 2FMZA57625 Thanks for all who replied. The radio was the problem.Whatever the draw was in the cluster, it was not enough to drain the battery. I did not have a amp gauge to give a reading with the battery connected. I do have one coming now though.For years we had checke...	5
	1996 Honda Civic LX 1.6L no spark VIN: 1HGEJ6606T found the distirbutor to be defective,but customer declined to have repaired	9
	2003 Honda Accord EX 3.0L 1-2 shift,2-3 shift VIN: 1HGCM66893 Goodmorning fellow techs.Customer has declined repairs.Thank you for your support,and replies.If customer decides to repair vehicle,I will post a fix.Thank you.	13
	2001 Jaguar S-Type 4.0L ride VIN: SAJDA01P01 the CATS light is fixed but the car still has a rattle in the front end ,, car has new ball joints upper and lower , and new stabilizer links as well as new outer tigh rod ends has a rattle in the front any ides appreciated thank you Ron	8
	1990 Jeep Wrangler Islander 4.2L Poor Idle Quality, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 2J4FY39T8L Followed advice and looked up "nutter" and followed steps to bypass the ECM that controls the carb stepper motor. Improved idle but lacked power. Once I pinched the return fuel line at the fuel filter power returned. Minimized vac lines to dist 4wd.	5
	2004 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor 1.8L Oil Seprator VIN: WDBRF40J84 When we realized that the part we were looking for was the actual valve cover our problem was solved. We were tring to find on the vehicle where the part went that mercedes sent us. The Mercedes dealer screwed us over. Thanks to all that replied. JOE	5
	2002 Mini Cooper 1.6L Cvt This car is finally fixed! The problem was that I was not driving the car aggresively enough when trying to adapt the transmission. After reseting the adaptations, I drove the car and at first it seems the car won't go over 30mph, eventually the rev limiter ki...	5
	2006 Nissan Sentra S 1.8L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: 3N1CB51D06 Thanks for all the replies. Found a broken wire due to the accident. Thanks for all the help and input Trouble codes: P2100 (throttle actuator control), P2101 (Throttle Actuator Control Motor).	12
	2007 Nissan Altima S 2.5L Blower Motor VIN: 1N4AL21E27 THANKS FOR ALL REPLIES. EVERYONE WAS ON POINT. I CANNOT NOR CAN MY TECHNICIAN GIVE A PINPOINT TO EXACTLY WHAT HE FIXED. WHILE PULLING DOWN THE FUSE BOX UNDER THE COLUMN WE FOUND NO POWER TO ONE OF THE 15AMP FUSES. WHILE CHECKING THE REAR OF THE FUSE BOX AND TR...	7
	2008 Nissan Altima S 2.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N4AL24E78 When we were testing this the resistance of the wires checked good but we had the pedal unbolted and the harness was tensioned to gain acess to the connectors (backprobing). The connector at the pedal had loose connecting pins. Probably from whoever had just r... Trouble codes: P2122 (APP sensor 1 signal circuit low voltage), P2127 (APP sensor 2 signal circuit low voltage), P2138 (Wrong APP sensor rationality signal).	3
	2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere 3.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GHDX13E2Y This one is fixed, although Im still at a loss as to the data I was getting. The fix was the O2 sensor. Several people suggested it, and after spending more time with it, I agreed. However, I wasnt certain until I put one in, and I hate guessing. In this case,... Trouble codes: P0137 (Post cat o2 signal low).	7
	2003 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3.8L Cooling Systems VIN: 1G2HX52K53 William [...] may be right! I have replaced many many of these elbos and never had a problem... These parts came off a help rack at AZ.. I have explained this to my customer about begin bad parts ima kind from the show me state i picked up some diff ones at...	20
	1998 Saturn SL2 1.9L vent tube VIN: 1G8ZK5278W Well it's been quite a few weeks since the last time we cleared the drain. I have not heard back from the customer but it hasn't been hot or humid. Thanks for all the replies but I just don't think there was any debris in there. Maybe next summer we will fi...	5
	2009 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: WVGAV75N09 The C.E.L. did come back on, and the code returned, but the customer declined any further testing or repairs. The car had other issues she felt was a higher priority at this time. Thanks for the help all!! Trouble codes: P0030 (Heater circuit malfunction).	4

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