Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Sep 18, 2013

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	Help Request	Answers
	1997 BMW Z3 Roadster 1.9L MIL Lamp on VIN: 4USCH7322V My question on this one is why do I never see 100% calculated load value? I know the fix will be to install a BMW cat. I inherited this job and the customer got involved with the manufacturer of the aftermarket cat. The manufacturers engineer insists that his ... Trouble codes: P0420 (Catalyst efficiency)	View
	2007 BMW 328xi 3.0L Cooling fan VIN: WBAVC93577 Cannot find 50 AMP Fan fuse. Car died on highway. Went in to BMW dealer for recall fix for (battery?) Wire harness. When car was returned to customer, Overheated and sub woofer inop. We diagnosed bad fan assy. Would not run with power AND no signal feed ether....	View
	1987 Chevrolet Celebrity 2.5L Poor Idle Quality, Stall VIN: 2G1AW51R1H This cars MAT pid reads OPPOSITE of what its supposed to, swapped in different MAT, no change. Cant find any issues with feeds or grounds. But some where this issue has happened before. Runs old edge board 1227748 computer, swapped in salvage yard ecm, no chan...	View
	1995 Chevrolet C2500 5.7L clutch VIN: 1GBGC24K9S Cold clutch works fine. After running 20 to 30 minutes it won't go in gear. We added or welded 2 inches to the slave cylinder rod and no change. I discovered today that I can pump the clutch when its not releasing and it will go in gear. Please and thank you f...	View
	2002 Chevrolet Venture LS 3.4L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1GNDX03E52 This vehicle came in with the complaint of rough/no idle (a power braking method of getting it to drive). Customer states that highway cruising is fine. The catalytic converter has been cut out. No codes. My first thought was EGR. But this seems to not be the ...	View
	2003 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 5.3L No Start VIN: 1GNEK13Z53 Customer had no prior issues with vehicle. Parked in his driveway for a month while out of town. Returned home to a crank but no start situation. Car was towed to my shop.Checked for fuel pressure, 58 psi. Check spark, all 8 coils have good strong spark. check...	View
	2003 Chevrolet Impala 3.4L speedo VIN: 2G1WF52E23 the speedo is erratic and the trans hunts for gears, hesitates, etc. when accelerating normal the speedo and scanner show 9 mph and you ARE ACTUALLY GOING 40MPH. WHEN YOU DECEL IT JUMPS UP TO 40.if you drive easy then speedo op is ok. found no TSB's. googled i...	View
	2005 Chrysler 300 C 5.7L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2C3JA63H75 Vehicle runs terribly at idle and surges. The red lightening bolt flashes and there is no throttle response. The p2101 will set "key on engine off" even though the description in alldata says it checks this while running. I can see the throttle plate open half... Trouble codes: P2101	View
	2004 Dodge Dakota SLT 4.7L blower motor VIN: 1D7HG42N64 Has anyone had problems with water getting into blower motor on these vehicles? I Have check the drain for the evap & is clear & have replaced the blower motor three times now. Last Motor from the dealer. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated	View
	1995 Eagle Talon ESi 2.0L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out, Stall VIN: 4E3AK44Y0S this car cuts out for a second around 2500 rpm then comes back, i mean, rpm s are 2500 then cuts out then comes back, imagine if you pressing the gas pedal up and down every other second on a good running car. as long as i keep pressing the gas pedal it keeps ...	View
	1991 Ford F-250 Custom 5.8L Open loop after warm VIN: 1FTHF26H1M Truck came in with MIL on and request for Valve cover gaskets replacement. Several codes ewxtracted initially, but on completion, MIL went out but aforementioned codes existed.Thus 173,332,167. Replaced HEGO as original showed contaminated tip but supply and g... Trouble codes: 173 (HEGO indicates no switching), 332 (EGR not opening), 167 (TPS SHOWS NO CHANGE when throttle snapped)	View
	1994 Ford F-350 XL 7.5L Excessive Emissions, No Start, Stall VIN: 1FTJW36GXR Fuel pump runs continuasly with key on engine off. Fuel pump relay clicks after a few minutes. Ignition coil fires key on engine off. I suspect ecm. Just need someone to back me up who has seen this. Sorry for short, abrupt post. I have several other cars th...	View
