Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Feb 11, 2013

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	Help Request	Answers
	2004 BMW 325i 2.5L no heat VIN: WBAEV33494 the customer purchased the car about a year ago and has complained of no heat we have removed the waterpump again to check for any problem with none found and removed the heater hoses and check the heater for blocked we flushed water through the heater with ho...	View
	1997 Cadillac Seville STS 4.6L Cellular Telephone Module VIN: 1G6KY5294V This car came in as a no start. I try to get codes no communication on any module. I did a voltage across pin 4 and 7 i had steady 4.8v. I know that i was suppost to a have a 0 to 7v square wave. I start disconecting fuses and when i took the radio/telephone f...	View
	2005 Cadillac CTS 3.6L brake lights VIN: 1G6DP56765 This Caddy came in with intermittant eratic trans shifts. Upon initial inspection, the brake lights were staying on in the rear with the key on. The red brake light, the TCS and ABS lights were on in the dash. There was a PO571 stored in the PCM/TCM and CO281 ...	View
	2000 Chevrolet Venture 3.4L Power Steering Pump VIN: 1GNDX03E2Y Noise emanating from the power steering pump when RPMs raised above an idle speed. Noise is constant regardless of steering wheel position, although it gets somewhat louder when held against the steering stops. No foaming of the fluid is present. Noise is a wh...	View
	2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L transfer case VIN: 2GCEK19T13 have a good one. replace tcase and encoder motor. they were junk. now when shifting tcase to 4x4 4x4 light flashes can hear motor try to shift then 2wd light comes back on	View
	2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT 4.8L overheating VIN: 1GCEK19VX6 I have a fleet truck here belongs to a good customer of mine. Driver brought truck in because when sitting at a light truck temp guage will rise 3/4 or more comes back down when you go down road for aways.Low miles reagular oil changes and no codes. Thought ma...	View
	2006 Chevrolet Impala SS 5.3L Out Side Temp. VIN: 2G1WD58C46 We have replaced 2 heater control heads from gm, brand new. Part number [...]. Out side temp worked before repairs and after, all we get is ---, no temp reading. We drove the car over 30 miles and still no setting of temp. We can use our modis and see temp ...	View
	2009 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ 3.6L Engine Won't turn off!? VIN: 1GNEV33D79 Customer started car today noticed the Check Engine Light stayed on then noticed it wouldn't accelerate as well as she is use to so she pulled over turned the key off thinking turning it off & back on would help "reset something" (her words). She noticed when ...	View
	2005 Chrysler Town & Country Limited 3.3L Lights VIN: 1C4GP45R35 Customer has a problem with exterior and interior dash lights flickering at times. I am not sure what to look for that might cause this problem. The charging voltage is steady at 13.8 volts. I did not find any TSB's related to this. Customer says it's and inte...	View
	2005 Chrysler Town & Country Limited 3.3L lf caliper VIN: 2C4GP44R95 4 wheel disc brakes. Came in complaint "brake pedal goes to floor". Confirm, ck for leaks-none. order master cylinder bench bleed. Install bleed at mc fittings. Still had air in system. Start bleed on vehicle. LF caliper air first then fluid. Strange no fluid ...	View
	1991 Dodge Stealth ES 3.0L Poor Idle Quality VIN: JB3XD54B7M For the past three years the customer has had problems with a high idle above 1800 rpms while cold and no one including myself have been able to identify the problem and or the source of the problem. I have performed thorough scans and relearns and still no su...	View
	2004 Dodge Stratus R/T 3.0L central locking, DLC, hazards, blower, +12 outlets VIN: 4B3AG52HX4 I purchased this vehicle Saturday. The seller stated the blower worked intermittently, but had recently became completely inop and another shop had told him the control head needed replaced. On the trip back from picking up the vehicle (250 miles), I noted th...	View
