Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Nov 13, 2012

Join Now

Prev	Professional Automotive Repair Technical Discussions for November 13, 2012 International Automotive Technicians' Network (iATN) - Members Only	Next
(Also Available: All, Asian, Chrysler, European, Ford, GM.)
Vehicle Owners: If you are seeking an automotive repair professional to service your vehicle, visit the iATN Repair Shop Finder.

Open Help Requests for All Makes and Models

	Help Request	Answers
	1996 Acura RL 3.5L Monitors wont run VIN: JH4KA9645T After our repairs, only heater o2 and the Evap monitors have ran. However the egr, o2 and cat monitors refuse to run. We only need one more monitor to pass emmisions testing.	View
	2007 BMW 530i 3.0L Engine starting VIN: WBANE73567 Customer complaint that check engine light illuminated and vehicle will not start at times. Found upon arrival that the battery voltage was low, recharged and tested battery/charging system found OK. Vehicle would not start all the time. Scanned vehicle with ...	View
	2004 Cadillac SRX 4.6L Misfire VIN: 1GYDE63A64 02 sen working properly	View
	1994 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 5.7L No Start, No communication VIN: 2G1FP22P6R This is a good one. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have a 94 Camaro Z28 5.7L, A/T that has no spark, injector pulse and will not communicate with the PCM, ABS module or the DERM. The fuses have been checked more times than I can count. I have checked...	View
	1997 Chevrolet K2500 Cheyenne 6.5L Poor Idle Quality, smokes VIN: 1GCGK29F4V when cold truck only cycles glow plugs on for 7 seconds then off then on again after which if you try to start sometimes it will start with out touching throttle other times you have to crack throttle after it starts it blow white to almost greyish smoke out o...	View
	1999 Chevrolet Tracker 2.0L Unknown VIN: 2CNBE18C4X auto is like new. has terrible vibration while running. removed alt/ a/c belt goes away. can't figure out whats making it vibrate. no engine noise, no codes. give it a little gas it goes away. in gears it vibrates very bad. seems worse in reverse	View
	2000 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LT 5.3L Don"T Know VIN: 3GNFK16T2Y Hello. This customer complains of a vibration like noise comming from vehicle. It occurs only on decel. So you accelerate and then you let off the gas, and for 2 seconds you hear a chatter and then it's gone. But you don't feel anything. So it only does it on ...	View
	2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4.8L Steering VIN: 2GCEK19V61 I have a chevy truck that will not steer with the wheels on the ground , I put a power steering pump in and was good for a few minutes and then back to hard steering put another pump in and just as bad replace the steering box no help , truck got worse to stee...	View
	2004 Chevrolet C5500 Kodiak C5C042 6.6L limp mode VIN: 1GBE5C1114 hello to all members and hope all is well with everyone,got this c5500 that goes into limp mode right before 5th gear,the speedo dont work, so with the tech 2 hooked up and watching the speed sensor im doing 80 mph right before 5th gear so it governs it down,i...	View
	2002 Chrysler Sebring LXi 2.7L oil pressure sensor VIN: 1C3EL55R22 problem occurs after long drive then light comes on at idle. light goes out when engine rpm increased	View
	2004 Dodge Ram 1500 ST 5.7L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: 1D7HU18D64 vehicle stalled on customer. we towed in. cranks won't start unless throttle depressed, excessive crank time to start. scan all data parameters, nothing out of line no codes cam/crank in sync, fuel pressure is steady @ 55psi no excessive bleed down. theft syst...	View
	2007 Dodge Ram 3500 ST 5.7L Mechanical VIN: 3D6WG46D57 need help have a 2007 dodge 3500 truck very low miles came in for over heat checked had bad head gaskets removed heads machine shop said heads were worped needed to be straightened installed heads after test drive no#8 cylender had missfire check intake valve ...	View
	2007 Dodge Ram 1500 TRX4 5.7L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Stall, Misfire VIN: 1D7HU18267 This truck was just in a week or so ago for a transfer case shift motor, struts, and shocks. Ran fine. Came in on the hook. Won't stay running for more than 15 sec. When it is running it idles up and down, nearly stalling until it finaly dies. The smoke coming... Trouble codes: P0300 (Multiple cylinder misfire)	View