	2003 Ford F-150 Lariat 4.6L rear of truck VIN: 1FTRX17W13 another challenge,this truck was in a wreck,body shop repaired it now it has a vibration/shake/shimmie,not sure what to call it at 40mph.i have since had it on jack stands,it is only a rear wheel drive truck.with truck in gear and speedo reading 40mph I notice...	View
	2003 Ford F-150 Lariat 5.4L Transfer Case VIN: 2FTRX18L93 This vehicle is killing us no 4x4 low no codes stored. We were using the ford vcm scanner and it showed that the boo was not changing when pressing the pedal i went to the gem with a test lamp and it lights when brake pedal is pushed so i replaced the gem, als...	View
	2009 Ford Ranger XLT 2.3L compressor VIN: 1FTYR10D89 hello every body and thanks for yopur help in advance i have this ranger that when you select the vent/floor mode the a/c comes on if you select just vent or just floor modes the compreesor dosent come on was wondering if this is normal or not	View
	2005 GMC Envoy SLE 4.2L Mechanical VIN: 1GKDS13S05 I do feel a vibration in the engine at idle in gear. The vibration is worse with the a/c on, but still there with the a/c off. I can remove the serpentine belt and it seems the vibration is almost gone. I can stop the cooling fan while the engine is running an...	View
	2003 Honda Element EX 2.4L speedometer VIN: 5J6YH18523 This element has a speedometer issues it fluctuates every time u accelerate its all over the place here Is the catch THOUGH IF I CONNECT A SCANNER ON THE OBD PORT I DNT HAVE TO EVEN TURN SCANNER ON JUST CONNECTED THE SPEEDOMETER WORKS JUST FINE!	View
	2004 Hummer H2 6.0L Check engine light VIN: 5GRGN23U14 Customer came in for Oil service with check engine light on scanned found P0300 for multiple random misfires, tried Crk re-learn. Code still came back tried a fuel flush. Check engine light went off for a while. Next time customer came in the check engine ligh...	View
	2006 Hyundai Tucson GL 2.0L emission cont syst VIN: KM8JM72B16 Hyundai Techs I need some help please. 06 Tucson came in for eng light diag; retrieved code PO311 for bank 1 sensor 1 slow responce fault. Checked all connectors and wires, passed smoke test both intake and exhaust, drives fine. Please assist Thanks for your...	View
	1987 Jaguar Vanden Plas 4.2L No Start, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: SAJAY1341H Vehicle had been sitting in barn for several years. Did an oil change and drained old gas and put new gas in and new battery. Vehicle had no spark. Found that the ignition pickup coil was open. Replaced it and vehicle started but would not rev up past 1000 rpm...	View
	2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L gauges VIN: 1J4GW48S62 I have this jeep stuck at my house it starts for 2 seconds and shuts off security key is on on instrument cluster.last night I noticed that when it does start for 2 seconds my gauges are not working and no check engine light comes on.i am able to communicate w...	View
	2007 Jeep Commander 4.7L Stall VIN: 1J8HH48P07 Ever Since, these two words make every Technician and Service Advisor want to run and hide when the customer starts off their complaint with Ever Since, but here we go. We replaced the spark plugs on this Jeep and "Ever Since" the Jeep will stall when idling h...	View
	2004 Land Rover Range Rover HSE 4.4L MIL Lamp on VIN: SALME114X4 Hello Rover Techs: I have this 04 range rover hse with mil on, codes P1170 and P1173, fel metering related. Have checked for vacun leaks, intake air leak and did not find anything. Can someone please help. Thanks Trouble codes: P1170 (Manufacturer controlled fuel air metering), P1173 (Manufacturer controlled fuel air metering)	View
	1975 Mercedes-Benz 450SL 4.5L Valve adjustment VIN: 1070441202 Car came to us running bad and we ended up putting injectors in to the car and it ran fairly good. car has low vacuum at 4 inches, but compression is 120 to 135 psi on all cylinders. It still floods the plugs and has no power so I checked the valve adjustment ...	View
	1999 Mercedes-Benz S420 4.2L close assist VIN: WDBGA43G4X Hey guys. I need some help on this one. Customer came in about 6 months ago for the LF door assist not working and the trunk handle that operates with vacuum and pressure keeps spitting the handle. (Very good customer.) I have checked all lines and vacuum sour...	View