	1997 Ford F-350 7.3L Starting VIN: 1F4876189V This is a 97 bounder rv with a 460 Ford engine . Vin is not correct. Need the location of the ignition module. It is not on the distributor. Any help from you rv guys whould be helpful	View
	1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 4.6L Hydro Boost VIN: 1FALP46V8V Vehicle came in for a tune-up and valve covers to be replaced. My tech took off the hydro boost lines and now it the brakes are weird. Before we replaced the hydro boost and master cyclinder we bleed it according to specs. now we have replaced the hydro boost ...	View
	1998 Ford Contour GL 2.0L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1FAFP6633W hello Guys, this contour will not idle, just starts up good and dies,will run badly if you press the gas pedal, makes a sucking noise from the intake as a vaccuum leak, but I cant find one. Replace MAF twice, checked timing, checked for wobble in the flywheel,...	View
	2001 Ford F-250 Super Duty Lariat 7.3L Battery Light VIN: 1FTNX21F91 Customer states that the battery light will com on at idle and rpm's will surge. He also states that the headlights will go bright and dim. Cusomer has replaced his own alternator twice, no change. Every time we see the vehicle we can not duplicate the symptom...	View
	2001 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L Battery VIN: 1FAFP53U01 Greetings fellow techs, Got a 2001 Ford Taurus that's eating our lunch. Car was brought in with the problem of the battery going dead over a period of time. Hooked up my Fuse Buddy tester to the negative battery cable and here's what happens-right off the bat ...	View
	2002 Ford F-150 King Ranch 5.4L Unknown VIN: 1FTRX18L92 While driving the motor cuts out all cylinders so fast thet the tach doesnt change. Get code p0340 cam sensor circuit fault.cant seem so see any fault while watching the scanner the cut out is for a split second a couple times in a row randomly while driving. ...	View
	2003 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L engine assy VIN: 1FAFP53U13 Hello everyone, This is kind of a help request but a warning. We had a typical cam sync assy. failure the common chirping sound from warn out bushings. So we ordered up a Dorman sync. prelubed gear and shaft and away she went. 100 miles later the shaft seized ...	View
	2006 Ford Escape XLT 3.0L TR switch. VIN: 1FMCU03186 Ran diagnostic tests and everything checked out ok.Still having the same problem of the cruise working intermittantly.	View
	2008 Ford F-150 XTR 5.4L Engine VIN: 1FTPW14V88 Now after 20-30 min drive cycle there is a rhythmic rattle coming from the front/ bottom of the motor. Noise is not coming from the cam cover area. Noise does not appear to come from idler / tensioner pullies (with stethoscope). It does not make the noise if y...	View
	1996 Honda Civic EX 1.6L transmission VIN: 1HGEJ8148T ok so my passanger side transmission is leaking, i had replaced a bad axle, first time my local autoparts store gave me an abs axle so therefore it had poped out while driving, went back and got the axle without abs, put it on, and later noticed a leak coming ...	View
	2005 Honda Civic DX 1.7L 5th gear, Reverse VIN: 2HGES15165 I am stuck on this one guys and your help would be much appreciated. This civic originally came in with the complaint of the transmission jumping out of fifth gear and it was making noise. I drained the fluid and there was some debris. The customer is broke an...	View
	2003 Infiniti QX4 3.5L headgaskets VIN: JNRDR09Y63 Hi, group, I was just wondering if these engines are prone to cracking heads, cause the guy hit something blew out the radiator overheated it, and I repaired the raidator but pressure coming out radiator, tore heads off in sequence, should I send heads out(I k...	View
	2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.6L Misfire VIN: 1J4RR4GGXB Vehicle came in with misfire code P0302. Changed plugs and #2 coil. Still have P0302 code and a misfire. Listened to #2 injector with stethoscope and it is clicking. Any suggestions? Trouble codes: P0302 (Cylinder 2 misfire), P2305 (misfire)	View