	2008 Dodge Charger R/T 5.7L Surge, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2B3KA43H48 This one is a good one, the car came in it is stalling.When idling the asd relay is clicking & the fuel pump relay is clicking the #7 injector is missing a pulse. checked the ground from the ecm to asd relay, it is spiking on and off. checked cam and crank sig... Trouble codes: P3449, P3441, P3425, P3401, P0688	View
	1995 Ford E-150 Econoline 5.8L All shifts VIN: 1FDEE14HXS Thanks for any help on this I am sorry if I seem like a rookie on this but I know little about older Fords. So this thing jerks hard into all gears, O/D light is flashing and ABS light is illuminated. I want to start by reading the codes but after an exhaustiv...	View
	1999 Ford E-250 Econoline 4.2L brake pedal VIN: 1FTPE2420X ford technicians . need some help here please. this van had a broken abs wheel speed sensor ( drivers front) wire was torn.Replaced w/ new one. abs light went off automatically.Brake pedal very low and spongy so we replaced brake master cylinder- front brake p...	View
	2001 Ford F-150 XL 4.2L No Start hey guys thanks in advance costomer s complaint is a no start when hot unless you depress feeder pedal to the end. no related codes. tried a known good iac thinking it was stuck closed. stft : +- 10%. ltft b1 : 2%. ltft b2 : 3% . fix database pionts toward a i...	View
	2006 Ford F-150 XLT 5.4L Hesitation VIN: 1FTPW14526 Customer complained of low power scanned truck and found p0430 and misfire code for number 8 cylinder replaced number 8 coil and warranty spark plug since plugs were replaced not long ago also changed both converters and installed new fuel filter truck runs al... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random misfire)	View
	2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty XLT 6.0L Mechanical VIN: 1FTSW21P27 The customer called me to Pull the heads and install new gaskets, head studs, oil cooler and egr bullet proof cooler. SO I performed the job. Started and ran the engine to operating temp. Test drove the vehicle and it broke the number 5 front exhaust valve. Al...	View
	2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 4.6L Door Actuator VIN: 1XVHT85H58 Noisy blend or function door actuator, rapid clicking for three seconds when key turned on. This is a manual HVAC system, not auto climate control. Noise is consistent--happens every time key is turned on--when dial is turned to following positions, left sid...	View
	1996 GMC C1500 Sierra SL 4.3L Rear brakes VIN: 1GTEC14W2T Car came in with rear brakes not working and red brake light on.We checked brakes and they were recently done. No codes in system and no ABS light on. Pumped pedal and we have pressure from master but not out of ABS unit to rear brakes. (New single line to rea...	View
	2005 Honda Accord SE 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1HGCM715X5 Hello we have a honda accord that is being a head scratcher. We have replaced the vent shut valve shecked wiring and performed software updates and the mil light is still on. We have double checked connections and do no see anything wrong. Any one else expei... Trouble codes: 498 (Evap canister vent valve voltage low)	View
	2005 Hyundai Sonata GLS 2.7L No Start VIN: KMHWF35H75 This is my first time asking for help and I am trying to help a friend on this Hyundai. It is a crank no start. He replaced the crank sensor (old one the harness was melted as was the outside end of the sensor) and it ran for two days then came back on the tow... Trouble codes: P0335 (Crank Sensor Circuit)	View
	2007 Jeep Commander Limited 5.7L Front Blower Motor VIN: 1J8HG58207 Hello all, Kinda stumped here, vehicle came in blower motor inop, replaced motor and resistor, blower works fine. Send vehicle out and it returns with blower motor inop at times. Tested for power at motor when problem occurs, power fine, checked for ground, no...	View
	2008 Jeep Liberty Sport 3.7L Misfire VIN: 1J8GN28K28 I am out on holidays and got roped into this. Jeep has a slight hesitation was worse before plugs were replaced. Code 0300 comes back fairly soon after being cleared. Thanks for taking the time to help Trouble codes: P0300, P2308 (Ignition coil Circuit C), P0171 (Lean), P2302 (Ignition coil circuit A)	View
	2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 3.0L Cuts out, Stall VIN: WD3PE7CC9A This vehicle has comback twice now with a stalling complaint & no start. Both times when it was unloaded off of tow truck. Vehicle started & ran fine? each time it sets the above rail pressure codes. What are we missing? Trouble codes: 11BD0, 11C00, 130F0	View