	2000 Mercedes-Benz S500 Guard 5.0L Crank pos. sensor VIN: WDBNG75J5Y Vehicle cranks but no start after heat soak or even after sitting in the hot sun. Tested fuel pump pressure and flow volume to rule them out. I did this because of the high mileage and I had no history of when the fuel filter had been serviced. Removed crank...	View
	2008 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 4.6L No Start VIN: 2MEFM74V28 Vehical is a taxi and had a left front tire blowout causing damage to the main harness,another shop tried to repair and did not have any luck. I removed the main harness from the left wheel well area and went thru every wire that was damaged and repaired them ... Trouble codes: P2100 (Tac motor circuit open), P2104 (Tac system forced idle), P2107 (Tac module processor), P2110 (Tac system forced limited idle)	View
	2008 Mini Cooper S 1.6L MIL Lamp on VIN: WMWMF73558 This vehicle came into me misfiring on all cylinders, runs very rough all the time. Checked fuel pressure @ tank 45psi. checked high pressure fuel on scanner and it sits around 680 - 700 at idle. spec says its around 725psi(doesnt say how much tolerance)Lab sc... Trouble codes: P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304	View
	2006 Nissan Altima S 2.5L Piston Rings VIN: 1N4AL11D46 I'm not so much asking for help, but asking for opinions and/or experiences on engine damage from catalyst particles being sucked into cylinders on 2002-2006 2.5L Nissan Altimas. Thanks for any input.	View
	1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 3.6L Unknown VIN: WP0AB2967L After 2 minutes of cold start, hear squeak noise from engine/transmission area. Repulled clutch and replace throw out bearing and pilot, noise still present. When car is hot and restarted, noise returns more quickly. Cannot hear noise on engine or transmission...	View
	2003 Saab 9-3 Linear 2.0L head, tail, brake lights VIN: YS3FB49S13 Lighting quits at times. Signals, third brake, high beams and backing lights not affected. Display reads right high beam out when malfunction occurs; reads correctly when lights are working. Is there a bulb integrity sensor or module that might cause this?	View
	1998 Saturn SL2 1.9L run on VIN: 1G8ZK5275W This car has an intermintent run on problem. You can turn the key to the off position and it stays running, Doesnt happen all the time. Ive replaced the electrical ignition switch and worked fine for 2 days then acted up. I dont think the switch was related to...	View
	1999 Subaru Forester S 2.5L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out VIN: JF1SF6554X Car Came In Running Fine Did Head Gaskets And Timing Belt After Job Was Complete Car Will Not Idle And Bogs When Try To Throttle Up Im Sure Im Miising Something Stupid Just Fustrated	View
	2005 Subaru Forester XS L.L. Bean Edition 2.5L rear struts VIN: JF1SG67615 Hi subaru techs! Can you switch over ride leval rear struts over to regular rear struts? Has anyone had experiance in this. Thanx Mark	View
	2000 Toyota Avalon XL 3.0L evap VIN: 4T1BF28B3Y Thanx in advance for help on this one this avalon had evap switch replace on air box and charcoal canister have codes po440 and p0442 when we smoke machine this car the smoke comes out the vent on the charcoal canister my question is is this supose to do that ...	View
	2002 Toyota Camry LE 3.0L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Cuts out, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4T1BF32KX2 Car starts up and runs a little rough but not terrible. After idle for about a minute runs a little better but not perfect. Car has low power when driving at all times. Do not feel a strong misfire. Sometimes will pop back through intake like running too lean.... Trouble codes: P0171 (Lean Bank 1), P0300 (Multiple misfire), P0301, P0303, P0305	View
	2006 Volkswagen Golf GTI 1.8T 1.8L Battery VIN: 9BWDE61J06 Vehicle driven in, complain was that about once a week the customer would come out to start the car and have a dead battery. Battery was replace by customer and alternator was tested at another shop. Check for parasitic drain found (100mv. While car was sittin...	View
	2002 Volvo S60 2.4L L.F.Noise VIN: YV1RS61R92 NEED A VOLVO EXPERT. OK this car is killing us.Rattle clunk noise from L.F. suspension. Not on real small bumps, medium type bumps and expansion joint type bumps are the loudest.Replaced all suspension parts L.S of car. see repair history, seems less when brak...	View