	2001 Lexus ES300 3.0L p1354 vvt bank2 misfires 2,4,6cylinders VIN: JT8BF28G71 installed new vvt gear.swapped over side to side cam sensors and oil control actuators.new crank sensor,new oil&filter,new spark plugs,new coils,new injectors,and new ecm .oil pressure normal .new factory timing belt.my main question is even after i installed ...	View
	2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 3.5L ABS module VIN: WDBUF56J46 Code C225c Event ABS control Code C249F Operating time of component A7/3 (SBC left Hydaulic unit) is exceeded I have cleared codes and they return. I know that this part has an extended warranty to 10 yrs unlimited miles. What I need to know is does this conti...	View
	2004 Nissan Maxima SL 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N4BA41E84 when we got the vehicle in it had a transmission issue with harsh and delayed shifting as we were diagnosing that we discovered that someone had already replaced the tranny,after further research we found intermittent crank sensor operation ,replaced it and th... Trouble codes: P0011	View
	2008 Nissan Altima SL 2.5L Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy i have an 08 Altima with 2.5 that is setting this code and has a mild intermittent stumble. at idle the Air fuel ratio sensor is at around 2.4 volts indicating lean. from what i understand normal reading is around 1.5 volts. so i would assume there was a vacum... Trouble codes: P2A00	View
	1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass 3.1L Coolant Reservoir VIN: 1G3NB52M0V I have this Cutlass w/ a standard pressurized coolant reservoir on the passenger side of the engine bay. I have replaced the reservoir unit with a factory Delco GM OE reservoir 3 times already and they only seem to last about 2 months at a time. There has b...	View
	1998 Oldsmobile Achieva S 3.1L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G3NL52MXW We replaced the catalytic converter with an AP OBDII compliant converter. The code came back. We replaced the upstream oxygen sensor. The code came back after 40 miles. If we replace the catalytic converter with a Walker or a Magnaflow direct fit converter, do... Trouble codes: P0420	View
	2003 Pontiac Sunfire SE 2.2L Water Pump VIN: 3G2JB52F63 hello , customer brought sunfire in for coolant leak. changed water pump using ecotech water pump sprocket holding tool. now there is a whirring sound. took serpintine belt off and sound is the same. i had this before with a camry and it was the balance shafts...	View
	2004 Pontiac Vibe 1.8L Hesitation VIN: 5Y2SL62854 This vibe has a tip in hesitation. Leaving from a stop sign it will fall flat on its face. Once the car works its way through that it will accelerate up to speed and cruise down the road just fine. It idles just fine. There is no codes that are set. Data looks...	View
	2007 Pontiac Montana SV6 3.9L Cooling fans VIN: 1GMDU031X7 Engine cooling fans run contiously app. 1 minute after startup .Ac is off,no aftermarket remote start.No codes.Fans will run for 4 minutes after ignition is switched off.ECM will also stay powered up for 4 minutes after ignition is off. Transmission control mo...	View
	2008 Saturn Outlook XE 3.6L compressor VIN: 5GZER13788 When I push the A/C button the light comes on for a second and then goes out. checked system charge and it was low so I recharged it but it still will not engage. Checked clutch fuse and it is good. AllData has very limited info on this system for diagnosis.	View
	1997 Toyota Mark II 3.0L ABS Master Cylinder/Pump Unit Standard brake pad change on this car was performed. Caliper bleeders were opened when pistons were collapsed to prevent fluid back-flow in the system, and no air entered the system. Pedal was depressed several times to extend the caliper pistons once everythi...	View
	2005 Toyota Highlander 2.4L Parasitic Battery Drain VIN: JTEGD21A65 Customer can not start vehicle after sitting one to two day, with out jump. Measured current draw at battery with key out- all accessories off 250 mili amp. Removed fuses one at a time and found with fuse ECU-B(7.5 amp)at under hood fuse block removed, the bat...	View
