Automotive Technicians Technical Discussion and Fixes for Nov 13, 2013

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Open Help Requests for All Makes and Models

	Help Request	Answers
	2008 Audi A3 2.0L Ecu VIN: WAUHF78P28 First time request here and appreciate your consideration. Initial customer complaint was that engine would completely cut out and die while under way. No codes in engine, could not duplicate complaint. Week later, problem has gotten worse. Engine dies under w...	View
	2000 Buick LeSabre Limited 3.8L Electronic VIN: 1G4HR54K6Y This one came to me from another shop. My customer said his heat would not work and was told at the previous shop that he needed a mode door actuator but they could not get the part (strange they are common enough). Sure enough no motor movement when i went fr...	View
	1979 Cadillac DeVille 7.0L heater VIN: 6D47S99120 morning All This cadillac has no heater control except for defrost. We just had the heads off and the customer says the heater hasn't worked since. I remember that they had a switch that would turn the heat on after the engine hit a certain temp, but I can no...	View
	2008 Cadillac DTS 4.6L Headlamps VIN: 1G6KD57Y38 Was just curious if anyone had relevant experience with replacing the factory Cadillac HID headlamp assembly with an aftermarket unit with standard halogen bulbs. I am told both sides are a direct plug in replacement. Obviously they are a cheaper alternative f...	View
	2008 Cadillac CTS 3.6L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1G6DT57V98 This is a problem vehicle thats been to 4 other shops.Codes for misfire were not on when vehicle came in they came on this morning while I was testing. With your help we can get to the bottom of this. Code P0101 for maf signal comes up. The MAF sensor has been... Trouble codes: P0101, P0304, P0300 (misfire)	View
	1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2GCEK19T8X I have a 1999 Silverado at my workshop. It's been to just about every other workshop in town. The problem is the engine management light is on (has been for years the owner told me) The problem with the vehicle was that it would stop and not re start from time...	View
	2002 Chevrolet Impala 3.4L engine swap VIN: 2G1WF52E92 We are stuck doing an engine swap.The replacement engine is from a 2004 grand am and the cam sensors are different.I am wanting to know can this be used without changing cams??? The trigger is different as is the sensor.Any help is appreciated.	View
	2006 Chevrolet Express 3500 LS 6.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GBJG31U86 Hi guys, hope I can get some help here. This Van is actually a small school bus. Intermitently this bus sets a P0300, and the mil flashes. The driver states that no other symptoms are noticed. I have been unable to duplicate the problem while driving, but I no... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random missfire)	View
	2006 Chevrolet Colorado LT 2.8L Misfire, MIL Lamp on Ok I do not like asking for help but now I have no choice I have I 2006 Chevy Colorado 4 cylinder engine 2.8l this is my problem misfire on cylinder 4 it happens intermittent when is misfiring and if I pull to the side of the road and I give it gas the misfire... Trouble codes: P0300	View
	2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ 5.3L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 3GCRKTE37A This vehicle came in with SES on and P0300 stored, check miss history, found #4 cylinder is the problem, pulled spark plug and found porcelain on tip of plug is cracked off, found GM TSB 12-06-01-001B for oil fouling of #1 and #7 spark plugs due to bad pcv baf... Trouble codes: P0300 (Random missfire)	View
	2004 Chrysler Sebring Limited 2.7L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1C3EL65R24 Vehicle has what feels like a vibration but is indicated as a misfire along with flashing engine lamp at idle only. Off idle engine lamp goes out or stays on steady (miss goes away off idle). Check misfire counters and found bank one(cylinders 1,3,5) are misfi... Trouble codes: P0300	View
	2006 Chrysler 300 C 5.7L Power windows VIN: 2C3KA63H86 One for you Iacocoa experts. Got this 300C that the driver and passenger windows are inoperative from the drivers window switch. Passenger window works from passenger window switch. The drivers window switch had been replaced when I got to it. Plugged my Star ...	View
	1996 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L Mechanical VIN: 3B7KF23ZXT This truck is VERY rusty! Was used for plowing and spredding salt. Was towed in to us with no brakes. I replaced pretty much everything except the back brake shoes and springs. The parking brake cables are rusted off so I can't use it to determine if this puls...	View