	1997 Mercury Cougar XR-7 4.6L ignition VIN: 1MELM62W1V This vehicle has several quirks. When turning the ignition on with a cold engine, the radiator cooling fan comes on, and the engine will not start until the fan turns off, which it will eventually, if one waits long enough. It will also occur with a warm engin...	View
	1998 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 4.6L Fuse #2 underhood VIN: 2MEFM74W6W this vehicle blows fuse #2 in underhood electrical center approx every 2 months. vehicle comes in on the hook but starts once fuse is replaced. unable to duplicate problem and blow the fuse. a few months ago starter was "assumed" bad and replaced. alternator, ...	View
	2003 Mitsubishi Montero Sport LS 3.0L No Start VIN: JA4LS21H03 Group, Need help on this Montero. I have a no firing coil. Traced it back to a bad computer. I was told that the ecm would need a locksmith to program the antitheft. I was told by locksmith they need a pin code but the dealer can't get me one or can't figure i...	View
	1997 Nissan Altima GLE 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N4BU31D6V car came with a miss on number 4 cylinder found a large vacuum leak at the intake manifold,fix the leak reset code p0304 and now i have a code p0171,coming on after driving vehicle for 50 miles,I already tried to find another vacuum leak but vehicle is running... Trouble codes: P0171	View
	2002 Pontiac Montana 3.4L No Start VIN: 1GMDX13E82 this van has been hear severl times for no start condition. fuel pressure tested good. scoped all sensors . all withen specc. it dosent do this all the time. every time van comes in it starts right up. customer states that if he pumps gas pedal engine will sta...	View
	2007 Subaru Forester X 2.5L Parking lamps VIN: JF1SG63627 Parking lamps stuck on. Cant find relay for system. Nodata...I mean ALLdata doesnt show location. Does any body know where it is?? Thanks Nic	View
	2008 Toyota Tacoma 4.0L Mil VIN: 5TEUU42N78 Truck came in with a check engine light on and a P1500 for a power inverter the light just came on for the first time the other day since the truck was new. But there is not a power inverter in the center console and never appears to have had one since there i...	View
	2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9L 5th gear VIN: 3VWSP29M91 Does not want to shift into 5th gear. No abnormal noise from trans.(grinding, whining, etc.). Full of lube. All other gears work fine. Adjusted shifter cables as per factory manual. No differance. Have not had one of these trans. apart before so wondering what...	View
	2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 2.5L Timing VIN: 3VWSG71KX5 Well, car arrived on flatbed barely running, very rough idle. Had 17748 / P01340 for cam to crank correlation upper control limit reached. Presumed upper chain was stretched and had jumped. On replacement of chain, was loose when pushed on by hand, measure o...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2003 Audi A4 Quattro 3.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: WAULT68E63 Hello group: I surely am grateful to this resource. I gave the customer the option for me to take off the front end and open up the cam covers and re-time the belt and sprockets using the special cam locker tools #T40030, crank lock #T40026 and cam adjuster #T... Trouble codes: P0300, P3016.	12
	1997 BMW 318ti 1.9L runs rough at idle VIN: WBACG8324V Thanks to everyone who replied to my question. The DISA valve, along with a few old rotted vac lines cured the problem. Car is running great. Thanks, Jim	6
	1998 BMW 540i 4.4L driver side power seat VIN: WBADE5329W thank for help / car has went to used car lot . we found that memory seat mod. is bad,	3
	2005 BMW 545i 4.4L Mechanical VIN: WBANB33575 hi guys thank for all the information we found out that the valve seals were leaking the customer didnt have the money to do the job	16
	2006 BMW 750Li 4.8L smokes VIN: WBAHN83526 Thanks to everyone who gave their valuable time to respond to my post, Info that i gathered about this n62tu engine valve guide (smoking problem) are as follows: 1. if and when i had removed the heads the tool i ordered would not allow me to set the vanous ...	9
	2000 Cadillac DeVille 4.6L Surge VIN: 1G6KD54Y7Y hi guys i still have this car in my shop i went over this car i check the timing and found was off set up removed intake and inspect replaced with another when i removed the harness to iac engine stop surging replaced pcm and reprogrammed with latest software ...	7