	2005 Toyota Tundra SR5 4.7L MIL Lamp on VIN: 5TBDT44155 First thanks. Have used this sight many times, and has been a great help in the past! Thanks IATN, and all who take the time to respond. As stated I have a 2005 Toyota Tundra which has two codes, P2420. and P0441. after wiring testing and finding a short to gr... Trouble codes: P2420 (evap emmisions pressure switch valve stuck off), 00441	View
	2000 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 3VWSE29M9Y The car came in and would not accelerate at all, would just idle. It was already torn apart as a few other people had worked on it before me. Found a blown fuse #5 in fuse box inside car. Replaced that and the car would rev. in t body limp mode. Set codes p163... Trouble codes: P1639, P1634	View
	2007 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T 2.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: WVWTK73C67 Thank you for taking the time to read this. I have 3 of these cars here now and they are beating us! Customer states there is an intermittent poor running or shaking from the car. (Every 2.0 Turbo VW it seems) The only code in the system at the moment is p030... Trouble codes: P0303 (Cylinder 3 Misfire)	View
	1999 Volvo S80 2.9 2.9L rack and pinion VIN: YV1TS97D4X Customer brought in his car because of a fluid leak problem. We checked it out and saw it was leaking from the rack and pinion and the power steering pressure hose. We changed the pressure hose and got the rack and pinion remanufactured through our local par...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2007 Acura MDX 3.7L front window VIN: 2HNYD28577 thanks to those who helped! initialization without gna600/hds: DO each bullet in step 4 within 5 seconds of each other. 1. turn ign. switch ON (II) 2. move window all way down using the window DOWN switch. 3. Open driver's door. 4. do the following 3 times be...	5
	2004 BMW 545i 4.4L oil pressure VIN: WBANB33514 FINALLY found the issue -- chunk of hard plastic stuck in the check valve leading to the oil pressure switch. Valves are threaded into the cylinder heads, remove the throttle body for access. Unknown where the plastic came from, blew air through all passages b...	13
	2003 Cadillac DeVille DTS 4.6L Air bag VIN: 1G6KF57983 Hey guys, I replaced the drivers seat belt buckle with the pretenisoner. That fixcd the problem! I really do thank all of you for your help! Bill [...]	18
	1991 Chevrolet S10 Baja 2.5L Blower Volume VIN: 1GCCS14E3M Hey, I'd like to thank everyone for taking their time and offering the suggestions. I took it back apart to find no blockages or door out of order. I tried a deeper squirl cage but wouldn't fit into the housing. I resealed the outer box and that seemd to hel...	22
	1994 Chevrolet S10 2.2L backfires when crank VIN: 1GBCS1046R After posting my help request and spending four hours looking for the problem,the Post Office picked up the vehicle with a flat bed and took it to their regional repair center and I have not been informed as to what it took to repair it. My best guess would b...	15
	1996 Chevrolet K1500 Suburban LT 5.7L free revs VIN: 1GNFK16R8T Thanks for all the replies, they were all very helpful. Fix wound up being that I had a dumb a#! Moment. I left the booster house UN hooked, couldn't see it due to my fender cover. A great learning experience though, sometimes just have to walk away and take a...	25
	2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD 6.6L No Start VIN: 1GCHK29152 Sorry for the delay, just wanted to make sure I didn't get a call back with a no start again. Kevin, Gordon and Matt are the big winners. Turns out that the ECM would lose the ignition 1 voltage upon cranking and only when cold. I verified this by backprobing...	17
	2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 5.3L Rev?low VIN: 3GNEK13T22 Well JAy was correct on the valve body bolt. As careful as I was with the rebuild somehow I must of mixed up the bolts. I found no other damage other than the sun shell and the bot both were replaced and the truck is now back in the hands of the customer. Th...	7
	2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 3.8L Stall Hello, I have fixed this vehicle. Thank all of you who replied with great responses. What i found was moisture to the top of the pcv valve. My MAP reading on the lab scope was at about 8in. hg. when it should have been at 10 in. hg. I couldn't see any differen... Trouble codes: P0101 (MAF sensor).	10