	2008 Volvo C70 T5 2.5L Air Bag VIN: YV1MC67238 vehicle came to us after body repair, setting air bag light for adaptive steering column resistance too high, DTC SRS 0029. reprogramed thru VIDA air bag module and reset system, cleaned up connections and cannot get light to go out. Not sure what to look for,...	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	2000 Audi A6 Quattro 4.2L Random misfire VIN: WAUZL64B0Y Once again thanks for all the help! This AUDI in now fixed. Turns out it was a simple as two bad spark plugs, however I am not fully convinced that the plugs are the root cause. As you may remember these two spark plugs had a red tint on the electrode. the coo... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random cylinder misfire.), P0307 (Cyl. seven misfire), P0306 (Cyl. six misfire), P0327 (Knock sensor circiut), P0303 (Cyl. three misfire), P0302 (Cyl. two misfire).	15
	2003 Audi Allroad Quattro 2.7L shifting VIN: WA1YD64B23 went thru all the pins again found a poor pi one and replace it all is good fixed thanks for all the help everyone	3
	2007 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0L Hesitation, Surge, Cuts out VIN: WAUDF78E17 The vehicle is repaired. Ron from oregon was on the right track. The problem was caused by aftermarket software "hacked into the computer". Took it to a speed shop. They flashed the ecm, charged me a bunch of money. Problem solved. There were no air leaks in t... Trouble codes: P0234.	6
	2005 Buick Allure CX 3.8L Poor Idle Quality The vehicle has not returned, posts from techs were " do a throttle body clean and a throttle relearn" "Do a crank relearn, check o2 sensor, especially keep an eye on the 02, I have seen these set erroneous codes" "I'd look into throttle body but would still c... Trouble codes: P0335, 01133 (o2 sensor code).	5
	1995 Chevrolet S10 4.3L 4w/drive VIN: 1GCCT14Z9S Thhanks to all that replied.Those of you that said vaccum switch on t/case hit the nail on the head.Replaced switch and returned truck to cust. 1 wk. ago and have no further problems.Thanks again Mark	14
	1999 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7L MIL Lamp on, Temp gauge erratic VIN: 1G1YY22G4X This one is fixed... Thanks to everyone that responded!! Tim [...] nailed it it was the G106 ground above the starter that fixed it..I also cleaned and tightened g102 on frame above horns and g104 and 108 under battery tray. As well as G105 left side of bl... Trouble codes: P0117 (ECT sensor circuit low voltage), P1114 (ECT sensor circuit intermittent low voltage).	8
	2003 Chevrolet S10 4.3L clutch pedal VIN: 1GCCT19X43 We ordered another clutch set from a different manufacture and found that the pressure plate from the original replacement was a different height. We put a new clutch kit in and that solved the problem. Never seen this happen before but now a lesson learned to...	25
	1994 Dodge B250 3.9L Excessive Emissions VIN: 2B6HB21X9R Well,I had lots of good advice and I followed up every suggestion.Michael pointed me to the map sensor and it was bad.after replacing it truck still ran like plugged cat and opened Exhaust again which led me back to the cat once more and it was partially res...	17
	2006 Dodge Magnum R/T 5.7L Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall, MIL Lamp on VIN: 2D4GV57236 Thanks for all the great suggestions and support. This one is fixed! First I tested AC ripple as suggested here and it was acceptable; approx. .160V. After thinking about it over and over again I decided to replace ECM rather than taking the many hours it w... Trouble codes: P0700, U0100, P (many codes stored in nine modules intermittent and random).	7
	1998 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4.6L Front Air Shocks VIN: 1FMRU18W0W Vented air out of entire system. Used torsion bars and adjusted height in front. Started truck and let suspension air up. Had to adjust a couple more times before ride height was correct. Thanks guys.	9
	2006 Ford F-150 XLT 5.4L Cuts out VIN: 1FTPW14V56 Hello fellow members, This truck is fixed, First of all this truck is really clean and quiet and no VVT codes are setting so I thought the cam timing should be ok. Oil is changed like every 4k miles here at our shop. As Keith [...] suggested I checked the ...	17