	1998 Chevrolet K1500 Cheyenne 5.7L No Start, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1GCEK19R4W Thanks for all the replies. It was the fuel injectors. 2 of them were leaking and flow rate/pattern on others was horrible. Installed the new style mpfi style injectors and it starts and runs with no issues. Thanks again for the help	24
	2001 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 5.3L transmission VIN: 3GNFK16T41 I just got back from a [...] test drive and I think I can say this one is fixed.No noise and shifts great.I am also happy to say I heard back from Jasper and they confirmed the defective transfer case and will be paying a labor claim.Today must be me lucky day....	9
	2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L Cuts out VIN: 1GCEK19T03 Thanks guys for all the help. The crank sensor is what the problem was. Running good for two weeks thanks again for all the help!!! Trouble codes: P1637 (Generator Turn-on Signal circuit out of Range).	15
	2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LS 5.3L Mode Actuator VIN: 2GCEK13T34 Hello everyone, Of coarse the system worked fine for me so I checked all the plugs and connectors including the ones behind the IP fuse box. Then I cleared the memories and let the actuators relearn and finally test drove the truck over the last few days, all ...	15
	2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 2.2L No Start VIN: 1G1AL52F55 Ok I got a call from the customer today saying the dealer fixed it. They say they replaced the ICM and coil assembly (which I had already tried) at the tune of 700 bux. They didnt know what that metal could have been in the transmission and didn't think there ...	21
	2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT 2.2L air bag VIN: 1G1AL18F98 thanks to all who wrote in . what we found was a broken wire at the conector for the passenger dash air bag.fixed the wire all is well.	4
	2011 Chevrolet Impala LT 3.5L seat adjustment VIN: 2G1WB5EKXB Some replies said possible software or wiring issue, others said too much weight could damage seat modules. Most said dealer should cover it. I drove it down to the dealer this AM after finding nothing wrong myself. After taking the service manager for a test ...	9
	2003 Dodge Durango SLT 4.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1D4HS48NX3 I want to thank everyone for their suggestions. I was suspicious of the map sensor due to it being the ONLY strange value when viewing freeze frame data (showing 7-8 in/Hg when idling and no change in idle speed when code sets, and normally reading 20-21 in /... Trouble codes: P0171.	8
	2004 Dodge Sprinter 2500 2.7L ring and pinion VIN: WD2PD74444 Thanks to everybody. Customer took the vehicle as is. I tryed or had allready done everything that all of you suggested; except setting the backlash at .008. I suspect; as one of you e-mailed me; that the housing was bad. Had to add .015 shim more than what i...	14
	2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 3.0L Cuts out, Stall VIN: WD0PE84598 The fix was to replace the engine wiring harness. I have experienced multiple electrical issues with the wiring on Sprinters. Even loading the crank sensor circuit tested fine. On another note - the total time for replacing one of these harnesses is around 8...	2
	2009 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Lights In Speedo And Tech VIN: 2D8HN44E79 replaced the icp and problems is going just a note but r dealer that i got the icp from charges a $500 core charge so dont lose it	3
	1992 Ford F-150 Custom 5.0L Poor Fuel Economy VIN: 1FTEF14N5N Yes I wasted a bunch of time on this one, I ended up buying the dorman fuel line repair kit and made a plastic line. It worked real slick and I am confident in the repair. Thank you everyone for your time.	15
	1995 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6L Surge VIN: 1FALP62W4S Thanks to everybody for taking the time to read and offer help. The problem ended up being a bad battery. Not enough amps in the battery. I was sitting in the vehicle and watching the dash when the A/C clutch would activate the dash lights & clock would go ver...	13
	1997 Ford F-250 XL 7.3L oil pressure VIN: 1FTHX25F3V so i went and replaced the main ecm with a new one and the truck started right up. and ofcourse now that the truck is fixed the customer wont even called or pick up the truck. well yeah the truck is running fine now	14