	2009 Chevrolet Express 2500 4.8L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GCGG25CX9 The customer has not returned for further diagnosis. The problem is that the vehicle drives fine, so the customer is in no hurry to fix the vehicle. However, this is not the first time I have encountered this dtc. I want to get to the bottom of this so I kn... Trouble codes: P0121.	8
	2004 Chrysler Pacifica 3.5L hvac box VIN: 2C8GM68454 Asked the customer for check out time to investigate problem.Customer didnt want to pay diag.time.customer picked up the vehicle.Havent heard from cust.since	3
	2004 Dodge Caravan SE 2.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1D4GP25B34 Thank you very much guys. I got the vehicle back into the shop today and replaced both o2 sensors and the cat. I've given it 2 extended trips and the LT fuel trim has settled at -1% which I'm very ok with. No pending codes, good o2 readings: Looks like it's... Trouble codes: P0420.	17
	2007 Dodge Caliber SE 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1B3HB28B47 Thanks for all the replies. I talked to my local dealer and found out the vehicle had the TSB done on it. I took a chance and figured the low milage replacement motor may have not had it done. I took the vlaves and cam sensors out of the old motor and cleane... Trouble codes: P0017 (Crankshaft/Camshaft Timing Misalignment Bank 1 Sensor 2).	5
	2007 Dodge Ram 1500 TRX4 4.7L dash cluster VIN: 1D7HU18N27 I found the fix almost by accaident. I was tracing wires, unplugging harnesses from back of fuse box under hood. Found the top harness corroded, several pins broken because if it. None of with went to any thing. cleaned others. has not been back so ill call it...	8
	2010 Dodge Journey SXT 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 3D4PG5FV4A Happy February everyone! Mine's a good deal brighter from the apparent fix that a rear bank catalytic converter (maniverter) had on my Journey. I've waited longer than iATN would like because only time proves any repair on this unit to be good or bad and we'... Trouble codes: P013A.	9
	2001 Ford Escape XLT 3.0L Alternator VIN: 1FMYU04151 Thanks to everyone that replied, every reply was helpful. Some great refresher lessons on testing for resistance, and amperage. Also a good wake up call on not making things to complicated. A new Battery fixed the problem.	33
	2004 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat 6.0L No Start VIN: 1FTSX31974 This one is fixed. I talked to a few Ford diesel techs in the area, as I was trying to figure out where that green o-ring material could have come from. One of them suggested that the IPR might have been replaced previously for a lost screen/o-ring and the old...	19
	2006 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L Misfire VIN: 1FMPU16516 Thanks for all of the help, it's fixed. A new Catalytic Convertor was the solution. We were able to test drive for quite awhile and it stored a P0420 DTC Catalyst System Below Threshhold (Bank One) along with the P0303 Cylinder 3 Misfire. The Ford Dealership c... Trouble codes: P0303 (Engine misfire cylinder 03), P0316 (Engine misfire on startup).	31
	2006 Ford Expedition King Ranch 5.4L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: 1FMFU17546 Well, guys, I know that you all have been waiting to hear the root of this problem for a few days. I'm sorry that it has taken us so long to come to a conclusion, but quite frankly, we had to make some money and therefore had to let this sit for a couple of da... Trouble codes: P0174 (Fuel System Too Lean Bank 2), P0300 (Mulitple Cylinder Misfires Detected), P0303 (Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected), P0304 (Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected), P0305 (Cylinder 5 Misfire Detected), P0308 (Cylinder 8 Misfire Detected).	15
	2009 Ford F-150 XL 4.6L passenger compartment VIN: 1FTRW148X9 Like others have seen when the exhaust of this vehicle gets covered with road/salt etc it will cause a bad odor. their seems to be no good way of preventing this from happening. It seems the only solution is to wash the exhaust when it happens to remove buil...	5