	2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3L Cuts out, Stall VIN: 1D8HN44HX8 Vehicle intermittently dies while driving down the road. Customer coasts to a stop. Says there is no electrical power-won't crank. Waits 10 minutes or so- starts up drives away. Of course it is intermittent and I haven't been able to duplicate. Question is, I ... Trouble codes: U1197 (security code not recieved by PCM), U0121 (Lost comm w ABS), C0027 (TPMS problem)	View
	2002 Ford F-550 Super Duty XL 7.3L Cuts out VIN: 1FDAF57F52 Hi I have a 7.3 diesel tow truck that first thing in the morning starts good I let run for a min and head to town I live 3/4 of mile from the highway seems to run just fine for the first 2 1/2 miles then the power drops off till I am down to 25mph feels like n... Trouble codes: P0472	View
	2006 Ford F-350 Super Duty Harley-Davidson Edition 6.0L No Start VIN: 1FTVW31PX6 Hello to all, I have this 06 6.0 that has a persistent hard start hot complaint. Starts and runs normal cold, but after warmed up and shut down for 5 minutes it takes 25 seconds of cranking to restart. Will not set any codes. The ICP is below 500 for that 25 s...	View
	2007 Ford F-350 Super Duty XL 6.0L Misfire VIN: 1FDWF37P87 customer stated that truck would not run over fourty mile an hour. found codes po266 and po270 in memory. truck ran good first 2 times I drove it maybe a little doggy. 3rd time I drove it it developed a serious misfire. did koer test found a po270. shut off ve... Trouble codes: P0270, P0266	View
	2008 Ford E-250 4.6L Power door locks VIN: 1FTNS24W58 Hello Techs, got one of those nightmare jobs of the year. When you are making a hard right hand turn the power door locks lock all by themselves. It has no aftermarket alarms or remote starts on it. Removed left and right power lock door switches and test drov...	View
	2006 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLT 6.6L Power Steering VIN: 1GTHK23D76 The truck came in for a simple steering gear leaking and a bad tie rod end. After we changed both and aligned the truck we flushed the power steering and purged the air from the system. After we drove the truck a short while the power steering steering start...	View
	2003 Honda Accord EX 2.4L Steering VIN: JHMCM56633 Custumer replaced P/S pump cuz it went out after that car has no steering it is really hard to steer. suspecting that is a bad pump he put another one, no luck. well to make my story short we end up replacing P/S twice, rack and pinion twice and also a pressur...	View
	1999 Infiniti I30 3.0L Misfire VIN: JNKCA21A6X This car came in two months ago with cel on and complaint of slight hessitation found po302 but car ran fine so I switched #2 and#4 cyl coils and cleared codes told customer to bring back when light came back on. Few weeks later came back with cel on and #2 mi... Trouble codes: P0300, P1320	View
	2005 Mazda 3 i 2.0L dash/radio VIN: JM1BK12F35 before i start battery and cables test good no voltage drops and conections good and no codes in any modules. Now this mazda has a intermitent problem where the customer states that the engine,radio and power steering all cut out at the same time, and the powe...	View
	2001 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0L Idle Issue VIN: JN1CA31D61 Car came in and the A/C Clutch would not catch correctly causing and jumpy idle when the A/C is on. So we replaced the A/C Compressor. The issue was still apparent, but it had gotten a lot better than before so we replaced the IAC Valve and the Thermostat just...	View
	2002 Subaru Outback 2.5L Clutch VIN: 4S3BH66542 Car towed in zero clutch, hydralics seem fine, replaced clutch assy. And flywheel, disc was in pieces. Car was released and 1 week later clutch was slipping. Replaced clutch again with different manufacturer with same results. Clutch tech line advised new hydr...	View
	1997 Toyota Land Cruiser 4.5L MIL Lamp on, code po402 VIN: JT3HJ85JXV vehical brought in check engine light on code po402 eccesive egr flow we change back pressure tranducer and vaccume valve we test drive egr working ok passage are clean vaccume line ok no restriction in throttle body clear code but same code coming back when w... Trouble codes: P0402	View
	2000 Toyota Avalon XL 3.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: 4T1BF28B2Y Customer said engine was running weird with check engine light on. Driving down the road seems ok but idle surges slightly. Found misfire codes and p1354 for vvt problem. Went ahead and pulled front valve cover to check for sludge which is common in these engi... Trouble codes: P0300 (Multiple misfire), P0302 (2 misfire), P0304 (4 misfire), P0306 (6 misfire), P1354 (Vvt problem bank 2)	View
	2004 Toyota RAV4 2.4L none VIN: JTEHD20V64 Good morning to everyone.Heres the problem,the rav4 has a loud vibration noise coming from under the hood area.We replaced the vvt.camshaft gear didnt change the problem.Then we thought it was baffle or somthing loose in the intake so its off on the bench, see...	View