	2000 Ford Windstar SEL 3.8L trans temp VIN: 2FMZA5340Y Tranny shop installed an external cooler but trans continued to overheat. I asked them to check the flow to the cooler and they said it was fine. I took it for another test drive until the trans got up to 200 degrees. When I got out and put my hand on the ext...	13
	2001 Ford Escort ZX2 2.0L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: 3FAFP11311 Thanks so much to all your great responses. The PCV tube had a small hole on the bottom side. Replaced the PCV tube and valve and the customer drove it 200 miles with no problems. All symptoms gone, thanks again everyone! Trouble codes: P0171 (System lean HO2S11).	39
	2004 Ford F-150 FX4 5.4L No Start VIN: 1FTPX14584 A couple of things happened here all started by 1 issue. I never did understand why I had all injectors pulsing at once but the cause of the problem is a cracked piston creating so much blow by that the throttle body was completly saturated with oil. After we ...	17
	2007 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L No Start, Stall VIN: 1FAFP53U17 This vehicle never did act up again, so the customer took it back. They have been driving it for over one week without any problems. There were many good replies, but it is hard to diagnose anything when everything on the car is working perfectly. The first... Trouble codes: U1900 (CAN communication bus fault - recieve error), U0002 (High speed CAN communication bus performance), B1318 (Battery Voltage Low).	8
	2000 Honda Accord EX 2.3L control head VIN: JHMCG5652Y This turned out to be a defective control x2... The first one as well as the used one I bought to try. David from Georgia was correct about the control head being a common failure item and the possibility of getting a bad one was possible. (yep) I had 12 respo...	13
	2002 Honda Civic LX 1.7L Excessive Emissions, Hesitation, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1HGEM21512 THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP. MOST OF THE REPLIES WERE RIGHT ON THE MONEY. AS I SAID IN POST, VEHICLE HAD CAME FROM ANOTHER SHOP. THEY HAD RECENTLY REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND HAD STRIPPED THE MOUNTING BOLT , WHICH LEFT THE ALT LOOSE, THUS SHORTING THE ECM. WE REPL...	9
	2000 Hyundai Elantra GLS 2.0L Clutch VIN: KMHJF35F7Y HELLO! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REPLIES. THE FIX WAS INDEED A NEW CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER.	10
	1998 Infiniti I30 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: JNKCA21A3W Thanks to all that tried to help. Scoping the cam and ref crank sensor(located under the pulley)showed a "good" signal but visual inspection revelead a cracked cam sensor. The customer also commented that another tech replaced the crank sensor with aftermarked...	5
	2005 Isuzu NPR 6.0L Left turn signal VIN: 4KLB4B1U45 Thanks all it was the switch like everyone said. These things are wired weird and since I only work on a few a year just wanted to make sure I was headed in the right direction. Thanks again, Stan.	5
	2005 Lincoln LS Sport 3.9L High speed on fan VIN: L1NHM87A45 thanks to all who took the time to reply. i fix the problem by replacing the cylinder head temp sensor located under the intake manifold. new sensor came in with a new wire connector. thanks again to all.	6
	2009 Mini Cooper 1.6L Airbag VIN: WMWMF33529 Thanks for the replies. This was a vehicle from a local auction. It turns out that it had warranty remaining. The dealership replaced the control unit and the vehicle is gone. Thanks again for the input.	2
	1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser SL 3.3L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 2G3AM84NXL Thanks to everyone who replied. Injectors fixed the stumble issue. All six had too high resistenc and partially clogged. Learned vehicle sat in afield for a while and owner decided to put some money in it to trade in for different vehicle. Now vehicle has plen...	13
	1997 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1L Hesitation VIN: 1G2NE52M2V vehicle started running good for several days, what we noticed is when ever you hit a large pothole timing will retard and vehicle runs poorly. Several miles later runs good again, did not fix vehicle will post fix if we ever find it.	4
	2007 Scion tC 2.4L CD Player VIN: JTKDE16737 Tried cleaning unit with CD sweeper thing and blew out with comp air. Still has error. Client wants to replace unit with better one that has axillary to iphone. problem solved. guess pioneer tend to go blind.	5

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