	2007 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLT 6.6L No Start, Stall VIN: 1GTHK23667 Thanks guys for all the help. I have fixed this truck and learned a lot about this engine. I installed a clear line like many of you stated and saw that I was in fact pulling some bubbles through it. Not much, but eventually enough to make the truck stall o... Trouble codes: P2510.	7
	2001 Infiniti QX4 3.5L ecm VIN: JNRDR07Y11 the iac vavle was burned so as the tps sensor repalce both of them also found that the electric motor mount is burned	15
	1994 Jaguar XJS 4.0L Mechanical VIN: SAJNX2744R Hello Again, After replacing the rear pads,rotors and right rear caliper and bled system,I achieved a good brake pedal,however,the abs and brake warning lights came on every time that I would apply the brakes indicating a bad accumulator which I replaced. ...	6
	1984 Mercedes-Benz 380SL 3.8L fuse VIN: WDBBA45A9E Thanks for all the quick replies. most of you said it is a 2A. that should have been a no brainer. T2(as in two)D? time delay(slo blow)2amp. Thanks again.	6
	1991 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL 4.2L power loss VIN: WDBCA35E9M replaced fouled spark plugs, did injector cleaning service and cleaned crank sensor with brake clean, seems to be doing well so far, heading to florida in this car in couple weeks, keep your fingers crossed for me and thanks for all the help, all of you are th...	13
	1999 Mercedes-Benz E320 3.2L No Start VIN: WDBJF65H6X Unfortunately this car is now operational however I sat down with the scanner in hand to assess which modules werent communication and found I had full communication today with both obd2 and MB connectors, as well as power to the fuel pump. the fuel pump was s...	9
	2006 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI 3.2L Poor Idle Quality, Poor Fuel Economy VIN: WDBUF26JX6 It seems that the injector is bad. Customer had to leave on a trip before I could get to it so he dropped by the dealer.I will not know if they did anything until he gets back. Thanks for the help. Trouble codes: 2562 (Zero quantity calibration for injector 2 cylinder upper learing range).	7
	2005 Mitsubishi Outlander LS 2.4L oil leak VIN: JA4LZ31F95 After 3 oil pump gasket R & R on this Mitsubishi, my tech has become expert on oil pump gasket replacement. His fist attempt by adding 15% more torque to tensioner mounting bolt did eliminate the majority of oil leak. Not knowing the small leak is from cam sea...	4
	2007 Mitsubishi Endeavor LS 3.8L Upper Strut Mounts VIN: 4A4MN21S57 Upper Stut Mount Bearings from the old mounts were bad	6
	1970 Porsche 911 S 2.2L Ignition VIN: 9110101766 many thanks to all ,,was able to locate new and used parts ,, price was steep but the customer has deep pockets and was happy to get the car on the road again you guys are great and the best when we all work together again thank you Ron	5
	2008 Porsche Cayenne S 4.8L Brake proportioning fault VIN: WP1AB29P78 Thanks for the responses. We checked the usual harness/moister issue in the drivers foot well but no signs of corrosion. Customer decided to trade the car in.	3
	2002 Subaru Impreza WRX 2.0L Engine VIN: JF1GD29642 This one is finally fixed. The success of this is directly related to the replies I received from this help request. We did try a new radiator before anything else with no change. I was not able to find anyone with a 4 gas to use to check for HC's but I ult...	17
	2005 Suzuki Forenza LX 2.0L Srs Warning Light VIN: KL5JJ56Z95 Well, I took a shot since the SRS light was not blinking repeatedly before going solid I sent the control module out to be reset. Reinstalled it and all is fine. I have to assume that there was some history latched in it's memory as part of the accident. I tri...	5
	2000 Toyota Avalon XL 3.0L Ignition cylinder VIN: 4T1BF28B1Y WOW! Thank You Dan,Lorn,John,,Joe,Andrew,Rodney and Gordon! John provided the detailed info that fixed this vehicle. Before doing anything else, we confirmed that the steering wheel was not locking after key removal. My technician removed the ignition cylinder...	7
	2004 Volvo S60 2.5T AWD 2.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: YV1RH59H34 This car has never acted up since,I removed the tcm and the ecm,tightened all the connectors,tried to simulate the problem,finally decided to let the customer drive it to see what happens.As of yesterday it has not acted up.If ever it comes back I will update,...	3

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