	2010 Toyota Tundra Limited 5.7L audio unit VIN: 5TFHY5F12A Ok have this Toyota with built in navigation and all the functions seem to work but no sound and no response from the volume control.Tested at the amplifier under passenger seat,power and grounds ok but seems to have no sound input.Does any body have an idea o...	View
	1997 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 3VWRA81HXV Found trouble codes p1420 & 1452 with check engine light is on. No description in mitchell pro. Trouble codes: P1420 (Manufacturer specific code), P1452 (Manufacturer specific code)	View
	2001 Volvo V70 X/C 2.4L Surge, Cuts out, Stall VIN: YV1SZ58D11 This customer is here from Canada. He says the Volvo dealer has replaced the turbo air inlet pipe and one other pipe (didn't know which one) that was cracked. The problem that I have is upon deceleration just as you are about to come to a stop the RPM will dro... Trouble codes: P1238 (6806 Turbocharger control system flow fault), P0121 (904C Reconfiguration emission system or TP sensor 1 and 2)	View

Fixes & Summaries for All Makes and Models

	Fix/Summary	Answers
	1997 Chevrolet K2500 Cheyenne 6.5L Poor Idle Quality VIN: 1GCGK24F3V Thank you all for your input on this vehicle.It has been a few weeks now with a new injector driver and no problems.The driver had already been mounted to a bracket on top of the intake and the engine cover removed to reduce heat.I may still move it to the fe...	9
	2006 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 Z66 5.3L brakes lock up VIN: 3GNEC12Z86 I want to thank everyone for your ideas, but I want to especially thank Keith from Arizona I did what he said and it worked. I had already checked a lot the components all you mention. the fixed the install the bracket in between master cylinder and hydroboos...	17
	2007 Chevrolet Corvette 6.0L High Idle VIN: 1G1YY25U97 Sorry for the delay. After leaving our shop, the customer was in a car accident. The car was in the body shop for quite a while. The car ended up relearning idle by itself, it just took several days of driving. Trouble codes: P0121 (Throttle position sensor).	9
	2007 Chrysler Sebring Touring 2.4L Tpms Light VIN: 1C3LC56K17 we finally got the vehicle back in and now found a bad tpms sensor lights are now out customer will let mus know if they come back on (hopefully not) thanks to all the help	2
	2007 Chrysler Town & Country Limited 3.8L Suspension VIN: 2A4GP64L37 After all the messing around, it turned out to be a internal knock in the strut, put strut assembly's in all good, thanks for the help.	10
	2005 Dodge Neon SXT 2.0L Starting VIN: 1B3ES56CX5 Well I got this one taken care of . Turns out yes I meant .03 amps and yes I was using a low amp probe . I never really had a problem using my snap on low amp probe . BUt anyway I had it narrowed down to instrunent cluster ( the keyless entry light module is p...	9
	2005 Ford Freestyle SEL 3.0L compressor VIN: 1FMZK021X5 Well after numerous hours on computer and researching we have come to the conclusion the sound is normal.really only way to hear is to put head in front of grille.We had another freestyle come in yesterday had same sound.was hear for brakes.Thanks for all who ...	8
	2007 Ford Expedition EL Eddie Bauer 5.4L Differential VIN: 1FMFK18517 Thank you all that replied. I got the front diff cover removed. It was tight but i got it without removing or losening the steering gear. Once you get the cover lose you have turn it slightly to the passenger side of the vehicle and it will come out. It is t...	4
	1999 GMC C3500 Sierra SL 7.4L Excessive Emissions, Poor Idle Quality, Misfire, Poor Fuel Economy, MIL Lamp on VIN: 1GDKC34J3X We acquired a scan tool that had an injector balance test and that showed excessive bleed down on the injectors so we replaced the injectors with very little change. Another one of our technicians then noticed the engine harness was contacting the egr pipe and... Trouble codes: P0172 (Fuel Trim System Rich Bank 1), P0175 (Fuel Trim System Rich Bank 2).	9
	2006 GMC Envoy SLT 4.2L limp mode VIN: 1GKDT13S16 Sorry for the delayed response, vehicle is back on the road and still driving great. After getting the third pcm from a different dealer, flashed pcm, truck started and ran great. My guy I use for reprogramming told me his partner had an issue with a batch ... Trouble codes: P0102, P2101, P1682.	9
	2003 Honda Pilot EX 3.5L MIL Lamp on VIN: 2HKYF18743 As just about everyone suggested it was the valves to tight. I knew it after the first suggestion because i have run into it before but it took you guys to blow cobwebs out between my ears! Thanks guys, another happy customer!	14