	2011 Ford Explorer XLT 3.5L moon roof VIN: 1FMHK7D85B the reply from Garygot it done. I will add a note that when it says in the instructions close the screen , just roll it forward as far as it will go,Thats why you are programming it in the first place. thanks Gary	1
	1996 GMC K1500 Sierra SL 5.7L No spark VIN: 1GTEK14R3T WELL AFTER READING ALL THE REPLYS WE GOT EVERY BODY SEEMED TO BELEVIE IT HAD TO BE EAITHER A BAD COIL OR CAP AND ROTOR WITCH IT WAS NIETHER OF. WE NEVER COULD GET A GOOD SPARK OUT OF THE COIL EVEN THOUGH IT HAD 11V CRANKING HAD A GOOD GROUND AND A GOOD TRIGGER...	46
	2004 Jeep Liberty Limited 3.7L 4wd VIN: 1J4GL58K74 thanks for the help, didn't think there was an adjustment. customer chose not to incur the cost of replacing the cable ( that comes with the handle for 340.00 w/labor ) since her 4wd is working although the full time light does not come on.	4
	2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.7L Oil Pressure light VIN: 1J4GR48K55 Replaced oil pressure switch and no further problems. It was not leaking. Replaced it with a oem sensor.	13
	2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8L No Start VIN: 3N1CB51D84 I would like to thank everybody for all the great replies. They were pretty evenly split between a stretched chain and an immobilizer problem. I did scope the cam and crank sensor with a 2 channel dco and I could see the signals were slightly out of phase so I...	15
	2005 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Stall, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 5N1AR18W85 Thanks all that replied. We removed the front o2 sensor from the pass side and the vehicle ran fine. We removed the converters from the pass side. The front converter let go and forced its way back into the pipe and second converter. We gutted the second conve... Trouble codes: P0300 (Multiple missfire).	16
	2005 Nissan 350Z Grand Touring 3.5L poor acceleration VIN: JN1AZ36A95 Benjamin from Georgia suggested checking the cats and exhaust back pressure - checked both and found no exhaust restrictions. Installed a different set of known good cats, still made no difference. Looked over the fuel trims and found nothing out of the ordina...	8
	2007 Pontiac Vibe 1.8L No Start VIN: 5Y2SL65887 The fix was to repair the shorted injector wiring at number 4 cylinder. After finding nothing and opening this post, the boyfriend of the owner of the vehicle called to find out what was going on. He said that a couple of weeks ago, he put a serpentine b...	5
	2001 Porsche Boxster Roadster S 3.2L tiptronic VIN: WP0CB29831 the problem turned out to be that the wiring harness for the istrument cluster was pinched in between the dash and the dash support bracket. repaired the damaged wires. thanks for the help, fred.	4
	2004 Suzuki XL-7 LX 2.7L Poor Idle Quality VIN: JS3TX92V14 well thanks to everyone who took the time to read my post was helpful especially Adam [...] i remuve the timing cover and i find the secondary timing chain whith slop so i replace chain and tensioner.and now runs like champ,.,.,.but i was confused because som... Trouble codes: P0300.	5
	2000 Toyota Celica GT 1.8L Surge, stuck acceleration VIN: JTDDR32T0Y Hello, I didn't get a chance to work on this car yet. The thing is though the problem hasn't happened again yet either. Some good suggestions though. Thanks for your help.	13
	2001 Toyota Camry LE 2.2L No Start VIN: JT28N22K51 Well I found that the correct output pressure is 115psi so having 110 psi is acceptable. My only issue left is finding a suitable replacement. I have contacted several companies but it seems they want me to buy a minimum of ten units. Grrrrr!!! So I will conti...	3
	2002 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4.7L Cam Timing VIN: 5TDZT34A42 i replaced the timing belt, tensioner and water pump with toyota parts and so far all is well. thanks to all who responded. Larry [...]	13
	2002 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9L No Start VIN: WVWSP61J72 Thank's to ALL, We had the inj. pump rebuilt and that fixed the problem. G.T.	10

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