	1991 Jeep Comanche Eliminator 4.0L Rear brake line routing VIN: 1J7FT66S9M I was able to find the correct line routing from and old Jeep parts book supplied by my mopar dealer, It is an unusual routing for a vehicle without anti lock, there are two lines to the rear axle, one to the load compensator, one to a tee. The output of load ...	1
	2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4.0L Poor Idle Quality, Cuts out, Misfire VIN: 1J4FA64S15 Id like to thank everyone for the responses to my delimma. Crank sync was already found to be good and fuel condition was one of the first things we had suspected, tank was dropped and cleaned with fresh fuel added and spark plugs were replaced. I have heard h...	13
	2004 Kia Spectra GS 1.8L Poor Idle Quality, MIL Lamp on VIN: KNAFB16164 thanks for the help suggestions. It is running good now I think he got some bad fuel , we have filled the tank with new fuel and it seems to be working fine know. Trouble codes: P0301 (eng miss 1), P0303 (eng miss 3).	3
	2008 Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed 2.3L Battery VIN: JM1BK34M18 We took the plunge and purchased a used module by exact ID number (Car-Part.com is a great help). Once installed the electric draw dropped to 250mA and sometime overnight it dropped to 80mA. We had not ever seen less than 300mA before. No programming needed...	11
	2008 Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring 2.3L Poor Idle Quality, Misfire VIN: JM3TB29L28 Thanks to all that replied on this cx-7 Everyone was pointing me where I was going after ruling just about everything else out,and it is something I think I will see more of now that these cars are getting older. It turned out to be the injectors, but there wa... Trouble codes: P0303.	9
	2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG 6.0L distronic cruise control VIN: WDBPJ79J15 After exhaustive testing and research, the MB dealer has also concluded that the calibration of the distronic was affected because of the alignment(as many of you had said). The service manager told me they have been getting by for years with only a few issues...	7
	2003 Mitsubishi Montero Sport LS 3.0L Misfire, MIL Lamp on VIN: JA4LS21H93 I'm grateful for all of your suggestions. The fix was to replace the power transistor. It's been almost a month & i have not seen it back since. Your suggestions did make me think about other possibilities especially potential stategies the ecm may take if th... Trouble codes: P0300.	5
	2003 Nissan Frontier SVE 3.3L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1N6MD29Y83 Thank you for all that replied to this help request. The determining factor ended up being the vehicle came with a supercharger and the computer was not matching the replacement engine. The check engine light had been tampered with so it would not come on. So ... Trouble codes: 14, C0DES.	3
	2004 Nissan Xterra SE 3.3L Unknown VIN: 5N1MD28Y94 We did change the vehicle speed sensor in the t case. This trouble code was intermittent but did effect the transmission operation. It has been at least 2 weeks and customer has not called or returned. Thanks for the input.	6
	2002 Subaru Forester L 2.5L Surge, Misfire VIN: JF1SF63592 we did not ask for a dianosis; just a simple question about the codes! We replaced the coil to fix our problem. For the strang code #s...? Thanks anyway... Trouble codes: P0304, P0303, P1111, 20B0, 20B1.	5
	2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 2.5L Misfire VIN: JF1GE61658 THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR REPLIES. AFTER DOUBLE CHECKING ALL TIMING MARKS AND VERIFING COMPRESSION AND CYLINDER LEAK DOWN I DECIDED I HAD HIT A WALL. WITHOUT FACTORY DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT OR BETTER INFORMATION I SWALLOWED MY PRIDE AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THEY...	13
	2007 Toyota Tundra Limited 5.7L Replacing camshaft actuator VIN: 5TBRT581X7 I aligned the marks and put it back and all is well the actuator unlocks itself when oil pressure is applied thru the oil contro valve. Thanks for the replies	3
	1996 Volkswagen Cabrio 2.0L No Start, Hesitation, Cuts out, Stall VIN: WVWBB81E9T I would like to thank everyone who helped out! Right on the money! We ended up testing how strong the spark was and sure enough not strong at all. We then repaced it with a new coil and sure enough it started right up with now hesitation and stall. Thanks aga...	8
	2008 Volkswagen Passat lux 2.0L cranks but no start VIN: WVWEK73C28 ok guys I sent the car to the dealer for futher diagnositcs and the dealer has no clue whats going on with it. their evaluation of the car ends with the veh. needing an ecm, wiring harness and the engine compartment fuse box to the tune of $2250. and still n...	7

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